"Boss Chen, a hundred dolls isn't a small order. Mind if I ask what you need them for?"
"We've worked together before. No need to beat around the bush." Chen Ge told Qian Guigen bluntly. "This time I'm making corpse dolls. All a hundred of them will be made up to look like corpses and stacked deep inside the haunted house."
Just hearing Chen Ge's voice over the phone was enough to make Boss Qian's scalp tingle. He shuddered. "If they're just supposed to look like corpses, we might as well use the cheapest materials. The material cost per doll comes out to around a hundred."
"We're still going with top-grade materials. At least the same as last time." Chen Ge's tone left no room for argument.
"Brother, your haunted house is pitch-dark, and you're just using them as corpses — using good materials is practically throwing money away!" Qian Guigen didn't quite understand.
"To you, it looks like I'm making dolls. What I'm really building is a body that can replace flesh and bone. These dolls will serve an important purpose down the line." Chen Ge had his own plan. He wanted to faithfully recreate the underground morgue scene and build a true corpse "paradise." In his design, each doll would contain a lingering grudge or a soul.
"Same specs as last time, then — the material cost per doll comes to about nine hundred. You're ordering in bulk, so I'll cut you a deal. Eight hundred per doll. That's eighty thousand total…"
"No problem. Just get it done as fast as you can. I'm in a hurry."
"My workshop's sitting idle anyway, and I can learn some of your techniques while I'm at it. Consider the facility fee waived." Boss Qian paused, sounding troubled. "The issue is I only have enough materials in stock for twenty. For the rest, I'll need to source from other provinces — some of it's even imported. You're looking at about a week's wait."
"Just get it done as soon as possible. Oh, and do you have time right now? I'd like to come by the workshop and get the base molds for those twenty dolls started."
"Right now? Sure. Let's meet in half an hour."
After hanging up, Chen Ge pulled a fresh set of clothes from the closet and headed into the bathroom.
He took a cold shower, changed into the new clothes, and stepped out of the haunted house.
"Why does it still smell like formalin even after a shower?"
He didn't pay it much mind. He made his way to Qian Guigen's workshop and worked there until nearly nine before leaving.
"The doll base molds are done. I'll stay up tonight to finish the remaining steps, and by tomorrow they can be put into the haunted house."
He put down a twenty-thousand-yuan deposit and left the workshop, heading back into New Century Amusement Park.
He hadn't slept all night, and his body was starting to give out. He said a quick greeting to Uncle Xu, exchanged a few words with Xu Wan and Gu Feiyu, then sat down alone in the haunted house corridor to rest.
The framework of the Haunted House of Horrors was already in place, with each scene managed by dedicated staff, which saved Chen Ge a great deal of trouble. All he really needed to do was watch visitors sign their liability waivers and then store them properly.
The amusement park's off-season was drawing to a close, and there was a noticeable uptick in visitor numbers. Beyond the thrill-seeking young crowds, whole families with small children were showing up to take a look.
Chen Ge's haunted house had brought New Century Amusement Park back into the public eye. This park, which the people of Jiujiang had nearly forgotten, was showing signs of life once again.