The Haunted Game Designer

Zhao Xi's phone slipped from his wound, falling to the ground through the torrential rain.

From the height of five floors, the phone shattered into pieces, completely destroyed.

The fragments of life Zhao Xi had recorded on his phone, the words he spoke to himself in loneliness, the life he longed for with envy, and the darkness and brutality buried deep within him all dissipated in the rain.

His clothes were soaked through. Gao Ming only began climbing up after hearing the sound of the phone hitting the ground.

"Hold on tight! You reckless fool! You really dared to jump!"

"Be careful! You still have to pass the fifth-floor window!"

The investigator and Teacher Yao were half-soaked by the rain, both exerting all their strength to pull Gao Ming up.

With his five fingers tightly gripping the rope, Gao Ming had done everything he could. This could be considered Zhao Xi personally destroying his own phone.

Returning to the fifth-floor balcony, Zhao Xi stood there, gazing at Gao Ming with a somewhat dazed expression. His gaze was different from before—cold numbness was replaced by confusion and pain.

"Friends," "family," and "neighbors" had pushed him into this predicament. He couldn't figure things out and ultimately stood on the edge of the building.

No one cared about him. Even after his death, people would only complain about why he couldn't have died farther away—such bad luck, the neighborhood's housing prices would drop again.

In the final stages of his life, he had met many people—people who inadvertently pushed him closer to the window. Only Gao Ming did not.

The videos on his phone showed the things Zhao Xi wanted to do, the malice hidden beneath the surface of this honest man. But now, that malice had been "personally" destroyed by him.

Thick black shadows leaked from his body. It seemed to be a connection between Zhao Xi and an unknown world, or perhaps some special energy.

With his head raised, Zhao Xi stood alone in the room. 2507 had always been his room. On that rainy night, he had stood like this for a long time.

Gao Ming's body was pulled by the rope. He stared at Zhao Xi inside the room, then made a decision.

Stepping onto the window frame of 2507, Gao Ming adjusted his body, let go of the rope, and jumped back into room 2507.

Seeing this, Teacher Yao and the investigator were completely dumbfounded. Teacher Yao, who hadn't cursed in over thirty years, blurted out a profanity.

"How the hell did he go back in?!"

"I've never seen anyone dare to jump repeatedly between two sides of a fifth-floor window." The scarred investigator was utterly exhausted, but he didn't dare to let go, fearing that Gao Ming might jump out again.

Gao Ming heard Teacher Yao and the investigator but pretended not to, stepping toward Zhao Xi step by step.

"You've been enduring all your life. You're afraid of causing trouble for your family, so even when life punches you again and again, you just brush off the dust and keep holding on." Gao Ming stopped in front of Zhao Xi. "I'll let everyone know what you've endured. I'll be your true family."

Without offering a handshake, Gao Ming opened his arms and gently hugged Zhao Xi. "You've already suffered enough."

In moments of vulnerability, what people need is not comfort but a family member's embrace.

Bones intertwined, and Zhao Xi's twisted neck pulled back—he seemed very unaccustomed to this.

As Zhao Xi retreated, the black shadows leaking from him seemed to find their target, surging toward Gao Ming.

They couldn't penetrate Gao Ming's body, instead gathering on his skin's surface like moving black veins or tiny chains with a life of their own.

Gao Ming reached out and touched them, feeling repression, pain, and despair—shadows fused with Zhao Xi's memories.

Pain shot through his arm, his breathing grew difficult, and Gao Ming tried to grasp the chain. A strange premonition stirred within him, as if by holding the chain, he could gain the same abilities as Zhao Xi—but Zhao Xi might disappear as a result.

Zhao Xi silently watched Gao Ming. As the black shadows departed, the wounds on his body and the look in his eyes gradually returned to normal. However, something troubling was happening—his body was becoming more and more translucent. It seemed that once Zhao Xi completely vanished, the black chain on Gao Ming's body would fully take shape.

"Brother Zhao, everything I said just now was true. In the future, I can take you to see other family members." The excruciating pain from the mental torment twisted Gao Ming's expression as he desperately tried to steady his trembling arm.

Inside Room 2507, Zhao Xi was making his final decision. He stood motionless for a long time before slowly turning his head. He looked toward the full-length mirror in the living room, staring into the inverted world reflected within. The mirror did not show his body.

His calloused, wound-covered hand moved gently, yet the reflection remained empty—Zhao Xi was not there.

The broken corpse seemed to understand something. In silence, Zhao Xi turned around. Instead of pulling Gao Ming off the balcony with him, he walked toward the hallway.

The neighbors in the group chat on his phone had always been fake. In truth, he had been the only resident in the entire apartment building.

As Zhao Xi descended the stairs, the shadow enveloping the apartment complex began to dissipate behind him. Everywhere he passed, the temperature slowly rose.

"Brother Zhao! I didn't deceive you!"

Seeing Zhao Xi about to leave, Gao Ming immediately chased after him. Hearing his shout, the investigator and Teacher Yao also rushed out.

"Zhao Xi is gone?" Teacher Yao was slightly surprised, but the disfigured investigator was utterly dumbfounded.

"How did you do it?! Quick! I need to record this! We resolved an anomalous event before dawn! This is nothing short of a miracle!" The investigator, overwhelmed with excitement, grabbed both of Gao Ming's hands.

"Adults need understanding and comfort too. I simply wanted to be his family, and he left." Seeing the investigator scribbling furiously, Gao Ming quickly stopped him. "Don't write nonsense! I figured this out through careful analysis and the fact that Zhao Xi and I had been neighbors for years. This method can't be replicated."

"Amazing! The moment I first saw you, I knew there was something special about you!" The investigator still refused to let go.

"The first time you saw me, you completely ignored me."

"That doesn't matter!" The investigator spoke earnestly. "If you're interested, you can join our Investigation Bureau! I'll personally recommend you!"

"If I can't find a job, I might consider it." Gao Ming pointed toward Zhao Xi's room. "There should still be some clues inside. You can take a look."

After diverting the investigator, Gao Ming wasted no time and continued chasing after Zhao Xi down the stairs. There were always rewards for clearing a game.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Zhao Xi was nowhere to be seen. The shadows had completely retreated, leaving behind a black-and-white memorial photo placed on the floor near the corridor entrance.

Just as Gao Ming was about to pick it up, Teacher Yao suddenly let out a startled cry.

"What's wrong?"

Under Gao Ming's gaze, Teacher Yao slowly raised his hands. His body was dissolving along with the lingering shadows. "I… I think I can't leave this place anymore."

"Teacher Yao!"

As the temperature continued to rise, the hallway lights flickered once, and Teacher Yao's body melted into the shadows.

When the lights fully stabilized, he was gone. The only thing left where he stood was a single black-and-white memorial photo.

Gao Ming picked up both photos. Teacher Yao's memorial photo was ordinary—his face bore a slightly helpless smile. On the back, there were crooked, childlike scribbles.

"Family Photo (For Those Near Death): I heard the voice inside my heart. Rather than lying in a hospital bed waiting for death, losing my freedom and dignity, I would rather experience what it feels like to be alive again."

In reality, Teacher Yao was terminally ill and bedridden. Yet, in this shadow-covered world, he seemed to have regained the feeling of living.

"Was this truly Teacher Yao's own choice?"

Gao Ming then looked at the second memorial photo. It depicted the twisted and terrifying Zhao Xi falling from a balcony, while Gao Ming stood at the window, gripping him tightly.

In the image, Gao Ming was the only one with color. His arm, which held onto Zhao Xi, was wrapped in black, vein-like chains that bound the hands of both man and ghost together.

"Family Photo: The bonds between family members are promises, responsibilities, rights, and control. I willingly become a part of you, hoping you will help more people understand my suffering."

(End of Chapter)

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