May 24, 2023 by Wyrd
The screen of the mobile phone displayed noisy snowflakes, and the image appears dim and blurry, as if playing an old cassette tape that had been around for a long time.
A man in a suit and leather shoes raced through the rainy night, the roaring sound of the engine drowning out the noise of heavy objects falling. The wheels bumped for a moment, and the man burst into wild laughter. Instead of stopping, he excitedly ran over them.
The wheels crushed bones, and dark red blood splattered on the car’s body, quickly washed away by pouring rain, leaving only a blurry pool of dark red flesh in the rainy night.
In the next second, the scene switched to the man sprinting on the road. His suit was old and dirty, and his hair was messy, hanging over his face. He nervously looked around, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and his face showing fear and distress.
The roaring sound of the engine followed closely behind him, causing the man’s teeth to tremble in fear. He looked back and saw something wriggling towards him from the darkness behind him.
The man widened his eyes and desperately tried to escape, but no matter where he hid, the sound of the engine and that something followed him like a shadow, like maggots clinging to bone.
Amidst the pouring rain, the man knelt down and begged for mercy, but all he got was the familiar explosion of the roaring sound in his ears as a speeding luxury car rolled over him.
The screen image did not stop because of the man’s death.
After a brief darkness, the figure of a man gradually became clear in a narrow and dim alley.
He held a bottle of alcohol, belched, and walked unsteadily, swaying from side to side. He stopped at the end of the alley and collapsed on the steps, pounding on the door.
The sound was deafening, making people tremble in the silent night.
The door remained motionless, angering the man. He stood up and kicked with all his might. The old wooden door could not bear the force and emitted a teeth-gritting noise, shaking and on the verge of collapse.
The man kicked again, and the wooden door finally gave way, crashing down to the ground.
In the dimly lit room, a frail little boy cowered in the corner, lifting his eyes from his arm and trembling as he watched the man.
The man stumbled forward, muttering and cursing under his breath. He viciously grabbed the young boy’s head and slammed it against the wall, over and over again. The wall was stained red with fresh blood as the boy’s struggling arms gradually dropped down.
The scene shifted. One of the man’s feet was tied to an iron pillar, and there was a machete beside him. Above the man’s head hung a large transparent container, into which a moth accidentally fell and instantly turned into liquid.
It was sulfuric acid!
The man swallowed hard, and the container continued to tilt. He desperately struggled, but the iron chain held him firmly, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape the confines of the container unless...
The man’s gaze turned to the knife beside him. Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he swallowed saliva repeatedly. After a struggle, he tremblingly picked up the knife and aimed it at his own leg.
The blade was dull and stuck in the bone, unable to be pulled out. The man screamed in agony, and his voice accelerated the tilt of the container.
Clang...
The screen suddenly went dark and then lit up again the next second.
This time, a pair of fair and slender hands appeared, typing out comments with a keyboard filled with malicious and nauseating words.
—"You don’t even look in the mirror. How dare you go out like this? You’re so ugly. Why don’t you just die?"
—"Always watching two grown men copulate. Isn’t it disgusting?"
—"He deserves it in my opinion! Living is a waste of resources. Why doesn’t he just die?"
The scene abruptly stopped here, and blood-red words emerged, carrying an eerie and terrifying sensation.
【Welcome, players, to the Horror Livestream Room dungeon instance.】
【Debts always have to be repaid.】
【Once you owe a debt, you will be selected by the horror broadcast, and thousands of viewers will witness your death.】
【Mission: Survive for seven days or find the owner of the horror livestream room.】
【Friendly reminder: Each person only has one chance to accuse someone. Once you made a false accusation, something bad will happen~】
...
On an invisible screen, the scene was identical to the third clip that had just played on the phone, except this time the image was no longer dim but looked like a normal live stream.
The audience watching the screen started to get excited, and text began flashing on the screen.
【Is it the keyboard warrior this time?】
【When one’s own life is unsatisfactory, they vent their frustration by harming others online, just like rats in a sewer. They truly deserve to die.】
【What kind of death do you think it will be this time? I guess being devoured by rats until nothing is left, which suits his identity.】
This statement seemed to ignite the barrage of comments. The live chat room was filled with various ways of dying, and those lines of text appeared cold and merciless.
【I think dismemberment would be better; the scene would be so beautiful.】
【I think we should have his hands chopped off while he watches his own blood flow until he dies.】
The barrage of comments discussed the death methods of the person being commented on, and no one found it too cruel, as if it were the most normal thing, sending chills down one’s spine.
...
Ruan Qing sat in front of the computer desk, lowering his head and letting his long hair cover his expression. He looked at the notification messages on his phone about this instance without saying a word.
He had never seen anyone luckier than himself. Not only was he chosen by a horror game, but he also became a special player who had to play the role of an NPC.
Not a crucial NPC or a boss-level villain NPC, but an NPC marked for death from the beginning, waiting only to provide warnings and clues to other players before dying.
While other players might still have a chance to find a way to survive, he was the unfortunate one who was targeted by the boss from the very beginning.
A slight mistake could result in him not surviving the first day.
Just like now.
This was his first instance, and this horror livestream room had already chosen him.
He had become the player who would portray the NPC, the keyboard warrior, who had already been selected as the next target by the horror livestream room.
That meant the next one to die was him.
If he couldn’t find a way to survive, this instance just started, and it would immediately end for him.
That’s not the worst part. What’s even more tragic was that this instance read data from his own body.
Ruan Qing’s original body had become weak and fragile due to chronic illness. Even running for ten minutes would leave him breathless.
If he encountered a death scenario like the one in the first video, he would be hit and killed in the first second.
Ruan Qing mentally asked the game system that just informed him of everything, his voice showing no panic despite this hellish start, rather cold and indifferent. ‘What happens if I die in this instance?‘
The voice of the game system lacked any warmth, as if it’s an emotionless AI. ‘Losing memory and becoming a true NPC in the instance, forever trapped in here.‘
Ruan Qing remained silent.
Losing memory, huh...
Could a person still be considered the same person after losing their memory?
In Ruan Qing’s view, it’s impossible.
That’s good then.
Ruan Qing withdrew his legs and curled up in the chair, lowering his head and closing his eyes slowly.
The teenager on the chair seemed out of place in this shabby room. His hair was too long, giving a gloomy impression. His body was somewhat slender, and this curled-up posture inexplicably evoked a sense of pity, making it impossible to divert one’s gaze from him.
But regardless of how aesthetically pleasing this scene may be, it clearly depicted a posture of waiting for death.
System: ...
The system reminded, ‘In the game, everything is possible. As long as you complete enough instance scenarios, you can obtain what you desire.‘
The teenager on the chair remained motionless, as if he didn’t hear at all.
Clearly, he had an obvious refusal to cooperate and appeared as if he just wanted to quietly wait for death.
The system remained silent for a few seconds and spoke again, ‘Although the memories have been erased, occasionally they will still come back.’
Ruan Qing, who was already prepared to wait for death: “...”
Ruan Qing was not afraid of death, nor was he afraid of losing his memories.
What he feared was losing his memories and then recalling everything.
That would be a disaster.
All of this was because of his constitution.
Ruan Qing’s constitution was extremely peculiar, attracting the attention of some perverts and fanatics wherever he went.
He was afraid that without memories, he would attract a bunch of perverts. If he couldn’t remember, it would be fine since he wouldn’t be himself anymore, and it wouldn’t matter how he was treated.
But if he were to remember...
Just thinking about that scene made Ruan Qing’s scalp tingle.
He absolutely couldn’t die.
At least he couldn’t die in the dungeon instance.
But now it was almost an inevitable death situation.
Being chosen by the horror livestream room, he would never survive for seven days, and it would take even longer to identify the owner of the horror livestream room.
What Ruan Qing lacked the most now was time.
Because he didn’t know when his death would come.
Ignoring the discomfort in his stomach, Ruan Qing didn’t rashly raise his head. He just glanced around with his peripheral vision.
The room was somewhat dilapidated, probably only about ten square meters. There wasn’t much furniture inside, just a bed next to him and a desk with a computer on it.
The bed was made of makeshift wooden planks, and the table was one of those wooden ones that could easily be pushed apart with a little force.
If someone were to break in, there wouldn’t be anything to buy him even a little time.
As for considering the restroom, forget it. The restroom had no windows or exits. Once you entered the restroom, there was no possibility of escape. You could only wait for death.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
A loud knocking sound suddenly broke the silence.
Ruan Qing lifted his head in alarm, revealing a pair of shimmering watery eyes and a face so radiant that it seemed to momentarily dim the world. He swiftly turned his head to look at the door not far behind him.
The door to his room was the one being knocked on.
Ruan Qing bit his lower lip, and a faint blush stained his pale lips, as if injecting vivid and splendid peach blossoms into an ink painting.
They came so quickly...
And just when the live stream room, which had been discussing various ways for Ruan Qing to die, froze in the moment when the beautiful boy looked up, the cruel and heartless words vanished, replaced by an eerie silence.
Only after two or three seconds did a few sporadic comments appear.
[I don’t think he deserves to die. He just insulted someone, right? It’s not like he took a piece of flesh from them. Why make such a fuss over a minor issue?]
[Agreed, I don’t think he seems like a bad person.]
These two comments instantly drove the barrage into a frenzy once again.
[???]
[??? What’s going on?]
[What’s wrong with you all? Isn’t he just slightly better looking? Haven’t you heard of not judging a book by its cover? What does being good-looking have to do with being a bad person?]
[...Setting aside the facts, do you really think it’s just about being good-looking?]
[Keyboard warriors should just die! Even if they look good, their hearts are rotten, making them ugly!]
The barrage immediately erupted into arguments, with the majority of viewers still demanding Ruan Qing’s death. However, the small group of viewers who were captivated by his appearance gradually fell silent due to their limited numbers.
Yet, all of this had nothing to do with Ruan Qing as the sound of knocking on the door rang out once again.
Moreover, it seemed urgent this time, as if the next second the door would be forcefully broken down.
The knocking sound diverted the barrage, and the viewers began once again to suggest various ways of dying, with some even starting a gambling game.
All the viewers in the horror livestream room stared at the screen, eagerly anticipating the unfolding of the next development.
May 24, 2023 by Wyrd
The screen of the mobile phone displayed noisy snowflakes, and the image appears dim and blurry, as if playing an old cassette tape that had been around for a long time.
A man in a suit and leather shoes raced through the rainy night, the roaring sound of the engine drowning out the noise of heavy objects falling. The wheels bumped for a moment, and the man burst into wild laughter. Instead of stopping, he excitedly ran over them.
The wheels crushed bones, and dark red blood splattered on the car’s body, quickly washed away by pouring rain, leaving only a blurry pool of dark red flesh in the rainy night.
In the next second, the scene switched to the man sprinting on the road. His suit was old and dirty, and his hair was messy, hanging over his face. He nervously looked around, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and his face showing fear and distress.
The roaring sound of the engine followed closely behind him, causing the man’s teeth to tremble in fear. He looked back and saw something wriggling towards him from the darkness behind him.
The man widened his eyes and desperately tried to escape, but no matter where he hid, the sound of the engine and that something followed him like a shadow, like maggots clinging to bone.
Amidst the pouring rain, the man knelt down and begged for mercy, but all he got was the familiar explosion of the roaring sound in his ears as a speeding luxury car rolled over him.
The screen image did not stop because of the man’s death.
After a brief darkness, the figure of a man gradually became clear in a narrow and dim alley.
He held a bottle of alcohol, belched, and walked unsteadily, swaying from side to side. He stopped at the end of the alley and collapsed on the steps, pounding on the door.
The sound was deafening, making people tremble in the silent night.
The door remained motionless, angering the man. He stood up and kicked with all his might. The old wooden door could not bear the force and emitted a teeth-gritting noise, shaking and on the verge of collapse.
The man kicked again, and the wooden door finally gave way, crashing down to the ground.
In the dimly lit room, a frail little boy cowered in the corner, lifting his eyes from his arm and trembling as he watched the man.
The man stumbled forward, muttering and cursing under his breath. He viciously grabbed the young boy’s head and slammed it against the wall, over and over again. The wall was stained red with fresh blood as the boy’s struggling arms gradually dropped down.
The scene shifted. One of the man’s feet was tied to an iron pillar, and there was a machete beside him. Above the man’s head hung a large transparent container, into which a moth accidentally fell and instantly turned into liquid.
It was sulfuric acid!
The man swallowed hard, and the container continued to tilt. He desperately struggled, but the iron chain held him firmly, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape the confines of the container unless...
The man’s gaze turned to the knife beside him. Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he swallowed saliva repeatedly. After a struggle, he tremblingly picked up the knife and aimed it at his own leg.
The blade was dull and stuck in the bone, unable to be pulled out. The man screamed in agony, and his voice accelerated the tilt of the container.
Clang...
The screen suddenly went dark and then lit up again the next second.
This time, a pair of fair and slender hands appeared, typing out comments with a keyboard filled with malicious and nauseating words.
—"You don’t even look in the mirror. How dare you go out like this? You’re so ugly. Why don’t you just die?"
—"Always watching two grown men copulate. Isn’t it disgusting?"
—"He deserves it in my opinion! Living is a waste of resources. Why doesn’t he just die?"
The scene abruptly stopped here, and blood-red words emerged, carrying an eerie and terrifying sensation.
【Welcome, players, to the Horror Livestream Room dungeon instance.】
【Debts always have to be repaid.】
【Once you owe a debt, you will be selected by the horror broadcast, and thousands of viewers will witness your death.】
【Mission: Survive for seven days or find the owner of the horror livestream room.】
【Friendly reminder: Each person only has one chance to accuse someone. Once you made a false accusation, something bad will happen~】
...
On an invisible screen, the scene was identical to the third clip that had just played on the phone, except this time the image was no longer dim but looked like a normal live stream.
The audience watching the screen started to get excited, and text began flashing on the screen.
【Is it the keyboard warrior this time?】
【When one’s own life is unsatisfactory, they vent their frustration by harming others online, just like rats in a sewer. They truly deserve to die.】
【What kind of death do you think it will be this time? I guess being devoured by rats until nothing is left, which suits his identity.】
This statement seemed to ignite the barrage of comments. The live chat room was filled with various ways of dying, and those lines of text appeared cold and merciless.
【I think dismemberment would be better; the scene would be so beautiful.】
【I think we should have his hands chopped off while he watches his own blood flow until he dies.】
The barrage of comments discussed the death methods of the person being commented on, and no one found it too cruel, as if it were the most normal thing, sending chills down one’s spine.
...
Ruan Qing sat in front of the computer desk, lowering his head and letting his long hair cover his expression. He looked at the notification messages on his phone about this instance without saying a word.
He had never seen anyone luckier than himself. Not only was he chosen by a horror game, but he also became a special player who had to play the role of an NPC.
Not a crucial NPC or a boss-level villain NPC, but an NPC marked for death from the beginning, waiting only to provide warnings and clues to other players before dying.
While other players might still have a chance to find a way to survive, he was the unfortunate one who was targeted by the boss from the very beginning.
A slight mistake could result in him not surviving the first day.
Just like now.
This was his first instance, and this horror livestream room had already chosen him.
He had become the player who would portray the NPC, the keyboard warrior, who had already been selected as the next target by the horror livestream room.
That meant the next one to die was him.
If he couldn’t find a way to survive, this instance just started, and it would immediately end for him.
That’s not the worst part. What’s even more tragic was that this instance read data from his own body.
Ruan Qing’s original body had become weak and fragile due to chronic illness. Even running for ten minutes would leave him breathless.
If he encountered a death scenario like the one in the first video, he would be hit and killed in the first second.
Ruan Qing mentally asked the game system that just informed him of everything, his voice showing no panic despite this hellish start, rather cold and indifferent. ‘What happens if I die in this instance?‘
The voice of the game system lacked any warmth, as if it’s an emotionless AI. ‘Losing memory and becoming a true NPC in the instance, forever trapped in here.‘
Ruan Qing remained silent.
Losing memory, huh...
Could a person still be considered the same person after losing their memory?
In Ruan Qing’s view, it’s impossible.
That’s good then.
Ruan Qing withdrew his legs and curled up in the chair, lowering his head and closing his eyes slowly.
The teenager on the chair seemed out of place in this shabby room. His hair was too long, giving a gloomy impression. His body was somewhat slender, and this curled-up posture inexplicably evoked a sense of pity, making it impossible to divert one’s gaze from him.
But regardless of how aesthetically pleasing this scene may be, it clearly depicted a posture of waiting for death.
System: ...
The system reminded, ‘In the game, everything is possible. As long as you complete enough instance scenarios, you can obtain what you desire.‘
The teenager on the chair remained motionless, as if he didn’t hear at all.
Clearly, he had an obvious refusal to cooperate and appeared as if he just wanted to quietly wait for death.
The system remained silent for a few seconds and spoke again, ‘Although the memories have been erased, occasionally they will still come back.’
Ruan Qing, who was already prepared to wait for death: “...”
Ruan Qing was not afraid of death, nor was he afraid of losing his memories.
What he feared was losing his memories and then recalling everything.
That would be a disaster.
All of this was because of his constitution.
Ruan Qing’s constitution was extremely peculiar, attracting the attention of some perverts and fanatics wherever he went.
He was afraid that without memories, he would attract a bunch of perverts. If he couldn’t remember, it would be fine since he wouldn’t be himself anymore, and it wouldn’t matter how he was treated.
But if he were to remember...
Just thinking about that scene made Ruan Qing’s scalp tingle.
He absolutely couldn’t die.
At least he couldn’t die in the dungeon instance.
But now it was almost an inevitable death situation.
Being chosen by the horror livestream room, he would never survive for seven days, and it would take even longer to identify the owner of the horror livestream room.
What Ruan Qing lacked the most now was time.
Because he didn’t know when his death would come.
Ignoring the discomfort in his stomach, Ruan Qing didn’t rashly raise his head. He just glanced around with his peripheral vision.
The room was somewhat dilapidated, probably only about ten square meters. There wasn’t much furniture inside, just a bed next to him and a desk with a computer on it.
The bed was made of makeshift wooden planks, and the table was one of those wooden ones that could easily be pushed apart with a little force.
If someone were to break in, there wouldn’t be anything to buy him even a little time.
As for considering the restroom, forget it. The restroom had no windows or exits. Once you entered the restroom, there was no possibility of escape. You could only wait for death.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
A loud knocking sound suddenly broke the silence.
Ruan Qing lifted his head in alarm, revealing a pair of shimmering watery eyes and a face so radiant that it seemed to momentarily dim the world. He swiftly turned his head to look at the door not far behind him.
The door to his room was the one being knocked on.
Ruan Qing bit his lower lip, and a faint blush stained his pale lips, as if injecting vivid and splendid peach blossoms into an ink painting.
They came so quickly...
And just when the live stream room, which had been discussing various ways for Ruan Qing to die, froze in the moment when the beautiful boy looked up, the cruel and heartless words vanished, replaced by an eerie silence.
Only after two or three seconds did a few sporadic comments appear.
[I don’t think he deserves to die. He just insulted someone, right? It’s not like he took a piece of flesh from them. Why make such a fuss over a minor issue?]
[Agreed, I don’t think he seems like a bad person.]
These two comments instantly drove the barrage into a frenzy once again.
[???]
[??? What’s going on?]
[What’s wrong with you all? Isn’t he just slightly better looking? Haven’t you heard of not judging a book by its cover? What does being good-looking have to do with being a bad person?]
[...Setting aside the facts, do you really think it’s just about being good-looking?]
[Keyboard warriors should just die! Even if they look good, their hearts are rotten, making them ugly!]
The barrage immediately erupted into arguments, with the majority of viewers still demanding Ruan Qing’s death. However, the small group of viewers who were captivated by his appearance gradually fell silent due to their limited numbers.
Yet, all of this had nothing to do with Ruan Qing as the sound of knocking on the door rang out once again.
Moreover, it seemed urgent this time, as if the next second the door would be forcefully broken down.
The knocking sound diverted the barrage, and the viewers began once again to suggest various ways of dying, with some even starting a gambling game.
All the viewers in the horror livestream room stared at the screen, eagerly anticipating the unfolding of the next development.
