My House of Horrors

“When I see Gao Ru Xue tonight, I’ll warn her that it might be time to move out of that bedroom.” There was something scary buried underneath Jiujiang’s Medical University that Gao Ru Xue did not know about.

After pocketing the phone, Chen Ge ran out of the mountain. Chen Ge reached Lin Guan Village at 9 am, and Xu Wan’s phone call came, asking him why he was not at the Haunted House and if something happened to him. Chen Ge brushed her off with some random excuses, and Xu Wan told him some good news—Gu Feiyu had gotten out of the hospital already.

This young security had been assaulted by the ghost stories society at Fang Hwa Apartments and only recovered recently. He had already reported for duty at New Century Park early in the morning. “Xiao Gu is quite a responsible worker, and the Haunted House does need the manpower.”

Chen Ge told Xu Wan that he would arrive at the park within three hours. He hoped that she would be able to calm the visitors down. Bringing the two kids into the police car, Ol’ Wei planned to drive them to the station, but with Chen Ge begging him, he finally agreed to drop Chen Ge at New Century Park first. Chen Ge caught a quick forty-winks inside the police car and arrived at the park at around 11 am.

He had been rushing throughout the night, and his clothes had been torn open by branches and trees. There was a dirty cat on his shoulders. He looked rather worse for wear. “So sorry I’m late.”

The resting tent beside the Haunted House was already full, as were the steps. Many visitors came purposely for the Haunted House. The visitors were filled with complaints since they had been waiting for so long, but when they saw Chen Ge, the complaints were stuck in their throat.

“Xiao Chen, you’re so late! Don’t you know the time?” Uncle Xu had the park workers hand out some free gifts and water, and then he asked the question that was on everyone’s mind. “Where have you been all night?”

Many visitors came closer to listen. After all, they were intrigued by Chen Ge appearance.

“Last night, two kids went missing from Jiujiang’s Children’s Home, and I went to help them look for the missing kids. We followed the trail into the deep mountain and discovered a village filled with deformed people. The whole village is just like a tomb where joyful occasions are shunned, and funerals are welcomed. There are white lanterns and paper money everywhere. When I arrived, they were in the middle of a ceremony with babies in bamboo baskets and a red coffin standing upright. The woman at the village held a pair of scissors in her hand as she carried the babies into the ancestral hall. When she exited, her clothes are drenched in fresh blood…”

“Okay, you can stop now.” Uncle Xu quickly grabbed Chen Ge’s arm. There was already a group of visitors around them. They were originally filled with displeasure, but the story was quite interesting.

“Why did you tell him to stop‽ What happened next?”

“What kind of ceremony is this bloody? Is this village real?”

“Let’s leave, the boss has gone insane.”

Uncle Xu tried to calm the crowd, but Chen Ge spoke louder. “That’s not even the scariest thing!”

He grabbed the loudspeaker that the worker used to maintain order and stepped on the railing to climb onto the Midnight Ticket Counter. He was dressed normally, but he grabbed everyone’s attention.

“After some deeper investigation, I realized the village is a ghost village!

“A place for the living in the day but for the dead at night. After midnight, the whole village is filled with ghosts!

“You definitely have not seen things like that before! Dead people holding a funeral for dead people, the funeral procession moving through the village!

“If you think that’s all, then you’d be mistaken! The most dangerous thing about this village was the houses. The courtyards were planted with locust trees, and they had weird-looking monsters buried underneath them. If you’re lucky enough to escape into the inner room, don’t be happy so soon!

“Every room in the village is placed with a coffin, and a set of red graveclothes is placed inside each one. Regardless of whether you touch them or not, the clothes will crawl out of the coffin to follow you!

“You have to be careful with your every breath because, at any given moment, someone will call your name. If you answer the call, you’ll enter the wedding night, and your partner will be a bride wearing a wedding dress made from human skin!

“Death funeral, ghost village, skull lantern! All sorts of monsters reside in this village!

“A unique setting! Scary design! You only need to pay 30 to experience such an interesting scenario! That’s the reason I’m late today; I’ve been busy building this new scenario!

“This latest three-star scenario will be opened for a limited period! Believe me, this is definitely the scariest village-themed scenario on the market!”

When Chen Ge finished, his voice still echoed through the park.

“It was just a sales pitch, but why do I feel so excited?”

“What was I trying to say earlier?”

“Since you have a new scenario and a special offer, I’m willing to forget that you’re late. Losing memory…”

“I want to try it out, but I’m afraid. This is so hard!”

The update speed of Chen Ge’s Haunted House would scare his competition out of the market. Chen Ge nodded in satisfaction, looking at the visitors in deliberation. The new scenario and limited time offer would save him from being late. He jumped down from the ticket counter and returned the loudspeaker to the worker. He opened the Haunted House’s doors.

“We’re open for business!”

Chen Ge had Gu Feiyu change into the doctor’s outfit and handed him the upgraded hammer. He was tasked with acting as the serial killer in Murder by Midnight. Xu Wan was tasked with handling the Minghun scenario.

The two one-star scenarios above ground had someone looking over them, and the underground Mu Yang High School had the twenty-four students. Uncle Xu was selling ticket, and Chen Ge was left with nothing to do.

I should find more spirits like Uncle Yan and the students. They aren’t malicious. If this continues, I can rest myself at the counter daily, with the sole responsibility of counting my income.

Chen Ge rested at the door after sending the visitors in. He wanted to ask Gao Ru Xue for an update when he saw someone looking for him on WhatsApp.

“Ye Xiaoxin?” That was the professional critic who entered Chen Ge’s Haunted House with the people from Tian Teng Medical School. She had been scared until she almost vomited. Then, she gave Chen Ge’s Haunted House a very high remark online and asked for his contact, saying she planned to help him do the promotion online.

“What’s wrong? How can I help?”

“Lately, there have been many comments trying to give your Haunted House a bad review online. I searched high and low and finally found the culprit.” Ye Xiaoxin sent Chen Ge several pictures. “One of them is also a Haunted House reviewer. We share quite a rocky relationship. As long as it’s a Haunted House recommended by me, she will critic it heavily. They might be visiting your Haunted House soon, so be careful. Among the pictures that I’ve sent to you, there’s the reviewer’s selfie that she posted on the platform.”