"I already introduced this scenario outside. The scream index is three stars, there's no fixed route—it's completely open. All you need to do is find a blood-red wedding dress inside and bring it out. That counts as clearing the level."
Chen Ge made up the clearance requirements on the spot. After all, on his turf, his word was the law.
"That's it?" The blond guy with the earring shot back a question. "No hidden clearance conditions? Some haunted houses design several side routes to make the experience more interesting and let visitors explore on their own for added fun."
"My haunted house has plenty of side routes. You can take your time exploring—I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Chen Ge's smile was as warm as the morning sun, making it impossible for anyone to feel annoyed.
"Is there a time limit for clearance?" The tall guy next to him chimed in. It was clear that all of them were veterans who knew haunted houses inside out.
"Since it's the first time we've opened this scenario, I'll give you a bit more time. As long as you find the wedding dress and bring it out within forty minutes, you'll have successfully cleared it." Chen Ge, being the kind-hearted soul he was, had extended the challenge time so visitors could better experience the Living Coffin Village scenario.
"We won't need forty minutes." The blond guy flicked his side-swept bangs, clearly quite pleased with himself. "We've reviewed countless haunted houses. The longest one we took was still cleared within thirty minutes."
"Forty minutes is a bit long, but it gives us more time to look around." The woman at the front held her phone without any intention of putting it away. Back when Ye Xiaoxin had entered a haunted house, she'd recorded everything with pen and paper the entire time. That alone showed the vast difference in their caliber.
Chen Ge had figured it out too—this woman was reviewing haunted houses purely for the novelty, to create a contrast between her cute persona and the eerie, terrifying atmosphere of the haunted house for publicity purposes. Only someone like Ye Xiaoxin, who respected haunted house rules, could truly be called a real reviewer.
"Sure, looking around more might uncover even more hidden delights." Chen Ge chimed in agreeably, his attitude so accommodating that even the three "visitors" behind him were starting to find it a bit much.
After having the three newcomers sign the liability waiver, he led all eight visitors to the end of the corridor and lifted the wooden plank on the floor.
A blast of frigid air surged up from below, and everyone nearby shivered.
"A haunted house scenario separated by just a single wooden plank? Way too crude. Minus one point for scenario layout." The woman took out her phone to jot down another note.
Chen Ge didn't get angry. With his remarkable patience, he was still politely reminding her at this point: "Our haunted house does not allow the use of mobile phones or any other recording devices. I'd appreciate it if you'd keep that in mind."
"I'm a publicly certified haunted house reviewer. I'm only using my phone to record data and keep stats organized—don't read too much into it."
"Understood. When you go in for the review later, I hope you'll be generous with your rating." Chen Ge courteously ushered all eight visitors underground. "To the left is the Twilight High School scenario with a two-star scream index. Behind that hospital iron door is the Ward Three scenario. The Living Coffin Village scenario you're heading to is straight ahead."
The moment Chen Ge descended underground, he noticed a winding narrow path had appeared between Ward Three and Twilight High School. At its end, a pale white glow emanated outward.
"Living Coffin Village is at the end of this path. I won't escort you any further—enjoy yourselves." Chen Ge stood on this side of the path, watching the visitors walk off into the distance.
"Separating the three scenarios would probably be better, but once the haunted house is expanded into the Tremor Labyrinth, all the underground parking garage scenarios will likely connect into one massive, interconnected horror scenario."
The haunted house needed three expansions before it could become the Tremor Labyrinth. Two expansions had already been completed—the third should be coming soon.
Chen Ge glanced over at the other two scenarios. In Twilight High School, the door to the very last classroom had been pushed open by someone.