"You've got some nerve."
"So what do we do now?"
"Build what they're planning before they do. When they finally open, visitors will feel like everything they offer is just leftovers from us."
The old fox had a point. Director Luo's proposal was tempting — but only mildly so. "Increasing visitor participation isn't the problem. Merging all the haunted house's scenes into one cohesive horror game? That's way too ambitious."
Chen Ge knew his situation better than anyone. Every underground scene was tied to the black phone. All he did was unlock them.
"You don't need to touch existing scenes. I'm just giving you a direction to think about." Director Luo laid out his idea. "The underground parking lot has limited space. Have you considered expanding the scenes above ground? Connect the underground and above-ground areas into one continuous space — it'll feel more three-dimensional, and you can set up more scenes, like stairwells, elevators, and so on."
Chen Ge's ultimate goal was to build a theme park centered on horror and thrills. Keeping everything underground obviously wasn't going to cut it.
"Funding and manpower — I can help you with both. You just need to handle the interior design." Director Luo had a lot of confidence in Chen Ge. He pulled out his phone and opened a file containing several blueprints. "Your haunted house sits in the northwest corner of
The interior of the haunted house used multiple winding, folding corridors. Without needing a huge footprint, it created the illusion of an endless space. In this regard, Chen Ge was the expert. "The park expansion revolves entirely around my haunted house?"
"The other physical entertainment venues get upgraded so our weaknesses aren't so obvious. Your haunted house gets further expanded to strengthen our competitive advantage and make our strengths even more pronounced." Director Luo's thinking was crystal clear. "The construction workers and the haunted house design team to assist you are already lined up. But there's one thing you should watch out for — while I've vetted these people, they also have a good relationship with Bai Qing. Keep your eyes open during the design process."
At this critical moment of the park's upgrade and expansion, Bai Qing was willing to invest. In theory, Chen Ge should have been grateful. In reality, both Chen Ge and Director Luo felt the man had ulterior motives.
"The construction workers are fine, but the interior design team is off-limits. That's the core secret of the haunted house — outsiders absolutely cannot be involved." Chen Ge refused without hesitation.
"But can you handle it all on your own? We're going to fully utilize the wasteland in the park's northwest. The workload is massive."
"I have my own team. They're friends of my parents. After my parents disappeared, I kept in touch with them. If I ask, they'll definitely come help." Chen Ge's parents didn't actually have any reliable friends. He was simply fabricating a plausible identity for his ghost employees.
"That works. When you get the chance, bring them by. I can help negotiate their compensation." Director Luo wasn't exactly thrilled about Bai Qing's people either. That guy was a pure businessman — if he could leak information about Virtual Future Land to them, he'd just as happily sell New Century Park's important secrets to Virtual Future Land. For someone who put profit above all else, everything in life had a price tag.
"They have their own jobs during the day, so they usually only come at night. Leave this part to me." Chen Ge had his own plans. Above-ground construction was different from underground — it required an actual building process, or at least the appearance of one.
"Alright. Interior decoration and design are handled by your team. What are your requirements for the exterior scenes?" Director Luo scrolled through his phone. "We have three options right now. First, design the exterior as a hospital. Second, as an abandoned school. Third, build a haunted residential complex."
Chen Ge thought all three options were solid. But considering the four-star trial mission in the black phone, he immediately ruled out the haunted residential complex.
There were already plenty of school scenes underground. After a brief moment of thought, Chen Ge chose option one — he'd have the exterior built to look like a hospital.
"Director Luo, when you're building the scenes, make sure they're completely sealed so nobody can see the inside from the outside. If the haunted house loses its mystery, the anticipation of visiting drops dramatically." Chen Ge studied the blueprints Director Luo had provided for a while. "Leave the exterior to you — the faster the better. Once it's done, I'll have my parents' friends come in for the interior renovation and modification."
"If we're just putting up an empty shell, it won't take too long." Director Luo put away his phone. "Once the space gets bigger, manpower becomes an issue too. Just ask for whatever you need, and I'll do everything I can to help."
"Sounds good." After seeing Director Luo off, Chen Ge looked toward the northwest corner of the park. "Expanding the haunted house to ground level isn't bad. At least it'll lay the groundwork for the horror-themed park I want to build someday."
Back at the haunted house, visitors were streaming in and out. Chen Ge had Old
"Virtual Future Land wants to create a horror game that visitors can participate in. I can't fall behind. Right now, most of my employees only know how to scare people — their functions are one-dimensional. I need more employees like Old Zhou and Duan Yue who can take on different roles. When I get the chance, I should run a training session for all the haunted house staff." Chen Ge wanted to make his haunted house's elements richer, adding more gameplay and challenges — but all of that required cooperation between the various employees.
"A long road ahead, but there are shortcut approaches too. If I need a certain type of actor, I just need to find the right kind of ghost."
…
At five in the afternoon, Chen Ge walked out of the break room. Nothing had happened all day, and his satisfaction with Old Zhou and Duan Yue continued to grow.
At six-thirty, Chen Ge saw off the last group of visitors and told
"My schedule is completely flipped upside down. The moment night falls, I'm wide awake."
With the ghosts' help, Chen Ge finished cleaning in no time. He changed clothes, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and began preparing for tonight's trial mission.
"The shadow once met its match at the White Dragon Tunnel. This three-star mission might be different from the others." Chen Ge stuffed the voice recorder, the comic book, and everything else that could fit into his backpack. "Can't let my guard down, but no need to be scared either. We have a common enemy — we should be able to sit down and have a proper chat."
After packing everything, Chen Ge took out the black phone, swiped the screen, and tapped a spot with his finger.
"Accept three-star trial mission — The Depths of the Tunnel?"
"Yes."
"Mission triggered!"
"The Depths of the Tunnel (Three-Star Trial Mission): No one knows what lies in the depths of the tunnel. Everyone who enters never comes out."
"Mission objective: Enter the depths of the White Dragon Tunnel before midnight."
"Mission hint: Cover your eyes — only then can you see the real world."