Chad smirked, casting a dismissive glance at the other two.

  Having worked in the amusement park industry for decades, testing various rides was second nature to him.

  He'd been on countless haunted houses, roller coasters, and drop towers.

  Chad said with a slight smile, "Boss, you can hire me right now. No exaggeration, I've ridden more haunted houses and roller coasters than they've had hot meals."

  Kyle scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "You should check out my YouTube channel. See what I usually do. Free climbing skyscrapers, skateboarding on rooftops. Even Jackie Chan would have to bow down to us!"

  Cindy remained silent, only flashing a sweet smile that betrayed her thoughts.

  Mike and the other guys chuckled, exchanging hushed remarks.

  "These guys are pretty confident. They're gonna be in for a rude awakening!"

  "Haha... I can't wait to see victim +1!"

  "Shhh! Keep it down, don't scare them off. We won't have any fun!"

  Jake's lips curled into a faint smile. "Great, sounds like you're all pretty confident. Follow me."

  That familiar smile sent shivers down the spines of the three guys. They involuntarily stumbled backward, furtively eyeing Jake.

  Luckily for them, Jake's attention wasn't on them. He was leading the trio towards the Death Shack.

  "The first challenge you'll face is a haunted house called the Death Shack!"

  "Do you want to go in together, or one at a time?"

  Chad narrowed his eyes, a calculating glint in them, before adopting his most approachable smile. "Together's fine. If anything goes wrong with them, I can look out for them."

  Beneath his gentle exterior lay a shrewd mind.

  In the haunted house, he could calmly navigate the trials, even lend a hand to the two who would inevitably be terrified. This would definitely leave the boss with a good impression.

  "Please!," Kyle scoffed, flipping Chad the bird. "Who needs you to babysit? Look at your old, brittle bones, I might have to babysit you!"

  Cindy shook her head. "I hate it when people see me as a girl and assume I can't do anything, that I need help with everything! Plus, I love challenges, the wilder the better!"

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Jake ignored their bickering.

  In his book, skill was the only language spoken. This was best for everyone.

  Soon, Jake led the trio to the entrance of the Death Shack.

  "After you." Jake gestured.

  Chad cleared his throat, puffed out his chest, and strolled confidently ahead, pushing open the door.

  Not to be outdone, Kyle charged in second.

  Last in line, Cindy took a deep breath, her bright eyes ablaze with anticipation, radiating a captivating glow. She dove in expectantly.

  Once they were inside, Jake went into the control room to observe their performance through the monitors.

  "Creak."

  The ancient wooden door swung inward, revealing a world completely cut off from the outside, utterly primitive, appearing before them.

  Chad was stunned by what he saw, his eyes widening.

  "What...?"

  It was beyond belief!

  Having been in the amusement park industry for decades, visited countless haunted houses, and even helped build some himself,

  He had never seen such a magnificent set design!

  Even more importantly, everything before them—the towering trees, the undergrowth, the lake—all seemed flawlessly natural, devoid of any hint of human creation. It was as if they'd been transported to a primordial forest tens of thousands of years ago.

  The ancient atmosphere weighed heavily on them, making it hard to breathe.

  "Holy crap!" The guy behind him swore loudly.

  In that moment, he didn't feel like he was standing in the concrete jungle of a modern city, but rather in the heart of the world's largest rainforest, the Amazon.

  He felt like an insignificant speck of dust in the vastness of nature, needing to tread carefully with every step.

  Cindy was equally stunned by the scene.

  Unlike the other two, who felt dwarfed and insignificant,

  Cindy viewed each step as a new experience, a challenge, a glimpse into a brand-new world!

  She felt her blood surging with excitement, her face flushed with uncontainable glee, plainly visible in her eyes and expression!

  Cindy skipped ahead, quickly overtaking the dumbfounded Chad and Kyle.

  Snapping back to reality, Chad knew that this was no time for wonder. To stay, he had to perform! He picked up his pace and hurried to catch up.

  Kyle followed closely behind.

  Soon after stepping onto the bone-paved path, they quickly sensed something was amiss.

  Cindy knelt down, picked up a fragment of bone, and rubbed it gently between her fingers, asking the others, "Is this real or fake?"

  "Of course, it's a prop," Chad responded with a chuckle that quickly evaporated when he, too, picked up a fragment.

  He couldn't be certain if the fragment was real, but he knew it wasn't a prop.

  At least, none of the bone props he had ever handled felt this genuine!

  "This… feels real," Kyle said, his voice slightly anxious.

  Chad whipped around. "How can you tell it's real?"

  Kyle cleared his throat, paused to calm his nerves, and said slowly, "When we climb mountains or do other dangerous activities, sometimes we come across the remains of those who didn't make it. As respectfull climbers we take responsibility for moving these cadavers away from plain sight ."

  "The bones here feel exactly like the remains of those guys we moved.

  "

  Chad fell silent.

  "What about these?" Cindy's eyes lit up as she pointed to the desiccated bodies hanging from the trees. "Could those be real too?"

  Kyle didn't dare approach, keeping his distance as he looked at the shriveled bodies. "They look real!"

  "These are real!" Cindy's face had turned deathly pale with fear, but some unknown force was driving her on, pumping fear fighting power into her small body!

  She was like a natural-born adventurer, never considering retreat, but embracing every challenge!