Creating a zombie in a mountain village terrifies players worldwide.

Chapter 43 Are Ghosts Mukov's Top-Tier Assets? (4500 words)
That's something they never expected: Kayako's family wasn't their real family at all!

Instead, it was a temporary family consisting of four participants!

According to various documents, it was Mukoff Corporation that wanted to try a 'collective experiment', so they selected Kayako and three other unrelated people.

Then, through hypnosis, their real memories were erased, and entirely new identities as wife, husband, daughter, and son were implanted in them.

In this pre-designed 'home,' each person plays their own role, and their every move becomes a source of data for the Mukov Company's paranormal experiments.

Upon seeing this, all the players watching the video gasped in shock.

The plot twist really shocked them; they never expected such a reversal.

Those players who had played the game but only had a vague understanding of the storyline exclaimed how awesome it was.

I initially thought that Kayako's family were just innocent victims caught up in supernatural events.

But now it seems that from the very beginning, they were already victims of the Mukoff Company's paranormal experiments.

So, everything in their daily lives—eating, sleeping, arguing, even those seemingly heartwarming moments—was under the close surveillance of the Mukov Company?

Good heavens, this is absolutely terrifying!
Oh, right! In that case...
The fact that the male homeowner, Takeo Saeki, has been unable to find work for a long time may not be due to his lack of ability or bad luck, but rather to Mukhov's deliberate actions.
In this way, they could not escape Mukhkov's control and were firmly kept in this house, where they were constantly observed and recorded.

In the live demonstration, those talking appliances were probably Mukov's experimenters.

Was it because of some relationship, perhaps hypnosis affected the brain? Or perhaps the pale woman influenced his mind? In any case, in the male homeowner's confused consciousness, these experimental subjects existed in the form of electrical appliances and furniture, rather than in human form.

It's like having your vision blocked.

In an instant, the curiosity of the players watching the video was completely ignited, and at the same time, an indescribable anger and sense of absurdity welled up in their hearts.

The game's plot is far more complex and dark than they imagined.

They were eager to know what Mukhoff Company was up to.
What purpose is hidden in this so-called "collective experiment"?
The video progress bar is still stubbornly stuck in the middle, and there's clearly more juicy stuff to come.

Later in the story, players noticed that during the 0341 subject's journey, a fourth ghost would appear in the haunted house.

That's the pale female ghost from the actual gameplay demo!
Whenever it appears, ghosts like Kayako disappear into the shadows.

It was as if they dared not appear in front of this female ghost.

This made players even more curious: just who was this female ghost? Was she even more ferocious than Kayako?

In the game, the pale female ghost doesn't seem to want the player to find the key items, namely the chin, the head, and the glue.

It will relentlessly hinder the player's exploration, forcing the player to play hide-and-seek with it, and rely on feints and diversions to lure it away.

During the process of hiding, they also found a document.

The uploader who recorded the video thoughtfully displayed this document.

When the players paused to take a look, their eyes widened in astonishment!

—A crumpled experimental document.

Experimental subjects: Subject 0740, Takeo Saeki, and his "family".

Experimental objective: To test the supernatural abilities possessed by "Special Asset (031) - Unknown Female Corpse".

Experimental results:

The situation of subject 0740 and his family is getting increasingly serious.

Due to the influence of "Special Asset (031) - Unknown Female Corpse", their mental state is very poor and their rationality is getting worse.

But this is precisely a sign of the experiment's success, as it has allowed us to test the capabilities and effects of "Special Asset (031) - Unknown Female Corpse".

Currently, the four of them collectively perform four bizarre acts at exactly 6:6:6 AM, but then forget about them afterwards.

Specific behaviors include:

At 0552, subject 'Kayako Kawamata' will kneel down and kowtow facing northeast at that exact time, 666 times, and whisper a strange name: 'Nixel'.

(Note: We checked the information but found no indication of what this name represents. Strangely, there were no signs of impact on Kayako's forehead.)
Subject 'Yoshida Kyuyo' will go to the basement at 0601, lie naked on the ground, and do erotic things.

(Note: It seems an evil force is toying with her body.)
Subject 3441, 'Toshio Oda', would go to the living room at that time, kneel on the floor, and make a licking motion.

(Note: This is very strange behavior, as if there really is something in front of him.)
At 07:40, subject 'Takeo Saeki' would inexplicably become irritable and beat three people, after which he would stand still for 3 to 6 minutes, looking towards the northeast.

(Note: There were no signs of beatings or wounds, suggesting that supernatural forces protected them during this period.)
Conclusion: The supernatural abilities of "Special Asset (031) - Unknown Female Corpse" still need to be explored in more depth, but it is certain that its ability to influence rationality is much stronger than that of "Special Asset (015-1044) - Tomie", while its aggressiveness is weaker than that of "Special Asset (022) - Chu Renmei".

After reading the document, those players who "buy but don't play" were a bit confused.

Top-tier assets?

Unidentified female corpse?

Based on the document description, the pale-faced woman in the game seems to be this so-called nameless female corpse.

If that's the case, then wow, is that what the people at Mukoff Company call ghosts?

Treating ghosts and monsters as assets?

And there's more than one ghost!

Are all ghosts numbered and managed?
Holy crap, you're so awesome, does the government even know?
What kind of company is this? It keeps redefining my understanding and perceptions, exceeding my wildest imagination.

If we can call demons assets this time, shouldn't we call God property next time?

O5, your villainous group is way too overpowered!

Referring to ghosts as "assets" is a cold, objectifying attitude that itself exudes a sense of mystery.

This is more chilling than a simple evil organization.

This kind of power would easily be in the top ten in any other game.

Seeing this, the players' understanding was suddenly a bit hard to keep up with.

Take a close look at the document.

Three "top-tier assets" appeared.

Unidentified female corpse, Chu Renmei, Tomie.

Chu Renmei and the others knew that she was the female ghost from the first chapter, and her background was no less impressive than Kayako's.

But who is Tomie?

At this point, some players who "buy but can't play" are puzzled.

They had never played the game or seen a gameplay demo, so they didn't know who Tomie was.

However, they didn't know, but players who saw the gameplay demo did.

When they saw the name Tomie in the document, they all widened their eyes and looked shocked.

Goodness, isn't this Tomie the girlfriend of one of the test subjects in the live demonstration?

What was that subject's name again? Oh right, subject 0355 - Mitsuo Taro.

In the gameplay demo, he seemed to have gone insane due to a paranormal experiment, and then dismembered his girlfriend.

And my girlfriend's name is Tomie!

At the time, there were a bunch of abstract, humorous people commenting in the live chat saying things like "What a pity about those beautiful legs," "Before the lower part gets cold," "They look the same with the lights off," and "Kids, watch me fight my bloody battle!"

So now, after all this time, your mother's Tomie has become a ghost?

But if it's a ghost, then why was it dismembered by the test subject?
The players don't understand; perhaps O5 will provide an explanation later?
In addition, players noticed that each so-called "premium asset" has a unique serial number.

The pale, ghostly woman in the Saeki family, known as the "Nameless Corpse," is episode 031.

The resentful female ghost "Chu Renmei" in the first chapter is 022.

The girlfriend "Tomie" who was dismembered in the actual gameplay demo is 015... Wait a minute, what does the extra "1044" after Tomie mean?
The players were somewhat confused.

It's one thing for Tomie to become a demon, but why is Tomie's number different from the other two demons? Oh well, maybe there will be an explanation later.

At this moment, they had a vague guess in their hearts.

If each ghost is assigned a number, then wouldn't that mean Mukhef has at least 31 ghosts?

The players thought of this and then shook their heads.

He also felt that Mukhkov probably had more than 31 ghosts in his possession.

After all, who can guarantee that the number 031 is the final number?

What if there are even larger numbers following?

Think about those endless doors in the gameplay demo.
Behind each door, there is probably a "top-tier asset" similar to Chu Renmei, Tomie, or this nameless female corpse.

Thinking of this, a chill ran through the players' hearts.

The Mukoff Corporation, this behemoth, has hidden strength and resources that probably exceed the imagination of all players.

They are not only rich and powerful, but also incredibly skilled, and they conduct paranormal experiments in various countries to test the abilities of these ghosts.
How can the protagonist of this game, a lab rat, compete with an opponent of this caliber?
This is so scary!

I'm afraid that apart from the government, no one can deal with it.
This game's world-building is absolutely outrageous!

However, based on this document, players have confirmed once again that it was the nameless female corpse that caused the Kayako family's mental state problems.

Ultimately, this affected the male homeowner's sanity, causing him to go insane and kill his entire family.

This is the real reason why Kayako's family died.

Later in the video, the protagonist collects all the key props, then finds three mannequins and installs all the missing parts on them.

Then, the three mannequins will turn into dust and disappear.

It seems the resentment has dissipated.

The game was drawing to a close, and warm sunlight streamed into the room, dispelling the gloom.

Next, we move on to real-time rendered animation.

The protagonist dragged his heavy steps and staggered toward the tightly closed door.

However, just as the protagonist's hand was about to touch the doorknob, something unexpected happened!

On the entryway floor, the old-fashioned tape recorder, its parts scattered all over the floor, was now emitting a piercing "zzzz" noise once again.

Then, a deep, husky male voice rang out.

Just one sentence:

[You failed, Umbrella agent.]
[You failed the test. Now, go and die.]
The next second, the door in front of them suddenly burst open.

But outside, it wasn't the street or the scene of escaping to safety that I had imagined.

Instead, it's a laboratory filled with the cold luster of metal and precision instruments!

The pale-faced female ghost, the nameless female corpse, stood right in front of the door! As if she had been waiting for a long time!
The next second, two pale hands suddenly reached out and grabbed the protagonist's neck.

Suddenly everything went black; the game was over, but I had indeed completed it.

Because the video ends here.

He just died like that?

After working hard for half a day, searching for parts and assembling mannequins, he was strangled to death by the white-clad female ghost just before leaving the house.
That's it? ? ?

This is a death sentence!
Is there no ending where the survivors don't survive?
Some curious players searched on video websites and found that there is indeed a survival ending.

There is only one condition for achieving the survival ending: finding a fourth human model, namely the human model belonging to Takeo Saeki.

But the mannequin has been burned, just like the mannequin who committed suicide by self-immolation.

However, as long as you burn the mannequin with fire, and then go to the entrance, you can trigger a real-time rendered animation of the survival ending.

It's still that same door, and that same old tape recorder that's shattered all over the floor.

But this time, the hoarse male voice coming from the tape recorder contained completely different content:
[Well then, congratulations on your successful survival, Umbrella agent.]
[Now, we're increasingly optimistic about you. If it were you, you might be able to survive that pizzeria.]
Get ready, the next place is waiting for you.
As soon as the tape recorder finished speaking, a burst of green gas shot out, knocking the protagonist unconscious.

The game has officially ended.

But players noticed a key word.

That's a pizza shop!

So, the next paranormal event will take place in a pizza shop?!

Immediately, the players were filled with anticipation.

I'm really curious to see what interesting things might happen in a pizza shop.

After all, the plot of this second chapter is quite good. Through the perspectives of the two main characters, we not only witness the tragic end of Kayako's family, but also learn a lot of information about the pale female ghost.

They even understood that within this worldview, there existed behemoths like Mukhef who treated ghosts as assets.

Now, they are incredibly excited to see what kind of supernatural experiment the mysterious and powerful Mukoff Company will arrange in a pizzeria.
However, players still have another question in their minds.

So that's what the actual gameplay demonstration was about?
Wasn't it supposed to be that you could control Takeo Saeki in the mid-to-late game?
I've watched several videos, but where is it?

Could it be that developer O5 didn't implement it?

But that shouldn't be the case. Judging from the actual gameplay demo, Takeo Saeki's gameplay is quite complete. Logically, it should be fine as long as it's implemented. Why isn't it there?

With this question in mind, many players went to Weibo to leave comments and ask, but then... nothing happened.

O5 didn't reply to any of them!

Extremely aloof!

On the game forum, related discussion threads gradually increased, but players remained relatively rational and began to find their own solutions.

"I guess the development cycle is too tight, and there's no time to implement it."

"Indeed, it's already satisfactory to deliver a high-quality game like 'Ju-on' in just three months."

"That's right. It must be because the development cycle was too short, and there were problems with the character behavior logic, so it was temporarily scrapped. We'll have to wait for a later patch."

"Hey! That's standard practice in the gaming industry, we're used to it."

"Let's see if O5 will add it in a later update. If not, it doesn't matter. I've already seen the gameplay video, and the second chapter of the main game is good enough."

Clearly, everyone assumed that there might have been a problem with the gameplay demo, which led to it being removed by the developer, O5.

After all, this kind of thing happens all the time in the gaming industry.

Some games look one way in gameplay demos but completely different in-game, much like the difference between a seller's photo and a buyer's photo.

Many games have impressive and cool gameplay demos, but after release, they are often heavily censored.

Therefore, players are already used to it and simply assume that there were some unforeseen circumstances when the Ju-on arc was released, which is why the gameplay demo wasn't included.

We'll see if the developers add it later.

However, to the players' utter surprise, within just one day, a skilled player found out how to play the actual gameplay demonstration.

He also posted on the disaster relief website to share the news with everyone.

At the same time, his post titles are eye-catching and attract clicks.

[Exclusive online premiere! The true origin of the nameless female corpse in the Ju-on arc! A mysterious force that even the Mukoff Corporation fears makes a stunning appearance!]

With just one last chapter, the sequel to this game's story will be complete.

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(End of this chapter)