Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 7

Li He practically screamed his way out of the game.

His eyes were wide with terror, pupils unfocused. He hadn’t exited normally; instead, his abrupt ejection was triggered by the health monitoring system detecting excessive emotional fluctuations.

Even when a kind classmate unplugged the equipment for him and helped him off the chair, he remained unresponsive, trembling like a leaf.

The moment the classmate let go, Li He’s legs gave out, and he collapsed smoothly to the floor. Startled, others hurriedly propped him back up and seated him in a chair.

Ye Yuxi, however, showed no concern for his condition. She was confident he’d be fine—just a case of being overly frightened. He’d recover naturally after some time.

“So, how was it? My game—scary enough?” she asked, her tone bordering on provocative.

Liu Haitao, who had also been thoroughly spooked, was both furious and a bit guilty.

“Ye Yuxi, what’s wrong with you? We’re all classmates, and he’s scared out of his wits, but you’re still only concerned about your stupid game?”

Ye Yuxi was unapologetic, standing her ground.

“Classmates? A few days ago, you weren’t saying that. Weren’t you bragging about how brave you were? Saying my so-called lame game couldn’t possibly scare the two of you into submission…”

Her gaze briefly flicked to Li He, who was still out of it, the unspoken mockery making her point even clearer.

“And didn’t you say that if my game was too weak to scare you, I should drop out? Surely you haven’t forgotten that little bet? Don’t worry—I recorded it.”

She tapped on her terminal and brought up a holographic screen, playing back a recording.

As Liu Haitao listened to his own arrogant and obnoxious voice, his expression grew increasingly awkward. The other students exchanged knowing looks, their gazes tinged with subtle judgment.

Oh, so they brought this on themselves. Can’t really blame her now, can we?

Ye Yuxi, ever one to strike while the iron was hot, pressed further.

“So, are you planning to honor the bet now? A public apology, wasn’t it? As for pinning the apology post on the forum, you don’t have to rush. Take your time once you get back.”

At this, Liu Haitao’s face turned pale.

Was she kidding?! He’d never even considered the possibility of losing! A public apology? His pride would never allow it!

But with everyone watching, he could only grit his teeth and try to buy time.

“Li He’s in bad shape. Let me take him back to the dorm to rest first. We’ll apologize privately later, okay?”

Of course, he had no intention of apologizing later either. His plan was simple: let the incident blow over in a few days. Surely Ye Yuxi wouldn’t keep pestering him about it.

“That’s fine,” Ye Yuxi replied with a smile. “Or you could kneel and bow to me now as an apology. I’m not unreasonable; sincerity is what matters most.”

Wait, what?

Liu Haitao’s head snapped up, his face a mix of disbelief and shock. Had he misheard?

Ye Yuxi’s smile deepened, her tone dripping with faux kindness as she delivered the ultimatum:

“Kneel or apologize—your choice. Either works for me. Just pick the one you like better.”

This wasn’t a choice at all!

Liu Haitao’s face turned green with frustration.

In the end, he had no choice but to slap Li He awake and drag him along for a humiliating apology. The two slunk away with their heads hung low, tails between their legs.

Supporting the still-shaken Li He, Liu Haitao fled the scene as quickly as possible, burning with resentment.

Even my old man’s never forced me to back down like this. And now I’ve been humiliated by Ye Yuxi of all people? Just wait until I get back—I’ll make even more burner accounts to smear her online!

The other students, realizing the show was over, dispersed. Naturally, the conversation drifted toward the thrilling, terrifying game they’d just witnessed.

However, one short-haired girl with glasses stayed behind and approached Ye Yuxi.

“The information you asked me to dig up—should I post it on the forum now?”

Ye Yuxi smiled.

“No, wait until tonight during peak login hours.”

She suspected Liu Haitao and Li He wouldn’t let things go so easily. They’d probably be back that evening, using burner accounts to smear her. The thought of them accidentally outing themselves while doing so was just too satisfying to pass up.

The short-haired girl chuckled, clearly on the same wavelength.

This was Liu Yuling, a senior in the Cyber Information Department whom Ye Yuxi had enlisted for help.

Liu Yuling had already traced the burner accounts that had been spreading rumors about Ye Yuxi. Unsurprisingly, the culprits were none other than Liu Haitao and Li He.

But Ye Yuxi didn’t ask her to immediately post anonymously on the forum. She waited until now to clear her name in one fell swoop. Not only did she prove the quality of her game, but she also exposed those two as dishonorable scoundrels who broke their promise. Only then did she plan to reveal the entire incident at once.

“Thanks a lot for your help this time, senior. Once things settle down in the next few days, I’ll treat you to a meal,” Ye Yuxi said.

“Sure, I’ll be waiting for that feast,” Liu Yuling nodded.

The two had met through a campus club and had a decent rapport. With the matter settled, Liu Yuling didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she looked at Ye Yuxi with curiosity.

“You’ve been secluded, working on your project all this time. Judging by today’s results, it looks like your research paid off. That game just now seemed pretty interesting. Can I try it too?”

Ye Yuxi smiled and agreed.

“Of course! But first, I need to submit my assignment to Professor Wang. Once I fix a few bugs, I’ll recreate the game data for you.”

True to the game’s title—Prologue Demo Version—she had only completed the opening chapter. Her ultimate plan was to create a massive, long-play game.

This current demo served as a free trial version, something she didn’t mind distributing freely. Who knows? Maybe it would turn Liu Yuling into a fan and help spread the word.

As Ye Yuxi schemed her way forward, Liu Yuling, unaware of her junior’s grand aspirations for commercialization, simply regarded it as a thoughtful gift and left, satisfied.

That evening, Liu Yuling followed Ye Yuxi’s instructions and anonymously posted a thread detailing everything—from the rumors to the bet and the two troublemakers’ attempts to tarnish Ye Yuxi’s reputation. Then, she logged into the virtual space to unwind with a team-based combat game she’d been obsessed with lately.

However, she quit after just ten minutes, utterly uninterested.

Liu Yuling often live-streamed her gameplay. It wasn’t a source of income—just a hobby—but over the years, she’d amassed millions of followers, making her a minor influencer.

Seeing her end the stream so early, her fans lamented, begging her to play a little longer.

But Liu Yuling had no mood for it.

At the end of the day, no matter how popular these games were, their mechanics and gameplay were mostly the same. A tiny bit of innovation was enough to garner exaggerated praise.

Normally, this would be more than enough to satisfy a casual gamer like her.

But today, she had just witnessed a game brimming with creativity and originality. Every frame of Campus Nightmare flashed through her mind, completely ruining her ability to enjoy anything else.

“When will my junior send me her game…”

Looking at the flood of insults directed at Liu Haitao and Li He in the thread comments, Liu Yuling couldn’t help but feel a bit envious—they got to play such a fascinating game before getting roasted.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, someone had already played the game she was eagerly anticipating.

Wang Yuqing, a professor at Nanhai

University specializing in horror game design, was reviewing assignments. In the interstellar era, where the average lifespan was 150 years, her seventy-something years made her relatively youthful. Staying up late to grade assignments was a common practice for her.

Tonight was the deadline for midterm assignments. Wang Yuqing was familiar with the names of students who habitually procrastinated. However, one unexpected name caught her eye.

“Yuxi? What’s going on with this girl? Didn’t she tell me last week her assignment was already done? Did she make some major changes after that?”

Seeing her prized student submit at the last minute, Wang Yuqing chuckled wryly and decided to review Ye Yuxi’s “masterpiece” first.

Half an hour later.

Wang Yuqing shot up from her rocking chair, hurriedly removing her sensory equipment.

She stared at the screen, frozen on an image of a ghostly figure, and fell into deep thought.

Though Yuxi had always been innovative, this… was a leap too far!

Just then, a notification popped up on her display. Her late-night snack delivery had arrived at the campus gate. Because Nanhai University prohibited non-partner vendors from entering, she needed to pick it up herself.

Ordinarily, Wang Yuqing didn’t mind stretching her legs for some good food. But now…

She glanced at the night outside her window and remembered the scenic bridge she’d have to cross from the faculty dorms to the gate.

Uh…

Without hesitation, Wang Yuqing left a note for the delivery AI: “Please transfer to campus delivery and bring it directly to my door. Thanks!”

She definitely wasn’t spooked by the fictional May Bridge from the game! She was just feeling lazy—that’s all!