Giving Interstellar Players a Horror Ghost Game Shock - Chapter 90
Thump. Thump. Thump!
“What’s that noise?” Liu Mang finally snapped out of his daze and lifted his head, glancing around warily.
But he didn’t see anything.
The road ahead was desolate to the point of being eerie. There was barely anything to look at. No signs of life, not even weeds. Just two rows of old locust trees on either side, not particularly tall, and every few trees, a flickering streetlamp that looked like it could burn out at any second.
Other than the shadows on the ground—there was nothing.
Still, as the wind swept past again, that dull thudding sound kept going, relentless.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“What the hell is making all that noise? So damn annoying!” Liu Mang barked, his voice loud and rough.
He had never been the patient type, and now that his moment of fear had passed, his usual temper was already creeping back in.
He’d figured it out—whatever that thing was, it had only dared to come at him using some cheap hallucination trick. What did that mean? It meant—
It was afraid of him.
That’s right. It didn’t dare face him head-on. So fine, if it wouldn’t back down, then he’d fight it head-on. Let the ghosts come—they’d learn who they were messing with.
Forget puzzles. Forget strategies. If anything showed up, he’d beat it down. He’d clear this game with brute force.
After all, Liu Mang was no ordinary student—he was one of the top cadets at the military academy, and if nothing else, he was very, very good at psyching himself up.
And just as he was regaining his momentum, the silent young man in the baseball cap walking in front of him suddenly turned around.
“What noise are you talking about?”
Liu Mang had never had much patience for NPCs. To him, they were all glorified mannequins—sometimes designed so lazily they bordered on malfunctioning AIs.
So he waved the guy off irritably, voice sharp:
“There’s this constant thump-thump-thump sound, like something’s hitting into the tree trunks. Are you deaf, or what?”
But the baseball cap guy didn’t seem to mind the insult. He just gave a soft, strange reply:
“Is that so? That reminds me of a local legend.”
He began, voice calm, almost idle:
“Before Wenhe University was even built, this locust grove was already here. But about eighty years ago, the villagers who used to live around here all hanged themselves. They bled from every orifice… and what resulted became known as the ‘Bl00d Locust Hanging Corpses.’ A terrifying spectacle.”
“It’s said that the bl00d dripping from their corpses seeped into the soil. Even now, after all these years, you can still smell the iron tang of bl00d in the earth.”
“Locust trees are supposed to grow tall and wide. But look—these trees are all stunted and twisted. You know why that is?”
Suddenly, the man’s tone dropped, turning cold and raspy—like something scraping its way up from underground. His voice no longer sounded human.
“It’s because the bl00d-soaked corpses dragged their branches low. And even now, their spirits are still hanging from them!”
The last word barely left his mouth before he lunged forward—his face suddenly inches from Liu Mang’s!
“You—!” Liu Mang’s eyes widened in shock. He instinctively leaned backward in a sharp tactical recoil, almost falling flat on his backside.
The baseball cap guy burst out laughing, clearly thrilled at Liu Mang’s panicked reaction.
“You’re way too jumpy! It’s just a story, man. How could something like that possibly be true?”
“…”
If this godforsaken game allowed combat with NPCs, Liu Mang would’ve hit him right then and there.
He opened his mouth, ready to curse him out— But just then, something flickered in his mind.
That’s strange… what was this guy’s name again?
Liu Mang frowned. Everyone else had introduced themselves—but not this guy. He’d been quiet the whole time, barely saying a word.
So why had he suddenly started chatting with him out of nowhere?
A chill ran down Liu Mang’s spine for no reason, and his muscles tensed on instinct.
That instinct—honed from years of intense training—was screaming at him now.
Something’s wrong. Seriously wrong.
His first thought was to throw a punch. Just swing and end it.
But he hesitated for a beat… then gave up the idea.
Instead, he stepped around the guy in the baseball cap, trying to catch up with Liu Tian and put some distance between them.
But what he saw ahead made his heart sink.
Liu Tian—who had been walking just ahead of them a moment ago—was gone.
Completely gone.
This was a straight, empty road. There were only locust trees on both sides and flickering streetlamps. Nothing else.
From where he stood, he should’ve had a clear view all the way forward.
But now?
The road ahead was utterly deserted—not even a shadow in sight.
Where the hell did Liu Tian go?
How far could he have gotten in just a few seconds?
An uneasy fear crept into Liu Mang’s chest. Everything around him had crossed the threshold of what he could comprehend.
A cold wind swept through the trees, and he shivered violently.
As he looked around at the deserted street, a new, terrible feeling welled up inside him.
It was like thousands of ants were gnawing at his heart—then flowing through his veins to every inch of his body, eating away his strength. His hands and legs went weak, and his will to resist began to wither…
Was this what fear felt like?
He looked down at his shadow. The fear swelling inside him was getting stronger, spreading fast, nearly devouring him whole.
And then—
A hand landed on his shoulder.
The baseball cap guy’s voice sounded again, low and steady:
“Liu Tian’s gone. Let’s go check by the locust trees…”
“You—!”
The fear inside Liu Mang exploded, morphing instantly into rage. He spun around, about to curse him out— But the words stuck in his throat.
His eyes widened. His pupils dilated. His jaw hung open.
Because the second he looked up—
He saw it.
The branches of the locust trees on both sides—bare just moments ago—were now covered in corpses.
They dangled from the branches like grotesque fruit, each one twisted and bloodied in death, swaying slightly in the breeze.
“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
A bone-chilling scream ripped from Liu Mang’s throat. He couldn’t stop it.
He’d seen corpses in games before—but not like this. Not when they came out of nowhere, not when he was caught completely off guard.
It was too much.
He stumbled back in horror, several steps in quick retreat—
But the road was narrow. Barely wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side.
Before he knew it, his back slammed hard into one of the locust trees.
“Ah—damn it!”
Pain shot through him from the impact.
He flinched, half-jumping back upright—
And something struck him square in the forehead.
Smack!
Liu Mang froze, eyes wide.
He clapped a trembling hand over his mouth, his whole body shaking violently as he slowly slid down against the tree trunk.
His legs gave out. His strength drained away completely.
Because the thing that had hit him… was an embroidered shoe.
To be precise—
An embroidered shoe dangling from a deathly pale, rigid foot,
swaying gently in the air above his head.