Horror Game Designer Chapter 63: Tunnel

The warm light shone on his face. Gao Ming sat up in the bed in the hospital. There were many medical devices he didn’t recognise in the room. The corridor outside the door was guarded by many guards. Even a mosquito couldn’t get in.

“Your body is in bad condition. There are plenty of wounds, big and small. They very accurately avoided your fatal spots. But the key problem is your internal organs have suffered irreversible damage. We have tried all the methods, but we can only delay your death.” The nurses and doctors were waiting by his bed for 24 hours. They normally stayed in the room beside Gao Ming’s room.

“Where is this?”

“The East City Centre’s hospital. We treat people injured in the anomalies here.” The doctor pressed the beeper beside the bed. Several minutes later, Chen Yuntian and several higher-ups rushed into the room. The doctors and nurses cleverly exited the room and closed the door.

“The result of the investigation into the Si Sui Apartments Anomaly is out. You have contributed the most, but we hope you can keep the things about Situ An a secret.” Chen Yuntian sat beside Gao Ming. “The centre is heavily understaffed. If the others knew that they had been manipulated by Situ An, we might have a revolt on our hands.”

“You can tell us any demands you have. During these last moments of your life, we’ll try to satisfy everything you want.” The new chief of the east city hadn’t been selected. The east city centre was temporarily taken over by the Han Hai Investigation Centre. The person speaking then was one of the people holding some power at the headquarters.

“How much longer do I have left?” Gao Ming looked at his arms. The horrible wounds had been treated, but the black words that crawled out of them stayed on his skin. They were like curses.

“Three days.” Chen Yuntian said in pain. He was the one who told Gao Ming to join the centre, but he couldn’t do anything then.

“The researchers from Xin Lu might come in the afternoon to conduct some tests on you, with your permission, of course…” The other person from the headquarters put some documents on the bed.

Gao Ming ignored the documents and looked out the window. “I wish to go somewhere. I hope you won’t stop me.”

“You can go anywhere you want. Your stuff is beside the bed.” The higher-ups said a few more things and left.

Gao Ming was alone. He looked out the window. The east city was Han Hai’s most developed district. There were skyscrapers everywhere. The traffic was busy. He had never felt so alone.

Gao Ming picked up his bag and took out the death portraits. The centre would have looked over them. They were not secrets anymore. Gao Ming switched on his phone. He believed the centre was listening in, but he didn’t care and called home. He looked at his parent’s death portrait. This time, his family didn’t turn around to look at it. It was just a normal picture with a giant tear.

“There’s no answer…”

Gao Ming hung up and stared at the phone dumbly. There were more than ten unanswered calls. When he was comatose, he was pulled into a few group chats. Now that the storm was over, his school friends were organising a meet-up, talking about life updates and old stories. Some of them became doctors, and some got married. Everyone had their own life.

The difference between two humans could be larger than the difference between a human and a ghost. He didn’t look into the different group cheats. His life was separated from his friends not only through the phone screen but also many other things. Gao Ming looked at the unknown phone that had called him more than ten times. Gao Ming didn’t have the mood to call back. If the doctor was right, he only had three days left. His phone vibrated. One of his old school friends sent a direct message to Gao Ming.

Liu Yi, “Gao Ming, I wish to see you in person.”

Liu Yi, “After I played your game, many strange things started to happen.”

Gao Ming tossed the phone on the bed and put on the clothes prepared by the centre. He was so injured that his wounds opened once he moved. The blood oozed out from under the bandages. The phone was still vibrating, but Gao Ming had already turned around. There was one thing that he needed to do.

“The longer I delay this, the worse my body will get. The wounds on my stomach will not heal, and my heart is getting weaker.” Ever since he woke up, a voice in his brain kept urging him to the tunnel. He too was curious about the tunnel. Gao Ming left the hospital in the company of the investigators and guards. He got into the centre’s car and raced to the tunnel connecting the three cities.

He would never die in peace if he didn’t take a look at that tunnel. The scenery outside the window flew past. Gao Ming placed his hands together. When he heard that he only had three days left, he didn’t feel pain or panic. He didn’t think of death. Instead, he wondered, ‘Once I die, will the shadow world choose another person to take my spot?’

The journey to the tunnel was long. Gao Ming had never felt time moving so slowly. When it was almost dark, the car brought Gao Ming to the destination. The guards helped him out of the car.

“Do you have to come with me?” Gao Ming stood at the tunnel entrance. The dark tunnel was like the mouth of a monster.

“I hope that you understand. The tunnel is not open to the public yet, and we worry about your safety.” The guards stuck close to Gao Ming. “We will not disturb you.”

“So be it.” Gao Ming carried his bag and started walking. He didn’t walk fast, but the guards couldn’t catch up to him. “The temperature is dropping.” Gao Ming slowed down and puffed out a cold breath. He touched the walls as he tried to remember the events that happened that night.

After Xuan Wen took him home, he remembered something crucial. Xuan Wen said he had selective amnesia because he saw something too scary.

When the God of Blood and Flesh wanted to see his desire, Gao Ming used that moment to see the images he had forgotten.

“I’m almost there.”

The sun was down. There was no light in the tunnel. Water droplets fell on his sleeves. A voice in his brain told Gao Ming to keep moving forward. Fate decreed that he’d return.

“This is so strange. Who is calling me?”

Normally, he should have exited the tunnel already, but he was still trapped in the darkness. Every path had its ending unless the path didn’t lead to the future.

Gao Ming turned around. The footsteps and the guards following him were gone. He was left alone, but Gao Ming didn’t feel fear. He was used to this.

The voice in his brain became clearer. Gao Ming closed his one eye. He put his guard down and followed the voice’s instruction. The road under his feet became rocky. He could hear more voices.

Gao Ming suddenly felt a water hitting on his palm. The water didn’t drip from the ceiling but rose from the group.

His fingers reached towards the wall. He eventually touched flesh. It appeared to be a human face.

Gao Ming opened his eyes. The wall of the tunnel was encased with carcasses. All the dead bodies had Gao Ming’s face.