Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 23

DouDou, an established platform with a long history, still retained a loyal fanbase despite its decline in recent years. Many followers had moved to other platforms, disappointed by its stagnation, but seeing DouDou finally make a bold move sparked curiosity about Campus Nightmare.

If Earth university students are notorious night owls, then the interstellar populace takes it up a notch. Suffering from frequent bouts of mental energy fluctuations, most can’t fall asleep without some form of pre-bedtime activity. Midnight is prime time for their routines.

In addition to those intrigued by DouDou’s marketing push, there were potential players who were drawn to Campus Nightmare but hesitant to spend money on a new game. These cautious viewers flocked to the livestream, eager to see what DouDou had in store.

This strategy was the result of DouDou’s collaboration with Ye Yuxi: a carefully planned promotional event featuring four simultaneous screens. Two selected “lucky players” would join two seasoned game streamers for a shared live broadcast. Viewers could watch all four screens or focus on one of their choice.

Ji Yu, better known as Liver Bro, was selected purely for his high viewer traffic and selling power. Liu Yuling, meanwhile, got her spot thanks to her connections and status as the first tester to clear the demo.

As for the two lucky players, their purpose was to contrast with the professional streamers, potentially sparking intriguing dynamics.

DouDou’s strategy was well-calculated. By comparing the ordinary players with the seasoned streamers, the differences were bound to be entertaining. Whether it was the pros dazzling with their skillful moves or the amateurs unexpectedly outperforming them, either scenario would generate buzz.

The stakes were high: the game’s release coincided with Starfall 2, a blockbuster title, making it a risky launch window. But DouDou’s management, led by Lin, had decided to bet big rather than avoid competition.

For now, most viewers remaining on DouDou’s platform, whether loyal users or newcomers drawn in by Campus Nightmare, clicked into the livestream.

What greeted them was a split-screen display featuring four feeds.

[Holy crap! Hold up! Isn’t that Fish General in the top-left? DouDou really pulled out the big guns! How did they get him?]

[Who’s the cool girl in the top-right? She’s giving off such badass vibes! She’s so dreamy! (shy.jpg)]

[No way! The two players on the bottom are the lucky ones? They saved 59 star coins just like that? Unreal luck!]

Indeed, the launch price for Campus Nightmare was set at 59 star coins—a figure Ye Yuxi had confidently chosen.

As a rookie game designer, she knew better than to overprice her game and scare off potential buyers. At the same time, setting the price too low could devalue it. After careful market analysis, she decided on a price point that was slightly below average.

For most players, 59 star coins wasn’t a big deal. As long as the price stayed under 100, a game that piqued their interest was a no-brainer. But savings, no matter how small, were still enticing. The lucky winners were the envy of viewers, saving the equivalent of a couple of meals.

Under the collective anticipation, excitement, and envy of the audience, the two streamers and two fortunate winners opened their eyes to the haunting world of Campus Nightmare, set in the eerie May University at night.

None of the four players wasted time on theatrics; they began efficiently collecting clues as soon as the game started, following the prompts.

Liu Yuling and Ji Yu were quick because they’d already played the demo. Meanwhile, Lu Xiaofeng and Huang Heng were swift due to their lack of awareness about the “entertainment expectations” typically placed on streamers.

However, as they made their way toward May Bridge, Huang Heng paused at the administrative building nearby. She couldn’t resist running her hand along the cold, solid walls.

Huang Heng’s field of study was in the Department of Archaeology and History, with a specialization in ancient folklore. As traditional architecture is a key element of folklore, she had some background knowledge.

Comparing the walls to her existing data, she was shocked to find that the materials were not the standard ones used in the interstellar era. Instead, they resembled the antique-grade construction materials of ancient architecture—steel and concrete.

Even the flashlight she held in her hand for illumination didn’t feel like the multifunctional tools of the interstellar age. Its single-purpose design suggested it might belong to a past civilization rather than being something the game designer had fabricated to challenge players.

Just as the designer claimed in the promotional trailer, the game’s setting really did seem to take place a thousand years ago!

Although the main livestream screen was divided into four quadrants, the chat streams were not interconnected.

Most viewers had flocked to the streamers’ channels, leaving only a sparse audience for the amateur players. The few comments in Huang Heng’s chat were a mix of confusion and mockery:

[What is this girl doing? Everyone else is already heading to May Bridge to trigger the main storyline, and she’s still touching walls? Is she a wall-lover or something?]

[Why else? Probably clueless about how to play. Even with the mainline hint, she doesn’t know what to do.]

[Don’t underestimate her! Maybe she’s found something interesting.]

Huang Heng had found something. Her initial dismissal of the designer, Miss Ye, had now turned into serious respect for the game’s craftsmanship.

Even the smallest details, like the texture of a random building’s walls, were meticulously accurate. Could it be that the designer truly possessed expert knowledge?

Huang Heng’s emotions were a whirlwind as she reluctantly let her fingers trace over the intricate wall patterns one last time. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: 

With this level of expertise, why waste it on horror game design? She could be making groundbreaking research contributions instead!

While Huang Heng lingered, the other players were already encountering NPCs.

Liu Yuling’s sharp wit led her to trick an NPC named Qiu Zu into playing the spirit summoning ritual game on her behalf, taking over one of the four corners herself to avoid the inevitable chase scene.

Ye Yuxi’s response to this clever workaround? A simple but decisive: Keep dreaming. After all, the entire game was designed to scare the players!

Ji Yu, on the other hand, tried to stall the NPC with small talk, hoping to delay his inevitable confrontation with the ghost.

Lu Xiaofeng, predictably, had the fastest progress. His approach was straightforward: 

Ghosts? Dolls? Whatever it is, I’ll just punch it.

Given the game’s 1:1 recreation of players’ physical stats, he was confident he could handle any enemy, no matter the difficulty level, with brute force.

What the naive players didn’t yet know was this: in a supernatural horror game, trying to solve problems with physical strength is destined to fail…