"This is the lamest haunted house I’ve ever seen."

"Props are so fake. I walked through the whole place—didn’t even get scared. Almost laughed."

"I’m a materialist—nothing scares me!"

"Told you it’d suck. We’re better off gaming in the dorm. My Kun’s already level 80."

At the entrance of Xijiao District’s Fright House in Hanjiang City, a group of students on shared bikes rode off without a backward glance.

Chen Ge, holding a stack of promotional flyers, watched them go with a helpless sigh.

Scaring people was an art, but modern kids had been desensitized by horror movies. Ghost houses? To them, it was like visiting a backyard.

"Boss!"

A clear, feminine voice called from behind. Chen Ge turned to see Xu Wan—a petite "zombie" in a nurse’s uniform—storming out of the attraction, her pigtails bouncing.

"What’s up, Wanwan?" Xu Wan was one of the temporary actors at the Fright House.

"Those jerks tried to hit on me!" She gritted her teeth, fists clenched.

Ah, a complaint.

"That’s terrible. They didn’t even spare a zombie?" As the boss, Chen Ge sided with her. "I’ll report it to the park manager. Check the surveillance."

"No need for that." Xu Wan flicked the bloodstain on her nurse’s uniform sleeve—"Not makeup, by the way."

"Right. Girls should always protect themselves." Chen Ge wiped sweat from his forehead, glancing at the setting sun. "Let’s call it a day. Probably no more visitors today. Tell the others to clock out early."

The zombie girl didn’t move.

"Something else?"

"Boss…" Xu Wan hesitated, pulling a letter from her pocket. "This is Tao Ming and Wei’s resignation letters. They felt bad telling you in person, so they asked me to pass them."

"They’re leaving?" Chen Ge froze, taking the envelope. "Everyone has their own path. You should head off too."

"Mmh. I’ll go remove my makeup."

Watching the cute little "zombie" skip away, Chen Ge lit a cigarette.

Half a year ago, his parents had vanished without a trace—leaving behind this haunted house.

To keep their memory alive, he’d quit his job and poured his heart into running it, determined to make it better.

But times had changed. The ghost house industry was competitive, niche, and riddled with limitations.

Same scare tactics? Visitors had seen it all before. Renovations cost money—he couldn’t afford constant overhauls.

For weeks now, revenue hadn’t even covered utilities. The water and electricity bills alone were eating him alive.

"How much longer can I hold on?"

He stubbed out the cigarette and turned to return to the attraction. A middle-aged man in a New Century Park uniform blocked his path.

Chen Ge froze—this guy was worse than a ghost.

"Pretending not to see me?" The man grabbed his shoulder. "We need to settle this. You owe two months of utilities and rent. Management’s been on my case nonstop."

"Uncle Xu, I— I just need another month. Business is slow right now."

"Last month, you said the same thing."

"This time’s different. I swear!" Chen Ge puffed his chest, trying to look sincere.

"The ghost house biz is dying. No one’s coming." Uncle Xu glanced at the resignation letters, his grip loosening. "You’re young—you could do anything. Why torture yourself?"

"I get you’re looking out for me, but this place… it’s my parents’ legacy." Chen Ge’s voice dropped, like he didn’t want anyone to hear.

Uncle Xu knew the story—he’d worked here for years. He sighed, softening. "I get it. I’ll try to stall them a few more weeks."

"Thank you, Uncle Xu!"

"Don’t thank me. Get those tickets sold."

Alone again, Chen Ge headed back inside, ticking off tasks in his head: check props, fix the blood pump, repair the crooked hallway to block sightlines… Wait—the decorative lamp was gone? Stolen?

Running a ghost house wasn’t glamorous. Outsiders saw a "creative entrepreneur," but the reality was endless grunt work: stitching torn mannequins, repainting, patching up props.

"Almost out of fake blood. Gotta restock the attic."

The third floor of the Fright House was a cluttered storage space, crammed with old equipment from his parents’ era. Chen Ge rarely came up here—it brought back too many memories.

"One year already…"

He ran a hand over dusty props, childhood flashes flooding in. His parents had traveled city to city with a mobile ghost house. When they were busy, they’d leave him backstage with the monsters. By the time other kids were playing with alphabet blocks, he was chasing headless mannequins.

No wonder he wasn’t scared of anything.

"These are all memories…"

He wandered to a wooden crate holding his parents’ belongings: a crude cloth doll (his first childhood toy) and a pitch-black phone he’d never seen before.

The police had found these in an abandoned hospital on the city outskirts. No one knew why his parents had gone there that night.

"It’s been so long… Where are you?" Chen Ge held the doll, its stitched face soft under his touch. "I should grab more fake blood. If business doesn’t pick up, I might have to close."

He mumbled, but as he spoke, the once-silent black phone flickered to life, casting a pale, icy glow.

"Weird. Some kind of tech? Paranormal activity?"

Most people would’ve panicked. Chen Ge just squinted, checking.

"This phone never worked before. Why’s it on now? It was from the hospital where my parents vanished… Did they send it? To tell me they’re okay?"

His thumb swiped. The screen loaded—an app icon: a pixelated version of the Fright House’s entrance.

"Creepy. But familiar…"

He tapped it. Blood-red text flashed: Do you believe in ghosts?

A philosophical question. For a STEM guy like Chen Ge, it was tricky.

"Probably…"

He selected "Yes." Seconds later, new text appeared: Your belief is the key. From this moment, you inherit the Fright House. Congratulations? Not quite. Final tip: Suicide is for cowards. Fight to live.

"Weirdly dad-like…"

Chen Ge reopened the app. A new interface loaded:

​​Hanjiang Xijiao District Fright House​​
Status: On the Brink of Collapse
Rating: N/A
Today’s Visitors: 4
Monthly Visitors: 10
Ghost Crew: 0
Props: 0
Unlocked Achievements: 0

Available Scenarios:

• ​​Zombie Night Revival​​ (Terrible props, awful actors, zero story. Scream Rating: None)

Upcoming Scenarios:

• ​​Midnight Escape​​ (A deranged patient with scissors and a hammer stalks your hotel room. Scream Rating: ★)
• ​​Ward 3​​ (A haunted hospital hums with strange sounds at night. You’re a reporter investigating. Scream Rating: ★★)
• ​​Death Hearse​​ (A ghost hearse is speeding toward eternity. Escape in 60 minutes… or stay forever. Scream Rating: ★★)

Daily Quests: Complete tasks for rewards and unlock new scenarios.

Expansion Requirement: Reach 100 monthly visitors + 60% positive rating (3 expansions unlock "Thrill Labyrinth").

Horror Wheel of Fortune: Spend "fear points" to spin. Win a longevity elixir… or a vengeful spirit.

Other Features: Locked.