Horror Game Designer

Before the man could finish, Xu Deyi was so scared that he accidentally pulled off Silly’s sleeve.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. Just be careful at night and stay in your rooms.” The man put the bowls together. “Remember. Don’t open your doors randomly. Don’t open your curtains. Even if you accidentally wake up, pretend to be asleep.”

The testers became more nervous after the man said that.

“I’ll inspect the other corners of the manor. Go back to your rooms as soon as possible.” The man left carrying his rifle. Xu Deyi didn’t dare to stay in the kitchen anymore. He walked between Silly and Gao Ming.

“We should head to the second floor. Even though there are more people on the second floor, Zhi Ge’s group is quite annoying. However, compared to being mocked, I think safety is more important.” Xu Deyi held Silly’s key. Just as they went up the stairs, they saw Qian Jin guarding the corridor.

“I apologise on Yao Yao and Zhi Ge’s behalf for what had happened during dinner. We’re all testers. We should work together instead of fighting.” Qian Jin said, but his eyes showed no emotion. “Why don’t we all stay in one room tonight?”

“We have our plan.” Gao Ming shook his head.

“Okay.” Qian Jin was slightly disappointed. “This place is not safe at night. The man from Room 3003 came over a few minutes ago to tell us about the strange incidents that had happened here in the past.”

“Was it about the hikers?” Xu Deyi asked.

“When he woke up, it was already late afternoon. He opened the window to shout for his brother to come back for dinner, but he realised his brother was gone. Only the large snowman remained.

“He was understandably worried. He went out to check with his rifle. He searched the manor but couldn’t find his brother. With no other choice, he went to search in the snow. In the end, he found one of his brother’s shoes near the east lake.

“However, he couldn’t figure out why his brother went to the east lake.

“When he returned to the manor, something strange happened. The giant snowman in the yard disappeared as if it had moved away on its own.

“Then, he said he saw the snowman smile at him.”

After Qian Jin finished the story, he was chilled too.

“Fuck! That’s so scary!” Xu Deyi hugged Silly’s arm. He didn’t hug Gao Ming because Gao Ming would kick him away.

“In any case, be careful at night. I feel like it’s not safe inside.” Qian Jin was hard to read. It was hard to tell if he was being kind or not.

After Qian Jin returned to Room 2004, Xu Deyi whispered, “Why was the story he heard so different from what we heard? It’s hard to imagine both incidents happening to the same person who is not the nightmare owner.”

“Maybe Bai Feng heard a third version, but none of them is real.” Gao Ming glanced at Room 2001. The door was closed, so he couldn’t tell if Bai Feng was in or not. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

“Let’s go back to our room. It’s so creepy out here.” Xu Deyi opened the door to Room 2002. All three of them rushed in. Perhaps it was adjacent to Room 2001. Room 2002 was extremely cold. One could hear the wind rattling the smashed window.

Xu Deyi curled on the bed and hogged the only blanket. “Money is hard to come by, but I refuse to participate in this brain realm game anymore.”

“You said that the last time.” Gao Ming stood beside the bed. “I’m curious. Why did you come back? You almost fainted from being scared last time.”

“Everyone has their own reason to be here. That reason is enough to help them overcome the fear.” Xu Deyi said lowly, “I need money. My sister is in school, and my mother is sick. Plus, I have a lot of debt from my mafia days.”

“The greed for money is not enough for you to resist fear.”

“You’re wrong.” Xu Deyi raised his head. “That’s only because you haven’t tasted true poverty that would push you to the edge.”

“The edge?” Gao Ming suddenly realised something. Both in Jiang Miaomiao’s nightmare and this nightmare, his emotions were stable. “I’m not scared at all. Is it because I’ve experienced worse in my coma?”

He remembered the memory fragments that appeared when he was triggered at Shanghai Mental Asylum. He was surrounded by his corpses, who wore different clothes.

“I seem to have died more than once.” Gao Ming looked at his unharmed palms. “I need a stronger stimulus to help me remember more things.”

Xu Deyi shivered. Silly also appeared nervous. Gao Ming stood between the door and the window. “You two stay here. Be careful of the nearby rooms.”

“What about you?”

“I plan to visit the manor owner.” Gao Ming smiled, “I love listening to his stories.”

“Have you lost your mind? What if his stories are real?” Xu Deyi shook his head. “Have you considered this? The owner has survived so many horror stories. That means he’s the one with the biggest problem!”

Xu Deyi was very smart. He just acted dumb. He shared his concern with Gao Ming because he really treated him as a friend.

“He is a huge quandary, but thankfully, I’m not a normal person either.” Gao Ming shook the key to Room 2009 and left with the oil lamp.

“Brother, please be sensible!” Xu Deyi ran after him. “How is that a valid reason to throw your life away?”