Chapter 218: Tourists Always Come First in My Heart (Part 2)
"It's a deal." Han Qiuming patted the shoulder of the Tian Teng Hospital director, signaling him not to worry.
"Follow me." Chen Ge didn't give them a chance to refuse as he entered the Horror House.
The haunted house director stood still, not moving forward: "Qiuming, you're too impulsive."
"We're all in the haunted house business. You should be able to tell if he's lying or not." Han Qiuming shrugged it off. "If you're scared, I'll go first."
"You weren't there that day. You don't know what happened." The director's head was pounding, a sense of unease creeping in. "This Boss Chen isn't ordinary. He went into the haunted house alone, and his heart rate stayed below 100 the whole time."
"And there's more." Song An also spoke up. "That day, Xu Zhenzhen's ghost seemed to appear again. Several of our actors were so scared they ran out of the haunted house, leaving him as the only tourist inside."
"What's so scary about that? You're just too timid." Han Qiuming pushed up his thick glasses. "If it were me, I could stay in the haunted house just the same."
"I'm not done yet." Song An exchanged a glance with the Tian Teng Hospital director, and only continued after getting his nod. "After Boss Chen left, we searched the haunted house thoroughly. Guess what we found?"
"Don't drag it out. Spit it out."
"The female corpse prop hanging at the corridor entrance was dismembered. Her head was rolled into a corner, eyes wide open staring in one direction, and her legs were torn off, thrown far from the body." Song An felt a chill just recounting it. "Would an ordinary tourist do something that crazy to a dummy? I was this close to calling the police."
The Tian Teng Hospital director walked over too. "Since meeting Boss Chen, I've vaguely understood one thing: sometimes people can be scarier than ghosts."
"Yeah." Song An nodded in agreement. "After the tour, let's leave quickly. From now on, our two haunted houses stay out of each other's way."
"Are you serious? A bunch of grown men hemming and hawing. We're already here; it's too late to say you're scared now." Ye Xiaoxin played with her phone, stopping halfway when she saw the Tian Teng Hospital crew still rooted in place. "Same business, but what a difference in guts."
This internet influencer was straightforward, with a unique voice—a bit smoky, husky, and raw.
She swung her long legs and strode into the haunted house, casually updating her social media: "I'm a wild mare, letting the wind stir up dust at my heels."
"See? We're being looked down on." Han Qiuming's gaze swept over Ye Xiaoxin's legs, and without looking back, he chased after her.
"He's too reckless." The director was worried. "Song An, once inside, make sure to stick with him. Qiuming has skill, but he's arrogant and prone to getting burned."
"Alright, I'll try." Song An sighed, and the group entered the Horror House together.
Pushing aside the thick black curtain, the haunted house was dimly lit and much cooler than outside.
"Looks like it's been around for a while." Song An looked around as he walked. "I didn't expect Jiang City to have such a large permanent haunted house."
"The Horror House was built by my parents five or six years ago in collaboration with New Century Amusement Park. It was the park's flagship attraction back then." Chen Ge pulled several liability waivers from a drawer and handed them out. "Sign these first, then you can go in for the tour."
"You're serious?" Han Qiuming glanced at the fine print on the waiver and tossed it onto the table. "Save the paper. We're all in the haunted house business; we know the tricks. No need to make such a big deal."
The others from Tian Teng Hospital didn't pick up their pens either, seemingly thinking it was just a psychological hint for tourists, with no real use. Only Ye Xiaoxin and Su Luoluo carefully wrote their names.
"I think you might be mistaken. My waiver is notarized and stamped." Chen Ge placed the forms in front of them. "No signing, no entry. That's our rule."
"Understood, understood." The Tian Teng Hospital director picked up the pen and wrote his name—Guo Miao.
The others followed suit, and Han Qiuming had nothing more to say, though he grew increasingly annoyed. "Making it look so real. Fine, I'll see what the big deal is today."
Chen Ge ignored Han Qiuming and carefully collected the signed waivers. "The Third Ward scenario is the newest one we've built, and it's still not fully polished. If you encounter something beyond your limits, remember to find a camera and call for help."
"Get to the point. We know the tour rules better than you. Over the years, we've tried over twenty different tour designs and interactive gimmicks. Comparatively, we're the professionals." Han Qiuming never left himself any wiggle room.
"Alright, I'll keep it brief." Chen Ge wasn't offended and maintained a pleasant demeanor. "The scenario you're about to visit is called the Third Ward. It's a story about patients who put on doctors' uniforms and committed various crimes. The whole scene isn't entirely fictional. I need to inform you that some of the patients involved in the crimes haven't been caught yet."
"Based on a true story? That's old news for us." Han Qiuming acted as if he couldn't see the director's anxious look, speaking without restraint. "I've visited and worked in over a dozen haunted houses abroad, big and small. Some in Europe and America are built right in abandoned prisons or the rooms where serial killers once lived. Compared to those, yours is pretty average."
"Boss Chen, Qiuming is blunt, but he doesn't mean anything by it." The director finally couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"It's fine. As a service industry, tourists always come first in my heart. I'll take all feedback and suggestions seriously." Chen Ge's smile never wavered, leaving a good impression.
"Good attitude from the staff. Adding five points." Ye Xiaoxin pulled a notepad from her pocket and jotted down a line.
"What's that?" Chen Ge looked at the woman.
"I'm scoring your haunted house. Out of a hundred, if it gets above eighty, I'll strongly recommend it to my followers." Ye Xiaoxin put the notepad away. "Most haunted houses don't allow phones, so I use this little notebook to record everything I see."
"Very professional." Chen Ge nervously wiped the sweat from his palm. "The Third Ward is an open scenario. You can explore freely once inside. Within twenty minutes, find the tape recorder I took from your haunted house and bring it out to clear the game."
With sincerity and goodwill, Chen Ge repeated: "Don't let your guard down. You must bring the tape recorder out of the Third Ward for the game to end."