Is It Too Late to Change Now

After walking just a few steps, two young men with beaming smiles came out from inside the main gate to greet them.

Judging by their attire, the two were likely staff members here.

Seeing a group of guests arrive, the two immediately welcomed them with smiles.

"Welcome, guests! Hello everyone. May I ask how many are in your party, ladies and gentlemen?"

"Twelve~"

"Ah, perfect. May I ask where you heard about our place?" one of the staff members inquired.

"We asked around in the old town, and people said your place is really thrilling," Ji Bo said with a laugh.

"Haha, that's right. The reason we chose to renovate an escape room in such a remote location is precisely to create that intense, terrifying atmosphere."

"Please, come in~"

The two staff members led the group inside.

Past the main gate was a spacious open area, almost devoid of decoration—it was essentially a patch of wasteland.

About five or six meters away stood the main entrance to the factory's first floor. Part of the exterior wall on the first floor had been completely replaced with large floor-to-ceiling windows.

Looking inside from outside, the building's interior was brightly lit and normally decorated, creating a stark contrast with the external environment.

Everyone followed the staff into the reception hall on the first floor.

Once inside, Su Yang took a careful look around. The room was quite wide, roughly two hundred square meters.

The interior decoration was similar to most escape room venues, primarily using various woods and stones as main materials. The walls, built from gray bricks, were hung with many customer photos and some thematic posters from the shop.

Directly facing the main entrance was a wooden front desk, behind which stood two long-haired women in work uniforms.

A few meters to the right of the front desk was a waiting area that could accommodate thirty or forty people. A long table held many board game cards for guests to pass the time while waiting.

Currently, more than ten young men and women were sitting in the waiting area, along with a staff member explaining the rules.

This group was likely also guests about to enter the escape room.

The staff then brought Su Yang's group to the waiting area to be seated.

After they sat down, the two women from behind the front desk came over. One carried twelve cups of drinks, while the other brought some fresh fruit, walking towards Su Yang and the others.

Approaching, they placed the items on the table and said with a smile, "Ladies and gentlemen, please relax for a moment and have a drink. Did you make a reservation through Tuan Tuan?"

Ji Bo shook his head. "No, we came directly."

"Oh, I see. Please have a seat for a moment. I'll go get a tablet for you to choose a theme."

"Okay," several of them replied.

After the two left, everyone started chatting.

A minute later, the woman who had brought the drinks returned with a tablet.

She walked over, sat down in front of them, and began introducing some basic information about their shop.

The total area, combining indoor and outdoor spaces, was eighty-two hundred square meters. Apart from this massive abandoned factory building, parts of the surrounding area and the wasteland hill behind it also fell within the escape room's scope.

Hundreds of hidden speakers were set up throughout the area to create a terrifying atmosphere, along with movie-set-level scenery, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the most thrilling horror adventure.

After giving Su Yang and the others a general introduction, the woman opened the tablet, placed it on the table in front of everyone, and began explaining the various game themes.

Looking at the horror posters on the tablet, Chen Chen asked, "Miss, are all your themes horror ones?"

Yes, our specialty here is horror escape rooms.

Is there a theme that's slightly less scary?

"Yes, we have. Our horror levels are categorized as: Mildly scary, Moderately scary, Highly scary, and Extremely scary. However, our simplest 'Mildly scary' level is probably equivalent to the 'Moderately scary' level at other escape rooms."

Hearing this, Ji Bo laughed. "It's fine. No matter how scary it is, it's all just NPCs acting, plus some eerie music to set the mood. If we're here to play, we should go for the 'Extremely Scary' level. Other levels like 'Mildly Scary' aren't interesting."

The staff member smiled slightly. "If you all often play this kind of immersive escape room, I'd actually suggest choosing the 'Highly Scary' or 'Extremely Scary' levels for a better and more exciting experience."

“But if this is your first time playing, I still recommend choosing a less scary level, like 'Mildly Scary.' Otherwise, once you go in, you won't be able to change it.”

Ji Bo looked at the group and asked, "So, how about we choose a 'Highly Scary' one? What do you think?"

Su Yang shrugged indifferently. "I'm fine with anything. Let's see what the girls prefer."

Ren Lingxi, resting her chin on her hand while eating fruit, said, "I'm fine with anything too. Anyway, any level of horror is the same for me—I'll be scared regardless~"

Hearing this, Su Yang chuckled. "I thought you weren't afraid."

I am afraid! I don't even dare to watch horror movies.

"And yet you dare to play this?"

“Being afraid is one thing, but the excitement during the exploration process is pretty enjoyable too, hehe.”

Then, Wang Shuyue thought for a moment and said, "But this young lady said their simplest 'Mildly Scary' level is already as scary as other places' 'Moderately Scary.' How about we just choose a 'Mildly Scary' theme~"

Chen Chen raised her hand. "I agree~"

After discussing among themselves, Zhang Jie and Du Wenli said, "The two of us would like to choose 'Moderately Scary.'"

With differing opinions, they discussed a bit more and finally settled on 'Moderately scary.'

Seeing they had decided on the horror level, the staff member swiped the tablet and said with a smile, "Then, ladies and gentlemen, you can now choose a specific theme."

They looked down at the tablet as the staff member swiped and introduced.

There were four themes at the 'Moderately Scary' level. The first was called "The Abandoned Village," with an estimated playtime of four hours and a minimum requirement of ten players.

The second was called "Night of the Returning Spirit," estimated at five hours, needing at least eight players. The third was called "Dormitory 808," estimated at four and a half hours, requiring a minimum of twelve players.

The last one was called "The Red Bride," taking about six hours with a minimum requirement of ten players.

They met the requirements for all four themes. However, just by hearing the names, none of these themes sounded anything but frightening, and they were all quite lengthy.

After briefly introducing each of the four themes in turn, the staff member looked at the slightly dazed group and asked, "Has anyone made a choice they like?"

"Whew~ These are all Chinese-themed, right?" Zhang Ziming asked, letting out a breath.

That's correct. Our shop specializes in Chinese-style horror.

"Why do I already feel a bit uneasy even before going in?" Zhang Ziming said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Liu Bo gave him a sideways glance. "Come on, man, in front of so many beauties, you need to show some masculine courage. How can you be 'not up for it' even before going in?"

"Pfft~" As soon as Liu Bo finished speaking, the three girls—Zhang Jie, Wang Shuyue, and Chen Chen—covered their mouths and laughed.

Zhang Ziming frowned slightly, feeling there was something off about that remark. Two seconds later, it suddenly clicked. He stood up and slapped Liu Bo's shoulder. "Darn it! You're the one who's not up for it!"

After a few minutes of discussion and laughter, they finally settled on the "Deserted Village" theme, which at least sounded less terrifying by name and was also the one with the shortest estimated duration.

After confirming their choice, the staff member picked up a tablet and said, "Alright, please wait a moment. I'll be back shortly to explain the rules, then take you all to change clothes before heading to the escape room."

"Do we need to change clothes?"

"Yes, you do."

"Alright then."

The staff member nodded with a smile and turned to leave.

"The Deserted Village should probably be a bit better than the other three, right?" Zhang Jie spoke up.

Su Yang shook his head, "Not necessarily. All four themes are the same difficulty level. This Deserted Village might actually turn out to be the scariest."

"Ah? Really?"

"Brother Yang, what makes you say that?"

"It's just a guess, might not be true. The name sounds less scary, but that could just be a smokescreen. Also, judging by the name, it probably isn't just indoors; there might be an outdoor section as well."

"Outside?"

"Otherwise, why would it be called a 'Deserted Village'? There's got to be an environment resembling a village."

"Whoa... playing outside at this hour?"

"Is it too late to change our choice now?"

......