Forgotten Photo Studio

Chapter 79 Promotion Assessment Begins

In the waiting area, several obvious competitors came into Xu Yan's view one by one.

"Stone Shield," a burly man as tall as an iron tower, wearing heavy, old-fashioned armor, rusted and mottled, as if he had been dug out of a mass grave.

His arms were covered with earthy yellow energy patterns, and with each breath, his muscles and bones creaked like stones rubbing together.

He snorted coldly, his gaze lingering on Xu Yan and that old, broken-down camera, as if he were examining a piece of junk that could break at any moment.

"A camera?" he scoffed, his voice deep and rough, carrying a chilling arrogance. "I'd like to see if you can actually put a ghost inside that thing. If you really encounter a vengeful ghost, will a fancy camera be enough to stop it?"

With that, he slammed his fists together in his palms, the bones cracking like the dull sound of a tombstone being smashed by a hammer, carrying a naked provocation.

"Lark," on the other hand, has a completely different aura.

She was slender, with her long hair tied up, and two communication earrings that looked like ornaments but shimmered with dark red light on her earlobes.

As she approached, her footsteps were light and silent, as if afraid of disturbing something lurking in the darkness.

She gave Xu Yan a faint and polite smile, but it felt like being pricked by a needle.

“A photographer…that’s rare.” Her voice was soft, as if she were speaking sweet nothings, but her eyes were calm and sharp. “I’ve heard that some niche schools of thought are most likely to die in the first high-level assessment.”

As she spoke, her fingers lightly touched her earring, as if someone were quietly listening from the other end.

That wasn't just a casual remark; it was as if he were "marking" a new target for some intelligence organization.

In the darkest corner of the waiting area, the third person remained silent.

She leaned against the wall, her black hood almost completely obscuring her face, with only a sliver of her pale jawline visible.

Xu Yan recognized her; she was the Iron-Faced Woman, who was also a silver-level contractor in the nursing home cleaning operation.

She remained still like a shadow, her breathing so shallow it was almost inaudible.

She only slightly raised her head when "Leng Guang" announced the rule that "only one person will be left in the end".

His fingertips unconsciously stroked the hilt of the short blade at his waist, the movement cold and practiced, as natural as checking his breathing.

That habitual confirmation made Xu Yan's heart tighten.

—This is an assassin's method.

There was no intimidation, no clamor, only patiently waiting for the prey to appear before launching the inevitable strike.

The distinct mannerisms of these three individuals made the air in the waiting area feel somewhat tense.

Xu Yan keenly realized that this so-called "promotion assessment" was by no means a fair trial, but a disguised hunt.

Xu Yan removed the jade cicada and placed it in Chen Zhiwei's hand.

"With it around, you'll feel more at ease."

He knew that if he brought the jade cicada in, the trial would no longer be real.

But if he could leave it to her, even if it only added a little protection, he would feel at peace.

Soon, Xu Yan was teleported in alone.

Where he landed, the originally cold alloy floor instantly twisted and decayed, turning into an abandoned hospital corridor filled with the strong smell of disinfectant and blood.

The lights flickered on and off, and the walls were covered with dirty handprints and scratches.

Almost the instant he regained his footing, a vengeful entity dressed in a blood-stained nurse's uniform, with a distorted and broken face, and wielding a huge rusty syringe, seeped out from the wall, emitting a shrill scream, and rushed straight at him!

Xu Yan's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he advanced, raising his hand to replace the original fixed-focus lens. With a "click," the dark gold wide-angle lens was firmly inserted into the camera body.

A faint glow appeared on the lens surface, as if a cold pupil had opened in the darkness.

Several blurry ghostly figures surged out from all around the corridor at the same time, with the nurse spirit being the most ferocious of them all. Their resentment converged, and their aura pressed down so heavily that the air almost solidified.

Xu Yan remained completely calm. Through the viewfinder, like a photographer searching for the best light and composition, he instantly captured the convergence point of energy among all the ghostly figures.

"Crack!"

A pure white beam of light was cast out like a fishing net, simultaneously enveloping multiple targets.

The ghostly figures shrieked as they struggled to be dragged toward the camera.

A feeling of mental energy being withdrawn, far exceeding expectations, came over Xu Yan. He felt dizzy, as if several cold needles were piercing his temples at the same time.

Not just one, but several blurry yet warm fragments of memory: the scent of summer grass in childhood, the feeling of holding a camera handle for the first time, all instantly erased, leaving only a cold emptiness.

The photographic paper was ejected, and the ghostly figures on the image were distorted and irregular.

He successfully cleared the area, but it felt as if a piece of his soul had been ripped out.

He took a deep breath, gripped the photographic paper tightly in his hand, and felt an even stronger resolve in his heart.

"We must be more cautious; next time, the price could be core memories."

However, he did not feel the fear he usually did.

Because in that instant, Chen Zhiwei's eyes flashed into his mind, that stubborn clarity, and those words, "You are the most important person to me."

Inside the observation room, Chen Zhiwei viewed the blurry real-time footage using special access permissions.

The light on the screen flickered, and Xu Yan's figure moved through the mist and shadows.

Every time she raised the camera, she could clearly hear her heart clench, as if the shutter was pressing on her heartstrings.

"Too fast... Breathe, senior brother, adjust your breathing..."

She murmured softly, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the edge of the thin blanket, as if trying to transmit her composure from afar.

When she saw his movements become sluggish due to the emptiness in his shoulder blades, her own shoulders stiffened as if she could feel it too.

When he successfully sealed away the first nurse's spirit, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she gently exhaled a breath she had been holding for a long time, her eyes even a little moist.

In that instant, she suddenly realized with absolute clarity why she insisted on staying.

It's not just about fighting side by side, but also about being able to feel his heartbeat in sync with his every dangerous moment, and to be the first to experience his joy in every victory.

She didn't want to let her imagination run wild where he couldn't see her; she wanted to witness it firsthand and share the burden.

He continued along the corridor, when the scene suddenly distorted, transforming into a deep, dark sacrificial cave.

The rock face was covered with dried, blood-red symbols, and the air was filled with a strong stench of decay and low, mournful howls. The ground beneath one's feet was not solid, but rather a collection of countless distorted, tormented phantoms, and stepping on it seemed to allow one to hear the shrieks of souls.

A massive shadow, almost blending into the rock face, quietly appeared.

It has no specific form; it is more like a dark energy body that condenses the despair of countless martyrs.

Before Xu Yan could even raise his hand, a silent torrent of spiritual energy surged forth, not as a direct impact, but as cold mercury, seeping into his consciousness without leaving a trace.

His movements froze instantly. Before him was no longer a cave, but countless pale arms reaching out from the ground and the rock walls, grabbing his ankles and wrists, trying to drag him into eternal damnation.

Even more terrifying, a cold and malicious will is trying to take over his consciousness through this spiritual connection!
"Oh no...possessed by a ghost!" Alarm bells rang in Xu Yan's mind. He could feel his limbs losing control. The arm holding the camera felt incredibly heavy and was slowly turning, pointing the lens at his forehead.

Through the viewfinder that was already focused on his forehead, he could clearly see his terrified and distorted reflection, and behind the reflection, the sinister grin of the earthbound demon composed of countless pained faces.

—The next second, cold fingertips were already on the shutter.

(End of this chapter)