Horror Game Designer

Chapter 13: Jump!

Upon hearing Gao Ming express his wish to converse heart-to-heart with the deceased, both the investigator and Teacher Yao were taken aback, wondering if they had misheard him.

Just three days prior, the person in question had tragically ended their life by leaping from a building. This individual, now a ghost, had returned with a gruesomely mangled body featuring shattered bones and contorted limbs and was seen in a video brutally massacring their building’s residents. The very idea that Gao Ming now sought to engage in dialogue with this spectral figure was so startling it would undoubtedly astonish the entire community of psychological counselors.

“Are you out of your mind?” the investigator questioned, prodding Gao Ming’s arm to feel the warmth that confirmed he was still human. “You don’t appear to be possessed by a ghost! Why are you behaving even more bizarrely than those who have been overtaken by such beings?”

Typically, individuals taken over by unknown entities made great efforts to hide their true nature to avoid being discovered. However, Gao Ming was an open book, his candor unnerving even his allies.

“Malevolent spirits of true brutality would confront you directly, not merely intimidate through a video. As an experienced psychological counselor, I’m inclined to believe that this resembles Zhao Xi reaching out for our assistance. He despises himself and feels trapped, unable to change his situation.” Gao Ming, however, kept the real reason from the investigator.

In the video game “The Only Family,” the protagonist’s phone fabricates a blissful, fulfilling family life within a warm, sunny setting. In stark contrast, the game’s protagonist is depicted as lazy, morose, and self-centered, far removed from the idyllic life his phone portrays.

Zhao Xi’s case was the exact reverse. His phone showed deeply disturbing and haunting videos, whereas in reality, Zhao Xi was a sincere, diligent individual, always thankful to his foster mother. Following this logic, it seemed improbable that Zhao Xi, before completely losing himself, would have committed the actions suggested in the fictional videos on his phone.

“The horrors from the game are bleeding into reality. If I don’t proactively confront these horror tales, the calamities depicted in the phone videos might actually materialize.”

Gao Ming then directed the investigator and Teacher Yao to enter room 2607, explaining, “Zhao Xi will be here shortly. I need your assistance with something.”

Teacher Yao, clutching a toolbox and aware of his limited time due to terminal illness, inquired, “What do you need?”

“We need to tear up bedsheets and other fabric, twist them into ropes, and lower them from the balcony window,” Gao Ming instructed as he hurried into the bedroom to start preparations. “You two stay in 2607. I’ll go to 2507 alone to meet Zhao Xi. I’ll talk with him on the balcony.”

The investigator, although daunting in appearance but kind-hearted, objected, “Ghosts in these strange events don’t have emotions; you’re essentially on a suicide mission!” He admired Gao Ming’s bravery but was deeply concerned for his safety.

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Gao Ming, focused on his task of tearing the sheets to create a makeshift rope, reassured them, “I’ll be close to the window. If I can’t convince him, you two must pull me up with the rope.”

“Perhaps it should be me going to 2507,” Teacher Yao proposed, unbuttoning his shirt to expose his chest and abdomen, where his veins visibly pulsated in a concerning manner. “I’ve already lived a full life, whereas you’re still young.”

Gao Ming countered, emphasizing his professional credentials, “I’m a certified psychological counselor. It’s best to leave this to someone with expertise.” Unbeknownst to others, he harbored an alternate strategy: for a favorable resolution in the game, it was crucial that Zhao Xi himself destroy his phone. Such an act would symbolize Zhao Xi breaking away from the chains he had imposed upon himself.

Understanding the challenge of influencing a ghost as a living being, and knowing typical approaches would prove futile, Gao Ming had conceived an audacious plan.

When Zhao Xi had taken Huang Mingming’s life, he had done so by leaping off the building together. Gao Ming, too, was prepared to potentially embrace this fatal method.

Having crafted a rope and securely dropped it from the balcony of room 2607, Gao Ming then ventured out alone.

He cautiously opened the door to 2507 but hesitated to enter.

From below, chilling sounds of flesh dragging and eerie images haunted his mind. Distorted limbs were ominously ascending towards the fifth floor.

“Quite unsettling,” he muttered under his breath.

With a lighter in hand, Gao Ming ignited a cigarette, the flame cutting through the darkness as he settled on the staircase.

The corpse that had plummeted now dragged itself up the frigid steps, the departed soul drawing nearer to the realm of the living.

As the eerie sound of bones grinding against the floor filled the air, Gao Ming’s gaze was fixed on the stairwell’s corner.

“Dad and Mom always have something new every night; my colleagues, efficient and cunning, capable of eliminating eight people in three days; and now, even the kind-hearted neighbors are part of it. At first glance, life seems strangely complete.”

Zhao Xi’s gruesomely disfigured face, framed by blood-matted hair, gradually emerged between the fourth and fifth floors.

“Have you arrived?”

Unlike Xiao Qiu who had opted to flee, or Huang Mingming who had attacked in a frenzy, Gao Ming didn’t see Zhao Xi as a threat. To him, Zhao Xi was still the simple, sincere Brother Zhao from before.

“Welcome back home.”

Standing up, Gao Ming walked towards room 2507, opening the door for Zhao Xi and nonchalantly turning on the living room light.

“Brother Zhao, I used to seek you out for chats during my breaks. My greatest regret is thinking I’d console you after my schedule eased up.”

Leading the way, Gao Ming watched as the contorted and broken form of Zhao Xi crawled towards him.

“Your foster mother lavished all her love on her biological son, your sister-in-law merely used you as a means to make money, and the neighbors whispered behind your back. They purposefully made life difficult for you at the factory in the port district, setting you up for theft, exploiting your honesty.”

Upon his initial entry into the game, Gao Ming had immediately taken notice of a mirror in the living room. This full-length mirror peculiarly reflected an inverted image of the world.

“You’ve been striving to maintain an appearance of optimism and strength, yet your heart was burdened with immense pain,” Gao Ming reflected. “You were the mainstay of your family, but sadly, your feelings were largely ignored; you often shared with me the little joys you found in life, yet the reality was that you lived in misery. The world you yearned for was starkly contrasted by the harshness of your actual circumstances. In your efforts to alter your fate, the more you struggled, the deeper you sank into despair.”

As Zhao Xi’s head, unnaturally controlled by his shoulders, twisted a full 180 degrees, Gao Ming was confronted with his face, eerily upside down, even though Zhao Xi lay face down on the ground.

Overwhelmed by primal fear, Gao Ming experienced a slight shiver run through his body, his fingernails digging into his flesh in a desperate grasp for control. Yet, his voice remained steady and calm as he addressed Zhao Xi. “You’re not at fault for any of this. The pains you’ve endured were unjustly thrust upon you by others. It’s not my place to judge you as an outsider, nor is it my intention to dissuade you from seeking vengeance. My only wish is for you to find a semblance of happiness. Kind souls deserve joy, and you, too, deserve to be part of a family that genuinely understands and cherishes you.”

As Gao Ming slowly backed away, he was mentally braced for what might come, but the proximity to Zhao Xi’s disfigured, lifeless body still instilled an unspeakable sense of dread within him. He felt a profound weakness envelop him.

His back pressed against the balcony window, and in that moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene with an eerie light, accentuating the grim tableau of Gao Ming and Zhao Xi.

Drawing a deep breath to steady himself, Gao Ming spoke with sincerity, “If you wish not to be forsaken again and yearn for a sense of family, then allow me to be that family for you.”

As thunder boomed and rain violently pelted the window, both the investigator and Teacher Yao, stationed in room 2607, clutched the rope with growing apprehension. They could faintly catch the essence of Gao Ming’s heartfelt plea, exchanging glances that conveyed their shock and concern.

Leaving a trail of blood behind him, Zhao Xi had almost reached the balcony, his face now directly facing Gao Ming. “I’m not trying to deceive you in a bid to save myself, nor am I seeking an escape. We’ve had many conversations, and I truly understand the kind of person you are. I genuinely want to help you,” Gao Ming assured him, holding out Zhao Xi’s phone and gesturing to the video. “Whether it’s creating fragments of a beautiful life or meting out deserved retribution to those neighbors, I can help you achieve it. The images in this phone are mere illusions, but together, we have the power to reshape reality.”

Without retreating, Gao Ming boldly stepped forward, extending his hand in a gesture of alliance. “Join my family, and let me be your partner in this.”

These words, simple yet profound, caused Zhao Xi to cease his crawling for the first time.

After a tense few seconds, Zhao Xi’s contorted arm began to rise, bones stretching and creating a harrowing sound that reverberated through room 2507.

Confronted with this nightmarish sight, Gao Ming stood his ground, unflinching. In his eyes, amidst the palpable fear, there flickered a hint of hopeful anticipation.

Zhao Xi’s damaged hand reached out toward Gao Ming, but rather than clasping Gao Ming’s hand, it ominously enveloped his arm.

Gao Ming, perceiving the change, exhaled a soft sigh. It appeared Zhao Xi had become devoid of any emotion, his actions mechanical as he sought to manipulate Gao Ming’s body, endeavoring to push him off the edge of the building.

As Zhao Xi’s fragmented body grotesquely unfolded like a gaping maw, Gao Ming, compelled by instinct, retreated backward onto the windowsill.

“Quick, get up here!” Teacher Yao and the investigator yelled anxiously, their voices competing with the howling wind and rain as the rope they held swayed perilously.

“Just a little longer,” Gao Ming urged himself, wrapping the rope tightly around his wrist. He faced a terror that was beyond the comprehension of most, fixing a resolute gaze on Zhao Xi’s horrifically disfigured corpse.

Zhao Xi, misunderstood and isolated, had resorted to this extreme method to envelop his neighbors, compelling them to share in a fate similar to his own.

The weight of the corpse bore down on Gao Ming, shifting menacingly backward. Seizing the moment, Gao Ming forcefully inserted Zhao Xi’s phone into the cavernous wound of the body.

“Hurry! Pull yourself up!”

Zhao Xi’s visage was alarmingly close, and in his eyes, Gao Ming could discern a maelstrom of pain, sorrow, and a haunting numbness.

Their flesh entangled in a macabre dance, Zhao Xi seemed determined to pull Gao Ming into a fatal plummet. They both leaned perilously toward the window, the relentless rain drenching them, matting their hair and clothes.

In that critical moment, as they teetered on the brink of falling, Gao Ming, who had until then refrained from any physical struggle, summoned every ounce of his strength and thrust Zhao Xi back into the room!

This forceful action dislodged the phone from within Zhao Xi’s wound, altering the course of the tragedy — Zhao Xi remained inside, witnessing Gao Ming’s descent amidst the downpour.

“Hang on to him!”

“Damn!”

Teacher Yao and the investigator exerted every bit of their strength, desperately clutching the rope. Gao Ming’s body collided violently with the building’s wall, suspended between the fourth and fifth floors. His arm contorted unnaturally, his face marred by a fresh wound, blood streaming down, yet he seemed almost insensate to the pain.