Chapter 163: The Unknown Is the Most Terrifying (Fifth Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 163: The Unknown Is the Most Terrifying (Fifth Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

It felt as though he was repeating the previous operations, inching forward step by step.

But somehow, things felt slightly different.

Was it just an illusion? Li Yue couldn’t shake the feeling that the lights ahead had grown dimmer.

Somewhere, an empty, rustling sound emerged, accompanied by a grating, teeth-grinding creak.

Walking down the corridor, Li Yue felt as if someone was silently following behind him, whispering softly into his ear:

‘There are ghosts ahead, ghosts behind, ghosts above—this house is filled with ghosts everywhere!’

‘But you never know when or where one will suddenly jump out.’

The first half of the corridor remained unchanged, just as before. But as he reached the area near the radio, two cockroaches suddenly dropped from above, halting Li Yue in his tracks.

The ceiling lamp swayed without any wind, emitting a continuous, nauseating creak.

From this spot, he could see the railing of the second floor. Could it be…?

Li Yue felt goosebumps erupt all over his body. He took a deep breath and looked up.

However…

The second floor was pitch black, nothing visible beyond the railing.

Seeing this, Li Yue exhaled, yet the tension in his chest remained completely unrelieved.

For a fleeting moment, he even found himself hoping to see a monster—anything to give him a sense of certainty.

Slowly moving forward, he reached the door at the end and reached out to open it.

But the door was locked. Twisting the handle twice only produced a series of clicks, with no success.

"They won’t let me go further? Do I have to go back?"

‘Thump-thump-thump!’

Just as Li Yue was pondering, a sudden banging sound erupted from the door around the corner.

The abrupt, violent noise shattered the previously silent atmosphere, startling Li Yue.

Still, this was a normal human reaction.

Approaching the door, the creature inside seemed to sense someone at the entrance and stopped banging. Silence returned once more.

"If you’ve got the guts to bang the door, why don’t you open it yourself?"

Li Yue tried twisting the handle again. Just like before, it wouldn’t budge.

Clearly, this wasn’t the right path. At this point, Li Yue’s anxiety was escalating. His unconscious muttering under his breath was proof enough of his growing unease.

Continuing back along the corridor, Li Yue noticed a blurry photograph lying on the ground in front of the digital clock. He couldn’t make out what was written on it.

Instinctively, he crouched down to get a closer look—and suddenly, three lines of text appeared on the otherwise indistinct photo:

【Can you hear my voice?】

【Can you interpret this message?】

【If you come find me, I will wait for you forever.】

‘Creak…’

The moment Li Yue stood up after reading the text, he heard the sound of a door opening.

Recalling the three lines on the photo, his heart began pounding violently.

The door opened!

Could it be the same door that had been violently banged on earlier?

Had the monster inside escaped?

With these thoughts racing through his mind, Li Yue summoned his courage and proceeded back down the corridor.

Yet the path remained uneventful—nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

But just like before, the lack of incident only heightened his anxiety.

The door around the corner remained closed, but the one leading down to the catacomb had reopened.

Moving forward, he opened the heavy door to the catacomb. As expected, behind it lay the same long corridor from the beginning.

But this time, something was different. The first section looked unchanged, but as he reached the corner, a rapid knocking sound echoed through the air. Then, from within the tightly shut room, came the unmistakable cry of a baby.

"You… you’re not seriously telling me this door can open now!" Li Yue’s scalp tingled with dread.

Yet when he tried the handle again, it remained firmly locked.

Forward once more—another new cycle had begun.

"Please, I’m begging you, if there’s something here, just come out already! Scare me if you must!"

Li Yue’s mind was fraying. Never before had a game made him feel so oppressive.

Up to this point, not a single disturbing scene had actually appeared.

Yet the sense of terror clung to him, refusing to dissipate.

Strictly speaking, since entering the game, all he had done was walk endlessly through this corridor—running from entrance to end, repeating the loop.

At most, there were minor variations in sound effects. Yet such an extremely monotonous setting was inflicting immense psychological pressure.

This was an incredibly sophisticated form of psychological suggestion, keeping fear ever-present.

Imagine: a strange corridor, waking up alone, trapped in a supernatural loop.

Then, gradually, strange things begin to happen—proving you’re not alone in this house. Or rather, you might be the only human here. Surprising? Unexpected?

The crucial point is, you have no idea what those ‘others’ sharing the space with you truly are.

Human imagination is boundless. And precisely because of that, the unknown is the most terrifying.

In typical horror games, fear is like a bullet already fired—when it hits, you scream in pain.

But in the Silent Hill series, fear is more like a time bomb wrapped in cloth.

You can hear the beeping sound, but you never know when it will explode. It steadily challenges your endurance, raising your blood pressure, accelerating your heartbeat!

………………

Outside the research institute, technicians were conducting real-time monitoring of Li Yue’s physiological data.

"Heart rate and blood pressure have increased again!"

"Still within a safe range, not critical yet."

Medical staff and technical personnel observed the live feedback of Li Yue’s body data.

Beside them, Ye Xun and Tao Fa exchanged glances, silently swallowing hard.

As testers themselves, they understood what those numbers meant.

How long had it been?

Ten minutes?

How could someone be this terrified in such a short time?

What exactly was in this game?

Because the testers needed to remain unfamiliar with the content, they could only view Li Yue’s biometric data—none of them could see the actual Test DEMO.

Meanwhile, in another room, a group of designers sat watching. Some of the more timid ones had unconsciously inched closer to their neighbors.

Chen Xu glanced at Meng Zuo sitting beside him, then subtly shifted a bit further to the right.

Suddenly, one designer in the crowd couldn’t hold back anymore: "Could someone please turn on the lights? It’s too dark to see clearly."

Once someone spoke up, others quickly followed.

"Yeah! Turn on the lights. The dim lighting isn’t good for our eyes."

"Exactly, exactly. That makes sense."

"Also, maybe we could turn off the air conditioner’s cold air? Does anyone else feel cold?"

"Yeah, yeah! It’s only May—no need for cold air at all!"

As they stared at the large screen displaying the synchronized Silent Hill PT gameplay from the tester’s perspective, the designers kept exchanging nervous remarks.

Especially Meng Zuo, who at this moment felt immense relief.

Thank goodness the VR device was restricted to testers only. Otherwise, he seriously doubted whether he’d survive the experience unscathed.

The other game designers felt the same. One thing they couldn’t deny: the Silent Hill PT demo before them was nothing short of stunning.

Not a single fear-inducing scene had appeared yet, and yet the atmosphere—crafted through graphics, lighting, and sound effects—had already plunged them into deep fear.

What would it feel like when the actual horror moments finally arrived?

And they were only watching—non-VR, in a group—yet already gripped by a chilling sense of dread.

What must the tester, experiencing it firsthand, be going through?

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