Horror Game Designer Chapter 50: Your Desire

The restaurant appeared to come alive. The walls slowly moved inward. The door and frame bumped, creating the sound of teeth chomping.

“Everyone has some kind of desire hidden in their heart, and I can turn your desire into reality. Eat the meat I’ve prepared for you, and you will not be troubled again.”

The thick fragrance infiltrated their bodies. Zhu Suisui started to lose control and scratch her shoulders. Her nails dug into her flesh. Triggered by the smell, she seemed to see her parents, who died in the fire. When she was young, her parents picked her up on their shoulders. After she grew up, her parents leaned on her shoulders.

“You can do whatever you want to do, and you can see whoever you want to see. Life and death will never separate you.” Zhu Suisui’s blood mixed with the fragrance. Two blurry faces formed in her wounds. Zhu Suisui’s parents appeared to be crawling out of her shoulders. This was as predicted by Granny Shen. If this continued, the vision in Granny Shen’s basin would come true.

“Wake up!” Gao Ming shook Zhu Suisui, but the transformation didn’t stop.

The meat smell invoked the desire within Zhu Suisui. Zhu Suisui voluntarily embraced her parents. She didn’t want to separate from them again, even if she became a monster.

“Our flesh and blood contain our instinct. Your body will never lie to you. It has made the choice for you.” The man’s voice echoed in the restaurant. “Come in. I’ve prepared some meat for you. Eat it, and you’ll never feel pain again.”

Zhu Suisui had lost her mind. If Gao Ming let go of her, she would rush into the kitchen and lose something.

“Gong Xi, hold her back!” The restaurant kept shrinking. If they stayed there, everyone would die. Gao Ming didn’t choose to sacrifice Zhu Suisui. He picked up the menu and walked to the back kitchen while he was still sane. Gao Ming pulled back the thick curtain.

The smell of meat hit him like a wall of brick. However, the kitchen was completely different from what he expected. There was no fire or stove. Only a muscular man in a chef’s outfit chopping meat. He repeated the chopping like a robot. He tossed the chopped meat into the pool behind him. The irresistible smell came from the pool. Gao Ming slowly approached. He noticed that the chef had no ears, eyes, nose or lips. Even though he looked like a human, he was more like a puppet.

“Have you decided what you want to have?” The man’s voice came again. It didn’t come from the chef but from the pool. Gao Ming held the menu and looked at the murky pool. He didn’t see any monster in the pool, but his reflection.

“I’ve never forced others to sacrifice anything. I’m much more trustworthy than those fake Gods. All your sacrifice will be repaid. Anything is possible, if you pay enough.

“Come into the pool. Touch your real desire. Let me see what you want.”

The water turned murkier. As the chef poured the chopped meat into the water, the blood spread. Soon, the pool was red. Gao Ming was reminded of the basin at Granny Shen’s home.

“Humans have two hearts. One is the heart of blood and flesh that we can see. The other is the heart of God that has gathered thousands of thoughts.

“I will fulfil the wish of your heart of blood and flesh. In return, you’ll sacrifice your heart of God to me.”

Gao Ming’s world flipped around. He couldn’t tell if he had fallen into the blood pool or the other way around. When he recovered, his body was covered in blood.

The pool was shallow, but he could feel his body sinking. His consciousness was pulling away from his body.

“You have a body that is used to pain, strong limbs, a sharp brain, a pair of eyes that can see through the mist, and… a heart that has witnessed countless deaths?” The man’s voice was distinctively different from before.

“Is… this not your first time here?”
The voice in the pool said the same thing as Granny Shen.

Gao Ming didn’t care. He tried his best to climb out of the pool, but the broken bodies pulled him down.

“Let me see your desire. Let me see what was your last wish!”

The water churned. It flooded into Gao Ming’s eyes. The pain intensified. Gao Ming felt like his left eye was being gouged out. Blood rushed into his body as it travelled to his heart and brain. Memory was stirred by the water. Gao Ming remembered certain things from that night. His remaining right eye saw the wall made from dead bodies, and the dead bodies looked at him.

Two screams echoed. A crack appeared at the bottom of the pool. Gao Ming’s eyes turned blood red. The chains clinked. Gao Ming’s left hand was grabbed by Zhao Xi as he was pulled out of the pool.

The smell of meat became lighter. The restaurant returned to normal. Gao Ming slumped to the ground, holding his left eye. The thing in the pool wanted to use Gao Ming’s eye to see Gao Ming’s past memory. It wanted to complete the ritual for the God of Flesh and Blood, but it didn’t have the power to fulfil Gao Ming’s inner desire.

“Leader!” Zhu Suisui finally snapped out of it. She didn’t eat the meat, but her body had mutated.

“Pick up your axe. Don’t be fooled again.” After some time, Gao Ming climbed up from the ground. He couldn’t open his left eye anymore. Paying his left eye, Gao Ming recovered some of his lost memories. The chill bound around his heart. He didn’t dare to tell anyone what he saw. He finally understood why Granny Shen and the voice in the pool said the things they did.

“The desire hidden inside my heart is so scary.” Gao Ming sat at the edge of the pool. He used his right eye to look around. When a person looks around and can’t find the bad guy, they might be the antagonist.

With everyone looking in shock, Gao Ming jumped into the blood pool again. But the pool was already a normal one.

Gao Ming searched at the bottom and found a strange figurine in the middle of the pool. It had four faces and eight arms. It held a bleeding heart.

“This is the figurine of the God of Blood and Flesh. The voice we heard earlier should belong to him.” Gong Xi approached Gao Ming, “Why is the figurine cracked?”

He reached out to examine the figurine’s left eye, but as he touched it, the figurine shattered.

“But… I didn’t do anything!” Gong Xi was stunned. He asked about Gao Ming’s eye to change the subject, “Was your eye taken by the God?”

Gao Ming didn’t answer. He was still submerged in his memory. After the figurine was destroyed, the chef in the kitchen stopped moving. He slowly moved out like he was being summoned.

“I’m fine. We should follow the chef.” The pain twisted Gao Ming’s face. However, it also calmed him down a lot. He needed to leave Si Sui Apartments alive and then go look at that tunnel!

They left the restaurant and walked past the signboards. The chef came to the room in the middle of the floor. The room was a place of worship for something. The big red wooden door had the phrases, ‘Claim everything alive’ on the left and ‘Claim everything dead’ on the right.