"Visage" Trailer Released

Since the EA version of "Dark Forest" went on sale, it had remained a hot topic and enjoyed high engagement.

After the Official Version launched, the shocking truth behind its twist ending pushed the game to new heights. It quickly became known and widely discussed across the internet.

Just when players thought horror games were about to experience a revival, the arrival of "Jungle Terror" disappointed them once again.

Its exorbitant price, shoddy production, bait-and-switch story, and stiffly copied gameplay all told players one thing: it was trash!

Clearly, it was a lousy follow-the-trend cash grab made after seeing "Dark Forest" become popular.

Maybe the publisher thought it could cash in while the iron was hot. Or maybe it thought players were idiots who would gladly pay for it.

Combined with the stereotypical prejudice against horror games, the developers had clearly put no care into it. In the end, it received mostly negative reviews, drove away huge numbers of players, and left everyone sighing in disappointment.

And Xiyou Platform had no review or rating system, so who knew how many players who did not use Cyber Platform would get scammed.

But in any case.

"Jungle Terror" had picked the wrong target.

There were plenty of condemnations like this online, yet the game's developers and publishers simply played dead as if nothing had happened. Even after their Weibo was flooded with abuse, they only enabled a posting restriction for users with five years of loyal-fan status.

So netizens shifted their criticism to major gaming news sites. Some editors rated it as a complete mess, while others came up with a classic line.

'"Dark Forest" opened the door to horror games, and "Jungle Terror" slammed it shut again.'

The statement won widespread agreement from netizens.

Yet the game remained listed on both platforms. Clearly, they were still selling it with the mindset of scamming whoever they could.

Then, under such circumstances, a video on Danmu Network suddenly exploded in popularity.

It was a game promotional video, and Danmu Network was heavily pushing it. It was hard not to suspect some shady deal between CEO Boss Chen and the video's creator.

But when netizens took a closer look, they immediately understood.

Because the uploader was Shuo Guang!

Who was Shuo Guang?

He was the creator of "Dark Forest," a top-tier game that had opened up and dominated the horror game market!

He had also developed "21 Points" in just one month, an era-defining VR game that crushed major studios and stood at the very peak of the VR pyramid!

Those two achievements had made his online name, Shuo Guang, and his company, Only Game, symbols of horror and quality.

Countless people had been waiting for a VR version or sequel to "Dark Forest."

Now, their wait was over. Shuo Guang had finally released a game trailer.

Only this time.

It was a new game?

He was developing a new IP without squeezing every last drop of value from the "Dark Forest" IP?

Most studios simply could not do that.

Under Danmu Network's heavy promotion, the video's title was rather exaggerated.

It read:

A shocking release! The first trailer for the brand-new horror game "Visage" is here! Renowned game creator Shuo Guang will bring you a psychological horror experience. Put on your headphones, move away from the screen, and begin a brand-new spine-chilling journey!

Xin Xin, who was streaming during mealtime, had been eating while preparing to read the messages her fans had left her when she suddenly spotted the video recommendation.

The title alone made her eyes widen.

Its immense popularity and high ranking made her curious. What kind of game trailer could be this incredible?

"Visage? A horror game? And who is Shuo Guang?"

Xin Xin was merely a virtual-avatar entertainment streamer who usually did not follow the gaming scene, so she knew little about the now-famous Shuo Guang.

It was like how some people did not know who had directed the highest-grossing movie.

She picked up a mouthful of rice and stuffed it into her mouth, then glanced at the comments. Her fans had already answered her question.

"Scaredy Xin, don't you remember Dark Forest and 21 Points, the games you played?"

"No way, Scaredy Xin doesn't even follow the game creator who scared her into crying?"

"He's the developer of Dark Forest, Xin."

"Xin mainly plays MOBA games. It's normal for her not to know much about single-player games."

Xin Xin gave a soft snort when she saw that.

Come to think of it, that had indeed happened.

When she had played "Dark Forest," she encountered a jump scare while opening a door and trying to flee during the nighttime event in the first area of Chapter 1. It scared her so badly that her keyboard fell to the floor.

She had even accidentally bumped the network cable, causing her stream to lose signal.

That was how she earned the nickname Scaredy Xin.

When she continued playing afterward, she was startled again and again, screaming constantly.

It was eventually edited into a video and replayed endlessly on Danmu Network, making her so embarrassed she wished she could disappear.

"Damn, I get it now."

Xin Xin shoveled another mouthful of rice into her mouth. Her anime avatar's mouth opened and closed in sync, creating a rather amusing sight.

Then she clicked into the video, intending to watch this creator's new game while she ate.

She was also curious about what this so-called psychological horror was like and how it compared to his previous two games.

The trailer was four minutes and thirty seconds long. It was fairly lengthy.

As the video began, the logos of two companies slowly appeared one after the other.

They were Only Game and Infinite Network Entertainment.

Taking advantage of that brief moment, Xin Xin took another bite of rice. At last, the video displayed an image.

It was a black-and-white film.

The screen was filled with static and constantly flickering lines, carrying the atmosphere of a bygone era.

The setting appeared to be some sort of program.

In the middle of the stage, a man wearing a black suit and black hat was performing a comical dance.

A cacophony of noise rang out continuously, making the scene seem lively and cheerful.

In the next shot, more people suddenly appeared onstage.

The Hat Man in black was no longer dancing alone. A group of children surrounded him and danced along, making the scene even livelier.

The noisy sounds grew louder as well.

Among them were a boy and a girl who looked like siblings. Holding hands, they smiled at the camera under the guidance of a woman who appeared to be their mother.

On that festive stage, they looked very happy and very blessed.

"Is this some kind of videotape? Everyone in it seems foreign, and their clothes look like they're from the sixties or seventies."

Xin Xin noticed the detail as she ate, wondering whether the new game would have a foreign setting.

But that was not what concerned her. She was merely watching the video while eating.

Then she noticed the old black-and-white image in front of her gradually shrinking.

A black border appeared around it, along with number buttons, a speaker grille, and other details.

This was—

A television!

Xin Xin realized that as the image shrank... no, as the camera pulled back, the black-and-white film from before had become the image on a television!

At the same time, a table holding the television appeared, with potted plants on both sides.

As the camera continued pulling back, it revealed a filthy, cluttered coffee table that no one had cleaned, covered with fruit, newspapers, and all sorts of miscellaneous junk.

The camera kept retreating until it reached the hallway. As it passed beneath the incandescent light overhead, the light flickered on and off.

Finally, the image abruptly accelerated, flying backward at high speed as the surroundings on both sides stretched out in an instant.

Xin Xin frowned deeply as she watched, unable to understand what it was trying to convey.

When the image stabilized again, it showed an upside-down lamp casting a faint glow through pitch-black surroundings.

Drifting dust floated past like snowflakes, speckling the space around it.

The camera moved again, this time downward.

Then a close-up of part of a table appeared onscreen.

On it lay a gleaming black Revolver and six scattered bullets.

Accompanying the image were several muffled whimpers, as though someone's mouth had clearly been taped shut.

Xin Xin still had no idea what was happening. She kept eating, occasionally taking a sip of soup.

But her eyes never left the video.

This was a horror game, after all. Its opening had drawn her in.

And the texture of that gun looked far too realistic!

It was nothing like the garbage horror games she had played before.

Soon, a hand reached out and picked up the gun and bullets.

At the same time, as the camera widened, Xin Xin saw three pairs of legs at the edge of the screen. They were different sizes, all seated in chairs, and clearly tied up.

Combined with the muffled whimpering from earlier, she instantly understood!

"No way, it's starting with... a shooting?"

Sure enough, she had guessed correctly.

The hands in the video loaded the bullets, then, with a trembling first-person perspective, walked up to a woman tied to a chair and whimpering continuously.

Then they slowly raised the gun.

The three bound people, including a Little Boy and a Little Girl, began struggling like mad.

But with tape over their mouths, all that could be heard were their desperate muffled cries.

This was obviously a mother and her children!

Oh my god, could they be the happy family of three from the black-and-white television footage just now?

Xin Xin immediately dragged the progress bar back to the beginning and returned to the black-and-white scene.

After comparing them, they really did seem to be the three people tied to the chairs.

Otherwise, why would the trailer deliberately show that black-and-white television footage first?

It was meant to create a contrast between before and after!

The person holding the gun had to be a murderer!

Just like the Masked Man in "21 Points," he was a psychopath!

By then, Xin Xin had completely forgotten about eating.

The scene before her held her gaze so tightly that she could not look away. She only wanted to know what would happen.

Would someone come save them, or—

Bang—

The gunshot completely shattered her train of thought.

At the same time, the screen went black, followed by an eerie melody and a shrill voice like that of an old witch.

[Dwayne. Dwayne. Dwayne. Oh~ Dwa~yne~]

Immediately afterward came a spine-chilling shriek of laughter.

The sound was like a demon whispering in her ear, making her entire body feel uncomfortable.

She could not help wondering whether the man holding the gun was named Dwayne.

And could that old-witch-like voice be tempting him?

Before Xin Xin could think further, the two huge words "Visage" slowly emerged alongside the unsettling music.

She knew the prelude was over. The main event had begun.

Today, my editor notified me that this book had advanced. Next week, it will receive featured promotion in its category on both the app and PC. Thank you all for your support and for reading this book!

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