Horror Game Designer-Chapter 668: Scent of Familiarity

Many abandoned souls in the inner world were similar to the black dog. They curled up in their own ‘cellars’. They survived in the dark to lick their wounds. The island in the sea of mist accepted them. The black dog crawled out of Gao Ming’s shadow. This familiar scene reminded the shadow of certain things.

“Are you his shadow?” For the black dog, the shadow was his God. His giant head nodded to answer the shadow.

“If I kill him, will you help me or him?” The shadow suddenly asked. His question dripped with scary curses. The instant pressure almost crushed the black dog’s body. The black eyes shone with disbelief. The black dog resisted the pressure and stood up. His black fur undulated like waves. He leapt to stand behind the shadow and the God of Flesh and Blood to shield Gao Ming. The black dog used actions to prove his choice.

“Your fate is in your hands. Why be another person’s shadow?” The murderous aura disappeared. The shadow’s unpredictability unsettled No. 2 and the God of Flesh and Blood. They didn’t even know how to face such a powerful Demon God.

While he carried the sins and curses, the shadow wandered between the past and the future. He didn’t communicate with anyone. He didn’t anticipate being summoned back to the lonely island. Even though it was the joint attack of the three Unmentionables that awakened him, technically, it was Gao Ming who caused everything. Staring at the elated whale, the shadow’s heart slowly calmed down. He tried to use something other than murder to interact with the world.

“How did you find this place?” The shadow didn’t use his power to enter Gao Ming’s memory to get the answer but chose to communicate. The change made the giant whale overjoyed. She rolled about, causing the sea to rock.

“We came through a door at a deep-level nightmare.” Gao Ming was still recovering. He found it difficult to speak. No. 2 crawled out of the torture room because he knew escape was impossible. “The place was called Dream Break Town. It was pieced together from many broken dreams. It was the first manmade deep-level nightmare.”

“A collection of broken dreams leads to my resting place?!” The shadow represented regret and incompleteness. He was the shadow of an existence that wanted to become human. Unfortunately, the ritual failed.

“If I’m not mistaken, with the giant whale’s help, you’ve become a God that has mastered the rules of regret. You’re a ghost not bound by the Blood Cities.” No. 2 didn’t think he’d be so threatened when he was almost an Unmentionable. “We were attacked by Unmentionables from three different Blood Cities. We had no choice but to escape here. We mean no malice.”

The shadow hoped they harboured malice because it would be simpler for him to deal with them. The shadow ignored No. 2 and studied Gao Ming silently.

Gao Ming’s soul had stopped rotting. He was healing with the aid of the God of Flesh and Blood. His broken body recovered. However, in the shadow’s eyes, Gao Ming was like a monster made from different dead body parts. He was scarier than most ghosts. Every death represented a puzzle piece for Gao Ming. Their traces were wiped away until a piece of memory lingered in Gao Ming’s heart. Only Gao Ming reminded them because he was made from those countless past.

Loneliness attracted each other. Indescribable pain could become a bridge. The shadow didn’t show any hostility towards Gao Ming. Gao Ming saved the boy when the latter was in danger. Plus, Gao Ming’s past reminded the shadow of himself. They were poor people toyed by fate. They exhausted everything to have control of their lives.

“I… caught a sense of familiarity with you.” The shadow appeared before Gao Ming. Before the God of Flesh and Blood and No. 2 could react, the shadow had already pierced his hand into the torture room. They wanted to stop it but they were too late. The shadow avoided the scythe of fate and the furnace of flesh. He picked the most common chain among the many chains. The chain looked no different from the others. Only through close observation could one notice the Blood City tattoos on it were disguised from normal sins. This blatant disrespect for the Blood Cities surprised everyone present.

“Who left this chain behind in the torture room? Who dared to use their own sins to mimic the Blood City Tattoo? This is a clear taunt and humiliation of the Blood Cities!” No. 2 didn’t notice this before because he only had a lingering consciousness left.

Triggered by the shadow’s curse, the chain shed its disguise. Black flame of sin burned. It ignored the shadow. Gao Ming opened one eye. He had a vague memory of the chain. When he left Han Hai and was close to the tunnel exit, it was this chain that yanked him out. Gao Ming had no idea who the chain belonged to, but the shadow appeared to know its owner.

“Doctor Gao…”

This was the second time Gao Ming heard the name Doctor Gao. The last time he heard it was when the mysterious Haunted House boss mentioned it on the phone. He was certain the boss was not talking about him.

“Who is Doctor Gao?” No. 2 didn’t think Gao Ming’s body could hide so many secrets.

“A real madman.” The shadow’s comment was short and to the point. He tossed the chain back into the torture room. The chain crawled towards the cursed chain the shadow gave Gao Ming to taunt the shadow. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The sins and curses overlapped. It triggered all the other torture devices. They were ready for a bloodbath.

Just as everything was about to lose control, the gentle whale sang. Gao Ming’s soul was placed in a spring. All the pain and anxiety were washed away. Only warmth and serenity remained. The two chains were temporarily separated. They were bound to different devices.

“The whale is a master in healing?! Does she have the power to soothe wounds?” No. 2 grumbled internally. The shadow was already frighteningly scary. With the giant whale’s help, his weakness was eliminated. With the giant whale’s help, Gao Ming and the God of Flesh and Blood’s wounds closed rapidly. Perhaps Gao Ming imagined it. After fighting the rules of decay, the God of Flesh and Blood appeared taller, stronger and larger.

Gao Ming had a brief guess about the origin of the God of Flesh and Blood. Han Hai Blood City was being used as a cage. Other than the butchered Han Hai locals, it also contained the lingering spirits from the other Blood Cities. The God of Flesh and Blood was probably imprisoned by the Decay Blood City.