Gripping the heavy skull-crushing hammer,
"Are all your haunted house props this realistic?"
"Our haunted house. Stop yammering and get changed." The Nine O'Clock Paradise opening left very little time for
After pulling on the full Skull-Crushing Doctor outfit, Gu Feiyu looked at himself in the mirror. He could hardly believe the monster staring back was actually him.
"Not bad. Getting there." Chen Ge nodded with satisfaction. Gu Feiyu was about the same height and build as him, but many of the movements were unfamiliar, which made him look a bit clumsy. "The mask clings tight to your skin. If you want to shift its expression, you can do it by adjusting the muscles in your face."
Gu Feiyu tried to force out a grin. It didn't look the least bit terrifying — if anything, it looked like something you'd want to punch.
"The character you're playing is a serial killer. A lunatic. I need to see that crazed mania!" Chen Ge cycled through a string of different expressions. He'd seen plenty of psychopaths, and in the span of a few seconds, shifted through several distinct styles. "First, nail down your archetype. Serial killers come in many varieties."
"The easiest is the cold, silent type. To pull off this kind of killer, you have to maintain absolute composure. Never panic, no matter what — like a machine that knows nothing but slaughter."
"Step up from that is the beast type. You need to make every visitor feel they're in constant danger, like prey caught in your grip — thrashing desperately, but unable to escape."
"Harder still is the deranged madman type. This one delivers the most fear and screams from the visitors, but the demands on your performance are extreme. Every expression, every glance has to be steeped in insanity — like an uncontrollable wildfire, raging freely, intent on destroying everything."
Chen Ge had encountered every variety of killer. In this line of work, he had a depth of hands-on experience that no other haunted house operator could match.
Gu Feiyu's head was spinning. All he could do was keep nodding.
"You're just starting out. I can't set the bar too high." Chen Ge found Little Little, then led the fully costumed Gu Feiyu up to the third floor, into the Midnight Slaughter scene. "You ran through the whole layout yesterday. Have you memorized the routes?"
The memory of being thrown into the Midnight Slaughter scene over and over yesterday made Gu Feiyu's eyes brim with tears. "Not yet. Yesterday I was so scared I just ran around like crazy. I couldn't remember a single path."
"A proper haunted house employee has to know every corridor in every scene by heart. You need to give the visitors a very specific feeling — you are not human. You are a vengeful spirit that refuses to rest, a killer who could appear at any moment!"
Chen Ge strode into the scene. Gu Feiyu trailed behind him, holding the skull-crushing hammer inverted in both hands, looking thoroughly timid.
"I'll take you through all the hidden passages one more time. You have to commit them to memory." Chen Ge's tone was earnest. "There's actually another crucial reason for knowing the routes — if a visitor gets hurt, you need to rush to their side immediately. In this place, we're both devils and angels."
"I'm scared I can't do it. Honestly, I start to panic the moment I step inside. Just thinking about being alone in a space this big… it frightens me." Despite wearing the grotesque human-skin mask, Gu Feiyu's voice carried a trembling, tearful edge. "I really don't think I'm cut out for this job."
"Pull yourself together! A man can't just go around admitting he's no good!" Chen Ge looked Gu Feiyu straight in the eyes. "Everything takes time. Feeling scared and intimidated right now is perfectly normal. But once you push past the fear, you'll start to get used to it."
With that, Chen Ge took Little Little from his pocket and handed her to Gu Feiyu. "No matter what you run into in these scenes, don't panic. This little one will bring you good luck."
Gu Feiyu cupped Yin Xiaoxiao in one hand. At this moment, whatever Chen Ge said, he had no choice but to believe.