As the psychological counselor at Henshan Felon Prison, Gao Ming faced tremendous pressure at work every day, and creating games was also a way for him to vent. He would incorporate all sorts of terrifying things he saw, heard, and imagined into the games, sharing his unease and fears with the players. In this respect, he was a quite generous man.
"Once my greatest dream was to turn all my design ideas into finished games, so players around the world could experience the charm of Chinese-style suspense..."
Dreams turning into reality should have been a joyous affair, but Gao Ming never imagined his dream would come true in such a blunt manner.
Carrying a cardboard box filled with game design plans to the bathroom, Gao Ming took out a lighter.
Flames devoured his past efforts, and with the fire sparked by his dreams, he lit a cigarette.
After disposing of all the ashes, Gao Ming returned to his office, hoping Director Gou would cooperate with him in deleting files saved on the studio's computers.
The deletion of game design plans that hadn't yet attracted investment went smoothly. However, it was a different story for a few games that had already been completed, like the love game that Night Lamp Studio had discussed that morning.
The game was named "To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away," something Director Gou put a lot of effort into securing for Night Lamp Studio through his connections.
He highly valued this love game, considering it a key work in Night Lamp Studio's transformation.
"Gao Ming, it doesn't matter if we delete the other games, but not this love game," Director Gou put down his thermos cup, his face creased with worry as he played the emotional card, "Our studio is banking on this game, we've worked together for many years, you don't want to see everyone laid off, do you? I'm over forty this year, with the elderly above and children below, and I've also signed an agreement with the investors. If we don't produce this game, my whole family will be left homeless."
Gao Ming could understand Director Gou, but he still shook his head. Director Gou had only signed a business agreement with the investors now, but if this game were to become reality, then the whole company would be signing a wager with Yama.
Other games might make players spend a fortune, but his game would make players and developers gamble with their lives, no escape for anyone.
"How about this," Gao Ming opened the computer page, "Most of 'To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away' was designed by You, but I provided some criminal case ideas for him. Of the nine girlfriend routes, eight don't need to be touched, but the ninth route I helped create must be deleted."
"To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away" tells the tale of a loser otaku's comeback story, encountering nine different women in his life, including a childhood sweetheart with a severe illness, a company leader with a cold exterior but kind heart, and the manipulative siren Li Luxin, among others. The first eight heroines were designed by Wei Dayou, and given that all of Night Lamp Studio's staff combined hadn't been in more love affairs than could be counted on one hand, the plot of this love game was fairly average.
At that time, Gao Ming thought that making a game without unique features, so he suggested You add the ninth route—a psychologically criminal serial killer named Xuan Wen.
She was a dangerously intelligent woman with high emotional intelligence who, after her sincere love was betrayed, transformed her love into a pathological frenzy. She always knew where the protagonist was, watching him every moment.
It was the addition of the ninth route that changed the nature of the game, sending the love game sprinting towards crime and the supernatural.
Hearing Gao Ming's proactive request to delete the ninth subplot, Manager Gou was overjoyed, "No problem, we will delete the ninth subplot right now, and from today on, we will earnestly make a pure love game!"
"I'll add one more thing," Gao Ming advised, "Don't design so many female leads; one is enough. She'd better not have much interaction with the protagonist, and as long as they can live peacefully to old age, that's good."
"How can we make a love game with no interaction?" Wei Dayou was puzzled.
"Nowadays, love is all about being laid-back and letting things happen. The protagonist could even avoid interacting with the outside world," Gao Ming said. The family games he had made before could turn horrifyingly aberrant, so this kind of love game could potentially mutate too—better safe than sorry.
"Alright," Wei Dayou wasn't sure if Gao Ming was just venting or if he really believed that, he felt the ninth route was the essence of the entire game, and without it, the game lost all sense of anticipation.
As Wei Dayou opened the computer, ready to modify the ninth game route, the glass door of Night Lamp's office was suddenly pushed open.
As if sensing something, the office's usually lazy cat suddenly meowed, leaped off the desk, and hid behind the bookshelf, its fur on end, body trembling.
"I'm very sorry, the rain outside was too heavy, and I couldn't get a taxi."
The gentle voice came from the doorway, and just listening to her talk seemed to comfort people.
Everyone looked down the corridor toward the entrance, where a woman stood whose shoulders were wet from the rain. She wore a simple white shirt and skirt, yet even in such plain attire, she managed to exude an unmatched air.
With a smile and an easy-going demeanor, this woman seemed unaware of her own striking beauty, or perhaps her exquisite appearance was the most trivial aspect about her.
"Don't worry, it's been pouring rain these past few days, exceptional circumstances, we can understand," Manager Gou said with a wave of his hand as he introduced the woman to Gao Ming. "Her name is Xuan Wen, a game designer who has just entered the industry. Coincidentally, her name is the same as the female supporting character you designed in your game."
Considering the current state of Night Lamp Studio, it couldn't attract particularly impressive staff anyway.
Standing still, Gao Ming sized up the unfamiliar woman not far away. She was dressed simply, but even the plainest clothes couldn't hide her unusual temperament.
Gao Ming, who dealt with death row inmates on a daily basis, could faintly sense it. It was the confidence of a hunter, the elegance of a carnivore.
"Xuan Wen?"
"Mhm, hello."
"A psychological crime serial killer?"
"Huh?" Xuan Wen obviously paused for a moment, and Manager Gou hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over with a joke.
Regardless of male or female employees, everyone greeted Xuan Wen warmly. Only Gao Ming and the fat cat in the studio deliberately avoided her.
Standing in the farthest corner from Xuan Wen, Gao Ming quietly took out his phone to search. There was no information about Xuan Wen online. Then he typed in the names of other female leads from "To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away."
After several attempts, when Gao Ming got to Li Luxin, several news articles popped up on the search page.
Two nights ago, Li Luxin was found dead in her boyfriend's mansion, suspected suicide.
"Same name? Or...did she kill?" Glancing over at Xuan Wen, Gao Ming couldn't shake the feeling that Xuan Wen's arrival at Night Lamp Game Studio was not for a simple reason. "Could she be here for me?"
Feeling a chill down his spine, Gao Ming grabbed Wei Dayou, urging him to delete all game plans immediately.
It was a matter of great importance; he had to watch Wei Dayou complete the deletions and modifications.
Busy until the afternoon, all the game plans and creative ideas Gao Ming had provided to the studio had been erased, with those that couldn't be erased being altered.
Looking at the blank documents, Gao Ming felt a little relieved. He carried a cup of hot water and left the office.
The fat cat also slipped out after Gao Ming, moving quickly, displaying agility that completely belied its size.
"Do you sense the danger too, little guy? Pretty smart." Gao Ming went to the common resting area, deliberately picking a secluded spot, stroking the cat while pondering.
People around gradually left, and about five minutes later, the fat cat by his side suddenly lay on the sofa, unmoving as if dead.
Gao Ming sensed something was wrong and immediately stood up. He smelled a special fragrance, faint, yet filled with temptation and danger.
Turning his head, he saw Xuan Wen standing behind him, her slender fingers gently resting on Gao Ming's shoulder, pushing him against the wall. "Honey, are you pretending not to recognize me?"
Hearing Xuan Wen's address, Gao Ming's expression froze, and the disposable cup in his hand fell to the floor, water droplets splashing on them both.
"Honey???" Gao Ming's back was pressed against the wall, his hair standing on end. He'd never even been in a relationship, how could he be someone else's husband—something was very off with the woman in front of him!
"You wanted to delete all the games, but everything started three days ago. The nightmare hiding in your heart has become reality," Xuan Wen moved even closer. Her smile was soft and warm, yet her eyes reflected Gao Ming's unease. "Have you forgotten what happened in the tunnel that night?"
Xuan Wen's voice was very low, audible only to her and Gao Ming, "If you need help remembering, you can come to my house tonight."
She straightened Gao Ming's collar with both hands as if they had lived together for a long time.
"You don't have to worry about encountering danger from those bad women who had designs on you," Xuan Wen whispered close to Gao Ming's ear. "I have killed them all."