American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 411 Survival Game
For security reasons, it would be safer to hold a fake wedding in a small town like Acton where there are fewer people.

Of course, Roy didn't need to do the wedding venue setup; that task had been delegated to FEA.

Fortunately, there was a senior FEA agent in the town of Acton, so we let him handle this matter.

However, the next day, Roy received a call from Lilith, who had made a decision to use the Soul Chain magic to deal with the Underworld Temple.

Roy was slightly surprised that the Death Witch had made up her mind so quickly.

However, this was a good thing, so Roy didn't think too much about it and stayed at UCLA with Jennifer, Neddy, and Ashley.

Jennifer has officially joined a sorority at UCLA called the Iris, which is mainly composed of members of political families in Los Angeles County.

UCLA is a public university, so the wealthiest people or political families would definitely not choose it; they would usually choose a private school.

Therefore, the members of the Iris Sisterhood were mainly mid-level people in Los Angeles, and it took Jennifer some time to finally integrate into the group.

Ashley has recently become more interested in acting. Although she didn't join the sorority, she did join a drama club.

Los Angeles has no shortage of drama clubs, which are quite different from sorority and fraternity clubs, and they've found something to do.

As for Nidi, she always remembered the promise Roy made to her, the promise to play games with her.

So when he saw that Roy had some free time, he immediately asked Roy to keep his promise.

Roy did not refuse, as setting up the fake wedding and setting the traps would take some time.

With Lilith keeping an eye on things, Roy doesn't need to worry about anything, and he has a free period to play games with Nidi.

Niddy was very happy to hear the news.

"Roy, I just got a leaked game disc (referring to a game that was leaked before its official release). I heard it's a really scary game. Want to play with me?"

"Okay, shall I go to your dorm tonight, or will you come to mine?"

Nidi bit her lip; she understood Roy's implication.

"Why are we hanging out in the dorm? Let's go to Beverly Hills! Let's call Jennifer and Ashley!"

"Okay, it's settled then."

Nidi was so happy she almost jumped for joy.

"I'll go tell Jennifer and Ashley right now! Luckily, this game can be played in split-screen mode, so we can have a competition!"

Nidi always gets very excited when it comes to playing games, and her desire to win is also very strong.

That evening, at the villa in Beverly Hills, Jennifer prepared a special dinner, and the four of them sat down together for a meal.

After a hearty meal and drinks, Nidi pulled out the game that was supposedly incredibly terrifying.

"Let's play a game! This game can be played in two-player co-op with split-screen! We can split into teams and compete!"

Upon hearing this, Jennifer suddenly made a suggestion.

"Nidi, since it's going to be a competition, there has to be a prize, right?"

Nidice looked at Jennifer, whose expression seemed to have become even more excited.

"A prize? You mean there's a penalty for losing?"

Jennifer smiled.

"Yes! The two who lost have to agree to some requests from the other two tonight."

Nidy didn't think much of it and agreed immediately.

"No problem! How do we divide into groups?"

“Of course, we should try to group them as fairly as possible! Nidi, you’re the best player here, so you’ll definitely be grouped with Ashley, who’s the worst player.”

As she spoke, Jennifer winked at Roy.

The best player on the field was definitely Nydy, followed by Roy.

Jennifer is physically very fit, but her gaming skills are actually quite average; she only plays games with Nidi occasionally.

As for Ashley, she had always lived in a remote town and had never played video games before; she was a true gaming black hole.

Therefore, even with Nydy's skill level and Ashley's help, they would most likely lose.

Roy realized that Jennifer was trying to mess with Neddy and Ashley.

It's probably because during the last time the four of them played together, Neddy and Ashley attacked Jennifer together, so she wanted to get revenge.

Roy didn't care; it would be more interesting if the three girls played some different games, and he was also curious about what Jennifer would do if she won.

Niddy saw through Jennifer's sinister intentions and bit her thumb while looking at her.

Jennifer looked at Nydy with a hint of mockery in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Is our gaming expert scared?"

What Nidy couldn't stand the most was people questioning her abilities, so when she heard Jennifer say that, she immediately jumped up.

"Scared? How could I be scared! We'll divide them into groups like this!"

"Isn't this bad?"

Ashley seemed to see through Jennifer's "sinister intentions," but a somewhat hot-headed Ned patted her on the shoulder.

"Ashley, don't be afraid! Watch how I beat them to a pulp!"

The group assignments are now finalized: Neddy and Ashley will be in one group, and Roy and Jennifer will be in the other.

The game Ashley is bringing you is a 3D horror game with no save function; you can only complete it in one go.

The competition is between the two groups to see which group has the longest playtime and the longest game session.

"You can't stay in one area for too long, that's a foul! And you can't interfere with other players' gameplay, neither through words nor actions!"

Niddy added some details about the competition rules. She was quite confident in her gaming skills, but was mainly worried that Jennifer might use dirty tricks against her.

That's how it was when we used to play games together. Sometimes Jennifer would get really frustrated when she lost, and she would get back at Nydy through off-game means.

Jennifer is much stronger physically than Neddy, and Neddy is extremely ticklish, so Jennifer always tickles her until she cries.

Upon hearing this, Jennifer pursed her lips. She didn't actually intend to play any tricks; otherwise, she wouldn't have admitted to winning against Nydy.

I mainly believe in Ashley's gaming prowess; she'll definitely make Niddy lose.

Ashley had no idea that Jennifer trusted her so much, otherwise she would have thanked her properly.

"Then let the match begin!"

This game was developed for Microsoft's Xbox game console, which happened to be in Madison's villa, and Nidyl had used this game console before.

Nidi placed the giant Xbox on the living room screen and put the game disc inside.

Niddy and Ashley were the first to play the game. The two sat on the sofa facing the screen, picked up the controllers, and got ready.

Ashley was visibly nervous; she knew she was terrible at the game and was afraid of dragging Nidi down.

But Neddy wasn't entirely confident. She patted Ashley on the shoulder, signaling her to relax. "Ashley, don't be afraid! Just like last time we played the escape room game, you did pretty well, didn't you? Believe in yourself, we can definitely beat Roy and Jennifer."

Despite saying that, Ashley's nervousness did not ease. She was really bad at playing video games and often pressed the wrong keys when she got nervous.

At this moment, Jennifer was still making sarcastic remarks from the side.

"Tsk tsk tsk! Nidi, it might actually look better if you admit defeat now!"

"Jennifer, if you say another word, you're committing a foul!"

Jennifer smiled, shrugged, and then zipped up her mouth.

After the game loads, it starts with a rough 3D East Sea scene that cannot be skipped, followed by a strange prayer text, and then the game's name and start screen appear.

This game is called "Survival".

"You can start the timer now!"

Roy pressed the timer button, and Nidi pressed the start button, and then the game's actual screen appeared.

Two detective characters, one male and one female, appear next to a wrecked car. Nydy is portrayed as the male, and Ashley as the female.

To be honest, the graphics of this game are top-notch by today's standards; it's definitely not the kind of blocky graphics that Roy found surprising.

Through the dialogue between the two characters, we learn that they are a police duo who have been ordered to investigate a case at a mansion.

A classic mansion adventure game, many classic horror games are in this format, such as Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark.

It seems that in this day and age, these kinds of mansion adventure horror games are quite popular.

Because the game uses a split-screen design, each player's field of view is relatively narrow, which increases the atmosphere of terror.

At least Niddy has gotten into the swing of things. After gaining angel blood, she's not so afraid of horror games anymore, and this time there are so many people playing the game with her.

"Nidi, what should I do?"

"Take a look at the surrounding situation before making a judgment!"

Nidi, with her extensive gaming experience, first checked the car while controlling her character, and a message popped up.

Jack: The car engine is broken; it looks like it can't be fixed. Nicole, we might have to walk to the mansion.

Nicole is the character Ashley controls, while Nidi controls a character named Jack—both are very ordinary names.

"Ashley, let's not rush off. Let's explore the area; we might find something."

"Ok!"

The two began to control their respective characters to explore the vicinity, and soon discovered some herbs and ammunition.

After picking it up, the game's backpack will open, revealing that both characters are equipped with a police revolver and a backpack that can hold 16 different items.

"This game has guns, which means we'll be fighting later! Ashley, collect all the bullets, and just bring plenty of medicine!"

"Roger that!"

Since it was the initial level, there was only one road. The two characters walked for a short while before arriving outside a huge mansion.

The manor gate was closed, but through the openwork pattern of the gate, one could see that the lights in the mansion were on, indicating that someone was living inside.

Jack: This should be it. Nicole, go ring the doorbell.
Nicole pressed the button, and soon a woman's voice came from the intercom next to the doorbell.

Walkie-talkie: This is Stockman's Mansion. How can I help you?
Nicole: We are the town's police. Someone reported hearing a woman screaming from your mansion, so we want to investigate!
Walkie-talkie: Did you make an appointment in advance?

Nicole: Yes, we contacted Dr. Stock during the day.

Walkie-talkie: Just a moment, I'll report to my husband.

After the two detectives waited at the entrance of the mansion for a few minutes, the gate opened automatically.

Walkie-talkie: Please come in!
This passage suggests that the game's setting is quite close to the year 2000, with features like automatic doors and intercom systems.

Nidy and Ashley guide their characters into the mansion. At this point, the game's story has not yet officially begun, so many areas cannot be explored.

In the lobby of the mansion, a woman dressed as a maid was waiting for two detectives.

The game developers used the best technology of the time to present a sexy blonde, big-breasted maid, which surprised both Roy and Jennifer.

However, Nidi, who was playing the game, frowned slightly, finding the game strange.

"Such a sexy maid? Can the mistress of this mansion really trust her?"

Ashley shrugged, feeling quite relaxed since the game hadn't presented any particularly challenging parts at the beginning.

"Who knows? Maybe the owner of the mansion has already divorced."

The game's story continues, with the two detectives, led by a blonde maid, arriving at the study to meet the mansion's owner, Dr. Stock.

Through the dialogue in the game, we learn that Dr. Stock is a wealthy man who enjoys studying folklore and history.

Well, this hobby is quite dangerous.

The two detectives came to the mansion to investigate because someone had heard a woman screaming near the mansion.

Dr. Stock: A woman's scream? There are only three people living in this mansion: myself, Lisa, and Anne. How could there be a woman screaming?

Lisa is Dr. Stock's wife's name, and Anne is the blonde, big-breasted maid from earlier.

Good heavens, such a big mansion with only three people living there, including two women, how could something like this happen?
Roy had a rough idea of ​​what the game's plot would be like, because there were many similar games in later generations.

However, this plot is quite novel for this era, so Neely, Ashley, and Jennifer all watched it with great interest.

Even Nidice forgot about the competition and started discussing the game's plot with Jennifer.

Jack: Dr. Stock, where is your wife?

Dr. Stock: She is sick, very sick.

Nicole: Would it be convenient for us to visit Mrs. Stocker?
Dr. Stock: Are you sure? Lisa has an infectious disease that could very well spread to you.

Jack: We're just taking a look from a distance to check on Mrs. Stocker's condition. There shouldn't be any problems.

Dr. Stock: Since you put it that way, let Anne take you to Lisa's room.

Anne: Please come with me.

In the game, the blonde maid leads Jack and Nicole to the other end of the mansion, where the lighting is very dim.

Upon arriving at the door of a room, the blonde maid suddenly spoke.

Anne: Detectives, please prepare yourselves, what you're about to see might be quite terrifying.

As she spoke, the blonde maid opened the door to the room.

Jack and Nicole peeked through the crack in the door and saw a mummified corpse lying on the bed in the bedroom!
(Survival game poster)
(Among Ashes)

　Adapted from the 2006 horror film "The Survival Game" and the horror game "Among Ashes".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)