"Someone from the Hanjiang City Branch?" Teacher Wang furrowed his brow at the words. "I never asked for their help. Send him back — they can't do anything useful anyway."
"Teacher Wang, you've been busy recovering and sorting out your own affairs, so you might not know." The school staff member wore a friendly smile. "Over the past half year or so, the Hanjiang City Branch has cracked several major cases one after another. They're battle-tested — even by provincial standards, they're the elite among elites."
"My illness was planted by the Hanjiang City Branch. I have nothing to say to them, and I don't care how many cases they've solved..." Teacher Wang seemed to have once worked at the Hanjiang City Branch, but for various reasons, he had apparently fallen out with them badly. "Send him away. Their branch has more than enough cases to deal with — they can't spare anyone."
The staff member looked helplessly at the police officer beside him. The older officer walked over to Teacher Wang on his own initiative. "Brother Wang, Captain Yan is back. He's the one running the branch now."
"Captain Yan?"
"Twenty years ago — the young man who spotted the problems with the case two weeks before you did, the one who demanded a reinvestigation. He's now the head of the Hanjiang City Branch. And under his leadership, we've repeatedly cracked major cases." The old officer knew Teacher Wang. "Brother Wang, the branch isn't what it used to be. I came here on Captain Yan's orders. If you're willing, he'd like to see you — after all, you were the only person who backed him back then."
At the mention of Captain Yan, Teacher Wang fell silent. "I can't face him."
He closed the notebook in his hands and handed it to Zuo Han. "You've always suspected that haunted house is actually haunted, haven't you? Maybe this notebook can help you find some answers."
"Teacher Wang?"
"I've rested enough. We leave for Xinhai today." Teacher Wang seemed like a completely different person — the aura he exuded was nothing like before.
"Your personality hasn't changed one bit." The staff member shook his head. "We've arranged a car for you. Departure at two o'clock this afternoon. Until then, you should get some rest."
……
Chen Ge was jolted awake by his alarm clock and stretched languidly. After a quick wash, he rushed to open the door.
Ever since getting the black phone, every single day had been packed to the brim. Day or night, he used nearly every waking moment.
After applying makeup to his employees, Chen Ge watched them chatting in the dressing room and felt a rare wave of relaxation. "If only I could live like this every day."
Once everyone was in costume, Chen Ge held a brief morning meeting to discuss future plans with the staff.
"You've all become seasoned haunted house performers by now — experienced, capable of handling any emergency. I feel completely at ease entrusting the haunted house scenarios to you."
"Boss, from the tone of your voice, it sounds like you're going on a long trip?" Xiao Gu was wearing the Shattered Skull Doctor's coat, tugging at the Broken Face Mask with both hands.
"Director Luo bought Xinhai's largest haunted house. I'll be heading over there in the coming period to set up a branch. Once things have stabilized, I'll come back." Opening a branch in Xinhai was secondary — Chen Ge's primary goal was to destroy the Cursed Hospital.
All the clues now pointed to that hospital. His missing parents could very well be there. He had no choice but to go.
"Boss, we've only just stabilized things here. Isn't it a bit risky to rush into opening a branch?" Zhang Jingjiu had learned his lesson from the harsh realities of life and tended to be cautious.
"Our foundation is still the Hanjiang Haunted House. The Xinhai location is just an experiment." Chen Ge looked at his employees. "Let me assign your duties. After I leave, the ground-level scenarios will be under Xu Wan's charge. I'll also hand over the spare haunted house keys to Xu Wan for the time being. Xiao Gu, if you run into any issues, consult with Xu Wan and Uncle Xu."
"Got it."
"The underground scenarios will be under Wu Jinpeng's charge." Chen Ge turned to the handsome middle-aged man with the single ponytail.
"Me?! No, no, I can't handle that." Wu Jinpeng waved his hands frantically.
"Don't worry — you'll have help. Here's the list. Head down to the underground scenarios after this and talk things over with them." Everyone in this room was family. Most of the living employees had shared life-and-death experiences with Chen Ge and could be trusted completely.
Chen Ge handed Wu Jinpeng a list bearing the names of Doctor Wei, Old White, and several others.
After reading the list, Wu Jinpeng gradually calmed down.
"With Hanjiang settled, let me talk about who's coming with me to Xinhai." Chen Ge looked at Zhang Jingjiu and Qu Changlin. "Changlin, you've worked at that haunted house before. I'm putting you in charge of designing scenarios and all the mechanisms there. From today onward, you're the head of scenic props and set design."
Qu Changlin excelled at crafting puppets and all manner of haunted house props. He had originally been Shangguan Qinghong's employee before Chen Ge poached him.
"Shangguan Qinghong never let your talents shine. Now I'm giving you a stage big enough to show what you can really do." In a sense, Chen Ge was fulfilling his promise to Qu Changlin. Back then, Qu Changlin had been an overlooked bottom-tier worker. Now he had leapt several ranks to become the chief designer of the Xinhai Haunted House.
"Thank you, Boss!" This time, Qu Changlin's gratitude came straight from the heart.
"Qu Changlin handles props and scenario design. Everything else falls to Zhang Jingjiu." Chen Ge thought highly of Zhang Jingjiu. Ever since rescuing the employee from Liwan Town, Zhang Jingjiu had improved at a remarkable pace — mastering the haunted house's operations in just a few days and frequently providing Chen Ge with unexpected help. During the online showdown with Liu Kang, for instance, it was Zhang Jingjiu who rallied a cadre of fans to lure Liu Kang into the trap.
When it came to business operations and navigating social dynamics, Zhang Jingjiu outperformed every other employee.
They were heading into entirely new territory, and they needed someone exactly like that. On top of it, Zhang Jingjiu appeared to be from a wealthy family — one that had operated in Xinhai for years.
Weighing all these factors, Chen Ge decided to appoint Zhang Jingjiu as acting store manager.
"Boss, I'm worried I'm not..."
"There's nothing to worry about. You're the best person for the job." After a few more instructions, Chen Ge sent the employees back to their respective scenarios to begin another day of business.
"Almost there. Today I'm going to use the Nightmare Task reward I pulled from the spinning wheel. Once I complete that nightmare-level daily mission, I'll be ready to head to Xinhai."
Everything that needed doing had been done. The ghosts in the black phone's spinning wheel had been nearly exhausted. Hanjiang still held some secrets, but uncovering them would take weeks or even months — time Chen Ge couldn't afford to waste.
"The sooner I lay the groundwork, the sooner I can get Little Sun inside. That's what matters most."
Having witnessed Little Sun's abilities firsthand, Chen Ge was now desperate to get Brother Sun into the Cursed Hospital.
The haunted house's online popularity was climbing higher by the day. Tourists from out of town were streaming in, and the park's daily revenue kept growing. Meanwhile, Virtual Future Park was riddled with problems.