Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 40
Before the recording of the broadcast had even finished airing, several new topics quietly began trending on the interstellar network:
#Breaking: Rookie Game Designer Chats Casually with Academic Expert…
#Did the Game You Thought Was Plagiarized Really Copy Anything?!
#Deep Dive into Ancient Cultural Elements in Campus Nightmares
…
Meanwhile, Ye Yuxi, who had long since logged off, was multitasking. She watched the broadcast replay on one screen while posting a meticulously prepared set of evidence with her other hand:
[Miss Ye]:
First of all, every ancient cultural horror element featured in Campus Nightmares has a source. These weren’t concepts I came up with alone—I don’t have the capability to invent such a complete and vast system by myself.
Take the concept of ghosts, for example. It originates from humanity’s imagination about the afterlife back when they hadn’t yet left their home planet. This is documented in ancient digital archives like Southern Tomb Raiding Chronicles.
[Screenshot]
The designs involving bells, candles, and talismans are the same. Below, I’ve listed screenshots and references tracing these objects back to their origins in early-modern human culture.
[Screenshots]*
As for the so-called “design sketches” provided by that designer who accused me of plagiarism, it seems he didn’t even mention any of these cultural elements. In fact, he claimed that all these ideas came from his own creativity.
Does he really have that ability? To casually imagine and reproduce thousands of years of cultural heritage from human civilization?
“Well said!” Ji Yu clapped his hands excitedly in the dormitory of the Central Military Academy, feeling an immense sense of vindication.
Ji Yu, a self-proclaimed cowardly streamer, had been mercilessly tormented by Campus Nightmares.
Though Ye Gou1’s game had put him through the wringer, there’s a saying: the more pain, the greater the love. The game had brought him so much joy through its challenges that he’d unwittingly become one of Miss Ye’s diehard fans—albeit a grumbling one. He’d complain bitterly about her games but secretly anticipated her next release more than anyone else.
The recent online storm surrounding Miss Ye had left him anxious, worried that such a talented rookie might be crushed under the weight of cyberbullying. However, he couldn’t afford to openly antagonize Feixun, the major platform clearly targeting her. Left with no choice, he stewed in silence.
Now, seeing the narrative completely flip around made him ecstatic. Miss Ye’s sharp critique of the plagiarizing designer resonated deeply with him as a seasoned player.
“Exactly! That old hack? Don’t think I don’t know him! Always going on about copyright awareness, acting all high and mighty with his legal stuff, but he’s the biggest copycat! Whatever’s trending, he rips it off—and even has a whole team to hype up his rip-offs, making more noise than the originals!”
As a game streamer and passionate gamer, Ji Yu genuinely hoped for a flourishing game industry and strongly opposed toxic practices like these.
And to be honest, Miss Ye’s response was simply too cool! It made people instinctively want to trust and rally behind her.
Most netizens seemed to feel the same, and the public sentiment quickly began to shift in her favor. Only a handful of Feixun loyalists and the plagiarizing designer’s die-hard fans were still resisting in vain.
[Comment]:
“LOL, this is killing me! I’ve played that designer’s games before. They’re basically just Frankenstein mashups of whatever’s trending. No way he could’ve made something as deep in ancient culture as this!”
[Reply]:
“Don’t be so harsh! My idol has timestamps showing he started his game earlier. Maybe, just maybe, Miss Ye took his concept and made it better!”
Soon, Ye Yuxi dropped her second bombshell of evidence.
[Miss Ye]:
Secondly, don’t think stealing and deleting my records by bribing my roommate has cleared your charge. Two months ago, Professor Wang from our department developed a shared cloud recording software, and all her students use it.
In other words, the history you deleted? I have backups. It’s crystal clear who started developing their game first!
This revelation left certain guilty parties gasping for air.
No way. She has a backup? Then why did she wait until now to clarify?
But what followed delivered the killing blow, making it abundantly clear that Ye Yuxi had no intention of sparing anyone involved in this matter.
[Miss Ye]:
By the way, to guard against underhanded individuals, I connected my personal creative space to a real-time recording function. The footage only covers my own dorm area and doesn’t normally infringe on my roommates’ privacy.
But if a roommate deliberately enters my space and gets recorded, well, that’s on them.
Reading this, Bai Siqi—who had been silently grinding her teeth over the sudden shift in public opinion—turned deathly pale.
Damn it, damn it, damn it! How does a broke girl like Ye Yuxi have the money to set all this up? No wonder she was so confident! Everything’s been recorded? Damn it!
It was almost as if Ye Yuxi could see her enemies gnashing their teeth in frustration. She smiled coldly.
What, did they think I spent my money frivolously? Her finances were nearly wiped out every time she developed a game, not just because game development was expensive, but also because she poured funds into security measures.
It cost her a considerable amount every month, but moments like this proved it wasn’t paranoia—it was necessary protection.
Even with all these precautions, she still felt uneasy. She longed for stronger backing.
That’s why, half a month ago, while making the game, she compiled the ancient Earth materials she used and submitted them as a complete package to the Historical Research Center. Unfortunately, it didn’t gain much traction.
Thankfully, before she had to resort to personally pushing for their attention, Professor Yuan had discovered her work.
There’s a world of difference between pleading for help amid online chaos and being proactively recognized by a respected figure. For this, Ye Yuxi was deeply grateful to Professor Yuan.
Of course, Professor Yuan couldn’t support a designer confirmed to have plagiarized, so all her evidence had been reviewed by him first.
Seeing the extensive records she’d preserved, Professor Yuan clicked his tongue in admiration.
“The younger generation truly shines today. With your capabilities, even without my support, you wouldn’t lose a showdown against Feixun, would you?”
Ye Yuxi, unwilling to let her newly gained ally think she was invincible, quickly shook her head with modesty.
“Not at all. With Professor Yuan’s support, I feel reassured.”
Her response amused Professor Yuan, softening his demeanor toward her further.
Now that the evidence was irrefutable, Ye Yuxi felt confident there wouldn’t be any more surprises. For the first time in days, she allowed herself a breath of relief.
Exhaustion flooded her all at once.
So sleepy. I just want to collapse and sleep, thought Miss Ye, who had just left the interstellar netizens with the impression of being a swift and decisive powerhouse.
T/L Notes: Hi readers! In the previous chapters, I used “Dog Ye,” but now I think retaining the Chinese word “Ye Gou” fits better for the concept of a loyal fan. After all, when we see/hear “dog” before a name, we usually think of mocking, right? So, let’s just use “Ye Gou” from now on. In this story, Ji Yu’s first use of “Ye Gou” might be mocking (referencing the chapter 14) due to his unlucky gaming experience, which is funny to us 🤣. But as the story progresses, his use of “Ye Gou” shifts, and it comes to represent a loyal fan.