I'm Not Afraid!

"Fight poison with poison? I don't believe a word of it!"

"Big brother, just pay for my phone screen and we'll call it even."

"You think you can bribe me with a half-price ticket? No way!"

The clamor continued for several minutes, yet not a single tourist entered the House of Horrors. They huddled behind the safety railing, not daring to cross the line. Chen Ge was so frustrated by their cowardice that he couldn't help but speak up: "Is there really no one who wants to come in and experience it? My haunted house isn't scary at all. If you don't believe me, look up the reviews online."

Prompted by his words, some people pulled out their phones to search.

"It's true, all the reviews say it's not scary, not even a little bit."

"Yeah, the only 'like' is because the girl playing the ghost is really pretty..."

"Should we go in and try it?"

After waiting a while longer, someone finally stepped forward: "It's just a haunted house, how scary can it be? I've seen real corpses, why would I be afraid of this?"

The speaker was a young man with a buzz cut, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, looking quite earnest.

"Brother, cut the crap. There's a limit to showing off."

"How old are you to have seen a corpse?"

"We're all cowards here, why lie to yourself..."

Just as the crowd was dismissing him, a discordant voice rang out: "He isn't lying to you. Corpses are a common sight for us."

Following the sound, a tall woman wearing a sun hat and a white skirt walked over from the park entrance.

Her expression was blank, and the temperature seemed to drop slightly wherever she passed.

"Senior!" The young man trotted over, trying to take the woman's bag, but was rebuffed by a single glance. He stood there awkwardly, maintaining a smile that was both embarrassed and polite.

"You called her Senior? Are you students?" Chen Ge's attention was also drawn to the pair.

"We're from the Forensic Medical College at Jiujiang Medical University. My name is He Shan, and this is my senior, Gao Ruxue." The young man smiled at Chen Ge. "I shared your video on the school forum last night, and Senior decided to come visit after watching it."

"This ice-cold beauty is actually a forensic pathologist?"

"I have to say, her temperament really suits her profession."

"Beauty, let me add you on WeChat..."

The surrounding tourists crowded toward the woman. Acting as her protector, He Shan stood to the side with a chuckle: "My senior here is no ordinary person. She can dissect frogs and white mice in the morning, then wash her hands and eat braised pork in the cafeteria like nothing happened. In the middle of the night, she can pass by the anatomy lab, see the 'silent teachers' soaking in formalin, and greet the corpses while yawning. You guys shouldn't waste your time; she's probably dissected more men than you've ever held hands with."

This unique introduction worked immediately, creating a two-meter vacuum zone around the woman.

Hearing the young man's words, Chen Ge felt a headache coming on. He had just completed a nightmare-level mission and received his reward, finally ready to turn things around, only for his first customers to be students from the Forensic Medical College.

Anyone who studies forensic medicine must have nerves of steel!

"Can we go in now?" The woman walked up to Chen Ge, impatient. She was tall, and wearing thick-soled shoes, she looked Chen Ge almost directly in the eye.

"Tickets are twenty at full price, so half-price is ten. Before you go in, I have some background story and safety precautions to share." Chen Ge recalled the three elements of haunted house design mentioned in the Black Phone; the backstory was crucial, as it influenced the tourists' immersion.

"First, an introduction to my haunted house. Although many people on review sites say it isn't scary, as a matter of responsibility, I must tell you a fact. The land beneath our feet was the largest mass grave in Hanjiang City fifty years ago. Thirty years ago, the city planned to build the Hanjiang People's Hospital here. You can search online for what happened next; because of many scientifically unexplainable events, the hospital was forced to relocate. My haunted house is built on the site of the old hospital, and it hides many secrets and files left behind from when the hospital moved."

After finishing, Chen Ge pointed to the warning sign by the door: "Visitors with cardiovascular disease, arrhythmia, or similar conditions are prohibited from entering. Teenagers between twelve and sixteen must be accompanied by a parent. Alright, if there are no questions, you two can come in with me."

Chen Ge lifted the opaque black curtain, closed the rusty iron gate, and led He Shan and Gao Ruxue into the pitch-black corridor.

"This experience is called Ghost Marriage. It's an open-ended scenario; you just need to find the correct exit within fifteen minutes to escape. If you get too scared, stand near a surveillance camera and shout, and I'll come to get you." Chen Ge stopped at the second-floor entrance and gestured for them to proceed: "I wish you a pleasant experience."

"Sounds interesting, but it'll take more than this to scare me." He Shan hid behind his senior, shamelessly claiming he wasn't afraid while his body remained frozen, not daring to take a single step forward.

Gao Ruxue, on the other hand, showed no sign of panic and walked straight in.

"Senior, wait for me!"

After the two tourists entered the second-floor corridor, Chen Ge locked the exit door and dialed Xu Wan's number: "Xiao Wan, the tourists are in. Get ready, and remember—keep your ears covered."

After giving the instructions, he ran to the control room, where the monitors, sound console, and remote controls for the special effects were all housed.

"I wasn't planning on using this track, as it's truly eerie, but since forensic students are here to wreck my place on opening day, I won't stand for it!" He opened the sound console, added Gloomy Sunday to the background playlist, and set it to loop.

With that done, he sat before the monitors, watching He Shan and Gao Ruxue intently, ready to enter the haunted house for a rescue the moment either of them showed signs of distress.