American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 414 Virtual Games
In the end, Jennifer used the roses first.

Unfortunately, Jennifer was just starting out in the game and immediately encountered a boss battle; she hadn't even gotten used to the controls yet, unlike Nydy who had been playing for a while.

After using the rose from the inventory, the character will throw the rose at the enemy, and the Headless Horseman will then transform from a phantom into a physical entity.

In this way, the bullets can hit the headless knight.

Jennifer and Nydy controlled their characters to fire continuously, dealing tons of damage, but the Headless Horseman, as a boss, was certainly not so easily defeated.

A dozen seconds later, the headless horseman once again became a phantom, and the effect of a single rose was not enough to kill it.

So, Nidi threw out a second rose, which once again materialized the Headless Horseman, and this time the two of them successfully killed him.

The main source of damage was Nydy. Jennifer missed several shots, but Nydy didn't waste a single bullet.

The headless knight fell to the ground, triggering a cutscene.

Jack: Whew! Nicole, we did it!
Nicole: What the hell is this?! And all these roses...

Jack: I don't know, I think we've gotten ourselves into something really serious.

The headless horseman's corpse gradually turned into powder and dissipated, at which moment the bells on the tower suddenly rang.

Nicole: That bell... could someone be inside the tower? Could it be Dr. Stock inside?

Jack: Let's go check it out!
After the cutscene ended, Jennifer and Nydy immediately controlled their characters to pick up items around them, and the two of them collected about the same amount of supplies.

The two characters then reunited and walked toward the tower that was now in front of them.

The tower's main entrance was a massive metal door, and where the keyhole and handle should have been, there was instead a hexagonal recess.

Jack: The door won't open, and there's no keyhole. Is there some kind of mechanism?
Nicole: I think this hexagonal indentation might be the key to opening this door! I think I saw something of a similar size in the study before!
Jack: So, we have to go back the way we came? I'm so fed up with that plant maze!

Nicole: Maybe not! I just saw a path over there, maybe we can walk down that path.

After the cutscene ended, Jennifer and Nydy quickly found the path the game character had mentioned, right next to the plant maze.

That's a good thing. That plant maze is indeed long and tedious, with a rather complex terrain, and monsters spawn inside.

However, there are certainly other challenges in game design, and it may not be any simpler than the Plant Maze.

Control your character to walk to the side of the straight path, and the cutscene will trigger again.

Jack: Here's a sign, let me see... This road seems to lead to the greenhouse.

Nicole: A greenhouse? I have a bad feeling about this.

Jack: Nicole, please stop talking!

Nicole: Jack, some things will happen even if I don't tell you.

The two protagonists stepped into the path, and suddenly a large flock of crows took flight from both sides, completely obscuring the game screen.

Nicole: See?
Jack: Nicole, has anyone ever told you that you're a jinx?
Nicole: You're the first one.

The story ends, the perspective shifts back to behind Jack and Nicole, and the characters become controllable again.

At this moment, Roy, who had been using his Eye of Truth, keenly sensed that the game seemed to be releasing some kind of magical fluctuation.

"Jennifer, Neely, have you sensed any magical fluctuations? Jennifer? Neely?"

The two girls neither answered Roy nor moved, which puzzled Roy greatly.

He put Ashley aside, walked over to Jennifer and Neddy, and glanced at them, only to find that they were both listless and staring blankly.

Looking at the game screen on TV, the two characters were spinning around like headless flies, even though Jennifer and Nydy's hands weren't moving at all outside the game.

This made Roy instantly realize what had happened.

"Roy, what happened to Jennifer and Nydy?"

"I think their souls have already entered the game."

Roy frowned. The situation seemed a bit tricky, as this kind of knowledge about space was exactly where he was lacking.

Although Roy now possesses a spatial displacement ability called teleportation, this ability leans towards supernatural powers and falls under the category of magic, so it has no theoretical basis and is used entirely by instinct.

Only highly skilled spellcasters could figure out the situation. Roy seemed to know only Lilith, Dorothy, and Elizabeth as powerful spellcasters.

"Roy, will Jennifer and Nydy be alright?"

Ashley watched the game screen on TV with some concern.

"It shouldn't be a big problem. Souls entering the game world will indeed have some impact on them, but Nidi is an angel and can transform through her soul. While Jennifer's soul cannot transform into a demon, she is still a witch and should be able to cast spells in her soul state."

Even so, Roy still took out his phone to contact Lilith, wanting to consult a professional to see if there was any solution.

In the game world, Jennifer and Nydy have overcome their initial panic and realized that they have entered the game "Survival".

"This is truly amazing! I've always dreamed of being able to enter the game world and play games!"

After the initial panic, Niddy began to accept reality and became excited.

Jennifer wasn't as optimistic as Neddy.

"Nidi, don't get too excited! If we die in the game, will we die in real life too?"

These words startled Nidi.

"That seems possible. Should we just stay put and wait for Roy to rescue us?"

Jennifer nodded.

"This is the safest way."

Nidice felt a little helpless. She really wanted to continue playing the game, but since Jennifer had said so, there was nothing she could do.

Between Jennifer and Nyddy, Jennifer usually makes the decisions.

However, the game clearly won't let the two of them just sit there and wait for support.

After standing at the entrance of the alley for about five minutes, a blood-red figure suddenly appeared behind the two of them.

With her heightened senses, Nidi quickly noticed the situation.

"What it is?"

Jennifer turned her head and saw the blood-red figure as well.

"Watch out! It looks like it's coming!"

Niddy quickly pulled out a rose and threw it at the blood-red figure, guessing it was something like the Headless Horseman.

After the rose pierced through the blood-red figure, the figure indeed disappeared.

But after a while, the blood-red figure reappeared and walked towards the two of them.

The bullets had no effect on the blood-red figure, and it wouldn't be materialized by the rose; it would only disappear temporarily.

The two of them had a limited number of roses, and once they ran out, there was nothing they could do.

Jennifer frowned and asked Nidi.

When it comes to games, Nidi is the real expert. "Something's not right! Nidi, do you know what's going on?"

Nidi thought for a moment and came up with a possibility.

"In some games, to prevent players from staying in one place for too long, invincible monsters are used to drive away game characters, but I'm not sure if that's the case now!"

"Whether we're sure or not, we'll know once we walk a little further!"

Jennifer acted decisively, pulling Nidi along as they rushed into the alley.

When the two rushed to the middle of the path, they turned back and found that the red figure had disappeared.

“Nidi, it seems your guess was right. That thing is meant to prevent us from staying in one place.”

Upon hearing this, Nidi suddenly became happy.

"Does that mean we can continue playing the game?"

Jennifer looked at Nydy speechlessly.

"Still thinking about playing games? Safety is the most important thing, you know?"

Nidi clung to Jennifer's arm and used a three-part act of affection.

"Please! Please! Please!"

This move might have worked if it had been used on Roy, but unfortunately, the target was Jennifer.

"Stop fooling around, Nidi! The situation is unclear right now, we'd better play it safe!"

Jennifer's idea was to stall for time as long as possible, and once she saw the red figure appear, she would walk a little further.

"Jennifer, how about this? I'll consider it a win for you, as long as you keep playing this game with me!"

Jennifer couldn't refuse Neddy's offer, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Nidi, are you sure?"

Actually, Nidi had a pretty good idea that Jennifer was trying to mess with her, but right now her desire to play the game outweighed everything else.

That's why people say Nidyl is a gaming addict. In her heart, Roy comes first, Jennifer second, and gaming comes third.

Arthur and Rebecca (Nidi's parents): ? ? ?

"Sure!"

"No regrets?"

"I will never regret it!"

Jennifer smiled.

"Okay, then I'll play along with you this once."

Actually, Jennifer wasn't that afraid of the game world, because she had just discovered that she could cast spells in this world. The main reason was that Jennifer was a cautious person and didn't like to take risks.

However, since Ned is willing to admit defeat, Jennifer certainly won't refuse.

Seeing the smile on Jennifer's face, Nydy suddenly regretted it, but since she had already said it, she could only put the other person's smile out of her mind.

"Then let's keep going!"

The two checked their backpacks and ammunition, familiarized themselves with the game controls, and then continued on their way.

There are no monsters in the first half of the path, but some bird-man monsters with feathers appear in the second half.

This monster was stronger than the mummies in the plant maze, but it still couldn't stop Jennifer and Nydy.

Well, both Jennifer and Nydy were trained by Roy, and their marksmanship is actually quite good.

Especially for Jennifer, her real-life marksmanship is definitely much better than when she shoots with a controller, so this is an improvement for her.

The only limitation for the two is that ammo supplies seem to have decreased, which makes ammo management very crucial. Since the game does not have a melee system, Jennifer tried to fight the monster by hand, but she did not deal any damage and could only control the monster slightly.

In other words, although the two have entered the game, there are still many restrictions imposed by the game rules.

Following the Raven Trail, Jennifer and Nydy arrived at the outer edge of the greenhouse, where they obtained some supplies, mainly bullets and medicine, but received relatively few roses, another important item.

"Nidi, shall we go inside the greenhouse and take a look?"

"I think this is a place you have to go to in the game. If you go directly to the mansion, there will most likely be a locked door, and then they will tell you to go to the greenhouse to get the key."

Nidi's guess was absolutely right. As the two walked towards the mansion, they indeed saw a locked iron gate with a note on it, written by a gardener named Hank.

The gist of the story is that Hank told Annie not to go into the greenhouse to pick roses, and that he had hidden the key inside the greenhouse.

So the two of them had to go back to the greenhouse to get the key, but Nidi seemed to have another idea when she looked at the iron gate.

"Jennifer, do you think we could just climb over this iron gate?"

"That probably won't work, right? I tried using fighting techniques to fight the monster before, and I failed, didn't I?"

"Give it a try! Maybe I'll find a shortcut?"

As a hardcore gamer, Nidi is very keen on finding game bugs and unorthodox gameplay.

Unfortunately, despite climbing and jumping on the iron gate, and even after a red figure appeared, Nidi still couldn't get through.

"Damn it! I hate these invisible walls that hinder players' gameplay!"

Niddy had to abandon her plan and move with Jennifer to the greenhouse entrance, where the red figure quickly disappeared.

The greenhouse door wasn't locked. Jennifer pushed the door open, and a cutscene instantly played.

Jennifer and Nydy instantly lost control of their bodies, as if they were wearing VR glasses and watching a movie from a first-person perspective.

Inside the greenhouse, Dr. Stock was watering a huge flower bud.

The flower bud was bigger than a person, and the liquid sprayed from the showerhead in Dr. Stock's hand was also red.

Jack: Dr. Stock?

Stock: It's you? How did you get in? I remember that door was locked!
Nicole: We came from the plant maze. Dr. Stock, could you explain the monsters we just saw in the plant maze and Raven's Path?
Jack: I think he should explain why the liquid in the showerhead is red.

Stoker: It seems you've discovered something, so you'll have to stay here forever!
Nicole: Dr. Stock, so you did all of this?
Stock: There's an old saying that curiosity killed the cat. Knowing too much is no good for you.

As he spoke, Stock reached into his clothes. Jack assumed the guy was going to pull out a gun, so he instinctively pulled out his revolver and aimed it at him.

Jack: Don't move, or I'll shoot!

But Stock ignored Jack and took something out of his clothes. It was a red-covered book that looked very similar to the one he had seen in the study.

Jack pulled the trigger, but the bullet hit Stocker without any reaction; not even a drop of blood was shed.

Then, Stock began chanting the incantation.

To Jack and Nicole's astonishment, the giant flower bud began to bloom!
I don't know what picture to post, so I'll post Jennifer's.

(End of this chapter)