Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 125 The Death Viewfinder in the Tower

Chen Yan stared at the red dot on the monitor.

He pushed open the passenger door.

My leather shoes stepped into the puddles on the road.

Muddy water splashed onto my trouser legs.

Wu Gang pulled out the car key.

The two walked toward the abandoned clock tower behind St. Mary's Hospital.

The iron gate at the base of the tower was half open.

Large areas of rust peeled off, revealing the black metallic base coat underneath.

Wu Gang walked ahead.

He pushed open the iron gate.

The door hinges emitted a sharp friction sound.

The interior features a spiraling concrete staircase leading upwards.

The edges of the steps are broken and incomplete, exposing the rusted steel bars inside.

There are no lights.

Wu Gang turned on the flashlight.

A white beam of light swept across the graffiti-covered wall.

Chen Yan held the camera with one hand.

The lens cap has been removed.

He pressed the record button.

The red recording indicator light flashed in the darkness.

The two walked up the stairs.

Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.

Go up to the sixth floor.

A spacious courtyard appeared ahead.

This was originally the location where the bronze bell was hung.

The bronze bell has long been removed.

Only four sturdy concrete load-bearing columns remain.

The beam of the flashlight shone towards the center of the courtyard.

Liang Qinian was suspended in mid-air.

His hands were tied behind his back with nylon rope.

A thicker steel cable hung down from above and was tied around his waist.

A square wooden board was suspended beneath Liang Qinian's feet.

Thin steel wires were attached to the four corners of the wooden board.

The steel wire extends upwards, passing through four pulleys at the top.

The other end of the pulley is connected to a huge square iron water tank.

There is a hole about the size of a thumb at the bottom of the water tank.

Water is flowing out of the hole.

The water flowed and hit the concrete ground below.

Water splashed everywhere.

Chen Yan raised the camera.

He rotated the zoom ring.

The monitor screen zooms in.

He could see the structure of the device clearly.

This is a physical balance based on weight.

The weight of the water tank pulls on the steel wire, maintaining the balance of the wooden plank below.

Liang Qinian stood in the very center of the wooden board.

His weight is the same as the current weight of the water tank.

The water tank is leaking.

The weight is continuously decreasing.

When the water runs out, the water tank loses its counterweight function.

The planks will tip over.

Liang Qinian will fall directly into the rubble 20 meters below.

Chen Yan put down the camera.

"It's a dead end."

Chen Yan said.

Wu Gang turned to look at him.

"The platform can only support the weight of one person."

"Stepping on it caused the platform to collapse due to excessive weight."

"If we don't go up there, the water will drain out in half an hour, the platform will lose its support, and it will collapse anyway."

Wu Gang drew his military dagger from his waist.

"I'll go and plug the leak in the water tank."

Wu Gang walked towards the load-bearing pillar.

"It's no use."

Chen Yan spoke.

Wu Gang stopped in his tracks.

"The detonator is connected to the upper part of the water tank."

Chen Yan pointed to the top of the water tank.

Several red and blue wires were tangled there.

The end of the wire is connected to a detonator.

The detonator is attached to the surface of the sheet metal.

"Blocking the leak will cause a change in water pressure, which will trigger the detonator."

"The water tank exploded, and the platform collapsed instantly."

Wu Gang gripped the hilt of his military dagger tightly.

The knuckles of the fingers protrude.

Chen Yan raised the camera again.

He turned around.

The camera is pointed at the residential building directly opposite the tower.

The residential buildings are less than 50 meters away from the tower.

There are no railings on the rooftop.

Chen Yan pushed the zoom lever.

The image was magnified on the monitor.

Three cameras were mounted on the rooftop of the residential building.

The camera was focused entirely on the atrium of the tower.

The glass surface of the telephoto lens reflected the faint city lights.

Several people were standing behind the camera.

One of the women was holding a walkie-talkie.

It's Zhou Man.

Zhou Man spoke into the walkie-talkie.

She pointed in the direction of the tower.

The photographer next to him turned the rocker arm.

The camera followed her instructions.

A black megaphone was attached to a concrete pillar inside the tower.

The indicator light below the speaker lit up red.

An electrical hum could be heard.

"Chen Yan".

A man's voice came from the loudspeaker.

Gu Changchuan's voice.

"Are you satisfied with this viewfinder?"

Chen Yan did not speak.

He adjusted the camera's aperture.

Record the view from the rooftop across the street.

"The media on the other side are conducting a live online text and image broadcast."

Gu Changchuan's voice echoed in the empty courtyard.

"The tip they received was that, in order to cover up the scandal of the film crew's involvement in organized crime and money laundering, director Chen Yan forced Liang Qinian, a police officer who knew about the matter, to the tower and attempted to kill him to silence him."

Liang Qinian struggled for a moment on the wooden board.

The wooden planks creaked.

The water tank is leaking faster.

The water flow changed from a dripping sound to a thin stream.

You now have two choices.

"First, step onto that plank and try to save him."

"You'll all fall down together."

"The camera on the other side will capture the scene of you committing suicide out of guilt."

"Your movies, your company, will all be smashed to pieces along with you."

The speaker was making a crackling sound from the electrical current.

"Second, don't move."

"Watching him fall."

"The cameras on the other side will capture the entire process of you standing by and doing nothing to help a police officer who was driven to his death."

"You will be utterly disgraced."

"The police will arrive in ten minutes."

Chen Yan looked at the screen on the monitor.

He pressed the white balance lock button.

"You've tried again, but you still haven't learned your lesson."

Gu Changchuan's voice continued to come out.

"Do you think you can set the rules just by making one movie and winning an award?"

"You're just an actor."

"You have to act the way capital tells you to."

"You are now in this frame, like a puppet on a string in my hands."

The sound of water droplets hitting the ground became more frequent.

The water level in the tank is dropping.

A layer of water mist appeared on the surface of the sheet metal.

Wu Gang walked up to Chen Yan.

"Brother Yan."

Wu Gang spoke up.

Chen Yan stared at the structure of the water tank.

There are four welding points on the side of the water tank.

The bottom is supported by a cross-shaped steel frame.

"Find a rope."

Chen Yan said.

Wu Gang walked toward the pile of miscellaneous items in the corner.

Chen Yan fixed the camera to the cement table next to him.

The camera remained focused on Liang Qinian and the residential building across the street.

He took off his jacket.

It was thrown on the ground.

He unbuttoned his shirt cuffs.

Roll up your sleeves to your elbows.

He walked towards the edge of the courtyard.

"Chen Yan, don't waste your energy."

The sound from the loudspeaker didn't stop.

"This is a perfect closed loop."

"You can't break this deadlock."

Chen Yan looked up at the pulley system on top of the water tank.

Four pulleys are fixed to the crossbeam.

The steel wire slides in the pulley groove.

Metal shavings were produced through friction.

Debris fell into the puddle.

He calculated the speed of the water flow and the load-bearing limit of the wooden planks.

An external force is needed.

An external force that can instantly replace the weight of the water tank without triggering the detonator.

Wu Gang dragged an oil-stained cable out of the pile of junk.

The cable was as thick as an arm.

The surface was covered in dust.

Is it long enough?

Chen Yan asked.

Wu Gang unfurled the cable.

"Fifteen meters."

Chen Yan took one end of the cable.

He tied a knot in his hand.

A muffled thud came from the bottom of the water tank.

The reduction in water volume leads to changes in internal air pressure.

The sheet metal is concave inward.

The wooden plank under Liang Qinian's feet tilted at an angle.

Liang Qinian lost his balance.

He knelt on one knee on the wooden board.

The steel wire is taut.

It emitted a clanging sound as if it was about to break.

A vibration came from Chen Yan's trouser pocket.

My phone is vibrating.

He loosened the cable.

He reached his right hand into his pocket.

Take out your phone.

The screen lit up with a white light.

A new news item.

The sender was Su Wan.

Chen Yan opened the text message.

There was only one line of text on the screen.

"The funding chain has broken down, and Wang Jianguo of Stellar Cinemas is withdrawing his investment."

Chen Yan looked at the words on the screen.

The sound of water droplets hitting the cement floor grew faster and faster.

They formed a line.

Gu Changchuan's laughter came through the loudspeaker.

Chen Yan's thumb hovered above the phone's keyboard.