Generation Z Artists

Chapter 257 Transformation
In the closed, dimly lit room, there were two adjustable medical reclining chairs.

Next to it was a long table resembling an operating table, on which were placed various tools of unknown purpose, such as rough hemp paper, white towels, scalpels, and forceps.

Under the table were two huge ice buckets, with ice blocks floating on the surface of the water, rippling gently.

There are two rows of sofas for resting against the wall, facing the recliners, which can also be used for observation.

Two people were standing in the center of the room.

The man next to him was a Westerner wearing a white coat, who was relaxed and had a friendly smile.

The man in front of me was a small old man with sunken cheeks, sparse hair, and gloomy eyes. When he smiled, he revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth, giving off an unsettling sense of feigned kindness.

At that moment, the old man was bowing and scraping to Fang Xinghe with a smile.

"Young Master Fang, everything is ready, we can begin at any time."

"Prepare what?!"

Gong Li crossed her arms and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

Realizing something was amiss, she asked, both angry and anxious, "Little brother, what are you trying to do?!"

Fang Xinghe turned his head and looked around at Cao Baoping, Zhao Xiaoding, Dong Youde, Chen Daoming, Gong Li, and most importantly, Liu Yifei, his expression becoming serious and cautious.

"This Mr. Wang is the head of the punishment hall I invited from the American Hongmen. I'd like him to help me experience the wet paper torture..."

Before the words had even finished, the entire creative team jumped for joy.

"what?!"

"Director, is it really that serious?"

"Are you crazy?! You're going to go this far?!"

"No, no, no, this is no joke, don't be silly!"

The young fairy, on the other hand, didn't react much. Curiosity outweighed fear, and she eagerly examined the props.

"I'm not kidding you guys."

Fang Xinghe responded with a straight face.

“I’ve already mastered the Gorky training method. There are some extreme emotions that I simply can’t train to reach, so my performance ability is stuck here, neither here nor there.”

Most importantly, Star Points are extremely precious. I haven't even been able to max out my attributes, so naturally I don't have the resources to upgrade my skills.

What should I do?
The only option is to find various methods and hone one's skills.

Fang Xinghe turned his gaze to Old Wang.

"Mr. Wang is a torture expert who is skilled at inflicting maximum torture on prisoners without harming their bodies. So I specially invited him to help me experience the most extreme tension, fear, despair, as well as the feeling of drowning, poisoning, and near death."

As you should know, the fundamental concept of the Grammatical school is the interconnectedness of body and mind, using the correct stimulation of the body to induce corresponding emotions and generate authentic experiences.

No experience is more real than actual torture.

My body will remember this feeling, and my mind will truly experience those emotions. If there is a corresponding performance requirement in the future, I can directly awaken the emotions at this moment and stimulate my body to make a natural reaction.

This is the limit of experience, and also the limit of method.

The creators looked at each other, their eyes wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets.

"Just for this?!"

"Isn't this enough?"

Fang Xinghe asked in bewilderment, "If you're not obsessed, what makes you think you can deliver a performance that's a level above everyone else?"

"But this...this..."

Chen Daoming stammered, his hair standing on end.

Gong Li quickly reassured her, "It's not that bad, it really isn't. You have the talent, take your time, you'll eventually get the hang of it..."

"What about her?"

Fang Xinghe glanced at Liu Yifei without any politeness.

"I can endure it, but how many years can she endure it for?"

Liu Yifei instinctively shrank back, feeling both self-reproach and guilt.

"I...I can do it too..."

"You just watch from the side for now."

Fang Xinghe was not polite at all, but he did not put any more pressure on her.

“I’ll experience it first. If you can be moved by observation, that’s best. If not, you can reconsider whether you want to accept this trial based on my level of pain.”

Is it absolutely necessary to do it?

Dong Youde said with a worried look, "You're our backbone, what if something happens to you..."

"The experts and psychologists are top-notch, what could possibly go wrong?"

Fang Xinghe waved his hand impatiently, not wanting to waste any more time with them, took off his shirt, and lay down on one of the recliners.

"Let's begin. Brother Ding, record this."

"okay!"

Zhao Xiaoding set up the camera and licked his dry lips.

Cao Baoping asked one last question: "Director, is this paper used to cover the face? How do we film facial expressions?"

"We can't capture it on film; we can only film the details after we uncover it."

Fang Xinghe spread his hands.

"There's no other way; of all the punishments that allow you to experience extreme terror, this is the safest."

"Even the safest place is still torture... It's perverted..."

Gong Li muttered to herself, then pulled Liu Yifei to take the best side position with the best view.

"Take a closer look, this madman is practically risking his life to hone his acting skills..."

Are you crazy?

maybe.

But Fang Xinghe didn't really think it was a big deal. He was someone who had already died once, and it was a long death, tormented by illness.

Waterboarding is a piece of cake!
Old Wang tightened the restraints on the recliner, then revealed a chilling smile.

"Young Master Fang, shall we begin then..."

A piece of hemp paper was gently placed over the face, blocking out vision and light, making the world a blur.

At the same time, his hearing and sense of smell became extremely acute. Fang Xinghe heard the soft rustling sound of paper being pulled and smelled the scent of cheap paper. A suffocating premonition suddenly surged into his heart, causing him to unconsciously tense up.

One sheet of hemp paper is clearly not enough.

But Old Wang wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he picked up a spray bottle and gently, softly, and meticulously sprayed water mist onto Fang Xinghe's face, which was covered in yellow hemp paper.

The icy water quickly soaked the paper, and the world in front of Fang Xinghe was bathed in a dim yellow light.

A feeling of suffocation began to rise.

Old Wang carefully laid the paper flat, making it fit Fang Xinghe's facial contours perfectly, and suddenly let out a sigh.

"This bone structure is amazing, hahaha..."

He chuckled twice, then realized something was wrong; this wasn't his own torture chamber, so he quickly shut up.

But it was too late. The people around him were already terrified, and even the fearless Nenxian was on tenterhooks.

What kind of emotion is this?
nervous?

A touch of fear?
She suppressed her fear and carefully observed Fang Xinghe's increasingly rapid breathing and the veins that naturally bulged on his body.

With a soft pop, something deep within her heart broke free of its shell.

When the second piece of paper was placed over his face, Fang Xinghe felt the world before him change from a dim yellow to a dark one, and his breathing became increasingly difficult.

Then came the third, the fourth...

The world plunged into darkness, and the surrounding noises were amplified infinitely and began to distort.

Splash, crackle, thump...

He noticed that Old Wang used a ladle to scoop a spoonful of water from the bucket, shook off the ice, and then raised the ladle directly above himself.

He couldn't see or hear anything at all; it was just a kind of intuition.

Is it because of the perception attribute?

'If this attribute is maxed out at 99 points, will it trigger some mysterious sixth sense?'

'That water looks pretty cold; it must be very irritating?'

'It's uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as I expected. Is it because my pain tolerance is too high?'

'This is really interesting...'

'Someone like me who loves experiences, maybe I'd be a good actor even without any special skills?'

Fang Xinghe's mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, clearer than usual. In this state, when he focused on his own feelings, many things naturally arose, endlessly.

Wow!
The spoonful of ice water was suddenly splashed on me. Instantly, it triggered an involuntary shiver and a startle reflex.

Fang Xinghe calmly experienced the animality of this body and tried to amplify and then control it.

Hmm, not really, I definitely can't do it in one go.

The soaked paper quickly collapsed and clung tightly to his nostrils and mouth. Fang Xinghe discovered that every breath he took would draw the wet paper in and stick it to the inside of his nasal cavity.

In this situation, it is impossible to breathe through the nose because the wet paper completely blocks the nasal cavity.

When you try to breathe through your mouth, the paper will be sucked deep into your throat.

After struggling for a while, Fang Xinghe began to experience the true feeling of drowning.

Although not actually submerged in water, the body triggers the exact same physiological responses as drowning.

The muscles in the throat spasm and close tightly, which is the body's instinct to prevent water from entering the lungs, but it also prevents air from entering.

Fang Xinghe tried to open his throat and spit the wet paper fibers to his mouth with the last of his breath, but he couldn't do it at all.

It has nothing to do with physical fitness or any other attributes; it is the body's self-governance.

If you don't exhale successfully, the exhaled carbon dioxide cannot diffuse through the wet paper and accumulates in the small space in front of your mouth and nose.

Fang Xinghe took a deep breath, but what he inhaled was the carbon dioxide-rich air he had exhaled.

"We've reached the third stage."

Old Wang explained slowly and methodically, or rather, he was showing off.

"Repeatedly inhaling residual exhaust fumes will cause a sharp increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood. Doctor, why are you calling this again?"

The second half of the sentence was in English, and the psychologist calmly replied with a single word.

"Hypercapnia".

Hypercapnia.

Old Wang nodded lightly. He knew the answer, but he asked the question anyway, essentially to put psychological pressure on Fang Xinghe.

"We're almost at the fourth stage. You should start using your survival instincts, Young Master Fang."

His voice carried a gentle reminder, yet it sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

The next instant, Fang Xinghe began to struggle frantically.

He tried with all his might to twist his head and body, but he was tightly bound by the restraints and could only move within a very small range.

He coughed and vomited violently. Because he had deliberately emptied his stomach and intestines, he only vomited a large amount of acidic fluid. This fluid was firmly trapped in his mouth by wet paper, which quickly led to a second choking reaction.

Fang Xinghe felt a tearing, burning pain in his lungs and chest; he had never needed oxygen so desperately.

but.

Not a single one.

Driven by instinct, his neck muscles tensed up, and he desperately tilted his head back, trying to break free from that "membrane of death."

But that's impossible; it's pointless.

"Phase Five".

Old Wang carefully observed Fang Xinghe's every reaction, his voice becoming indifferent and devoid of emotion.

"Near-death stage".

"Your consciousness is starting to blur; are you hallucinating?"

"Come on, let me see... Good, the tinnitus has started too."

“Look, the inner wall of his ear canal is spasming intensely. These delicate muscles are almost impossible to control through exercise; they only react when stimulated strongly enough.”

"Whether it's mainland movies or TV series, once they film scenes of torture, they always seem fake, superficial, absurd, and self-righteous. You lack reverence for real suffering."

"The final stage."

"The struggle began to weaken and falter, the body convulsed naturally, most of the muscles were on the verge of losing control, and he was about to lose control of his bladder..."

Old Wang kept rambling on and on, like a real psychopath.

But five seconds later, he glanced at Fang Xinghe's genitals and looked shocked.

"what?"

no response.

He took a closer look and suddenly noticed that Fang Xinghe's core muscles, which ran from his lower abdomen to his lower back and then to his buttocks, were all in a naturally taut but not stiff state.

He froze for two seconds, then suddenly realized that Fang Xinghe's chest was rising and falling very little. He quickly stepped forward and tore off the yellow paper covering his face.

"Cough cough... Hehehe..."

After a violent, tearing cough, Fang Xinghe let out a wheezing sound like a broken bellows, the sound of air being re-injected into his lungs and pulling at his out-of-control vocal cords.

A few seconds later than expected, the yellow paper was removed. Old Wang panicked a little and hurriedly wiped the paper fibers covering Fang Xinghe's eyes clean before anxiously asking questions.

"Young Master Fang, how are you? Are you alright...?"

No.

He did not see a pair of eyes with dilated pupils filled with extreme fear.

He had seen countless pairs of eyes after being tortured, and without exception, they were all in the same state.

Except for the pair I'm wearing now.

Fang Xinghe's eyes were burning with fire and light, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes were still twitching uncontrollably, but his gaze was so bright and excited.

"very good."

The boy replied simply in an extremely hoarse voice.

"That's what it feels like!"

Old Wang was dumbfounded.

The whole thing froze there, with a sense of bewilderment and confusion, and even more so, a sense of absurdity.

The doctor stopped in his tracks, unsure whether to go forward or back, and whispered, "Jesus."

Zhao Xiaoding looked up from behind the camera, his mouth wide open.

Dong Youde held his head in one hand and covered his mouth with the other, his exposed face covered in sweat.

And Liu Yifei...

She huddled in Gong Li's arms, terrified for no apparent reason, but she was terrified nonetheless. Her fingers were numb and her legs were weak. Her heart was pounding like a mad bull, and her throat felt blocked by something, preventing her from uttering a single word.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

Before it was even her turn, she was already on the verge of tears, feeling the pain all too well.

But is this fear born of despair?

No, it was fear born of worry, an empathy she had never achieved by the age of 38.

Fang Xinghe was tortured a total of four times. In the end, he collapsed to the point that he couldn't move a single finger, and all that remained was a faint breath and a sliver of light in his eyes.

Zhao Xiaoding captured this state on film.

Apart from him, Dong Youde and Cao Baoping dared not look anymore and sat on the sofa by the wall, smoking one cigarette after another.

Zhao Xiaoding exclaimed in admiration, "Brother, if I ever let you play a member of the underground Communist Party or something, I guarantee you'd win every Best Actor award in the world!"

"Such a pure and ultimate will..."

Old Wang stopped laughing, his face filled with awe, even a sense of insignificance as if he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

"I've handled hundreds of people, and I've never met a single one of them..."

Fang Xinghe couldn't respond; he just spaced out, losing interest even in his acting skills, which had soared to 95 points.

This thing is really torturous, he thought.

He thought again, "The young fairy probably can't withstand four wheels."

"Then let's do it in one round..." he made up his mind and was proud of his kindness.

"Clearance."

Having finally regained some strength, he lifted his eyelids and looked at Liu Yifei, who had already broken down in tears.

"it's your turn."

Fang Xinghe didn't ask her if it was okay, and Liu Yifei didn't refuse the arrangement.

She simply staggered onto another recliner, struggled to turn over, then tensed her body and closed her eyes.

Fearful lips uttered a weak but firm resolve.

"Teacher Wang, it's my turn, come on!"

On her 15th birthday, she saw a concept in her idol and forced herself to do something that had never existed in her understanding before.

She transformed through suffering, making a complete and thorough sacrifice.

(End of this chapter)