The data connection was stable, and Liu Kang was quite satisfied with the results of his livestream. He snapped shut his folding fan and swept a glance at Chen Ge. "Relax — full livestreaming was the deal we made beforehand."
"Does the cameraman count toward the ten accompanying slots?" Chen Ge noticed the cameraman was built quite solidly and had a rather fierce look about him.
"Of course. I'm not going to try and game the system. If I'm going to win, I'll win fair and square." Liu Kang walked at the very front alongside staff from Virtual Future Paradise. Beside him trailed a cameraman holding a video camera, and what appeared to be Liu Kang's assistant, who was holding a phone and continuously watching the livestream on Liu Kang's social media channel.
Aside from those four, Liu Kang's group also had seven others. Nothing about them stood out from their appearances — they likely came from different industries, and there was no telling where Liu Kang had found them.
"Uncle Xu, give them eleven tickets for Medium-Sensitive Ghost School." While Uncle Xu was printing the tickets, Chen Ge called out to the queuing tourists once more. "The new scene is enormous. The more people there are, the lower the horror factor. Are there any tourists who have tackled a three-star scene before and want to go in together?"
The strategy team in the rest lounge heard Chen Ge's words and felt tempted. A few senior students from Hanjiang Medical University discussed it briefly and ultimately decided to have two new students from Hanjiang Medical Academy join in.
Usually the medical students loved to tease them about the haunted house — this would be a perfect chance to let them see it for themselves.
"Can we speed it up? We booked an afternoon flight. We need to finish early so we can catch it back." The man who appeared to be Liu Kang's assistant urged impatiently.
"It's the first time this new scene is open to the public. Naturally the more visitors the merrier. If you really can't wait, you can go in first." Chen Ge left Uncle Xu in charge of the second batch of visiting tourists and led Liu Kang, Bai Buhui, and the others into the haunted house.
Pushing aside the thick black curtain felt like stepping into another world.
"Come over here first to sign the liability waiver, then scan the code to pick up your locator wristband." Chen Ge distributed the waiver to every person, savoring the dismissive expressions on their faces.
Once he confirmed everyone had signed, Chen Ge placed the waivers inside a cabinet and locked it with a heavy padlock from the outside.
"Dawdling around — can we speed this up? I've been to tons of haunted houses, and yours has the most hassle of all." A short, squat person in the crowd started complaining impatiently.
Chen Ge just smiled, completely unfazed. "The scene you're about to visit is called Medium-Sensitive Ghost School. Countless urban legends tied to schools circulate within it, and no end of fierce ghosts lurk there. We've had our disagreements before, but out of a sense of responsibility I have to tell you — this new scene is extremely dangerous. A single misstep, and you might never come back."
"Yeah, yeah, got it. Just start already." The short one kept blustering.
Since Liu Kang was livestreaming the whole thing, Chen Ge had to make himself perfectly clear. It probably wouldn't be long before the viewers watching the stream would understand Chen Ge's good intentions and genuinely feel that he was an honest, straightforward person.
"Fine. You came here to challenge it fair and square, so I won't deliberately set traps for you. The new scene contains five main missions and a host of side missions. As long as you complete any one of the main missions, I'll count it as a successful clear." Chen Ge looked like the type who was straightforward and loyal. "This is livestreamed across the entire internet — I'm not going to go out of my way to make things impossible for you. Some of these five missions are extremely difficult, some are moderate. All the missions are inside this wooden box. Draw them yourselves."
Chen Ge pulled out a wooden box he had just finished making the night before from under the counter and placed inside it a ballpoint pen wrapped in clear tape.
He held the box high. Many lines of text were written on its surface.
"Mission One: Find thirteen oil paintings inside Medium-Sensitive Ghost School and place all of them in the Art Club's studio. Time limit: sixty minutes."
"Mission Two: Uncover the secret of the dead returning to life. Find the phone of the missing student Lin Sisi and help them fulfill their wish. Time limit: sixty minutes."
"Mission Three: The principal of Medium-Sensitive Ghost School has always been a mystery. His office conceals the deepest despair of the ghost school. Time limit: sixty minutes."
"Mission Four: Explore the Seven Mysteries of the ghost school! A classic recreation! The pasts of the seven fierce ghosts!"
"Mission Five: Blood fog blankets the corridors. The upside-down mirror is the only way out."