Chen Ge livestreamed a direct takedown of Liu Kang, Liu Kang posted a video responding head-on, and the two internet celebrities from different platforms traded insults across the void, drawing countless onlookers.
Busybodies had already opened betting pools, wagering on whether Liu Kang could clear Chen Ge's haunted house.
The trending searches were in constant flux. Behind the scenes, Chairman Luo of New Century Paradise fanned the flames of the rivalry between Virtual Future Park and New Century Paradise. Both sides felt they had victory in the bag and did everything they could to stoke the hype.
Both platforms reacted swiftly. The platform Liu Kang belonged to set up a dedicated feature page, while Chen Ge's short-video platform pushed his livestream onto the front page.
While Liu Kang and Chen Ge sparred with words, some truly level-headed netizens grasped the real stakes. This challenge over the haunted house was, on the surface, a clash between Chen Ge and Liu Kang, but at its core it was a collision between New Century Paradise and Virtual Future Park.
Hanjiang wasn't a large city — it was rapidly developing with plenty of potential, but it currently lacked the capacity to support two major theme parks at once. One of New Century Paradise or Virtual Future Park would inevitably become a sacrifice.
As things stood, Virtual Future Park had the odds stacked heavily in its favor — every pre-sale ticket had sold out. But in terms of sheer buzz, New Century Paradise had far more momentum, and Chen Ge, the haunted house owner, was a walking conversation starter. So who would ultimately win or lose was far from certain.
The internet was a chaotic mess. Fans from both sides traded barbs back and forth, each defending their own stronghold, neither willing to concede. Everyone was waiting for tomorrow to see the outcome.
Chen Ge's livestream continued well into the afternoon. When he started, he had four hundred thousand followers. By the time he ended, that number had skyrocketed to six hundred and fifty thousand — no small miracle.
He turned off his phone camera, grabbed the teapot by the table, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. "Talked so much my throat's on fire. Dealing with vengeful ghosts really is easier."
He pulled back the curtain and stretched.
"The new scene still needs a batch of mannequins. I wonder how Qu Changlin's getting along."
Chen Ge ran out of the haunted house. The moment he showed his face, the tourists outside gasped. Many of them stared at his face — a face that absolutely could not be called handsome.
"Boss Chen! We all watched your livestream! Freaking awesome! Scare that bastard to death tomorrow!"
"That Liu Kang's never died before, so he wants to see what the afterlife looks like."
"Bro Chen! Let's go!"
Many of the tourists queuing outside were longtime customers of the haunted house, including the strategy team from Hanjiang Medical Examiner's Academy. Playing the haunted house had started as a casual pastime for them, but wave after wave of juniors had been defeated inside, and when the seniors came to avenge them, they fared no better. This group of idealistic, hot-blooded young people lived by their school motto of charging head-on into challenges. Now they were gritting their teeth, refusing to give up — the only thing stopping them was dragging their professors along.
What was even stranger was that the academy's dean was having nightmares almost every other night, always dreaming of his old mentor berating him. The dean couldn't quite recall what the mentor said after waking, but he had a vague impression of hearing the words "New Century Paradise haunted house."
He didn't believe in any of that, but having the same dream over and over would get to anyone. So he, too, was thinking about clearing that haunted house as soon as possible.
A group of forensic students who would one day face cruel and cunning criminals — how could they not even beat a haunted house?
"Tomorrow the new scene opens. You're all welcome to come join the fun." Chen Ge greeted everyone with a smile, then made his way through the crowd.
After four in the afternoon, Chen Ge arrived at the mannequin workshop. Qu Changlin had not disappointed him. This actor who had been overlooked at Xinhai's haunted house possessed extraordinary talent for crafting mannequins.
The same object would turn out terrifying in Qu Changlin's hands, as if every mannequin's eyes were conveying some kind of emotion.
"I just wanted to make companions for adults — to comfort lonely, desolate hearts — and look what you two have done." Qian Guigen stared at the room full of eerie heads and limbs, shaking his head with a long sigh.
"Don't listen to the boss's nonsense. Changlin, you've done great." The workload was enormous, and Chen Ge himself started pitching in. When he used his Living Mannequin talent to begin crafting, Qu Changlin stood beside him and was completely stunned.
It was divine skill — something to marvel at. He felt as though Chen Ge wasn't making mannequins for a haunted house but creating works of body art.
"Mannequins have souls too. Only by giving them a soul can visitors feel the realism."
At six in the afternoon the park closed for business, but not a single haunted house employee left. Zhang Jingjiu and Scissors drove park trucks to transport the first batch of mannequins back to the haunted house, while Xu Wan and Gu Feiyu stayed behind to help.
The park was filled with bustling figures — every staff member preparing for tomorrow.
Around eight in the evening, the park ran its second test. Once everything was confirmed normal, the employees finally clocked out one by one.
At the same time, Chen Ge received a call from Chairman Luo.
"Everything's set. Tomorrow morning, the designer of Virtual Future Park's Reincarnation Horror Scene will come to your haunted house for a visit. In the afternoon, you'll go experience their scene — livestreamed the entire time. But..." Chairman Luo paused. "Virtual Future Park agreed way too quickly. There's definitely something off. Stay on your guard tomorrow."
"I won't let my guard down."
After hanging up, Chen Ge focused on the work at hand. Every haunted house employee had come to help, and they worked together until eleven at night.
"You all should head home and get some sleep. Leave the rest to me." Chen Ge pulled out his phone and checked the time.
"Boss, can you handle this on your own?"
"Boss, I usually don't sleep until two or three. For me the night's just getting started. I'm in no rush to leave."
"Boss, you should rest too."
Looking at the employees who refused to leave, Chen Ge felt warmth in his chest. "Listen to me. Go home now. If you don't leave, I'm docking your pay."
After everyone else had gone, Chen Ge sent each of them a red envelope, then continued working.
At two in the morning, all the mannequins were finished. Chen Ge loaded them onto trucks and hauled them back to the haunted house.
Once at the haunted house, having the vengeful ghost employees help made things far more efficient. In just half an hour, every mannequin was placed in its pre-designed position.
"Real and fake, fake and real — the ghosts you think you see are just dolls, and the dolls you think you see are the ghosts lingering behind you."
After going through the new scene from start to finish, Chen Ge crafted a few more small props. It wasn't until four in the morning that he returned to the employee break room.
"The sun rises as always every day, but the people who see it are always changing." Chen Ge held White Cat and Little Xiao, leaned against the bed, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the drowsy Chen Ge was jolted awake by his phone ringing. He glanced at the time and snapped fully awake.