Chapter 93 The Last Game
Even after that day, Hua Manlou still showed interest in video games.
Lu Yusheng felt that it was because she and Sikong Zhaixing were playing together that he felt out of place, so he wanted to include him.
When choosing a game, she democratically asked for the other person's opinion, which resulted in the latter asking a curious question: "What does Xiaoyu like to play?"
Lu Yusheng doesn't have any particular preference when it comes to games... she's always relied on various sources of help in this area.
However, after a brief hesitation, I took him to the second floor to get a VR demo that might be easier to pick up and more engaging.
Half an hour later, the two of them left the room together.
Hua Manlou gently released Lu Yusheng's hand that was supporting his shoulder and said softly, "I'm fine now."
The latter clearly had no intention of giving up so easily, and grasped her hand again: "You're in such a state... I'm worried about you, at least let me help you downstairs."
Perhaps because her newly healed eyes were not used to such heavy use, Hua Manlou's dizziness symptoms were very severe, to the point that she felt dizzy and had some heart palpitations.
Fortunately, Lu Yusheng noticed in time and immediately took off his helmet and goggles, allowing him to catch his breath again.
When they returned to the hall, Sikong Zhaixing was still sitting in the same spot. Knowing that the upstairs rooms were small, he did not follow them.
Seeing Hua Manlou go up in high spirits and come down pale-faced, I couldn't help but marvel.
Lu Yusheng sat quietly with him in the hall for a while, then poured him a glass of warm water. Only after seeing his complexion gradually return to its rosy hue after drinking it did he feel completely relieved.
"What's wrong with him?" Sikong Zhaixing asked casually.
"He must have been motion sickness from 3D."
Since he wasn't a professional doctor, Lu Yusheng wasn't entirely sure. He just used a term he knew, but it was probably close enough.
After she finished speaking, the two people next to her looked at her simultaneously and asked in surprise, "'3D'?"
Lu Yusheng gave a brief summary, which was that the brain is unable to make accurate judgments about visual information. It involves things like the central nervous system that he himself cannot explain, and he could not explain it in too much detail to them.
After saying that, I still felt a little regretful. I was originally thinking of seeing if there were any devices that could play online in the future, or maybe I could create a special map for him as a memento.
"Then just be more careful in the future."
Sikong Zhaixing paused for a moment, then casually recommended, "I have a music game here developed by Carrot Company that's fair, competitive, and fun to play. Why don't you give it a try?"
The moment Lu Yusheng finished listening, he had the answer in his mind and looked at him with a bit of amusement.
She switched to mindless praise mode so quickly; she'll probably be a top salesperson with her in the future.
There's no way around it; of all the games Sikong Zhaixing has played, his favorite is still the first rhythm game he ever played.
Xiao Lu had previously mentioned that this was called Chun Yuan, and it was normal for people to have such feelings.
With him and Lu Yusheng guiding him, it goes without saying that he picked it up very quickly.
Hua Manlou's reaction was not slow; he was able to perfectly complete the beginner level on his second attempt, and even achieved a full combo on his third attempt.
The official levels are also unlocked according to their difficulty. The first level is not difficult; you can pass it easily if you focus on one thing.
Although he seemed to be adapting well, Lu Yusheng couldn't help but stop him.
Aside from the colorful game interface, the fluorescent hit effects and the various falling musical note icons become increasingly dazzling as the music tempo speeds up.
Continuing to look at it may still damage your eyesight.
Although Hua Manlou only felt a little soreness in his eyes, he especially cherished the eyes that Xiaoyu had worked so hard to heal for him, so he immediately withdrew after hearing the news.
Sikong Zhaixing's hopes of finding another opponent were dashed, but he wasn't too disappointed. After all, although his relationship with Hua Manlou was acceptable, it wasn't to the point where they could play games together privately without any reservations.
However, by this time, Lu Yusheng had already found another game to try.
...Although I don't know what I'm obsessed with, I'm just killing time anyway, so I'll just look for some games to pass the time.
"Didn't you play a literary game before?" Lu Yusheng tried to evoke his memory: "That otherworldly soldier king... no, the assassin's otherworldly record, do you remember?"
Hua Manlou nodded. His memory was not bad. Although half a year had passed, he still remembered the game content.
While searching, Lu Yusheng thoughtfully remarked, "This time I definitely won't be an assassin."
However, while there are many high-quality works on the list, few of them have backgrounds that align with the public's current understanding of the times, or they are mostly palace intrigue or domestic drama.
Of course, I'm not saying these themes are bad, it's just...
She glanced at Hua Manlou, who was patiently waiting, and Sikong Zhaixing, who was secretly watching her. She guessed that the two of them were probably not very interested in these things.
Political intrigue themes also appeared frequently; she swiped quickly, afraid that the words "XX Emperor" or "XX Sovereign" would linger on the screen for too long.
The content cannot be too subversive or immoral. Some overly positive content, whose values do not align with the local context, can also be discarded.
The final game chosen was set in a post-apocalyptic world, with most maps focusing on dilapidated and gloomy steel forests, and some featuring real forest storylines where players build bases in the wild.
The art direction is fine; the only potential problem is the writing. Knowing that Hua Manlou doesn't like anything too dark or grievous, Lu Yusheng even read a sample of the prologue first.
She has her own cultural advantage; those intricately combined, small-font simplified Chinese characters mean that while others may still be struggling with their reading habits, Lu Yusheng has already scanned an entire page to the bottom.
She's not too picky about writing style; as long as it's readable, it's fine. And the content isn't like the previous one, where people would suddenly go on a killing spree.
Since the protagonist is set up as an amnesiac facing a nameless person in a post-apocalyptic world, there aren't many specific options to serve the character's purpose, so the degree of freedom should be higher.
After making his decision, Lu Yusheng eagerly stepped aside. This game was practically effortless to play, and its learning curve was even faster than that of rhythm games.
Before long, Hua Manlou had finished reading the prologue and arrived at the first divergence point in the main chapter.
Zombies are different from humans, and after understanding the differences and the necessity, he killed the monsters without hesitation.
After briefly displaying his strength, the protagonist also left the mountain forest where he had awakened.
After navigating a highway teeming with car crashes and only a handful of pedestrians, the character on screen, who hadn't eaten all day, finally entered the nearest city.
The background image, which originally showed a chaotic metropolis, now includes several flashback scenes depicting society still functioning normally.
Although it tries to be realistic, it is not a real photo after all. Judging from the reactions of the other two people, they probably did not regard the towering white buildings in the picture as human creations.
Lu Yusheng felt a little relieved. Perhaps it was due to her previous hints that they had accepted that the hand-drawn content was imaginative.
The protagonist is designed with superhuman combat power, and he wins every battle against zombies.
The story then focuses more on fighting with others.
The first person to engage in dialogue is a middle-aged woman holding a young child. She is not the child's biological mother. After receiving food and help from the protagonist, she ruthlessly abandons the child and runs away with the supplies.
So the protagonist had no choice but to continue his journey with his burden.
The second NPC you encounter in the story is a high school student. Hua Manlou doesn't refuse to let him join, and after forming a team, he gets sold out all the way.
The boy wasn't bad, but his survival instinct was so strong that he was somewhat selfish. Every time he apologized in a humble manner, he still insisted on betraying his teammates.
During the final battle, he failed to protect the protagonist's back, causing the child he had tied to his back with a rope to be accidentally infected with the virus.
After painfully ending that small, fragile life, Hua Manlou did not hesitate any longer. After the fourth choice of whether to part ways, he finally chose another option.
During a long and solitary journey of survival, far from any human community, the weary and bored protagonist chooses a remote and desolate village as his long-term base.
Because every household has a cellar, this place was not affected by the apocalypse too much, and everyone was cautious. It wasn't until the second night that the protagonist saw the natives coming up under the cover of darkness to collect their daily necessities.
After making a series of choices that didn't significantly impact the plot, the protagonist established a good relationship with the villagers. He was incredibly strong and became the protector that the elderly living alone and the children left behind in the area desperately needed.
Unfortunately, this secluded paradise far from the city eventually welcomed a second group of intruders one day.
The high wall built by the villagers, young and old, could keep out zombies but not humans. Of course, these people were no match for the protagonist. After easily defeating everyone, the option of accepting or not accepting the losers who started to play the victim and try to join him popped up again.
This isn't right, Lu Yusheng thought, pinching the bridge of his nose as he began to sense something was amiss.
...Why did they choose to play mind games instead of palace intrigue?
Facing the two prominent option boxes in the center of the screen, Hua Manlou did not immediately press "Accept".
He wouldn't maliciously speculate about people's hearts, even if it's just a game. However, after reading for a while, he began to have some doubts about the creators' biases in this regard.
As it turns out, humanity in a post-apocalyptic setting is indeed so vulnerable to the test.
Hua Manlou, who had once again dealt a Dead End, slowly withdrew his hand.
Lu Yusheng's doting words: "It's okay, baby, you've already played very well..."
Sikong Zhaixing didn't offer a direct critique, but in his heart he thought this meant he could basically say goodbye to the gaming industry.
Hua Manlou seemed somewhat comforted by her, and then smiled again, only sighing softly, "Everyone has their strengths."
To be honest, he wasn't bad at the game. After making a few bad mistakes in side quests, he was able to figure out how to avoid those mistakes the second time.
Moreover, even if you deliberately choose the lone wolf option in this game, you will still unknowingly end up in a death ending.
He simply prefers to discover the good side of human nature, but that doesn't mean he'll abuse his gentleness after testing out someone with malicious intent.
During their time together, she also discovered that Hua Manlou was not a completely good-natured person; he just always thought of people in a positive light first.
Although it might be a disadvantage, seeing how well he had taken care of himself, Lu Yusheng didn't want to interfere.
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