My House of Horrors

The connection was stable. Liu Gang was satisfied with the livestream effect. He closed the fan and glanced at Chen Ge. “Don’t panic. We promised to livestream the whole process yesterday.”

“Is the cameraman part of the ten members who will be following you?” Chen Ge noticed that the cameraman was very muscular and looked quite fierce.

“Of course, I am not one to bend the rules. If I am to win, I will win fair and square.” Liu Gang and the person from the futuristic theme park walked at the front. Next to them were the cameraman and someone who seemed to be Liu Gang’s assistant. He carried a phone and had been watching Liu Gang’s streaming platform. Other than those four, there were seven other people in Liu Gang’s team. It was hard to tell from their appearance, but they should come from different backgrounds. Who knew how Liu Gang had gathered them?

“Uncle Xu, give the eleven of them tickets to the School of the Afterlife.” When Uncle Xu gave the tickets, Chen Ge yelled at the queuing visitors, “The new scenario is very big. The more visitors, the less scary it’ll be. Are there any visitors who have challenged three-star scenario wish to challenge it?”

When the strategy team at the resting hall heard this, their interest was rather piqued. The seniors from the medical university discussed among themselves and finally decided to have two new students join them. Those new students often used Boss Chen’s Haunted House to joke about at school. This would be the perfect chance to teach them a lesson.

“Can you move it faster? We have booked an afternoon plane ticket. We need to wrap up here and rush back home,” the man who appeared to be Liu Gang’s assistant urged.

“This is the first time the new scenario has been open. Naturally, there will be more visitors to handle. If you really can’t wait, you can go in first.” Chen Ge had Uncle Xu handle the second batch of visitors while he led Liu Gang and Bai Buhui into the Haunted House. Pulling back the thick black curtain, it was as if they had entered a different world. “Please sign these disclaimers and then scan the code to obtain your triangulation band.”

Chen Ge handed the disclaimers to each of them and enjoyed their scornful looks. After confirming that everyone had signed, Chen Ge placed the documents in the cupboard and locked it with a big padlock.

Among the crowd, a short fella started to complain impatiently. “Can you please move faster? Why waste time on nonsense like this? I’ve been to so many Haunted Houses, and yours is the draggiest.”

Chen Ge smiled, completely unaffected. “The scenario that you’re going to visit is called School of the Afterlife. It is filled with ghost stories related to schools and is hidden with endless ghosts. Even though there has been some conflict between us, as a responsible operator, I have to tell you that this new scenario is very dangerous, and if you’re not careful, you might not be able to return.”

“Yes. Yes. Of course.” The shorty groaned.

Liu Gang livestreamed the whole process, so Chen Ge had to go through the motions clearly and precisely. It would not take long for the viewing users to realize how hardworking and honest Chen Ge was and develop a good impression of this Haunted House owner.

“Okay, you have come to accept my challenge, so I will not purposely make this difficult for you. The new scenario consists of five main quests and many side quests. As long as you can complete one of the main quests, I will admit defeat.” Chen Ge looked like a fair and honest person. “Since you are livestreaming the whole process, I will not purposely scam you. Of the five quests, there are easier quests, and some are harder. They are all inside this wooden box. Draw one yourself.”

Chen Ge took out the box that he had made the previous night from the counter and placed a taped ballpoint pen inside the box. He raised the box and wrote the following on the surface.

“Quest 1: Find thirteen oil paintings in the School of the Afterlife and place all of them in the art club’s painting room. Time limit: one hour.

“Quest 2: Discover the secret of the revived soul, locate the phone of the missing Lin Sisi, and help him complete his wish. Time limit: one hour.

“Quest 3: The headmaster of the School of the Afterlife has always been a mystery. His office is hidden at the deepest despair of the school. Time limit: one hour.

“Quest 4: Explore the seven biggest mysteries of the school! Replication of the classic! The past of the seven Specters!

“Quest 5: Blood fog floods the corridors—the inverted mirror is the only exit.”

Just from wording, the first quest seemed the simple. There was no puzzle solving or taking risks—one only needed to search. The other quests were either related to ghosts or had very vague descriptions.

“There are paper notes with numbers inside the box. The number will decide which quest you will take.” Chen Ge then presented the box to Liu Gang. The few looked at each other; the drawing of the mission would directly affect the difficulty of the scenario.

“I’ll do it.” Liu Gang reached into the box and pulled out a note. Scribbled on it was the number one.

“Quest one!” Liu Gang sighed in relief as he stole a look at Chen Ge. He noticed that Chen Ge’s brows were slightly creased. “If not due to the time limit, it would have been nice to complete all the quests. This is such a shame.”

“You drew the quest yourself. That was your choice,” Chen Ge said expressionlessly with a slight tone of regret. In reality, he did not mind the result. The box was full of white paper. No matter which Liu Gang drew, Chen Ge had told the pen spirit to write down one on it. He was worried that other visitors might join the group, so he did not write one on all the notes but used a method like this.

“Now, can we start the visit?”

“There’s a third thing.” Chen Ge placed the box back on the counter and led everyone to the Specter’s Changing Room. “Normally, the visitors are required to change to explore the new scenario, but since this is your first time here, I’m not going to enforce it. However, take your student ID. Remember, no matter what, do not lose it. Only by having your ID will you not get lost.”

After everyone got their IDs, footsteps came from the front counter. Another five visitors entered. Two of them were students from Jiujiang Medical University, and the other three stood at the back to ensure that they would not be caught on the cameras. The five signed the contract and drew the quest. They ‘luckily’ got the fifth quest.

“Come here.” When everyone was ready, Chen Ge led them underground. Yellowed paper fluttered on the ground, and the visitors’ screams echoed in their ears.

“Follow me.” Chen Ge led the sixteen visitors underground and stopped between Mu Yang High School and the underground morgue.

“This is the School of the Afterlife?” Liu Gang silently wiped away the sweat from his forehead.

“That is the two-star scenario, Mu Yang High School. The scenario that you’re going to visit is here.” Chen Ge pushed open the rusted gates, and screams floated out from within. Chilly wind crawled into their clothes, and a feeling of being observed appeared.

Liu Gang retreated subconsciously. His body told him to run. If not for the livestream, he would have escaped already.

“The time limit for the first quest is one hour, but if you wish to leave earlier, just call for help. The time starts now. Enjoy.” From beginning to end, Chen Ge maintained a smile, so no one could find any fault with him.

Bang!

The gates of the School of the Afterlife closed heavily. The chains were tied, and the only exit was sealed. Walking out from the underground, Chen Ge entered the main control room. He switched on Black Friday and Wedding Dress, and the familiar rhythm rang in his ears.