When Heshan mentioned that his blackout was connected to the mirror, Chen Ge's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the game he had played last night — the thing in the mirror had been blocked by the doll and never made it out.
Now, according to Heshan, that creature very likely hadn't left. It was still hiding in the haunted house's mirror.
"Boss, is this a new attraction in the haunted house? How come I didn't know about it?" Xu Wan sidled over, and plenty of curious onlookers also turned their eyes toward Chen Ge.
He was in a tough spot now. He couldn't very well tell everyone that there might actually be a real ghost in the haunted house and invite them to come in at their own risk.
If he said something like that, the haunted house going bankrupt would be the least of his problems — he'd probably end up shipped off to a mental institution.
"It's sort of a new attraction. The specifics are in the short video I posted last night, but I wouldn't recommend anyone try this game without professional guidance." Chen Ge gave Heshan's shoulder a light pat. "Going in blindly, you'll end up just like this guy. Alright, who else wants to come visit? Don't be scared — something unexpected is bound to happen in a haunted house. That's what makes it exciting!"
"Exciting my foot! The guy literally fainted from fright. We're just here to check out a haunted house — there's no need to put our lives on the line!"
"Exactly! I won't even make you pay for my cracked phone screen. Just please stop posting scary videos in the middle of the night."
"Not worth it, not worth it. I'm out!"
The moment Chen Ge finished speaking, the crowd collectively took a step back. He forced a wry smile. "Come on, it's not that serious. My haunted house really isn't that scary."
"Bro, two forensic medicine students who deal with corpses every single day — one was scared to tears and the other was scared unconscious. And now you're standing here calmly saying your haunted house isn't scary? Are you fooling yourself? Doesn't your conscience hurt?!"
"Bro, you've gotta play fair!"
The surrounding visitors buzzed with commentary, leaving Chen Ge speechless. When the haunted house wasn't scary enough, nobody wanted to visit, saying it was boring. Now that it had become terrifying, it seemed he'd overdone it and achieved the opposite effect. "You came all this way just to stand at the entrance and spectate? Courage is something you can build. A little thrill now and then is good for your circulation."
"Talk all you want — I'm not going in. Good for circulation? Why don't you claim your haunted house can cure cancer?" The guy whose phone screen had been shattered waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.
But just then, a middle-aged man standing next to him suddenly spoke up, his voice booming, as though he had arrived at his decision after careful deliberation: "Boss, give me a ticket!"
"Holy crap, someone who's actually not afraid to die."
"Uncle, don't be impulsive! Other haunted houses take your money — this one takes your life!"
"I salute you as a fellow brave man! Go in peace — your wife and daughter will be well taken care of!"
The man looked to be in his forties, a little thin on top. He stepped out of the crowd and shoved a ten-yuan bill into Chen Ge's hand. "I want one ticket."
"You're going in alone?" Chen Ge found himself somewhat impressed by the man. What do you call this? Knowing full well the mountain has a tiger, yet choosing to walk right toward it!
Pocketing the money, Chen Ge handed over the ticket and was about to go over some of the haunted house's safety notes when, to his surprise, the man took the ticket and started walking in the opposite direction from the entrance.
"Uncle, the door is over here…"
"I know." Without so much as turning his head, the man returned to his spot, pulled out his phone, snapped a couple of photos of the haunted house ticket, and started composing a social media post: "April days of swaying grass and singing orioles — it's that perfect time of year for outings again. Highly recommend the West Suburb Horror House. Absolutely awesome! Went today and broke into a cold sweat…"
The surrounding visitors couldn't take it anymore. This guy had loitered at the gate for twenty minutes, bought a ticket, and was calling that a visit?
Before anyone could speak up, the man's post had already started collecting likes, with comments rolling in underneath.