Chen Ge didn't make it back to New Century Paradise until 8:40 in the morning. The park hadn't opened yet, but there was already a sizable crowd of visitors waiting at the entrance.
Looking at their excited faces and the way they chatted endlessly with their friends, Chen Ge broke into a smile.
The fact that his creations could bring visitors joy and help them shake off their unhappiness gave him a real sense of accomplishment.
Among the crowd, Chen Ge spotted a few familiar faces, and the topic of conversation among these visitors almost always circled back to the haunted house.
The flood of returning visitors was proof that the haunted house's horror-ranking system had been the right call. Anyone who had tackled the lower-rated scenes would inevitably grow curious about the higher-rated ones, and with a little "encouragement" from their friends, the chances of a repeat visit were extremely high.
The mini-program that Director Luo had tailored for the haunted house had also caught fire in a big way. Not only were haunted house visitors downloading it, but supernatural and alternative-culture enthusiasts from all over the internet were jumping on board as well. The app was quietly trending toward becoming the largest community hub for haunted-house fans in the entire country.
Daily downloads and active users were climbing steadily. Apparently, advertisers had already come knocking to Director Luo seeking partnerships, but he had shot them all down without hesitation.
Director Luo was playing the long game. The haunted house was the park's flagship attraction; the mini-program was merely a support tool, and everything existed to serve the haunted house. He absolutely would not let a bit of advertising revenue compromise the user experience.
"Boss, where did you run off to last night?" Xu Wan and Xiao Gu were stationed on either side of the haunted house barrier like a pair of door gods.
"I can't exactly explain it to you. Give it some time and you'll see it on the news yourselves." Chen Ge's answer was supremely cocky.
"Will it be on the legal affairs broadcast?" Though Xiao Gu hadn't been at the haunted house long, he had already gotten used to his boss's antics. When he shared an apartment with his roommate, the guy sometimes thought it was odd—while most young people were scrolling through short videos, gaming, or reading novels, the moment Gu Feiyu got home he would flip on the television and camp out watching the Jiujiang local news channel. His roommate couldn't understand Xiao Gu, much the same way that ordinary people rarely grasped the feeling of seeing your own boss pop up on a legal-affairs program.
After finishing the makeup on Xiao Gu and Xu Wan, the park officially opened for business. Uncle Xu and the staff were out front keeping order, and Chen Ge himself finally had some downtime.
Watching visitors stream in and out, he felt that this kind of life wasn't half bad.
"The haunted house keeps drawing visitors because of the unknown and the novelty. Only by constantly unlocking new scenes can we maintain that vitality." Chen Ge pulled out the black phone and flipped through the tasks listed on it. The deadline on the Medium Ghost School mission was fast approaching, and it was a four-star task—he wasn't about to give it up under any circumstances.
"I can't keep putting this off. Tonight I'll head to the Bailong Cave Tunnel and have a good heart-to-heart with the Car Crash Female Ghost. If she once had a conflict with the Shadow, it shouldn't be too hard to win her over." Chen Ge set down the black phone and glanced at his regular one. "The weather's nice tonight, but tomorrow evening the forecast calls for a heavy rainstorm. I could take the Route 104 bus out to the eastern suburbs and try my luck. Even if I don't run into the Raincoat Woman, luring a few passengers on board would be worth it."
He found paper and pen inside the haunted house and began sketching out notes: "Tonight—Bailong Cave Tunnel, complete the three-star trial mission. Tomorrow—find the Raincoat Woman and pick up a batch of high-intensity flashlights at the same time. Once everything's in order, the night after tomorrow I'll bring all my employees to Liwan Town and tackle that three-and-a-half-star mission."
Little Bu had once warned Chen Ge that the next time he entered Liwan Town, his life would be in danger. He didn't know what awaited him there on his next visit, but the more prepared he was, the better.
"Xiao Chen, what are you up to?" Uncle Xu's voice drifted in from the entrance of the haunted house. He was timid by nature and had never dared set foot inside Chen Ge's haunted house.
"What's up?"
"Director Luo is looking for you."
After ushering the current batch of visitors into the scene, Chen Ge pocketed the paper and pen and dashed out of the haunted house.
Not far away, Director Luo was dressed in casual wear and chatting with a few visitors. They were going at it with great enthusiasm, laughing from time to time. Those visitors probably never guessed that this mild-mannered, refined middle-aged man before them was the one steering the entire park.
"Director Luo, you were looking for me?" Chen Ge waited until Director Luo had finished talking to the visitors before walking over.
"There's something important I need to discuss with you." Director Luo led Chen Ge to a quieter spot, and the smile on his face slowly faded. "Do you remember that time I accompanied a man on a tour of the park? He specifically asked about your haunted house."
"I vaguely remember. I've forgotten his name, but he said something about investing in our park—helping us upgrade the entertainment facilities and expand the grounds." Chen Ge recalled the man. He had seen him before on the phone of a staff member at Virtual Future Paradise.
"His real name is Bai Qing. He's a real estate mogul with a lot of pull. The man is obsessed with money and will stop at nothing to get it—profit always comes first." Director Luo spoke slowly. "He and I were classmates, so I know him well. That guy would do anything for money. When he was very young, he married into a wealthy merchant's family and even changed his name, which is why hardly anyone knows his real one."
"So are we going to partner with him?"
"The entertainment facilities at New Century Paradise are too outdated. If we don't upgrade, it'll be nearly impossible to pull visitors away from Virtual Future Paradise." Director Luo had his own concerns. "Right now Jiujiang doesn't have many entertainment options, so people don't have a choice—they come to us by default. But the moment Virtual Future Paradise opens, we'll take a massive hit."
"Most of their offerings are high-tech entertainment, virtual-reality interaction—that's a completely different direction from our physical park. I think as long as we can weather the initial pressure, visitors will gradually start coming back."
"You're underestimating their ambition." Director Luo was the backbone of the park and rarely voiced his worries to outsiders, lest he shake morale. "I've already done my homework. They're not only planning to build the most cutting-edge physical entertainment facilities—they're even preparing to clone your haunted house. They recently launched a new project called 'Ghost Realm.'"
"Ghost Realm?"
"Reality and virtual elements combined, layered on top of physical sets and live actors. They're pouring enormous amounts of money into building the largest and most unconventional haunted house in the country." Director Luo looked at Chen Ge. "Bai Qing showed me some internal materials. Virtual Future Paradise wants to turn their haunted house into an immersive horror game that visitors can actively participate in. They've designed four main storylines and over a dozen side quests—every different choice leads to a different outcome."
"Sounds pretty interesting. Honestly, I want to go check it out myself."
Chen Ge's intentions were perfectly straightforward—he simply wanted to pay a friendly visit and learn from each other, just like he had at the Teng Tian Hospital last time.