Horror Game Designer

“The future I’m looking for?”

The ticking of clocks came from everywhere. Gao Ming emerged into the river of time. The past kept repeating, and the future was continuously being reshaped. Every clock on the wall hid a different ending.

“The God of the Future collects all the futures in this room.” Once the woman spoke, the sound of fabric tearing came from her body. Her perfect features became twisted. “God died a long ago in the shadow world. Its figurine has been madly collecting different futures to find a timeline where its soul wasn’t fully banished. Once fate is still around, its future is sealed. Therefore, it needs to find a future where fate is killed. Coincidentally, it found this possibility in one of your futures.” ‘Xuan Wen’ shared everything with Gao Ming. After that, the power the God of the Future awarded her became a curse.

Gao Ming frowned as he scanned the clocks on the wall. The God of the Future basically exhausted all of its power on him. It not only obfuscated his senses but also used his parents to gather all the curses in the building to harm him. At that moment, Gao Ming could sense a flickering call from one of the clocks. However, due to the interference of the God of the Future, Gao Ming couldn’t pinpoint it.

“What if I pick the wrong one?” Gao Ming needed to find the only answer among the endless choices.

“You might be trapped in that timeline for a while, and you might be assimilated into it, becoming…” The woman didn’t continue. The consequence would be like her, becoming the God of the Future’s toy.

A giant gash appeared on her back. Xuan Wen’s skin was like tattered clothes. She couldn’t retain her appearance anymore. She was about to reveal her ugliest and most authentic self before Gao Ming. ‘Xuan Wen’ shrunk back. She was scared that Gao Ming would see her. She wanted to tell Gao Ming to turn around, but she soon realised her voice had changed. It was no longer as melodic as Xuan Wen’s voice. It became a ghost’s howl.

Gao Ming turned away from Xuan Wen. He placed his hands on his chest. After uniting with all his past selves, his consciousness was as strong as the Past God’s.

Footsteps came from the corridor outside. Soon, someone knocked on the door of this hidden room.

“Is Gao Ming at your home? We’re his parents. He still hasn’t returned home. He doesn’t answer our calls. We’re very worried about him.”

“Crap!” The woman blocked the door with her body. Her pupils trembled from fear.

“Open the door! My child is missing! Is he here?”

“Gao Ming! Gao Ming!”

“Open the door!”

The door shook. Xuan Wen’s skin slid off the woman. Her ugly figure backed against the door. Gao Ming was about to move to help, but the woman screamed at him. “Don’t come over! Find your future!”

This voice had nothing to do with Xuan Wen. It was grating, but Gao Ming felt warmed by it. Actually, he knew that the woman was not Xuan Wen, but he didn’t expose her.

“I saw the picture of you and your parents in y our bedroom. If I can kill the God of the Future, I will reunite you with your family.” Gao Ming stopped acting and moved deeper into the room. Normally, he shouldn’t be able to find the answer with the God of the Future standing in his way. However, something both parties didn’t expect happened inside one of the clocks. Gao Ming felt a familiar presence leaking through the layers of seal to reach him. Gao Ming paused before a clock in the corner. “I only have one chance. Is this it?”

The knocking became more insistent. Xuan Wen couldn’t hang on anymore. She would probably be torn apart by Gao Ming’s parents. Gao Ming narrowed his eyes and made his choice. He didn’t abandon ‘Xuan Wen’. He turned around to grab the scary ‘Xuan Wen’ and dragged her towards the inconspicuous clock. The moment the two left, Gao Ming’s parents barged into the room. They carried many curses with them. However, Gao Ming and ‘Xuan Wen’ were already gone.

‘Xuan Wen’ opened her eyes with disbelief. She lowered her head to look at her wrist. Gao Ming was holding her bruised and cursed hand tightly. She had already lost Xuan Wen’s skin and reverted to her normal self. However, Gao Ming still treated her as kindly as before.

“Are you blind?” The woman had an answer in her heart. Gao Ming knew everything from the start. However, the thing that surprised her the most was that Gao Ming would choose to save her and even bring her into his future.

Compared to the woman, Gao Ming’s expression was complicated. He was familiar with everything around them. This was his former rental home. He seemed to have returned to the night of the Hungry Ghost Festival. All his future started with this moment.

“My life is endless deaths. The end of the future is the start of all the beginnings.”

Walking down the familiar corridor, Gao Ming didn’t even need to plot the path. His body voluntarily moved towards home.

“The voice calling me is getting closer. He is moving through the city and the night to come to me…”

Gao Ming stopped before his home. He looked at the familiar door and lock. He reached into his pocket out of habit, but he had long since handed the key back to his landlord.

A sound came out of his home. Gao Ming’s eyes changed. He raised his hand to knock on the door.

Gao Ming didn’t say anything. He only stared at the door. His ears captured every sound.

Uneven footsteps came from inside the house. There were also the sounds of running and something heavy being dragged around.

About one minute later, the door opened.

The dim, warm lights poured out from the room and shone on Gao Ming. He stared at the middle-aged couple who lived in his former home.

“You’re late! Your mom has warmed the dishes many times already. Go and wash your hands and get ready to eat!” The middle-aged man went through the spiel.

Then, the man saw the large and imposing female ghost that followed Gao Ming.