Someone Wants to Kill Me!

One minute after the short video was posted, Chen Ge's comment section exploded again!

"Was that Dark Shadow sprawled over the bathtub at the fifty-six-second mark a special effect?! It looked like it crawled out from underneath the tub!"

"Was the person swinging the Kitchen Knife underwater the streamer himself? Good grief! That expression looked so real!"

"If that Dark Shadow had just gritted its teeth and held on a little longer, would we never have seen the streamer again?"

"What the hell! I wanted to see how long I could hold my breath, and just when I was halfway there, you sprang this thing on me!"

"Newbies, run! This video is full of ghosts! Don't look back! Run!"

"I actually stared at my phone screen for a whole minute without blinking. Now I'm kind of afraid to go to sleep..."

"After watching your last video, I was too scared to look in the mirror. After watching this one, I'm too scared to shower alone! You heartless streamer, take this fairy's back-and-waist hug suplex!"

It was already past four in the morning, yet the comment section was still so lively. Chen Ge was pleased. He felt he had a loyal fanbase, and that all his effort had been worth it.

Before closing the short-video page, Chen Ge didn't forget to advertise his House of Horrors in the comments. The viewers were incredibly enthusiastic, leaving messages saying they planned to bring local specialties from their hometowns to the House of Horrors to see him.

"Buy tickets to visit the Haunted House and bring me local specialties from home? The visitors these days are really something." Chen Ge closed the page, feeling much better. He stretched, gathered up the five Ragdolls, and left the Midnight Escape scenario.

Night passed, and dawn arrived. The sky outside the House of Horrors was already beginning to brighten.

Chen Ge found some planks in the Tool Room and blocked off the staff passage connected to the Midnight Escape scenario. He wasn't planning to open it again until he dealt with the Mirror Monster.

"With tickets at twenty yuan and Midnight Escape able to accommodate seven visitors at once, running a round every fifteen minutes means I can make 560 yuan an hour. Eight hours a day would bring in over four thousand." The thought made Chen Ge wince, but he didn't let money cloud his judgment. "Safety comes first. I can unlock more scenarios later. There's no end to the money I can make."

After sealing off the Midnight Escape scenario, Chen Ge returned to the Staff Break Room. He set the Ragdolls by the bed, changed into clean clothes, and went out for a run.

The trial mission at Ping An Apartment kept Chen Ge on his toes. If he hadn't run fast enough that night, he would probably be buried in the ground by now.

At 8:40 in the morning, Xu Wan arrived at the Haunted House for work. She was surprised to see Chen Ge returning from a run, drenched in sweat. As far as she knew, her boss wasn't the type to enjoy exercise.

A new day began. The barriers outside the Haunted House were pulled open, and the two of them took up their respective positions, ready to open for business.

At nine, visitors began arriving at Paradise Park in ones and twos, but the entrance to the Haunted House was still deserted. It was the quietest time of day at the park.

"Boss, what were you doing in the Haunted House last night? Why is there water everywhere?"

"Cleaning." Chen Ge brushed her off, then reminded her, "Be careful when you're playing a ghost in there. Don't get too close to the mirror."

"Why not?"

Chen Ge was about to explain when he suddenly saw the park administrator, Uncle Xu, hurrying over.

"Uncle Xu, is something wrong?" Chen Ge took off his headphones. Uncle Xu's expression seemed off.

"You're getting stranger by the day." Uncle Xu looked Chen Ge up and down. "Someone from the Cafeteria just came by and said a Kitchen Knife had been stolen. I thought the thief must be desperate to steal a Kitchen Knife, so I checked the security footage. And what do I find? You, up in the middle of the night, taking a Kitchen Knife from the Cafeteria. What did you need it for? Was running around with two Kitchen Knives supposed to make you look impressive?"

Uncle Xu's words reminded Chen Ge that the Kitchen Knives he'd taken from the Cafeteria were still in the bathtub.

"I just helped the police crack a case, remember? There's still one suspect they haven't caught. I took the knives to protect myself. I'll buy the Cafeteria new ones tomorrow." He didn't know whether cutting up ghosts with the knives would make them harmful to people, so he didn't dare return them to Uncle Xu.

"I understand you less and less. Are you up to something behind my back?"

"What kind of trouble can I get into with two Kitchen Knives? Don't worry."

Uncle Xu wasn't entirely convinced, but the park had just opened and he had a lot to take care of, so he didn't press the matter. He stepped in front of Chen Ge and took a tightly wrapped plastic bag from his pocket. "Here, take this five thousand and use it for now. If you run into trouble, be sure to tell me."

"Uncle, thanks. I should be able to pay you back this weekend."

"Don't bother. Just stop getting into trouble."

After Uncle Xu left, Chen Ge tucked the money into his inner pocket. Leaning against the barrier, he thought about how to spend it.

"Five thousand is just enough to install security cameras. There's no more room inside the Haunted House right now, and I can't add any new horror scenarios until it's expanded. Renting the Underground Parking Lot seems like a good idea. I just don't know how much the park will charge."

Chen Ge had a pile of problems to deal with, and he was starting to get a headache. "My biggest problem is that I'm short on money! I don't know when the reward money will come through. Should I call and ask?"

His gaze drifted toward the distance. As it passed over one spot, his pupils narrowed. He suddenly noticed a strange visitor.

The man wore a baseball cap and long sleeves, with both hands in his pockets. He wandered among the amusement rides, seemingly unable to decide which one to try.

"He looks familiar." Thanks to the Yin Pupil, Chen Ge's eyesight was better than most people's. The man probably didn't even know he'd been spotted.

"Should I stop him?"

As Chen Ge hesitated, a visitor came to enter the Haunted House, and he got busy. Before long, he forgot all about the man.

At noon, as Chen Ge and Xu Wan were getting ready to eat, he spotted the suspicious visitor near the Haunted House again.

"This guy hasn't come anywhere near the Haunted House all morning. He waited until Xu Wan and I were going to eat, then came over when the place was empty. What is he trying to do?" Chen Ge told Xu Wan to go eat first, then doubled back alone. When the visitor noticed someone approaching, he turned around and left the park without hesitation.

"Have I seen him somewhere before?" Chen Ge's eyelid twitched. He skipped lunch and ran straight to the park's main administration office. After getting permission from the staff, he watched the security footage of the man.

The man had deliberately avoided several obvious cameras. From the moment he entered the park that morning until he left, he kept his hands in his pockets. Even when he stopped to smoke, he held the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with one hand.

Even stranger, after buying a Park Ticket, he only went on one ride in the park—the Ferris Wheel—and he rode it three times in a row.

"Something's wrong. There's definitely something wrong with that man!"