"You want to use this news as a hook?" Chen Ge immediately understood Director Luo's meaning. "Will that work?"
"The reason advertisements cost money to promote is because the content itself is dull and monotonous. People are naturally curious, and we now have an excellent opportunity—we just need to guide their curiosity. Leave the specifics to me. You only need to pay attention to two things: first, no matter who asks you anything about the news, you say you know nothing. You have to maintain an air of mystery. Second, don't explicitly deny anything, but absolutely don't confirm anything either." Director Luo poured another cup of tea for Chen Ge. "You should understand what I mean."
"Mm." Chen Ge nodded.
"There's another thing I wanted to ask you." Director Luo flipped through several document folders on the desk. "The day after tomorrow, Virtual Future Paradise opens. Does your haunted house have any new scenarios? They don't need to be overly polished, but they absolutely have to be challenging. The best kind would be ones that are practically impossible to clear."
"What a coincidence—my parents actually had a concept that fits your requirements perfectly. I've already restored most of it over this period, and it should be ready to open and receive visitors the morning of the day after tomorrow."
"I knew you wouldn't let me down." Director Luo picked up the first document folder on the desk. "Give me a rundown of the most difficult scenario. We'll make it the centerpiece of our promotion."
Chen Ge picked up a pen and thought for a moment. "It's a haunted school scenario. Every urban legend that could happen in a school—this scenario includes them all. Of course, that's not the most important part."
"Don't pressure yourself. If there are any difficulties, just let me know. Short on manpower? Or missing some props?"
"Neither props nor manpower are the issue. The problem is that scenario…" Chen Ge set down his teacup and looked at Director Luo. "The new scenario I'm launching is very similar to the 'afterlife' that those comatose students saw. I'm worried it might cause a negative reaction."
"That's fine. The more similar, the better." Director Luo's eyes lit up after hearing Chen Ge's words, as if he had just discovered a buried treasure. "Once you've finished writing up the scenario highlights and the description, you can head out. Remember what I just reminded you, get some rest, and prepare to welcome Virtual Future Paradise's grand opening the day after tomorrow."
"Oh, right—there's something I've been unable to figure out." Chen Ge stood up, looking somewhat hesitant.
"Just ask whatever you want. As long as I know the answer, I'll tell you."
"Virtual Future Paradise far surpasses ours in both technology and funding. fifth-generation parks like it are rare across the entire country. Why did they choose to set up in Hanjiang rather than the more prosperous Xinhai City?" Chen Ge had been through too many things and was now extremely cautious. Virtual Future Paradise was located in the eastern outskirts of Hanjiang—the very place his parents had once warned him not to go.
"Xinhai is certainly far more prosperous than Hanjiang, but the competitive pressure there is much greater than ours. Besides, the authorities are planning to build the Hengjiang Bridge in the eastern outskirts of Hanjiang as part of the urban cluster integration initiative. Once it's finished, traveling from Hanjiang to Xinhai will be extremely convenient. Virtual Future Paradise probably chose to build in the eastern outskirts precisely because of this. They don't actually take us seriously at all—they're simply using Hanjiang as their base of operations, expanding outward from there."
"The Hengjiang Bridge?" Chen Ge looked at the map of Hanjiang on the wall of Director Luo's office. Including the surrounding counties and districts, Hanjiang was guarded by nine rivers large and small, like nine dragons playing with a pearl. Once the Hengjiang Bridge was built, it would be like placing a massive lock around a dragon's neck.
"The bridge is still a long way from completion. That has nothing to do with us anyway. Business is like a battlefield—only those who survive get to see tomorrow." Director Luo, who was usually a man of few words, always had plenty to say when he was with Chen Ge, telling him all sorts of things, as if he were deliberately trying to teach him.
After finishing the new scenario description, Chen Ge returned to his haunted house. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through it—the Virtual Future Paradise ads popped up with every swipe. "Their promotional video is genuinely stunning. Watching it almost makes me want to take all the employees over there for a visit."
He tossed his phone aside and rubbed his temples. People who craved thrills were, after all, in the minority. The contest between New Century Paradise and Virtual Future Paradise had been unfair from the very start.
"Heaven's will decides the outcome of man's plans. All we can do is try our best."
The Spirit Medium Ghost School would unlock tonight. Chen Ge took out his black phone and studied it over and over, wanting to design tense and thrilling gameplay rules based on the ghost school's characteristics.
At six in the evening, the park closed. Chen Ge gathered all his living employees in the makeup room.
"Boss, is something up?" Gu Feiyu removed the Skull Crushing Doctor's mask. Who would have guessed that behind that mask stitched together from human skin hid such a sunny, kind-hearted young man?
"The day after tomorrow, Virtual Future Paradise in the eastern outskirts opens for business. This peak season is extremely important for us. I don't want to put pressure on you, but there are some things I need to tell you." Chen Ge's gaze swept across his employees—Xu Wan, who had been with him the longest; security guard Gu Feiyu, rescued from the Paranormal Society; Zhang Jingjiu and Jian Dao, who had escaped Liwan Town together; and the newly joined Qu Changlin.
"New Century Paradise has been operating for ten years. Through ten years of rain and shine, visitors have left laughter here every single day. This place holds countless beautiful memories for many people—more than just a park, it means something to them." Chen Ge rarely spoke with such a serious tone. He usually came across as easygoing, as if he could never be angry. "The first few years were fine, but business has gotten worse and worse in recent years. The authorities have approached Director Luo multiple times, wanting to shut the park down and redevelop the western outskirts of Hanjiang. They haven't given up that idea—if anything, it's grown stronger. Do you know why?"
"But we still have so many visitors. Why would they want to shut us down?" Gu Feiyu hadn't been there long, but he had already grown attached to the park. It had taken him in, and everyone here treated him well.
"Because Hanjiang only needs one theme park, and we occupy the best piece of land in the western outskirts. Director Luo acquired it over a decade ago at a very low cost."
"Businessmen are profit-driven. If the terms are really that good, could Director Luo possibly…" Zhang Jingjiu's concern wasn't unfounded. Of everyone in the park, the person bearing the heaviest pressure was Director Luo.
"He won't. He used to be a businessman, but now he's a father." Chen Ge looked at the cloth doll sitting in the corner of the makeup room and picked it up. "I hope everyone can stay sharp these next few days. We have to give this peak season everything we've got! If we lose to Virtual Future Paradise right from the start, turning things around later will be even harder."
Assigning tasks down to the individual, Chen Ge gave each employee their own specific assignments. Only after going over everything repeatedly did he let them leave.
At seven-thirty in the evening, not a single person could be seen in the park. Chen Ge pulled the guardrails shut, returned to the employee break room, and began designing the rules and background story.
He listed out every urban legend he had personally experienced or heard about, trying every way he could to recreate them using the existing scenarios and his ghost employees.
Scenario layout, points of caution, ghost abilities, scare placement, and so on.
He worked straight until three in the morning before finally stopping, jolted by a sudden vibration from his black phone.
He swiped the screen and read the message displayed.
"Lucky bearer of the ghosts' favor—the four-star scenario, Spirit Medium Ghost School, has been successfully unlocked!"
"Spirit Medium Ghost School (Four-Star Scenario): This scenario contains twelve sub-scenarios! It has three campuses—East, West, and Crimson!"
"Note One: The doors and mirrors within this scenario are special items! You can control certain special items through your phone!"
"Note Two: This scenario can accommodate dozens of visitors simultaneously. Please pay attention to visitor safety!"
"Note Three: Random surprises are hidden within the Crimson Campus."
"Note Four: With the four-star scenario unlocked, the probability of special visitors appearing at the haunted house has doubled. During nighttime operations, the probability will double again on top of that base rate."