Horror Game Designer

Chapter 33: The Most Miserable Child

Upon hearing the name “Wan Qiu,” Gao Ming immediately directed Zhu Miao Miao to loosen her hold. He made his way towards a secluded part of the school building, where a troubling scene was unfolding.

At the entrance to the girls’ bathroom, four male students had gathered. Some of them were casually smoking cigarettes, with their school uniforms nonchalantly tied around their waists. Among them, one stood out in his stylish outfit, expertly playing with a metal lighter.

Gao Ming moved closer, his approach going unnoticed by the group.

One of the boys, cigarette in hand, was busy recording the scene inside the bathroom with his smartphone. Inside, a soaked and visibly shaken boy was cornered.

The trapped boy, looking bewildered and scared, tried to make a break for it, only to be mockingly shoved back into the bathroom by the laughing group of students.

“The new guy that just transferred to our class is pretty amusing, isn’t he?” commented the fashionably dressed boy with the lighter. He spat on the ground with disdain, then turned his attention to Azun, the only one among them dressed normally. “Hey Azun, what do you say we take him to Nineteenth Alley Street tonight, give him a little tour?”

Azun, with a smirk, responded, “What’s the plan? To entertain him or to watch him get bullied to the brink?”

Just then, seizing his chance, Wan Qiu burst from the bathroom with great force, pushing past the student who was filming. However, as he attempted to flee down the hallway, the others quickly caught up and grabbed him again.

“My brand new phone!” the filming student yelled as he retrieved his fallen device. In a fit of rage, he pushed Wan Qiu violently to the ground. “You moron, you’ve completely ruined it!”

As he clamped his hand over Wan Qiu’s mouth, the other three students closed in, preparing to kick the defenseless boy.

Suddenly, there was a loud “Bang!”

The trendy student with the lighter was sent crashing against the wall, his phone clattering to the ground. He was stunned, only slowly realizing that he had been kicked away by an unexpected newcomer.

Gao Ming stood there, the picture of calm, having just intervened in the nick of time. “A school is for learning, not for brawling,” he stated coolly, retracting his leg from the kick.

The group of bullies were taken aback, shocked by Gao Ming’s swift and decisive action.

“Gao Ming, this is a school!” Zhu Miao Miao exclaimed, her voice a mix of shock and concern. She knew Gao Ming was formidable when dealing with supernatural entities, but his aggressive response towards these students was something she hadn’t expected. “Is this how everyone who comes out of Henshan Prison acts?”

Gao Ming replied, his tone firm, “They were harassing this kid.” He then took the smartphone from one of the boys. The boy instinctively lunged to reclaim his phone, but Gao Ming deftly kicked him in the chest, saying, “I’ve collected enough evidence now.”

Zhu Miao Miao, increasingly worried about the escalating tension, tried to defuse the situation, “Let’s all just calm down, okay?”

Azun, getting back on his feet, had a mature and composed air about him, indicative of a background of influence. “You think you can just hit people openly in school?” he challenged Gao Ming.

Gao Ming, unfazed, responded, “Did I hit anyone? They simply fell over. Besides, there are no cameras here to record anything.” He then walked towards Azun, his demeanor more assertive and confrontational than before, a change likely influenced by his recent period of confinement and uneventful days spent eating cake at home.

“Are you a relative of Wan Qiu’s?” Azun questioned, stepping back cautiously. “But I’ve heard from the teachers that he’s an orphan without any parents, just temporarily staying here.” He added, trying to assert his own status, “My mother is with the Hanhai Charity Association, and my father is involved in…”

Before Azun could finish boasting about his influential family, Gao Ming’s foot connected sharply with his stomach, sending him doubling over in pain on the ground.

“In the face of a looming catastrophe, why bother with such insignificant details?” Gao Ming coldly remarked as he moved towards the last remaining student. That student tried to escape but was quickly apprehended and subjected to a harsh beating.

“Gao Ming, you need to calm down!” Zhu Miao Miao pleaded, struggling to pull him back. “If we behave like this, we’ll definitely face consequences when we get back!”

“Consequences?” Gao Ming paused, turning his intense gaze on Zhu Miao Miao. “As investigators, we put our lives on the line to protect this city. Are we doing this to defend scum like them or to be reprimanded for making the right call?”

Zhu Miao Miao was momentarily lost for words, unable to formulate a response.

“Didn’t we just prevent a level-two anomaly last night, potentially saving countless lives?”

“Yes, we did,” Zhu Miao Miao admitted.

“And in the process, our team suffered greatly, losing eight members. Don’t we deserve some kind of recompense for our injuries and emotional trauma?”

“We certainly do.”

“So, if in the process of stopping a bully I happened to be a bit too forceful, that shouldn’t be an issue, should it?”

“Right,” Zhu Miao Miao conceded reluctantly, understanding Gao Ming’s perspective. Even investigators have their breaking points and need support. If their own organization failed to stand by them in such circumstances, it would be truly demoralizing.

Gao Ming gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then approached the student he had just beaten. He offered no words of solace or concern for the student’s injuries. Instead, he simply extended his hand and introduced himself. “I’m Gao Ming, a psychological counselor from Henshan High-Security Prison, currently serving with the Lishan Investigation Bureau. If you’re unhappy with your current life, I can offer you a job that brings both dignity and freedom.”

His actions, from the physical confrontation with the bullies to this unexpected job offer, were all part of a calculated approach. In the entire city, only he and Wei Dayou, who were privy to the game design, understood the true danger posed by Wan Qiu.

Wan Qiu watched the scene unfold, his expression vacant but his eyes strikingly expressive. It was those very eyes that Gao Ming was interested in.

“I can teach you to defend yourself, to never be bullied again. And if you choose to bully others, I might just look the other way. I don’t adhere to conventional moral standards and tend to be partial towards my own people.”

Wan Qiu stared at the hand extended towards him, perceiving it as both a miraculous lifeline and a gateway to a dark path.

Slowly, he reached out, took hold of Gao Ming’s hand, and got to his feet with the support.

“But Gao Ming, shouldn’t we at least inform his teacher?” Zhu Miao Miao inquired, concerned about the implications of their actions.

“Just inform the school that the Lishan Investigation Bureau requires Wan Qiu for an inquiry,” Gao Ming instructed, lightly tapping his black ring. He knew well how a powerful identity could simplify matters significantly.

After leaving the school, Gao Ming took the time to purchase an assortment of foods for Wan Qiu, considering his probable lack of proper meals.

Observing Wan Qiu devouring the food with gusto, a rare smile crept onto Gao Ming’s usually stern face. “Eat at your own pace. As long as I have even just a sip of soup, you’ll always have a piece of meat to eat.”

This gesture was more than mere kindness; it was Gao Ming’s way of trying to rectify a past mistake, a tragedy inadvertently created by his own design.

Gao Ming’s involvement with Nightlight Studio Games had led him to create a crime-themed video game titled “Born Psychopath.” The game’s narrative centered around an infant abandoned due to a neurological disorder. The player would guide this child, destined to grow into a renowned detective, dubbed the “Shield of the City.” However, the twist in the tale was that the protagonist would be haunted by visions of corpses and blood in his own home, a blend of illusion and reality. Despite his desperate attempts to seek a cure, the nightmarish visions would only intensify, eventually leading to a mental collapse and the unveiling of a harrowing truth.

Wan Qiu’s backstory was equally tragic. He was a Hanhai child whose life had been marred by tragedy from the start. Adopted by the psychopath, he underwent relentless mental conditioning, endowing him with exceptional cognitive abilities. Under his adoptive parent’s guidance, Wan Qiu evolved into one of Hanhai’s most formidable and dangerous figures.

As time went on and technology advanced, Wan Qiu was eventually apprehended. However, the interest in his unique mental capabilities never waned, leading to continuous research and experimentation. The entire narrative of “Born Psychopath” was, in fact, a sophisticated virtual experiment conducted on Wan Qiu’s brain. The objective was to explore whether he could overcome his traumatic upbringing and reshape his destiny after being induced with a new life, free from the influence of his psychopathic mentor created by the scientists.

The experiment suggested the possibility of change in Wan Qiu, but the reality was grim. He was reduced to a mere brain housed in a specialized container, his existence confined to a laboratory even in death.

Gao Ming’s promise to Wan Qiu was laden with significance: “From today, no one will bully you again.” It was a vow of protection and perhaps a step towards amending the unintentional harm his creation had inflicted on this young life.