The shop was thick with the scent of plastic wrap and aged paper.
Behind the counter, the owner held a disc binder, flipping through it as he asked, "Disaster movies are pretty niche. What kind are you looking for, specifically?"
"Viral outbreaks, mutant beasts, alien invasions... the kind where ordinary people struggle to survive before the end of the world..."
"Got it, got it. Hold on, I'll dig some up for you."
Standing in the middle of the shop, Su Jin let his gaze sweep across the wall of movie cases.
Though they were just simple covers, they carried a substantial amount of information.
Cinema, after all, was fundamentally a microcosm of society.
His reason for renting disaster movies was to understand how this world conceived of and responded to catastrophic events.
If disaster truly struck, looking through real-world documentation might not provide insights nearly as quickly as absorbing them from films.
In his previous conversation with Fu Qingdai, she had mentioned that she often rented cartoons to watch at home.
Later, he could find an opportunity to visit her place and borrow her playback equipment.
Still, going by the owner's words, disaster films seemed quite niche in this world... Most of the posters on the wall featured couples locking lips.
That was hardly surprising. There probably weren't many standout productions when it came to special effects; film technology here hadn't advanced very quickly, and their technical capabilities simply weren't up to the task.
Two minutes later, the owner emerged from behind the counter holding three discs.
Handing them to Su Jin, he said, "Here, these three. Guaranteed to fit what you're after!"
"Only three?" Su Jin took the discs and inspected them. "They're covered in scratches. They won't freeze, will they?"
"Just these three. Watch 'em without worry—if they freeze, I'll give you a refund." The owner smiled. "Brother, after all these years in the business, you think I don't know what you want to see? I like this genre too. The others all fall a bit short, but these three have zero romance—pure disaster!"
"A true connoisseur! How much to rent?"
"Same as what's posted outside. Five yuan a disc, ten yuan deposit."
"Deal, I'll take them all."
Su Jin paid briskly. Pocketing the money, the owner smiled and asked, "Want to pick anything else? I've got all the latest releases here, satisfaction guaranteed!"
"Pick out three more for me—history, urban life, and military warfare. The content has to be realistic; I don't want trash."
"Don't you worry, little brother. I don't keep trash in this shop!" The owner turned, grabbed another disc binder, and began searching again.
Before long, three more discs were placed in Su Jin's hands. After a brief glance at the covers, he pulled out his money. "Not bad. I'll take these too."
"Want to check out anything else?" the owner asked with a warm grin.
Plenty of people rented discs on regular days, but they usually took only one or two, dawdling in the shop for half an hour just to choose.
This young man today was interesting: decisive, unpicky, and quick to pay. Clearly a seasoned cinephile.
"Hmm..." Su Jin's brow twitched. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Brother... do you have *that* kind of stuff?"
The owner raised an eyebrow, his voice dropping unconsciously as well. "What kind?"
"The good stuff."
"I've got plenty of good stuff. Aren't all the movies here good?"
"*That* kind of good stuff."
"None of that here. I run a legitimate business." The owner straightened up and shook his head.
Su Jin stared at him and clicked his tongue. "Come on, brother, I've already rented six discs from you, and I'll be coming back in the future."
The owner sized Su Jin up and down, then asked tentatively, "What flavor are you looking for?"
"Just pretty and exciting... I'm buying in good faith, so don't worry. But let's establish one thing upfront: you have to let me preview it. I don't trust the covers."
Didn't trust the covers... clearly an expert.
After a few seconds of thought, the owner nodded. "Fine, come with me."
Following the owner's lead, Su Jin was led through another door inside the shop.
Behind it lay a small, crudely furnished room. A mattress rested directly on the floor, alongside a low table holding a bulky CRT television. Clothes and empty jewel cases were strewn across the floor, making it look like the owner's personal living quarters.
The owner bent down, picked up a disc binder from the floor, and opened it before Su Jin. "Here, pick for yourself. Twenty yuan each, purchase only, no rentals."
Flipping through the binder, Su Jin saw pages filled with pictures of swimsuit-clad women. After a quick look, he asked, "Is this stuff dirty enough?"
The owner chuckled. "Brother, what kind of fresh question is that? If a dirty movie isn't dirty, wouldn't that be a crime?!"
"All right. Pick one and let me see."
"No problem at all! Everything I have is top-tier; you'll know the moment you see it!"
The owner randomly pulled a disc, stuck out his rear, and slid it into a player that looked like a VCD deck.
The whir of the laser reading the disc sounded, and images began to flicker across the old CRT screen.
"I'll speed it up for you," the owner said, pointing the remote at the TV to fast-forward.
As the video advanced rapidly, the accelerated action unfolded. Su Jin leaned in, watching intently.
The two people on the screen were waging quite a fierce battle: tongues clashing, limbs flailing, underhanded maneuvering, spewing fluids, utterly devoid of decorum!
To be frank, content of this caliber was hardly impressive to a veteran like him, who had weathered the relentless waves of Japanese adult culture.
Yet the moment the camera zoomed in, Su Jin's eyes widened, and he pressed his face closer to the screen.
Just then, an extreme close-up of the action appeared!
Magnified, and magnified again, every single detail visible with absolute clarity.
Seeing Su Jin practically glued to the glass, the upturned corners of the owner's mouth gradually drooped. He reached out and patted Su Jin on the lower back.
"Hey, hey, hey! Buddy, is that really necessary? How long have you been holding it in? You're about to crawl inside the tube!"
Su Jin lifted his head and rubbed his eyes, silently cheering in his heart.
The anatomical structure of the human bodies on screen was completely normal—ordinary humans. The muscular forms aligned perfectly with his recollection.
The movements were entirely normal, technical biomechanics.
This provided further indirect proof of the immense similarity between this world and Earth.
If a zombie mutation truly occurred, he now had a baseline expectation: there probably wouldn't be bizarre, alien-mutated organs sprouting out of nowhere.
"My apologies. I got a little carried away," Su Jin said with an awkward smile.
"How about this one? If it works, take it," the owner asked, holding the case.
Su Jin shook his head, tightening his grip on his bag. "I'll pass for now. Maybe next time. Thanks, boss."
"This one's really good! Staff pick! You were watching it so vigorously just now, so why are you suddenly..." The owner trailed off, his eyes going wide.
He stared fixedly at Su Jin's hand beneath his trench coat.
Under the coat, the man's hand had appeared to be fiddling with something before quickly settling into stillness.
"Wait..." The owner cocked his head, his voice cracking in shock. "You're done already?!"
"What do you mean I'm done..." Su Jin's words abruptly cut off. Following the owner's gaze downward, his face darkened instantly.
"Thanks. May good people live in peace. Farewell."
Leaving those words behind, he spun around, stepped out of the room, and briskly exited the shop.
The owner was left standing alone in utter disarray, watching Su Jin's retreating figure as he burst into furious curses.
"Holy crap... not even three minutes and he shot his load! What the fuck is wrong with this kid?! Three minutes?! People freeload rides, freeload meals, and now someone's fucking freeloading porn?! Don't bother watching porn, get your ass to a doctor!"
Chapter 9