The Haunted Game Designer

The heavy rain continued to pour. Hoffa wasn't particularly scared, but his emotions were somewhat complicated.

It was already daylight, but after searching online, Hoffa discovered that the rain had caused road closures and flash floods. No vehicles could currently approach the tunnel located at the junction of Hanjiang, Xinhu, and Hanhai cities.

"I hope that tunnel isn't blocked by the flood."

Unable to figure out why the game had become reality, Hoffa could only accept this absurd fact for now. "I wonder if it's still possible to delete those game designs. Looks like I need to make a trip to Night Lamp Game Studio."

During his time working part-time as a game designer, he had collaborated with Night Lamp Game Studio multiple times, providing them with numerous game design plans and concepts for mystery murder cases. Now, he wanted to go there and delete all his game designs to see if any remedial action was possible.

After a simple breakfast, Hoffa packed the memorial photo into his backpack, put on his raincoat, and set out. He was a man of strong execution.

The heavy rain washed over the city, with dark clouds looming over everything. Hoffa took a taxi to the northern district of Hanhai.

According to his original plan, after resigning from his job as a psychological counselor, he would apply for a position at Night Lamp Game Studio to become a full-time game designer.

His reason for entering this field was simple—there were no horror games on the market that he enjoyed playing, so he wanted to design his own.

At nine o'clock in the morning, following the guidance of a cleaning lady, Hoffa found the office of Night Lamp Game Studio.

Night Lamp Game Studio was affiliated with Motu Technology, the largest gaming platform in the country. It was one of many game studios under Motu Technology, specializing in mystery and horror games. However, they were currently in a transitional phase, and times were tough for them.

"Are you out of your mind?! Are you all out of your minds?!"

Even through the glass door, Hoffa could hear someone roaring inside the office. He glanced inside.

Several employees were sitting at their desks, watching a game scene on their large screens. The protagonist, an ordinary man, was playing a séance game with his deceased wife in a haunted house, secretly watching his own death footage during the intervals.

"The client asked for a fresh, interactive romance game! And after two weeks, this is what you give me?!" Manager Gou, the head of Night Lamp Game Studio, stood by the table with a dark expression. His large belly heaved up and down with anger, and his toupee was about to slide off.

"Didn't you want something different from the usual romance games on the market?" Wei Dayou, the studio's game planner and programmer, sat near the door, looking like he was ready to bolt at any moment. A fitness fanatic, he had been forced by his boss a few years ago to seek help online for innovative game ideas. That was how he met Hoffa.

Originally, Wei was just trying to complete a task, but Hoffa's game design ended up winning the Most Creative Newcomer Game Award that year.

Wei, an honest man, immediately informed the company about the truth. The competition organizers changed the original author to Hoffa, officially launching him into the gaming industry.

"I wanted something different from the usual romance games! Not for you to revert to making horror games!" Manager Gou grabbed his toupee and threw it onto the table. The few remaining strands of hair on his head were soaked with sweat.

"Everyone's been working overtime for two weeks and doing their best." Xia Yang adjusted his glasses, narrowing his eyes slightly with a smile on his face, as if nothing in the world could trouble him. Thanks to his calm demeanor, the thirty-seven-year-old looked barely in his twenties. As the studio's lead artist, he had won international art awards for his bizarre and unsettling style, which most people found difficult to understand.

"Doing your best, my ass!" Manager Gou slammed the table. "We barely have any clients left, and you're all trying to drive them away completely, huh?"

"Innovation, strong interaction, gradually developing emotions, sweet romance, undying love—I designed it exactly according to your requirements." Wei Dayou pulled up the messages Manager Gou had sent.

"I'll give you a sweet underworld massage!" Manager Gou scanned the office, gripping his remaining hair with both hands. "Our company has forty-one game studios—we rank forty-first! There's literally no further down to go! If we keep this up, we'll be disbanded on the spot and kicked out of Motu Technology!"

Unlike the other studio members, Manager Gou was assigned by Motu Technology's headquarters. Rumor had it that he had offended someone and was forced to start over from the bottom.

Despite his balding, greasy appearance and protruding belly, he was the most passionate member of the studio, burning with an unyielding desire to prove himself once again.

Three Days!

"I'll give you three more days! No matter what, you must come up with a proper romance game!" Manager Gou picked up his wig, huffed in frustration, and grabbed his oversized thermos filled with goji berries. As he stomped his chubby legs toward the door, he accidentally bumped into Gao Ming.

Seeing Gao Ming, Manager Gou's eyelids twitched slightly. He had worked with Gao Ming many times and was well aware of his design style and philosophy.

He still remembered the first time he reviewed one of Gao Ming's game design proposals. In a mere 3,000-word summary, there were no less than seventeen instances of blood and horror—an experience that left Manager Gou deeply shaken.

"Gao Ming… good morning. You didn't show up for the interview the day before yesterday, so we went ahead and hired a newcomer." Manager Gou averted his gaze. "She'll be starting work later today."

Back when the studio focused on mystery games, Manager Gou had a great working relationship with Gao Ming. But now that they were shifting away from horror games, Gao Ming's arrival was… awkward.

"I'm not here for an interview." Gao Ming immediately saw through Manager Gou's concerns. He was a considerate person who disliked causing trouble for others, so he spoke up first. "I've encountered some… unexplainable things. I need to take back and destroy all the game design proposals I provided you."

"Destroy them? But those concepts could all be classics if developed!" Wei Dayou immediately left his workstation and walked over. "What happened to you?"

"I probably won't be making horror games anymore." Gao Ming patted Wei Dayou's shoulder. "Also, here's a word of advice—try to avoid going out at night for the next few days."

Hearing that Gao Ming was quitting horror games, Manager Gou's enthusiasm returned. "Xiao Gao, I heard from Dayou that you quit your job at the prison. Why don't you come work for us? Just pick anything you want to do! We trust your skills—you don't even need an interview!"

"I'll pass."

After a long discussion, Gao Ming finally convinced Wei Dayou to unlock the cabinet where the studio stored its project files. He carefully searched through all the game design proposals he had provided over the years.

Game development is a lengthy process with significant upfront investment. Many creative ideas struggle to secure funding, so they often end up shelved.

Frankly speaking, if Night Lamp Studio weren't pivoting away from horror games, it would have been nearly impossible for Gao Ming to reclaim his designs.

Patiently organizing years of his work, Gao Ming categorized his game concepts into five danger levels: Criminals, Rumors, Omens, Cursed Words, and Strange Tales.

Criminals were games adapted from real-life cases, where the danger stemmed entirely from humans. These focused on reasoning and evidence collection, adhering to real-world logic.

Rumors were also based on homicides but intertwined with eerie and frightening stories—most of which were fictional. The real threat still came from people.

Omens marked a shift—horrors began to manifest, the worldview crumbled, and the source of danger stemmed from curses and supernatural entities.

Cursed Words, the fourth level, meant that supernatural beings truly existed within the game.

Strange Tales, the fifth and highest level, signified a world where nothing was safe. The very rules of reality were altered, and anything could become a supernatural threat. Moreover, these tales would continue to expand and evolve, affecting more and more people.

In truth, there was a sixth and even more terrifying danger level—Runaway Strange Tales. Gao Ming had designed such utterly despairing games before, and his main purpose today was to destroy the most hopeless ones before they could become real.

"Thirty-six Criminals, twenty-five Rumors, five Omens, twenty-five Cursed Words, thirty-one Strange Tales, and four Runaway Strange Tales... I really have been quite productive over the years."

(End of Chapter)

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