Chapter 81: Passenger Count ’29’, Bus Nearing Full Load
Supernatural Land.
The pale headlights cut through the darkness.
The bus doors closed.
The engine roared.
This strange bus continued its journey.
At this moment, inside the bus, a terrifying number appeared on the display screen showing the number of passengers inside.
’29’
On the bus, there were a full twenty-nine ghosts. Excluding the one ghost already on the bus, there were still twenty-eight ghosts.
Such a number of fierce ghosts, if the bus were to stall or be blocked by a ghost, would be no laughing matter.
The bus was about to reach its full load, with twenty-eight ghosts plus the five people inside, making a total of thirty-three passengers.
Add the one ghost already on the bus, making a total of thirty-four.
The bus had thirty-five seats, plus the driver’s position, making it thirty-six.
This meant that, unless a ghost got off at the next stop, and there was one ghost who got on before them.
Someone would have to leave their seat to make way for a ghost.
“Will… will we die on the bus?”
Zhang Liao, wrapped up tightly and with a pale complexion, looked around uneasily.
All the seats around him were filled with ghosts.
What does it feel like to be surrounded by ghosts?
It is startling, fearful, and unsettling.
He was afraid, truly afraid.
Not the kind of fear that makes your skin crawl from hearing a horror story.
He was trembling, his heart beating intensely one moment and slowly the next.
Lin Qian’s eyes flickered, the smell emanating from the fierce ghosts filled the entire bus cabin with a stench of decay.
The bus had currently passed seven stops, and there were eight more stops until his destination.
In eight stops, with the number of ghosts on the bus, it would absolutely reach its full capacity.
Lin Qian didn’t know what would happen once it was full.
But it would definitely be terrifying.
He just didn’t know if he, after controlling an S-class fierce ghost, was more terrifying.
But once it reached its full capacity, he might not be able to protect Zhang Liao and the others.
“I don’t know.”
Lin Qian answered Zhang Liao’s question.
Zhang Liao, who had narrowly escaped death, was now in greater danger.
Surviving on the bus was no less difficult than dealing with an S-class supernatural event.
It was entirely a gamble on luck.
If luck ran out, one could die in an instant.
At this moment, the three people in the back seat had extremely solemn expressions.
The horror in their eyes had been ongoing for a long time.
“With our luck, we might die on the bus.”
The young man said gravely.
The woman sat next to the young man, trying to stay as far away from the fierce ghost next to her as possible.
As the number of ghosts on the bus increased, she noticed that the bus’s suppression power over ghosts seemed to have decreased significantly.
The suppression was still there, but it wasn’t as terrifying.
This was not good news.
If the bus lost its suppression power, the ghosts inside would definitely riot and kill.
With so many ghosts, who knew how wicked their killing pattern would be?
“Now, we can either find a seemingly safe stop to get off, wait for the next time to deliver mail, and return to the Ghost Post Office.”
“Or, we can gamble on luck, and hope the bus doesn’t get full.”
“If we lose the gamble, we’ll be at the funeral; if we win, we live,” said the middle-aged man among the three with a deep expression.
“Ugh…”
“Both options are a gamble.”
“Are you sure that at the next mail delivery time, the Ghost Post Office will pick us up?”
“After all, this is a supernatural land.”
“Perhaps what we’ll be waiting for isn’t a pickup from the Ghost Post Office, but fierce ghosts invading to find us.”
“Moreover, the next mail delivery time is a full two months away.”
“To stay in this cursed place for two months…”
The woman said after a moment of silence, “We’ll die.”
The young man fell silent for a moment, “Neither choice is a very good one.”
“But, how should I put it, the second situation is slightly better.”
“Of course, only slightly better,” the young man said, his gaze falling on the young man in front.
“Our hope might be in that person.”
Hearing this, the other two’s hearts sank slightly.
That person was very strong, incredibly strong, far stronger than them.
They couldn’t withstand the bizarre wind and snow with their own strength and had to rely on supernatural items.
But that person didn’t need to, and even had time to save people.
“Perhaps.”
They had no relation to that person, so he wouldn’t possibly intervene to protect them.
They did not make a choice.
They were still observing.
The bus rumbled along the road.
The bizarre scenes on both sides, after looking for too long, didn’t make one numb, but rather more fearful.
After an unknown amount of time, the bus carrying a carload of fierce ghosts suddenly began to slow down.
Lin Qian looked up ahead, and the others did the same.
The bus was going to stop again, this time, three full hours had passed since the last stop.
The bus drove to the right and began to slow down.
Ahead was a desolate rice paddy.
There were no furrows in the rice paddy, just a plain.
By the roadside, a hunched-over old woman stood holding a wooden basket.
She slightly tilted her head, looking at the bus approaching them with its pale headlights.
The people on the bus also saw the old woman.
“Is it a ghost?” Zhang Liao asked weakly.
Lin Qian didn’t answer. The old woman waiting by the bus seemed a little familiar.
He was sure he hadn’t met this old woman before, but he might have heard of her.
But he wasn’t sure if it was who he thought it was.
“It seems another ghost is about to get on the bus,” the young man said, looking up at the bus display showing the passenger count.
’29’…
This terrifying number was like a knife at their throats, and with every increase, the knife dug deeper into their necks.
Sometimes it even went in several inches at once.
They hoped this ghost wouldn’t get on the bus, please don’t get on.
Under their hopes, the bus came to a complete stop.
The bus door opened, and a cold wind blew in, blowing away some of the stench inside the bus.
The old woman holding the wooden basket moved.
She walked towards the bus with legs that seemed to lack strength.
“It’s over, a ghost is getting on.”
“We’ll have to give up our seats,” the woman said powerlessly.
Lin Qian and Zhang Liao watched the old woman’s movements without blinking.
The old woman got on the bus.
When she got on the bus and saw the situation inside, she was clearly stunned for a moment.
Then, without hesitation, she turned to leave. At the same time, Lin Qian heard her mutter a sentence:
“These days, young people are really brave; the bus is full of ghosts, and they still dare to ride.”
It’s a living person!
Instantly, Lin Qian was certain who this old woman was.
“You get off the bus. Stick to that old woman like glue, no matter what, don’t let her drive you away.”
“How you do it is up to you.”
Hearing this, “What about you?”
“Do you think you and I are the same?”
Lin Qian said indifferently.
Zhang Liao understood and said, “Okay.”
He gritted his teeth, supported his weak body, picked up his schoolbag, and got off from the back door.
Lin Qian had told him that unless it was a special circumstance, he should never get off from the front.
The three people in the back, seeing that even an ordinary person like Zhang Liao was getting off, didn’t hesitate and followed him off.
They weren’t deaf, and Lin Qian hadn’t spoken to avoid them.
From what the other party said, it was clear that he knew the old woman.
When several people got off, there were suddenly four empty seats on the bus.
At the front door, the old woman paused slightly when she heard Lin Qian’s words. She turned back, stood at the bus doorway, and looked at Lin Qian.
“Young man, you know me?”
“I don’t, but you can definitely help them survive,” Lin Qian certainly couldn’t say he knew her.
Just kidding, he didn’t want to get involved with an old antique right now.
“Oh? How can you be so sure?” the old woman narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Have you ever seen an old person carrying a basket appear here?”
“Moreover, you know what kind of bus this is, which means you are definitely not an ordinary person.”
“This bus is likely to be filled with fierce ghosts, and there is only one seat available for people. If they four stay on the bus, they will die.”
“You wouldn’t want to watch them die like this, would you?”
The old woman fell silent. She really wished this young man would stop his peculiar remarks.
“Very clever. You are also gambling, but I don’t understand; if you know this bus is very dangerous, why aren’t you getting off?” the old woman asked.
“I have a reason to stay on,” Lin Qian replied.
At this moment, Zhang Liao and the other three had reached behind the old woman.
Their conversation was not hidden from anyone.
They all heard it.
The old woman looked at Lin Qian, pondered for a long time, and nodded, “The reason that makes you risk danger to stay on must be very important.”
“Although I know you asked them to get off for your own sake, you at least gave them a chance to live.”
“Young man, what is your name?”
Lin Qian’s face darkened, “Senior, that’s a bit unsportsmanlike of you.”
“Asking my name as soon as we meet, isn’t that rude?”
Good heavens, is she planning to record his name to scheme against him later?
Just kidding, he wouldn’t be that foolish.
His name had already been remembered by an old antique, and if another old antique remembered it, his future days would be more exciting than exciting.
“Cautious young man.”
The old woman shook her head, then reached into the wooden basket: “Young man, this ride is not easy to take.”
“Take this. I hope you can use it when the time comes.”
“Of course, it would be best if you don’t need to use it.”
An old and strange doll was taken out of the wooden basket by the old woman and thrown directly towards Lin Qian.
Lin Qian’s eyes brightened slightly, and he reached out to catch it.
“This is a good thing. How do I use it?”
The old woman found it strange. How could he call it a good thing without even knowing what it was?
What a strange young man.
“Drip blood on it, then pull out the nails. This thing can temporarily help defend against attacks from fierce ghosts.”
Hearing this, Lin Qian looked at the crudely made, hastily put-together doll and already knew what it was.
He was also more certain of the old woman’s identity.
“A good thing. Thank you.”
Lin Qian put it away directly.
“If there’s no blood, you can tie your own hair to it; that works too,” the old man suddenly added.
“Okay, I got it,” Lin Qian nodded.
“Young man, one last reminder: after mile thirty-five, if you see anyone waiting for a ride, you must get off.”
“Definitely!”
Rumble~!
The engine suddenly shuddered, and then the bus door slammed shut.
The bus started again, and the old man, with a calm expression, watched the young people inside the bus.
“After mile thirty-five, if you see anyone waiting for a ride, you must get off.”
Lin Qian looked at the few people outside the bus, watching them gradually walk away until they disappeared from sight before he retracted his gaze.
“Meng Xiaodong, Infinite Invasion.”
He patted the crudely made doll in his pocket. “Substitute Doll.”
Room 301, Meng Xiaodong, one of the Seven Elders of the Republic of China, ability: Infinite Invasion.
An almost unsolvable ability.
In Bai Shui Town, he alone almost defeated Yang Jian.
“Even she doesn’t dare to ride this bus, which means a full bus is an extremely terrifying event.”
“Even she would find it troublesome.”
What would happen after it’s full?
Lin Qian’s eyes flickered, a hint of curiosity in them.
“Senior… will he… will he survive?”
The weak Zhang Liao, watching the departing bus, was filled with worry.
“Who knows?”
“Let’s go. Since that person chose to have you follow me, he clearly trusts my abilities.”
“Then I shouldn’t let a young man down either.”
“Although I’ve been disappointed countless times already.”
The few people didn’t clearly hear the old man’s last sentence.
He looked at them, his gaze flickering slightly, and suddenly, she revealed a smile. “Well played, young man, well schemed.”
She stared at them; in her eyes, they all possessed a supernatural presence.
A special kind of supernatural presence.
Clearly, that kid didn’t have confidence in his own survival either.
Therefore, these people were his contingency plan.
“A smart kid, and a ruthless one too.”
The old man didn’t expose anything. She turned and led them toward the withered yellow rice paddy.
Their figures slowly disappeared into the rice paddy, their whereabouts unknown.
All kindness comes at a price.
It’s just that you don’t know the price.
The price is only known when it’s collected.
In this world, there is no kindness without reason.
Clearly, these people didn’t understand this principle.
“Also, seven more stops.”
Lin Qian looked ahead, stood up, went to the driver’s seat, and unceremoniously tossed the driver out before taking his place.
This is the safest seat on the bus; ghosts will never sit in this seat.
Because this seat has always been reserved for the ghost that has always been on the bus.
Ghosts can’t sit here, but that doesn’t mean people can’t.
Lin Qian sat in the driver’s seat, looking ahead. The road was clearly visible.
The pale headlights illuminated the road ahead, guiding the bus’s direction.
Reality.
Da Jiang City.
“Zhang Han, what’s this ghost’s killing pattern?”
After Wang Xiaoqiang helped Zhang Han re-detain the fierce ghost he had captured, he asked the golden coffin in front of him.
“I don’t know. I just endured its attack and captured it,” Zhang Han said, wiping the mud from his eyes.
Wang Xiaoqiang: “…”
Right, no wonder Lin Qian said their members were all reckless fighters.
Enduring a fierce ghost’s attack to capture it, what else could that be but recklessness?
“Next time you encounter a supernatural event, try not to endure it directly if possible. Sometimes, can you really be sure you can withstand one attack from a fierce ghost?”
Looking at Wang Xiaoqiang’s disappointed expression, Zhang Han felt a bit awkward. “I’ll be careful next time, I’ll be careful.”
Wang Xiaoqiang snorted and looked at the five additional coffins in the second warehouse.
“Five ghosts now. The weakest is B-class, and two of them possess ghost domains.”
“When Lin Qian returns, these ghosts can be pacified. Whether to control or trade them will be a good option.”
The supernatural events in Da Jiang City were being resolved. They contributed, and the rewards were naturally significant.
These ghosts were the biggest gains.
“Go check on Yu Lin’s situation. I remember he went to handle the matter of the ghost singing opera at the school.”
“There’s been no contact for so long, which means there’s definitely a supernatural event there.”
“I can’t go right now; I have to wait for Ye Feng to return. He’ll be here in another hour.”
Zhang Han nodded. “Okay.”
With that, he turned and walked directly out of the warehouse. His ghost domain activated, and he instantly vanished from the spot.
Wang Xiaoqiang watched Zhang Han use his ghost domain to travel and stroked his chin, thinking, whose organization was as extravagant as theirs, using ghost domains to travel?
Now, most of their club members who possessed ghost domains didn’t walk anymore; they just activated their ghost domains.
Even the lazy Ye Feng uses his ghost domain for distances as short as five or six meters.
No wonder, they weren’t afraid of fierce ghost revivals.
This was their confidence, their capital!
