I’m In Charge of SCP

Chapter 43: There Was A Sixth Act

A moment later, the third act had just ended. Zhang Jue looked at the cast members, who gradually became bizarre at the backstage. Their faces were dull.

He found that anyone who had performed on stage would become depressed for a short period after getting off the stage. A minute later, they will return to a normal state as if they had changed and energized.

Once they were in this state, their five senses had closed. There was nothing but the play, and the script will sway their behavior. Leo had just been dispelled once by his ability, but he turned into the same state as the others again after getting on the stage. This allowed Zhang Jue to determine the plan he had developed.

--Shoot the man before he runs with the horse, and capture the thief before attacking the King.--

He tried to find the Hanged King. But if it was only him against the Hanged King. He would stand on one side of the stage, and the Hanged King would appear on the other. But if he had moved to the other side, the Hanged King would quickly disappear again.

He had to think of another way. Time had passed, and the behavior of the actors had become more and more unusual. Zhang Jue knew he had to do something, and he decided to go on the stage.

Act 4 had ended, and the curtain opened on Act 5. Zhang Jue dressed up in his clothes, a European medieval king's attire, and came on stage.

-----

The fifth act began with a banquet. According to Zhang Shijia's adapted script, it was a banquet held by the usurper Zallo to kill the ministers who knew the truth about the King. Before the guests raised their glasses, Charlie and his mother Isabella came to the banquet to expose Zallo's plot.

In the end, Zallo will be hanged, and Charles will gain his throne as the new King.

Under normal circumstances, Zhang Jue playing as the ghost of the Hanged King, would have watched the whole banquet. He briefly communicated with Charlie and finally disappeared at the end of the story, on his way to Heaven.

But now, since the plot had long departed from its original arrangement, and the actors' performances were completely out of their control. Leaving Zhang Jue to improvise his play.

"Is that Advisor Zhang?" In the audience, President Bai recognized Zhang Jue at a glance because Zhang Jue's impromptu costume selection didn't match so well with the other actors' costumes.

Minister Qiu nodded, "I think so. Look at his face. He's not wearing that heavy makeup either."

President Bai laughed, "You don't say, I was really looking forward to it. This Advisor Zhang, obviously extraordinary, Hahaha."

Some students who had seen the theatre club rehearsal before were also whispering, wondering why there was an additional character to the original play. So, the vast majority of students watched an improvised play for the first time, so Zhang Jue's appearance out of nowhere didn't cause much discussion.

The performance continued and was nearing the climax of the entire play.

"Zallo! You devil from hell! What you've done was part of your sinister plot! You killed my father! With the intention of taking everything that was supposed to be mine!"

"Oh, bloody. Where did this madman come from? Your imagination is richer than the birds of the air! Who can prove what you say!"

"I can prove it. My child, here I come. Ministers, I, Isabella, your queen, can prove Charlie's words! Zallo he's not only wanted to take Charlie's throne. He wanted to poison all of you, and the glass of wine in your hands is the proof!"

"What? Zallo, you bastard!"

"No! Listen to my explanation!"

On top of the stage, the person playing Zallo turned around and tried to escape. According to the information held by the Foundation, at this moment, SCP-701-1, or the real Hanged King, would appear.

The person on the stage will be hanged by a rope that appears out of nowhere. The people in the audience will then start to commit suicide and go on a killing spree.

Yang Xue's heart was already in his throat. Lei Shan sat quietly on the chair. Can't see the joy nor anger, only the deep eyes in the faint light.

Just when Zallo was about to escape, the whole drama reached its climax.

Crack! The sound of a plate shattering can be heard.

The whole play was paused. All the audience's attention originally attracted by the actors' wonderful performance turned their attention towards the abrupt sound that came out of nowhere. Seemingly not feeling overwhelmed, the person who made the sound pushed the entire table down.

Clatter! This time, everyone's eyes were focused on him.

"Eh? Why is there a guy over there? When did he appear on the stage?"

"I don't know. I think I saw him when he was on the stage, but I didn't pay attention to it."

What was strange to the audience was that they had just seen the character came the stage. But once the play started, their eyes were locked, and their behavior was completely immersed by the performance, and they would have even forgotten the passage of time if not interrupted by an external force.

The audience's weird behavior was interrupted, and complaints echoed throughout the theatre. All the actors on the stage also slowly turned back and looked at Zhang Jue. Yes, who else but him. If the audience were close enough to the stage, they would have noticed that the actors turned their back with such raw movements, just like puppets on strings.

They looked at Zhang Jue were full of spite. As if an important ceremony that had been prepared for a long time had been interrupted. The play had not yet ended, and the Hanged King had not shown himself.

Facing the actors who had already been influenced by the Hanged King, Zhang Jue was not the least bit afraid.

Didn't he love watching the play? Don't you love acting?

Zhang Jue narrowed his eyes and licked his lips.

Then I will accompany you to continue the acting!

The first thing he did was to identify himself to all the actors and the audience.

"Well done, Zallo! My brother! You finally made the mother and son show their true colors. It is I! Sifford! Your King has returned!" At these words of Zhang Jue, all the audience was astonished.

"What? Is he the King? He's not dead?"

"Could Charlie be the bad guy? Is Zallo going to clear his name? Didn't he make a human meal out of that what's-his-name before?"

As soon as Zhang Jue opened his mouth, he brought such powerful news. Originally, all the audiences thought that the story would reach an end. But unexpectedly, there was a reversal at the end.

The only ones who were angry were the actors who had lost themselves. They mechanically turned around. Their faces were grim and surrounded Zhang Jue. The only normal person on the stage who was not affected by the Hanged King. This scene fell in the eyes of the audience, and it was ironclad evidence that Charlie and Isabella wanted to rebel.

"Isabella, if you hadn't faked your death. I wouldn't have known that you had left a sinful child with someone else! You are a bunch of traitors, and you want to dethrone me? Then come at me!"

Faced with their encirclement, Zhang Jue was awe-inspiring and undaunted. He was portraying the might of a king to the fullest. However, the actors he interrupted were no longer able to play along with him; at this moment, there was only killing intent in their eyes. They wanted to kill the saboteur of this play, and they wanted to kill Zhang Jue.

After surrounding Zhang Jue, a dagger appeared out of thin air in the hands of all the actors. They moved in unison, raising their wrists and pointing their knives together at Zhang Jue. Three hundred and sixty degrees, all without a dead angle.

"My goodness"

"Here we go!"

"Oh my God..."

The audience was stunned by the "realistic" scene in front of them. Yang Xue covered her mouth but did not scream out. She already knew that Zhang Jue had the ability to heal himself and would not die easily, and she believed in him.

The curtain on the stage slowly fell, and the fifth act was over.

"So, that's it? Is the King killed? And the rebellion won?"

"Holy shit, what the hell. It sucks!" Since the publicity poster had stated that this "Charlie's Revenge" was a five-act play, everyone thought that the plot ended here.

Most people were complaining that the ending was inexplicable, and only a few people thought that the open ending was not bad. But no matter what, the performance from the actors' acting skills on stage and the plot ups and downs are above par.

The school theatre club really lives up to its name. Just when everyone was talking about it. The sound of mechanical gears turning came, and the curtain on the stage was slowly pulled up again. Everyone looked at the stage in amazement.

Was there a sixth act?