After a few days' absence,
"Director Luo, you really need to think this through. The technological gap between New Century Paradise and Virtual Future Paradise isn't something a batch of new entertainment facilities can simply close." Chen Ge felt Director Luo should understand this.
"Upgrading the facilities is just to keep the gap from being too wide. Your haunted house's influence keeps growing, and the park can't hold you back — the basic attractions need to keep up." Director Luo saw right away what Chen Ge was worried about. "The funding's in place. Don't underestimate what our park has built up over the years."
In front of the staff, Director Luo always maintained that air of confidence — poised and self-assured, as though everything was under control.
Among everyone present, Chen Ge was probably the only one who truly understood Director Luo's predicament. The park was out of money. This batch of new funding had likely been raised through Director Luo's personal connections and channels, at some considerable cost.
Building the rest area and renovating the entertainment facilities required a huge sum, but since Director Luo had already said the word, Chen Ge wasn't about to argue the point to his face.
Everyone had the park's best interests at heart. The Virtual Future Paradise in the eastern suburbs would be opening in just a few weeks, and New Century Paradise had reached the most critical juncture — morale absolutely could not be shaken.
The park officially opened at nine o'clock, and Chen Ge's haunted house had already become the park's centerpiece, drawing the largest crowds of any attraction.
In just a few minutes, a long queue had formed outside the haunted house.
The visitors had also noticed the changes at the entrance. Many had downloaded the Haunted House app — at first out of curiosity, but they gradually discovered the app was actually quite engaging.
The visitors who had shown up early to queue were mostly die-hard fans of the Haunted House. They already had plenty in common, and after downloading the app, they immediately started chatting in the community forums.
"Spring grass grows and orioles fly through the April sky — old Zhang is back! This time I'm definitely clearing the one-star scenario!"
"First clear of the three-star
"Looking for teammates for the Muyang High School scenario. Requirement: no history of heart disease, and you won't abandon your teammates and run when things get tough."
"'For the dead we speak, for the living we defend!' Jiujiang Forensic Medicine Academy internal exchange thread!"
The community quickly came alive with enthusiasm. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, feeling that this little app had brought together people with shared interests — giving them a place to speak freely and making fans of the Haunted House feel a greater sense of belonging.
As the visitors at the front of the line headed inside, the leaderboard on the big screen began to shift. Those waiting behind rubbed their hands together, itching to try.
Higher-star scenarios awarded more points upon completion, which only fueled demand to attempt the three-star Haunted House scenarios. Chen Ge had no time to slack off, constantly moving between the underground scenes to prevent any accidents among the visitors.
He stayed busy until noon. Director Luo stopped by again during that time, and only after seeing how well the app had been received did he leave feeling relieved.
Most of the visitors had only just cleared the Muyang High School scenario before diving straight into the Third Sick Ward and Coffin Village. The result was that the screams from the underground parking garage never stopped.