I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

"I know this number is insignificant, even a joke. But have you ever thought about what it means?"

He paused, giving everyone time to think, before continuing, "This means that without any publicity and with the show being in exile, our audience hasn't lost viewers. Instead...it's increased."

"This 0.02% doesn't just mean two people. In Tokyo, it represents thousands of families. It means that among yesterday's frightened audience, some people not only stayed in front of their TVs today, but also brought their friends, family, and colleagues with them."

"The spread of word-of-mouth never happens overnight. It's like a snowball. At the beginning, you can only see a tiny, insignificant mark on the snow. But as long as the slope is long enough and the snow is wet enough, it will grow bigger and bigger, eventually forming an avalanche."

His voice carried the calmness and strength of someone who saw through everything. He wasn't trying to comfort her, but rather stating a fact, a future that only he knew was bound to come.

"Our slopes are seven full days. Our snow is the unique horror of Anzhiju. Now, the snowball has just started to roll."

Nohara Hiroshi put down the report, looked around at everyone, and finally, a confident arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Everyone, the show has just begun."

Chapter 24 Spread

Nohara Hiroshi's voice was not loud, but it was like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, creating clear ripples in everyone's heart.

It was a kind of self-confidence that was almost arrogant, which could not be questioned, but it was impossible to refute it.

The iron-hard despair in the office was actually cracked by the sound.

Suzuki Seito looked at the young man in front of him. In his eyes, which were bloodshot due to staying up late and anxiety, was reflected the calm and deep face of Nohara Hiroshi.

He remembered the calmness and insight beyond his age that this young man had displayed from the moment he took out the drawing of "Anzhiju".

Maybe... maybe I should really trust him again.

"Keep working." Suzuki Seito took a deep breath, crumpled up the eye-catching report and threw it into the trash can.

This action was like a ritual, separating yesterday's failure from the determination of the present moment. His voice regained the authority that a section chief should have: "Tonight, there's still a third episode. Before the final result is in, none of us has the right to give up."

"Yes!"

This time, the response was no longer one of intense excitement, but rather one of tragic and desperate determination.

……

Tuesday, late night, Tokyo.

After experiencing the hustle and bustle of the day, this huge steel monster finally fell into a deep sleep, leaving only countless tiny nerve endings still stubbornly shining in the darkness.

Shinjuku, Shui Shangxiang's late-night restaurant.

The L-shaped bar was packed, but the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the usual bustling atmosphere. Most of the guests were silent, barely touching their food and drinks. Their gazes, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, were glued to the old television in the corner.

Shinagawa, taxi dispatch center.

A group of drivers who had just finished their shifts did not gather together to play cards and complain. Instead, they gathered in front of the TV in the hall. Amidst the smoke, tension and anticipation were written all over their weather-beaten faces.

Setagaya, a men's dormitory at a certain university.

A few college students who had just returned from a fraternity were huddled in front of a small TV. The air was filled with the smell of cheap beer and youthful hormones.

"Hey, hurry up, it's about to start!"

"Is that the legendary anime that can scare people so much they won't dare go to the bathroom?"

"Stop talking and start!"

Countless such corners, countless pairs of such eyes, are all waiting for the arrival of a time at the same moment.

12:20 AM.

The familiar opening credits with the eerie nursery rhyme sounded on time.

"Do not miss passing through……"

The masked man arrived as promised.

【Anzhiju Family Instructions】

The scene unfolds, showing a little boy in shorts returning to his rural home with his father. An old Japanese-style house, creaking wooden floors, and a group of relatives with blurry faces and serious expressions.

Everything exudes a sense of tranquility far away from the hustle and bustle, but beneath the tranquility, there is a hint of inharmonious depression.

In the evening, the boy's father called him over and told him in an unprecedented serious tone: "Listen, tonight, this is our family motto. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, you can't come out, and you can't cry. All of us must keep laughing, laughing all night long, so that 'that thing' won't come in."

In the late-night restaurant, Tanaka subconsciously straightened his back, and an inexplicable chill rose from his spine.

At the taxi dispatch center, Kenji forgot to light the cigarette in his mouth and frowned.

In the university dormitory, the boys who were laughing and joking just now suddenly became quiet at the same time.

The story continues.

Late at night, the boy woke up with the urge to urinate. He tiptoed out of the room, ready to go to the toilet in the yard. But when he passed the main hall where his family was gathered, he was stunned by the scene before him.

A bright, almost dazzling light shone through the paper sliding doors of the main hall.

What was even more bizarre was that bursts of laughter could be heard from the crack in the door.

“Hehe…hehehe…hehehe…”

The laughter was not loud, but extremely dense, as if countless people were forcing out laughter in an extremely awkward and laborious way. There was not a trace of joy in the sound, only a creepy, mechanical repetition.

The boy's curiosity overcame his fear. He quietly approached the paper sliding door, poked a small hole with his finger, and looked inside.

With just one glance, the boy's pupils shrank to the extreme.

In the room, my father, uncle, aunt...all the relatives were sitting together. Their faces, illuminated by the light, appeared pale, as if they were covered with white powder.

And they all had the same smile on their faces.

The corners of his mouth were stretched into an exaggerated arc, and the muscles of his cheeks were twitching stiffly due to excessive force, but his eyes were empty, without a trace of spirit, only endless fatigue and fear.

They are like a group of puppets controlled by strings, performing a horror drama called "laughter".

"Ha ha ha ha ha……"

At this moment, the grandfather sitting in the innermost room slowly turned his pale and stiff face towards the door, towards the small hole through which the boy was peeping.

His empty eyes seemed to penetrate the paper door and met the boy's gaze.

Then, the corners of his mouth widened even further.

"what--!"

The boy let out a heart-wrenching scream.

The picture stopped abruptly.

black screen.

The words "The End" appeared coldly.

……

"Fuck me!"

In a university dormitory, a boy suddenly jumped up from his chair, startling his roommate who was secretly looking at the study materials on his computer.

In the late-night restaurant, Mingmei covered her mouth tightly to prevent the scream from coming out of her throat, but her body was shaking violently and uncontrollably.

The taxi dispatch center was completely silent. The hot tea in the hands of the veteran North Shore driver had already gone cold.

This time, there is no immediate visual impact, no bloody scenes.

But the strange rituals that originated from unknown folk customs and within the family, and the psychological impact brought about by the last glance, are more chilling than any ghosts.

"That...that thing, what exactly is it?"

"Did they... succeed? Would the boy's screams draw 'that thing' in?"

"I think they're all dead! Look at the way they're laughing, they don't look like they're alive!"

"No! I think it succeeded! That's why Grandpa was smiling so happily! He was telling the boy that we are okay!"

After the silence, there was a heated discussion that broke out like a virus.

In the late-night restaurant, the guests forgot to eat.

At the taxi dispatch center, drivers forgot to accept orders.

In the university dormitory, the boys forgot to sleep.

On the second day, discussions about the third episode of "Anzhiju" - "Family Instructions" - exploded in countless families, countless offices, and countless social network groups.

People are no longer satisfied with the "scary" sensory stimulation, but begin to frantically analyze the plot, interpret the details, and guess the ending.

What happened to the boy? What became of the family? What terrifying truth lies behind that strange "family motto"?

This open-ended, unresolved ending, like a giant hook, firmly captures the curiosity of every viewer. It forces people to think, to discuss, and to recommend it to those around them—"Hey, have you seen that anime called 'Anshiji' on Tokyo TV? Last night's episode was amazing!"

After the first two days of silence, the snowball of word-of-mouth finally began to roll crazily at a speed beyond anyone's imagination.

Chapter 25 Rating 298

Wednesday morning, Suzuki classroom.

When Hashimoto Ichiro rushed into the office like a gust of wind with the third day's ratings report, his face was filled with an almost insane ecstasy.

He didn't even have time to say anything, he just slammed the report heavily on the table!

Everyone gathered around.

"Late-night animation "Anzhiju", third episode ratings: 2.98%!"

“The ratings level – excellent!”

boom!

The entire office was like a barrel of explosives that had exploded, boiling in an instant!

2.98%!

From 1.77% to 2.98%! Overnight, it soared by 1.21 percentage points!

This is a miracle!

A ratings miracle that is almost impossible to happen in the late night time slot without any promotional resources allocated!

“Oooooohh ...