Horror Game Designer Chapter 29: Base

Fear was split into four stages, and one would see different things at different stages. Gao Ming was in the first stage, so the things he saw were not that different from real life. To rescue the others, Gao Ming embraced fear actively. He finally arrived deep in the shadows.

The mutated parents were twisted together to become a monster. Gao Ming had no idea if this was created by the kid in Room 405 or something made by the investigators. As the game designer, he was certain that this game had no actual ghost. The monster before him was manifested by fear.

Illness of Fear had a setting where a group sunk into fear, and the fear reached a consensus: the thing they feared would become true. To deal with such monsters, one needed absolute rationality and courage. The smallest crack of courage would be taken advantage of by the monsters. There was only one enemy, and that was the player himself. It was why Gao Ming used the most direct and brutal method to deal with the monster.

“Don’t be scared.” Gao Ming wished to cut off the cycle of fear in the other investigators so that they’d stop feeding the fear. However, that was easier said than done, so he used himself to make an example. The dangerous, aggressive and frightening parents were choked by Gao Ming. He ignored the woman’s blade and smashed the man. No one could shake him.

“For psychiatrists, fear is the most common emotion. It is also the emotion we need to handle the most. Only then can we glimpse into the darkness of human hearts.”

The chains made from Zhao Xi’s memory cut into the flesh. The man’s neck bent out of shape, but Gao Ming didn’t halt. His body appeared to be embedded into the monster’s flesh. The monster kept trying to yank him off.

“You blame your own mistakes on society and even turn your anger on your child. You do not deserve to be parents.” Gao Ming pulled until his arms burst with veins. “No one will be afraid of you when they see what you really are.”

Gao Ming said this for the monster and for Zhu Suisui. The fearful atmosphere was washed away. After the investigators left, the monster dwindled in size, and Zhu Suisui slowly recovered. She held the axe. She had charged into burning buildings to save people. She could overcome this fear. Just as hope returned to her eyes, she saw a blood vessel with a sharpened end reach out of the large monster’s body. The vessel was connected to her brain.

Zhu Suisui immediately tried to cut the vessel, but it was to no avail. She then abandoned it and raised her axe at the monster. After she conquered fear, the blood vessel shrivelled up and died.

After losing a ‘nutrient source’, the monster wailed. It was torn into parts by Gao Ming’s chains, and the blood beads were absorbed by the chains.

“Thank you for saving me.” Zhu Suisui thanked Gao Ming sincerely. How he appeared to save her would be branded in her heart.
“Where are the others?” Gao Ming pulled down his sleeve. He looked around. He had entered the deepest layer of fear, but he saw no one else other than Zhu Suisui.

“They ran out of the building.”

“They ran out?” Gao Ming instantly knew something was wrong. He turned to run down the stairs. “Stay close to me.”

“Leader Bai Qiao is with them. They should be fine, right?” Zhu Suisui trusted Gao Ming. She followed him without hesitation.

After killing the mutated parents, the shadows covering Building Four started to fade. This game was different from the other games. It was trying to send Gao Ming and Zhu Suisui out. This strange phenomenon grabbed Gao Ming’s attention. He jogged down the stairs without stopping.

Gao Ming came to the first floor and kicked down the door. The streets outside had been covered by mist and shadow. It was an absurd world. The investigators, infected by fear, ran heedlessly. Illness of Fear had spread. The shadow was widening.

“Stay here.” Gao Ming walked through the shadowy streets. “The end of Min Long Street is Li Jing Street. That’s where I stay. Does this shadow world correspond to the real world? Is the shadow world an alternate reality?”

Gao Ming had read some articles on parallel universes, but this situation couldn’t be explained so easily. The puzzles popped out one after another. He not only had to deal with the tragedy but also to find the truth.

Gao Ming walked down the street and saw a torn centre uniform. Gao Ming picked up the uniform. He saw a kid with pale skin standing around the corner. He waved at Gao Ming with fear, stopping him from getting closer.

“Is this kid the source of Illness of Fear?”

A fully-mobile source was a headache for Gao Ming. He had no confidence he could catch up to the kid.

“I know you’re living in an oppressive home. You have to be very careful. If you wish to find a good and warm family, you can come with me. I have many parents, and they are all very nice.” Gao Ming covered his chains and took out the ugly doll. “I live at Li Jing Apartments’ Building Four, Fourth Floor. The doors are always open for you.” Gao Ming smiled as he shook the doll. “The people there are very kind. There are elders who like to chat, raincoat buddy who likes to cosplay, uncle who likes extreme sports, endless cakes and…”

Before Gao Ming could finish, the kid had already disappeared. The shadows faded away.

Instead of saying Gao Ming cleared the game, it was more like the game was chasing Gao Ming out.

“The game appears to have changed due to this boy.” Gao Ming frowned darkly. “Is it because the kid is not a ghost but also a player? After he cleared the game, he chose to stay in the game…”

A weak light appeared at the end of the street. Zhu Suisui ran over through the rain. “I think we’ve survived the anomaly! But how come I don’t see the others?”

“Hasn’t this been written in the survival manual? If you leave the scene, it’s easy to get lost.” Gao Ming stood in the rain. The other investigators were probably trapped in the shadow world. They were still alive but would need to struggle to survive.

“Li Jing is the most populated district in the old city. It is also where anomalies are the most frequent. If I can turn Li Jing Neighbourhood into a human base in the shadow world, it could save many people in the future.”

Gao Ming stood between the two worlds. He looked at the old buildings. “The price will be heavy, but I need to do it because it is right. Sigh. Qin Tian is so right. I’m too good of a person.”