novelraw Chapter 140: Emotional Detachment LV1
Chapter 140: Emotional Detachment LV1
In the pouring rain, the entire film crew was thrown into complete chaos.
Sun Zhou's target was that black silhouette still sitting upright on horseback, completely motionless.
"Brother Ci! Brother Ci!"
Sun Zhou's voice was practically hoarse from shouting, yet it was instantly scattered by the wind and rain.
Jiang Ci showed no reaction.
Sun Zhou finally rushed to the front of the horse, desperately holding the umbrella over Jiang Ci's head, but it could only block a few measly drops.
"Brother Ci! How are you? Get down quickly! The rain is too heavy!"
Sun Zhou anxiously reached out, trying to pull Jiang Ci's leg.
But Jiang Ci remained utterly unresponsive.
His eyes stared straight ahead, at that chaotic scene composed of background actors, props, and mud.Yet, reflected in his pupils was another image entirely.
Corpses littered the field, rivers of blood flowed.
A tyrannical will—not his own—was rampaging wildly within his chest.
That wasn't acted.
That was the will belonging to Xiang Yu.
A single thought was frantically growing in his mind.
Slaughter the city.
Crush these teetering "Han Army" soldiers before his eyes, crush this "Pengcheng," crush everything.
Seeing him completely unresponsive, Sun Zhou roared again.
"Jiang Ci!"
This time, it wasn't "Brother Ci."
It was his real name.
Those two syllables pierced into Jiang Ci's brain, which was occupied by the character's will.
Jiang Ci's body jolted violently.
Stiffly, inch by inch, he lowered his head.
His gaze fell upon his own hands, caked in mud.
Those hands had just been gripping the cold horse lance, still feeling the immense force that could pierce through military formations and treat human life as worthless.
A bone-chilling cold shot straight from his tailbone to the crown of his head.
He wasn't afraid of the danger from moments ago.
He was terrified.
Terrified of that "character" that was trying to completely devour him.
This feeling was fatal for an actor who needed to constantly portray tragic roles to extend his life.
Today, he could become Xiang Yu.
What about tomorrow?
The day after?
When he played one increasingly insane, increasingly desperate character after another, would he still be able to find himself again?
Jiang Ci dismounted.
His movements, due to both physical and psychological stiffness, appeared especially clumsy.
When he landed, he even stumbled uncontrollably.
"Brother Ci! Towel!"
Sun Zhou hurriedly handed over the towel.
Jiang Ci didn't take it.
He pushed Sun Zhou's hand away. Instead of heading towards the rest tent prepared for the lead actors,
he took a step, walking directly in another direction.
That was where the Medical Team had temporarily set up their tent.
The gazes of everyone present involuntarily followed him.
Director Wei Song, Martial Arts Director Yuan Kui, and those background actors covered in mud and utterly exhausted.
Everyone watched as this young man, alone and silent, traversed the chaotic film set.
Each of his steps landed in the mud, making dull, squelching sounds.
At the entrance of the medical tent, Jiang Ci stopped.
He saw the young background actor he had terrified into paralysis.
The young man was wrapped in a thick blanket, holding a cup of hot water, but the pallor hadn't completely faded from his face.
Seeing Jiang Ci walk straight towards him, the young man's body jolted violently, nearly dropping his cup.
The murmurs inside and outside the tent instantly vanished.
Under the astonished stares of everyone.
Jiang Ci bowed deeply and solemnly to the young background actor curled up in the chair.
"Hey! No! Don't! Please don't!"
The young background actor was so frightened he almost shot up from the chair, trying to dodge.
How could he possibly accept such a grand gesture.
Jiang Ci, however, extended a hand, gently pressing on his shoulder. A steady force prevented him from standing up.
He raised his head, looking directly into the other's eyes, which still held remnants of terror, and said clearly:
"Sorry, that was my fault earlier."
...
That night.
The hotel where the crew was staying.
Jiang Ci opened the System Store without the slightest hesitation.
【Current Balance: 4150 points.】
【Remaining Lifespan: 1056 days.】
His finger swiftly slid across the virtual panel, stopping precisely on one skill.
That skill that had appeared alongside 【Physical Optimization】 earlier.
【Emotional Isolation LV1】
The system description clearly appeared before his eyes.
【Emotional Isolation LV1: This skill is a passive skill. After a performance ends, the host's speed of detaching from a character's negative emotions (such as sadness, despair, depression) increases by 50%. Effectively reduces the risk of mental exhaustion or even personality confusion due to excessive immersion in a role.】
Looking at his balance of 4150 points, he didn't hesitate for a moment.
"Exchange."
He silently recited in his heart.
【Confirm consumption of 1100 points of Heartbreak Value to exchange for skill: Emotional Isolation LV1?】
"Confirm."
The next second.
An indescribable, icy-cold sensation flowed from between his eyebrows into his mind.
Different from the searing heat during 【Physical Optimization】.
This power was cool, calm, carrying an absolute sense of rationality.
The turbulent emotions that had been churning due to "Xiang Yu's" will were gently, powerfully smoothed out bit by bit.
The surrounding world instantly became exceptionally quiet.
The turbulent emotions that had been churning were gently, powerfully smoothed out bit by bit.
Only the sound of the pattering rain outside the window and his own steady heartbeat remained.
After the heavy rain, the crew rested for two days.
The incident of Jiang Ci bowing to apologize to the background actor had already spread like wildfire throughout the entire crew, especially among the lower-level background actors, where it was talked about with an almost mythical reverence.
When work resumed, the way those background actors looked at him had changed. Beyond the previous awe and distance, there was now a trace of genuine admiration and closeness.
The weather hadn't cleared. The entire Gobi was still shrouded in thick, dark clouds, the wind carrying a damp, cold chill.
The filming of the Battle of Pengcheng continued.
This time, the filming focus shifted from the mass cavalry charge to the even more brutal and chaotic close-quarters infantry combat between the two armies.
On the temporarily constructed battlefield, the background actors were divided into two groups: the Chu Army and the Han Army.
There were no more neat formations.
Everywhere were people rolling, grappling, and fighting in the mud, broken weapons, and flags trampled beyond recognition.
The Martial Arts Director and safety officers weaved back and forth through the crowd, their voices hoarse from repeating movement essentials and safety instructions.
Wei Song sat behind the Monitor, his expression even gloomier than the weather.
"All departments! Are you ready or not!"
"Infantry Combat Scene One! Prepare!"
Jiang Ci had also taken off that heavy cavalry armor.
He changed into a relatively lighter set of infantry leather armor, his hair tied messily behind his head.
Makeup techniques had been used to create battle-damaged and mud-stained effects on his face and body.
In his hand, he held a heavy bronze longsword.
According to the script, this scene was where Xiang Yu's mount was tripped by the Han Army in the melee. After dismounting, he fights his way out of the encirclement on foot.
This required him to portray that desperate, life-or-death, one-against-a-hundred, domineering ferocity amidst a chaotic melee of hundreds.
Yuan Kui's assistant ran to Jiang Ci's side, explaining in a low voice, "Brother Ci, later, you'll mainly fight along this preset route we've set.
"The people cooperating with you around are all our own martial arts brothers. We'll control the background actors on the periphery. Watch your footing; the ground is too slippery."
Jiang Ci nodded.
"Camera A, follow Jiang Ci closely! Cameras B and C, capture freely! I want chaos! I want realism!"
Wei Song's instructions echoed across the set through the Walkie-Talkie.
"Action!"
As the clapperboard snapped.
The entire battlefield instantly transformed from noisy to boiling!
"Charge!"
"For our Lord!"
Roars, the clashing of weapons, the dying screams of the mortally wounded, resounded to the heavens.
Following the predetermined route, Jiang Ci "pierced" the chest of a Han Army soldier with his sword. The martial arts brother immediately cooperated, spitting fake blood and falling backward.
He immediately sank down, dodging another longsword aimed at his face.
His own sword swept out in a follow-through, leaving a deep, "bone-exposing blood wound" on another man's arm.