The puppets created using the Living Puppet talent were extremely eerie. Twenty-four of them now stood in the last classroom, some sitting, some standing. Even
"Muyang Middle School absolutely cannot be opened carelessly. If these twenty-four lingering feelings really went berserk, they could probably scare someone to death."
He had crafted every single puppet with his own hands. He could genuinely sense the changes that had come over them since they'd put on the school uniforms — it felt as though all of them had acquired souls. As if what stood before him wasn't a collection of props, but real, living people.
Due to manpower and budget constraints, very few haunted houses would place more than ten actors in a single scene. A lack of hands had always been a headache for Chen Ge, but now that problem was solved in one stroke.
Twenty-four professional actors in a single themed scene — that was the kind of setup only top-tier haunted houses boasted!
"I'm already getting excited. This two-star horror scenario might just put the haunted house on the map for good."
After arranging the classroom, Chen Ge collected the student ID badges scattered across the lectern and placed them in a cardboard box.
"Muyang Middle School has no exit — only one entrance. The original escape rules won't work anymore. I need to come up with a new set of game rules." He narrowed his eyes and tucked the twenty-four badges into various corners throughout Muyang Middle School. "Find twenty out of the twenty-four within twenty minutes to clear the level. Find all of them and you get a full ticket refund plus a cash reward. That way, not only does it encourage visitors to come in and explore, it also adds gameplay and interactivity."
Chen Ge's haunted house was growing fast, and he'd been thinking continuously about how to make it more engaging. This badge-hunting idea was, for him, a promising experiment.
"I need to incorporate more elements. My goal isn't just to build a scary haunted house — it's to create the world's first horror-themed amusement park."
While hiding the badges, Chen Ge noticed the Muyang Middle School scene had expanded once more. At the end of a corridor, a new fork had appeared, with three adjacent dilapidated rooms. Doorplates hung on each one — 302, 303, 304.
The three-room one-star horror scenario had unlocked right beside Muyang Middle School, the two blending together perfectly. The only change was that the pathways inside the haunted house had become a touch more complex.
"All the horror scenarios are adjacent. If this keeps up, the entire underground parking garage will be covered in my horror scenes — roads crisscrossing in every direction. You could truly call it the Labyrinth of Tremors."
Retracing his steps, Chen Ge returned to the first floor of the haunted house, tidied his clothes, and walked to the front entrance, pushing open the protective railing.
Sunlight washed over him. Today was a fine day for the amusement park.
Just before nine,
As the visitors gradually increased, Chen Ge's haunted house had become the only attraction in all of New Century Amusement Park that required a queue. To let more visitors experience it, Chen Ge called Uncle Xu and asked him to arrange someone else to handle ticket sales. To his surprise, Uncle Xu showed up himself after a while.
"None of the other attractions have any crowds. I've got nothing to do anyway. Want me to squeeze into that ticket booth and sell tickets?"
"No need — just make yourself comfortable out here."
He left the outside in Uncle Xu's hands and returned to the staff break room. Prying up a bed board, he used artificial blood plasma to write the Muyang Middle School introduction and its corresponding game rules on the back.
When he carried the bed board outside, a stir went through the crowd.
"Brand-new horror scenario!"
"That description is absolutely terrifying!"
"A school horror story — I love it!"
The surrounding visitors were instantly drawn in. Since the ticket price was the same regardless, the people at the front of the line all requested to try the new scenario.
"Everyone, hear me out." Chen Ge propped the bed board against the haunted house entrance. "This newly built horror scenario is incredibly frightening! It features professional actors and the nation's finest props. During its trial run, a ghost-hunting studio came in for a visit. They tried to secretly photograph the details of the scene, but no one expected that they accidentally captured something absolutely horrifying! Both of them are still in the hospital!"
Uncle Xu watched from the side as Chen Ge wore the whole thing like a badge of honor, completely at a loss for words. He simply couldn't understand what there was to brag about when you'd nearly scared people out of their minds.
"What did they photograph? Come on, tell us!"
"A hundred thousand cattle flying across the sky — I really don't believe you can scare someone into a hospital."
"Stop stalling — I'm playing this scenario!"