Chapter 142: See Who Speaks First (3)
Wang Hailong and his four companions served as living examples, making Chen Ge's words full of persuasiveness.
"This is the first time I've heard of horror scene classification in a haunted house, but the owner's analysis is quite professional."
"Even though it's for the visitors' good, I still want to check out the most thrilling scenes."
The tourists buzzed with discussion, eventually accepting the haunted house's new system.
Chen Ge breathed a sigh of relief and helped Wang Hailong and the others over to where the former forensic medicine students had collapsed. "How are you feeling? Any better? If not, I'll call a doctor."
"No need, much better." It was Wang Hailong who spoke, his lips tinged purple, face pale, eyes hazy as if shrouded in a layer of mist.
"Conscious and able to talk, seems like you're really fine." Chen Ge crouched beside Wang Hailong. "Actually, you're pretty lucky. Last time, a guy played that scene too, and word is he's still in the hospital."
Hearing Chen Ge's words, Brother Long forced a bitter smile. "Are you trying to comfort me?"
"Just stating the facts." Chen Ge collected all their school badges, stood up, and said to Uncle Xu, "Let's head back."
Looking at the familiar scene before him, Uncle Xu was seriously considering whether to build a dedicated rest station next to the haunted house. Having people sprawled all over the ground like this wasn't sustainable.
He had been quite angry at first, but after listening to Chen Ge's remarks, he found them reasonable. Once the fear scenes were graded, incidents like fainting would likely decrease significantly.
Uncle Xu comforted himself internally, then personally went to check on Wang Hailong and the others. Only after confirming they were physically fine did he follow Chen Ge away.
"Xiao Chen, was this morning's plan all premeditated? Are you sure you want to implement horror scene classification? While it might increase revenue per scene, won't it drive away some potential visitors?"
"Horror scene classification is non-negotiable." Chen Ge's stance was firm. "The reason I'm doing this is what I said earlier—just to protect the majority. In the future, my haunted house will have many more new scenes, and those will be too intense for ordinary visitors."
"If you know they're too intense, why not modify them? After all, we need to cater to the majority." Uncle Xu's perspective wasn't wrong, just a bit conservative.
"Some things can't be modified. You'll understand later." Chen Ge hadn't gone far when he remembered something. "Uncle, does the park warehouse have any spare surveillance equipment?"
"There are a few backups, not many. What do you need them for?"
"I want to borrow a few to install in the underground parking lot. The new scene has no surveillance, and it makes me uneasy." Chen Ge flashed a simple, honest smile like Heshan's.
"Borrow surveillance? Only you could think of that." Uncle Xu waved his hand. "Borrowing is out of the question, but I can sell them to you at secondhand price. Still, I can't just move things from the warehouse without authorization. I'll consult Director Luo this afternoon. Your haunted house is becoming a signature attraction for the park, so I believe he'll agree."
The two returned to the haunted house entrance. Uncle Xu continued selling tickets while Chen Ge put all the school badges back in place, then entered the Midnight Escape scene to play the role of the killer.
Throughout the day, many people challenged Twilight Middle School, but most didn't even dare enter the last classroom, turning back halfway through.
The entrance to Twilight Middle School had no iron gate, just a wooden door. Visitors could leave anytime if they felt scared. Groups as stubborn as Wang Hailong's five were rare, so no further incidents occurred.
During the lunch break, Chen Ge had just taken off his Skull Crusher doctor coat and stepped out of the haunted house when the Wang Hailong brothers approached.
"Why are you two still here? Ready for a second round?"
Chen Ge said it casually, but the brothers reacted strongly, shaking their heads repeatedly. "Don't misunderstand. We were reckless this morning. Hope you don't hold it against us."
"Your tone is completely different from this morning. Stop beating around the bush—just say what's on your mind." Chen Ge had run the haunted house long enough to know when someone had something to say.
The usually tough Wang Hailong now seemed a bit hesitant. "Actually, Wenlong and I have another younger brother named Wang Shenglong. Before he was five, he was like any normal kid—lively, good-natured. But for some reason, after turning five, he suddenly went mute. Couldn't say a complete sentence. My dad tried everything—doctors, folk healers, even listened to a fortune teller and changed my brother's name—but nothing worked."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Chen Ge was a bit confused. How could a five-year-old suddenly lose his voice?
"Let me make it short." Wang Hailong checked that no one was around before stepping closer to Chen Ge. "Boss, in your haunted house, I saw a terrifying girl. She was hanging behind me, stepping on my shoulders. That scene matches exactly what my little brother described the night before it happened!"
Wang Wenlong also leaned in. "It's true. The three of us shared a room back then. Just past midnight, my little brother suddenly sat up in bed and said someone was stepping on his shoulders, asking us to help him get it off. My brother and I were half-asleep and didn't think much of it—figured he was having a nightmare. But the next morning, he couldn't talk. He could make sounds, but couldn't form complete sentences."
Wang Hailong touched his own shoulder, his voice trembling slightly. "Since he couldn't speak, we had him write down what he wanted to say. What he wrote was creepy. The night before, he saw someone outside the courtyard wall staring at him. Then, somehow, that person got inside the house."
"Is that really that creepy?" Chen Ge had experienced far scarier things himself.
"We lived in the countryside back then. To keep thieves out, the courtyard walls were two and a half meters tall. My little brother said he saw someone standing outside the wall. If he wasn't mistaken, that person was at least two meters sixty tall!"
"Two meters sixty? That's not even human."
"That's exactly the problem!" Wang Hailong struggled to explain clearly. "What's even scarier is that person easily climbed into the house. He told my little brother to play with him, and if he refused, he'd take something from him."
"Your brother refused? So the thing took his voice?" Chen Ge guessed.
"That's not it." Wang Hailong patted his own shoulder. "My brother agreed to play with that monster. The game they played was called—See Who Speaks First. After my brother nodded to play, that monster stepped onto his shoulders, and then it grew even taller."