More Trauma

"That's right," Cortana confirmed.

"Perfect!" Natalie exclaimed, her voice urgent. "Hurry! Let's start the broadcast!"

The system began transmitting…

Suddenly, a panicked female voice rang out.

"Oh my god! This is Escape Pod No. 2! Everything was fine until just now, the pod's stabilizer system suddenly failed! I'm falling straight into the ocean!"

"Please, someone help me! I've attached my coordinates. Sending now!"

The broadcast was short but urgent. Natalie's expression instantly changed, the situation for the crew member in Pod No. 2 sounded critical.

"Ding. Coordinates for Escape Pod No. 2 recorded." Cortana's voice came again.

A faint glow appeared from Natalie's bracelet, pointing her toward the escape pod. A line on her HUD displayed the direct distance between her and the location: 300 meters.

"Wait, I'm only 300 meters away?!" she asked in surprise.

"Correct," Cortana replied.

"Tch... 300 meters..." Natalie gritted her teeth and stomped her foot. "Fine, I'll go try to save her!"

As soon as she said that, the viewers in her live stream exploded in disbelief.

"Is this the Natalie I know? She's not chickening out?!"

"She just turned brave mode on! She's diving into the deep sea in this creepy environment?!"

"Let's go, Natalie! You've got this!"

"Haha, well... it's still a human life, right?" Natalie muttered as she strapped on her oxygen tank.

Deep down, she knew the other 'crew members' were just NPCs. But the realism of Subnautica blurred the line between game and reality. Not saving someone would leave her feeling guilty.

Besides, it was better to have an NPC companion than to explore the terrifying ocean depths alone.

Faced with a choice between fear and saving a life, Natalie chose the latter.

"By the way, Cortana, can I send a broadcast back to the other crew?"

"Yes, of course."

"Alright, let's do it."

"Recording..."

"Escape Pod No. 2, this is Pod No. 5. Hang in there, I'm coming for you!" she declared firmly.

"Broadcast sent," said Cortana.

"Alright." With a deep breath, Natalie stared into the dark, bottomless ocean and dove in.

Splash!

The light around her vanished instantly. All that remained was the pitch blackness and the muffled roar of water.

She flicked on her flashlight.

The beam barely lit more than five or six meters ahead. The deep sea swallowed light like a void.

It felt like she'd been transported into a submerged version of Silent Hill, except this wasn't a narrow, haunted hallway, but a vast, ominous seabed. And somehow... this was even scarier.

"Ugh, this flashlight is so weak, I can't see anything!"

"Swimming through pitch black ocean with just that light? This is nightmare fuel!"

"This tension is killing me…"

"Natalie, be careful! There's no way there aren't predators in that massive ocean!"

The viewers were on edge, but Natalie had been through Silent Hill, she gritted her teeth and kept swimming toward the signal from Pod No. 2.

"Don't be afraid. You're here to help someone. Be brave!" she kept whispering to herself.

Small fish, drawn to the light, swam around her curiously. Their presence helped calm her nerves a bit. Slowly, she moved further and further away from her own escape pod.

"Ding. Incoming transmission. Play now?"

"Play it," she responded.

"This is Escape Pod No. 2 to Pod No. 5. Thank you for coming. The pod has stopped sinking, it's likely resting on the seabed now. I'm not in immediate danger, but the backup oxygen system's failing. I don't have much time left. Over." The familiar voice returned. 

Her heart clenched.

Natalie immediately sent a reply. "Escape Pod No. 2, hold on! I'm only about 200 meters away!"

That response gave her strength. Her resolve hardened. She swam faster and more fiercely.

240m… 219m… 156m…

She was getting closer. Inside her suit, sweat dripped down her back. To conserve energy, she no longer spoke to the live chat.

"Holy crap, she's so focused she's not even talking!"

"Keep going, Natalie!"

"Yeah! You've got this!"

Despite knowing it was just a game, the audience's hearts raced.

Then, when the marker showed she was under 100 meters away, something strange appeared ahead.

In the dim light, the seabed dropped off sharply, forming a massive underwater cliff.

And stretching from the edge were thick, winding strands that looked like tentacles.

"Wait, what are those? Sea snakes…?"

"No, they look more like octopus tentacles, giant ones!"

"Each one is at least 30 meters long. This is insane!"

"It's giving Cthulhu vibes. I've got chills!"

"Natalie, don't go near them! That thing's a sea monster!!!"

The chat blew up. Seeing tentacles in deep ocean settings was a nightmare.

Natalie froze. Her bracelet's arrow still pointed, directly beneath those things.

Her expression twisted with hesitation.

"Ding. Incoming transmission. Play?"

"Play it," she said hoarsely.

"This is Pod No. 2… something's outside. It's hitting the pod. I-I don't think it can take much more... No. 5, please! Save me! Please—wuwuwu!"

The woman's terrified sobs echoed through the water.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

Even after the broadcast cut off, Natalie could still hear the thudding.

She turned downward. The sounds were coming from beneath the writhing vines.

"Shit... Pod No. 2's right under there!" Natalie growled. "Screw it, I don't care what the hell that thing is!"

With a deep breath, she plunged straight into the mass of tentacles.

"Natalie is INSANE!!!"

"Total respect! She's charging in head on!"

As she got closer, she saw the truth, they weren't sea snakes or tentacles at all, they were green sea vines.

At the same time, Cortana's analysis popped up.

[Seaweed Vines: Common in shallow zones. Grow densely, like forests of the sea. Constantly stretch upward to chase sunlight. Uses: Textile fibers, gauze, medical supplies. Fruits contain extractable oils.]

"What the, just seaweed?! I almost had a heart attack!"

Natalie didn't hesitate anymore and dove down toward the coordinates.

"Wait, don't go charging in!"

"There might still be a monster nearby!"

"This could be suicide, Natalie!!"

The barrage of warnings in the chat didn't slow her down. She was determined to save that woman.

50 meters...

"Ding. New transmission. Play?"

"Play!"

Then she heard the final, horrific message.

"It broke through! The pod's flooding! No, what is that?! Don't eat me! I don't want to die-!"

The voice cut off abruptly.

Silence. The chat went dead.

Even the stream paused for a moment.

The chilling scream of someone dying echoed in their ears.

"Oh god…"

"That was... brutal."

"That scream… it felt too real."

Natalie screamed, pushing herself harder than ever before.

30 meters... 20... 10...

Finally, nestled in a rocky dip on the seabed, she found Escape Pod No. 2.

The outer shell was mangled. A massive hole gaped in the hull.

Blood filled the water around it.

Her stomach dropped.

As she approached, the pod shuddered.

She froze.

And then... something emerged.

A creature over three meters long, reptilian like a giant crocodile, wriggled out of the escape pod, its jaws dripping with red froth.

"What the hell is that?!"

"It's chewing on something, it's eating her!"

"That woman… she didn't make it..."

Natalie held her breath.

The monster didn't notice her. It slumped onto the seabed, seemingly to rest.

"Natalie! Don't just stare! If it sees you, you're dead!"

"Get out of there, NOW!"

Only then did she react. She turned and swam upward.

She didn't say a word on the way back.

Eventually, she climbed back into her own escape pod and collapsed. She didn't move.

But then, her shoulders began to tremble. Quiet sobs filled the live stream.

She cried.

"Natalie, it's okay. You did everything you could!"

"It wasn't your fault. You tried your best!"

"It's just a game… don't blame yourself..."

Everyone understood.

They had heard that woman's voice too, so desperate, so real.

Even though it was just a game, the guilt of not being able to save her felt overwhelming.

Natalie wiped away her tears and said softly.

"Thanks, everyone. I feel a bit better now."

'"This game... it's brutal with its story."

She took a breath.

"But I did gain something, I've become braver."

The audience could see it too.

The once scared girl who feared the ocean at night had jumped in to save someone. She faced tentacle like monsters, stared down a sea predator, and came out stronger.

She wasn't the same Natalie from Silent Hill.

"I guess... this is growth," she murmured. "Even though Subnautica is just beginning, I've already changed. It's taught me what courage means."

Those words came from her heart. Subnautica wasn't just a game. It was an experience, one that left a lasting impact on her.

"Alright, that's all for today's stream," she said. "I'm exhausted... we'll continue tomorrow."

Though she'd only streamed for two hours, the emotional and physical toll was immense.

But everyone watching knew.

This was no longer just gameplay.

It was a journey.

1484 Words.