Horror Game Designer-Chapter 672: Death

“Han Hai is different from when I left it.” The black mist isolated the city. The truth could no longer be obscured. The shadow world rapidly corrupted the city. When Gao Ming left, it was when most factors were in play.

Gao Ming removed the suit from the corpse and saw a normal person inside. He was not an investigator with a black band or a horror game player. He had no power to deal with ghosts. He was forced to enter this building.

“There’s no fatal wound.” Gao Ming moved the corpses around before checking their eyes. The victims’ eyes appeared to be fractured balls. They were filled with hair. “They appeared to be sacrificed to the evil ghost and lost their souls.”

Gao Ming headed towards Dream’s third altar. He knew taking more of Dream’s altars would lead to severe corruption, but it was the quickest way for him to gain power. His heart touched his heart. His blood morphed into a Demon God and crawled into the altar. The dream trace transformed. The giant butterfly wings were shredded. The God of Flesh and Blood consumed Dream’s leftovers, bite by bite. When the last dream trace was covered by flesh, endless faces materialised on the God of Flesh and Blood. Birth, ageing, sickness, joy and sadness, everything in the world was included.

“Do not let him finish the domination process now! Han Hai is under the watch of other Blood Cities. If he commits to the breakthrough now, it’ll grab others’ attention!” No. 2 was careful and cunning. “I don’t know your exact plan, but working in the dark is definitely beneficial to you.”

“You have a point.” The God of Flesh and Blood’s transmutation halted at the last moment. He could complete the final step at any moment, but the downside was that Dream’s altar couldn’t move. To prevent himself from being exposed, Gao Ming temporarily didn’t drag it into the torture room.

“Taking over Dream’s two altars has allowed the God of Flesh and Blood to cut through some limits. If we digest the third altar, we might have the chance to face the Unmentionables head-on.” Gao Ming was one with the God of Flesh and Blood. They were the only Dream Ghosts that could grow indefinitely in Han Hai.

Gao Ming closed the altar and covered it with the black cloth. Gao Ming walked through the corpses and entered the corridor. The building was located at the edge of the city. It looked like a normal residential building, but many complicated devices were hidden by Immortal Pharma inside inconspicuous household electronics.

“The residential houses are just disguises. This is one of the guard stations built by Immortal Pharma. The reason for the existence of this place is to hide the altar.” No. 2 thought of things from many years ago. “There are many similar stations. You should have encountered investigators who claimed that they came from Xin Lu, right? They are volunteers trained by Immortal Pharma. After they arrived here, they would follow the hints in their heads and move to different stations to acquire their new identities and complete the missions carved in their brains.”

“Something has been bothering me. What is the connection between Han Hai Investigation Centre and Immortal Pharma?”

“There is no secret that can be kept forever. The first investigation centre headquarters was formed by citizens who wanted to know the truth. When they were about to reach the truth, they would be annihilated by a mysterious force. However, they couldn’t be wiped out permanently. Like wild grass, they would continue to grow. After that, the new No. 0 started to intervene. He forced the creation of an organisation that could control Han Hai. Thus, the current investigation centre that you see now came to be.” No. 2 was cautious. “The investigators from Xin Lu have the power of the ghost tattoos. They are the investigation centre headquarters’ sharpest knives. They help them deal with the dangers of the shadow world. However, their relationship is not good. The headquarters has been trying to shake off No. 0’s control. They have been conducting horrible research. In conclusion, neither of them is good.”

No. 2’s information was similar to Gao Ming’s memory. Back then, the Han Hai investigation centre headquarters used the figurine of the God of the Past to set a trap in a neighbourhood. They wanted to hunt down Gao Ming and kill Wan Jie from Xin Lu. The headquarters would rather work with the demon ghosts to eliminate them.

“Do you know how many Dream Ghosts are hidden at the headquarters?” Gao Ming asked.

“I don’t know that.” No. 2 was silent. Then, he added, “To be able to grow to such a stage with No. 0 and the other cities watching, Han Hai Investigation Centre Headquarters cannot be underestimated.”

The further he went down the stairs, the more corpses he encountered. Some were very fresh. When Gao Ming reached the first floor, he saw living humans outside the window. There was a trio with differing heights.

They were in thick protective gear and moving the dead bodies. They were very careful as if the corpses were filled with contagion.

“Uncle Qi, look! There’s someone in that house!” The youngest child was looking around. He didn’t think he’d meet Gao Ming’s eyes. He was so scared that he almost dropped the body he was carrying.

The tall man froze. His brain had already come up with his will. The old lady next to them was the calmest. She nudged them. “Run!” The three dropped the corpse and rushed to a car.

“Am I that scary?” Gao Ming narrowed his eyes and used the Dream Ghost’s power. The tall man tripped and fell. He couldn’t get up. The other two didn’t abandon him. This gave Gao Ming the chance to catch up to them.

Gao Ming kept his arms raised. “Don’t worry. Look at me. I’m a human, not a ghost.” Gao Ming pointed at his shadow. The spaced-out black dog returned to a normal human shape. They were about five metres away. The lady stared at Gao Ming warily. “Who are you? What are you doing in the sick zone?”

“Sick zone?”

“Our city is sick. The shadow infiltrated it. The living is crazy. All the mutated areas are called sick zones. If you die here, your corpse cannot be carried out.” The youngest child had just graduated from primary school. He gathered his courage to stand beside the old lady. “How can you not know that? Are you a survivor who has been hiding there?”

“That’s right. I knew that dangers were coming, so I prepared a lot of food and water. I hid in the basement and just came out.” Gao Ming made an excuse. “Can you tell me the current situation in Han Hai? Have the investigation centre and the horror game players stopped the invasion of the shadow world?”

“But you came from upstairs…” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Before the boy could finish, the old lady interrupted him. She went along with Gao Ming’s story. “We don’t know about the other places, but the west side of Han Hai has ¼ of its location turned into sick zones. The buildings have been taken over by strange things. They are like livor mortis on the land. They continue to spread daily. Every day, people die.”