Chapter 597: Mr. Chen Came Again Overnight With His Knife! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Upon entering the game, an uncontrollable cutscene appeared.

A small girl was sleeping on the sofa, and as she seemed uncomfortable in her sleeping position, she subconsciously shifted her arm to get more comfortable. At that moment, the door to the room was gently pushed open.

A man tiptoed in, talking on the phone at the same time.

Li Yue had not seen the little girl in the promotional video, but he recognized the man who entered.

That was the man in the game named Joel.

But this wasn't what surprised him the most; what truly astonished him was Joel's appearance in the game.

From his looks, it was clearly a younger Joel. So, had Nebula Games spanned the game's timeline over ten or twenty years?

This was content hidden by Nebula Games. As a professional game review reporter, Li Yue was well-informed and immediately understood the key significance.

But the question was, what exactly was being hidden?

Filled with curiosity, Li Yue continued playing the game.

'Tommy, I... listen to me.'

'Yes, he's the contractor, okay? I can't lose this job.'

'I know... can we talk tomorrow?'

From the dialogue, it was clear that, like most men facing a mid-life crisis, Joel was also in danger of losing his job. Not noticing the little girl on the sofa, Joel turned on the lights in the room, and the light woke the little girl from the sofa.

'Why aren't you asleep yet? It's really late,' Joel leaned on the sofa, rubbing his temples, troubled by his work.

'Oh no, what time is it!' The little girl looked alarmed.

'You've missed your bedtime,' Joel said, eyes closed, leaning on the sofa.

'But luckily, it's not too late for today!' Turning her head, she saw the hour hand hadn't reached twelve yet. The little girl breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out a long-prepared gift from under the sofa.

'Here! You always complain your watch is broken. Do you like it?'

'Honey, this is great! But... it seems to have stopped.'

The father and daughter exchanged a few jokes, creating a very heartwarming atmosphere.

'Good night, baby.'

After tucking the little girl in, Joel gently closed the room door. At the same time, the lighting and color tone of the game's screen began to change significantly, indicating the passage of time.

After a few seconds, the phone beside the bed woke the sleeping girl. Li Yue also found that he could now control the game. Following the system prompts, he answered the phone.

It was Uncle Tommy calling, looking for the little girl's father, Joel. The content of the call was somewhat inexplicable. However, before the little girl could ask Tommy why he was calling Joel so late, Tommy hung up.

So, the little girl began to look for her dad.

It wasn't a first-person perspective, but an over-the-shoulder view, which also surprised Li Yue. However, unlike ordinary players, as a professional game review reporter, Li Yue also realized some hidden content.

That was that the later plot would involve character switching, or character switching within the same scene.

Li Yue explored various corners of the house. Many things could be interacted with, and he also collected many clues: clothes, sneakers, a computer, posters, and CDs. Li Yue also found a Switch connected to the TV, but unlike the one in Uncharted, the Switch in The Last of Us couldn't be turned on.

Some of the collected content made him feel warm. For example, on the table, a birthday card the little girl had prepared for Joel.

'Dad, you're often not home, you hate my favorite music, and you don't like my movies, but strangely, you still manage to be my best dad every year. How do you do it?'

'Happy Birthday, yay! – Love, Sarah.'

However, a newspaper in the bathroom quickly shattered the warmth Li Yue had just felt. He wasn't playing some heartwarming playhouse game; he was playing a post-apocalyptic game!

This was a recent newspaper, and its contents offered plenty of hints: 'District hospital admissions surge, bizarre infection causes 300% increase; FDA finds more contaminated crops, massive recall expected; Woman goes mad, kills husband and three others...'

Upon arriving in the living room, the turned-on TV seemed to further remind Li Yue that this was not a tender playhouse game, and the apocalypse was imminent. A blonde female reporter was covering related events on TV, with burning shops in the background.

But then, a more violent explosion suddenly erupted within the shop, and the signal was cut off.

Sarah in the game immediately rushed to the window, where she could still see towering flames in the distance. Police sirens wailed outside, and Sarah looked a little scared. Coupled with the TV's sudden loss of signal, the atmosphere of the entire game suddenly became tense.

Controlling Sarah in the game, Li Yue searched and called out for Joel. At the same time, Joel's phone on the shoe cabinet suddenly rang, but Joel wasn't there. Sarah walked over.

The phone displayed multiple incoming calls, all from Uncle Tommy, along with Tommy's text messages.

'Where the hell are you? Call me back!'

'I'm on my way.'

Outside, rows of police cars sped past, and a dog's bark came from the neighbor's yard. But after less than two barks, it stopped, and silence fell after the police cars passed.

Li Yue couldn't help but swallow, wondering if it was a horror game, like Resident Evil Village.

Before he could think further, Joel, looking panicked, burst through the door and into the house. When he saw his daughter, Sarah, he told her to stay away from the door and then retrieved bullets and a pistol from a drawer.

Just then, an infected, deranged man, covered in blood, violently crashed through the glass door. Joel stood in front of Sarah and, after a warning, unhesitatingly shot the intruding neighbor.

The subsequent plot was a straightforward segment of apocalyptic escape. Joel, with Sarah and the now-arrived Tommy, prepared to leave the city.

Cell phones and radio stations had all lost their signals. In the car, Tommy and Joel discussed the situation of the infection. On the road, Joel's group encountered a family seeking a ride. Tommy wanted to pick them up as there was spare room in the car, but Joel stopped him.

Road congestion, car accidents, and the appearance of zombies—the tense atmosphere of the eve of the apocalypse was fully realized.

After a period of fleeing, Joel and Sarah reached the highway. Soldiers ahead mowed down the zombies chasing Joel's group, while communicating with their superiors.

“We're saved!” Li Yue let out a long breath, the continuous chase had made him incredibly nervous.

But the next part of the story completely stunned him.

In his headphones, the soldiers up front were still communicating with their superiors.

'Sir, there's a little girl here... but... yes, sir.'

At this point, Joel seemed to understand something and tried to persuade them: “Listen, buddy, we just barely escaped with our lives, we just want to...”

Before he could finish, gunshots rang out. Without a moment's hesitation, Joel immediately turned and rolled down the slope behind them, holding Sarah.

The soldier chased them, raising his gun and aiming at Joel. Just as Joel thought he was finished, a gunshot rang out and the soldier fell. Tommy, who had been covering Joel, arrived just in time.

But the next moment, Sarah beside them let out a pained sob. Blood continuously flowed from Sarah's lower abdomen. Clearly, she had been shot during the recent events.

Joel simultaneously comforted Sarah and pressed his hands tightly against her wound, hoping to save her. But none of it worked. Blood stained Joel's clothes and hands, and Sarah, lying in Joel's arms, continued to sob painfully.

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it completely disappeared. Blood still poured from the wound, but Sarah's heartbeat had ceased.

A mournful guitar melody slowly began to play amidst Joel's sorrow. The game screen gradually dimmed.

The more heartwarming it had felt before, the more cruel it felt at this moment.

Li Yue, playing as the reviewer in the game, was utterly shocked. Mr. Chen came again overnight with his knife!?

Watching this scene, only one thought filled his mind: How daring!

(End of Chapter) <>