The door to the game room slowly slid open, and a smell mixed with sweat came out.
The first one to come out was the girl who was smoking an e-cigarette. Her hair, which had been dyed silver, was now messy and stuck to her forehead.
The eyes that were originally painted with smoky makeup were widened, and the pupils had not yet recovered from the extreme contraction.
She staggered two steps holding on to the door, her knees obviously shaking, but when she found Lex looking at her, she straightened her back and twitched her lips. "It's okay... that's it."
As soon as he finished speaking, he swallowed subconsciously, as if to suppress the churning in his stomach.
The boy wearing ripped clothing followed closely behind, with veins popping out on the back of his hand, and his right hand tightly grasping the safety lever.
When I walked through the door of the game room, I stumbled and almost hit the metal frame next to it.
"The special effects... are quite realistic and the experience is good."
In front of his friends, he muttered vaguely, but his eyes unconsciously glanced towards the game room, as if he was afraid that something would suddenly jump out of it, and then he pretended to be calm and said:
"It's just that the sound effects are too loud."
It's just that there is an obvious vibrato when speaking.
The boy who came out at the end was the most embarrassed, with a large area of wetness on the back of his white T-shirt, as if he had just been fished out of the water.
He didn't say a word, he just leaned against the wall and gasped for air, his face as pale as if it was covered with paper.
His eyes were still a little distracted, as if he was still immersed in the horror scene.
As if he remembered something, the next second his legs were so weak that he could hardly support his body. He wanted to squat on the ground, but was poked by his companion with his elbow. At this moment, his eyes turned to his two friends who were looking at him, and he straightened his waist suddenly, squeezing his neck and said:
"Nice experience, quite interesting."
After saying that, he secretly moved half a step to the side, using his companion's body to block his dangling legs.
Lex stood behind the console and looked at the fright value income + 36 that had just been refreshed on the screen. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise. He coughed lightly and pointed to the charging terminal next to him:
"Three of you, this experience has a total of 180 star points. Just scan it through the terminal."
The boy in overalls seemed to have just remembered this. He reached for his pocket and fiddled with his fingers for a long time before taking out his personal terminal. He muttered "What are you doing?" but did not dare to look at Lex.
Then he swiped the cash register and heard a "di" payment prompt. Then he dragged his companion towards the door as if he was relieved. Lex deliberately pretended not to see their embarrassment and asked with a smile:
"Are you guys satisfied? Do you want to try another scenario?"
"No, no, no." The leading boy waved his hands and backed away:
"Next time... come back next time."
Then the three of them turned around almost simultaneously and hurriedly walked towards the door. No one dared to look back.
When he walked to the door, the boy in the white T-shirt lost his footing and almost tripped on the steps. He was held steady by his companion's arm. After the door slammed shut, Lex turned to look at the screen.
36 points of fright value cannot be exchanged for any product, but he is very satisfied with the preliminary test results.
He believed that it wouldn't be long before the city's screams would surge in like a tide, paving the way to the extraordinary for him.
In order to attract more customers to challenge, he decided to create a challenge ranking through the local area network.
Having an idea, Lex acted immediately, tapping his fingers quickly on the console.
A new document popped up on the screen, and he typed the title into [Braveheart Ranking].
The ranking he wants to achieve is not about who can pass the level faster.
That's too ordinary, and it can't squeeze out more shock value.
There is monitoring in the game, and he decided to observe the status of tourists through monitoring.
The acquisition of courage points can be calculated from the length of time the player stays in the scene, the danger triggered, etc.
For example, how many seconds you have to face the monster directly in the scene will determine how many courage points you can get.
The more courage points, the higher the ranking.
This setting is to poke at the competitiveness of contemporary young people.
Secondly, you can also set up some reward mechanisms.
For example, the top ten on the weekly courage list can receive cash rewards.
You can also hang your name in the most conspicuous place in the venue, followed by a line of small words: Neon Harbor The most talented warrior.
In order to enhance the sense of immersion, he also plans to bury more surveillance cameras in the game room to automatically capture players' instant reactions when facing terror. When the rankings are updated, a few "highlight moments" will be selected and posted on the list, and of course they will be coded to protect privacy.
What is needed is for them to compete with each other.
Lex stared at the draft on the screen, smiling like a fox that stole a chicken.
He understands the young people of Neon Harbor very well.
They would rather hold on and tremble than be called "cowards".
Even if you spend star points to challenge repeatedly, you still have to move your name to the top.
The essence of this ranking is to use vanity and competitiveness to build a cage.
As long as you get in, you will willingly contribute wave after wave of fright value to him.
You can even create a group experience mode, such as a group of five people, and make a group list based on their performance.
But the most important thing is the authenticity of the scene experience.
There is no difference between the experience of the nightmare system and reality, and the stimulation it brings cannot be compared with drugs.
That kind of immersive horror, even if you know it's all fake, you will still feel trembling all over.
The brain can rationally tell itself that this is just a virtual experience, and those bloody monsters and whispers echoing in the ears are all fake.
But the body will betray reason and cause the heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably.
This is the scariest part of the nightmare system.
The scenes it generates are so real that they can bypass logical thinking and directly stimulate the most primitive instincts.
It's like standing on the edge of a cliff. Even if the guardrail is solid and reliable, your knees will still feel weak when you look down.
Reason is so fragile in the face of survival instinct.
But after the experience is over and the challengers safely return to reality, the sense of exhaustion that comes after the disaster will make them feel intense joy and excitement.
This feeling may be addictive.
Adrenaline surge, dopamine counterattack, endorphin analgesia... This process from extreme tension to sudden relaxation is like sitting on Roller Coaster. Continuously improving the draft content, he then clicked on the LAN forum and saved the draft content.
Next, he plans to continue to receive several waves of tourists and wait for word-of-mouth to ferment.
As long as players who have experienced it go back and tell their friends about their experiences, more and more challengers will come here.
By that time, the early heat will be ignited.
In addition to the guests, I am afraid that even the competitors who open similar venues will not be able to help but send people to find out the reality and experience it.
The only problem is how to explain this technology.
The reality of the nightmare scene obviously surpassed any existing technology, and it was difficult for him to give a reasonable explanation.
But he didn't need any response at all to this question.
This sense of mystery itself is one of the selling points.
The next day, Lex made a new sign for the venue, replacing the original "Dream".
The new sign uses a blue-purple neon tube to outline the five characters "Nightmare Experience Hall". The edges of the font are deliberately jagged, as if they have been gnawed by something.
He also added a line of small words below the sign: Brave, dare to face fear.
The provocation between the lines is ten times more explicit than the previous billboard.
The day after the sign was changed, the first people to come to the door were a few teenagers with dyed green hair. Their arms still had bruises from the underground fighting ring. They were most likely attracted by the discussion topics posted on the forum, or they might have been attracted by the three previous players.
As soon as they entered the door, they shouted:
"Let me show you the most brutal scene. I want to see if it's as scary as the boast."
Lex naturally warmly welcomes guests who come to the door, and shows them Horror Scene No. 4 with a smile.
In less than half an hour, the door to the game room was opened, and teenagers with dyed hair rushed out with pale faces. One of them even vomited in the corridor. Looking at the fright value income on the monitor, Lex smiled happily.
In the following days, the relevant news about the Nightmare Experience Hall spread like wings among the young people of Neon Harbor.
Some people took the challenge with a disbelief in evil, but were so frightened by the "me in the mirror" scene that they dared not look in the mirror for several days.
Someone brought his girlfriend to show off, but in the end it was the girl who dragged the frightened boy out of the game room.
There are also some small groups that form groups specifically to brush up the rankings. In order to compete for the top spot, they quarrel with other teams on the forum, and even arrange an offline showdown, with Lex acting as the referee, and the competition starts based on the courage points in the rules.
On the LAN forum, there were thousands of posts about "Nightmare Experience Hall" in a short time.
Some people analyze the calculation rules of courage value, and some people provide their own reflections during the experience... But the most lively content is the content of the highlight moments. On the real-time updated ranking list, those embarrassing moments that are coded always arouse heated discussions.
Some people were so frightened that they held their heads and squatted in defense, some tried to push forward, but their legs were as weak as noodles, and some shook their fists in the air... Lex's business was so good that it needed to hire temporary workers to take charge of collection and cleaning.
And all he had to do was look at the fright value numbers that kept beating in the background every day, from the first few dozen points, to the later thousands, and then to the tens of thousands, and smile from ear to ear.
Because the scene space was too popular, it was expanded at a cost of fright points. It can now accommodate hundreds of people for offline experience at the same time.
When he wanted to continue to expand the capacity, he found that due to the limited area of the venue, he could not continue to expand the capacity.
This made him Lex realize that he had to work harder to make money, and then change to a new venue that could accommodate more people, or even open multiple venues in the city.
The recent cash income allowed him to easily pay his arrears and pay three months' rent in advance.
That evening, Lex stood in front of the window.
Looking at the long queue at the entrance of the experience center, winding from the corridor entrance to the street corner.
The young people in the team were chattering and discussing which scene was more scary. They were holding terminals in their hands, with nervousness and excitement in their eyes, as if they were waiting for a grand carnival.
Lex knows that this is just the beginning.
When all the young people in Neon Harbor are crazy about "Nightmare Experience Hall", his extraordinary road will truly be on the right track. And those constant screams are the most solid cornerstone on this road.
The sense of expectation for the future with goals to pursue makes Lex feel happy.
He returned to the console and his eyes fell on the [Body Tempering Pill] icon in the system mall.
There is a mark next to it that requires 50,000 fright points to be redeemed. The introduction reads: Mildly temper the body and improve basic physical fitness. Looking at the string of fright value numbers in the background that have exceeded six digits, he did not hesitate at all and pressed his fingertips on the virtual panel. [Confirm redemption [Body Tempering Pill]? It consumes 50,000 fright points.]
After completing the exchange, the fright value was suddenly reduced by half.
A line of text appeared on the display: Redemption in progress, please wait.
More than ten minutes passed while waiting. Just when Lex was wondering why the exchange had not been completed, the storage compartment under the console suddenly made a slight "click" sound.
Lex Hold your breath and open the drawer.
Inside the drawer, there is a layer of silver moisture-proof paper.
What lies quietly on the paper is so small that if you don't look carefully, you will definitely be ignored.
It was a dark gray particle smaller than half the size of a fingernail, with obvious signs of fragmentation on the edge, as if it had been run over by force, or was peeled off from some complete object.
Lex was stunned and subconsciously moved closer, even wondering if he was dazzled.
He remembered the picture of Body Tempering Pill in the system mall. It was a round and plump pill with a matte surface. It was about the size of a little finger. No matter how you looked at it, it looked like a serious pill.
But the thing in front of me is probably not even enough to fit between the teeth.
"What is this?"
He murmured to himself and gently touched the crumb with his fingertips. The texture was hard and had a cold touch, which was completely different from the elixir he imagined. Lex picked up the crumb and looked at the light for a long time. Apart from confirming that it was indeed pitifully small, there was nothing special about it. But when he got closer and smelled it, a strange aroma of vegetation suddenly filled his nose, which lifted his spirits.
He pinched the broken pieces and looked at them for a moment, then hesitantly threw them into his mouth.
The crumbs melt in your mouth. There is no bitterness as expected. Instead, it turns into a warm current that slides down the throat and into the stomach.
Then the warm current suddenly spread, and the effect of the medicine became violent, as if countless small heat currents penetrated the limbs and bones.
His shoulders and neck, which were originally sore from staying up late for a long time, felt like they were being gently massaged by warm palms, and the soreness quickly subsided.
The thin calluses formed on the fingertips due to long-term knocking and labor seem to have become softer.
Even more amazing are the changes at the sensory level.
He could clearly hear a girl in the queue whispering:
"I hope you won't randomly find a shadow copy."
You can also smell the aroma of fried food wafting from the window, and even see the smallest fonts on the holographic billboard across the street.
Those details that were just blurry spots in his eyes suddenly became extremely clear at this moment.
The blood rushes through the body like a tide.
He clenched his fists subconsciously, and his knuckles made a crisp "crack" sound.
Feeling more powerful than ever.
Walking to the heavy abandoned server in the corner, he tried to lift it with one hand. It was much easier than usual. The iron lump that originally required two people to move could now be held firmly in the palm of his hand.
Lex walked to the full-length mirror and looked at himself in the mirror.
There is no obvious change in the body shape, but the fatigue in the eyes has been swept away, the skin is healthy and shiny, and even the paleness caused by being indoors for a long time has disappeared.
This change continues.
The seemingly inconspicuous particles significantly enhanced his physical fitness.
"This feeling... is so good."
He raised his hand and touched his arm, and he could clearly feel the power surging in the muscle fibers.
In the past, I always felt that "extraordinary" was a story that was out of reach.
But now, the changes brought about by this particle are extremely real.
As time went by, black mucus began to ooze from the surface of his skin, which was obviously the impurities in his body being cleaned out by the elixir.
He decisively turned around and went to the bathroom and started washing his body.
After I changed my clothes and came back, I felt refreshed.
The queue outside the window is still lengthening, the screams indoors and the laughter coming from outside are like beautiful music.
Lex looked at the young people waiting outside to experience it, and felt that the 50,000 fright points were well spent.
The nightmare system brought not only wealth, but also the power he dreamed of.
He turned back to the console and brought up the scene editor.
Starting today, he decided to personally edit new horror scenes to produce more shock value.
The comfort and strength brought by Body Tempering Pill were like a shot in the arm, making him even more sure that he was on the right path.
In the days that followed, Nightmare Experience Hall's popularity grew like a snowball.
Every morning, there is a long queue at the entrance of the venue.
There are students in school uniforms, working people, and even middle-aged men in the team who come to challenge.
The appearance of the ranking list has enhanced the fun of the Nightmare Experience Hall.
Everyone wants to try to become: the most talented warrior.
The four temporary workers hired by Lex are very busy, and one of them is responsible for guiding the guests and explaining the rules.
One dedicated to cleaning up.
The other two are responsible for watching the monitoring and counting the courage points.
When I'm the busiest, I don't even think about eating.
In order to enable temporary workers to work hard, Lex offered considerable remuneration.
On the LAN forum, the discussion about "Nightmare Experience Hall" has become increasingly rich.
Someone even compiled a fright level table for each scene, using five skulls to mark the degree of danger.
Someone live broadcasted about his experience in the Nightmare Experience Hall, hoping to gain some popularity.
There are also people who spontaneously formed a "challenge group" on the forum, claiming to win the first place in the team competition.
Many of those who experienced it in the past few days have become regular visitors to the experience center.
The experience is undoubtedly full of torture.
But every time the experience is completed, there will be a joy of surviving the disaster.
This strong sense of gap makes players who come to challenge feel excited.
During this period, Lex put more energy into the scene editor.
He was no longer satisfied with the system's initial ten scenes and began to adjust the horror direction based on customer feedback.
In the 11th scene I edited, several new strange creatures with urban legend colors were added.
The editing process does not require drawing by hand.
He only needs to enter the editing scene, and then imagine the scene layout, and the purple mist will start to generate horror scenes according to his ideas. But before perfecting the Definition scene, he does not plan to open it to tourists for the time being.
This may affect tourists' experience.
Looking at the nightmare system's steadily increasing fright value every day, Lex would occasionally think of the inconspicuous dark gray particle redeemed in the mall. Since taking the pill, he can now easily lift the server that previously required two people to move, and he can also maintain his physical strength after high-intensity exertion.
These changes made him more certain that his future was limitless.
In the evening, after the last wave of guests left, the venue finally became quiet.
Lex stood in front of the console, looking at the new scene copy created by Definition on the screen: Memory Labyrinth.
He stretched, his joints made a series of crisp sounds, and an expectant smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
How much fright value income will there be tomorrow?