The Princess Diaries—the movie that launched Anne Hathaway to stardom. After its massive success, production on the sequel quickly kicked off.
Thanks to the first film’s triumph, the second installment had a bigger budget, and the shooting location was upgraded to a large studio.
But with that came a new problem: a never-ending stream of paparazzi trying to sneak in for exclusive scoops.
“Damn it…”
Anthony stood outside the studio’s main gate, muttering curses under his breath.
He was originally a script supervisor on set, but somehow, he’d been reassigned to stand guard out here.
Probably because a few days ago, while chatting with coworkers, he’d bad-mouthed the director—and someone had tattled.
He pulled out a cigarette, ready to light up, but his lighter just wouldn’t spark no matter how many times he flicked it.
“Son of a bitch!”
Anthony felt a wave of unexplained rage surge through him. He swung his arm and smashed the lighter to pieces against the ground.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two figures walking straight toward him.
“Hey, stop right there. Who are you?”
Anthony raised his hand, blocking their way.
Under the moonlight, the pair—a man and a woman—came into view.
The young man frowned at Anthony standing in his path, about to make a move, but his female companion spoke up first.
“We’re friends of Miss Anne Hathaway. We’re here to… visit the set.”
“Friends of Anne Hathaway? Well, I’m Steven Spielberg’s big brother!”
Anthony was already in a foul mood, and when he saw the smug look on the young man’s face, he started laying into them.
“Now get the hell out of here! You hear me?!”
“You got a problem? Come on, try me—”
Before Anthony could finish, the young man grabbed him by the collar.
His bulky frame was lifted off the ground with zero effort and tossed five meters away onto the empty lot.
Seeing Su Fan fling Anthony aside, Teresa paused for a moment.
“Mr. Su Fan, you could probably tell—his state wasn’t normal…”
“The person I’m here to save isn’t him. I don’t have time to waste.”
The two quickly strode into the studio.
“His mind was clouded by evil energy. That little toss was enough to cool his head down.”
Teresa said nothing more.
Simple and brutal—Su Fan’s approach was exactly like his fighting style.
The set looked like it had just wrapped up a scene, but the atmosphere was far from pleasant.
In the vast studio, no one was chatting or laughing. The air itself felt heavier.
Su Fan didn’t bother stopping anyone to ask questions. As he moved deeper into the studio, his gaze swept rapidly across the scattered cast and crew.
The studio was enormous, and his spiritual sense couldn’t cover the entire area yet. Direct observation was still more efficient.
Soon, he spotted his target among the crowd.
A familiar figure sat on a small stool, her long legs folded up.
Her head was bent down, eyes fixed on the script resting on her knees, her lips murmuring lines under her breath.
Not many people were gathered around her—not even an assistant in sight.
The Annabelle doll, which the demon used as a vessel, was nowhere near her. Everything seemed ordinary, just like any other day.
After mumbling for a while, Anne looked up, trying to recite from memory without the script. But her gaze accidentally swept across Su Fan’s position.
At that moment, her slightly drooping eyelids lifted. The previously flat expression in her eyes suddenly came alive, as if even her eyes were sparkling.
But just as quickly, the light faded, and a hint of self-mockery appeared on her delicate, beautiful face.
“I’m even seeing things now… I really am…”
Before Su Fan could walk over, he suddenly felt a familiar wave of sinister energy emanating from nearby.
A deliveryman in a cap had appeared in front of Anne, setting a box down in front of her.
“This is your package. Please sign for it.”
Anne was still lost in thought about the hallucination of Su Fan she’d just seen. She nodded absently, took the pen from the deliveryman, and prepared to sign.
But the next second, a hand reached out from beside her and pressed down on her wrist.
Anne turned her head—and there stood her “hallucination” right next to her.
The warmth radiating from his hand was proof enough that this wasn’t some figment of her imagination. He was real.
“Su, it’s you—”
Before Anne could even feel the joy, she saw Su Fan raise his foot and stomp hard on the box below!
“BANG!!”
The deafening crash, accompanied by a tremor, shook the entire studio!
Anne’s legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed.
Her eyes instinctively dropped downward—and she saw something that defied all logic.
The cardboard packaging had burst open under Su Fan’s stomp, the corrugated material shattered beyond recognition.
Even the concrete floor was cracked, spreading out like a spiderweb.
But the object inside the box was completely unharmed.
It was a hideously ugly, malevolent-looking doll. Its grimy face wore a smile that sent chills down the spine.
Having personally survived a malevolent spirit attack before, Anne now knew the telltale signs of cursed objects.
One look was all it took for her to know this thing was pure evil!
Its eerie, sinister presence even surpassed Freddy’s bladed glove!
Anne wanted to get away immediately, but she realized her body wasn’t obeying her.
Her hand rose uncontrollably—heading straight for Su Fan’s eyes!
Anne’s beautiful eyes went wide with panic. But thankfully, at the critical moment, another hand grabbed her arm and pressed a cross against her back.
In that instant, the force controlling her body vanished.
Anne’s strength drained completely, and she collapsed backward into a soft, warm embrace.
“Miss Hathaway, hold on—let’s move over here…”
The person behind Anne was, naturally, Teresa, who had followed Su Fan in.
The sharp-eyed nun had rushed over the moment she sensed something wrong to help Anne, who had been possessed against her will, break free from the evil force’s control.
As for Su Fan, he looked with interest at the doll on the ground.
So even a stomp that could wreck concrete couldn’t destroy it, huh?
Su Fan picked up the doll and stared into its face.
The cracked glass eyes were hollow—like nothing more than a lifeless object.
But when Su Fan’s eyes turned dark and deep, he could see inside those eyes—countless tormented, groaning souls.
They had all been victims of Annabelle, their souls seized by the demon, trapped here forever with no way out.
This doll wasn’t a demon’s vessel. It was a cage holding countless souls prisoner.
But since the doll was here, the demon’s true body couldn’t be far off.
With that thought, Su Fan turned and headed toward Anne and Teresa.
“Find a place to hide. Something troublesome is about to happen.”
…
While Su Fan was examining the doll, everyone in the studio turned their eyes toward him.
The shockwave from earlier had drawn the attention of everyone on set.
Even people from the neighboring production crew came over to see what was going on.
When they saw the shattered concrete beneath the young man’s feet, their jaws dropped.
Their expressions were so vivid that “shocked” would be an understatement.
A human stomping the ground and creating localized earthquake effects?
Were they in some kind of X-Men-style superhuman world?
At that thought, many people started speculating.
Maybe this was all just some movie scene secretly orchestrated by a big-name director.
But a few others, after a moment of thought, gradually widened their eyes.
They’d heard whispers through certain channels that supernatural forces existed in this world.
Now seeing it with their own eyes, they felt not just excitement and curiosity, but also awe.
While Su Fan carefully examined the Annabelle doll, not a single person dared to approach him.
Just then, the studio’s intercom crackled to life.
“Attention, this is a temporary announcement. Due to an emergency, this studio will be closed until tomorrow evening. All personnel must evacuate within five minutes. No unauthorized loitering.”
Inside the broadcast booth, the announcer couldn’t help muttering to himself after delivering the message.
[What the hell are those FBI guys thinking, suddenly locking this place down for investigation?]
[It’s just a bunch of crappy props and cheap, paint-fume-filled temporary sets—what’s there to investigate?]
Complaints aside, the announcer had no choice but to follow orders and repeat the notice.
“Repeating: due to an emergency, this studio—”
Before he could finish, the studio lights flickered.
The speakers scattered around the place let out a piercing, ear-splitting screech.
“Of all times for the equipment to act up…”
The announcer quickly bent down to adjust the gear, unaware that the reflection in the glass before him now showed a woman in white.
Another flicker of the lights—and the woman in white was now standing right behind him.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold ran down his spine.
His human instinct for danger made him look up—and that one glance revealed the terrifying ghostly figure standing behind him!
Overwhelming terror made the announcer instinctively open his mouth to scream—but that was exactly what the woman in white was waiting for. She lunged straight into his mouth!
His body convulsed unnaturally, his head twisted, and finally, his eyes glowed red. He stared at his reflection in the glass and smiled sinisterly.
He walked to the console, leaned into the freshly adjusted microphone, and opened his mouth.
“Due to an emergency, this studio will be closed until tomorrow evening… All personnel… are to remain here and savor the exquisite taste of despair and fear…”
The voice was exactly the same as before—but the tone was dripping with a malice that made one’s spine run cold.
The inconsistent announcement left many of the cast and crew below utterly confused.
“What the hell is wrong with the announcer?”
“Did he get brain damage?!”
Quite a few of the less refined people started cursing openly.
Only a small handful who had pieced together the truth turned pale and stayed silent.
Many of them didn’t hesitate—they bolted straight for the main entrance!
The black-haired superhuman’s earlier actions and now this bizarre announcement all pointed to one thing: they had been drawn into an event that defied all common sense!
In this land of America, curiosity didn’t just kill the cat—it killed people too!
With danger this imminent, if they didn’t run now, when would they?
Their desperate sprint made even more people sense something was wrong.
And just then, the hanging lamps above every set began exploding—one after another!
Shards of glass rained down from above, triggering a chorus of screams!
“What the hell is going on?!”
“How the hell should I know?!”
“Stop pushing me!”
“I’m so scared… What just happened?”
“Damn it, the lights are broken—isn’t there backup lighting?!”
“I think some glass landed in my hair.”
“What’s this? It’s warm…”
“It’s blood! That’s blood!!”
“Call a medic over here—someone got cut by the shards!”
Darkness spread, panic rose.
The chaos escalated from small to massive. Then, the announcer’s laughter poured out from speakers all around.
At first, it was just a normal man’s voice. But soon, women’s and girls’ voices crept in.
They giggled, chuckled, laughed, cackled—hysterically!
Amidst the maddening, hair-raising, skin-crawling laughter, inhuman sounds began to surface!
That was when everyone finally realized something was terribly wrong!
Fear spread like a virus through the crowd. In less than a minute, the entire studio was consumed by sheer panic!
Actors in all kinds of costumes, along with countless crew members, all stampeded toward the exit.
All their celebrity images, gentlemanly manners, and ladylike composure were forgotten. All that remained was the primal instinct to survive.
Inside the studio, it was pitch black, but through the wide-open entrance, faint moonlight could be seen spilling in.
Those who had started running first were already close to the outside—one of them could even feel the cool breeze on his face.
But in the next second—BAM! —the massive doors slammed shut right in front of them!
Watching their escape route cut off right before their eyes, many were filled with rage and despair.
Curses erupted in a chaotic chorus.
Realizing there was no way out, some people even started taunting the unknown presence outright.
But their insults and provocations had no effect.
The demon’s low, mocking laughter lingered all around, showing no sign of revealing itself.
Unnoticed by the crowd, Teresa and Anne were following Su Fan’s instructions, hiding in a corner.
“I thought everyone would lose all will to resist immediately… but I guess I was wrong.”
Anne listened to the shouts and curses from the crowd, somewhat surprised.
“They’re different from the people I’ve encountered before. They’ve got courage.”
But beside her, Teresa gently shook her head, disagreeing.
“That’s not courage, Miss Anne.”
“Anger is just another form of fear. The angrier they are, the more timid they are deep down.”
“The demon doesn’t even need to lift a finger. It just waits patiently, and their will will crumble…”
“True bravery is staying calm even when facing certain doom.”
Just like Mr. Su Fan.
In the darkness, Teresa’s voice grew tinged with worry.
Was the demon using all these lives as leverage against Mr. Su Fan?
