Horror Game Designer

Chapter 498: Winter

The front door of the villa was locked. The snow was heavy outside the building, but the inside was not affected as much. It was dry and silent.

“This nightmare is very unusual. Tang Qing didn’t give us any hints.” Qian Jin’s face darkened after he checked his band. “He said he’d send us the information on the dream owner, but I saw nothing in the band!”

“Immortal Pharma will not purposely hide things from us. They also wish we’d clear the nightmare. There must be some kind of problem somewhere.” Yao Yao was very confident.

“Snow, manor, villa and a young man with a strange disease.” Gao Ming said, “Most of the nightmares are based on real life. Perhaps we can narrow down the setting of the nightmare through the old literature and newspapers inside the building.”

“Your suggestion might work in the surface-level nightmare, but the middle layer is filled with absurdity…”

“Does this place look absurd to you?” Before Zhi Ge finished, Gao Ming cut him off.

“Kid, respecting your elders will help you live longer.” If not for Bai Feng, Zhi Ge would have exploded already. He glared at Gao Ming. The sound of the violin disrupted the silence and distracted Zhi Ge. They looked up to the third floor.

“Is someone playing?” Zhi Ge didn’t move but turned to Gao Ming, “Didn’t you wish for clues? The clue is here now. Why don’t you go check it out?”

Gao Ming didn’t waste time. He led Silly and Xu Deyi up the wooden stairs to the third floor. The violin was melancholic, perfect with the wintry setting.

Gao Ming looked around. The whole manor was split into four floors, but the third floor was already the top. The fourth floor was probably the attic. It was not open to the guests. There was a sign that forbade entry on the staircase. There were thick iron bars between the third and fourth floors as if they were keeping back some fierce animals. Gao Ming placed his fingers under his nose. He sniffed the light wood fragrance. The manor was mostly made from wood. However, Gao Ming couldn’t tell what kind of wood it was. The wood was dry but emitted a milky fragrance.

The violin was soft and lifting like the ray of the wintry sun landing on a frozen lake.

“None of the rooms on the third floor is fitted with room doors.” Gao Ming looked at the open frames. “Do you remember what Tang Qing told us? The owner has a disease that he can’t look at doors and dark corridors.”

“Do you mean the violinist is the dream owner?”

“Let’s go and see.” The temperature slowly rose. Other than the violin, there was also the sound of crackling fire coming from Room 3003. The warmth chased away the cold. Gao Ming came to Room 3003. The floor inside the room was covered in a thick layer of carpet. It was still day outside but the room was lit up by several oil lamps and a burning fireplace.

The lights shone on a tall and thin young man. He was dressed simply. A hunting rifle and wine bottle sat beside his feet. His hands pulled on the violin strings with the bow. He was like a fairytale prince.

Once the song ended, the man, who stood beside the window, turned around, “The snow has sealed up the mountain. How did you get here?”

The man had noticed them a long time ago, but he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to stop playing.

“We’re guests. The way to leave has been blocked. I wonder if we can stay here temporarily,” Qian Jin asked politely, “We’ll pay.”

The man’s eyes wandered between the rifle and the wineglass. In the end, he smiled kindly, “Until the snow stops, feel free to stay here.”

“Thank you.” Qian Jin answered. Gao Ming was thinking about something else. The man said they could stay there until the snow stopped. What if the snow never stopped? Would they be trapped there forever?

“This is my grandfather’s manor. After he passed away, my parents turned it into a holiday villa. However, we could only operate in the summer. It’s too cold in the winter. The east lake and rivers are all frozen. None of the water sports can be carried out.” The man took a sip of the wine. “Compared to the warm summer, the winter is too lonely and long. I can’t imagine anyone coming here for a holiday in the winter.” The man didn’t mention the fee. He took a headcount and grabbed a ring of keys from his waist. “Feel free to select any rooms on the first and second floors. You can stay on the third floor if you so wish. However, stay away from the fourth floor. There’s a huge safety hazard there.” The man took out three keys and was about to take more when Qian Jin stopped him, “Three rooms are enough.”

“Three rooms for seven people?!” The man waved his hands. “Don’t need to worry about the money. The villa is empty anyway. You can use as many rooms as you want.”

Everyone was given a room key. Other than Xu Deyi and Yao Yao, the others stayed on the second floor.

“The kitchen is on the first floor. You can find ingredients in the fridge and the cellar. You can use them freely as long as there is no waste. The firewood to start the fire is inside the brick room on the left of the main building. I only have enough for one guest. If the snow doesn’t stop, you might need to use the axe to chop down the nearby trees.” The man finished the glass of wine. “There are other tools in the first-floor storage. Just remember to close the doors once you leave the rooms.” ṞαƝỖᛒÈS̈

The man looked normal.

“By the way, remember to close the doors and windows before you go to bed.” The man put down the wineglass to wipe his rifle. “It’s cold outside, and the beasts will have trouble finding food. Beware of creatures coming in to search for food.”

“Alright. We’ll be careful.”

“That’s all. You should take a tour around the manor when the sun is still out. Just don’t move too far away from the manor.” The man ignored them. He picked up the photo album on the table and looked through it.

The testers walked out of Room 3003 with their keys. They didn’t say anything. They only looked at each other after they were a safe distance away from Room 3003.

“It’s safe in the day but dangerous at night? Does that mean we’ll have to stay in this nightmare for days?” Yao Yao removed her glasses to wipe the fog from them. “The other nightmares can be solved in hours. This nightmare is so strange.”

“I’ve compared the body shape of the young man on the bed in real life with the man earlier. They shouldn’t be the same person.” Qian Jin had great observational skills and memory. “I suspect the man isn’t the dream owner. There are other people here.”

After Qian Jin said that, everyone turned to look at the stairs that led to the fourth floor. It was blocked by bars.