My House of Horrors

“Of the five who fainted, one of them participated in the design of the futuristic theme park.” Chen Ge closed the door and gave his phone to Director Luo. “After some comparison, it’s quite obvious that a third-generation theme park like our own is still lacking.”

Every picture featured a different scene that combined imagination and incredible settings. Director Luo gasped with surprise when he saw the pictures. Honestly, if he was given a choice, he would also visit the futuristic theme park.

“Did you knock them out after discovering this man’s real identity?” Director Luo asked without taking his eyes from the phone.

“That was just an accident.”

“I’m not trying to accuse you. In fact, I think you’ve done a great job. However, I’m worried you didn’t consider the consequences of your actions.” Director Luo put down the phone. “After all, every single picture in here can be considered business secrets.”

“Don’t worry, I took the picture on my phone, so there won’t be any data trace. Plus, I grabbed his phone through the protection of my sleeve, so even if he goes to the police, there will not be actual proof.” Chen Ge sounded like this was everyday stuff for him.

Director Zhou was silent. Since Chen Ge had even considered his fingerprints, what else could he say?

“Lately, there has been an online presence trying to slander the Haunted House by hiring people to leave fake reviews. Initially, I didn’t think too much of it until the appearance of this man.” Chen Ge moved the slideshow forward. “Look at these messages. They’re behind it.”

Director Luo nodded. “The futuristic theme park has several shareholders. I believe one of them realized our threat and thus come up with these underhanded tactics. Don’t you worry about this, I’ll take care of it. You just focus on building your Haunted House.”

“Director Luo, there’re a few more pictures. Perhaps due to popularity of our Haunted House, they decided to add their own Haunted House—the Authentic 4D Haunted House.”

It was at this point that Director Luo’s face shifted. “They also wanted to open a Haunted House?”

“That’s right. They plan to build a Haunted House that combines virtual reality and true reality. I’ve seen the preview online; the visitors claim it was like living in a horror movie.”

“How does it compare to your own Haunted House?” Chen Ge’s Haunted House was New Century Park’s main attraction, so if it lost by comparison, New Century Park had nothing to compete with.

“Those things are ultimately fake; mine is one hundred percent real.” Chen Ge’s Haunted House would never shy from comparison.

“I feel like you’re hiding something behind your words, but never mind, just give it your all. I’ll support you.” Director Luo continued to flip through the pictures. When he saw the last one, his brows slightly creased, but they quickly relaxed. “You also took this picture from his phone?”

The picture was of a staff gathering. When Chen Ge took the picture, it had been for the benefit of his own employees. If they saw these faces, there was no need to hold back. “Yes, is there anything wrong with the picture?”

“Just saw an old friend.” Director Luo returned the phone to Chen Ge. “As long as you have confidence in your Haunted House, there’s no reason for us to be afraid of them. Don’t need to worry about the visitor number because we have something they don’t.”

He stood up to look out the window at the park. “We shouldn’t limit ourselves to Jiujiang. The uniqueness of your Haunted House will carry us forward. With enough promotion, everywhere that has access to the internet will have potential customers.”

In terms of business management, Director Luo was much more experienced than Chen Ge. “They can shift according to the trend, but that doesn’t mean that we have to stand still either. I have something for you to see.”

Director Luo turned the laptop around, signaling for Chen Ge to scan the QR code that appeared on-screen.

“What’s this?” After scanning, Chen Ge realized his phone had downloaded an app called Haunted House. After clicking on it, it provided a small description of each scenario with the number of visitors that had tried it, the pass rate, and the time limit.

“This is the app that I asked people to design for you.” Director Luo pulled out a wristband from the drawer. “Put this on.”

Chen Ge put on the band and paired it with the app. He opened the personal page, and it revealed his heartrate, blood pressure, and many more statistics.

“The data might not be a hundred percent accurate, but at least it will be able to fool many people. The real purpose of the wrist band is digital location. Each band has its own code, and if a visitor faints inside your Haunted House, you only need to click on the computer to find them.” Director Luo was probably afraid of how Chen Ge was going about doing things, so he stressed the importance of the digital location.

“The app can be used on its own or bound with the wrist band. How to operate it, I’ll discuss with Ol’ Xu. We’ll come to a decision within three days.”

This app that was designed for the haunted House had many uses. The visitors could use it to check the ranking and the latest clear rate. There were also previews for new scenarios and inside guides. This app was more like a community project for all Haunted House lovers.

“Director Luo, you’ve read my mind. I’ve thought about designing something like this for my Haunted House.” Chen Ge had big ambitions. The three-star scenario was just the beginning; his goal was to build the first terror-themed theme park in the country.

“In that case, I’ll give you that wrist band—the code is 000.” Director Luo smiled. Perhaps it was Chen Ge’s influence, but he had felt younger in spirit recently. Chen Ge left Director Luo’s office at eight pm. With Director Luo’s full support, he did not have anything to worry about.

The futuristic park will open in a month; I don’t have that much time left.

Chen Ge returned to the Haunted House to move the recorder, hammer, and comic into his backpack before calling Gao Ru Xue. He planned to meet Gao Ru Xue that night, and perhaps he might discover a clue related to Jiujiang Medical University’s underground morgue. The phone rang for several seconds, but no one answered. Chen Ge hung up and tried again.

I did promise to meet her tonight; did something happen to her?

There was still no answer. Chen Ge called for the third time. If there was still no answer, he would call He San and Gao Ru Xue’s father.

Did something really happen to her?

Chen Ge waited for nine seconds. Just as he wanted to give up, the call connected. He held his breath but did not say anything. He waited for the other person to speak first.

After one second, an unfamiliar female voice said, “Who are you?”