The Relic Designer

Chapter 5: To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away

As the psychological counselor at Henshan Maximum Security Prison, Ethan Cross had a heavy workload every day. Designing games was also a way for him to vent. He would blend all the terrifying things he had seen, heard, and even imagined into his games, sharing his fears and anxieties with the players. In this sense, he was a generous person.

"My biggest dream used to be to turn all my design ideas into actual games, so players around the world could experience the charm of Chinese-style suspense..."

Turning dreams into reality should have been a happy thing, but Ethan never imagined that his dream would be realized in such a direct way.

Carrying a cardboard box filled with game design plans, Ethan walked into the bathroom and took out a lighter. The flame scorched his past efforts, and with the fire lit by his dreams, he sparked a cigarette.

After dealing with the ashes, Ethan returned to the office, hoping Mr. Gormley would cooperate and delete the files saved on the studio’s computers.

The game designs that hadn’t secured investment were easily deleted. However, there were a few games that had already been completed, such as the dating game that Nightfall Games Studio had discussed in this morning's meeting.

The game, called To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away, was something Mr. Gormley had worked hard to secure for the studio through his connections. He regarded this dating game as the key to Nightfall’s transformation.

"Ethan, I don’t care about the other games, but this dating game is different," Mr. Gormley put down his thermos and began to play the emotional card. "Our whole studio is relying on this game to survive. We’ve worked together for years, and you don’t want to see everyone lose their jobs, do you? I’m over forty, with both elderly parents and a young family. If this game doesn’t get finished, my family could end up on the streets."

Ethan understood Mr. Gormley’s predicament, but he still shook his head. Mr. Gormley had only signed a business agreement with the investors. If the game became a reality, the whole company would be entering a bet with the grim reaper.

Other games made players spend money, but Ethan’s games made players and creators gamble with their lives—no one could escape.

"How about this?" Ethan opened the computer screen. "To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away was mostly designed by Wade Doyle, but I contributed some ideas for the murder cases. Of the nine girlfriend routes, eight don’t need any changes, but the ninth, which I designed, must be deleted."

To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away tells the story of a hopeless student who rises to success, meeting nine different women throughout his life: a sickly childhood friend, a cold yet kind company leader, a manipulative woman, Li Luxin, and more. The first eight women were designed by Wade Doyle. Since all the staff at Nightfall Games had limited experience in love, the game’s plot was rather generic.

Ethan thought the game lacked a unique feature, so he suggested to Wade Doyle to add a ninth route—the psychological criminal serial killer, Serena Black.

She was a dangerous woman with high emotional intelligence and IQ. After her sincere love was betrayed, Serena’s love turned into a pathological madness, and she could always find the protagonist, watching him every moment.

With the addition of this ninth route, the game’s nature changed. It was no longer just a dating game; it was quickly becoming a crime thriller with supernatural elements.

Upon hearing that Ethan wanted to delete the ninth route, Mr. Gormley was overjoyed. "No problem! We’ll delete the ninth route. From now on, we’ll just focus on making a dating game!"

"I’ll say one more thing," Ethan reminded him. "Don’t design so many female routes. One is enough, and there should be little to no connection between the protagonist and her. They should just live happily ever after."

"How can you make a dating game without any interaction?" Wade Doyle was confused.

"These days, people tend to be more passive in relationships, letting things develop naturally. The protagonist doesn’t even need to interact with the outside world," Ethan explained. "My previous home-based games could become terrifying if distorted, and this dating game could do the same. It’s better to be cautious."

"Alright." Wade Doyle wasn’t sure if Ethan was speaking seriously or just venting, but he felt that the ninth route was the game’s essence. Without it, the game would lose its charm.

Just as Wade Doyle was about to delete the ninth route, the glass door of the office suddenly opened.

As if sensing something, the office’s lazy fat cat meowed and jumped down from the desk, hiding behind the bookshelf, its fur standing on end, trembling.

"Sorry, I couldn’t get a taxi with the heavy rain outside."

A soft voice came from the door. Just hearing her speak made people feel at ease.

Everyone turned to look. Standing at the door was a woman with her shoulders drenched in rainwater. She wore a white blouse and a skirt, but even in such simple clothing, she exuded a unique aura.

With a smile on her face, she seemed to be unaware of how beautiful she was, or maybe her exquisite appearance was just a minor detail.

"It’s alright. It’s been raining heavily these days; we understand," Mr. Gormley waved his hand and introduced Ethan. "This is Serena Black, a new game designer who just joined us. Funny enough, she has the same name as the female character you designed in the game."

Given the current situation at Nightfall Games, they could not afford to hire particularly skilled employees.

Standing still, Ethan quietly observed the unfamiliar woman. She wore simple clothes, but even the plainest attire couldn’t hide the unusual aura about her.

After dealing with death row inmates every day, Ethan could sense something. That was the confidence of a predator, the grace of a carnivore.

"Serena Black?"

"Yes, hello."

"Psychological criminal serial killer?"

"Huh?" Serena Black was visibly taken aback. Mr. Gormley quickly stepped in to cover it up, joking and diverting attention.

Whether male or female employees, everyone warmly greeted Serena Black, but both Ethan and the fat cat intentionally avoided her.

Standing at the farthest corner from Serena, Ethan quietly took out his phone and searched for her. There was no information about her online. He then tried searching for the names of the other female characters in To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade Away.

One by one, he tried, and when he searched for Li Luxin’s name, the search page popped up with several news articles.

Two nights ago, Li Luxin mysteriously died in her boyfriend’s mansion, suspected of suicide.

"Same name? Or… did she kill her?" Glancing at Serena Black, Ethan felt a growing unease. "Is she here to find me?"

His scalp tingling, Ethan grabbed Wade Doyle and urged him to delete all the game plans as soon as possible. It was urgent, and he had to see Wade actually delete and modify everything.

The two worked until the afternoon. By then, all of the game plans and ideas that Ethan had contributed to Nightfall Games Studio were deleted, and those that couldn’t be deleted were modified.

Seeing the blank documents, Ethan felt a little relief. He picked up a cup of hot water and walked out of the office.

The fat cat followed him out, moving swiftly despite its large size.

"You also sense the danger, don’t you? You’re quite clever, little one." Ethan walked to the public lounge and found a secluded spot, where he began to pet the cat while thinking.

As the others slowly left, about five minutes later, the fat cat suddenly went stiff, lying motionless on the sofa.

Ethan sensed something was wrong and immediately stood up. He smelled a faint yet alluring and dangerous fragrance.

Looking back, Serena Black was standing behind him, her slender fingers lightly resting on his shoulder, forcing him against the wall. "Honey, are you pretending not to recognize me?"

Hearing her call him "honey," Ethan’s expression froze. The disposable cup he was holding slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, spilling water all over them.

"Honey???" Ethan’s back pressed tightly against the wall, the hairs on his body standing on end. He had never been in a relationship, so how could he be someone’s husband? The woman in front of him was completely off.

"You want to delete all the games, but everything started three days ago. The nightmare you’ve been hiding inside has now turned into reality." Serena Black leaned in closer, her smile warm and gentle, but her eyes reflected Ethan’s unease. "Have you forgotten what happened that night in the tunnel?"

Her voice dropped lower, so only Ethan could hear. "If you need help remembering, you can come to my place tonight."

Reaching out, she adjusted Ethan’s collar, acting as if they had been living together for a long time.

"You don’t need to worry about the bad women who have designs on you," Serena Black whispered into Ethan’s ear, "I’ve already killed them all."