Hands in his pockets, the sunlight stretching his shadow long across the ground, Chen Ge was an ordinary-looking man — but one who radiated a peculiar kind of charm.
After he returned to the haunted house, the dazed visitors completely erupted. The roar of their voices threatened to blow the roof off the entire amusement park.
"All nine visitors were pushed out?! That's overkill!"
"Is this a four-star scenario?"
"I haven't even gone in yet and my legs are already going soft. What do I do?"
"Look at you lot, making a big deal out of nothing. So what if nine visitors fainted? Bro, I bought a ticket for the Underground Morgue earlier — can I swap? I'm not scared or anything, I just feel like the Third Psychiatric Ward suits me better. I've actually been through my own fair share of hardships in life."
A massive crowd of visitors swarmed over, completely out of control. Uncle Xu was jostled by the tide of people, unable to even walk, and had to shout with his head tilted back: "Where's the doctor! Where's the standby doctor! Forget the stretcher — just push them out! Hurry!"
"Bro, wanna swap tickets?"
"That was incredible!"
"Can we take a photo with those nine visitors?"
"Yang Chen! Oh my god, I see someone from our school!"
"It really is someone from our school! Wait — why does that little cart look familiar to me too?!"
The crowd surged forward in a wave, and Uncle Xu screamed himself hoarse: "Chen Ge! Chen Ge! Get out here!"
The thick door curtain had already fallen shut. Chen Ge sat at the table, pouring himself a cup of water. "They've really got the wrong idea this time. It shouldn't have been that scary, should it? Could it be because the haunted house upgraded into a Thrill Maze? Maybe the visitors are more prone to fear inside now?"
He opened the black phone. On it was a description of the Thrill Maze — as it continued to expand, visitors would undergo a process of being lost, body and soul.
"Once the haunted house upgrades it becomes a Thrill Maze. So what does the Thrill Maze upgrade into next? A Thriller Amusement Park? Why does it feel like I'm getting closer and closer to my goal of building a horror-themed amusement park?"
The appearance of the Underground Morgue scenario gave Chen Ge some breathing room. It was large enough to keep visitors exploring for a long time.
"Nine visitors, all tempered by two-star difficulty — wiped out completely. The three-star Underground Morgue could become a real-life urban legend after this."
These visitors had been strong, but they hadn't even made it into the core area before being annihilated. Many of the scare points Chen Ge had prepared for them never even got used.
"The haunted house scenarios should be enough for now. What I need to do is develop other functions, unlock the haunted house's original potential, and prepare for the Virtual Future Park." Chen Ge pretended not to hear the noise outside the door. He pulled out the black phone and checked it. "I still haven't looked at the reward item from the hidden quest in the Third Psychiatric Ward. Now's a good chance."
After the Ghost Story Society had been wiped out, Chen Ge had received the black phone's quest reward — the Chairman's Letter of Appointment.
He entered the prop room and rummaged through a wooden box in the corner until he found an envelope. He tore it open to find a line of familiar handwriting.
"When I walk through the darkness, I am this city's most terrifying ghost story."