Chapter 92: Entrustment
Even Chen Ge, the haunted house owner, was taken aback by the scene before him. The area of the Midnight Escape horror scene was far larger than he had anticipated. Stepping into it, a chilling, eerie aura filled the air, as if something could emerge from the darkness at any moment, instinctively unsettling anyone who entered.
"Four classrooms, hallways, restrooms, offices..."
Everything that existed in Muyang High School was replicated in Chen Ge's haunted house, but with a completely new layout, all the rooms clustered together.
Walking down the dim corridor, Chen Ge frequently turned his head to glance into the classrooms on either side. Beyond the windows were thick concrete walls, and the doors, though unlocked, creaked incessantly without any wind stirring them.
The first few classrooms were eerie but still within tolerable limits. However, when Chen Ge reached the last classroom at the end of the corridor, the hairs on his body stood on end. It was the first time he had felt such a spine-chilling sensation in his own haunted house.
This classroom resembled the last one in Muyang High School, but it wasn't exactly the same. Every desk was densely carved with red-painted characters, and what was even more unsettling was that each chair held a set of dark-colored school uniforms.
The style of the uniforms matched those worn by the students in the group photo at Fan Yu's home. The only difference was that in the photo, all the students faced away from the camera in their uniforms, while in this classroom, every uniform was facing Chen Ge, who stood at the door.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Ge steeled himself and entered the classroom. Standing at the podium, he looked at the rows of dark uniforms on the chairs, as if rows of people were sitting there.
"Why are there uniforms only in this classroom? Do these uniforms represent lingering regrets that refuse to leave?" Chen Ge counted them silently—there were twenty-four sets of uniforms in the room.
"When the Midnight Escape trial was completed, that scene became the new home for Yin Xiaoxiao's family. If I follow that logic..." Chen Ge's expression darkened. The twenty-four uniforms in this last classroom likely represented twenty-four souls lingering here, unwilling to depart.
"Maybe not. Perhaps I'm overthinking it." Chen Ge left the classroom, closed the door, and continued forward.
At the end of the corridor, a corner led to the restroom. Beyond that, the first fork appeared: the left path led to the office area, and the right path led to the girls' dormitory.
Chen Ge took a few steps to the right. The corridor narrowed, with rooms pressed closely together on both sides. At the end of the path, two even narrower hallways branched off.
"Just the first two-star scene, and it's already this complex. If I unlock more horror scenes, this underground parking lot might really turn into a labyrinth of terror."
He casually pushed open a door, and the room inside was arranged like a crime scene.
Notably, in the second-to-last dormitory, Chen Ge discovered several chairs stacked together, with a few sheets of paper and a badly damaged ballpoint pen placed on them.
"Is this the hidden prop rewarded for unlocking Muyang High School?" Chen Ge picked up the pitiful-looking pen, which shattered as soon as he lifted it, cradling it in his palm. "Hidden props must have special uses. Wang Qi's missing person notice helped me befriend Yin Xiaoxiao's family, allowing me to command them to manage the Midnight Escape scene. Could this pen be the key to resolving the issue with the students in that last classroom?"
Chen Ge was baffled. After thinking for a long time, he left the Muyang High School scene with the pen and used transparent tape to carefully reassemble it.
To deal with the students in that classroom, consulting the pen spirit would be the simplest method. Unfortunately, no matter how much Chen Ge called out, the pen spirit didn't respond.
"Seriously? I'm a victim here too, aren't I?"
Chen Ge placed the taped-up pen back in the girls' dormitory, took another look around, and then returned to the first floor.
"The twenty-four uniforms in that last classroom are creepy, but the visual impact isn't strong enough yet. When I have time, I'll modify the mannequins from the Zombie Resurrection Night, dress them in the uniforms, and throw them into the classroom. That should be even scarier." Chen Ge covered the wooden board and was about to head back to bed when his phone rang again.
He glanced down and was surprised to see it was Captain Li calling.
"Uncle Sanbao? What's up?" Chen Ge had returned with the police on duty earlier, and Captain Li had still been at Muyang High School, apparently discussing something with the city's criminal investigation team.
"If you're not too busy right now, could you come to the city branch? The suspect in the well corpse case wants to see you."
"See me?" Chen Ge found it odd, but out of respect for Captain Li, he agreed. "Alright, I'll head over now."
Taking a cab to the city branch, a familiar officer led Chen Ge into the interrogation room.
Fan Yu's aunt sat in a chair in the corner of the room, handcuffed.
"The body is still being examined. The suspect is emotionally unstable and refuses to confess anything, only insisting on seeing you. That's why I asked Captain Li to call you." A middle-aged officer in the interrogation room stood up and shook Chen Ge's hand. "Sorry to trouble you."
"No problem." Chen Ge walked over to Fan Yu's aunt. In just one night, she seemed to have aged, her head drooping low, her hair covering her face.
Sensing someone approaching, Fan Yu's aunt's vacant eyes focused. She looked at Chen Ge with a complex expression.
"You wanted to see me?" Before Chen Ge could get too close, the officers present stopped him, instructing him to maintain a safe distance.
Fan Yu's aunt nodded slightly. After a long pause, she spoke words Chen Ge never expected: "Is that painting I gave you in the third-floor restroom still with you?"
If she hadn't mentioned it, Chen Ge would have almost forgotten. He took out the painting he had kept close to him and placed it in front of Fan Yu's aunt.
Looking at Fan Yu's eerie painting, his aunt showed no fear; instead, she found it strangely comforting. After her child and husband died unexpectedly, it was paintings like this from Fan Yu that helped her emerge from collapse and despair.
After a long silence, Fan Yu's aunt finally spoke: "I raised Fan Yu for three years, yet you were the first person to appear in his paintings. Is that fair?"
"It's not what you think. Maybe Fan Yu sees me as a kindred spirit." Chen Ge pointed to his eyes. "We can see the same things."
"Is that so?" Fan Yu's aunt lowered her head again, the interrogation room falling quiet.
"You called me here just to ask about this?" Chen Ge folded the painting and put it away.
After about ten minutes, Fan Yu's aunt seemed to have composed herself. She appeared to have made a decision and spoke in a low voice: "I was Fan Yu's only family, and now I'm leaving him too. That child has a strange personality and no friends. I don't expect you to take care of him in the future, but I only ask that you visit him sometimes, talk to him, and make sure the other kids don't bully him."