Mystery Case Tracking Studio

"Boss, I reminded you before. Several seniors from our department wanted to help Gao Ruxue get even. They planned to challenge your new scenario and even said they'd film a comedy video in your haunted house."

The message He Shan had sent him flashed through Chen Ge's mind, and the smile on his face grew even brighter.

"Everyone, don't be in such a hurry."

"This new scenario can accommodate multiple visitors at once. Since everyone from Hanjiang Forensic Medicine College is so enthusiastic, you can go in and experience it first. Sign the liability waiver over here."

Chen Ge gave the forensic medicine students special treatment.

Yet no one objected.

With haunted house games, watching someone else get scared was much more fun than getting scared yourself.

The visitors were also curious to see what tricks this miraculous haunted house owner could pull off.

"Hold on!"

"Boss, we clearly bought our tickets first. Can we go in first?"

A voice rose from the crowd.

Chen Ge looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young woman dressed like a reporter. She wore a leather jacket and a ponytail, and her crisp, capable words immediately caught his attention.

Three staff members stood beside her. One handled the lighting, one wrote down lines in a small notebook, and one carried a camera. They seemed to be filming something.

"Huh? It's Mystery Case Tracking Studio."

"Right, I remember now. Their on-site report was the first report on the Peaceful Apartment Massacre, and it caused quite a stir."

"Holy crap, I remember too. When the massacre happened, the police sealed off the scene. To avoid the police, those people snuck into the crime scene at two in the morning to take photos. People had died there!"

Someone in the crowd recognized the group of reporters and cried out in surprise.

Chen Ge immediately formed a rough impression of them.

When he had searched for news about Peaceful Apartment, he had looked up articles written by Mystery Case Tracking Studio back then.

The studio was extremely famous. Within the industry, it was even comparable to many official media outlets. They were known for their bold yet rigorous style, personally visiting the front lines of all kinds of murder cases for filming and interviews.

The Summer City Golden Gate Plaza Massacre.

The Big Locust City Pig Farm Cannibalism Case.

The Yinling City Drainage Pipe Dismemberment Case...

Many mystery enthusiasts, paranormal enthusiasts, and people interested in suspense and horror were familiar with the name Mystery Case Tracking Studio.

"We're Mystery Case Tracking Studio. We booked the earliest tickets online. Why can't we be the first ones in?"

"Exactly, Boss. You can't play favorites."

Chen Ge paused and checked his phone. These people really had bought their tickets early in the morning, but his haunted house did not actually follow ticket purchase order—it followed the order in which people lined up.

Just like being called at a hospital.

You might register early, but if you arrived late, you would still see the doctor later.

"Sorry, these visitors have already signed the liability waivers and paid. Please wait a moment. This will be over soon," Chen Ge said.

He said it with complete confidence.

The forensic medicine students beside him could not help but exchange strange looks.

Why did Chen Ge sound as though he was certain this new scenario would scare all of them senseless and send them running out within minutes?

Wasn't that far too arrogant?

The more he acted like this, the more they wanted to stomp Chen Ge's haunted house into the ground and vent Gao Ruxue's anger!

The students from Hanjiang Forensic Medicine College entered the haunted house.

The waiting area.

"Sister Lin, this haunted house owner is way too unfair. We bought the earliest tickets, so why do we have to wait just because traffic made us a little late?" lighting technician Zhao Haiyang said indignantly.

The Sister Lin he referred to was Lin Xiaomei, a reporter for Mystery Case Tracking Studio and one of its signature figures.

Lin Xiaomei sighed. "Who told us to arrive late? It was all because of you, you fat pig. You insisted on stuffing your face with steamed buns. Now look at us—we can't be the first to taste the crab."

Zhao Haiyang's face reddened. "But those buns were really delicious!"

"Now we can't get in. I was originally planning to give this haunted house owner some publicity, but apparently he doesn't appreciate it."

Lin Xiaomei glanced at the promotional board.

The newly opened scenario displayed on it, Midnight Escape, had recreated the layout of Peaceful Apartment.

Even Chen Ge's words when guiding visitors inside were deliberately designed to create that atmosphere.

"The Peaceful Apartment Massacre from five years ago has finally been solved, but one killer is still at large. This has nothing to do with you, but when I came to work, I found the haunted house doors open, as though someone had hidden inside. The haunted house and Peaceful Apartment are both in the Western Outskirts. I hope I'm just overthinking it..."

This was a common trick for building a sense of horror.

Lin Xiaomei was an expert in that area too, and she saw through it at once.

"We took photos of the Peaceful Apartment Massacre scene five years ago. If we visit this new scenario, we can probably slap that haunted house owner right in the face."

"Maybe the haunted house owner considered that too. He's afraid we'll ruin people's expectations for the new scenario, which is why he won't let us in. If we clear it too quickly, how will he make money?"

Cameraman Hu Xin said.

At this point, they could only wait silently in the waiting area.

A few minutes later.

The students from Hanjiang Forensic Medicine College still had not come out.

Instead, a Crow appeared from nowhere and drew everyone's attention. It circled overhead for a while before finally landing on the bumper car arena across from Chen Ge's haunted house.

Lin Xiaomei turned her gaze toward the arena.

"Hm?"

She froze for a moment.

At some point, the bumper car arena's doors had opened, and a sign hung at the entrance.

"Haunted House Way, grandly open!"

"Hanjiang's most terrifying haunted house is now open! Tickets are 50 per person. Current available scenario: Crow's Nest."

"Using the latest virtual reality technology to create an immersive horror experience that will terrify every pore. Visitors with a history of heart disease or poor psychological endurance should not enter!"

Lin Xiaomei pointed at the arena. "Is this haunted house also run by you?"

Uncle Xu was caught off guard. After a long pause, he slowly said, "This haunted house does belong to our New Century Amusement Park, but it just opened recently. Maybe the facilities aren't complete yet, and some procedures haven't been finished..."

Uncle Xu was feeling uneasy too.

He truly hoped Mystery Case Tracking Studio would play Chen Ge's haunted house. It was not only because he favored Chen Ge, but also because he trusted Chen Ge's quality.

He believed that Chen Ge's haunted house, combined with the help of this influential studio, could create another wave of buzz and earn more money.

As for Zhang Ze's haunted house...

To be honest, Uncle Xu had no confidence in it.

He had not seen Zhang Ze for the past two days.

People said young folks had enthusiasm that lasted only three minutes and worked three days only to rest for two. Zhang Ze had probably rented a storefront, then run off somewhere to drink and party.

Uncle Xu had seen neither renovation workers nor any props or scene setup. Deep down, he simply did not believe Zhang Ze could already be running a haunted house.

And he had even opened a new scenario, Crow's Nest?

It just felt unreliable!