Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 58
Since the only light source they had was Wang Yuze’s flashlight, the four of them ended up forming an odd formation—
Wang Yuze was in the center, Liu Yuling led the way in the beam of light, while Ye Yuxi and Ji Yu stuck to his sides.
—And let’s talk about Ji Yu for a second. He was practically glued to Wang Yuze, almost like he wanted to merge into a single entity with him.
This was making it hard to move, and Wang Yuze, having had enough, finally snapped at him. Only then did Ji Yu reluctantly back off a little.
Logically speaking, they hadn’t heard any ghostly noises since coming upstairs. The UV flashlight had scanned the area behind them, showing no signs of anything lurking, and the temperature had returned to normal. Ji Yu shouldn’t have been this scared.
But the problem was…
“G-Guys… don’t you think something feels off about the second floor?”
Ji Yu kept his head down, staring at the floor, too scared to lift his gaze toward the eerie hallway bathed in an unsettling red glow. His voice was full of helplessness.
Wang Yuze had no choice but to keep his eyes forward, lighting the way ahead. He was already on edge from the atmosphere, and Ji Yu’s trembling voice echoing in the empty corridor only made it worse.
While diligently holding the flashlight for the team, he grumbled,
“Stop talking, anyone with a brain can tell something’s wrong here.”
Since stepping onto the second floor, Liu Yuling had seemed much calmer, as if she wasn’t as afraid anymore.
She nervously licked her lips, her mind filled with the image of the baby girl locked inside the display case.
“This proves we’re in the right place. This must be where the ghost doll’s—”
As soon as Liu Yuling spoke, it was like she triggered something.
There were no windows, yet a cold wind swept through, making everyone’s exposed skin prickle with chills.
Ji Yu almost dropped to his knees.
“Sis, I’m begging you, please stop talking!”
Ye Yuxi glanced at Liu Yuling, her expression barely changing, but she subtly furrowed her brows.
As the one who designed the entire game system, she was the first to realize something crucial—Liu Yuling’s sanity points had dropped. And it was dangerously close to the critical threshold of 15.
In her system, when a player’s sanity points falls between 15 and 25, they start showing clear signs of mental instability. The effects vary from person to person—
Some become extremely timid, jumping at every little sound, commonly known as “scared out of their wits,” like Ji Yu.
Others, however, enter a dazed state, becoming numb to their surroundings and seeming braver than usual.
The latter might sound better, but in a horror game, it’s far from a good thing.
However, the players’ health and sanity points were only visible in the safe zone back at the car. Even Ye Yuxi had no way of knowing exactly how low Liu Yuling’s sanity points had dropped. All she could do was keep a close eye on her and be ready to step in if needed.
This hallway was different from the others. Every door was slightly ajar, as if inviting them in.
The more ominous it seemed, the more cautious they became, worried about walking straight into a death trap.
So, they stood at each doorway, briefly shining the flashlight inside, letting Liu Yuling check. If she didn’t see the cabinet she was looking for, they moved on immediately.
As they neared the end of the hallway, Liu Yuling suddenly stopped. She stared straight at a display case behind one of the doors. Her voice was filled with barely contained excitement.
“…This is it!”
Ye Yuxi’s instincts flared with a bad feeling.
“Wait a second!”
But Liu Yuling, her mind already overheated and foggy, wasn’t listening. She walked straight toward the display case, fully embodying the motto: no fear, just charge.
She stood in front of the cabinet and, without a moment’s hesitation, swung the door open—
Inside, sure enough, lay a baby girl who looked no older than two. She was sniffling pitifully, her little face flushed red.
Liu Yuling instinctively reached out and touched her cheek.
So hot! Was she running a fever? It made sense—according to the game’s setting, she had been trapped in here for at least two days.
There was no time to think. Liu Yuling immediately picked the baby up, ready to turn back and tell her teammates that they were finally done—
But before she could say a word, the temperature around her plummeted.
At the same time, the warning charm she had in her pocket started to heat up. For a brief moment, she felt both burning heat and bone-chilling cold at once!
The ghost was here!
The realization hit her like a lightning bolt, snapping her out of whatever reckless state she had just been in.
She had just stormed into the doll’s lair and snatched away what it had been hiding. This was basically flipping off an enemy powerful enough to drag her straight out of the game and into reality!
How could she have been so careless?!
There was no time for regret. Liu Yuling reacted instinctively, clutching the baby tightly as she bolted for the door, yelling at the teammates blocking her way—
“Move! Run, now!”
Everything was happening too fast, leaving Ji Yu and Wang Yuze completely stunned.
It wasn’t until Liu Yuling came barreling toward them like a human cannonball, baby in tow, that they finally snapped out of it. Then, in a flash, they turned and sprinted toward the staircase—
Wait.
What was that shadow standing at the top of the stairs? Was the ghost blocking their escape route?!
No.
It was Ye Yuxi. She had sensed trouble earlier and had already taken off ahead of them!
Ji Yu was dumbfounded.
Wait, what?! She ran off without a word? Without telling him to run too?! Where was the camaraderie?! Did teammates mean nothing to her?!
Meanwhile, Ye Yuxi was speeding ahead like she had rockets strapped to her feet.
She had a pretty good idea of what Ji Yu was thinking, but honestly, she loved designing ghosts—she did not love being scared by them. Right now, the only thing that mattered was speed.
As the saying goes, you don’t have to outrun the ghost—you just have to outrun your teammates.
And, as it turned out, everyone thought the same way—
Wang Yuze was right on her heels.
At a time like this, who cared about the flashlight? Worst case scenario, he’d just light the way while running ahead, but stopping for the others? Absolutely not!
Ji Yu wanted to keep up, he really did—
But to his horror, he found that the more panicked he was, the heavier his legs felt.
The moment he took his first step, he nearly tripped over himself!
Even Liu Yuling, who was carrying a baby, had already overtaken him!
The distance between him and the others grew farther and farther. Despair crept into his heart.
The hallway stretched endlessly before him, like it had come alive, extending further and further no matter how hard he tried to reach the staircase.
And behind him—
The sound of dolls giggling, closer and closer, so close it felt like icy breath was whispering against the back of his neck…
“AAAHH!”
Ji Yu slammed into something and came to an abrupt stop.
Then, someone pinched his arm—hard.
The sudden pain jolted him back to reality, his vision spinning. When he finally regained focus, he vaguely saw Ye Yuxi standing beside him, hand still raised like she was about to hit him again—
“What the hell?!”
Ji Yu clutched his arm, devastated.
Running off and abandoning her teammates was bad enough, but now she was beating him too?!