Silver Wolf looked expectantly at Pei Guang. For any gamer, it's impossible to resist the allure of a game they've never played before.
In reality, many game mechanics and storylines overlap, but even small changes in combinations can lead to unexpectedly new experiences.
Sensing Silver Wolf's anticipation, Stelle and Pei Guang smiled.
"Yes! It's absolutely fun! Dan Heng, our most reliable team member, tested it and gave it a positive review. Come on, Silver Wolf, I can't explain why, but I feel this strange connection with you. Still, I won't hold back!"
Silver Wolf was raring to go: "Hah? She wants to challenge me? Even if I let you move first, you still won't beat me."
Stelle smiled. "You said it yourself. This is Pei Guang's game, and the challenge is who finishes first. Since you're giving me the first move, I won't hold back."
Meanwhile, Herta, observing the scene, sensed something was off the moment Pei Guang started speaking. Watching how smoothly Pei Guang and Stelle coordinated, she had a sudden realization.
They aren't even trying to win. Interesting. Since the game content will be broadcast across the galaxy anyway, she'd at least get to enjoy Silver Wolf's performance. Win or lose? That didn't matter much to Herta. All she cared about was showing Silver Wolf's struggle to the galaxy.
Pei Guang had already brought out his equipment. Upon seeing it, Silver Wolf's eyes widened.
"Wait, is that… a limited-edition virtual reality game console??"
Pei Guang shrugged. "Uh, yeah, I think it's a limited edition. I got it from completing a mission."
Silver Wolf: "???"
Silver Wolf was beginning to question her life choices. Why were her mission rewards always boring credits, while Pei Guang was out here getting limited-edition consoles? Was the gap between people really this big?
Noticing Silver Wolf's confused expression, Pei Guang patted her on the shoulder. "It's obvious you haven't raised your relationship level with key NPCs enough. This came from maxing out affinity and completing a series of side quests. Want one?"
No gamer could resist the temptation of a limited-edition game console. What made it even worse was that this console also had two games from another world.
Silver Wolf's eyes lit up as she nodded furiously, her hands gently caressing the console.
At that moment, Pei Guang leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Come on! Compete with Stelle! If you beat her, I'll give you this console as a symbol of our friendship."
Silver Wolf's eyes sparkled. "Really? I can have it?"
Pei Guang nodded. "I never lie, and I've got nothing to hide."
Silver Wolf beamed. "Alright! This time, I'll win for sure."
Stelle, playing along, chimed in, "You said I could go first, don't back out now."
Silver Wolf scoffed. "I won't. Hmph~ I know your skills well. You're not even a quarter as good as me. There's no way you can beat me."
Stelle smirked. "Hah, a great teacher produces strong students. Under Pei Guang's guidance, I've grown much stronger. I've unlocked golden light cones and got orange-tier gear. Right now, you probably can't defeat me."
Silver Wolf glanced over at Stelle. "Oh? Then let's see about that."
Stelle reassured Silver Wolf, "By the way, don't worry! Pei Guang is super fair and didn't reveal any gameplay tricks. Plus, the equipment is totally legit—no chance for me to cheat through it."
Silver Wolf nodded. "I trust you..."
Pei Guang grinned. "Alright, if you're both ready, let's begin! Just select the 'Outlast' game. It's a horror game~ The rules are simple: whoever finishes the game first wins."
Stelle confidently put on the gear Pei Guang had prepared for her. "I'll go first! Hehe~ I'm going to win!"
However, when Pei Guang mentioned it was a horror game, Silver Wolf's expression froze for a moment. Horror game? She had rebooted her brain before and forgot he mentioned it!
Pei Guang continued, "Oh, by the way, to make the experience more immersive, once you enter the game, you'll feel everything as if it's real. And to heighten the thrill, I'll mute all external sounds. If it gets too scary, just press the logout button—it's totally fine to quit. There's no shame in getting spooked and bailing!"
After Dan Heng's initial test, Pei Guang had made a few tweaks to the game—enhancing the realism and adding a top-tier anti-cheat system.
It wasn't just Silver Wolf who wouldn't be able to cheat—Pei Guang himself would need to use his Star Destroyer's AI to bypass it. The system was designed to give both Silver Wolf and Stelle an experience as close to real life as possible.
When Pei Guang mentioned this, Silver Wolf's expression froze yet again. But after glancing at Stelle's smug and confident look, she quickly tried to compose herself.
Stelle's smirk showed she wasn't taking this lightly, her eyes practically taunting Silver Wolf. She clearly believed this match was already hers. As Silver Wolf grabbed the equipment to enter the game, she secretly prepared to hack into the system, hoping to sneak a peek at the game's contents and avoid being scared. However, just as she began, a warning message popped up: If she attempted to hack the game, one of her saved game profiles would be randomly and permanently deleted.
Silver Wolf grumbled, "It's just a game. A mere horror game. Like I'd be scared enough to quit? Impossible."
In truth, Silver Wolf was nervous. She desperately wanted to hack the game to uncover its horror elements, but she couldn't risk it. If Pei Guang actually deleted one of her accounts, she'd be devastated.
Not only Herta, but Pei Guang as well had found Silver Wolf's weak spot! And this weak spot was enough to get her to do just about anything within reason.
What? You think Silver Wolf would fall that easily? No way! She was just giving a little face to the Genius Society member and to the new player!
Silver Wolf glanced over at Stelle. "Even playing fair, you won't beat me. I know your skills inside and out."
Stelle smirked. "Great!"
Stelle entered the game first, and as soon as she spawned in the safehouse, she immediately decided to slack off and take a nap.
Five minutes later, Silver Wolf followed suit, donning her headset and entering the game as well.
On Herta's end, she started the livestream of Silver Wolf's gameplay progress, eager to see how the infamous hacker would handle Pei Guang's creation.
Once inside, Silver Wolf began exploring the game.
Simultaneously, Herta reached out to Silver Wolf through the stream. "Hey there~ Just a heads-up, I'm going live~"
"I'll be streaming both your gameplay footage and your reactions in real time."
"Don't worry, my tech is flawless—no interference on your end~ And since you've been so cooperative, I'll make sure to add a nice, thick censor for you!"
"Relax~ You won't feel any interruptions during the game. Just enjoy the full experience~"
As she read Herta's message, she resigned herself to the situation. It was just a horror game—what was the worst that could happen? A few jump scares, maybe a clip of her being frightened spreading across the galaxy? So what?! Getting scared while streaming horror games was a common occurrence for game streamers. There was nothing for her to be embarrassed about.
But as soon as Herta's voice faded away, Silver Wolf noticed her heartbeat picking up. To ease the tension of the creepy atmosphere, she began narrating like a game streamer.
"Oh? Outlast? An asylum? That's such an old setup. I've played hundreds of horror games like this, nothing to be afraid of."
"Let me see... avoid getting caught, gather evidence and escape, right?"
"You think some mere horror game can scare me? I'm a genius hacker. A horror game? I won't get scared."
She tried to sound confident, but her voice wavered slightly. She was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.