"After you go in, no photos and no video recording allowed. There are four small scenarios inside — the last classroom, the fifth bathroom stall, the pen spirit, and the deep well. The clues to the exit are hidden across the four scenarios, and you have to experience all of them to find your way out."
"It's not like this is our first haunted house. We know how it works." Fei Youliang pushed up his glasses and peered into the haunted house. "The atmosphere is pretty well done, actually."
"Since you both understand, I won't waste any more breath." Chen Ge had originally planned to give a brief introduction to each scenario, but it clearly wasn't necessary now. "Follow me."
Chen Ge brought the two young men to the entrance of the Zombie Revival Night scenario on the first floor. Both of them took in the outdated set design and cheap mannequin models.
"Still the style from over a decade ago."
"Look, I'm just saying — with scenes like these, even a twenty-yuan ticket feels like ripping off consumers."
Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang walked straight into the Zombie Revival Night scenario and ran their fingers over the dust on the mannequins. "How long has it been since anyone visited?"
"Looks like business is going under. The five-star reviews on Dianping are definitely inflated."
"Are you two done talking?" Chen Ge lifted the wooden panel on the floor. "The entrance to the scenario is down here."
"A basement?" The two young men didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed. They slung their backpacks on, walked out of the Zombie Revival Night scenario, and stopped at the top of the stairs leading underground.
The dim corridor stretched out beyond sight, classroom doors on either side hanging half-open, with vague dark shadows flitting between them. Before even stepping inside, a wave of cold air surged up from below.
"This... is more like it."
Once the two young men descended the stairs into the Muyang High School scenario, Chen Ge called down from above: "If you're really too scared, you can ask for help through the security cameras. The staff will come escort you out."
He closed the wooden panel behind them, then suddenly realized — there were no security cameras installed in the Muyang High School scenario at all, and there didn't seem to be any other exits either. Those lines about clues being hidden in the scenarios had been nothing but a spur-of-the-moment invention. "I should probably go in and check on them myself later. Hopefully those two idiots don't get themselves wrecked."
He asked
……
Once Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang made it down the stairs, they lingered near the exit. They waited until Chen Ge closed the wooden panel and walked away before exchanging a signal. Fei Youliang pulled a Bluetooth camera from his backpack and clipped it to his chest.
"One of us takes each side. We film his entire haunted house interior, put together a walkthrough, and then go public with it."
"Is that really going to work?"
"For a fixed-location haunted house like his, the interior design is a trade secret — it's the whole reason people pay to come see it. If visitors already know the detailed walkthrough ahead of time, it kills the fun. That's one of the reasons haunted houses don't allow photos or video — they need visitors to feel that sense of the unknown and anticipation." Fei Youliang secured the camera in place and took the lead. "Once we've got the footage, we can edit it however we want. We'll make the whole thing look boring and blast him with bad reviews while we're at it."
"Mm." Zhu Jianing agreed, glancing left and right. "But I have to admit, this place is actually pretty impressive. It really feels like you're there."