Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 50
One minute later, the revitalized “Streamer Invincible Squad” was ready to embark on their next adventure.
Ji Yu had already moved on from his earlier ordeal, largely because he now held the squad’s one and only ghost-repelling talisman in his hands.
Since he had “contributed” his corpse photo and made the biggest sacrifice in the last mission, temporary leader Liu Yuling decided to let him have the talisman, and the entire team agreed.
Suddenly, Ji Yu felt like the storm had passed and the sun was shining again. His confidence returned in full force, and he completely forgot about being the first to die in the previous round.
First death? So what? Ji Yu thought. Every pro gamer must have faced such minor setbacks before achieving greatness! Their future was undoubtedly bright!
With the ghost-repelling talisman in hand, it wasn’t about him fearing ghosts anymore—now it was the ghosts’ turn to fear him!
Awakened! Hunting mode activated!
Ye Yuxi glanced at the inexplicably fired-up Ji Yu and couldn’t help but feel he was harboring some serious misconceptions about his own capabilities.
This time, it was Wang Yuze’s turn to select the mission.
To be honest, Liu Yuling was a bit worried.
She could tell this guy had a penchant for seeking thrills. Sure, as streamers, they wanted to give the audience exciting content to attract more viewers and game purchases. But she feared Wang Yuze might overestimate their abilities, pick the hardest mission, and end up with Cod Liver (Ji Yu) meeting an untimely demise again—turning the livestream into a disaster instead of entertainment.
But she was overthinking it.
While Wang Yuze did love thrills, the bloody scene earlier had unnerved him a little, so he decided to play it safe for now.
With that in mind, he confidently chose a house with a design vastly different from the eerie wooden cabin they had encountered before.
If the ghost in the wooden house was that terrifying, picking a completely different style should lower the difficulty, right?
Ye Yuxi watched his decision and couldn’t help wanting to facepalm.
His logic wasn’t entirely flawed. Statistically, they might very well stumble upon a relatively low-difficulty, American-style horror mission.
But… this team didn’t seem to have the best luck.
The house Wang Yuze selected wasn’t made of wood this time—its red bricks and green tiles gave it a distinctly different aesthetic. However…
Anyone familiar with traditional architecture in China would instantly recognize it: this was clearly a Chinese-style historical building. What awaited them inside wasn’t typical Western scares but the bone-chilling dread of Chinese horror, far more terrifying than something like Campus Nightmare!
(T/L notes: Something like this…)
Ye Yuxi felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.
The task selection wasn’t even random, yet they managed to hit the jackpot of terror every time. It was almost as if their squad was cursed with some kind of fateful bad luck.
She gave Ji Yu a look filled with pity and sympathy. Among the four of them, he was clearly the most timid. Hopefully, he’d be able to hold it together later.
Ji Yu shivered involuntarily under Ye Yuxi’s gaze.
Why did it feel like her eyes were brimming with… maternal affection? What the heck is that about?
For this mission, they carried a similar setup to the previous one, swapping out the warning charm for the ghost-repelling talisman. With that, they cautiously stepped out of the vehicle.
Once again, the RV car was parked on the roadside, requiring them to walk step by step into the courtyard.
“This house feels… more elegant this time,” Liu Yuling remarked.
She wasn’t an expert in art, but the courtyard exuded an indescribable grace and sophistication. Every flower bloomed perfectly, and the towering banyan tree in the yard lent the space an ancient, serene atmosphere.
By all accounts, the architecture should have been pleasing to the eye. And yet…
Her gaze inadvertently landed on two paper effigies standing at the entrance. Liu Yuling shuddered violently, quickly looking away—only to spot the two red lanterns hanging by the gate.
“…”
The contrast was jarring. Seeing such festive colors and lifeless paper figures in an otherwise empty space gave her an unshakable sense of unease.
The more she thought about it, the more her skin crawled, and a sudden chill ran down her spine.
Because just a moment ago, she thought she saw a woman’s face suddenly appear on the red lantern she had been staring at, but when she focused on it again, it vanished without a trace.
She immediately shared the eerie occurrence with her teammates, taking the opportunity to drum up some suspense for the livestream.
Ji Yu was utterly terrified—his legs were trembling before they had even entered the house.
“You’re joking, right?” he asked nervously.
Liu Yuling, knowing how timid he was, decided not to say anything further and took on the task of entering the house first.
In the last round, Ji Yu had met such a tragic end that the team collectively agreed to avoid making him take the lead this time.
As expected, Ye Yuxi entered second, Wang Yuze covered the rear, and Ji Yu finally got his wish—sandwiched safely in the middle like a human Oreo.
The interior decor of the house was entirely different from the Japanese-style house they encountered before. From the beams to the intricately carved furniture, the space was steeped in an antique Chinese aesthetic. Yet, in the darkness, the room carried a distinctively sinister vibe.
This time, Ji Yu had learned his lesson. At every turn, he made sure the group paused until the lights were switched on, cautiously confining their exploration to well-lit areas.
What should have been a haunted house now looked like a brightly illuminated mansion, completely at odds with the tone of a horror game.
Naturally, some viewers in the livestream chat were not pleased.
[What is this, a light-switch simulator? Really?]
[Boring, boring, boring. When will the ghosts show up?]
However, even though the audience complained about the lack of thrills, the viewer count remained steady, so Ji Yu didn’t care.
What’s wrong with liking the lights on? If these whiners are so brave, why don’t they switch places with me and play instead?
Whether it was the “light-switch simulator” strategy or sheer luck, they hadn’t encountered any ghosts for now.
Just as Ji Yu allowed himself to feel a shred of relief, he caught a glimpse of a fleeting shadow from the corner of his eye.
He let out a sharp, short scream and spun around.
Bathed in light, there was nothing there.
He was about to exhale in relief when Wang Yuze’s voice broke the silence, uncertain and alarmed:
“That paper effigy… isn’t it the one we saw at the entrance?”
Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered around to look at the paper effigy in the center of the main hall.
The hall had a fireplace, a round table, and some chairs arranged neatly around it.
The paper effigy stood beside the table, a little farther from the fireplace, its face still frozen in a stiff, celebratory smile. It looked as if it belonged there, almost like the master of the house.
Liu Yuling squinted at it, her head spinning.
“I don’t know… they all look the same to me. Was there even a paper effigy here before?”
No one had an answer. They had only just entered the main hall and hadn’t had time to observe this area. There was no way to confirm whether the effigy had always been there or…
Ye Yuxi made a suggestion.
“How about we go back outside to see if one of the effigies is missing?”
Before her words even settled, everyone shivered in unison.
“…On second thought, let’s not.”
In any case, apart from the paper effigy, nothing else seemed unusual on the first floor. Their attention naturally shifted to the staircase leading upstairs.
Ye Yuxi sighed. “Fine, I’ll go first this time.”
Damn it. She’d just wanted to slack off, but they couldn’t all just stand there doing nothing.
The second floor consisted of a somewhat narrow corridor. The room closest to the stairs had its door slightly ajar, while the other rooms were tightly locked.
Liu Yuling tried every door, only to find them all firmly shut. Left with no other choice, they returned to the most obvious trap—the half-open door.
It was clear they had no other option but to enter.
Taking out her camera and switching it to video mode, Liu Yuling then used a thermometer to check the room’s temperature.
For now, it seemed normal.
After meticulously preparing, she took a deep breath and carefully pushed open the door, which might as well have been a direct gateway to the netherworld—