Chen Ge stood at the entrance to the Haunted House, his gaze fixed on Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang as he outlined the rules with a deliberate tone. "When you're inside, no photos or filming. There are four different scenarios for you to experience: the Sealed Classroom, the Fifth Cubicle in the Toilet, the Pen Spirit, and the Deep Well. The clues to the exit are hidden within these four scenarios. You'll need to experience all of them before you can find the exit." He meticulously reviewed their signed disclaimer agreements, his caution driven by the knowledge that these documents might soon prove critical, especially given the pair's connection to Qin Guang's studio and their likely ulterior motives. The midday sun streamed through New Century Park, casting bright light across the Haunted House's eerie facade, but the weight of the paper box with the twenty-four name tags in his hands grounded him, its connection to the spirits of Mu Yang High School a silent reminder of the supernatural stakes at play. The park's vibrant energy buzzed around them, yet the tension with the two men hinted at a confrontation that went beyond a simple visit.
Fei Youliang adjusted his glasses with a dismissive smirk, peering into the Haunted House's shadowy entrance. "This is not our first Haunted House; we know all that," he said, his tone brimming with overconfidence. "At least the suspenseful environment is not bad." His casual dismissal of Chen Ge's instructions grated, but it only fueled Chen Ge's resolve to let the Haunted House's terrors speak for themselves. The sunlight illuminated the park's lively scene, but the dark threshold of the attraction loomed, its secrets tied to the name tags and the spectral uniforms waiting below. Chen Ge's grip on the box tightened, the mystery of the sealed classroom pulsing in his mind as he decided against further explanation. "In that case, I will not waste my breath anymore," he said, his voice calm but laced with a subtle challenge, ready to let the scenarios prove their worth to these skeptical visitors.
Chen Ge led Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang to the first floor's Night of the Living Dead scenario, its dilapidated setting and outdated mannequins drawing immediate scorn from the pair. "The style is from ten years back," Zhu Jianing remarked, his voice dripping with disdain as he surveyed the dusty props. "Honestly, with set pieces like these, I feel like I can sue you for overcharging me for the entrance ticket." Fei Youliang nodded, running a finger along a mannequin and grimacing at the dust. "Just how long has this place been deserted?" he added, his tone mocking. "Looks like the business is dying. I should have known that you would have hired the same 50-cent army to fill the comments with good reviews." Their taunts echoed in the dimly lit room, the sunlight filtering through the windows casting eerie shadows across the mannequins, a stark contrast to the vibrant park outside. Chen Ge's patience held, the box of name tags a silent anchor as he prepared to reveal the true terror waiting below.
"Are you two done?" Chen Ge asked, his voice steady as he raised the wooden boards concealing the entrance to the underground Mu Yang High School scenario. "The entrance is here." The revelation that the main attraction lay beneath the park caught the men off guard, their smug expressions faltering slightly. "It's underground?" Fei Youliang asked, a hint of curiosity breaking through his bravado as they stepped out of the Night of the Living Dead scenario, their backpacks slung casually over their shoulders. The dark staircase descended into an abyss, the corridor below lined with creaking classroom doors that groaned as if stirred by an unseen force. A chilling draft surged upward, brushing against their skin, and the oppressive atmosphere of the underground scenario began to seep into their confidence. The sunlight from above faded, the park's lively energy replaced by the eerie quiet of the subterranean level, where the name tags in Chen Ge's box seemed to pulse with the spirits' presence.
"Now… this is… better," Zhu Jianing muttered, his voice betraying a flicker of unease as they descended the staircase, the chilling wind intensifying the scenario's ominous atmosphere. The dark corridor stretched before them, its shadowed depths punctuated by the unsettling creak of classroom doors, as if the abandoned high school was alive with ghostly whispers. Chen Ge's voice called out from the entrance above, his tone deceptively casual. "If you're really afraid, yell for help at the cameras—the workers will come help you." As he lowered the wooden boards, a sudden realization hit him: the Mu Yang High School scenario had no surveillance cameras, and there was no clear exit, his words merely a reflex from handling other scenarios. Looks like I better go in to join them. Hopefully, their minds are still intact when I reach them, he thought, the box of name tags a heavy reminder of the spirits waiting within. The park's sunlight vanished as he prepared to follow, the underground's darkness beckoning.
Chen Ge instructed Xu Wan to maintain order at the entrance, his mind already shifting to the task ahead. He donned the Doctor Skull-cracker outfit, its familiar weight grounding him as he entered the main control room to switch the background music to the haunting strains of Black Friday, its eerie notes amplifying the scenario's dread. With the box of name tags in hand, he descended into the Mu Yang High School scenario, the darkness enveloping him as he prepared to monitor the two men. The underground's chill seeped into his bones, the memory of the sealed classroom's twenty-four uniforms and Fan Yu's haunting smile vivid in his mind. The name tags, each bearing a student's name, felt alive with the spirits' energy, their connection to the scenario a mystery Chen Ge was determined to wield against the men's skepticism, their bravado no match for the supernatural forces lurking below.
Meanwhile, Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang lingered near the staircase, waiting until the wooden boards closed above before exchanging a conspiratorial signal. They retrieved Bluetooth cameras from their backpacks, pinning them to their chests with practiced ease. "Each of us will record our side," Fei Youliang whispered, his voice low but confident. "We'll film everything inside his Haunted House, and after we solve it, we'll post the guide online." Zhu Jianing nodded, his eyes scanning the dim corridor. "Will that achieve anything?" he asked, a hint of doubt creeping in. Fei Youliang's response was calculated, his tone dripping with malice. "For local Haunted Houses like this one, the design and traps of the scenarios are considered business secrets because they depend on them to attract visitors. If the guide is already posted online, then it would have lost all its allure. This is why Haunted Houses ban the usage of cameras and video recorders. They have to keep the mystery and anticipation up for future visitors." The darkness of the corridor seemed to deepen, the creaking doors a haunting backdrop to their scheme.
Fei Youliang adjusted his camera, his movements precise as he continued, "After shooting the video, we'll edit it to make it as boring as possible, and then after posting it online, we'll hire some 50-cent army to swamp his comments with bad reviews." His plan was ruthless, aimed at dismantling Chen Ge's reputation and undermining the Haunted House's allure. Zhu Jianing hesitated, glancing around the eerie setting. "But I have to say, the man has put a lot of effort into his setting; it does feel like we're at an abandoned high school," he admitted, his voice tinged with reluctant admiration. The corridor's oppressive atmosphere pressed in, the scattered test papers and creaking doors creating an uncanny sense of reality. The name tags in Chen Ge's possession, though unseen by the men, seemed to pulse with the spirits' presence, their mystery a hidden force waiting to confront the intruders' arrogance.
Fei Youliang scoffed, his confidence unshaken. "At the end of the day, it is still fake. In comparison to the 3D scary movies I've seen, this is nothing." His dismissal was absolute, his boredom palpable as he led the way down the dim corridor, Zhu Jianing following closely. The empty classrooms on either side loomed, their doors creaking as if stirred by an unseen breeze, and faint, unidentifiable noises drifted from within, heightening the unsettling atmosphere. "Let's get this over with," Fei Youliang muttered, his voice steady but laced with impatience. The darkness of the underground scenario enveloped them, the spirits tied to the name tags lurking just out of sight, their presence a silent threat the men were oblivious to. The corridor's chill deepened, the creaking doors and scattered papers a testament to the scenario's eerie authenticity, ready to challenge their smug assumptions.
As they moved deeper, Fei Youliang's voice took on a strategic tone. "Do you think the exit will be inside these two classrooms beside the entrance? After all, the comments did say that the boss is a master manipulator." His words were cautious, his eyes scanning the shadowy doorways for clues. Zhu Jianing shook his head, his own confidence bolstered by Fei's expertise. "That's your first mistake. If you focus too hard on searching for the exit, you will have fallen for the man's scheme," Fei Youliang replied, his tone authoritative as he maintained the balance of his camera, his movements precise to capture every detail. The corridor's oppressive atmosphere seemed to tighten, the creaking doors and faint noises amplifying their unease, though they refused to acknowledge it. The name tags, safe with Chen Ge, held the key to the sealed classroom's mystery, their spectral energy a hidden force that would soon test the men's bravado in ways they couldn't imagine.
"You're right. Thankfully, you came with me," Zhu Jianing said, his voice carrying a hint of relief as he followed Fei Youliang's lead, their cameras rolling to document their supposed triumph. "In reality, Haunted Houses are very boring. It's just people scaring people, and if you take it too seriously, you lose," Fei Youliang added, his tone dismissive as they ventured deeper into the scenario. The dark corridor stretched before them, its eerie ambiance intensified by the creaking doors and the chilling draft that seemed to follow their every step. The spirits of Mu Yang High School, tied to the name tags Chen Ge carried, waited in the shadows, their presence a silent challenge to the men's arrogance. The underground's oppressive darkness enveloped them, the Haunted House ready to reveal its true terrors, far beyond the "fake" scares Fei Youliang so confidently dismissed.
The dark corridor of the Mu Yang High School scenario stretched endlessly before Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang, its shadowy depths unbroken by any sign of an end, amplifying the oppressive atmosphere that clung to the underground space. Despite their earlier boasts of fearlessness, their progress was agonizingly slow, each step hesitant as the eerie setting began to erode their confidence. The walls bore scorch marks and faint traces of a long-ago fire, the acrid scent of burning lingering in the stale air, a haunting reminder of the tragedy that had shaped this place. The dim light from their flashlights barely penetrated the gloom, casting flickering shadows that seemed to move just beyond their sight. The box of name tags, safe with Chen Ge as he followed at a distance, pulsed with the unseen energy of the twenty-four spirits, their presence tied to the uniforms waiting in the sealed classroom, ready to confront the intruders' bravado.
As Zhu Jianing and Fei Youliang ventured deeper, the atmosphere within the Mu Yang High School scenario shifted subtly, a change imperceptible to the two men but palpable to the spectral forces lurking within. In unseen corners, hidden from the beam of their flashlights, countless pairs of eyes slowly opened, their silent gaze tracking the living intruders who dared to disturb their domain. The creaking doors along the corridor groaned louder, as if stirred by an invisible force, and the air grew heavier, charged with an unnatural energy that pressed against the men's senses. The box of name tags, carried by Chen Ge in his Doctor Skull-cracker outfit, seemed to hum with anticipation, the spirits of the twenty-four students tied to the scenario's eerie authenticity, their presence a silent threat that the men's cameras could never capture.
Fei Youliang, leading the way with the confidence of a seasoned scary movie aficionado, maintained a facade of calm, his analytical mind dismissing the setting's authenticity as mere theatrics. The dark corridor, with its scattered test papers and fire-damaged walls, was impressive but not yet terrifying enough to shake him. He adjusted his Bluetooth camera, determined to record every detail for their planned sabotage. In contrast, Zhu Jianing's bravado began to crumble under the weight of the scenario's oppressive atmosphere, his muscular frame shrinking as he trailed behind Fei Youliang, his eyes darting nervously to the shadowy corners where the light failed to reach. The faint creak of a door or the whisper of a draft sent shivers down his spine, his earlier boasts forgotten as the underground's eerie realism began to gnaw at his resolve, the unseen spirits tied to the name tags watching silently.
The haunting strains of Black Friday echoed through the corridor, its unsettling melody amplifying the tension and quickening Zhu Jianing's pulse, his breathing growing uneven as the music seeped into his nerves. Fei Youliang, seemingly unaffected, pressed forward until he abruptly halted, causing Zhu Jianing to stumble into his back. "What's wrong?" Zhu Jianing whispered, his voice barely audible, betraying the fear he tried to suppress. The sudden stop sent a jolt through him, his flashlight trembling as it illuminated the door of the sealed classroom, its dark interior starkly different from the other rooms. The uniforms arranged on the chairs seemed to stare back, their empty forms evoking the presence of the twenty-four students whose names Chen Ge carried. The air grew colder, the spirits' silent watch intensifying, their connection to the box of name tags a hidden force that heightened the room's oppressive aura.
"This classroom, it's different from the rest," Fei Youliang said, his voice steady but tinged with curiosity as he peered through the window at the rows of uniforms, each meticulously placed as if occupied by invisible students. A strange unease stirred within him, the classroom's atmosphere heavier than the rest of the scenario, though he refused to admit it. The dark uniforms, bathed in the faint glow of his flashlight, seemed to pulse with a life of their own, their silent vigil a haunting echo of the tragedy at Mu Yang High School. The box of name tags, still with Chen Ge, felt heavier in his absence, as if the spirits sensed the intruders' approach. Fei Youliang's analytical mind grappled with the scene, his confidence wavering slightly as he sensed something beyond the usual Haunted House tricks, the spirits' presence a silent challenge to his skepticism.
"There are all these uniforms," Zhu Jianing muttered, his voice trembling as he peered through the window, the sight of the empty uniforms sending a chill down his spine. The classroom's oppressive energy was palpable, the red graffiti scrawled across the desks pulsing with an angry intensity that made him recoil. "Should we go to someplace else first?" he suggested, his earlier bravado replaced by a primal urge to flee. The uniforms' silent stare seemed to pierce through him, their connection to the name tags in Chen Ge's possession amplifying the room's dread. The corridor's darkness pressed in, the creaking doors and faint whispers of the scenario creating an inescapable sense of being watched, the spirits lurking just beyond the light's reach, waiting for the intruders to cross the threshold.
"Don't be scared," Fei Youliang said, his voice firm as he tried to bolster Zhu Jianing's faltering courage. "A worker at the Haunted House should be hiding inside this room, and that's why its decor is different from the others." His logical explanation was an attempt to dismiss the unease gnawing at him, his experience with scary movie sets convincing him that the classroom's atmosphere was merely a well-crafted illusion. "The man said that we must experience the four scenarios, and this should be one of them. This is the selling point of the Haunted House; we have to record it and then solve it so that we can post it online." His camera whirred softly, capturing the eerie scene, oblivious to the true nature of the uniforms tied to the name tags Chen Ge carried. The corridor's chill deepened, the spirits' silent presence growing stronger as the men lingered at the classroom's threshold, their plan to expose Chen Ge dangerously close to unleashing forces they couldn't comprehend.
As Fei Youliang spoke, the classroom door creaked open on its own, the movement slow and deliberate, as if guided by an invisible hand. The sudden motion sent a jolt through both men, the air growing colder as the door revealed the dark interior. "There must be some kind of control mechanism," Fei Youliang said, his voice steady but less certain, clinging to his rational explanation. "It's common equipment used in the shooting of scary movies." He slapped Zhu Jianing's arm, forcing a grin. "Come on, let's go catch some ghosts." His bravado was a facade, his confidence shaken by the door's eerie movement, though he refused to acknowledge the supernatural energy tied to the name tags and the uniforms within. The corridor's shadows seemed to deepen, the spirits' presence intensifying as the men stood on the brink of entering the sealed classroom, its secrets waiting to confront their arrogance.
"You're right, but…" Zhu Jianing hesitated, his forehead slick with cold sweat as he peered into the classroom. "I've taken a look around, and there're only school uniforms inside the room; there's no space for anyone to hide." His voice trembled, the absence of hiding spots amplifying his fear, the uniforms' silent vigil evoking a dread he couldn't shake. The classroom's oppressive atmosphere pressed against him, the red graffiti and empty uniforms creating an uncanny sense of being watched, their connection to the name tags a mystery he couldn't grasp. The faint strains of Black Friday echoed through the corridor, heightening the tension as the spirits stirred, their presence tied to the box Chen Ge carried, ready to challenge the intruders' skepticism. The darkness of the scenario enveloped them, the sealed classroom's threshold a gateway to terrors far beyond their expectations.
Fei Youliang dismissed Zhu Jianing's fear with a wave of his hand. "There's probably some hidden compartment. Be careful. This means that the actor might come out to scare you from unexpected corners," he said, his voice steady but tinged with unease as he stepped toward the open door. The two men lingered outside the classroom for what felt like an eternity, their flashlights casting trembling beams across the uniforms, each one seeming to pulse with an unseen presence. The corridor's chill deepened, the creaking doors and faint whispers amplifying the sense of being watched, the spirits tied to the name tags waiting in silence. Finally, steeling themselves, Fei Youliang and Zhu Jianing crossed the threshold, their cameras rolling, unaware that the sealed classroom's true horrors—rooted in the supernatural legacy of Mu Yang High School—were about to confront them, their plan to sabotage Chen Ge's Haunted House dangerously close to unleashing forces they couldn't control.