That would really be beneficial to all parties.
Pei Qian scanned the entire list and randomly chose a couple of items that were neither expensive nor novel. “This blue jack-o’-lantern.
“This small, golden lantern.
“This… light-green lightstick. “I’ll also add this glowing headwear with little devil horns.”
Pei Qian chose one extremely cheap item from each of the four zones. Their prices ranged from five to fifty yuan.
The jack-o’-lantern was from the orange zone; the small, golden lantern from the blue; the light-green lightstick from the purple; and the glowing headwear with little devil horns from the wine-red.
Pei Qian had wanted to choose even cheaper items at first, such as postcards and small pendants. However, on further thought, while those things were cheap; they were also very universal in nature. Anybody could casually decide to buy them, and if too many people wanted them, Pei Qian would still be in trouble.
On the other hand, the four items that Pei Qian had chosen were neither here nor there. They were too low-quality to collect but too luxurious to be thrown away once they left the Thriller Hostel.
They would have a pretty good dissuading effect on consumers!
Chen Kangtuo and the other investors were evidently confused.
None of those things… were expensive!
Pei Qian had not chosen any of the more expensive and profitable things like the souvenirs from the blue zone and the custom-made costumes from the wine-red zone. Instead, he chose all the peripheral products with poor price-quality ratios that were just there to fill the shelves.
Of course, the Thriller Hostel’s logo had been printed on all of those products. However, one could not expect visitors to mindlessly buy those items just because of the logo, could they?
Still, since Boss Pei had already spoken, nobody dared to raise doubts. All of them kept the question marks buried at the bottom of their hearts.
Chen Kangtuo asked, “Er… Boss Pei, we won’t sell those items in the other zones, then, right?”
“Huh?” Pei Qian looked at him strangely. “You won’t? Why not? Of course, you still have to sell them.”
Chen Kangtuo opened his mouth, wanting to say something. Alas, he said nothing.
Obviously, that idea did not match the original intentions behind the mall’s design at all!
The golden zone was the hardest to locate. It should be selling high-value and unique products that would trigger visitors’ urge to buy. Now, all the items that Boss Pei had chosen were going to be sold in the four other zones, and none of them were of any sentimental value!
Yet, since Boss Pei had decided, Chen Kangtuo could not say much else. He silently took down notes.
“Alright, if you have no other questions, this is it for now.” Pei Qian was quite satisfied with everyone’s reaction.
Leaving the Golden Maze had not been that difficult. Everyone walked in random directions and managed to find a path that led to an exit. The entire process was very smooth. They did not even look at the map once. On the other hand, if they turned back and tried to trace their original footsteps back to the shop in the golden zone that they had been at, it would have been extremely difficult.
When they arrived back at the square, Pei Qian suddenly felt the urge to go to the washroom.
“Where is the restroom?” Pei Qian asked. Chen Kangtuo pointed in two directions and said, “There are public restrooms in both directions. There are also restrooms in the restaurants and hotels. Do you need me to lead the way?”
Pei Qian quickly waved his hand. “No, you can just wait for me here.”
It would have been embarrassing if Pei Qian asked for company to the washroom. Pei Qian took a moment to estimate the distance and found that both restrooms were equidistant from the square. That was to be expected. After all, restrooms would ordinarily be located by the sides and not in the middle of the square or beside the fountain.
Would visitors wash their hands at the fountain after releasing their urge to pee? It seemed very unlikely.
Pei Qian walked towards one of the restrooms. While he was at it, he checked how well they had been renovated, whether they had stayed true to the Tengda spirit or not, and whether visitors would have a good experience there or not.
As he watched Boss Pei walk away, Li Shi immediately turned to Chen Kangtuo and asked, “Why did Boss Pei decide to sell all of those things? It doesn’t seem appropriate!”
The other investors chimed in one by one. “That’s right, it would not be profitable!”
Obviously, everyone was concerned about this problem. After all, they all had a share in the income earned by the Golden Maze. Of course, the more that they earned, the better.
No one had mentioned this earlier, mainly because Boss Pei had been present. It would not have been good to discuss this in the open because that would have made their suspicions about Boss Pei’s plans very obvious.
Yet, Boss Pei was gone now. If they didn’t talk about it then, what else would they be waiting for?
Chen Kangtuo had many questions about this. He frowned as he tried to think of a solution and figure out Boss Pei’s deeper intentions using the Tengda Spirit.
“Boss Pei was the one who thought of the Golden Maze. He must know how important the golden zone is. Everything sold there must be very rare and valuable.
“Yet, he purposely chose common and worthless things!
“What did they all have in common…?”
Chen Kangtuo still had no idea, and he could do nothing but brainstorm. Turning to the investors, he said, “Do you think there’s anything in common between the goods that Boss Pei selected? If we can find a common characteristic, we’ll be able to move to the next step in our hypothesis.”
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
“They are all averagely priced? They’re neither expensive nor cheap?”
“They are all portable?”
“Er… they can all emit light?”
The investors took turns to chime in, but each guess seemed more ridiculous than the last.
All of a sudden, a light bulb switched on in Chen Kangtuo’s head. “That’s right! They’re all portable and can emit light!”
Li Shi looked confused. Clearly not understanding, he asked, “So… What does that mean?”
Chen Kangtuo excitedly said, “That means they can bring them into Thriller Hostel’s three projects, and they can be used as interactive props!
“Think about it carefully. Four of those objects emit light, but they have different shapes and colors. We can use them as props to divide the visitors even more finely.
“The blue jack-o’-lantern can help to distract the beasts.
“The golden lantern can help to drive most beasts away.
“The light-green lightstick can be used to attract the attention of surrounding monsters.
“The red headwear with little devil horns can be used to provoke monsters. All monsters would aim for it, creating the most terrifying experience!
“Wouldn’t that amount to a further division of the difficulty levels?
“Timid people could buy the golden lantern to enter the projects. Hardcore players who want to experience everything a second time could then take the lightstick or wear the headwear with little devil horns in.
“The higher the difficulty, the better the reward!
“What better way of making sales is there than tying the goods in with the main content?”
Li Shi pondered about this for a moment. “However, they don’t seem very unique, do they? Those four props can still be bought from the other zones.”
Smiling, Chen Kangtuo answered, “That’s the best design! If the four props could only be bought inside the golden zone, then all the players would fight to enter the golden zone. On one hand, it would be hard for us to control the crowd. On the other hand, it would cause the other zones to be deserted.
“If the other zones have less traffic, few
er goods would be sold. That would do nothing to boost our revenue.
“The current design leaves those props scattered in the other zones as well. If customers only seek one type of prop, they can purchase it from the other zones. If they want to obtain all four, they could either visit all four zones or get to the golden zone. That would still maintain the golden zone’s superior status.”
The investors finally understood.
So that was why!
When put this way, everything made much more sense.
Not only would the golden zone’s superior status be maintained, but customer traffic would not be taken away from the other zones as well. Items that would otherwise be difficult to sell had been made into props in the game. With a symbolic meaning, they would be much easier to sell.
What’s more, those props were neither cheap nor expensive. Most customers would be able to afford them, thus guaranteeing revenue…
Li Shi could not help but raise his thumb. “You really are a genius from the games department. Your hypothesis is perfect!”
Chen Kangtuo quickly said, “You flatter me. I was just doing my best to analyze Boss Pei’s intentions based on the hints that he dropped.”
On the surface, Chen Kangtuo looked humble. However, inside, he was extremely proud.
Once again, I have resolved Boss Pei’s difficult problem!
I’m so awesome!
The joy that comes from solving Boss Pei’s riddles is really addictive!
While everyone continued their discussions, Pei Qian returned. From afar, he sensed something amiss in the atmosphere.
When he left, everyone had looked troubled and burdened. However, a mere few minutes later, everyone was chatting and laughing as if all of their problems had dissipated!
Seeing that Pei Qian had returned, Li Shi held up his thumb again. “Bods Pei! The goods that you chose for the golden zone are perfect! I really respect you!” Pei Qian: “?”
He confirmed that something was indeed amiss. The situation had changed!
Boss Li was suddenly praising him for no reason. Everyone seemed to have misunderstood what he had said!
Then, Pei Qian turned to look at the proud Chen Kangtuo. At once, the ominous feeling in his gut intensified. “What have you figured out?” All the investors turned to look at Chen Kangtuo. After all, he had been the one to figure out Boss Pei’s intentions. No one else wanted to steal his credit.
Chen Kangtuo very arrogantly explained his hypothesis one more time.
“What do you think, Boss Pei? It’s pretty close to what you had been thinking, right?” At that moment, Chen Kangtuo looked like a student who had just scored full marks on an exam.
Pei Qian was so shocked that he did not know what to say.
In the time that I took to go to the restroom, you conjured up so many things in your head?!
Does this skill of yours activate without any warning?!
Back then, Pei Qian had put Chen Kangtuo in charge of the haunted house to get rid of him. That was because the latter had been working overtime in the games department too much, and Pei Qian had to get rid of him.
Pei Qian would never have thought that Chen Kangtuo would not rest after that. In fact, he became even stronger!
Scanning Boss Li, the other investors, and Chen Kangtuo; Pei Qian was sure that they had agreed to collude with one another in private.
No matter what, he could not allow them to do whatever they wanted anymore! He had to severely punish them! After a moment of silence, he said, “Chen Kangtuo.”
Grinning, Chen Kangtuo said, “Yes?”
Boss Pei looks so somber. Is he going to… reward me?
Pei Qian paused. “As the person-in-charge of Thriller Hostel, you should understand every detail of the Thriller Hostel before it opens for operations. That’s a reasonable and natural expectation, right? “You haven’t even experienced this place fully. How would you conquer the customers? “Before we open for business in a week, make sure that you experience every little corner of the Thriller Hostel. Pay special attention to the details in the second and third projects. You have to be so familiar with the entire process that you feel like you’re walking through your own backyard.”
Chen Kangtuo’s smile froze on his face.
Chapter 567 - Don’t Report Good News Twice!
Pei Qian could not help but feel good, looking at Chen Kangtuo’s helpless expression.
Who asked you to misinterpret what I meant? Go reflect on yourself in the haunted house!
Chen Kangtuo might know more about the haunted house than tourists as the designer, but that did not mean that he was not afraid.
It was just like Outlast 2, where the designer of Outlast 2 personally tried it and was so scared that he dropped the controller on the spot.
Of course, some designers were so well-versed in the game machines, playing horror scenes as though they were nothing. However, they were exceptional talents.
Ordinary people would be scared sh*tless.
Would someone not be afraid to enter the haunted house even if they gave that person the diagram of the haunted house, mark out all the scary places, and make the person memorize them all?
At the very most, the person would be prepared psychologically, and the degree of fear would be reduced. However, it was impossible to be not afraid.
Visual effects, auditory effects, and various psychological cues… even if someone was psychologically prepared, it was still difficult for their psychological defenses to keep up when they were truly immersed in it.
Of course, it was another matter altogether if it was a gifted person who had no sense of fear.
However, Chen Kangtuo was obviously not such a gifted person. His current expression was enough proof. Chen Kangtuo’s expression changed from blank to stunned, to shock, and then collapse after hearing Boss Pei say that in an indifferent tone.
Are you trying to kill me, Boss Pei?!
The haunted house that Chen Kangtuo designed himself and customized it in his own style. He checked the semi-finished product during construction so he knew how terrifying it really was.
In fact, he never went in again after the third project of the Thriller Hostel was completed even though there was no staff acting as ghosts.
It was enough to scare people to death just by walking around in this environment!
But what did Boss Pei say just now? He wanted him to go through every single detail?
It was not something that could be completed by sheer willpower at all!
However, Pei Qian did not give Chen Kangtuo a chance to protest. He waved dismissively and continued. “Alright, continue the visit.”
Chen Kangtuo had no choice but to continue leading everyone on the visit.
Industries such as the restaurants and hotels invested in by the investors were explained by the corresponding investors.
In addition, it also included some other reports, including the recruitment of staff required to maintain the entire operation of the Thriller Hostel.
This haunted house was neither big nor small, but it still required waiters, ticketing agents, cleaners, equipment maintenance, make-up artists, prop artists, and staff acting as ghosts.
Especially the staff acting as ghosts. They had been recruited a long time back and had been undergoing training. It was not only physical labor but also a technical job. If they were too far away from the tourists, the tourists would not be scared at all because it would be pitch-black and would not achieve any effect.
Be too near to tourists, and it might stimulate some stressful behaviors which may cause them to be injured by tourists easily.
Appearing too sudden and really giving the tourists a huge scare was a huge no-no as well.
In short, these groups of people must know how to play with different mentalities to scare different tourists to achieve the best results.
At the same time, these people had to know where the emergency exits of the haunted house very clearly, guide the
tourists to leave if necessary. They must even master certain first-aid knowledge.
All in all, the goal of the training was to allow the staff to gradually and moderately frighten tourists, on the premises of protecting themselves so that the entire haunted house could operate normally.
Chen Kangtuo suggested: “Then, everyone, would you like to visit the three projects of the haunted house and give some suggestions?”
Pei Qian laughed. “No need.”
Trying to fool me into going to the haunted house? Impossible!
Pei Qian was very relaxed now. His only concern was for the Golden Maze to be profitable. As for the Thriller Hostel… it was far from being the project that he needed to worry the most.
First, the fees were low, and there was a limit to its capacity. Therefore, it would not make much money even if it was full every day.
As for the second and third projects, there would certainly be not many people to play it if it weren’t scary. He could also use it to deal with his smaller enemies if it was very scary.
Therefore, he would not be making a loss either way!
Pei Qian’s attitude was very clear. Say all you want, but I would definitely not go to the haunted house. I’m a noble person with high-end taste. I’m busy at work and do not have time to experience such simple and crude entertainment.
Chen Kangtuo looked at the other investors. “Then, what about everyone else…?”
“No need!” Boss Li replied hurriedly.
“Brother Chen, don’t get me wrong, it is not that we don’t trust you. It’s exactly the opposite. We trust you so much that we dare not go in. Our old bones are not suited for such excitement.” Chen Kangtuo. “…”
Great, no one was willing to go in. This means that only I would be the one ‘experiencing it to the fullest’ right?
No one was willing to experience the Thriller Hostel project after going one big round. Just let it go.
The investors were very happy. The problem of the Golden Maze had been solved, and the chances of this project making money were greatly increased after all.
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