Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 387 - 396 I’m a Horror Game and I’m Coming Clean!

Chapter 387: Chapter 396 I’m a Horror Game and I’m Coming Clean!

Logging into the game again, it was the familiar save corruption, it was the familiar continuation from the previous save.

Instructor Ding was even getting used to it. He went through the plot with muscle memory while complaining, "There’s a second chance, but there’s never a third or fourth! I’ve had enough; this is really the last time!

"If another outrageous bug appears, I’ll just delete the game and stop playing!"

However, before he could finish speaking, he fell silent again.

Because not long after reading the save, an alert that he had never seen before appeared on the screen.

"Detection has found that your game has experienced serious errors. As an apology, corresponding compensation has been sent."

"Would you like to upload the bug report, so that we can better fix the game content?"

"Yes/No"

Seeing this alert, Instructor Ding was so angry he could barely contain himself.

"Still have the nerve to ask me! Such a serious bug, and you think you can fob me off with a pittance? Bullshit!"

However, when Instructor Ding pressed the confirm button, several glittering gold notifications appeared on the screen.

The items in the game are also ranked, and gold obviously denotes the highest level.

Looking at the specifics of these item rewards:

Eden Invitation (can invite one new guest to Eden)

Treasure-Level Swimsuit Selection Pack (choose one Treasure-Level swimsuit)

Training Points Gift Pack (gain 8000 Training Points upon opening)

Gold Coin Gift Pack (gain 20000 Gold Coins upon opening)

Instructor Ding couldn’t help but fall silent and after a long while, he sighed, "Alright, let’s pretend nothing happened!"

It must be said, the compensation rewards were indeed very substantial!

An Eden Invitation is essentially a gacha item, but unlike other gachas, this game guarantees an SSR. Just use this invitation, and you can directly invite another character to the island.

According to the original setup, players would need to put in some time to earn this invitation, activate some plots, and save up money. Now, it was given directly.

Besides, Treasure-Level swimsuits are considered some of the best-looking costumes in the game.

Treasure-Level is the highest rank, and as for swimsuits, well, they’re the clothes that use the least fabric allowed by law and regulations.

Additionally, Training Points and Gold Coins can be used to activate training sessions and purchase various items. They are currencies that players need to grind for repeatedly in the game. This generous gift could save a lot of time.

Originally, Instructor Ding was not convinced at all. The game had such a serious bug, and you think some random compensation would mollify me? Do you think I’m a beggar?

But after a careful look at the compensation, um... it’s really sweet!

Sudden amnesia on spot!

It’s just a little bug, we players are magnanimous, it’s no big deal.

Moreover, since this page popped up, it means the Nitiandang officials have added a monitoring mechanism in the game, right? The game reports an error, automatically sends the bug report, and then the officials should release a patch soon.

A mature company like Nitiandang would have thoroughly tested the game before its release. Even if there are some bugs, they must be sporadic, not something that can be reproduced 100% of the time.

This time should be bug-free!

Thinking this, Instructor Ding regained his spirit and began to push forward with the storyline.

Finally, everything seemed normal this time!

At the moment Yarvette turned her head, Instructor Ding instinctively looked away from the screen. Fortunately, this time it wasn’t that faceless head that appeared, but a beautiful blushing face of a girl.

After confessing their feelings, they shyly held hands and cuddled together to watch the sunset, enjoying a wonderful moment.

"Ah, I knew this was more like it. This is how you play a romance game, showering the player with sweetness!

"But now comes the problem, what do I do after winning her over?

"I’ve just got an invitation ticket; should I go find another girl?

"Why is everyone scolding me for being a playboy? Isn’t this what you all were thinking too?"

Instructor Ding was also a bit surprised. Did his confession really succeed?

But what happened next?

In typical romance novels or video games, it’s clear that confirming a relationship generally only happens at the end.

From a narrative perspective, once a relationship is established, it causes the player or reader to lose a sense of anticipation; logically speaking, if a player confirms a relationship with one female character, it will inevitably trigger changes in the affection levels of the other female characters, otherwise, it would be too fake.

Therefore, most games let the protagonist interact with multiple female characters in parallel and only choose one to confirm a relationship with towards the end of the game.

Unexpectedly, "Heartbeat Dream" just laid its cards on the table without having multiple storylines.

And after that?

While Instructor Ding was pondering this question, he saw Yarvette stand up and say, "Shall we go for a walk nearby?"

Of course, Instructor Ding didn’t have a reason to refuse, so the two began to stroll around the island, hand in hand.

By this time, the sun had already started to set, and many of the amusement scenes from the daytime had darkened. Although there were lights, they seemed to cast an eerie and fearful atmosphere for some reason.

"Shall we play this?"

Yarvette pointed to the water park in front of them.

This was also one of the pool-themed games, which, as the name suggests, were games held in a large swimming pool, such as jumping off diving boards with girls or playing obstacle courses similar to game shows.

Instructor Ding had played it a few times before and considered himself quite adept, so playing it once more wasn’t a big issue.

The only problem was...

The last time he played this game, it seemed to only be open during the day and closed at night, right?

Oh, maybe it was because he had finally chased down a girl, so a new item had been unlocked. The water park at night, with a slight change of environment, did seem pretty good.

Instructor Ding followed Yarvette to the entrance.

According to the original gameplay, players could directly control the girls to complete the game. This was beneficial for players to closely observe the girls’ various detailed movements throughout the process, and when the girl fell into the water, they could enjoy the close-up shots over and over again.

However, the new nighttime mode involved running with the girl.

"Run together? Then how am I supposed to enjoy the view of the girl’s swimsuit?"

Instructor Ding was slightly annoyed, but there was nothing he could do about the game mechanics, so he just controlled the protagonist to the entrance. With the end of the countdown from 321, he started sprinting forward!

When they first started running, everything was still normal. The protagonist ran ahead, Yarvette, in her swimsuit, chased from behind. The camera occasionally glanced back at Yarvette’s status and sometimes even zoomed in for a close-up on her cleavage, impressing Instructor Ding as a connoisseur.

However, as they continued to run, Instructor Ding noticed the lighting around him seemed to be dimming.

There had been moonlight at first, but for some reason, it was now obscured by clouds, and hadn’t the sunset already occurred? Why did there still seem to be a red glow, another texture error, right?

Instructor Ding grew increasingly uneasy, and at that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder.

The game used a standard over-the-shoulder view, and it was pulled in close, so Instructor Ding could only see behind him when the camera swung back around.

At that moment, a withered hand glowing with a blue ghostly light grabbed the character’s shoulder and appeared abruptly on the screen, startling Instructor Ding!

"Ah, fuck! What the hell is that!"

The camera was forcibly turned backward, and that face without skin reappeared on the screen!

And this time, it was even more outrageous. The face was full of greenish marks, like a body that had been frozen to death in the wild and then encased in ice. Or, more accurately put, it resembled something from Norse Mythology like a "Ghost."

What shocked Instructor Ding even more was that he could still vaguely make out Yarvette’s features on that face.

The few streaks of red in the withered hair, along with the various ornaments that had been eroded by the frost, almost all pointed to one fact: This was Yarvette. Only it seemed she had been cursed by frost, turned into a Ghost, and sealed in an icy cave for ten thousand years.

Meanwhile, the surrounding scenery was also rapidly changing!

The water in the pool had completely frozen over, the sky was suddenly covered with dense clouds, and snowflakes danced about. Numerous Ghosts broke through the ice or freed themselves from the bonds of ice sculptures, scrambling towards the platform where Instructor Ding stood.

No more pretense, I’m a horror game, and I’m laying it all out!

After several previous probes, "Heartbeat Dream" finally cast aside its gentle facade and revealed its true nature.

Instructor Ding also came to his senses at this point; there was no way to explain this scene with bugs. Clearly, this was a scam! It was baiting players in just to kill them!