“Everyone, don’t worry! Our haunted house is definitely different from before!” Zuo Si began to shout loudly, needing to let the visitors know what was good about the haunted house, what the highlights were, so they would spend money to come and play. “The props in our haunted house are all the latest top-tier horror products, equipped with various 5D scene effects, allowing everyone to feel as if they are truly in the experience! We aim to provide the best horror experience for everyone.”
After finishing his speech, the surroundings fell silent, and still, no one bought a ticket, which was a bit awkward.
A middle-aged man scoffed, “You can stop right there. Top-tier props and 5D scene effects? Opening a haunted house in a place like this? Aren’t you just asking to lose money?!”
“Hey~ this brother, if you don’t believe me, how about I let you experience it for free? No ticket required!”
“Ha! In this broken place of yours, even if you paid me, I wouldn’t play!”
“Play or don’t play, if you don’t want to, then just leave! Why are you talking so much nonsense if you’re not going to play?!” Ding Ruxiao directly cursed, unable to contain her anger. It was their first day of business, and they encountered such a person.
“Hey~ who do you think you are to curse at me?!”
“What’s wrong with cursing you? Have you ever played in here? Why do you say our haunted house isn’t scary? Why do you say it’s not fun?”
“What if I say it’s not scary? I’ve played in many haunted houses and have never been scared. In your broken place, I can clear it in no time.”
“You…” Ding Ruxiao wanted to curse him again but was stopped by Zuo Si.
“It’s not worth getting angry at someone like this,” Zuo Si advised. “For example, if a person encounters a dog on the street and gets bitten, can they bite the dog back?”
“Pfft~” Ding Ruxiao was amused and said, “Alright, let’s just ignore this dog then.”
“Hey~!” The middle-aged man was displeased: “Who the hell are you calling a dog?”
“Enough already.” The onlookers couldn’t stand it anymore and began to criticize the middle-aged man: “How can a grown man be more nagging than a woman?”
“Exactly, the fault is yours, and the other person isn’t even arguing with you, so why are you still blabbering?”
… Many men stood up to support Ding Ruxiao. From this, one could see a truth: a beautiful woman is never short of admirers.
“Oh, it’s so lively on the first day of business.” Lu Tao squeezed through the crowd and said to Zuo Si, “Sorry, I’m late.”
Zuo Si nodded, saying nothing. Lu Tao had helped out all day yesterday, so it was good enough that he could come today. This brother was really loyal to go to such lengths.
“Excuse me, everyone, please make way.” Lu Tao turned back and welcomed the people following him. There were two women, one around forty with a neat short haircut, frowning and looking stern, resembling a tomboy. The other appeared to be in her twenties, with an average appearance, her bright eyes darting around restlessly.
“Who are these two?”
“I’ll introduce them to you.” Lu Tao respectfully looked at the tomboy and introduced, “This is our funeral home’s Director Hao.”
“As for this one…” Lu Tao paused, clearly not recognizing her.
“My name is Wu Yaoyao,” the girl sweetly spoke up, “I came to interview at the funeral home today, and the director brought me here.”
“Hello, I’m Zuo Si!” Zuo Si politely responded, casting a surprised glance at Lu Tao.
“Today our director came mainly to visit your haunted house,” Lu Tao said. “You know, the first requirement for hiring employees at our funeral home is courage, but many people get scared and run away after one or two days of being hired, which creates a significant workload for us. So I suggested to Director Hao that those who pass the interview should first come to your haunted house to test their courage. If they’re afraid of the haunted house, then they don’t need to come to work.”
Zuo Si was taken aback; Lu Tao was introducing business to him. There was only one funeral home operating in the entire southern suburbs. The number of employees was not small, and if every new hire came to the haunted house to test their courage, that would be a significant client.
Zuo Si forced a smile and approached Hao Meili, politely extending his hand, “So it’s Director Hao, my apologies.”
Hao Meili remained calm and detached, withdrawing her hand as soon as it made contact with Zuo Si’s, “Don’t be too pleased just yet. I need to see your haunted house first before deciding whether to establish a partnership with you.”
“Not a problem, rest assured, I will definitely satisfy you. Would you like to go now, or…?”
“Let’s go in and take a look now. I’m quite busy.”
“Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll arrange for a few visitors to accompany you, so you won’t be too frightened.”
“Haha,” Hao Meili laughed, thinking to herself, “You think a mere haunted house can scare me? I’ve been a director for years; I’m not that easy to frighten.”
“No need for arrangements; I can accompany the director myself,” Lu Tao said, fearing that if Zuo Si brought too many people, the horror would dissipate entirely. He knew well how brave the director was. To scare her? It was nearly impossible—unless there were real ghosts inside.
“Count me in!” The middle-aged man who had been looking for trouble stepped forward, “Do you dare let me go? I guarantee I’ll clear it in ten minutes.”
“Not a problem!” Zuo Si agreed immediately. With that, the group was set—five in total, including that fraud, Xuan Yun.
“Clearing it like that is boring; let’s raise the stakes, shall we?” The middle-aged man grinned maliciously, seeing this as a great opportunity to make money. He didn’t believe a mere haunted house could scare him.
“What kind of bet do you have in mind?”
“If I clear it in ten minutes, you give me a thousand yuan! If I fail, I’ll give you a thousand bucks!”
“Deal, but ten minutes is definitely not enough.”
“What? Are you scared now?”
“No, no, no, I’m worried you won’t have enough time. I’ll give you an hour!”
“Hahaha!” The middle-aged man laughed, “That’s what you said.”
Zuo Si led the five of them to the buffer room to register their names. They were Hao Meili, Lu Tao, Wu Yaoyao, Xuan Yun, and the middle-aged man ‘Xue Wu.’
He pointed at the strategy guide on the wall and said, “This is the game introduction for our haunted house. You just need to find the doll in Operating Room No. 3 and exit through the exit to complete the challenge perfectly.”
“If you don’t get the doll, it counts as failing the challenge. If you really can’t stand the terrifying environment inside, you can shout for help, and I will come to rescue you at the first opportunity.”
“Hmph.” Xue Wu sneered, “You think we need you to save us? Let me tell you, even if there are real ghosts in your haunted house, I’ll beat them out!”
Hearing this, Xuan Yun thought Xue Wu was a competitor trying to steal his job and coldly replied, “As for catching ghosts, I’ll handle it myself, so there’s no need for you to worry.”
“Who the hell are you…” Just as Xue Wu finished speaking, Zuo Si opened the door to the terrifying scene.
Everyone’s gaze was drawn in. The dim light and chilling winds made everyone present shiver involuntarily, creating an illusion that the dark hospital corridor led straight to hell.
The ‘Screaming Hospital’ scene had finally welcomed its first batch of guests!