Chapter 28 - 28 It’s Just the Beginnings
Just when all the audience members were perplexed by the end credits, the 5th reincarnation, which was also the last reincarnation, finally began.
This time, when the protagonist got out of bed, he did not leave his room.
Even after listening to what Grandfather had said, he did not leave his room but sat on the bed silently staring at the wall.
It wasn’t until half an hour later that the bedroom door was opened again, and
Grandfather appeared at the doorway.
“Kid, Grandpa bought you a cake, come and eat it together,
With a slight nod, the protagonist left the bedroom, entered the living room,
and sat down on a chair.
The cheap cake was placed on the table, a five-yuan cake with bright colors and eight candles stuck on top.
After blowing out the candles, the protagonist picked up a plastic spoon and began eating the cake bit by bit.
The cheap cake gave the protagonist the taste of delicacies from mountains and seas, which gradually dissipated the horror atmosphere and created a warm feeling.
Sitting across from him, Grandfather watched the protagonist with a smile and said, “Kid, is it tasty? Grandpa bought it especially for you. Next year on your birthday, we’U eat together again.”
The protagonist nodded, then pushed the remaining cake towards Grandfather.
“Grandpa won’t eat.”
The protagonist shook his head vigorously.
“Alright, Grandpa will have a bite,”
In the shots of the grandson and grandfather taking turns eating, the true ending, Grandfather, was unlocked.
After the words indicating the true ending had been unlocked appeared, the game went black once more.
When the screen lit up again, the camera had moved to the entrance.
Through the change in the height of the viewpoint and the scale of the surrounding objects, it could be deduced that the protagonist was now an adult.
He walked up the stairs, reached the fifth floor, then pulled out a key, unlocked the door of his house, and stepped inside.
The arrangement inside the room was the same as before, the only difference being that now Grandfather’s bedroom door, which was previously locked, stood open.
Stepping into Grandfather’s bedroom, one could see that all the strange decorations that were there before had disappeared.
The room was exceptionally clean; the portrait of the little boy had vanished, but with close inspection, one could still see the traces left by burned candles.
After rummaging through the cupboard in the room, the protagonist took out a book.
The book was a traditional thread-bound volume, and it was apparent that it
had been perused many times.
The pages were somewhat yellowed, but the handwriting inside was still clearly visible.
When the protagonist began flipping through the book titled “Death Cheating Method,” all of the questions were finally answered at that moment.
The “Death Cheating Method,” a folk custom originating from the Han Dynasty, occasionally appears in places like Southeast Asia.
When a family member suddenly falls seriously ill or encounters a calamity, they can set aside a room to create a portrait of the target and offer tributes, in order to deceive Black and White Impermanence into believing the target is already deceased.
During this period, the target must not speak carelessly, eat randomly, look in mirrors, and most importantly, cannot enter this room.
Besides these, there are numerous other taboos that must be strictly adhered to entirely remove one’s living essence, thus achieving the goal of cheating death. Linking this with the various endings seen before, the audience had a sudden revelation.
“That’s why’ No wonder Grandfather warned against entering that room and stressed so many taboos. It was all because of the ‘Death Cheating Method’.’’ “Then what was the deal with that older sister upstairs? Why did she give the protagonist medicine?”
“From ending 4, it’s apparent that the older sister must be the nurse. Drinking the beverage and collapsing might symbolize the protagonist being anesthetized before surgery.”
“Exactly. From earlier on, it’s evident that the protagonist was frail with frequent hospital stays, waiting for surgery. To ensure the protagonist could return alive, Grandfather used the Death Cheating Method.”
“Indeed, this also corresponds to the implication from ending 4, everything was, in fact, the protagonist’s imagination or dream.”
“But isn’t this just a form of feudal superstition?
“It’s not quite the same. The Death Cheating Method is one of the folk customs, and there is a definite difference between folk customs and feudal superstitions. Although it may sound like nonsense, when it is used, it can invisibly strengthen the confidence of the practitioner. This confidence, in turn, manifests itself and is ultimately conveyed to the target, producing a placebo effect. Don’t underestimate the power of placebo; sometimes it really can cure diseases.”
“Oh, I see, I’ve learned something. Using the Death Cheating Method to lead into a horror story, the game is quite thoughtful.”
“But it’s just too horrifying!”
As the audience was discussing, they were surprised to find that there was a
second part to the video.
Upon opening the second video, they were stunned.
Because after the protagonist took the book, the game was not over!
Or rather, it had just begun!
Carrying the thread-bound book, the protagonist had already come outside the apartment building, into the bustling crowd.
The surroundings seemed peaceful, but an eerie atmosphere was spreading, so dense that it was suffocating.
An old man placed the cooked dregs of medicine into a cloth bag, pressed it on a branch, and clipped a piece of paper filled with writing between the dregs and the branch.
By the roadside, someone put raw rice into a bowl and kept tapping the bowl with chopsticks.
In the display window, the paper figurines had no eyes, but one could feel their gaze, filled with curiosity and playfulness.
Every unusual place seemed to have its own logic and deeper meaning, each with its own story.
“The Death Cheating Method” was over.
But this strange world had just begun.
It was at this point that the audience finally understood.
They thought it was the climax, but it turned out to be just the beginning; the real story had just started.
Living Immortal, you really did something there! just with this move alone, calling you ‘Immortal’ is well-deserved. At the end of the video, the content creator, Mom of Pingping, used an Al voiceover to share her thoughts on clearing the game.
“Thankyou all for watching till now, I’m a new content creator, Pingping, and this account is shared between me and my mom. I appreciate all your comments, thank you. If possible, please follow me and give me a ‘like, share, and subscribe,’ it’s really important.
‘Spreading Traditional Culture Starting from Me’ is my recently favorite game; I really like the unique, dream-like atmosphere. I was truly happy when I learned that ‘The Death Cheating Method’ was just the opening of the game. I don’t quite understand why everyone finds it scary, but I find it very warm and comfortable.
If you like it, I will continue to make videos of this game. Since I can’t go out to work, I occasionally promote products in my videos. I hope you won’t hold it against me, thankyou.”
As the first content creator to pass the opening scene, the “Mom of Pingping” account began to see a continuous increase in followers, eventually reaching over ten thousand.
Encouraged by this video, a large number of content creators began to try to clear the game and successfully passed the opening scene, but got stuck in the subsequent plot.
There was no helping it; the following plot was even more horrifying.
However, strangely enough, no matter how terrifying the plot was, it seemed to be no problem for Pingping.
She played the game with ease, the so-called psychological horror not affecting her in the slightest, not even causing her hand to tremble.
It wasn’t just her; many new accounts also began uploading walkthrough videos of other stories.
Their styles were consistent; while playing the game, they did not speak, simply silently displaying every possibility of the story, which provided a different viewing experience.
Because the game world was vast, they could randomly choose an entry point to create a video of moderate length, even quickly leading to a sub-climax of sorts.
But on Saturday night, just after Mom of Pingping had uploaded a new mini-story video, before her fans could even watch it, the video disappeared immediately.
It wasn’t just hers; all videos related to the game were taken down without a trace.
A silent crackdown on the game and its corresponding videos had begun.