Chapter 25 - 25 Dream Droplets_l
Wang fled in panic, and the live stream screen went dark.
However, the audience in the live stream did not disperse; instead, they started discussing in the darkened live room.
“This game is kind of spooky, isn’t it? There isn’t a single particularly terrifying thing, but it still manages to be scary.
“That’s Chinese horror for you. It’s about adding extremely unsettling elements in certain corners and adding slightly off details to familiar objects to create a sense of horror. It doesn’t rely on particularly terrifying jump scares, but the fear progressively builds up, and the more you think about it, the scarier it gets.”
“Agree. Are there similar games? Not too scary, just a third as much would do.”
“I’d settle for a quarter.”
Watching these people’s discussion, Fang Cheng just wanted to ask, what are you talking about?
The essence of the game has not even been played by Wang, the educational segment hasn’t appeared yet, so why do you all seem to understand it already?
And this game… is it really that scary?
It’s clearly a very heartwarming scene, alright.
There’s the grandfather who helps extend life through rituals, the kind and friendly big sister, and the infinite staircase specially made to prevent everyone from skipping the newbie guide.
And the hint was already given; at this time, by pressing K and crying loudly, you could get help from another little sister, who’s pretty cute too.
Could it be that my newbie guide is really that bad?
After a fifteen-minute discussion by the audience, Wang, who had already gone
offline, came back on stream.
Wrapped in a blanket, he was shivering, even in the heart of summer.
This video seemed to be filmed with a smartphone; the quality was not as good as the live streaming equipment at Wang’s home, but it was fairly clear nonetheless.
He now used three phones, one for filming and two for lighting.
The peculiar live streaming method sparked the audience’s curiosity, and they started to ask, “Wang, what are you up to now?”
“…The neighborhood’s power is out.” Wang was on the verge of tears.
No one had worse luck today.
He had just been scared to the point of collapse, and then he received a notice of
a power outage due to a line fault.
An empty, pitch-dark room always made him think involuntarily of the game he had just played, and the more he thought about it, the more scared he became, the more goosebumps he got, until he finally locked his bedroom door and shut himself inside.
But being on the bed with the cat didn’t give him any sense of security; any noise from outside could make him shriek with fright.
So, he simply returned to the live room to chat with a bunch of people to relieve some of his psychological pressure.
In the past, if Wang had been in a situation like this, the audience would have definitely started to mock him in all sorts of ways, letting Wang know that compared to them, ghosts were nothing.
But now, the audience had become incredibly tender, tender to the extent of being almost motherly.
“Wang, it’s okay, we’re here.”
“Come on, I’ll sing a song for you. I sound just like Jacky Cheung when I sing, my Adam’s apple even moves up and down.”
“But you’re so scared, and the power’s out, why don’t you go out and find a
place to hide for the night?”
Wrapped in the blanket, Wang gave a smile that was uglier than crying; “I live on the seventeenth floor.”
“And then?”
“The elevator has no power either, and I’m scared to take the stairs. Not just walking them, but even thinking about taking the stairs makes my bladder tremble.”
“…Wang, just give us your address, and we’ll come over to keep you company.” “I’m too scared to open the door; you guys find a locksmith to help me open it. No, forget it, even the sound of unlocking will make me cry now.
Realizing that Wang had regressed to the stage of a child, the audience was at a loss.
All they could do was talk to Wang in various ways, tell jokes, and make him laugh, their behavior completely reversed from usual.
They kept Wang company until two in the morning before he finally began to yawn, feeling that these people were quite nice indeed.
Although everyone often teases each other without limits, they actually prove to be reliable when things get serious.
Except for that Living Immortal!
Aside from tipping generously, he is nothing but a villain!
While cursing the other party through gritted teeth, Wang turned off the live stream and wrapped himself in a blanket.
Striving to immerse himself in the world of “Princess Dungeon,” he forced himself to forget the terrifying game he had just played and let his consciousness drift away, sinking into sleep.
Then, he woke up.
Sitting up in bed, he looked around blankly, finding the environment both unfamiliar and familiar.
The unfamiliarity came from the decorations exuding a strong taste of the eighties, a place he was sure he had never visited.
The familiarity… it was because…
This was a scene from the game!
This realization made Wang break out in a cold sweat, and an immense sense of fear struck him, leaving him unable to shout.
Afterward, the door creaked open, and the grandfather from the game actually appeared at the doorway, kindly saying, “Child, grandfather needs to step out for a bit. You can play around the house as you please and come back for meals when it’s time. But remember, no matter who talks to you, don’t response. You can’t eat anything from outside, only what’s at home. Don’t look in mirrors, don’t play with water, don’t touch sharp objects. And whatever you do, never go into grandfather’s room, understand?”
The dialogue was exactly the same!
When fear reaches its peak, one can hear a multitude of bubbles bursting beside their ears-these are the desperate cries of brain cells dying a noble death under unbearable strain.
It took a great effort for him to break free from this suffocating state; he bit his tongue hard, only to find that it didn t hurt at all.
Just as I thought, I am dreaming!
So, how do I wake up?
“Oh, just press Esc to exit.”
“There’s no Esc in a dream!”
“You already know you’re dreaming. Can’t you just create an Esc button yourself?”
“Oh, right. Thank you. But who are you?”
“Living Immortal.”
“It’syou!”
Wang reached out, trying to grab the person who had suddenly appeared and had been facing away from him this whole time.
But a forceful power struck him, ejecting him from the dream world and back onto his bed.
Gasping for air as he sat up, Wang found his back drenched in sweat, having soaked a human-shaped mark into the beddings.
After catching his breath for quite a while, his mood stabilized, and he felt somewhat refreshed.
The memory of the dream was fading fast, leaving only a faint impression. However, the feeling of relief from escaping the nightmare lingered, and the psychological shadow from before sleep dissipated significantly. He felt tired once again, dropped onto his pillow, and fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly. Outside his window, Fang Cheng’s Primordial Spirit nodded slightly.
The protective mechanism of the Dream World had taken effect.
Dreams have the function to heal wounds and release anxiety, and as a collective of numerous dreams, the Dream World has effects hundreds of times more potent than ordinary dreams.
Wang’s previous gameplay had begun to cast a psychological shadow on him, and since he had established a slight connection with the Dream World, it absorbed his consciousness and started to mend his inner psyche.
After calculating, Fang Cheng decided it was not harmful to Wang but rather it could eliminate some psychological risks, and there was no need to interfere.
Moreover, now that Wang had woken, he would only retain a vague impression of the dream, which would not impact his future.
Once confirmed, Fang Cheng left, leaving behind Wang, sleeping like a baby.