Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 542  The strangeness of Point Z [1]

In a different area. BANG—! A massive wardrobe suddenly lurched from the wall, slamming into the floor with a violent, splintering crash. The dry rot in the wood shattered on impact, releasing a cloud of grey dust that smelled stagnant. ”Cough! Cough...!” A series of coughs echoed as a figure emerged from the scattered dust, their back pressed against the shattered remains of a wardrobe. Not far from them stood another figure, his cold gaze fixed intently on them.

”Why were you following us?” His words were equally as cold as his gaze. ”Looking at your uniform, you seem to belong to one of the smaller Guilds. Were you trying to spy on us?” ”Cough...! Thatʼs not—” ”Maybe you were looking to ambush us at the last moment and steal some of our points? If thatʼs the case, I canʼt allow you to stay.” The figure stepped forward, his expression growing colder. But just as he took another step, another figure appeared, grabbing him by the shoulder. ”Woooow! Relax, Kyle! Thereʼs no need to go this far!” Kyle stopped, his head slowly turning in Rowanʼs direction. His eyes narrowed for a moment as his lips eventually parted, ”Heʼs been spying on us for quite some time. This is a competition, and weʼve yet to accumulate a single point. If things go on like this, we wonʼt be able to make it far, and furthermore... we canʼt take risks. On the off-chance that they do want to ambush us and take the credits, weʼll only suffer. Let me—” ”Oy, whatʼs wrong with you?” Rowan tugged Kyleʼs shoulder with more force, causing Leonʼs face to change. ”Youʼre acting rather weird. Why are you in such a rush? Only a day has passed, and no other team has gathered points. I get that youʼre anxious, but this isnʼt something that we can rush! Just take it slowly.” ”...” Kyle stood in silence, his expression hard to read. In all honesty, he was aware that he was acting weirdly. Could he be rushed due to the current situation? The fog, maybe? No, that wasnʼt it... Heʼs been feeling weird for quite some time. His head... It felt strangely light, and his body felt cold. There just seemed to be times when he couldnʼt think properly. Stopping, Kyle brought his hand to his face and pinched it. At the same time, he took a couple of breaths, trying his best to calm himself down. When he eventually stopped, Rowanʼs voice echoed once more. ”You good?” ”...Iʼm fine. Letʼs go.” Kyle gave the ʼspyʼ one last look before eventually turning around, meeting the gaze of his squad as he walked away. ʼI feel so strange. Just what is happening to me?ʼ *** Swoosh! Swoosh—! Several figures rushed forward, their movements swift and agile as they navigated the roads with extreme efficiency. They ran in tight formation, following the figure at the front without making a single sound.

ʼ...The rescue flare should be up ahead. I donʼt know which team has activated it, but itʼs very close. Keep the formation thought.ʼ Lioraʼs voice echoed quietly inside the ears of everyone present as her dark hair fluttered behind her. She and her team cut through the fog, eventually slowing down before an empty road, a soft yet chilling sizzling sound echoing through the air as an empty flare sat in the middle of the road, staining the fog in blood-red. ”...” Liora stood in silence, calmly observing her surroundings. Then—

BANG! A nearby tree shatters, Lioraʼs movement so fast that nobody had any time to react as smoke flowed out from the barrel of the gun she held. ”Nothing?” Lioraʼs dark eyes narrowed, her hand lowering as she put her gun away. Although ordinary guns were generally useless against anomalies, there were specialized firearms capable of harming them. However, those were relatively expensive and often not worth the cost. In Lioraʼs case, though, the gun in her hand was tailored to her Decree abilities, making it a crucial part of her arsenal.

As one of her team members returned from analyzing the broken tree, they shook their heads. ”Nothing, Squad Leader. I donʼt sense anything. Did you perhaps make a mistake?” ”Mistake?” Lioraʼs eyes narrowed as she looked at the broken tree. Eventually, she shook her head. ”No, I donʼt make mistakes. Something was there. Be on your best guard. This place... Itʼs a lot more fucked up than I originally thought.” *** ”Thereʼs a map of the layout of the building over here, Squad Leader. Although itʼs a little bit faded, I think I can do some cleanup to get a better idea of where we are and where we should go.” Taking out his phone, Niel snapped a photo of the paper pinned to the wall. I stood beside him, watching as he scanned it, the program on his phone gradually restoring the faded portions of the text.

Eventually, Niel handed me his phone. ”Here, have a look. This should make our lives a lot easier.” ”Mhm, good work.” I gave myself a pat on the back. As expected, it was good to bring Niel with me. To be honest, it wasnʼt just Niel. Everyone else was useful. Everyone had their own skill set, and while people deemed them to be not good enough for me, that was far from the truth. ʼOkay, let me see.ʼ Taking a look at the map, I quickly familiarized myself with everything. In essence, the research facility was far larger than I had first imagined. What Iʼd mistaken for a single residence block was only the outer shell of something much bigger. Beyond the housing area and the playground, a separate warehouse was present.

It was an industrial structure built to store equipment, chemicals, and whatever else they were dealing with. But that wasnʼt all. ”If Iʼm not wrong, squad leader, this area right here should contain a sort of underground facility. Itʼs not quite clear, but judging from the writing that Iʼm making out, there appear to be three sub-levels.” Pausing, Niel looked at me. ”Should we start with this?” I thought for a moment and looked around. Eventually, I nodded, ”Letʼs do that. Since those from the Evening Sun Guild are staying in this building, we might as well go and explore the underground area.” Honestly, this felt like the perfect recipe to get a sort of jump scare. My stomach was already churning at the thought, but holding onto the knife, I felt a lot more at ease. No, not just at ease... I felt something else. A tingle that I had no choice but to push down. Creak! Moving past the playground, the rhythmic creak of the swing still echoing behind us, we continued beyond the residential block. The buildingʼs outer walls were marred with dark stains, like scorch marks left behind by a large fire.

I wanted to pay more attention to it, but I decided to leave it for now, the torch in my hand wobbling as I continued up ahead. The deeper we headed, the denser the fog became. Dark skinny tree branches pierced through the white veil enveloping us, the silence around us shattered by the soft crunch of our steps.

The air was dry, and rusted metal scraps were scattered across the area.

I angled my torch to one side, holding the beam steady as it slid over the scattered items on the ground.

My attention fell on a certain doll slumped on the ground. Its plush exterior was riddled with small, uneven holes; the stuffing inside darkened and clumped with age.

The buttons that once filled its eyes were missing, leaving behind two hollow spaces that seemed deeper than they should have been, quietly catching the light as if they were trying to look back at me.

ʼWhy is a doll over here? Were the children playing in this area? Itʼs not exactly close to the residential area. But then again, theyʼre kids. They play everywhere.ʼ I hovered my gaze over the doll for several seconds before looking away, moving forward until a large metal trapdoor appeared in my view. Pointing the light in its direction, I looked back. ”...Weʼre here.” The research facility.