Chapter 55 Matryoshka-Style Spread

"Is it really that exaggerated? I want to see what magic this Outlast holds!"

Inside a residential complex in the Imperial Capital, a muscular, bald-headed man standing at 192 cm sat bare-chested in front of his computer.

The man was Song Ren, who at this moment stared skeptically at a post on a game forum.

Every comment was uniformly raving about how terrifying Outlast was.

He had never been interested in horror games before.

But knowing that this horror game was created by the same designer behind To the Moon sparked a flicker of curiosity in him.

Despite his imposing appearance, wasn’t there a saying? "A猛虎 (tiger) gently sniffs the rose."

Outwardly, he was a pure brute, but even brutes shed tears. He had cried buckets during To the Moon.

Therefore, he did pay some attention to Nebula Games and its designer, Chen Xu.

Plus, lately, this game called Outlast seemed to be gaining popularity, so he decided to give it a try.

How scary could a horror game possibly be?

With curiosity, Song Ren purchased, installed, and launched the game.

"Heh… putting on airs?"

Standing before Mount Massive Asylum, Song Ren wore a confident smirk.

"Heh… is that all?"

After climbing from the shelf into the room as the lights went out, Song Ren scoffed.

"Hiss… Just a door jump scare. Nothing to fear."

When a corpse lunged at him from behind a Conduit, Song Ren flinched slightly.

"Wait… don’t come any closer!!"

Seeing the wheelchair patient in the hall reaching out for a Hug of Love, Song Ren turned deathly pale.

………………

An hour later

Song Ren leaned back in his chair, breathing heavily. At that moment, he could clearly feel his heartbeat.

Thump-thump, strong and powerful—entirely triggered by the terrifying scenes.

Glancing at the nearby curtain, he silently stood up and drew it shut, letting sunlight flood into the room.

"Sunlight… feels so good!"

Staring at the bright sunshine outside and the monitor displaying the Shop (in-game) interface after exiting the game, Song Ren slowly exhaled.

He had to admit one thing—he had lost, and lost completely.

Recalling his gameplay experience, Song Ren, still seated and gazing at the sunny world outside, felt his legs slightly weak.

But then, a thought struck him. Having recovered from the fear, he quietly picked up his phone, found a friend’s account, and sent a message:

"Old Zhang, I found an incredibly fun game—seriously thrilling! Playing it feels absolutely awesome. I highly recommend you try it too."

"It’s the new work by the designer of To the Moon, called Outlast. What genre? Parkour and puzzle-solving. I must say, it’s super stimulating!"

After sending the message, Song Ren took a deep breath and stared silently out the window.

Thank goodness he had played it during broad daylight!

Seated in his room, about half an hour passed.

Then, his phone on the table buzzed.

A contact labeled "Old Zhang" sent a message.

Just one simple sentence, followed by three exclamation marks expressing sheer shock—"Damn it you jerk!!!"

Seeing this, Song Ren burst into laughter, still leaning back in his chair.

The fear from earlier had completely vanished.

Because in his mind, he was already mentally picturing exactly how his friend had been startled.

After laughing, he glanced at his still-lit monitor. His account on the game platforms remained at the entry screen of Outlast.

After a moment of silence, Song Ren quietly shut down the platform.

……………………

There were countless players just like Song Ren.

Initially, these players learned about Outlast because of its connection to To the Moon.

But more commonly, they discovered it through posts on game forums and communities.

Like Song Ren, upon reading other players’ comments, they felt both curiosity and a competitive spirit.

How scary could a horror game really be? Is it really that terrifying? Or are these just internet trolls promoting it?

With such thoughts, these players decided to try it themselves, planning to post screenshots after clearing the game to show off.

After all, many players—especially when courage is involved—aside from those with genuine Self-awareness, still harbored delusional confidence in themselves.

But once they entered the game, they quickly realized what kind of beast they were dealing with.

Not even getting into the later content, the early parts alone scared off a massive wave of players.

Some confidently entered the game but were immediately turned back at the gates of Mount Massive Asylum.

Others were scared off during the First door jump scare or upon encountering Fatty.

But most were defeated in the catacomb, fleeing in terror from a madman wielding a spiked plank in pitch-black darkness where you couldn’t see your own hand.

Of course, some players persevered, gritting their teeth and pushing forward.

Yet, after repairing the generators and receiving an injection from the Priest, entering the prison stage, they realized—the earlier parts were just appetizers!

Certainly, in-game, these players were defeated at different stages.

But after the game, one thing they all did was the same.

They left posts on game forums, recommending—or warning—other players.

Like Matryoshka dolls, one nested inside another.

Since I got scared, might as well trick someone else.

Others must feel exactly what I felt!

The flood of information left later players bewilderingly confused, unable to grasp what kind of horror game Outlast truly was.

Some, aiming to make their stories more convincing, even took screenshots of relatively non-scary scenes.

Others gave detailed accounts, insisting that Outlast was extremely terrifying.

The growing number of voices attracted even more players who heard about Outlast, rushing in one after another like an All-in Push.

Like a relay race, the first runner reaches the finish line and passes the baton to the next.

But the player community’s spread of Outlast was even broader.

Because the player base kept expanding, meaning the spread of information also continuously grew.

Initially, Chen Xu had to subtly guide the discourse, occasionally crafting memes to shape player narratives.

But as more and more players got utterly terrified inside Mount Massive Asylum,

Nebula Games no longer needed to steer the conversation.

The players’自发的话题讨论 (spontaneous topic discussions) alone were enough to ignite a hot topic, slowly spreading like wildfire and expanding their influence further and further.

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