《Game, Live Stream》Chapter 13
Advertisement
From the moment Xiao Tangqiu entered the gates of Yun Manor, his whole body felt uncomfortable. It was as if every cell in his body was warning him, “Leave this place NOW!”
If he wasn’t familiar with the common rule that leaving the group equals certain death (unless you’re the protagonist) in all horror movies and video games, he would’ve ran away immediately. But since Lu Dadong’s actions have already proved another common rule in horror movies and video games, which is “after entering a building, the door will be shut tight and impossible to open,” then he wouldn’t bother trying.
After witnessing that horrible scene involving the housekeeper, everyone was rooted in place, afraid to move. Lu Dadong had already tumbled to the ground in fright, staring dumbly at the calm housekeeper as if he had seen a ghost…….. Well, he did just see a ghost……….
Eventually, it was Luo Mansu who calmed down first, “Then, we’ll have to trouble you to take us to the main hall.”
The housekeeper kept his head bowed down as he walked. Everyone else fearfully followed after him.
Xiao Tangqiu sized up his surroundings as he walked; this was a habit he picked up from years of playing horror video games. When entering a new map, he would first memorize the terrain and at the same time plan an escape route. It’s just that he wasn’t sure if the ghosts here would follow the same rules in horror video games or not. In-game ghosts would still have to avoid and go around physical obstacles, but real ghosts don’t have a physical body after all, and can pass through walls. He was able to outrun the paper doll because the paper doll possessed a physical body; as for the ghosts in Yun Manor……….. They’ve probably never played any horror video games! As if the ghosts would follow the rules of the “chasing contest” in video games!
In here, there’s no way to save the game. If he accidentally triggered a death condition, it was impossible to reload the file and start over!
Nonetheless, he had to admit that Yun Manor looked grand on the outside and was just as magnificent on the inside. With one look, he could tell it was the house of an extravagant and prestigious family.
“We’re here. Please come in.”
Before they had even realized, they had reached the main hall. Once they entered the main hall, they found that there was indeed a feast waiting for them. There were many people sitting on the left side, and at the head of the table sat an old woman decked in luxurious robes. It was obvious the old woman was the Old Madame the housekeeper mentioned.
Advertisement
“Please be seated, everyone,” the old woman emanated the pressure of a superior. The feeling she gave off was one of a superior bossing her subjects around, “You’re all welcome to attend my son’s wedding banquet tomorrow. Let’s start eating.”
On the left of the Old Madame, there was a young girl who was also dressed luxuriously, but the seat on the right was empty. It was strange that there was tableware at an empty seat. But Xiao Tangqiu’s attention soon turned to the guests.
However, it seemed no one else had noticed it, much less the people of Yun Manor, who looked like they were accustomed to that extra set of tableware.
The dishes on the table were sumptuous. There was fish; there was meat; it all looked very mouth-watering. Yet, the newcomers had a look of apprehension on their faces. Who knows what these dishes were made of?!
Xiao Tangqiu watched as the quiet trio picked up their chopsticks, then turned to look at Luo Mansu. Luo Mansu didn’t hesitate for long, and started to savor the food in front of him with relish.
Having completed a day’s worth of heavy manual labor, Xiao Tangqiu was starving. He quickly lifted his chopsticks and lowered his head to dig into the sumptuous feast in front of him. Tang Mianmian hesitated, but after seeing Xiao Tangqiu eat, he started eating as well. After all, if he were to die, it was better to die together!
But Xiao Tangqiu soon discovered that the food only looked good. The taste, on the other hand, left much to be desired. Although it was somewhat similar to chewing on wax, it was still better than the fish they had eaten the day before.
As soon as they finished eating, the Old Madame arrogantly sent them away. The housekeeper led them to a different courtyard to stay in.
“Have you found anything from Yun Manor?” Luo Mansu asked the trio without any respect for courtesy.
The woman in charge of the trio glanced at him, “Why should we tell you?”
Luo Mansu replied, “Of course, it’s so that we can cooperate and share information.”
The woman sneered, “I don’t need your information, much less your cooperation.”
The others looked annoyed, but Luo Mansu merely replied, “Oh, forget it then. We’ll do our own thing. As long as you don’t ruin things for us, I won’t mess with you either.”
That woman no longer spoke. Once they reached the courtyard, she left for one of the rooms with her other two teammates.
Advertisement
The housekeeper stopped in place, not moving another step forward. His head was lowered, blocking his eyes. In the same strangely tranquil tone, he said, “Please arrive at the main hall on time tomorrow night to take part in the wedding banquet.”
“Tomorrow night?” Xiao Tangqiu stared blankly. Who holds a wedding banquet a night? However, he soon recalled that this was Yun family’s oldest young master, Yun Jizhou’s wedding banquet. Surely, it was a ghost wedding!
The others were still finding fault with the trio for their lack of cooperation, “How can they be so arrogant? Isn’t it for the best if we cooperate and get out of this God-forsaken place as soon as possible?!”
At the moment, Lu Dadong was suspicious of everyone. He spouted gloomily, “Could it be they’re already dead? How is it possible that they’ve been in this haunted house for two days? Yeah, that must be it! This creepy village is full of ghosts. Who knows if there are ghosts pretending to be one of us now!”
As soon as his words fell, everyone looked at each other in silence. Although Lu Dadong seemed off his rocker, what he said wasn’t completely impossible.
“Shut up!” Luo Mansu glared fiercely at Lu Dadong. “There aren’t that many twists and turns in a D-level game! Also, where the hell do you think you are?! Must everyone obediently cooperate just because you say so? Who knows what you’ll do when no one’s watching! No one’s going to believe you without rhyme or reason! A stupid fool who unconditionally trusts others will not survive beyond a day in a place like this!”
Lu Dadong’s showed a look of displeasure, but he stopped talking. Luo Mansu couldn’t be bothered with him and solemnly continued, “It’s already the second day. The deadline for the game is three days, which means we’ll have to solve everything by midnight tomorrow.”
Xiao Tangqiu immediately understood what Luo Mansu was trying to imply, “You’re planning on exploring Yun Manor tonight?”
Luo Mansu nodded, “I’m afraid there’s still a lot of clues within Yun Manor. It’s hard to say if those three managed to find all the clues. Anyways, we can’t rely on them. Don’t forget, in this game, it’s better not to trust anyone or rely on anyone!”
Xiao Tangqiu frowned and paused for a moment before he said, “Yun Manor is too big. There’s no way you’ll be able to search the entire place in one night……..”
Luo Mansu explained, “That’s why I’ll need people to work with me. It’s still the same terms; we’ll share information with each other.”
Xiao Tangqiu thought about it and nodded his head, “Alright then, Tang Mianmian and I will go together. We’ll split up with you to look for clues.”
Tang Mianmian scowled, “Hey! You haven’t even asked for my opinion!”
Xiao Tangqiu asked, “You don’t want us to stick together?”
Tang Mianmian pictured being completely alone in a room and immediately nodded his head, “I’ll go with you! Let’s go together! If you dare abandon me, I’ll follow you wherever you go even if I become a ghost!”
Ding Tiantian and Ding Mimi hesitated. Previously they hadn’t gone with Luo Mansu to dig up the grave. If they backed out again, Luo Mansu was sure to give up on them altogether. So, with their voices trembling, the twins asked to go with Luo Mansu.
The couple said they would search for clues tomorrow. They were afraid to explore the haunted house at night so they left for their room. Obviously, Lu Dadong, who had long grown suspicious of everyone else, didn’t want to join them and also went into one of the rooms on his own.
The five of them were split into two teams. One team would head left and the other would head right.
Xiao Tangqiu and Tang Mianmian chose to go right.
Under the veil of darkness, the house, which looked magnificent in the day, took on a more sinister vibe at night.
Tang Mianmian grabbed onto the corner of Xiao Tangqiu’s shirt, sounds of sobbing spilling from his lips. Xiao Tangqiu was terrified as well, but he tried his best to stay calm.
However, as hard as he tried to keep his head, Tang Mianmian’s constant “wuwuwu,” which blew right into his ears started to get to him. He wasn’t even that afraid to begin with, but after listening to Tang Mianmian’s repeated “wuwuwu,” he started to get really scared.”
“Can you stop crying?! Screw your fucking wuwuwu! For every cry you make, I’m going to hit you once. And why the fuck are you blowing into my ear?! Screw your blowing ah!”
Tang Mianmian paused for a long time before saying softly, “I didn’t cry ah….”
Advertisement
- In Serial183 Chapters
Vaudevillain
Volume 1 link!Volume 2 link! Dylan is your average nerd. He works downtown for an architecture firm during the day and enjoys all manner of games and media in his spare time. But while Dylan likes all forms of sci-fi and fantasy, he really likes the genre of superheroes. So when an indie company releases a virtual reality MMO where players choose to play as heroes or villains, Dylan immediately buys into it. He has a specific type of character he really enjoys watching, something that always makes his inner child laugh in delight. The Saturday morning cartoon villain. Yes, those inept, bungling, yet highly dangerous villains found in so many of Dylan's cartoons as a child. He loves how they always come up with strange ways to conquer the world and how they get thwarted every weekend. He remembered laughing at every silly antic, every cliched shout of "Curses! Foiled again!" He loves it so much he decides to take this idea into the MMO. But to grab a playerbase, the company has announced a promotion that players with a high enough reputation can get contacted to become permanent raid bosses in the game. Those chosen will be paid as if employees of the company. Serious players all hoping to live the dream of playing videogames all day rush to purchase copies of World of Supers! What will happen when Dylan, someone playing the game for fun, clashes with these overly serious players?
8 230 - In Serial34 Chapters
Armored
600 years have passed since the fall of civilization. The earth went through massive changes and core beasts now reign supreme. All that still exists of mankind are ruins and a scattering of walled cities. Festering pits of the worst humanity has to offer, protected by "knights" clad in a mech-like technology called armor. Nobles rule over everyone, little more than warlords. The middle class wants to make a buck and become nobles. And the rats want to survive. But everyone wants a piece of the ancient technology lost to mankind hundreds of years ago. Find one piece and it could change your life forever. For better or worse. This is my second attempt at a story. I haven't been writing for more than 3 or 4 months all combined. I hope to improve as I go. This is first and foremost a learning experience for me.
8 167 - In Serial158 Chapters
Nero Zero
Monsters plagued the lands for too long. No matter if one had fangs, beak, teeth, skin, fur, or feather, or was tall, stout, or diminutive, the people suffered. Until the Gadgeteers came with a device that could allow people to fight back. Powered by one's own magical power, feeding off of monster Essence, the Arbitrium bracer turned the tables. It also changed society. Strength of one's level cap was all that mattered. The strongest were Kings and Emperors. The weak or those too poor to afford the marvelous device, destitute. And so it has been for millennia. All that mattered was one's level cap. High, low, a fate decided the moment the strange contraption came alive. Too high and you were a threat to those interested in keeping the status quo, a weed to be nipped before it could grow and take root. Too low and you were nobody, fated to be a bit more than a simple farmer. What if someone, somewhere, came up with a zero for their level cap? Unable to use Essence, unable to level up. On all of recorded history, it never happened. Until it did. In a small village of fur-less and tail-less ape-beastkin, a boy found out he was uniquely handicapped. Nero's level cap was Zero. But he'd never let that stop him from reaching his goals. ------------------------------------------------ All stories have already been told. We merely reuse elements from them. From Joseph Campbell's Monomith to Stephen King's advice, and that encyclopedia of tropes you've visited, fiction has been dissected and reassembled countless times. One will surely find elements inspired on other works here. Just like cooking from basic ingredients, the recipe and presentation is what really matter. This is a fantasy adventure, of someone that goes from a zero to a slightly bigger zero. It will have romance but no harem. Cruelty but with hope dimly shining ahead. Lightweight where it can be, heavy where it must. Thanks for reading. Cover Credits (The cover is CC-BY-NC-SA): Steampunk Spider Bracer, by Daniel Proulx. CC-BY-NC-SA Picture Frame, @anaterate, Pixabay license. Some odds and bits from here and there.
8 262 - In Serial44 Chapters
The Wolfram Chronicles
A world is torn apart by a seemingly endless Civil War and the gods cannot sit back and watch their children suffer any longer. Having failed to bring the conflict to an end through other Champions selected by individual deities, the Pantheon of Ten have come together to summon a single individual to serve as their Champion to unite the warring factions and bring about a new age of peace. That Champion? Vance Wolfram, a University Professor of History who had his memories and past sealed upon coming to Tavaria, by nefarious forces. Now he is cast into a world with no memories of his past life and lived the life of a common-born farmboy until one fateful day he is conscripted and forced to experience the horrors of war... DISCLAIMER: This is a overpowered character, please expect isekei levels of OP-ness!
8 202 - In Serial20 Chapters
The Magi Magic Games
The planet of Vextel is home to Mana, an essence that can be harnessed and be used as Magic. Not everybody can use Magic, however. Only people born with Stigmas can wield Magic. People with this unbelievably amazing power are referred to as “Prophets”. Prophets from across the world are gathered into various schools to learn and master their acquired arts. Then the best students from these schools compete as representatives in the annual Magi Magic Games. The winners are then sent to the Zone, to fight other magic users from the planets: Craynax, Skyria, and Oeria. The winner then gets their deepest desire granted by the Beings; all-powerful creatures that created the games, and life. Elenore Magnus, a seventeen-year-old girl, a Prophet, dreams big. She wants to participate in the Zone Games to get her deepest desire granted. What is her deepest desire? To have her brother set free, who has been accused and branded a traitor for supposedly rebelling against the Beings. She wants her brother back and the truth. But first, she must win the Magi Magic Games.
8 82 - In Serial31 Chapters
Emerald Forest
A nymph out to save the world from her kind and a mortal conquering her heart. Kiri’s a young dryad sent on a dangerous quest to explore a series of irregular portal openings and earn her place as a Warden, a protector of worlds. A fresh trail leads her to a planet long since abandoned by the dryads and a human soldier putting more than her mission at risk. Johann’s had his fair share of war, only for life to take on a whole new dimension when a group of mystical nymphs appear on the battlefield. His only hope in escaping the Emerald Forest and returning home lies with the stunning Kiri. She’s keeping him at bay for now, but he’s sure he can break the ice between them in time to defeat the new enemy. A part of Kiri regrets saving Johann from the clutches of evil nymphs. Not only is he loud and shows a complete lack of respect for the environment, a complete no-go by her books, but he’s also dangerously attractive for a human. Kiri’s heard plenty of stories about falling in love with mortals to know she shouldn’t.
8 136

