"Holy——shit——"

With this, the demo version came to an end.

But Xu Xiaolin was left covered in goosebumps!

Because this ending was far too lingering, making one unable to stop imagining!

First!

That man on the motorcycle holding the letter!

Without a doubt, that was the protagonist of the main game!

Because Gu Sheng had already used his most masterful cinematography to reveal the answer——

When the player drives out of the fog, the yellow-painted "Silent Hill - Exit Here" sign stands out prominently!

One entering, one exiting!

This was the crossing of two people both seeking answers in Silent Hill.

But at the same time, it was also the crossing of two different timelines!

Because clearly!

The moment the two passed each other at the sign, the stranger's figure disappeared into the thick fog.

Combined with everything experienced in the demo, it's not hard to guess that the stranger must have entered a parallel Otherworld.

Who is he? Why did he come to Silent Hill? What truth is he searching for? What bizarre experiences will he undergo?

Perhaps all these answers will only be revealed when the main Silent Hill game is released.

Actually, by normal standards!

For a demo version, ending here would already be considered quite complete.

But!

Gu Sheng's ambitions seemed to go far beyond this!

At the very end, he actually used an email to plant a suspenseful easter egg!

An email from an unknown source was sent to his phone!

An anonymous whistleblower seems to possess information about an enormous, horrifying conspiracy!

The investigation into the Silent Hill haunted house case has concluded, but as a righteous journalist, Miles' investigative journey is far from over!

Gu Sheng seems intent on giving Miles greater significance!

And Miles will become a key!

A key unique to Gu Sheng, one that unlocks a horror game universe!

This is fucking brutal!!!

Teaser + easter egg!

Shocking!

Still fucking shocking!

Xu Xiaolin had never seen such an astonishing demo before!

Its stunning impact even rivaled that of Titanfall when it first released!

Xu Xiaolin feverishly wrote:

[Without a doubt! Gu Sheng's game design philosophy, especially his ability to craft "psychological horror," has far surpassed this era!]

[His mastery of human nature, player psychology, atmosphere construction, pacing... has reached perfection, even the pinnacle!]

[People materialize fear, while he extracts and purifies that materialized fear, then implants it into every player's heart!]

[If I were to describe this "Silent Hill PT"]

[The word I would use is——great]

[Though it's only a demo, this doesn't diminish its landmark status in horror game history!]

[At the same time, I eagerly await the day the full game releases!!!]

...

The next day!

Shen Miaomiao sat in her CEO office, browsing through the overwhelming online comments!

Silent Hill PT was a hit!

And even more popular than before!

In just one day, it became the most talked-about game at the Higashitsu Gaming Festival in Neon!

The previous situation of competing with Yakuza Frenzy no longer existed.

Instead, PT stood alone at the top!

After all, compared to the conventional Yakuza Frenzy, PT was clearly superior in both innovation and content.

Some commented on its psychological horror elements:

[Sam perfectly understood that "human fear stems from the unknown" - that light switch scene will haunt me forever - LIM, famous Twitch streamer]

[Superb environmental design and heavily implied storyline, PT successfully implanted fear in players' hearts - TeamLink, famous American game review team]

[Without doubt, Silent Hill PT will become a benchmark in gaming history, the pinnacle of psychological horror! At least until the full game releases - "Players Online," international comprehensive gaming media]

[...]

Others analyzed the game's obscure and suggestive content:

[Actually, long before the truth was revealed, Sam foreshadowed it through Lisa's character design - she wears a red high heel on her right foot while her right eye is gouged out]

[Red high heels are objects with strong sexual implications, and in the Bible, the right eye symbolizes the source of lust: "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away"]

[But clearly, Lisa only has one high heel, combined with her missing right eye, all signs indicate she had already broken free from her chains]

[Perhaps the manager's harassment did happen, but Lisa never wavered]

[Similarly, at the game's end, that ridiculously difficult puzzle also confirms this]

[Through our testing, to successfully leave the room, you only need to say words containing "truth," "sorry," "I understand," "sympathy," etc.]

[...]

Many players also discussed the teaser and easter eggs after the game:

[That biker must be the main game's protagonist!]

[God! Sam even buried a special easter egg just for Miles, a demo protagonist!]

[I'm so excited for the full release! This is literally the best horror game I've ever seen! Bar none!]

[Actually I'm more interested in Miles' future story, this journalist is so legendary!]

[Online begging for updates! Hope Sam can release the full version soon and complete Miles' story!]

[Teaser + easter egg! This is the boldest demo teaser I've ever seen!]

[Really hope the full version comes out soon...]

[...]

Of course!

There was no shortage of strong media coverage either!

[Horror Masterpiece! Silent Hill PT Receives Universal Praise!]

[PT Stuns on First Day! Saving the Horror Game Market!]

[Global First-Day Clear Rate Below 1%! Just How Scary is PT's Psychological Horror?]

[PT Defeats Yakuza! Discussion Heat Tops Charts!]

[Fear Arrives! Over 90% of Twitch Streamers Consider Silent Hill PT the Scariest Game Ever!]

[PT Demo Becomes Legendary! Sam the King of Horror!]

[...]

PT was a hit.

An overwhelming hit.

The top-tier psychological horror design where "not seeing the ghost is scarier than seeing it" undoubtedly gave the gaming industry a valuable lesson!

According to statistics!

In just one day!

Silent Hill PT achieved an astonishing 38% login rate on KMN-3 (Komera's motion-sensing pod)!

In comparison, Yakuza Frenzy's login rate on KMN-3 was only 14.21%!

Actually!

Yakuza Frenzy's first-day performance was already quite excellent!

With Komera's emphasis and massive marketing support, the company and team had originally projected only about a 10% first-day login rate.

Yakuza Frenzy had already exceeded expectations.

But!

Who could have imagined.

Silent Hill PT, originally intended just to diversify the game lineup, would become the dark horse that unexpectedly dethroned Yakuza Frenzy to claim the top spot!

...

"This is... insane!!!"

Sitting in her office, Shen Miaomiao looked at the overwhelming reports and data online, her face full of disbelief!

Just then!

There was a light knock on her office door.

After saying "come in," she saw the "King of Horror" himself come to see her.

"Hey hey hey, perfect timing,"

Seeing Gu Sheng arrive, Shen Miaomiao quickly waved him in:

"This CEO has many questions, come quickly and enlighten me!"

Gu Sheng had originally come to see Little Nezha for other matters, but seeing her like this, he couldn't help but laugh. He plopped down on the sofa and gestured:

"Boss, please speak! Your subordinate will answer all questions!"

Shen Miaomiao scratched her head: "First, let me confirm something - this PT... is a horror game, right?"

Gu Sheng nodded: "Yes."

Shen Miaomiao clicked her tongue: "Then theoretically, horror games are a niche genre, right?"

Gu Sheng shrugged: "Correct."

"OK," Shen Miaomiao made an understanding gesture, then continued: "Then Yakuza Frenzy's shooting and racing elements... are mainstream genres, right?"

"Mhm," Gu Sheng nodded: "Mainstream, and admittedly, the game did a pretty good job blending them."

"Ah! Then here's the question!"

Shen Miaomiao clapped her hands, frowning deeply:

"How did your niche genre game... crush Yakuza Frenzy's login rate by over double?"

"And you yourself said their game's quality isn't bad!"

"Moreover, from what I understand, PT stands for Playable Teaser—'interactive teaser',"

"Technically, it can't even be considered a full game, right?"

"Yet this demo alone directly crowned you as the 'King of Horror Games'?"

"I'm even starting to suspect this is some marketing scheme by Komera!"

"You... tsk..."

At this point, Shen Miaomiao clicked her tongue, giving a suspicious look:

"Seriously... did you give Moriya Tetsuya a bribe or something?"

Such outrageous words made Gu Sheng jolt: "Hey hey! What kind of question is that!"

Seeing Gu Sheng glare, Shen Miaomiao realized she'd spoken improperly and stuck out her tongue:

"I was just... making a metaphor..."

"What kind of metaphor is that?"

Gu Sheng rolled his eyes, then said seriously:

"PT's current fame actually surprised me too,"

"But while unexpected, it's still reasonable,"

"Because whether in terms of story construction or scare tactics, it stands alone in today's horror game scene,"

"It may not be the originator of psychological horror, but it is the pinnacle of psychological horror,"

"So I think the 'King of Horror' title is well deserved... what's with that look?"

Before he could finish.

Gu Sheng saw Little Nezha giving him a skeptical look.

As if thinking he was boasting about his own product.

Gu Sheng sighed helplessly:

"If you think I'm bragging, you can watch playthrough videos or read reviews, otherwise..."

Here.

Gu Sheng's eyes lit up.

"Our break room has Komera's KMN-3 pods,"

Gu Sheng shrugged and gestured:

"If you don't believe me, go experience it yourself. Practice yields genuine knowledge."

"Heh, fine, I'll go try it later,"

Shen Miaomiao had been planning to do exactly that - she wanted to see just how scary this so-called "scariest game ever" PT really was:

"What did you want to talk about? Tell me first, then I'll go try it. Practice yields genuine knowledge, let's see if this is some marketing collusion between you and Komera..."

"No need,"

Unexpectedly, Gu Sheng leaned back on the sofa:

"Go ahead, it won't take long. I can tell you after you finish playing."

Gu Sheng's words puzzled Shen Miaomiao: "How long is this demo?"

"According to standard playthrough time..."

Gu Sheng thought for a moment:

"About half an hour."

But then.

Gu Sheng waved his hand:

"You won't last half an hour,"

"Three minutes - if you're not kicked out by then, I'll be surprised."

Hah?!

Hearing this!

Shen Miaomiao felt provoked.

Her courage might not be ironclad and utterly fearless, but she certainly wasn't a coward!

"Old Gu, you're really looking down on me now!"

Shen Miaomiao put her hands on her hips:

"When I lived alone, I dared to watch horror movies by myself! Like those tomb-raiding web movies, or Ouija board ones!"

To this, Gu Sheng only gave an awkward yet polite smile.

Because as far as he knew, this world's horror movies... were also quite lacking.

Otherwise, horror games wouldn't be so uninspired, relying solely on jump scares.

So he just smiled at Little Nezha's words.

"Then... five minutes,"

Gu Sheng grinned, holding up five fingers:

"At most."

"Only... only two more minutes???"

Shen Miaomiao felt Gu Sheng was deliberately insulting her:

"Fine! Let's make a bet then!"

Gu Sheng chuckled: "Lady first, name your terms."

"Emmmmmm..."

Shen Miaomiao thought for a moment:

"Let's bet a week of chores! Whoever loses does all the housework for a week! Deal?"

Normally, they took turns doing chores day by day.

Seeing someone volunteer for extra chores, Gu Sheng was more than happy:

"A week lacks challenge, make it a month, including laundry. Dare to?"

"Why wouldn't I dare? Why wouldn't I dare!"

Shen Miaomiao couldn't stand being challenged. She immediately stood up, hands on hips:

"Today, even if I get scared to death in that pod, I'll last five minutes!"

"Hmph!"

At this point, Shen Miaomiao bared her little white teeth:

"Just wait to wash my socks!"

With that!

Shen Miaomiao marched out heroically, striding straight to the break room and fearlessly climbing into the motion-sensing pod!

Gu Sheng went to the claw machine to get himself some chips.

But before he could even open the bag.

He heard Little Nezha's wailing cries, along with the sound of the pod opening:

"Wahhhh... I don't wanna play anymore... I quit..."

Rip.

Gu Sheng leisurely opened the chip bag, strolling over to the pod while admiring the tear-streaked, sobbing Little Nezha, popping a chip in his mouth:

"Play a bit longer, it hasn't been five minutes yet."

"I don't wanna... sniff... don't... wahhh don't wanna..."

"Come on, just two more minutes, you haven't reached the scariest part yet."

"Ah...? Then... then I definitely quit..."

"Hey, what's there to be scared of? You're about to meet Lisa, aren't you excited? Here, let me restart it for you, no surrendering."

With that!

Gu Sheng mischievously tried to close the pod on Little Nezha.

Little Nezha burst into even louder sobs!!!

"WAAAAHHH—I QUIT! I SAID I QUIT! I ABSOLUTELY QUIT WAHHHH—!"

"I lose wahhh... you... sniff... you're the undisputed King of Horror, okay..."

"I'll do chores... I'll wash your socks, alright... wahhh..."

"What kind of awful game is this..."

"So scary wahhh... can I... sniff... have some of your chips..."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com