[Western Crossover] Night Shift Simulator

This story is a mishmash of a bunch of small, not particularly polished Steam horror games and several famous horror games. Since most of those games have incomplete or overly simple plots, I've made a lot of personal adaptations.

I often watch playthroughs and clips by horror-game streamers. The games I play and the shows and anime I watch cover a wide range of genres, so my influences are pretty mixed. If you recognize a reference or a familiar scene, don't hesitate: yes, I'm referencing it. (Bows down.)

The story leans toward everyday life (probably). Although it's a DC crossover, major events probably won't come up much. The early and middle parts mostly take place in Gotham, and later on the protagonist travels all over the world.

This story is told in first person. A few chapters use third person, mainly from the superheroes' perspectives, as a supplement.

The protagonist has never read DC, so he instinctively assumes all the heroes and villains are characters from some horror game he hasn't played.

The protagonist is actually pretty strong. But after spending so much time dealing with horror incidents, he keeps thinking of himself as an ordinary person. (Hey, in what horror game can a criminal tank more than twenty bullets and still run around like nothing happened?!)

Updating weekly...

Here is the blurb:

Working the night shift.

For someone who often plays horror games, those words make their DNA tingle. They're a guaranteed disaster flag, on the same level as, "I'll marry you when I get back from XX."

But now, I've transmigrated into a horror game and gained a Night Shift System.

What the heck?

Is this System even working properly?

From that moment on, a random serial killer from some game or other might spawn along my route to work. The shops where I work the night shift are constantly hit by paranormal events. On my way home after work, I have to watch out for strange people following me. And once I get to my apartment, I have to worry that my neighbors might be up to something. Even the elevator in my apartment building picks on me, a young man. It plays dirty, springing elevator accidents on me out of nowhere.

Damn!

I tread carefully, struggling to survive in the cracks. Only a few customers who always show up at night are willing to help me out, and no matter where I go to work the night shift, I always run into them.

What great people!

One day, I faced the biggest setback of my life.

I encountered a bat monster. After looking into the terrifying urban legends about him, I realized I hadn't played this horror game! And judging by the setting, it seemed really impressive, definitely a popular game.

I couldn't believe it. I'd missed out on this game and never played it!

So, while working the night shift, I asked my regulars with a troubled look, "Have you heard the legend of Batman?"

The vigilantes, stopping by to buy something after their night patrol: "..."

The Bat's perspective:

A seemingly ordinary person was added to Batman's files.

Working the night shift in Gotham, even at a regular convenience store or fast-food place, is dangerous.

Even for someone working the night shift in Gotham, the frequency with which he encountered terrifying incidents was far too high.

And they weren't ordinary crimes like robberies. The attackers were at least the kind of lunatics who'd end up in Arkham, and sometimes there were even supernatural paranormal events.

So Batman suspected that this person either had some strange affliction or was hiding a secret scheme. Either way, he needed to keep an eye on him.

An investigation revealed that the person was always working the night shift.

When one shop closed, he'd find another and keep working the night shift. From convenience stores to gas stations, from hotel reception desks to night security... still working the night shift.

He doggedly stuck with one job until the place closed, then went straight out to find another night shift job. No matter what, his spirit was admirable.

Until one day, Batman happened to pass by this ordinary person's route to work and saw this "ordinary person" beating the daylights out of a ghost that was about to attack him, landing blow after blow.

Batman: ...

Theme: Games are just for playing games, and nothing more.