Chapter 95: All School Uniforms
"Once you're inside, no photos, no videos. There are four small scenes: the Last Classroom, the Fifth Stall of the Restroom, the Spirit Board, and the Deep Well. The clues to the exit are hidden within these four scenes—you have to experience all of them to find the way out." Chen Ge carefully reviewed the liability waivers the two had signed. He had to be cautious because these documents might come in handy sooner than expected.
"We're not first-timers at haunted houses; we know the drill." Fei Youliang pushed up his glasses and peered into the haunted house. "The atmosphere isn't bad."
"Since you both understand, I won't waste words." Chen Ge had originally planned to briefly introduce each small scene, but now it seemed unnecessary. "Follow me."
Chen Ge led the two young men to the entrance of the Zombie Resurrection Night scene on the first floor. They both noticed the outdated set design and cheap mannequins inside.
"Still stuck in the style from over a decade ago."
"Honestly, even at twenty bucks a ticket, I'd feel like I'm being ripped off with these scenes."
Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang walked straight into Zombie Resurrection Night, brushing dust off the mannequins. "How long has it been since anyone visited?"
"Looks like it's on its last legs. No wonder the full five-star reviews on Dianping are inflated."
"Are you two done?" Chen Ge lifted a wooden plank on the floor. "The entrance to the scene is here."
"A basement?" The two young men, unfazed by the awkwardness, slung their backpacks and stepped out of the Zombie Resurrection Night scene, stopping at the stairs leading underground.
The dim corridor stretched endlessly, with classroom doors on either side half-open. Faint shadows flickered within. Before even entering, a chill surged up from below.
"Now this... looks a bit more like it."
Once the two had descended the stairs into the Muyang Middle School scene, Chen Ge called out from above, "If you're really scared, you can call for help through the surveillance cameras, and a staff member will come get you out."
After closing the plank, Chen Ge suddenly remembered that the Muyang Middle School scene had no surveillance cameras installed, nor did it seem to have any other exits. His earlier comment about exit clues hidden in the scenes was just something he made up on the spot. "I'll have to go in and check on them myself later. Hopefully, those two idiots don't get too messed up."
He had Xu Wan maintain order at the entrance, changed into his Skull-Crushing Doctor coat, entered the main control room to switch the background music to *Black Friday*, then grabbed a box of school badges and photos that Fan Yu had given him before heading into the Muyang Middle School scene.
...
After Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang descended the stairs, they lingered near the exit. They waited until Chen Ge closed the plank and walked away before signaling each other, pulling Bluetooth cameras from their backpacks and clipping them to their chests.
"We'll split up—one on each side—film the interior of his haunted house, and then post a walkthrough online to expose it."
"Is this even worth it?"
"For a fixed-location haunted house like his, the interior setup is a trade secret—it's what draws visitors in. If someone knows the detailed walkthrough in advance, it ruins the fun. That's one reason they ban photos and videos in here—to keep visitors in the dark and build anticipation." Fei Youliang secured his camera and took the lead. "Once we've got the footage, we can edit it however we want, make the whole experience seem boring, and throw in some bad reviews while we're at it."
"Yeah." Zhu Jianing nodded, glancing left and right. "But you have to admit, this place is pretty impressive. It really feels immersive."
"Feeling immersive or not, it's still fake. Can't compare to the 3D horror movies I've watched." Fei Youliang wasn't scared at all—just annoyed. "Let's just get through this place first."
The two walked down the dim corridor, flanked by empty classrooms. Doors creaked and swayed, and strange noises occasionally drifted out from the rooms.
"You think the exit might be in one of the two classrooms near the main entrance? The Dianping reviews said the owner is good at exploiting people's blind spots in thinking."
"The moment you start obsessing over finding the exit, you've already lost, because you're playing by the haunted house owner's rules." Fei Youliang kept his upper body steady as he spoke, both he and Zhu Jianing having done professional camera work before.
"True. Good thing you came in with me."
"Haunted houses are actually pretty boring—it's just people messing with people. If you take it seriously, you're the one getting played."
The pitch-black corridor stretched endlessly. Though they talked tough, they moved slowly.
Scorch marks from a fire were everywhere, and the air was thick with a mix of mildew and burnt odors, assaulting their sense of smell.
As the living entered, the atmosphere inside Muyang Middle School began to shift. In unseen corners, it felt as if countless eyes were slowly opening.
Fei Youliang led the way. Having been on horror film sets, he was a die-hard fan of the genre. The scene before him, though oppressive and eerie, wasn't enough to scare him.
In contrast, the burly Zhu Jianing was struggling. He gradually fell behind Fei Youliang, his eyes darting nervously to the sides.
The background music wasn't particularly frightening, but it made his heart race and his breathing quicken.
Fei Youliang suddenly stopped ahead, and Zhu Jianing nearly bumped into his back.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Jianing instinctively lowered his voice, feeling a chill seep into his lungs with every word.
"This classroom... it's different." Fei Youliang stood at the door of the last classroom, staring at the rows of dark school uniforms on the seats. A strange, unsettling feeling crept over him, as if the room were packed with people.
"There are a lot more uniforms." Zhu Jianing, even less brave than Fei Youliang, shivered just looking through the window. "Maybe we should check other places first."
"Don't worry. This room probably hides a haunted house actor, which is why it's set up differently." Fei Youliang managed to keep his composure. "The owner said we need to experience four small scenes—this must be one of them. Horror scenes are a big selling point for haunted houses. We'll record a breakdown video and post it online later."
As he spoke, the front door of the classroom creaked open on its own, as if pushed by the wind.
"There's definitely someone controlling it from inside. I've seen similar mechanisms on film sets." Fei Youliang patted Zhu Jianing's arm. "Come on, let's go in and catch the guy playing the ghost."
"That makes sense, but..." Zhu Jianing wiped sweat from his forehead. "I just looked—there are only school uniforms in there. No one's hiding."
"There might be a hidden compartment or something. We need to be careful—the actor could pop out from anywhere." After dawdling outside the classroom for a while, Fei Youliang and Zhu Jianing finally stepped inside.