Chapter 1389: Chapter 361: The Ultimate Wage Worker
But the body would betray reason, causing the heart to accelerate uncontrollably.
This is the most terrifying aspect of the Nightmare System.
The scenes it generates are so real that they bypass logical thinking and directly stimulate the most primitive instincts.
Just like standing at the edge of a cliff, even if the railing is solid and reliable, looking down still makes the knees go weak.
Reason is fragile and easily shattered in the face of survival instincts.
However, when the experience ends and the Challenger safely returns to reality, the post-traumatic exhaustion ironically triggers a strong sense of joy and thrill.
This feeling might become addictive.
Adrenaline surges, dopamine rebounds, endorphins ease pain... This process of going from extreme tension to sudden relaxation is like a roller coaster ride.
He continually refined the draft content, then clicked on the local network forum to save the drafted content.
Next, he prepared to continue receiving several waves of tourists and wait for word-of-mouth to ferment.
As long as players who have experienced it tell their friends about their encounters, more and more Challengers will be drawn in.
By then, the initial hype will have ignited.
Apart from the guests, even competitive counterparts with similar halls might be unable to resist sending someone to explore and experience.
The only problem is how to explain this technology.
The realism of the Nightmare Scene clearly surpasses any existing technology, and he finds it challenging to provide a reasonable explanation.
But he doesn’t actually need to respond to this question.
This sense of mystery is one of the selling points on its own.
The next day, Lex created a new sign for the hall, replacing the original "Dreamscape".
The new sign outlined the words "Nightmare Experience Hall" with blue-violet neon tubes, with jagged edges deliberately designed to look like something gnawed them.
He also added a line of small text below the sign: "Brave ones dare to face fear."
The provocative tone in the words is ten times more direct than the previous billboard.
The day after changing the sign, the earliest ones to visit were a few youths with green-dyed hair, bruises on their arms left from underground fight clubs.
Most likely attracted by the discussion topics posted on the forum or maybe recommended by the previous three players.
As soon as they entered, they shouted:
"Open your most brutal scene, the guys want to see if it’s as scary as bragged today."
For customers who come voluntarily, Lex naturally welcomes them warmly, smiling as he opens the number 4 Horror Scene for them.
In less than half an hour, the game room door burst open, and the dyed-haired youths rushed out pale-faced, one even vomiting in the hallway.
Lex glanced at the Shock Value earnings on the monitor and grinned broadly.
In the following days, news about the Nightmare Experience Hall spread like wildfire among the young crowd at Neon Port.
Some came in with a disbelief attitude to challenge, only to be frightened by the "Reflection of Myself" scene so much they couldn’t face a mirror for days.
Some brought their girlfriends to show off, only for the girl to end up dragging the scared stiff boy out of the game room.
Then there were small groups specifically forming teams to brush up rankings, fighting fiercely with other teams on forums for the top spot, even agreeing to a showdown offline, with Lex serving as a referee to settle the competition according to the Courage Value points.
On the local network forum, the posts about the "Nightmare Experience Hall" quickly piled up thousands of replies.
Some analyzed the calculation pattern of Courage Value, others shared their sentiments during the experience... but the most lively content was about the highlight moments.
On the real-time updated leaderboard, those blurred-out embarrassing moments always sparked heated discussions.
People were scared into curling and squatting in defense, trying to push forward despite their legs feeling like noodles, or even punching the air... Lex’s business thrived to the point he needed to hire temporary workers for collection and cleaning.
And he only needed to watch the Shock Value numbers on the backend jump continually, from tens initially, to thousands, then to over ten thousand, grinning from ear to ear.
The scene space became so popular it expanded using Shock Value, now able to accommodate hundreds of people for offline experiences simultaneously.
When he wanted to continue expanding, he found out the venue’s size limits further expansion.
Realizing this, Lex knew he had to work harder to make money, then switch to a new venue capable of hosting more people, or even open multiple venues throughout the city.
And the recent cash income made it easy to pay off the outstanding debts, even prepaying three months’ rent.
That evening, Lex stood by the window.
Watching the long line at the entrance of the experience hall, winding from the hallway to the street corner.
The young people in the queue chattered about which scene is the scariest, clutching their terminals, eyes both tense and excited, as if awaiting a grand carnival.
Lex knew this was just the beginning.
As soon as all of Neon Port’s youth become crazy for the "Nightmare Experience Hall," his road to transcendence will truly be on course.
And the endless screams are the solid foundation paving this path.
The anticipation of a future with goals to chase makes Lex feel very pleased.
He returned to the control console, his gaze landing on the Body Refining Pill icon in the system shop.
Next to it marked the need to consume 50000 Shock Value for redemption, with an introduction that reads: Gentle body refining, enhancing basic physical fitness.
