This Isn't What We Agreed On

"They're coming over right now?" Chen Ge didn't actually take He Shan's seniors to heart.

"I'm tipping you off in secret. The seniors are planning to record a funny video inside your Haunted House to post online and cheer up the senior girls. Don't blame them for being devious; out of the five classes in our department, there are only seven girls in total, and you scared the department beauty until she cried. Boss, take care of yourself!" It sounded like someone was walking near He Shan, and he hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.

"Recording a funny video in my Haunted House?" Chen Ge put his phone away, his expression strange. "Forensic students usually have stronger nerves. It's perfect—they can help me test out the new scenario. I hope they can still laugh when the time comes."

Lunch hour ended, and Chen Ge went downstairs to push open the safety barrier of the Haunted House. Tourists who hadn't had the chance to visit in the morning immediately crowded around.

Some of them had traveled from other places specifically after seeing Chen Ge's short videos and livestreams, some had been recommended by friends and family, and others were simply curious, seeing so many people queuing and assuming the attraction must be very interesting.

"Tickets are twenty. For the best experience, no more than three people should enter at a time." Chen Ge managed the crowd while communicating with Xu Wan; the two of them were busy beyond measure.

Time passed without notice. Around three in the afternoon, seven stylishly dressed young people entered New Century Park. They walked straight toward the House of Horrors as if they were on a mission.

The seven of them had different personalities and rarely interacted with each other. They stood quietly in line at the entrance of the Haunted House, making the atmosphere of the entire queue much more solemn.

Ten minutes later, as the previous batch of tourists stumbled out supporting one another, the tallest person among the seven walked up to Chen Ge.

"Boss, six tickets." His voice was steady.

Chen Ge looked up at him, then glanced at the line. "Aren't the seven of you together?"

"This one is only responsible for leading the way." The tall guy pushed He Shan, who was behind him, directly forward.

"Boss, I'm not going in." He Shan already had psychological trauma from the House of Horrors. He offered a greeting and quickly retreated.

"Since you're already here, how can I let you stay outside? This ticket is on the house." Chen Ge casually handed over seven tickets. "You're all from Han Jiang Forensic Academy, right? Please take care of me in the future."

Chen Ge wore a kind and enthusiastic expression, which made the forensic students, who hadn't yet stepped into society, feel a bit embarrassed.

"He Shan, don't decline the ticket the boss gave you." The tall guy distributed the tickets to everyone. What they did next left the surrounding tourists stunned.

They didn't enter the Haunted House immediately but gathered at the entrance.

"He Shan and I are one group; Monkey and Lao Zhao are a group; Lao Song, Xiao Hui, and Shi Ling, you three are a group. Before we came, did you all memorize the strategy posts on the forum?"

"Yes, we memorized them."

"He Shan has already drawn a simple map of the entire scenario. We know all the mechanisms inside. I hope you can prepare yourselves mentally in advance. Don't show a shred of fear; let's show the spirit of our Han Jiang Forensic Academy!"

"Understood!"

"Good! From now on, adjust your state and get yourselves excited! Speed up your breathing, pretend you're about to go skydiving or bungee jumping—get every cell in your body moving!"

"Right! Put on a fierce look! You are evil spirits more vicious than ordinary ghosts! You fear nothing!"

"Do you still remember the oath you took when you enrolled?"

"If the heart is not upright, the sword will be crooked!"

"Han Jiang Forensic Academy: Speak for the dead, defend the rights of the living!"

"Go! Move out!"

The group was fired up, and even the nearby tourists couldn't help but applaud them. Chen Ge cheered for them in his heart as well.

The safety barrier was pulled open, and He Shan and the tall guy walked out first. "We'll take the lead and share our experience with you all when we come out."

The two of them stood before Chen Ge with quite a bit of bravado.

"Just the two of you?"

"Don't you have a rule that a maximum of three people can visit at once?"

"Oh, that's the rule for the Ghost Marriage theme. You don't need to worry about that; all seven of you go in together to save time." Chen Ge led them into the Haunted House, where the temperature was much lower than outside. "First, go sign the liability waiver on the table. No matter what accidents occur inside the Haunted House, it has nothing to do with this establishment. Only then can I take you in for the tour."

"There wasn't this item last time I came." He Shan walked to the table and took a look.

"That's because no one had ever been scared unconscious before you." Chen Ge smiled at the seven vibrant forensic students. "As for the background of my Haunted House, I assume He Shan has already told you, so I won't be long-winded. I'm keeping you here because I want to give you one more reminder."

Chen Ge slowly retracted his smile and took out his phone, pulling up the news from that morning. "The mass murder case at Ping An Apartment five years ago has finally been solved, but one perpetrator is still at large. Originally, this has nothing to do with you, but when I came to work this morning, I found the door to the House of Horrors open, as if someone had hidden inside. Both Ping An Apartment and New Century Park are in the western suburbs. I hope I'm just overthinking it."

With just a few sentences, Chen Ge sowed the seeds of suspicion. He didn't need He Shan and the others to believe it; he only needed to provide them with a direction for their thoughts. After all, no matter how realistic a virtual creation is, it is far less terrifying than reality.

After they all signed the liability waiver, Chen Ge led them to the third floor and slowly pushed open the doors to the Midnight Escape theme.

A cold wind blew from somewhere in the gloomy corridor. Behind half-open doors, it seemed as if someone was spying. There were intricate, winding passages, endless staircases, charred ceilings, and terrifying knife marks visible everywhere like scars.

The fervor of the forensic students cooled by half the moment they saw the scene.

They stood frozen in place, all looking toward He Shan in unison.

"Where's the courtyard house?"

"Isn't this a bit different from what we agreed on?"

"I practiced weighted push-ups all night just so I could open the coffin quickly..."

The group stared at He Shan, almost bringing him to tears. The honest college student could only look to Chen Ge for help, but Chen Ge gave him no response. "The theme of this scenario is Midnight Escape. Please do not take photos or videos inside; violators will bear the consequences. The exit is hidden within the scenario. You have a twenty-minute time limit. If you are truly terrified during that time, you can scream at the surveillance cameras, and I will bring you out."

After they all entered the corridor, Chen Ge watched them with a smile. "Finally, I wish you a pleasant experience."