After taking the trash out of Ward Three, Chen Ge went to the bathroom and washed his face, then quickly threw himself back into the tense work.
At six thirty in the evening, the haunted house stopped accepting visitors. Chen Ge asked Xu Wan and Little Gu to clean up while he went to find Uncle Xu and got the keys to the amusement park's truck, planning to haul the mannequins back tonight.
Once everything was settled, he went underground and found Dr. Chen.
The two exchanged contact information, then Chen Ge blindfolded Dr. Chen with a black cloth, led him out of the haunted house, and put him in a taxi to the edge of the western suburbs.
The trip didn't take much time. By a little before seven, Chen Ge returned to New Century Amusement Park. Xu Wan and Gu Feiyu had already finished cleaning the haunted house entrance.
"Thanks for the hard work. I'll take it from here." Chen Ge took the broom, pulled out his phone, and called Qian Guigen again. "Boss Qian, get your materials ready on your end. I might have to pull an all-nighter in the workshop tonight to get the first batch of mannequins done."
"Sure, I'll be waiting for you at the workshop." Boss Qian was quite agreeable. When his little shop had been on the verge of bankruptcy, Chen Ge's appearance had given him a glimmer of hope.
After hanging up, Chen Ge turned around and noticed that Xu Wan and Little Gu hadn't left. "Is there something else?"
"You're the boss, but I swear you work harder than any employee—staying up late every night, or pulling all-nighters." Xu Wan had removed her corpse paint and looked rather cute, though she had matured a great deal since she first started working at the haunted house.
"Brother Chen, is there anything we can help you with?" Little Gu walked over too. "I've got nothing to do if I go home this early anyway."
Employees voluntarily asking for overtime made Chen Ge a little touched. He thought about it—moving twenty mannequins really was a big problem, so he didn't refuse.
"Alright, come with me. Let's try to get it all done before midnight."
Chen Ge locked the haunted house, drove the park's truck, and brought Xu Wan and Gu Feiyu to the workshop.
He had already finished part of the molds that morning. He gave Xu Wan and Gu Feiyu a brief rundown of what to do next, then handed off the low-skill tasks like stuffing and carrying to the two of them.
By eleven that night, the first batch of twenty mannequins was complete.
These models were made from the best materials and were life-sized, though to save time, Chen Ge hadn't applied makeup or dressed them.
Together they loaded the mannequin models onto the truck and hauled them all back to the haunted house.
"I'll handle the remaining steps myself little by little. You two should hurry home."
Chen Ge glanced at the time. After midnight tonight, the haunted house would undergo its third expansion and officially upgrade to the Tremor Labyrinth. He was worried about making some kind of noise that would arouse Xu Wan and Little Gu's suspicions.
"Boss, this whole pile of mannequins—how long is it going to take you to move them all by yourself?" Little Gu stared at the mannequins strewn haphazardly along the haunted house corridor. At night, the sight was honestly a little terrifying.
"I still have to put makeup on each of them one by one. That way they can be put into use tomorrow." Chen Ge thanked the two of them and closed the haunted house doors.
"How long are you going to be at this alone?" Gu Feiyu wanted to say more, but Chen Ge had already started working. "He's relentless. I guess nobody in this world succeeds without paying the price."
"Save the musings. See you in the morning." Xu Wan waved her hand and left.
The park was left with only Gu Feiyu. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the daytime, the park at night felt vast and eerie.