Zhang Jingjiu was a genuinely nice person — probably the most innocent actor in the entire haunted house.
He'd actually wanted to scare visitors the same way his colleagues did. In his mind, he replayed the image of the restaurant owner and considered a few of those twisted mini-games.
But this was only his first day on the job, and he hadn't mentally prepared himself yet. After seeing the terrified, miserable state of the visitors, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Come in — this is your safe haven." Zhang Jingjiu thought that even if he couldn't scare anyone, he should at least show the visitors his sincerity. That was the basic standard a person working in the service industry ought to have.
The girl hesitated, but the boy had long since become a quivering wreck.
"Don't go over there!" With every word Zhang Jingjiu spoke, the male student took another step back.
"I really don't have any ulterior motive — I just feel sorry for you guys." Zhang Jingjiu was thinking he'd only been trying to do a good deed, so why was it so hard?
"Wang Yan, maybe we should trust him once?" The girl climbed to her feet and said softly.
"Haven't you learned enough lessons?! The staff in this haunted house are either wolves in sheep's clothing or devils hiding inside human bodies! And you're still naive enough to believe them?!" The male student dragged his exhausted body back across the street into the "Dog Kennel" scene opposite the restaurant.
When the girl saw her companion leave, she hurriedly followed.
Watching the two visitors run into the "Dog Kennel" scene all on their own, Zhang Jingjiu wore a bitter expression, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Wolves in sheep's clothing? Devils hiding inside human bodies? Looks like I've really dragged down the haunted house staff's average competence level."
……
"Wang Yan, I really can't run anymore — let's rest a bit." Wang Yan's girlfriend braced herself against the wall, gasping for breath. It was the first time she'd discovered that visiting a haunted house could be this exhausting.
"Now's not the time to rest — I'm getting a really bad feeling about this place." Wang Yan had already honed his instincts through experience. He scanned everything in the small courtyard, his gaze finally settling on a wooden doghouse.
"We haven't seen any pet shelters in any of the other scenes — there's definitely something wrong with this spot."
Wang Yan felt as though a fire was burning in his chest, but he didn't dare stop moving. No place in any of the scenes was safe — the moment you stopped, more things would latch onto you.
He caught his breath and crouched down inside the "Dog Kennel" to peer outside.
The restaurant across the street still had its lights on, but that haunted house staff member hadn't gone far. The guy was probably trying to lure them on purpose.
The street outside was pitch black. Faint, shadowy figures seemed to sway in the darkness — it looked like someone was standing by the roadside, waving at them.
The restaurant wasn't safe. The street wasn't safe. He'd already pushed his body to its absolute limit and couldn't run anymore.
"Why don't we just give up?" Wang Yan's girlfriend spoke up. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, and her makeup had been smeared by fear.
"I've been to this haunted house plenty of times, and I've never once walked out standing up. The time limit is almost here — just hold on a little longer and we'll make it through. Giving up now would be such a waste." Considering that his girlfriend had completely run out of energy, Wang Yan decided they would hide in this room for the time being.
"We've been in so many empty rooms before without anything happening — hopefully I'm just overthinking it this time."
He shut the courtyard gate, and Wang Yan and his girlfriend stepped into the dog kennel.