Chapter 172: True Kindness Exists in the World—Everyone Here is Good! (Seventh Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

Chapter 172: True Kindness Exists in the World—Everyone Here is Good! (Seventh Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

In the backstage area of the Nebula Games Booth, Chen Xu sat in his office, took a bottle of yogurt, and inserted the straw for a habitual sip.

Then, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, opened the work group chat, and @-mentioned the employee currently on duty, instructing them to launch this simple game onto the Nebula Games Platform.

As for the game's name, Chen Xu didn’t want anything too complicated. He simply named it 'Hammer Swing Ascension'—a title that perfectly matched both the gameplay and the ending animation theme.

Previously, some online players had been actively discussing the topic, expressing envy toward those at the exhibition who could experience the new versions of Sanguosha and Fall Guys, or get the first look at the promotional video for Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame, since Chen Xu hadn’t yet uploaded it online.

But now, this mini-game, originally designed solely to entertain exhibition visitors, could finally be experienced by the eager players online.

After all, they were all beloved players. He couldn’t possibly favor one group over the other.

Just imagining the players’ hopeful eyes, his heart… simply couldn’t bear to disappoint them.

Meanwhile, at the exhibition.

Song Ren, who had initially come to play some relaxing games to lower his 'blood pressure,' was now feeling profoundly unsettled.

He had returned to the starting point once again—the same familiar high-altitude scene.

Then, another fall.

And once more, the background audio had changed.

A song with catchy lyrics and a slightly addictive melody began to play:

'Go Home Often and See, go home and see...'

Hearing these perfectly fitting lyrics, Song Ren deeply felt the malicious intent from someone.

So this 30-minute gameplay feature was just about experiencing this?!

This was clearly a heart-wrenching game designed to torment players to death!

And it was completely different from Dark Souls. Dark Souls was the kind of game that tormented you so thoroughly you ended up accepting it, even appreciating its logic.

Because once you discovered the trick to each level, you could handle it effortlessly.

But this game?

It was utterly unreasonable—it relied purely on muscle memory!

The force and angle required to swing the big hammer were extremely precise.

One slight mistake, and you’d plummet again!

Song Ren silently turned his head to look beside him, at the other player seated in the water tank (game pod), playing the same game.

Behind them, a large crowd of players had gathered.

Clearly, they had been drawn here on purpose.

And these onlookers were laughing heartily, passionately discussing the players’ experiences.

"Ah, fell again!"

"Huh, this time the background music changed! It’s actually pretty good!"

"I prefer 'See Success or Failure, Life is Bold and Free'—feels more energetic."

"But honestly, compared to the game content, they all mean the same thing!"

"Why isn’t this bro moving?"

"Probably can’t handle the blow. This game is simply unbelievable!"

Hearing the spectators behind him, Song Ren instinctively nodded in agreement.

Yes, his fragile soul could no longer endure it.

This seemingly simple game had even brought back the feelings he had during his experience with Silent Hill PT.

Looking over at the fellow who earlier told him to maintain a good mindset and play with a smile, he saw that the man was now plummeting down.

He was indeed laughing while falling.

Though the laughter sounded more like a scream.

As he fell, Song Ren saw the man’s face turn completely red.

'Gaia!'

A cry of despair—unintelligible.

"But is it really that hard? It doesn’t seem that difficult to operate, right? Isn’t it just swinging a hammer and climbing a mountain?"

Some newcomers who had just arrived, barely grasped the simple rules, and didn’t know the full situation, found it strange.

After all, judging by appearances, it didn’t seem that challenging.

As long as you mastered the right distance, shouldn’t it be easy to complete?

Song Ren, gripping the inflatable big hammer so tightly that his veins were bulging, suppressed his emotions and gave a gentle, warm smile. He stood up from the water tank (game pod) and turned toward the player who had said it was easy.

"Friend, I've been playing for quite a while. Why don’t you come and try it yourself?"

"Huh? I haven’t even queued yet!" The player was taken aback. He had just come to watch the excitement. Though he did want to try it, he hadn’t joined the line.

Hearing this, the surrounding players chimed in:

"Go ahead, play! Don’t worry!"

"Yeah, bro, you’re probably visiting Mr. Chen’s game booth for the first time, right?"

"We’re all players here. What’s the big deal? You go first!"

"Exactly! Brother, judging by your accent, you’re not from Modu, right? Coming all this way to the exhibition isn’t easy—go ahead and play!"

"Right, right! Those in front, step aside and let this bro experience the wonderful gameplay!"

The players around him all wore warm smiles, acting incredibly generous.

The player felt his heart swell with warmth. The players at this booth were so passionate. Grateful, he said with a smile, "Thank you all! I’ll just play for a few minutes."

Finally, under the group’s insistence, he couldn’t resist.

"No, no, bro—play as long as you want!"

"Yeah, exactly! Play until the exhibition closes! We’ll just watch you play!"

"That’s right, that’s right! We just love watching others play games!"

Hearing this, the crowd behind them waved their hands in agreement.

Similar scenes unfolded around other new players who had just gathered, unaware of what was happening.

Soon, the four water tanks (game pods) and hammer controllers at the experience zone were taken over by new players.

The previous batch of players, including Song Ren, hadn’t yet reached their full playtime, but they all stepped aside cleanly and considerately, even offering tips on how to operate the game.

They even restarted the game from the beginning, ensuring the newcomers could experience it in its purest form.

This touched the hearts of the players now sitting at the computers.

True kindness exists in the world. The players here at Mr. Chen’s booth were truly different from those at other booths.

Filled with joy and gratitude, these players began their own Hammer Swing Ascension journey.

Yet, just ten minutes later, strange sounds began to echo from the area.

Some let out piercing screams: "No! Don’t!"

Others simply roared like elephants: "Aaaaaaah! Damn it!"

The players who had given up their spots, along with the onlookers, burst into joyful laughter at the sight.

Yes, they hadn’t said a single lie.

They genuinely loved watching others play this game!

Look how joyful it is! Way more fun than playing it yourself!

Meanwhile, the rising and falling cries, sounding eerily like pigs being slaughtered, drew over players from nearby areas.

They were simply too curious.

What was going on!?

Weren’t they just playing a game?

Why did it sound like pigs being butchered?

Could it be a horror game?

Glancing toward the game booth, did Chen Xu bring Silent Hill PT to the exhibition?

Motivated by the desire to watch the excitement, many players rushed over.

Meanwhile, other game developers in Exhibition Hall 3, seeing the sea of people surrounding Nebula Games’ booth, were left completely bewildered.

What’s going on? What happened?

Weren’t we told earlier that Nebula Games didn’t have any major highlights?

And there wasn’t even a demo for the new Dark Souls title?

Why are all the players flocking over there?

<>