You made all the streamers on the internet kneel before you when you were asked to make a game.

But just as the crowd was getting excited, the black screen suddenly lit up again.

A line of blood-red text slowly appeared in the center of the screen.

She shielded you from a fatal blow.

You survived.

But she was swallowed by darkness and lost her way home.

[Hidden quest changed: Rescue her from the "Faceless Being".]

[Pass Rating: A (To be continued)]

Congratulations! You've become the first player in the world to complete "The Embroidered Shoes".

……

Another bombshell.

An eerie silence fell over the live stream once again.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the lines of blood-red words, thinking they were hallucinating.

He survived?

Did you clear the level?

The mission... has changed?

What is this?

This counts as completing the game, but not completely?

What does "To be continued" mean?

This is just a demo! You're telling me it's not over yet?

After a brief moment of surprise, an even more intense outburst ensued.

Holy crap! Holy crap! You can do this? This is like a TV series!

[The game designer is a real jerk on the fifth floor! He never intended for players to complete the game in one go!]

[Save her! We must save her! Master, in the next update, you must save the little girl!]

I finally understand: "The Red Veil" is the beginning of the tragedy, "The Embroidered Shoes" is its continuation, and the true ending is yet to come!

This game isn't just a simple horror game anymore; it has a story, emotions, and bonds! It's a work of art!

At this moment, the worldview of Federation players was once again refreshed.

For the first time, they realized that games could be played in this way.

One demo, then another.

One story leads to another.

One tragedy paves the way for another, even deeper tragedy.

Hao Ren is telling this ancient and sad legend, forgotten for three hundred years, to this age of entertainment to the death, in his own way.

……

That night.

The hashtags "Cult Leader narrowly loses to Faceless Man" and "Water Ghost Girl sacrifices herself to save her master" swept the trending topics on all social networks in the Federation with an unstoppable force.

While the "kneeling" and "wall-passing" feats of the "Raging Dragon Brother" have topped the trending searches, they were more about sensationalism and humor.

This time, however, it's completely different.

Countless gamers, casual gamers, and even ordinary netizens with no interest in games have participated in this great discussion.

They were no longer discussing which scene was scarier or which streamer's reaction was funnier.

It's not the game itself, but the intricate plot and the heartbreaking emotional core behind it.

A science blogger published a long article overnight titled "We Are Different: From 'The Red Veil' to 'The Embroidered Shoes', a Brief Analysis of the Unique Charm of 'Chinese Horror'".

In the article, he proposed the concept of "Chinese horror," which has already been discussed on gaming platforms.

He pointed out that the core of the federal mainstream's "Western-style terror" is confrontation.

Players take on the role of the strong, facing monsters, with the goal of eliminating the source of fear.

The core of Hao Ren's "Chinese-style terror" is awe and powerlessness.

Players take on the role of the weak, facing rules and taboos, and even some incomprehensible obsessions.

You can't fight it, you can only understand it, respect it, and even... submit to it.

In "The Red Veil," the failure of Brother Long and the professor stemmed from their disrespect for the ritual of "ghost marriage."

The cult leader's success stemmed from his respect for his elders and sister-in-law.

In "The Embroidered Shoes", Brother Long's failure stemmed from his resistance to being trapped in a maze.

The leader's early success stemmed from his empathy and guidance towards the little girl.

The article concludes by saying:

"Chinese-style horror doesn't scare your eyes, it scares your brain."

"What it awakens is not your survival instinct, but the awe that has been dormant in your blood for three hundred years—awe of the unknown, of heaven and earth, of cause and effect."

"While other games are teaching you how to shoot zombies in the head, 'Good Guy's' games are teaching you how to kowtow to coffins."

"This is what you call a dimensional reduction attack."

This article was forwarded hundreds of millions of times within an hour of its publication.

For the first time, the term "Chinese-style terror" was so clearly imprinted in the minds of every federal citizen.

After reading it, countless people had a sudden realization.

[So that's why! No wonder I always felt like my DNA was moving when I played!]

[Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly the feeling! I can't explain it, but I just feel scared. Not physically frightened, but my heart is pounding!]

A sense of awe... that's what our era lacks most.

[I hereby declare that from today onwards, I am a die-hard fan of Chinese-style horror! Damn developers, hurry up! I need to save the little girl!]

A cultural storm sparked by the game swept across the entire Blue Star Federation.

Meanwhile, at the eye of the storm, Hao Ren was happily taking stock of his gains in apartment 404.

"Shock level... thirteen million..."

Looking at the astonishing number in the background, Hao Ren's breathing became somewhat rapid.

The revenue generated by just one demo, "Embroidered Shoes," far exceeded that of "Red Veil" by more than ten times!

Especially the final scene where "No-Face" goes berserk and the little girl sacrifices herself to save him, the increase in fear level and various emotional levels is simply skyrocketing.

Hao Ren then opened the system store.

The sheer amount of fright he experienced gave him a significant boost in confidence.

[The "Ghost Wall" Logic Module (Advanced Version)]: Priced at 80. (Multiple nesting options and customizable break conditions are available.)

[Possessed by a Vengeful Spirit (Entangled Version)]: Price: 100 million. (Allows a vengeful spirit to form an emotional bond with a specific player.)

【Thriller Opera Singing Sound Effects Pack (Master Edition)】: Priced at 150 million. (Includes classic arias from various lost operas)

[Scene Material: An old village]: Priced at 300 million.

[Scene Material: Abandoned Stage]: Price: 300 million.

[Core Logic: Yin-Yang Path]: Priced at 500 million. (Enables scene switching and interaction between the Yin and Yang realms)

Hao Ren's eyes were almost dazzled by the wide array of goods on display.

These are all essential materials for building a larger and more complete Chinese horror world.

He exchanged for "Ghost Wall (Advanced Version)", "Wraith Possession (Entanglement Version)" and the expensive "Yin Yang Road" core logic almost without hesitation.

The puzzle of the game called "home" in his mind is becoming more and more complete.

Just as he was preparing to close the online store and begin to devise his next plan.

A private message notification suddenly popped up in the system background.

The sender was an ID he hadn't expected.

—The leader of the cult of science.