evening.

Actor Shi Ming, who was spending the holidays at home, suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

In this villa area, there are no insurance salesmen coming to the door. He thought it was his own courier, so he put on his slippers and went to the door.

Through the surveillance camera at the gate, he saw a person standing at his door. It was not a courier boy or a property staff, but a man.

Looking at the footage on the surveillance camera, actor Shi Ming was stunned.

Isn’t this Lu Ban?

Although Shi Ming knew that Lu Ban lived in Jiangcheng, the director rarely cooperated with the domestic film and television circles. He could not think of a reason why Lu Ban would come to visit him in person.

Is he going to ask me to star in his new work?

Thinking of this, Shi Ming suddenly became excited.

Lu Ban’s movies are all masterpieces that will go down in film history, so it would be enough for me to just play a small role.

He hurried to the door and opened it.

It was indeed Lu Ban, he was not mistaken.

"Director Lu, what are you doing?"

Shi Ming asked respectfully.

"Hmm? You know me?"

Lu Ban looked at the man in front of him, somewhat confused.

Of course, Lu Ban didn't mean to think that he was unremarkable. As a person who needed to wear a mask and sunglasses when going out on the street, he was well aware that the probability of him being recognized was quite high. He just doubted whether he had seen this new neighbor somewhere before. If theoretically he should know the other person but couldn't remember it now, it would be too rude.

"Who doesn't know Director Lu's name? I wonder what brings you here this time?"

Shi Ming complimented.

"Oh, it's like this, I bought villa number 13. Although I don't usually live here, I thought it would be best to say hello."

Lu Ban said amiably that he was worried that something unexpected might happen at night, so he planned to make arrangements with his neighbors in advance.

"No. 13... ah? Director Lu, that house is not popular to buy."

Shi Ming thought about it. Isn't Building 13 the one that had an accident a while ago?

Thanks to this murderer, all the property owners in the entire community are in panic, and the housing prices have dropped a lot. Some people who initially thought of investing in the community environment for value appreciation are in tears. Why did Lu Ban buy this building?

Could it be that he was taken advantage of and cheated?

Thinking of this, Shi Ming felt that he had an obligation to remind Lu Ban.

So Shi Ming told Lu Ban everything that had happened in that building.

Lu Bandao didn't rush to interrupt the other party, but listened carefully.

The content is similar to what the person in charge of the auction said.

"You said that the villa was not auspicious before. Is there any particular reason?"

Lu Ban wanted to know what had happened in this house before.

"Yes, I bought this house five years ago, and I like to live here on weekends. I am alone and free. Sometimes when I take a walk, I will find that the lights in this villa are on for no reason. Director Lu, you should also know that this house has changed owners frequently, so it is often empty. I remember that when I saw the lights, there was no one living here!"

Shi Ming said seriously.

"Also, when people walking their cats or dogs passed by that house, their pets would keep barking and looked very uneasy. I remember the old man who lived at No. 3 had a starling. When he was walking his bird and passed by that place, the starling barked a few times and died immediately."

“It’s that serious.”

Lu Ban echoed.

"Of course not. So, Director Lu, it's better for you not to live in this house."

Shi Ming spoke earnestly.

"No problem, I'm just collecting materials, it won't be a problem."

However, Lu Ban waved his hand, indicating that it was not a big deal.

Shi Ming thought again and realized that Lu Ban was indeed a horror film director, and this kind of haunted house was indeed a good subject. It was perfectly reasonable for him to come here to collect materials.

"Director Lu has a new movie?"

He then turned around and asked, if he could get along well with Lu Ban, maybe he could get a role.

“I’m still thinking about it.”

Lu Ban answered and continued.

"By the way, I'm staying here tonight. I might check the house and make some noise. Please don't mind it then."

"movement?"

Shi Ming was a little confused, but soon nodded.

"Okay, no problem. I'll let everyone know in the community group chat. They're all people in the same circle and familiar with each other."

He also enthusiastically added Lu Ban to the community’s WeChat group.

After leaving Shi Ming's house, Lu Ban did the same thing again and asked the residents around.

The answers were similar. When no one was around, the lights in the house would suddenly come on, and small animals would feel uneasy when approaching the villa, and the weaker ones would die. In addition, some people had seen people walking around in the house. The former residents were quite kind, but became withdrawn and weird after living there for a while.

All in all, a classic horror movie scene.

Lu Ban guessed that even if there were no strange things in here, there might be one or two wandering ghosts waiting to be saved.

The villa area is good in every way except that it lacks the atmosphere of everyday life. Just imagine the scene of wealthy people living in river-view villas worth tens or hundreds of millions sitting in a fried rice restaurant at the entrance of the community and eating egg fried rice. This scene will only appear in movies.

Not only are there few cheap fast food restaurants around here, there are even few takeout options.

There is a club on the property, which can provide business meals and banquets.

Lu Ban ate something casually, then returned to the house and turned on the light.

I don’t know if it’s because the light bulbs are aging, but even with the lights on, the room seems a little dim. In this empty big house, it seems like your footsteps echo.

But after Lu Ban stayed for a while, he felt that this place was a bit crowded.

"If there are strange things here, then there must be certain rules. The punishment under these rules probably won't be fatal, otherwise a bunch of people would have died here a long time ago. Will it cause pollution?"

Lu Ban guessed that, just like the friend under the bed, creating fear and swallowing fear would bring about slight pollution. If the strange things in this villa were also in a similar situation, then the residents would be exposed to it for a long time and the pollution they would receive would accumulate over time, which would always lead to some mental problems, suicide, drug taking, and murder, which was understandable.

For example, Lu Ban thinks that there may be a strange thing in this world called an office ghost. Once people sit in the office to work, its rules will be triggered, causing people to become more and more tired, resist work, and not want to go to work. However, since it is not fatal, no one notices it and thinks they really don’t want to go to work.

These strange creatures are the most common and the most hidden, but after a long time, they will continue to grow and become terrifying creatures that plunder lives.

Thinking of this, Lu Ban felt the light flicker.

Then, the TV in the living room suddenly turned on.

The TV was playing a program from some unknown TV station. The picture was blurry, but judging by the host's outfit, it was quite retro and had a very 90s feel.

"...News...report..."

Lu Ban heard that the host seemed to be saying something.

He moved closer.