Chapter 38: Underground Parking Lot
Uncle Xu genuinely cared for Chen Ge and held nothing back, laying everything out on the table. "Do you still want to invest money in the haunted house now?"
"I think it's worth a try. After all, the park hasn't been fully built yet, and we still have a chance to turn things around." Chen Ge's ace in the hole was the black phone, but that was something he wouldn't tell anyone.
"You're usually a smart kid, so why do you get stubborn at critical moments? Don't you understand the general trend? I've been in this park for ten years, and my feelings for it are no less than yours, but we have to face reality." Uncle Xu pointed to the rides that had stopped operating in the park. "Do you know why they're shut down? It's not because they failed inspections—it's because turning them on burns money. With just one or two people visiting now and then, we can't even break even. Let me give you a more direct example: when New Century Park first opened, it was packed outside, and there weren't enough parking spots—we had to borrow space from neighboring tenants. Later, they built an underground parking lot, which eased the situation, but starting three years ago, even during peak holiday seasons, the above-ground parking spots were never full. Tourists have been decreasing year by year, and this year hit a new low."
"Uncle Xu, hold on. You said that from three years ago, even during peak holidays, the above-ground spots weren't full? So the underground garage hasn't been used in three years? It's like it's been abandoned?" Chen Ge's expression shifted, making Uncle Xu a bit uneasy.
"Yeah, that's right. Back when New Century Park first opened, there were cars and people everywhere. You had to queue for an hour or two just to get on each ride. Those were the glory days, but now the city's forgotten us." Uncle Xu reminisced about the past and let out a sigh. "Still, nothing to get too sentimental about. At least we had our moment of glory, right?"
"Uncle Xu, if I wanted to rent the park's underground parking lot, how much would it cost?"
"Huh?" Uncle Xu was thrown off by Chen Ge's leap in thinking. "Why are you suddenly asking about that?"
"I want to make use of the underground garage. It's already half-abandoned, and given the park's situation, it probably won't be needed." A plan had already formed in Chen Ge's mind, one that would maximize the haunted house expansion opportunity tied to the black phone.
"Are you crazy? Why would you rent that place? To raise bats?" Uncle Xu didn't even know how to talk to Chen Ge anymore.
"I want to expand the haunted house. With my current financial situation, the underground garage is the most suitable spot. The rent is cheap, and the environment won't have too much impact on a haunted house." Since the park would eventually find out what he was up to, Chen Ge didn't hide this.
"Kid, have you lost your mind? Isn't a three-story haunted house enough for you to mess with? Do you know how big the underground garage is? Even if I rent it to you, by the time you finish building it, the park will have gone under." Uncle Xu waved his hand. "Don't be foolish. Get back to work."
"Uncle Xu, I'm serious."
"And do you think I'm joking?" Uncle Xu turned his walkie-talkie back on and headed toward the crowd. After a few steps, he looked back at Chen Ge and said, "Five thousand yuan. I'll give it to you tomorrow morning. Work steadily and stop coming up with weird ideas."
"Oh, got it." Chen Ge followed Uncle Xu, glancing at the tourists gathered around the haunted house entrance, and muttered to himself, "I don't really feel like the tourists are decreasing. My haunted house never had many visitors anyway."
Pushing through the crowd, Chen Ge approached the group of medical students. "Alright, that's enough. Anyone would think I did something to you."
"Give me a minute to recover. Your haunted house is brutal."
"What are you looking at? I'm not scared—I just twisted my ankle inside and can't stand up."
"What now? I see everyone as a potential killer..."
"Don't be stubborn. This haunted house is something else." Monkey got up from the steps, holding up his phone with a five-star review, and stood in front of Chen Ge. "But let's be clear—don't think this means we're backing down."
"What do you mean? You're coming back tomorrow?"
"If I didn't have an exam tomorrow, do you think I'd dare not come?" Monkey's tough talk was full of bravado, though his pale lips and trembling legs undercut it.
"You're always welcome to come." Chen Ge was already treating the Jianghe Medical College students like mascots.
"I'm not coming back. Even if I get beaten to death or jump off the haunted house roof, I'm not coming back." Heshan stared at Chen Ge with a resentful look, genuinely spooked by the eye in the crack of the door.
"Don't jinx yourself, junior." Xiaohui pressed on Heshan's shoulder to stand up and shot Chen Ge a fierce glare. "You're the first man to make me ruin my makeup. I've got your face memorized."
Seeing the lump on the back of Xiaohui's head, Chen Ge couldn't bring himself to provoke her further. He just smiled and said nothing.
The medical students helped each other toward the park entrance. After they left, Brother Feng ran back alone. With a conflicted expression, he said to Chen Ge, "After calming down, I thought about your question for a long time. I still can't believe it. I think it might have something to do with brain nerves and certain stress responses."
Chen Ge knew what he meant. "Maybe. By the way, I never asked your full name."
"I'm He Feng. I'm older than them, and in a few days, I'll start my field internship."
"Alright. See you around."
After exchanging phone numbers, Chen Ge returned to the haunted house. He pulled up the safety barrier and hung out a sign saying the equipment was under maintenance and the business was closed.
"Boss, there are still a lot of tourists waiting outside. Why are you closing?"
"There's a small issue. That's it for today. Go explain the situation to the tourists." Chen Ge took off his Skull Crusher doctor coat, slipped into the utility room, cut some black cloth, and entered the Midnight Escape scene.
He covered each mirror one by one, but there were too many rooms, and he ran out of cloth. "This scene is too big. I can't risk letting tourists in until the surveillance is set up. If something happens in a blind spot, the consequences would be unthinkable."
Locking the door to the Midnight Escape scene, Chen Ge went downstairs. Most of the tourists outside had dispersed, with only one or two lingering.
"Xiao Wan, take off your makeup and clock out. That's it for today."
After giving Xu Wan a few instructions, Chen Ge ducked into the staff break room. He hadn't rested properly since yesterday, and as soon as he hit the bed, sleep washed over him.