My House of Horrors

The live example of Wang Hailong’s group lent credibility to Chen Ge’s words.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of a Haunted House being delineated into levels, but the boss’ explanation is indeed professional.”

“I know it is for our own good, but I still wish to try the scariest scenario.”

The visitors talked among themselves before accepting the new rules. Chen Ge sighed in relief and led Wang Hailong’s group to the spot where the medical students had once fainted. “How are you feeling? Shall we call the doctor?”

“Thanks, but we’re feeling much better.” The one who spoke was Wang Hailong. His lips were purple, and his face was white. His eyes were unfocused, and they were covered with a film of mist.

“At least you’re conscious enough to speak, so you’re indeed alright.” Chen Ge squatted down beside Wang Hailong. “Actually, you’re lucky. The last person who tried this scenario is still in the hospital.”

Brother Long flashed a bitter smile. “Are you trying to console me?”

“I’m just telling you the truth.” Chen Ge took the nametags away from them and turned to tell Uncle Xu, “Let’s go.”

Looking at this familiar scene, Uncle Xu was considering building a rest stop beside the Haunted House. Making the visitors keep lying on the floor was not good for the park’s image. He was quite angry initially; however, after listening to Chen Ge’s explanation, he felt the young man had a point. With the separation of levels, the cases of fainting visitors would decrease.

After examining Wang Hailong’s condition personally and making sure they were alright, he followed Chen Ge.

“Xiao Chen, did you plan this beforehand? Are you sure you want to separate the scenarios into levels? This will increase the Haunted House’s overall income, but have you considered it might lose some potential customers?”

“This must happen.” Chen Ge stood firm on his position. “I’ve explained why I’m doing this. This is a protective measure for the visitors. There will be more scenarios in the future, and some of them might be too much for normal visitors.”

“Since you know they might be too much, why don’t you edit them? After all, the aim is to serve the majority of people.” Uncle Xu’s argument was not wrong; it was just a little conservative.

“Some things can’t be edited. You’ll understand in the future.” Chen Ge walked for a while before remembering something. “Uncle Xu, do we have any extra surveillance devices in the park storage?”

“We have some spare ones but not many. Why?”

“I wish to borrow a few to install them in the underground parking lot. The new scenario currently has no surveillance, and I don’t feel that good about it.”

“Borrow the surveillance devices? Just what kind of person can come up with something like that?” Uncle Xu shrugged. “Lending them is impossible, but selling them to you at a second hand price is doable. However, I cannot touch anything in storage without permission. I’ll go ask Director Luo this afternoon. Your Haunted House has the potential to be this park’s top attraction, so I believe he will agree.”

The two returned to the Haunted House. Uncle Xu continued to sell tickets while Chen Ge replaced all the nametags before entering the Murder by Midnight scenario to act as the murderer. There were a few groups who challenged Mu Yang High School, but most of them did not even dare enter the sealed classroom. Mu Yang High School did not have a steel door but only wooden boards as entrance, so if the visitors were afraid, they could leave at any moment. There were not many who were as courageous as Wang Hailong’s group, so there were no further accidents.

During the lunch break, Chen Ge removed the outfit and walked out of the Haunted House. Wang Hailong and his brother were walking toward him. “Why are you two still here? Want to give it a second go?”

Chen Ge was only joking, but the siblings shook their heads vehemently. “No, not that. We acted rashly this morning—I hope you don’t mind.”

“Your tone is completely different from before. Tell me, what do you want?” Chen Ge was not someone who had just entered society.

Wang Hailong, who was normally so direct, appeared so bashful suddenly. “Actually, Wenlong and I have a younger brother called Wang Shenglong. Before he was five, he was just like any other kid, very playful. However, for some reason, when he turned five, he suddenly went mute. He refused to speak. Our father has tried many ways, going to the doctors, even visiting fortune-tellers, but none worked.”

“What is your point exactly?” Chen Ge was confused about why a five-year-old would suddenly turn mute and what that had to do with him.

“Long story short…” Wang Hailong made sure no one was eavesdropping before he leaned in toward Chen Ge. “Boss, I saw a scary girl in your Haunted House earlier. She was hanging behind my back, her feet stepping on my shoulders. This scenario was exactly the same as my little brother’s description of the night before the strange thing happened to him!”

Wang Wenlong leaned in as well. “It’s true. That night, the three of us were sleeping in the same room. After midnight, our little brother suddenly sat up in bed, saying someone was standing on his shoulders, begging us to move the person away. At the time, we thought he was toying with us, but the next morning, he had forgotten how to speak. He could make sounds but could not finish complete sentences.”

Wang Hailong touched his shoulder and continued in shaking voice. “Since he lost his voice, we had him write down what he wanted to say. The thing he wrote was… scary to say the least. He saw someone outside the walls the previous night, and the person was staring at him. For some reason, the person then entered the house.”

“That’s scary?” Chen Ge had experienced worse.

“When we were young, we stayed at a village. The walls were 2.5 meters tall. If there was really someone staring at him from the wall, the person had to be at least 2.6 meters tall!”

“Is that even a person anymore?”

“That’s the point!” Wang Hailong tried to explain it. “The scariest thing was that the person entered the house easily and asked our little brother to play with him. If he rejected, then he would take something away from him.”

“Did your brother reject the person? His voice was taken away?” Chen Ge guessed.

“No, it’s not that. My little brother agreed to play. The game they played is called—Who Speaks First. After my little brother nodded, the monster climbed on my little brother’s shoulders, and it became even taller.”