CHAPTER 14 - WARNING SCREEN

The major streaming platforms weren't going to miss out on the viral frenzy surrounding 'Silent Hill PT'.

That very afternoon, all of them worked overtime to carve out a dedicated category for the game, plastered right on the homepage of their sites.

Even long time categories like 'League of Legends' and the trending IRL streams were forcibly pushed aside to make room for this new horror juggernaut.

By 8 pm, the platform was packed with viewers swarming to NeasJ's stream before he had even gone live.

As soon as the broadcast started, his face was instantly filled with a chat screen.

"Hurry up, hurry up, start 'Silent Hill PT' already!"

"Yes, yes! Play, play, play!"

"Haha, we want to see NeasJ get scared out of his wits!"

Grinning and waving to his fans, NeasJ soaked in the attention.

"Haha, don't worry, everyone! I'll definitely play it. I'm downloading the game right now!"

The chat kept flooding with hype. As he checked his viewercount, his jaw dropped, 160,000 viewers, and he had barely started stream.

"Tsk tsk... looks like I picked the right game tonight."

Maybe he could earn a fortune today, just like Natalie had the night before.

"Alright, let's get started."

Once the download was done, NeasJ stepped into to his VR rig and squeezed into his full body extra sensory suit.

He rarely touched VR games that required moving as his physique wasn't exactly suited for high mobility games, but tonight, 'Silent Hill PT' was trending too hard to ignore.

NeasJ's body was so larger, the suit hugged him tightly, his belly spilling over the edges. The audience burst out laughing.

"Bro's suit is working overtime."

"Sensory suit: I didn't sign up for this."

"Just watching him suit up is already a horror show!"

NeasJ took a deep breath, adjusted the headset, and entered the game.

The first thing to appear wasn't monsters, but a safety warning.

[WARNING: Minors under 18 should play with parental supervision. Those with heart disease, mental illness, high blood pressure, pregnancy, or sensitivity to intense horror elements are strongly advised not to play this game.]

"Huh? A warning? I do have high blood pressure... but I've been taking my meds regularly. I should be fine, right?" NeasJ frowned at the notice.

"Better not risk it!"

"Natalie was crying yesterday, this game ain't no joke!"

"Life matters more than views! Don't go fainting on us!"

But NeasJ waved them off confidently. "Relax. When I was a kid, I used to walk past cemeteries alone at night. This will be no problem!"

As he kept talking, his confidence grew. He ignored the warning and jumped into the game.

The scene changed, and he found himself in the familiar dark room.

"Damn, this picture quality is unreal! Feels like I've been transported to a real room."

"If this game really was developed by a new company, I'm all in, definitely playing all games they make!"

Like other players, NeasJ was initially awestruck by the realistic visuals.

But his amazement quickly vanished after entering the corridor.

The dim lighting, the bloodstained walls, the murder news playing on the radio...

NeasJ's expression gradually turned grim.

"What the hell... this atmosphere is seriously terrifying, and this corridor is way too narrow..."

"And the lighting is so dark, you can't see anything ahead!"

"Damn, bloodstains here? A murder scene? This is crazy!"

He started muttering nonstop, just like Natalie had done.

Viewers who had seen Natalie's playthrough couldn't stop laughing.

NeasJ was already complaining about the darkness?

Wait till he reaches the later parts, where everything turns pitch black and only a flashlight gives you any visibility, wouldn't he be scared to death?

You could see him gritting his teeth, inching forward in the corridor like a sloth, hesitating at every turn, extremely cautious, as if scared something would jump out at any moment.

It took him ten whole minutes to enter the second loop.

Finally, the viewers perked up.

They knew the game's first mini jumpscare was coming next.

"NeasJ, go check out that bathroom up ahead!"

"Yeah, yeah, go check the bathroom door!"

"I'm not going! Not even if you beg me! There's definitely something terrifying in that bathroom!" NeasJ instantly refused.

This left viewers speechless. When Naatalie had played this part, she had at least dared to look. Now this guy, who claimed to have walked past cemeteries as a kid, was too scared?

But the game wouldn't go easy on him just because he was timid.

As NeasJ walked past the bathroom, the door suddenly rattled without warning.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"What the, what was that?!"

The sharp, sudden knocking made NeasJ scream in fright. His whole body trembled, shaking violently.

And that wasn't even the worst part.

The screen suddenly dimmed, and a system message popped up in front of his eyes:

[The game has detected elevated blood pressure. Please stop playing and rest.]

"???"

The sudden appearance of this prompt left NeasJ confused.

"Hey, there's actually a blood pressure warning?"

"Damn, the developer of this game is so thoughtful!"

"Haha, looks like the dev knew just how scary the game was, so they added this feature in advance!"

"He's too gentle, I'm crying!"

Seeing the prompt, chat also reacted quickly. It must be a safety measure added by the game's developer.

"No wonder I felt a little dizzy earlier... was it because my blood pressure went up?"

NeasJ was a little surprised. He did experience a brief wave of dizziness just now. After seeing the prompt, it suddenly made sense.

But that wasn't the end, right after that message, another line appeared.

[It's time to relax...]

Then warm, gentle music began playing in his ears.

Along with the calming music, the game screen shifted again. NeasJ was transported from the dark corridor to another room.

The entire room was colored in a bright pink. The ceiling and floor tiles were decorated with blue flowers and plants.

Inside the pink room, there were all kinds of dolls. On the floor, several cute cats and dogs were playing.

When they saw NeasJ, they immediately ran over, surrounding him and rubbing affectionately against his legs!

The terrifying environment had suddenly transformed into something adorable and cozy.

NeasJ and everyone in the livestream room... were shocked!

"What the hell, why did it turn so cute all of a sudden?!"

"Haha, this girly aesthetic is adorable!"

"This must be a scene the developer added to help players calm down!"

"Yeah, for sure. This is actually really wholesome!"

"This dev's idea is genius, I love it!"

The livestream chat exploded. Such a warm and adorable scene was a stark contrast to the original tone of the game.

Can you believe this is still 'Silent Hill PT'?

"Wait... even though the scene is super cute, doesn't it feel a little much?"

"Yeah! These dolls, kittens, and puppies feel too deliberately placed, like its mocking you, haha!"

"This totally looks like something meant to entertain a little kid!"

"Oh man, maybe that's the real meaning here, the dev is trolling! They're a genius!"

"Must be an Easter egg, right?!"

"Still, NeasJ deserves some credit, even though he got scared into high blood pressure, he managed to trigger the Easter egg!"

In all honesty, Tony had no intention of mocking players at all.

He genuinely wanted to create a warm and cute scene to ease the intense fear players experienced in Silent Hill PT. It was just that pink and blue was statistically the most calm and soothing colors for most people.

Who knew people would interpret it this way?!

"So you tossed me into this girly pink room, are you mocking me!?"

At first, NeasJ had found the scene cute and wholesome, even comforting as a grown man.

After all, who could resist adorable cats and dogs?

But once he heard what the chat was saying, he immediately felt like it made sense!

That damn dev was definitely messing with him!

Soon, the relaxation time ended. The pink room vanished, and NeasJ was sent back to the main menu of the game.

"Phew... okay, I'll keep going. I've realized this game is seriously scary."

"But come on, just a knock on the door? That can't scare me off."

"There's definitely something wrong with this blood pressure detection. How could my pressure spike from just a knock?!"

"I feel totally fine now. There won't be any problems!"

Even as he said that, NeasJ's hands were trembling. Deep down, he was still shaken by the game.

But as a man, he couldn't lose face!

He'd already been booted from the game once due to high blood pressure and sent to a pink room filled with cats and dogs as if to mock him.

He couldn't stand it!

With that previous experience, NeasJ was much braver on his second run and marched ahead with more confidence.

Soon, he reached the second loop.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As he passed the bathroom, the door was knocked again.

"Haha, trying to scare me again?" NeasJ snorted coldly, keeping a calm expression, and continued moving forward without flinching.

But soon, he hit the same obstacle Natalie had encountered.

The front door was locked, and the bathroom door behind him slowly opened... just a crack.

NeasJ's calm expression wavered instantly.

"Guys, what's going on? Why did the bathroom door open by itself? This is bad!"

"Anyone who watched Natalies's stream, can you tell me what's about to happen?!" He started to panic.

"Don't worry, nothing intense happens here!"

"Yeah, keep going, forward!"

"No way something scary pops up this fast. Stay calm!"

"Don't act so tough! Natalie was laughing and joking here and ended up crying. You're way worse than she is!"

This time, viewers didn't go easy on him, they egged him on one after another.

Hearing this, NeasJ was flustered.

"Wait, for real? Natalie was that tough?"

He was already close to wetting himself. How did she keep laughing through this?!

"Alright, I'll take a look!"

NeasJ could only bite the bullet. He couldn't let himself be outdone!

So he slowly approached the bathroom.

And then, without warning, he came face to face with the pale deformed face of a little girl peeking through the crack in the door!

"FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUUCK!"

NeasJ screamed and collapsed straight to the ground in terror.

His face turned bright red, his body went limp, and then.

Thud.

He passed out cold.

At the same time, the game screen went black, and the familiar prompt appeared.

[The game has detected elevated blood pressure. Please stop playing and rest.]

The screen faded into that same pink room, filled with cats and dogs.

But this time, after two quick shouts, NeasJ went completely silent.

Now the chat started panicking.

"Shit, what's going on?!"

"NeasJ, say something!"

"No sound?!"

"Don't tell me something really happened?!"

"Quick, someone call emergency services!"

As the chat exploded in chaos, NeasJ's wife Mina Shin entered the room, and saw him lying on the VR platform, his face flushed.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?! Ryu! Ryu?!"

Mina shouted in horror and quickly pulled out her phone to dial for help.

"...I'm okay, I'm okay..."

Finally, NeasJ's voice emerged. He opened his eyes in a daze, slowly regaining consciousness.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You scared me to death!" Mina scolded him loudly.

"I... I think I fainted from the game..." NeasJ replied weakly.

"???"

She'd never played video games before and was baffled.

Aren't games supposed to be relaxing? How do you pass out from fright?!

The viewers in the stream also let out a collective sigh of relief after hearing his voice.

After resting for a while, NeasJ removed his VR headset and sat down at his desk again, looking dejected.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I don't think I can play this game anymore." This time, he didn't try to act tough.

"This game is way too terrifying. I never thought I'd ever be so scared I'd literally faint. If I keep going, I might really end up getting a heart attack..."

Even though NeasJ had wanted to ride the hype train of 'Silent Hill PT', the game was simply too horrifying, and his body couldn't handle it.

He had no choice but to give up.

"Understandable!"

"Yeah, don't die over it!"

"Exactly, health comes first!"

"But I still want to say this." NeasJ spoke with a serious expression. "When you play this game, please be aware of your physical condition."

"Don't be like me, don't ignore the health warning at the start of the game."

"People with high blood pressure or heart conditions should not play!"

"Otherwise, you won't even have time to regret it!"

"Alright, that's it for today's stream. I still feel a bit dizzy. I have go get checked at the hospital."

2136 Words.