Zhao Lei looked at the time. It had been less than ten minutes since he started the game.
This also included the time he spent running around aimlessly and pointlessly attacking the enemy.
Moreover, the controls of the game were very simple. There were no battles or monsters. The entire game only required movement and clicking.
Combined with the variety of choices in the game, it was obvious that it was a puzzle game.
In other words, the fun of the game was to explore different side quests and achieve different endings.
After figuring this out, Zhao Lei had a rough idea of what he should do next.
He should try different choices.
…
The game started again.
According to the instructions, Stanley should leave the office and go to the conference room to find his colleagues. However, Zhao Lei suddenly thought of something. What if he did not go out? What if he closed the door?
He clicked on the office door and the door closed.
"Stanley can't handle this kind of pressure. What if he has to make a choice? What if he screwed up in his line of duty? No, this won't end well. "
"All I have to do now is wait," Stanley thought. Nothing can hurt me. I'm happy here. I'll always be happy … "
Zhao Lei was confused. What the hell?
Am I locked in the room?
He walked around and clicked on the door to get out, but it was to no avail. Moreover, he also discovered something very strange. The clock that was originally hanging on the wall had also begun to move, as if it was reminding Stanley that time was passing bit by bit.
"Stanley knows that it's going to end soon. Someone will talk to him, someone will ask him to do something. It's coming …"
The narration stopped there. There were no images. Zhao Lei could not imagine what had happened to Stanley.
The game was over. This was also an ending.
Zhao Lei realized that although the two endings he had achieved were relatively simple, they were meaningful.
Just like the name of the game, "Stanley's Fable", the fable itself was a figurative story that conveyed profound truths and gave people inspiration.
Obviously, if the player kept following the narration's instructions, it would only take a few minutes for them to achieve a seemingly perfect "free ending". However, Zhao Lei was very skeptical. Rather than calling it a "free ending", it would be better to call it a "deceptive ending" because Stanley was only following the narration's instructions. He did not explore the deeper mysteries of this world.
What did these two endings represent?
Because of cowardice and self-isolation, they perished in silence?
Or follow the obvious directions, complete a journey, and then achieve self-deception?
Zhao Lei found the game very interesting and began to experiment with different branches.
The game started again.
This time, Zhao Lei thought of the button in the power control room.
When he turned off the mind control device, there were two buttons in front of him: [Off] and [On]. What would happen if he chose to activate it?
This time, Zhao Lei was more familiar with the route. He quickly followed the narration to the final power control room.
[Stanley has decided that this machine will no longer be able to control other people's lives, because he will completely remove these controls.]
Although the narration frantically hinted for him to turn off the machine, Zhao Lei still pressed [On].
[Oh, Stanley, don't tell me you've turned on this control panel? After they enslaved you for so many years, you want to control this machine yourself. Is this what you want? Control?]
The big screen in front of him turned red, and it showed: [Loading mind control system …]. The background music also became tense.
[Stanley, I commend your efforts, but you have to understand that there is a limit to what this machine can do. You should learn to let go, turn off the control system, and leave. If you want my story to deviate from the right track, you need to work harder.]
[I believe you will be interested in this matter.]
[Stanley suddenly realized that he had just activated the emergency network's self-destruction system. If the machine is activated without a specific DNA test, the nuclear bomb will detonate and blow up the entire facility.]
[Then, when will it detonate? Hmm, let me think. Two minutes!]
[Now, the story has become interesting, right? It's time for you to shine. Please act as you please. Unfortunately, you don't have much time to enjoy it!]
Zhao Lei was dumbfounded. He felt like he was being played by the narration.
He controlled Stanley to search the entire facility. There were many operational buttons outside. He pressed them one by one, but it was useless. None of them could stop the countdown.
Even when he walked towards the door that he could escape from, the door immediately closed automatically.
If this was a normal game, there would definitely be a way to solve the situation. However, Zhao Lei was extremely suspicious. Although there were many buttons and switches in the room, no matter what he did, he could not stop the nuclear bomb from exploding. All his attempts were futile.
The narration continued.
[What? You want to know where your colleagues went? Alright, seeing that I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you.]
[I eliminated them, I turned off the machine, and I gave you freedom. Of course, it's only limited to this time's story. Sometimes, I just let you sit in the office forever, pressing the buttons alone, and then die.]
[There were a few times when I let the office sink into the ground, engulfing everyone inside or roasting the office.]
Zhao Lei ignored the narration. He was still wandering around the room, trying to find a button that could solve the current situation.
However, what the narration said next gave Zhao Lei a shock.
[Oh, Stanley, what are you doing? Do you think there's a button in this room that can turn off the countdown?]
[Look at yourself. You're running from screen to screen, pressing the buttons in this room. You must be thinking, it's these buttons with numbers! No, it's these buttons with different colors! Or this big red button! There must be something here that can save me!]
[Why, Stanley? Do you think that any problem in this game can be solved?]
[No, the only reason you're still alive is because I want to see you helpless and dejected. This isn't a challenge, it's a tragedy.]
The countdown ended.
There was a loud explosion, and then everything went silent.
Zhao Lei was shocked. Obviously, this was also an ending, but this ending was even more surprising.
The most unique thing was that the narration seemed to be mocking the player's actions, as if he was talking to the player through the screen.
Obviously, this was all planned by Chen Mo, but Zhao Lei still felt like he was interacting with the narration.
Moreover, the voice-over also hinted at the fact that the voice-over had absolute control over the entire game. He could rewrite the entire story at will and control Stanley's life and death at will. Moreover, it all depended on his mood.
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