After a quick shoot of the exterior scenes, Edward instructed the filming team to send the footage back to the company for the post-production staff to begin editing.
Although the hospital had been abandoned for quite some time, its overgrown, weedy appearance actually fit Edward's vision perfectly—after all, the future haunted hospital-themed amusement park for One Missed Call would also be located within Petalburg Forest.
"Well then, everyone wrap it up. If anyone wants to stick around here and explore, you can take the weekend off and return to the office next Monday," Edward clapped his hands together as he made the announcement.
It just so happened to be Friday, and Edward's company followed a five-day work week, meaning no one had to work on Saturday or Sunday.
As he watched his cheerful employees start packing up, Edward stretched lazily and took a moment to examine the Giant Mountain Psychiatric Hospital.
Location-wise, this facility was actually quite advantageous. However, ever since the area had turned into a snow-covered mountain, it had lost some of its original charm.
The snow made it necessary for him to wear a thick down jacket just to film in the area.
But as he looked at the snowy mountain behind him, an inexplicable sense of curiosity stirred within him.
He couldn't help but wonder what lay at the summit. What kind of Pokémon could cause such extensive snowfall in the region?
After all, this location wasn't far from Lavaridge Town and was still considered part of Mt. Chimney's mountain range.
And if the storyline hadn't changed too much, then Groudon might still be slumbering deep beneath Mt. Chimney.
Groudon—a Legendary Pokémon.
For something to cause a snowstorm right near the territory of such a powerful being... well, that took some serious guts.
"Boss, the teaser trailer is live," Zoroark walked over, holding a phone in his hand.
Edward took the phone and glanced at it.
Sure enough, it was the teaser for One Missed Call.
The trailer had a simple, suspenseful style.
At least to Edward's own eyes, there weren't any overt horror elements in it. Someone unfamiliar with the background might mistake it for a detective or mystery drama.
The real-time comments on the video, as well as the comment section below, were filled with viewers poking fun at Ghost Films Productions for once again "crossing genres" and dabbling in detective stories.
After all, not long ago, the company had released Persian and Rattata, a whimsical, child-friendly piece that had now become a staple in many households with young children.
The company's customer service had even received calls from parents asking when the next episode of Persian and Rattata would be released.
"Not bad," Edward nodded in approval.
"Notify the post-production team. Have them work overtime this weekend and pay them at overtime rates."
Editing had to be finished before they could submit the film for approval.
Edward had a fairly decent relationship with the official in charge of film review in the Hoenn region.
They hadn't talked much, but he had "shared some porridge" with her, so to speak.
In other words, he had provided a few favors here and there, so getting the approval was practically guaranteed.
It was mostly a formality at this point.
After all, no one in that department wanted to see their own potential earnings go down the drain.
"Got it, Boss. Uh... should I work overtime too?" Zoroark rubbed its hands together, clearly fishing for an opportunity.
Edward cast a sideways glance at him.
"You're not even in the post-production department. What would you work overtime for?"
"Are you short on cash again?"
Zoroark had a habit of living paycheck to paycheck.
The moment his salary landed in his account, it was practically gone.
Edward had no idea where all that money went.
Even when Zoroark played Mizuno Mimiko in the previous film and received a decent actor's fee, the money hadn't lasted long.
"Hehe, well... a few of the games I play are having reruns of limited events. If I want to guarantee a top-tier drop, I gotta sink about three thousand bucks into it," Zoroark said with a flattering grin.
Edward twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.
"I remember you know how to do editing, right? Then fine, you can join the overtime shift," Edward said, shaking his head.
This was probably the first time he'd seen someone volunteer to work overtime.
But with triple pay for overtime, there were probably more than a few people willing to sign up.
As they made their way back, Edward glanced once more at the snowy mountain behind them.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw several massive white shadows flash past in the snow.
That image stayed in Edward's mind—he decided to return sometime in the future to investigate further.
Back at the company, the post-production team worked diligently for over a week to finish the final cut of One Missed Call.
Originally, the editing was supposed to be done sooner, but Edward decided to change the soundtrack midway through.
Not only that, but he even paid to hire a renowned maestro from the Pokémon world to compose an original score, which added some delays.
After that, Edward personally delivered the final cut for review.
The official in charge of reviewing films wasn't present, but Edward's movie was still approved at lightning speed.
And so, soon enough, all of Hoenn's media was buzzing with a brand-new headline:
"Renowned director of Dead Silence, Edward Stone, unveils his newest work! Suspense film One Missed Call to hit theaters soon!"
"One Missed Call? Is this really a film for detective lovers?"
"He just can't let go of horror—even when making a suspense film, he still sneaks in horror elements."
A tidal wave of reports flooded the web like bamboo shoots after the rain.
Edward felt a spark of excitement in his chest as he read them.
At this point, he had become something of a household name in the Hoenn region's entertainment industry.
But as One Missed Call's release date was finalized, the online debate only intensified.
A full-blown argument broke out between fans of suspense films and horror movies.
The core of their debate?
What exactly isOne Missed Call?
Is it a horror movie or a suspense thriller?
The teaser trailer made it look like a family-oriented suspense drama.
But the movie's title, One Missed Call, and its eerie poster design... well, those gave off serious horror vibes, putting viewers in a dilemma.
Viewers:
"I can't tell! I really can't tell!"
"Boss, aren't you worried that once the movie's out, angry suspense-film fans will tear you apart?"
Zoroark, dark circles under his eyes, looked at Edward with a strange expression.
His boss was really something else.
Thanks to the genre war, One Missed Call's popularity had skyrocketed.
Even internet trolls and professional meme-makers had jumped into the fray—one side backing the suspense camp, the other backing horror.
Everyone was asking the same question:
What is this movie, really?
"Worried? Not at all. I mean, even if you strip out the horror elements, there's still a suspense plot in there," Edward replied nonchalantly.
Negative attention is still attention.
Just look at his past life—how many celebrities disappeared from public view after a scandal?
Most people forgot them entirely.
But some names stuck.
Funny catchphrases, trolling pictures and all those meme-worthy moments?
Those still lived on, and the trolls who spread them were still thriving online.
Which just goes to show:
If you stay in the spotlight long enough—even if it's blacklight—you eventually build some emotional connection with your audience.
Besides, Edward still had one ace up his sleeve—a script for Hannibal.
Now that was a legitimate suspense drama.
Sure, it might not be suspense-heavy, but it was still a classic.
And if even that didn't satisfy the die-hard suspense fans?
Edward could always play his trump card:
The Sherlock Holmes series.
(End of Chapter)
TN: And we're back!!! Sorry for not uploading I got angry reading this so I took a break from it. This novel is great sometimes that It can make you laugh out loud but also gets bad with the author trying to do other stuff that were weird and unfunny but I got over it now so I'll start uploading chapters for this again.