Chapter 15: Atmosphere Dialed to the Max

After a brief struggle, greed and ambition completely crushed his fear of pain, and Captain Ao finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

“Fine! I’ll play with one hundred percent pain simulation today! It’s time to show you all what Captain Ao is capable of!”

It was not just for the money, but because he saw a chance to rehabilitate his image, and perhaps even blow up in popularity all over again.

He could already tell that the quality of 《Resident Evil: Raccoon City》 would not be bad. As long as he showcased what made the game fun, he was bound to turn things around. If he did not have to leave streaming, he naturally had no desire to quit. After all, who would complain about making too much money?

Captain Ao decisively dragged the pain simulation slider all the way to one hundred percent.

【Play with 100% pain simulation?】

(Friendly reminder: Upon completing the game, you will receive a mystery gift provided by the Umbrella Corporation. The higher the pain simulation level, the better the quality of the gift.)

“Not only is this game free, but it gives a mystery gift when you beat it? It’s that generous? And what kind of company is Umbrella? Shouldn’t Miteng be giving out the gift?” Captain Ao blinked at the prompt in surprise as the live chat went wild.

“Playing for free is one thing, but gifts for clearing it too? Is Miteng taking a loss just for the publicity?”

“The higher the pain, the better the reward? So the devs are literally encouraging players to max out the haptics and brute-force it?”

“The more I think about it, the creepier it gets. One hundred percent pain plus a special reward… this game is definitely not simple.”

“Umbrella? Never heard of that company. Is it a subsidiary of Miteng?”

Captain Ao frowned as he reread the friendly reminder, curiosity completely overriding his dread of severe pain.

Besides, with over one million Yuan in tips dangling right in front of him, plus the golden opportunity to clear his name and return to the top tier of streamers, along with the temptation of that mysterious completion reward, he no longer had the slightest thought of backing down.

“Since you bosses are showing me so much support, I’m a man of my word! Full one hundred percent pain simulation from start to finish. No turning it down, no cheating! Today, I’ll let everyone see the true caliber of 《Resident Evil: Raccoon City – Prologue》! And the caliber of Captain Ao!”

With that, Captain Ao clicked confirm without hesitation.

In the next second, a cold system prompt seemed to transmit directly through his nerves into his mind, and a line of crimson text snapped into view:

【Locked: Pain Simulation 100%】

【Somatosensory nerves fully synchronized and bound. Loading into the world of Raccoon City…】

【Scene loading complete. Consciousness transferring fully into the game.】

The dark red background slowly faded, and the settings interface dissolved away entirely, replaced by a gas station.

Torrential rain mixed with muted rumbles of thunder, and a damp, chilly wind blew into his nostrils with startling realism.

“Incredible… Guys! This is absolutely incredible! I’m calling it right now: this is the most realistic game I have ever played!” Captain Ao said in shock.

The live chat exploded once again, but this time, the sentiment had shifted completely.

“Holy crap! This realism is insane! Did Miteng Company actually build a gas station in real life and scan it into the game?!”

“Even if they built a real gas station, it couldn’t be this realistic! I heard all the maps in 《Battlefield Vanguard》 were scanned from the real world, and they’re nowhere near this level!”

“I never knew Miteng had this kind of technical capability. My opinion of Miteng Company is actually starting to change.”

“Don’t waver, guys! This is just the opening. Miteng Company’s true colors will show soon enough! Pop-up ads are coming any second. If an ad doesn’t pop up soon, I’ll eat my VR helmet!”

Captain Ao was still immersed in the overwhelming sensory shock. In the first-person perspective, from the icy sting of torrential rain lashing his face to the smell of gasoline in the air mixed with a faint stench of decay, every single detail was indistinguishable from reality.

“Did you guys see that? Even the tactile sensation of raindrops hitting skin is recreated perfectly. This isn’t a game at all; it’s literally throwing someone into another world!”

Just as he finished speaking, the sharp sound of shattering glass echoed from the convenience store. It was not loud, yet it sounded exceptionally piercing in the dead silence of the rainy night.

The stream’s chat flooded the screen once again in an instant.

“Here it comes! Brace yourselves!”

“To the bro who said he’d eat his VR helmet, get that helmet ready! If an ad doesn’t pop up in a bit, remember to take a bite. A real man honors his bets!”

But Captain Ao was no longer looking at the chat. He had been completely drawn into this terrifyingly realistic environment, and tension began to tighten in his chest.

“It’s fine, it’s just a game…” Captain Ao took a few deep breaths and quickly steadied himself. After all, he was a major streamer who had played hundreds of games.

Following the in-game prompt, he slowly pushed open the convenience store’s ajar glass door. Pitch darkness greeted him inside, save for a flashlight on the floor emitting a faint beam of light.

He bent down to pick up the flashlight and walked forward. As the beam swept across the room, he soon spotted a stout man in a convenience store uniform sitting on the floor, clutching his neck with one hand while blood continuously seeped through his fingers.

“Hey, buddy, are you all right…?” Captain Ao delivered the line prompted by the system.

The clerk struggled to point inside, breathing weakly as he said, “Inside… needs help…”

Captain Ao’s heart skipped a beat. Having watched the trailer, he knew what was coming next.

“Here it comes, here it comes! The first zombie is about to appear!”

“Hundred percent pain! Captain Ao better not cry for his mom when he gets bitten!”

“Pulling up a chair to watch Captain Ao lose his mind!”

Captain Ao took a deep breath, raised his flashlight, gripped his handgun, and stepped toward the storage room door one foot at a time.

He gently grasped the doorknob and pushed it open just a crack, letting the beam of light probe inside first.

In the next instant, everyone in the stream drew in a sharp breath.

A figure in a convenience store uniform was crouched over a police officer, tearing into flesh with ravenous bites.

The scene was overwhelmingly realistic. Unlike the exaggerated gore of other games, this was a literal, visceral tearing of flesh and blood.

With every bite, muscle fibers tore apart in vivid detail. Blood welled up from the wounds, pooling into a small puddle on the floor.

“Holy shit!!!” Captain Ao’s voice cracked in sheer terror.

Even though he had watched the trailer and knew this scene was coming, experiencing it firsthand was still an overwhelming shock.

As if hearing the noise, the zombie snapped its head up. Its face was caked with blood and shredded flesh, its cloudy eyes milky white. Its lips had peeled back to reveal dark red gums, jagged teeth, and freshly torn flesh.

Clearly noticing Captain Ao, the zombie swayed to its feet and lunged at him.

“Bang!”

Captain Ao pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the zombie in the shoulder, sending dark red liquid splattering outward.

But the zombie merely staggered and kept charging forward.

“Why won’t it die?!” Panicking, Captain Ao frantically squeezed the trigger.

“Bang! Bang!”

Two more shots tore into its chest, leaving two bullet holes leaking black blood, but its footsteps did not falter at all.

“The head! Shoot it in the head!!!” The chat flew into a frenzy, comments scrolling past in a blur.

Only after he emptied all ten rounds from the magazine did the zombie finally collapse.

“Guys, I almost pissed myself just now… My hands are shaking…” Captain Ao said, his voice trembling.

Meanwhile, the stream chat had completely erupted.

“I was wrong! Daddy Miteng^[1]! I apologize!”

“This isn’t just a game, it’s a full-on immersive horror movie!”

“The very first mob in the opening is even more intimidating than seeing the Behemoth for the first time in 《Battlefield Vanguard》! This atmosphere is unbeatable!”

“Where’s the guy who said he’d eat his helmet? Better get ready!”

Just as the chat was flooding the screen, the mangled corpse of the police officer on the ground shakily rose to its feet.

At the same time, a low growl echoed from behind.

The convenience store clerk from earlier had turned into a zombie as well.

Surrounded from front and back with not a single bullet left, Captain Ao turned pale as a sheet and cried out toward the camera in utter despair.

“Guys… I think I’m about to lose my first life right here…”