Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 16
Liu Yuling, who had just narrowly escaped with her life in the game, let out a long sigh of relief. The calm expression on her face immediately collapsed, and she nearly slumped to the ground.
Only heaven knew how terrified she had been just moments ago. She had been one step away from screaming, and her ability to keep running was entirely thanks to the skills she’d honed playing survival games regularly.
As for the escape route, she had memorized it the moment she entered the game. After the ghost and doll appeared, her flight was guided almost entirely by instinct.
Now that she had survived an intense chase sequence, Liu Yuling assumed the game would transition to a puzzle-solving segment to let players catch their breath. She relaxed completely and briskly walked toward the gate ahead, intending to head back into the school to search for NPCs or clues.
Just then, a flushing sound came from a blue restroom by the roadside.
She immediately stopped in her tracks and warily turned to look.
A pair of pale, ghostly hands pushed open the restroom door. Under Liu Yuling’s watchful gaze, a disheveled woman in white slowly emerged.
Her face was obscured by thick black hair, leaving Liu unable to see her features. However, the woman’s eerily awkward movements bore an uncanny resemblance to that of a doll…
In the brief moment Liu Yuling’s focus wavered, the woman staggered forward a few steps. Suddenly, her speed increased dramatically as she lunged straight at Liu!
“Ah—!” Caught off guard and thrown into yet another chase after letting her guard down, Liu Yuling couldn’t suppress a scream as she instinctively turned to run. But in the next second, the screen went black.
[? What just happened?]
[Did YuYu die?]
After about two seconds of black screen, crimson text slowly faded into view:
“Demo complete. Please look forward to the official release!”
[???]
“What the heck? I was all geared up, and you give me this?!”
[Frustrated fans grumbled and left the stream.]
[Wait, was it just me, or did YuYu’s viewer count look a bit… off? Why were there so many people watching this stream?]
And why was that? Of course, because I directed them over there!
Liver Bro felt both bitter and helpless.
But he had to admit, her courage was indeed greater than his—managing to clear the demo in one go.
In hindsight, the game wasn’t that scary. If only he hadn’t been so spooked, he definitely could’ve cleared it earlier too!
Liver Bro silently hyped himself up, resolving to redeem his reputation as a pro gamer once the full version released.
“No one’s allowed to question my skills!”
“Seeing the first player to clear the game is exciting, but knowing it was beaten so easily is a bit disappointing.”
After exiting the stream, Ye Yuxi stretched and realized she was feeling a bit drowsy.
Still, before heading to bed, she made a habit of organizing her schedule.
Judging by the stream’s hype, plenty of people were already looking forward to the game’s full release.
“If that’s the case, I need to work harder! Also, I should probably increase the difficulty a bit in the official version. Otherwise, having it cleared in one go right after launch would be too lame.”
After planning her next steps, Ye Yuxi washed up and went to sleep.
What she didn’t know was that her creation, Campus Nightmare, was about to make even bigger waves.
Liver Bro, of course, needed no introduction. He was a top-tier game streamer so in-demand that even major studios would pay him to promote their games. Though his fans enjoyed his chaotic antics and piercing “dolphin screams” as much as—or more than—his skilled gameplay…
Ahem. Anyway, thanks to his glowing recommendation, countless fans were introduced to this promising horror game.
Later, fans shared the replay link of streamer Jade Willow’s game-clear run online. Many viewers who had enjoyed watching Liver Bro’s hilarious scares flocked to Jade Willow’s channel to witness her smooth and calculated gameplay.
While being impressed by Jade Willow’s skills, many viewers also became curious about the game itself. Some fans even took it upon themselves to edit the most suspenseful and terrifying moments from both streams into short videos and uploaded them to the interstellar net. Others, with a mischievous sense of humor, sent the videos to friends and family with no other intention than to provide a bit of late-night “stress relief.”
Countless people browsing short videos before bed casually clicked on links sent by their loved ones, only to be greeted by a sudden close-up of Ms. Doll’s face. The sheer shock nearly caused them to curse out loud.
Wang Yuze was one such unlucky victim.
A second-year cadet at the Central Military Academy in the capital of the central star system, Wang was 19 and entering the peak of his mental energy development. This manifested in increasing irritability and aggression. In just a year, he had already fought countless senior cadets.
Realizing his current mental state was abnormal, he had tried venting his energy through gaming, but to little effect.
“What kind of trash combat system is this? Who designed this garbage?!”
Wang Yuze furiously ripped off his gaming gear, swearing that if he ever trusted another “stress relief” game recommendation, he’d be a fool.
He opened his light screen, deciding to watch some short videos before bed.
That’s when he saw the mysterious link sent by a mischievous friend.
“A must-watch before bed? Ha, you think that’ll make me click?!”
He scoffed—and promptly clicked the link.
The video began with a first-person perspective, as if Wang himself were exploring a school at night.
“What kind of school is this? Something feels off…”
The eerie atmosphere made Wang furrow his brows.
The protagonist reached a bridge.
The next second, a hyper-realistic blue doll face suddenly dangled down from the trees—right into the camera!
The malicious editing seamlessly transitioned from calm exploration to a jump scare, enough to frighten 80% of viewers.
“!”
Wang instinctively leaned back, tumbling onto his bed.
Jump scares remain one of humanity’s most primal sources of fright. Even though a closer look revealed nothing inherently terrifying about the doll, the sudden and unexpected appearance was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.
“What the hell?!” Wang took a second to steady himself before leaning back toward the light screen. The protagonist in the video seemed equally panicked, surrounded by horrors closing in on all sides.
Just as escape seemed impossible, the video ended.
“That’s it?” Wang found himself restless, a sense of curiosity gnawing at him.
The initial shock subsided, replaced by an overwhelming urge to learn more about the game.
“Campus Nightmare: May Bridge. Think you’re brave enough? Bring it on!”
Without hesitation, Wang redownloaded the DouDou app—one he had deleted in frustration long ago—and began searching for the game.
He wasn’t alone. Many others were doing the exact same thing.
That night was destined to be sleepless for many.
As countless cries of “Damn it, I died again!” echoed across the galaxy, Ye Yuxi, still far from completing the full version’s data, turned over in her sleep. As if sensing the players’ frustration, she smiled contentedly in her dreams.
T/L: Hey readers! 😊 Did you enjoy the story? I had an amazing time with it and couldn’t stop laughing while translating! 😂 Hope you had as much fun as I did. Yuxi’s demo version got everyone so hyped for the full release, right? 🚀 📚 If you’d like me to keep going, feel free to drop a comment or support me on Ko-fi! ☕ Let’s see how Yuxi takes over the gaming world with horror games—and lots of laughs for us. 👾 I just love reading all the reactions from the gamers! 🎮 It’s always so exciting to see how everyone connects with Yuxi’s journey and the wild ride ahead! 😆