Chapter 575 - Boss Pei’s Friends are My Friends! (1/2)

Chapter 575 Boss Pei’s Friends are My Friends!

Qiao Liang was dragged by everyone else to the Haunted House Nightmare.

“Hurry! Whoever becomes paralyzed with fear is a loser!”

“Old Qiao, weren’t you the best in Be Quiet? Quickly, you’ll be the first to go in!”

“Look, it’s even written on the flyer: Haunted House Nightmare is considered moderate horror. It’s not the scariest item in this haunted house…”

Everyone tried to bluff Teacher Qiao into going in to experience the project.

Qiao Liang was slowly being convinced as well.

That’s right, it’s indeed written that the Haunted House Nightmare is considered moderate horror. What’s more, it looked quite short. It shouldn’t be that scary, right?

However, just as he prepared to walk forward, he saw a strong, muscular man walking out with his face looking as white as a sheet. In fact, he looked like he was going to pass out at any time.

The few girls who just exited were crying miserably. All of their make-up was messed up.

“That’s so scary!”

“I’m traumatized… boohoo!”

“We even had to memorize the steps of the game. Why didn’t they just kill me first?!” The few visitors who came out of that project had no plans to visit the Ultimate Horror. Instead, they either headed for the Golden Maze or for the Desperate Escape. It looked as if they did not want to spend another second in that place.

At that moment, Qiao Liang keenly realized that something was amiss.

That was horrifying! That was definitely not f*cking moderate horror!

However, on further thought, that made sense. To Boss Pei, Repent and be Saved was just a slightly more difficult game. One only needed to think a bit harder to figure out what ‘moderate horror’ meant to him.

This time, apart from Qiao Liang, some fans who had been eager before started to walk backward.

“Why don’t we… go and line up for the Desperate Escape? If we get in line now, we can play it earlier.”

“You’re not already paralyzed with fear, are you? We haven’t even walked in! It would be so shameful to tell others about it!”

“Hehe, if you don’t court death, you wouldn’t die. Why is that so hard to understand this truth?”

“The excuse that ‘we’re already here’ is the world’s biggest misconception! I’m not going to fall for that trick. Not every experience is worth going through…”

The group was getting divided.

When a group of friends who went to an amusement park together, a portion of the group would always back out at the entrance to the haunted house. To be precise, it would not only be because of their fear, but it would also be because they knew better than anyone else just how afraid they would become. “Hey… are you in line?” A voice asked.

As Qiao Liang and his group of fans hesitated, they hovered around the start of the line. As a result, the people who arrived subsequently had no idea if they were entering or not. Thus, they had no choice but to seek clarification.

Qiao Liang turned around to see an energetic lad with a crew cut, staring at them with a smile.

“Ah, sorry about that. Please go ahead first,” said Qiao Liang and his fans as they made way for the visitors.

The energetic lad did not go inside immediately. Instead, he tentatively asked, “Are you… Teacher Qiao?”

Qiao Liang paused. Eh? I can still meet fans in such a place?

However, it seemed to make sense when he thought about it properly. Most of the first batch of visitors to Thriller Hostel were hardcore fans of Tengda. Since they were hardcore fans, it was normal for them to have watched the Products of the Gods series.

“That’s right, that’s right. I am Qiao Liang. Have you watched my videos?”

The energetic lad looked excited. “That’s right! I have, and I liked them a lot! Your voice is very special. I just tried my luck, but I didn’t think you would really be him! Let me introduce myself. My surname is Ruan, and my name is Ruan Guangjian. I worked on the art for Repent and be Saved.”

Qiao Liang’s eyes widened.

Ruan Guangjian?

He had not just worked on the art for Repent and be Saved, but he had also worked on the art for games like Ghost General, Game Designer, Be Quiet, and GOG!

He was Boss Pei’s business partner and close friend.

Boss Pei’s friends are my friends, right? “What an honor to meet you!” Both men shook hands affectionately, looking like they had waited a long time to meet each other. They had already heard of each other a long time ago. Now that they had met, they both realized that each lived up to his reputation!

Qiao Liang sized Ruan Guangjian up and discovered that he was younger than he had expected. What’s more, he looked unassuming, and he looked nothing like a traditional artist. Yet, Ruan Guangjian could still sense the fact that this man had spent years immersed in the art industry.

On the other hand, Ruan Guangjian felt thatalthough Qiao Liang looked average, slightly plump, and like an ordinary geek; his eyes seemed to contain a lot of wisdom.

After exchanging a couple of pleasantries, Ruan Guangjian suggested, “I’m actually very cowardly myself. Before I came here, I had to fight with my own thoughts. Why don’t we partner up and go in together?” Qiao Liang looked half doubtful. “Are you being serious?”

Ruan Guangjian nodded. “I am. I’m known for being afraid of haunted houses. Even Boss Pei knows that.”

Confused, one of the fans asked, “Huh? If you’re so cowardly, why do you still want to go in?”

Ruan Guangjian looked like he was facing death with equanimity. “True warriors have to take on the challenge! As a friend of Boss Pei’s, I have to show him my support!”

Ruan Guangjian looked like a hero going into battle, prepared not to return alive.

Everyone carefully observed his expression and concluded that he did not seem to be lying. In fact, he looked very serious. That fearless spirit infected Qiao Liang and the other fans.

At once, Qiao Liang felt ashamed. Qiao Liang, Qiao Liang… don’t you always call yourself a hardcore player? Don’t you always claim to be the person who knows Boss Pei the best?

Look at him! He’s a painter who dares to challenge himself by entering the haunted house. How can you be paralyzed with fear?

Where are the grit that you had when you completed Repent and be Saved and the courage that you had when you published another video in the Products of the Gods channel?

At that thought, Qiao Liang became impassioned. “Alright! Since that’s the case, I will sacrifice my life to accompany you. Let’s go and take on the challenge that Boss Pei has designed for us together!” For some reason, Ruan Guangjian’s participation gave the entire group more confidence. Thus, everyone entered the Haunted House Nightmare’s factory.

Qiao Liang walked right in front. As a hardcore gamer, he had to take the lead. The first thing that he saw was a lot of mysterious containers. As for what exactly they contained, he was not sure.

The staff seemed to have gotten used to visitors like them, who were chatting and laughing. They neither tried to discourage them or encourage them. Instead, they silently handed the details of the game to each person and then smiled knowingly.

That smile could make anyone’s hair stand.

There was a resting area at the side. Confused, everyone brought their instructions there and sat down.

“Ah!”

A loud scream was heard, and a girl ran out from the exit at the back of a shipping container.

Everyone exchanged confused looks. Qiao Liang carefully read the instructions in his hand and realized that ‘Haunted House Nightmare’ had been split into multiple smaller projects. They included bathrooms, window sides, TV sets, stairs, ceilings, underneath beds, and the like.

There was a mission description for every small project. For example, in the bathroom, one had to lock the bathroom door, light up candles, blindfold themselves, wash their hands, and so on.

Those steps were not mandatory. Visitors could go in, do nothing, and then come back out. However, to get the admission ticket to Ultimate Horror, they had to follow the mission instructions and complete Haunted House Nightmare.

The more Qiao Liang read, the more afraid he became.

It was not because it was difficult to remember. In fact, although there were different items, they were all connected and ordered. He was sure that he would be able to recall the instructions easily once he saw the scene and the props.

Instead, he was mainly afraid because he did not think he would be able to follow through the steps!