Chapter 5

Feng Bu Jue lay down in the game pod and logged into the game in non-sleep mode (non-sleep mode and sleep mode log into different servers, and the two modes cannot interact).

After arriving in the login space, he clicked to select the game. This time, no prompts appeared; the screen only displayed a menu of game options, such as social options (friend list and blacklist), and more game introductions. If players hadn't read them on the website, they could browse them in this space, which, considering the time ratio, could save them half the time.

Feng Bu Jue searched for Wang Tan Zhi's nickname, added him as a friend, and then sent a team invitation.

After Wang Tan Zhi joined the team, a list of team members appeared on the display next to Feng Bu Jue, showing the nicknames and levels of the two team members.

[Feng Bu Jue, Level 2]

[Wang Tan Zhi, Level 1]

[Please select the game mode for the team.]

Three options appeared on the screen: Single Player Training Mode, Multiplayer Training Mode, and Single Player Survival Mode (Normal). Since they were in a team, the two single-player modes were grayed out and unselectable.

"Bro Jue, we can only enter the 'Multiplayer Training' mode, right?" Wang Tan Zhi could now communicate with Feng Bu Jue through the display. In his login space, he could see the same information as on the screen, but the control was in the hands of the team leader.

"Sure... let's see what happens." Feng Bu Jue replied and clicked the option.

[You have selected Multiplayer Training Mode. Please confirm.]

[Confirmed. Neural connection is being synchronized, script is being generated...]

[Loading has started, please wait.]

The elevator Feng Bu Jue was in started moving again, descending.

At the same time, a subtitle appeared directly in front of him, accompanied by a system prompt: [You are about to enter the same script with other players. Before joining a multiplayer game for the first time, please read the following information carefully.]

[A. In non-combat modes, any attack on "other players" will be restricted by the system, and your intent will not be converted into the character's actual actions; in modes or scripts where players may engage in combat, any attack on "teammates" will be restricted by the system, and your intent will not be converted into the character's actual actions.]

[B. Any voice containing sensitive words, such as the names of political figures, profanity, or specific names of animals, plants, or items in certain contexts, will be muted.]

[C. Any attempt to verbally attack other players using slowed speech, gestures, text, or drawings will be restricted by the system, and your intent will not be converted into the character's actual actions.]

[D. Any behavior deemed sexual harassment by the system, regardless of gender, including attempts to implement such behavior through the methods listed in B and C, will be restricted by the system, and your intent will not be converted into the character's actual actions. Repeated attempts will result in forced disconnection, and the player's citizen ID will be permanently added to the system blacklist, becoming a high-priority monitoring target.]

[E. Any behavior deemed discriminatory by the system will be handled in the same way as D. Players who repeatedly violate D and E will have their accounts permanently deleted, and their citizen IDs will be banned from using the company's products. In severe cases, the player's in-game actions will be recorded and handed over to the police. For more details, please refer to the Public Safety Law and its related regulations.]

It should be noted that Feng Bu Jue lived in 2055 in a parallel universe. In his world, sexual harassment and various forms of discrimination (such as disability, race, and congenital diseases) were strictly enforced. The latter might not result in criminal charges, but serious offenders' citizen IDs would be added to blacklists in various industries and institutions; the former could definitely result in criminal charges.

Feng Bu Jue had played many games before, including neural connection games with helmets. He had seen similar terms in most of them. As the optical brain continued to upgrade, players had fewer and fewer loopholes to exploit, effectively nipping these behaviors in the bud.

[Loading complete. You are currently in Multiplayer Training Mode.]

[In this mode, no script description, quests, or world background are provided.]

[Completing this mode will only grant experience points, no skill points or game currency.]

[There are no completion rewards or additional rewards based on fear ratings.]

[The game has started.]

After the prompt, the elevator doors opened. Almost simultaneously, a rather eerie voice, sharp and high-pitched, echoed in his ears: "Welcome to the Horror Park." It was followed by a terrifying laugh.

The scene outside the elevator was another corridor, but this one looked quite spacious. The floor was tiled, and the walls were painted white. On one side, there were three doors, all currently closed. The ceiling lights were functioning normally, providing ample light. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and the layout clearly indicated a hospital.

Feng Bu Jue immediately stepped out of the elevator, and the door behind him closed. The image of the elevator gradually distorted and disappeared, eventually turning into a wall. Turning around, he saw another elevator door to his side, parallel to the one he had just exited.

Feng Bu Jue walked to the door and peered inside, hearing a scream: "Ah..."

"Are you crazy?" Feng Bu Jue asked.

Wang Tan Zhi caught his breath: "I just decided to come out, and your head suddenly appeared, scaring me."

"Can I ask, how much did your fear level spike just now?" Feng Bu Jue was genuinely curious.

Wang Tan Zhi looked at the menu, which, from Feng Bu Jue's perspective, just shifted his gaze for a few seconds before returning to normal.

"My fear level is now around 3%, but I don't know how high it spiked just then," Wang Tan Zhi replied.

"Hmm... So it spikes based on the intensity of the fear and then drops, right?" Feng Bu Jue mused. "By the way, what color is the fear level displayed in the energy bar?"

"Um... bright red."

"Oh, I see."

"Bro Jue, your condition... does it always keep your fear level at 0%?" Wang Tan Zhi knew about Feng Bu Jue's condition, but as a newly graduated intern doctor, he was powerless to help. Being a medical student, he understood that Feng Bu Jue's condition was largely a matter of luck—good luck could mean no issues for thirty years, while bad luck could mean trouble in three minutes.

"Yes," Feng Bu Jue replied calmly.

"Then I'm counting on you... If anything happens, you have to protect me." Wang Tan Zhi said.

Feng Bu Jue didn't respond to that, but said, "The preparation time before the script starts is only three minutes. If you don't come out, the system will force you out of the elevator."

Hearing this, Wang Tan Zhi quickly stepped out.

Before the elevator had completely disappeared, Feng Bu Jue took a stone from his bag and handed it to Wang Tan Zhi: "Hold this, and lead the way."

Wang Tan Zhi took the stone, looked at its properties, and his lips twitched: "Bro Jue... even if you used this in the tutorial, you didn't have to be so attached to it that you brought it back to the login space, right?"

"You're just jealous," Feng Bu Jue replied shamelessly.

Without a word, Wang Tan Zhi threw the stone on the ground and pulled out a fruit knife from his bag, about five inches long. "This one has better attributes."

"Why do you have equipment?" Feng Bu Jue exclaimed. Previously, Wang Tan Zhi had mentioned over the phone that his fear rating in the tutorial was "heart-pounding," which, according to the official website, did not grant any additional rewards.

"I picked it up in the script," Wang Tan Zhi explained.

"Let me see it first," Feng Bu Jue said.

Wang Tan Zhi shrugged and handed the knife over.

[Name: Fruit Knife]

[Type: Weapon]

[Quality: Worn]

[Attack Power: Weak]

[Attributes: None]

[Special Effects: None]

[Can it be taken out of the script: Yes]

[Note: At least it has a blade.]

Feng Bu Jue returned the knife to Wang Tan Zhi and lamented, "Luck, I couldn't take anything I picked up in my script out."

"Then what about that stone?"

"It was an additional reward after the settlement," Feng Bu Jue said. "Scared yet?"

"Um..."

"Lead the way!"

Wang Tan Zhi, reluctantly, held the small knife and walked ahead.

As soon as the game started, he felt a bit nervous. He was just an "ordinary person," and ordinary people, no matter how brave they claimed to be, always got scared when playing horror games. Fear was a normal reaction, especially in a neural connection game like the Horror Park, where the sense of being there was even more realistic.

About twenty meters ahead, there was a corner. Along this distance, there were three doors on the right side, and the left side was just a blank wall with nothing on it—no doctor information, floor maps, or health tips that you'd typically see in a hospital.

They had only walked about five or six meters, not even reaching the first door, when they suddenly heard a strange laugh, like that of a little girl. Then, on the white wall to their left, countless bloody handprints appeared, covering the entire wall and extending to the end of the corridor.

At the same time, they both saw a dark shadow flash by and hide around the corner.