Horror Game Designer Chapter 36: Worship

“He’s my friend.” Gao Ming walked out from behind Yan Hua. He looked tired. “Captain, you can see the situation with team one. We only have one new member, and all the core members are missing.”

Chen Yuntian nodded. He felt that Gao Ming was prepared to leave the centre already. After all, not anyone could sustain the pressure.

“The logistics members came and told us that no one was willing to join Team One. The two members who planned to join us have been stolen by other teams.” Gao Ming shrugged. “In other words, Team One only has Zhu Suisui and me left.”

“I didn’t anticipate this to happen. I can understand your choices. However, I hope you’ll consider it.” Chen Yuntian wanted Gao Ming to stay. After Bai Xiao disappeared, Gao Ming became his most valued member.

“I’ve given this a lot of thought.” Gao Ming said seriously, “People around us are missing due to anomalies, but none of them showed fear. This is when Li San Investigation Centre faces the greatest challenge. I’m willing to take up the burden!”

Chen Yuntian’s dark eyes lit up. He patted Gao Ming’s arms. “Kid, you are special!”

“No one is willing to join Team One, so I personally went to invite our own members. This way, we will trust each other too.” Gao Ming called Wan Qiu over. “Captain, don’t worry. We will not let the centre down.”

“That is a good thing, but…” Chen Yuntian’s eyes moved between Yan Hua and Wan Qiu. They were two extremes.

“Anomalies don’t test physique and intellect but humanity and luck. I was a psychiatrist at Hen Shan Penitentiary. I know humanity well. They are fine.” Gao Ming promised him. “If anything happened, I would take full responsibility.”

“The threshold for the elementary investigator is very low. They barely pass. But you have to tell them they will face a lot of dangers.”

“Understood. I’ll turn them into the best investigators. “Gao Ming then quickly added. “Before the new leader is here, I’ll temporarily take over Team One.”

Chen Yuntian thought about it and nodded. He had no reason to say no. “Okay, you’ll temporarily take over Team One to train the personnel and work the night shift. The missions will still be handled by other teams.” Gao Ming joined the centre less than 48 hours ago, but he was already the team leader. Even though he was only a temp, no one could shake his position if he personally chose all the members.

Chen Yuntian was satisfied seeing how worked-up Gao Ming was. He took two bands from the workers. He handed one to Zhu Suisui and gave Gao Ming the other. “If you find a great member, you can give this to them.”

“Thank you captain for your trust.”

Not long after Chen Yuntian left, Gao Ming’s identity in the black band was updated. He was officially the temp leader of Team One.

“Team One’s patrol area is Min Long Street and Li Jing Street. Once I deal with the anomaly at the east city, I’ll focus on these two areas.” Gao Ming handed the extra band to Yan Hua. “The shadow world can infiltrate the real world through games, and we can do the same in reverse.”

Gao Ming opened Bai Xiao’s computer. He wanted to get to know his new access and rights, but as he was looking through the documents, an email from the old city police station grabbed his attention.

The sender was Yan Lin, and the mail was sent yesterday night. Bai Xiao hadn’t had the time to read it.

Gao Ming opened it and saw a few familiar terms. “There are a few suspicious points regarding the prison riot at Hen Shan Penitentiary. The missing criminals count after the fact is not right. The victim with the ruined face is not a criminal but a doctor; based on Gao Ming’s most recent psycho tests, his mental conditions started to change on the day the first anomaly happened in Xin Lu…”

At the end of the mail, Yan Lin hoped that Li San Investigation Centre would cooperate with the police and hand Gao Ming over.

Gao Ming didn’t think there was anything wrong with him, so he deleted the email. Plus, he had something more important to do.

He kept looking and finally found info on the anomaly in the east city in some hidden files.

“Agent 01764 was the first person to escape the east city anomaly alive. His four limbs were cut off, but the wounds didn’t bleed. His body was written with verses for worship. After being sent to the hospital, he died. His body decayed three times slower than normal…

“The fragrance of meat would appear within the anomaly after midnight. Even those on the fringe of the anomaly could hear the sound of chanting prayers.

“The anomaly started at Han Hai East City’s Si Sui Street Apartments. A case that had a whole family murdered happened there. This anomaly is suspected to be related to that case.”

Gao Ming pulled up info from within the centre. For a populous section like the East City, Si Sui Street’s Apartments didn’t have many tenants. The case that happened several years ago, where two families of eight died, still shocked people. After the killer committed the crime, they killed themselves. People said that the building was haunted. Gao Ming enlarged the picture to study the crime scene. Wan Qiu suddenly walked to his side. He pointed at the screen and mumbled, “They’re looking at you.”

Gao Ming was confused because there was no one in the pictures. “What did you see?”

“Eight people are looking at you. There are elders and children. Their lips are bloody.” Then, Wan Qiu left.

Gao Ming turned back to the pictures, and he felt a chill.

“Meat fragrance? Bloody lips? And slow decay speed… This sounds like The God of Flesh and Blood.”

The God of Flesh and Blood was not a game made by Gao Ming. It was an old book he found. It recorded a method to worship flesh and blood. Gao Ming had a deep impression of it because the method was surreal and gory.

The God of Flesh and Blood was just in name. The thing cultivated with this method had nothing to do with the divine. Gao Ming knew the method, and even so, he wouldn’t cultivate such a thing. Once a person was entangled with that thing, they would never escape.

“I have to eliminate the person who is feeding the story. They are too dangerous. They have no humanity.”

Tragedy might come at any time. Therefore, more people would come in contact with the anomaly.

Some of them would choose to join the investigation centre to protect others; others would join the shadow world and became something worse than ghosts.