Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 20

At Nanhai University, Ye Yuxi was a member of a club called the Activities Society. The name might have been bland, but the club’s events were anything but.

Most members of this club were avid fans of horror survival games. Their typical activities ranged from teaming up for zombie crisis scenarios to jungle exploration, and sometimes even venturing into ruins for real-life adventures.

The one thing every member shared was a fearless, thrill-seeking spirit.

After regaining her memories, Ye Yuxi occasionally mused: if the universe didn’t follow a sci-fi script but instead leaned into a supernatural horror setting, their activities would probably transform into haunted house adventures or paranormal live streams—until they inevitably got themselves killed.

What she didn’t expect was how quickly her sarcastic thoughts would start coming true.

“That’s right! Everyone must’ve seen the super-popular Campus Nightmare lately, right? The whole idea of a courage test event from the game is just brilliant!”

The club president, a sophomore with gleaming, wolfish eyes, looked as if she had stumbled upon the opportunity of a lifetime.

…And the inspiration turned out to be from her own game.

Ye Yuxi covered her face in despair. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the club was riddled with red flags—like a group destined to fall apart in spectacular fashion.

“…Are you sure this is a good idea?” After some thought, Ye Yuxi decided to gently caution them.

She enjoyed watching horror movie characters make dumb decisions, but she had no interest in becoming one of them.

“After all, the NPCs in that game went through terrifying experiences because of the courage test… shouldn’t we tread a little more carefully?”

“That’s exactly why it’s exciting!” Liu Yuling, the former president and now intern, rubbed her hands together with glee. Her eyes sparkled behind her glasses, conveniently forgetting how she’d nearly fainted while playing the game herself.

That’s human nature—terrifying in the moment, but the lingering thrill afterward makes it all the more enticing.

“Yuxi, what are you worried about? It’s not like the monsters in that game—uh, they’re called vengeful spirits, right?—are real. It’s just a setting that you… I mean, Miss Ye, made up. Nothing will actually happen.”

Liu Yuling patted Ye Yuxi on the shoulder, as if to reassure her. She’d noticed that her younger peer didn’t want to draw attention to her role as the game’s creator and had been discreetly helping her keep the secret.

As for the courage test, Liu Yuling had her own little agenda.

—If they held a real courage test and nothing happened, maybe she wouldn’t feel so scared playing Campus Nightmare anymore.

“She’s right, Senior Ye! Senior Liu specifically came back from her internship just for this. We should honor her wishes and make it happen!”

A sophomore boy chimed in, further persuading Ye Yuxi.

Outnumbered and outargued, Ye Yuxi could only sigh and throw up her hands in resignation.

“Fine. Best of luck with it.”

The university rarely imposed strict limitations on student activities. They understood that students were at their most energetic and restless during this phase of life and needed ways to burn off their excess energy.

In fact, the administration preferred for students to channel their energy into club activities rather than wreak havoc on campus.

After all, wasn’t the military academy next door forced to renovate their buildings annually and replace countless broken facilities? It was a testament to the chaos that could ensue if students didn’t have healthy outlets for their energy.

Compared to a school-sanctioned courage test event, which was essentially less risky than a spring outing, the only required materials were harmless replicas of antiques like red ropes, bells, and candles. The school administration would have to be foolish to reject it.

So, once they got the school’s approval, the underclassmen, joined by the overly enthusiastic senior Liu Yuling, erupted in cheers and began planning the event based on the Campus Nightmare game’s courage test at May Bridge.

“First, we need to collect some death-related urban legends from Nanhai University. For example, about Blue Lake—or better yet, that bridge that spans nearly half the campus. Has there been any accident there? Ideally, something that happened in late September,” the sophomore president said with an ominous grin.

Ye Yuxi perked up at the mention of specific timing.

“Why look for accidents that occurred in late September or early October?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Sophomore Shu Wan put her hands on her hips, as if the answer were obvious.

“My guess is that Miss Ye, the game’s designer, will release the formal version of Campus Nightmare around that time. We can coordinate our event to coincide with the game’s launch, riding the wave of its hype to attract more students—especially the freshmen.”

“By then, they’ll already be enrolled, right? Imagine how excited they’d be to join such a fun event right after starting university!”

…Would they still have the courage to participate after playing the full version of Campus Nightmare?

Ye Yuxi fell into deep thought.

But after glancing at Liu Yuling’s eager expression, she decided she was overthinking it. Scaredy-cats like Liver Bro, the streamer, were probably exceptions. Most interstellar players likely had nerves of steel, like Liu Yuling—utterly fearless.

Thus, between repeatedly refining the courage test’s process with the Activities Society and tirelessly grinding away at her game development, Ye Yuxi quickly worked herself into a state resembling a panda with dark circles under her eyes.

But finally, near the end of September, she finished the full version of the game!

During this time, she had practically shut out the outside world. By the time she removed her virtual space equipment, she was almost a ghost herself from exhaustion.

When Liu Yuling joined her for a rare meal on campus, she was shocked to see her condition.

“What happened to you? You look like you’ve been pulling all-nighters for weeks.”

“I have been pulling all-nighters for half a month…” Ye Yuxi muttered between bites, stuffing herself with food as if it were ambrosia. She nearly teared up in relief—no more nutrient packs!

“By the way, why’s the campus so empty?” She glanced around the cafeteria, which was eerily quiet, almost like she had reserved it.

Liu Yuling paused mid-bite of her fried egg.

“Did you forget? Last week, Starfall 2 officially launched. Tons of players are still glued to their screens, grinding daily quests. It’s a massive online open-world game—everyone’s racing to level up.”

She hesitated before continuing, looking a little concerned.

“Speaking of which, maybe you should consider delaying the full release of Campus Nightmare. Right now, players are completely immersed in Starfall 2. Most game launches are avoiding late September and early October for that reason.”

“Why should I avoid it?” Ye Yuxi stabbed a piece of grilled meat aggressively, shoved it in her mouth, and chewed with a satisfied expression.

“I think now is the perfect time to release!”