The Monster is Coming

Chapter 362 The working class's working class.

The door to the game room slid open slowly, and a smell mixed with sweat wafted out.

The first one to come out was the girl who had been smoking an e-cigarette earlier; her silver-dyed hair was now messily plastered to her forehead.

Her eyes, which were originally covered in smoky makeup, were wide open, and her pupils had not yet recovered from their extreme contraction.

She stumbled a couple of steps, leaning against the door, her knees visibly trembling, but when she realized Lex was looking at her, she straightened her back and forced a smile:
"It's alright... nothing special."

As soon as he finished speaking, he subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, as if he was trying to suppress the churning in his stomach.

The boy in ripped clothes followed closely behind, veins bulging on the back of his hand, his right hand gripping the safety bar tightly.

I stumbled as I stepped through the door of the game room and almost bumped into the metal frame next to me.

"The special effects are... pretty realistic, and the experience is great."

In front of his friends, he mumbled incoherently, but his gaze kept drifting towards the game room, as if afraid something might suddenly jump out. Then, he forced himself to remain calm and said:
"The sound effects are too loud."

However, his voice clearly trembled when he spoke.

The last boy to come out looked the most disheveled; the back of his white T-shirt was soaked, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

He didn't say a word, he just leaned against the wall, panting heavily, his face as pale as if covered with a layer of paper.

His eyes were still somewhat unfocused, as if he was still immersed in the terrifying scene.

As if remembering something, his legs went weak and he could barely support his body. He tried to squat down, but his companion nudged him with his elbow.

His gaze then shifted to his two friends who were looking at him, and he suddenly straightened his back, stiffening his neck as he said:
"It was a great experience, quite interesting."

After saying that, he secretly moved half a step to the side, using his companion's body to block his wobbling leg.

Lex stood behind the console, looking at the newly refreshed Fright Points gain of +36 on the screen, and couldn't help but smile.

He coughed lightly and pointed to the payment terminal next to him:

"The three of you, this experience will cost a total of 180 star points. Just scan it with your device."

The boy in the cargo pants seemed to have just remembered this. He reached into his pocket, fumbled around inside for a while before finally pulling out his personal terminal. He muttered, "What's the rush?" but avoided meeting Lex's gaze.

He then scanned the QR code on the payment terminal, heard a "beep" of payment notification, and then, as if relieved, grabbed his companion and headed for the door.

Lex pretended not to notice their embarrassment and asked with a smile:
"Are you all satisfied? Would you like to try some other scenes?"

"No, no." The leading boy waved his hand and stepped back.

"Next time... I'll come again next time."

The three of them then turned around almost simultaneously and hurried toward the door, none of them daring to look back.

As they reached the door, the boy in the white T-shirt suddenly felt weak in the knees and almost tripped on the steps. His companion had to support him to keep his balance.

After the door slammed shut, Lex turned to look at the screen.

The 36 points of fright value couldn't be exchanged for any goods, but he was very satisfied with the initial test results.

He believed that before long, the city's screams would surge forth like a tidal wave, paving the way for his extraordinary path.

To attract more guests to take on the challenge, he decided to first create a challenge ranking system via the local area network.

With the idea in mind, Lex immediately took action, his fingers flying across the control panel.

A new document popped up on the screen, and he typed the title as "Hero Ranking".

The ranking he's trying to create isn't about who clears the game the fastest.

That's too ordinary; it can't extract any more shock value.

The game has surveillance cameras, and he decided to use them to observe the tourists' behavior.

Courage points can be obtained by calculating the length of time a player stays in a scene, the dangers triggered, and so on.

For example, how many seconds you face a monster in a scene determines how many courage points you gain.

The higher your courage score, the higher your ranking.

This design is intended to appeal to the competitive spirit of contemporary young people.

Secondly, some reward mechanisms can be set up.

For example, the top ten on the weekly courage leaderboard can receive a cash reward.

They can also have their names displayed in the most prominent position in the venue, followed by a line of smaller text: "The bravest warrior in Neon Harbor".

To enhance the sense of immersion, he also plans to install more surveillance cameras in the game room to automatically capture players' instantaneous reactions when faced with terror.

When the rankings are updated, a few "highlight moments" are selected and posted on the list, of course with their faces blurred to protect privacy.

The point is to make them compete with each other.

Lex stared at the draft on the screen, grinning like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.

He understands the young people of Japan so well.

They would rather endure the trembling than be called a "coward".

Even if it costs a few points to challenge repeatedly, you still have to move your name up to the top of the leaderboard.

The essence of this ranking is to build a cage using vanity and competitiveness.

Once they crawl inside, they'll willingly contribute wave after wave of fright points to him.

You could even create a group experience mode, for example, five people per group, and then create a group ranking list based on their performance.

But the most important thing is the realism of the scene experience.

The Nightmare System provides an experience indistinguishable from reality, and the stimulation it brings is unmatched by drugs.

The immersive sense of horror, even knowing it's all fake, still makes you tremble all over.

The brain can rationally tell itself that this is just a virtual experience, and those bloody monsters, the whispers echoing in the ears... are all fake.

But the body will betray reason, causing the heart to beat faster uncontrollably.

This is the most terrifying aspect of the Nightmare System.

The scenes it generates are so realistic that they bypass logical thinking and directly stimulate the most primal instincts.

It's like standing on the edge of a cliff; even if the railing is sturdy and reliable, your knees will still buckle when you look down.

Reason is incredibly fragile in the face of the instinct for survival.

But after the experience ends and the challengers safely return to reality, the exhaustion from surviving the ordeal can actually make them feel intense joy and excitement.

This feeling might be addictive.

The adrenaline surge, the dopamine rush, the endorphin analgesia... this process from extreme tension to sudden relaxation is like riding a roller coaster.

He continued to refine the draft, and then opened the local area network forum to save the draft.

Next, he plans to receive several more groups of tourists and then wait for word-of-mouth to spread.

Once players who have experienced it share their stories with their friends, more and more challengers will come to try it.

By then, the initial buzz will have been ignited.

Besides the guests, even competitors who run similar venues might be tempted to send people to investigate and experience the place.

The only problem is how to explain this technology.

The realism of the nightmare scene clearly surpasses any existing technology, and he struggles to provide a reasonable explanation.

But he doesn't need to respond to this question at all.

This sense of mystery is itself one of the selling points.

The following day, Lex made a new sign for the venue, replacing the original "Dream".

The new sign uses blue-purple neon tubes to outline the five characters "Nightmare Experience Hall," with the edges of the font deliberately designed to be jagged, as if it had been gnawed by something.

He also added a line of small print below the sign: "A brave person dares to face their fear."

The provocative tone in the words was ten times more blatant than the previous billboards.

The day after the sign was changed, the first customers were a few teenagers with dyed green hair, their arms still bearing bruises from the underground fighting arena.

They were most likely attracted by the discussion topics posted on the forum, or perhaps they were recommended by the previous three players.

They had barely stepped inside when they started shouting:

"Turn on your most brutal scenes. Today, we're going to see if it's as scary as they say."

Lex naturally greeted the guests who came to him with great enthusiasm, and smiled as he opened the fourth horror scenario for them.

Less than half an hour later, the door to the game room was opened, and the boys with dyed hair rushed out with pale faces. One of them even vomited in the corridor.

Lex grinned as he glanced at the scare points displayed on the monitor.

News about the Nightmare Experience Center spread like wildfire among young people in Neon Harbor over the next few days.

Some people, skeptical of the superstition, tried to challenge it, only to be so frightened by their reflection in the mirror that they dared not look in the mirror for several days.

Someone brought his girlfriend to show off, but in the end, it was the girl who dragged the terrified guy out of the game room.

There are also small groups that specialize in boosting rankings. In order to compete for the top spot, they argue fiercely with other teams on the forum, and even agree to a face-to-face competition offline, with Lex acting as the referee, and the contest is conducted based on the courage points in the rules.

On the local area network forum, posts about the "Nightmare Experience Hall" quickly garnered thousands of views.

Some people analyzed the calculation rules of courage points, while others shared their experiences... but the most popular content was about the highlights.

On the real-time updated leaderboard, those embarrassing moments with their faces blurred out always spark heated discussions.

Some people were so frightened that they crouched down with their heads in their hands to defend themselves, some tried to walk forward with all their might but their legs were as weak as noodles, and some even clenched their fists at the air... Lex's business was so good that he needed to hire temporary workers to handle payments and cleaning.

All he had to do was watch the alarm value numbers constantly fluctuating in the background, from the initial tens of points to the later thousands, and then to tens of thousands, and he couldn't stop smiling.

The venue was so popular that it was expanded using "scare points," and can now accommodate hundreds of people for offline experiences. However, when they wanted to expand further, they discovered that the venue's limited space prevented them from doing so.

This made Lex realize that he needed to work harder to make money, then move to a new venue that could accommodate more people, or even open multiple venues in the city.

His recent cash earnings allowed him to easily pay off his overdue fees and even pay three months' rent in advance.

That evening, Lex stood by the window.

Looking at the long queue at the entrance of the experience center, it stretched from the entrance of the building all the way to the street corner.

The young people in the group chattered excitedly about which scene was scarier, clutching their terminals with a mixture of tension and excitement in their eyes, as if they were waiting for a grand celebration.

Lex knew this was just the beginning.

When all the young people in Neon Harbor went crazy for the "Nightmare Experience Hall," his extraordinary journey truly began.

And those endless screams are the most solid foundation paved on this road.

The anticipation of a future with a goal to pursue filled Lex with joy.

He returned to the console and his gaze fell on the [Body Tempering Pill] icon in the system shop.

The label next to it says that it requires 50000 points of fright to redeem, and the description says: Gently temper the body and improve basic physical fitness.

Looking at the shock value in the background that had already exceeded six figures, he didn't hesitate at all and tapped the virtual panel heavily with his fingertip.

[Confirm redemption of [Body Tempering Pill]? Consuming 50000 Fright Points.]

"Yes."

After completing the exchange, the fear level immediately decreased by half.

A line of text appeared on the screen: Redeeming in progress, please wait.

More than ten minutes passed while waiting, and just as Lex was wondering why the exchange hadn't been completed yet, the storage compartment below the console suddenly made a slight "click" sound.

Lex held his breath and pulled open the drawer.

Inside the drawer, there was a layer of silver moisture-proof paper.

The thing lying quietly on the paper is so small that it would definitely be overlooked if you didn't look closely.

It was a dark gray particle, smaller than half the size of a fingernail, with obvious cracks along its edges, as if it had been crushed by hard force, or as a fragment peeled off from some intact object.

Lex froze, instinctively moving closer, even wondering if he was seeing things.

He remembered the image of the Body Tempering Pill in the system shop; it was a round, plump pill with a matte finish, about the size of a little finger.

It looks like a proper pill no matter how you look at it.

But this thing in front of me is probably not even enough to fill a tooth gap.

"What's this?"

He muttered to himself, gently touching the fragment with his fingertip. It was hard and had a slightly cool feel to it, completely different from the pills he had imagined.

Lex picked up the crumb and examined it under the light for a long time, but apart from confirming that it was indeed pitifully small, he couldn't see anything special about it.

But when he got closer and smelled it, a strange fragrance of grass and trees filled his nostrils, which invigorated him.

He held the crumbs in his hand, examined them for a moment, hesitated briefly, and then promptly popped them into his mouth.

The crumbs melted in my mouth, without the bitterness I had imagined. Instead, they turned into a warm current that slid down my throat and into my stomach.

Then the warm current suddenly spread, and the effects of the medicine became intense, as if countless tiny streams of heat were penetrating into every part of the body.

His neck and shoulders, which had been aching from staying up late for a long time, felt like they were being gently massaged by warm hands, and the soreness quickly subsided.

The calluses on my fingertips, formed from long-term tapping and labor, seemed to have softened a bit.

Even more amazing are the changes at the sensory level.

He could clearly hear a girl in the queue muttering to herself:
"Hopefully I won't get a shadow copy randomly."

You can smell the aroma of fried food wafting from outside the window, and even see the smallest font on the holographic billboard across the street.

Those details that were originally just blurry spots of light in his eyes suddenly became incredibly clear.

Blood surged through my body like a tidal wave.

He subconsciously clenched his fist, his knuckles making a crisp "crack" sound.

More powerful than ever before.

Walking to the heavy, abandoned server in the corner, he tried lifting it with one hand, and found it much easier than usual. The iron lump that used to require two people to move could now be held steadily in his palm.

Lex walked up to the full-length mirror and looked at himself in it.

Her figure hadn't changed much, but the fatigue in her eyes had vanished, her skin had a healthy glow, and even the pallor that had developed from being indoors for a long time had disappeared.

This change is ongoing.

The seemingly insignificant fragments significantly enhanced his physical abilities.

"This feeling... is so great."

He raised his hand and touched his arm, clearly feeling the power surging within the muscle fibers.

In the past, I always thought that "extraordinary" was a story that was out of reach.

But now, the changes brought about by this fragment are incredibly real.

As time went on, black mucus began to seep from his skin, clearly indicating that impurities in his body were being cleansed out by the elixir.

He decisively turned around and went to the bathroom to start washing his body.

After changing my clothes and returning, I felt refreshed and invigorated.

The line outside the window continued to grow, and the screams inside and the laughter outside sounded like a beautiful melody.

Lex looked at the young people waiting outside for their experience and felt that the 50000 points of fright were well worth it.

Besides wealth, the Nightmare System also brought him the power he had always dreamed of.

He turned back to the console and brought up the scene editor.

Starting today, he has decided to personally edit new horror scenes to generate more scare points.

The comfort and sense of power brought by the Body Tempering Pill were like a shot of adrenaline, making him even more certain that he had chosen the right path.

In the days that followed, the popularity of the Nightmare Experience Center grew exponentially.

Every morning, a long line forms at the entrance of the venue.

The group included students in school uniforms, migrant workers, and even middle-aged men who came to take on the challenge.

The introduction of the leaderboard enhances the fun of the Nightmare Experience Hall.

Everyone wants to try to become the bravest warrior.

Lex's four temporary workers were extremely busy, with one responsible for guiding guests and explaining the rules.

One is dedicated to cleaning and tidying up.

The other two are responsible for monitoring the surveillance footage and calculating the courage score.

At the busiest times, I don't even have time to eat.

To motivate temporary workers to work hard, Lex offered them substantial pay.

On the local area network forum, the discussion about the "Nightmare Experience Hall" is becoming increasingly rich.

Some people have even compiled a fright level chart for various scenarios, using five skulls to mark the degree of danger.

Some people are livestreaming their experiences at the Nightmare Experience Center, hoping to ride the wave of popularity.

Some people even spontaneously formed a "challenge group" on the forum, claiming they would win first place in the team competition.

Many of the visitors who tried it a few days ago have become regulars at the experience center.

The experience was undoubtedly filled with torment.

But after each experience, I feel a sense of relief and joy.

This stark contrast made the challenge exciting for the players.

During this period, Lex focused more on the scene editor.

He was no longer satisfied with the initial ten scenarios of the system and began to adjust the horror direction based on guest feedback.

In the 11th scene I edited, I added several eerie creatures with urban legend elements.

The editing process does not require manual drawing.

Simply enter the scene editing mode, imagine the scene layout, and the purple mist will begin generating a horror scene according to your ideas.

However, he does not plan to open the custom scene to tourists for the time being until it is perfected.

This may affect the visitor's experience.

Watching the Nightmare System steadily increase its fright value every day, Lex would occasionally think of the inconspicuous dark gray fragment he had redeemed from the shop.

Since taking the pill, he can now easily lift servers that previously required two people to move, and he can maintain his strength even after intense physical exertion.

These changes made him even more certain that his future was limitless.

As evening fell and the last group of guests left, the venue finally quieted down.

Lex stood in front of the console, looking at the newly created custom scenario replica on the screen: the Memory Maze.

He stretched, his joints making a series of crisp cracking sounds, and a hopeful smile appeared on his lips.

How much more shock value will I earn tomorrow?
　There is one more chapter.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)