“They say that deep in the night, a bus bound for the unknown—a place that doesn’t exist in the real world—will appear. It only comes out when the night is still, traveling from place to place. If a living person happens to get on…”
“What the hell? People still tell that same tired old story these days?”
A young blond man who had just walked out of a bar had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he looked disdainfully at the “Daily Featured Recommendations” on his phone.
Aside from a few borderline lewd posts, the rest were pretty much these kinds of curiosity-driven ghost stories.
But…
Wasn’t this kind of cliché ghost story getting a little boring? How had it even made the daily recommendations?
Looks like more and more people were getting paid to do nothing. Operations had become exactly what Ye Cheng had always wanted it to be…a bunch of parasites within the system, living off everyone else while waiting to die.
Other departments actually had plenty to worry about, like content review and editing… They only had to review submissions late at night, study seriously, read, and catch people.
Operations, on the other hand, had so much more to consider. For example, should they use the same old methods, or move the mouse around and pretend they were introducing a new operational strategy when in reality they were just following the same old routine…
It was really difficult, okay? Moving the mouse around and all that…
Who was coasting to an easy win was obvious, wasn’t it?
“What an idiot.” The young blond man cursed, put his phone away, and prepared to continue waiting for the bus.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine came from the end of the road, not far away. The blond man’s heart leaped with joy. He turned toward the sound and saw a dark-red bus—looking as though it had rusted over—coming down the road.
It was moving incredibly fast.
The driver sitting behind the wheel was deathly pale. His face was covered in wounds and partially dried blood, with what looked like clotted scabs still hanging from his skin.
He looked more than a little horrifying.
Blondie: “???”
What was going on?
The blond man immediately thought of the little horror post about the late-night bus that he had just read. His heart gave a jolt, and his expression turned ugly.
“No way, right? It has to be a coincidence, right?”
He swallowed hard and summoned his courage to keep watching. It was already late at night, and this section of road was fairly remote. If he missed a bus, he would have to wait a long time for the next one.
He might as well take another look.
But…
Was it just his imagination, or had he never seen this bus before?
That couldn’t be. This was a bus-only lane. Surely no private car would dare drive down it.
Besides, what would a private car even be doing here?
Fortunately, while the blond man was hesitating in fear, several other young people arrived and began waiting for the bus nearby. They chatted and laughed, and their presence eased his fear considerably.
With more people around, he felt much braver!
At that thought, the tension in the blond man’s chest finally relaxed…
Pshhhhh—
The bus began to slow down, releasing air with a grating hiss, like the sound of worn-out parts on an ancient, poorly maintained vehicle. It stopped, all right, but…the doors didn’t open.
A gust of wind blew past. Then a figure so fast that no one could see it clearly flew out through one of the bus’s open windows…and vanished.
At that moment, everyone seemed to drop a frame, freezing for a brief instant as if they had all been seeing things.
“Did you guys see that just now? It looked like…something came out of the bus.”
“I…I saw it too. I thought it was just a hallucination from too much stress working the night shift…”
“Man…I saw it too… Could we have run into something supernatural?”
“Let’s go over and take a look!”
Anyone who had watched a horror movie knew that this classic scene always required the appearance of an idea guy. By sheer coincidence, one had randomly spawned among them.
A group of them gathered their courage and headed toward the bus parked nearby. After hesitating for a moment, the blond man followed as well, walking at the very back of the group.
While he was at it…he also turned on his phone’s recording function.
“Why is the door closed? It won’t budge… Wait, no, there seems to be someone inside!”
“Well, obviously. If there were no one inside, that would be even scarier, wouldn’t it?”
“Look! Something’s wrong with the driver!”
It didn’t take long for them to discover the strange and abnormal details.
First of all…this bus wasn’t listed at any of the bus stops. It was an unfamiliar vehicle that had no business appearing here at all!
Secondly…the driver looked a little too much like he was “dead.”
His head hung low, his eyes were dull, and both hands were clamped tightly around the steering wheel, frozen in the posture of someone driving…
He looked exactly like a walking corpse!
Everyone: “???”
“Holy crap, is he for real? Why does he look dead?”
“What do you mean, ‘look dead’? He is dead! With a face that pale, how could he be anything else?”
“Jeez…could this really be that bus from the urban legend? I remember it was supposed to be in Dajing City. When did it show up in Dahai City too?”
The group began chattering among themselves. They were scared, but not completely scared. They were frightened, but not completely terrified.
Perhaps that was the courage that came from having strength in numbers.
“Look! There are passengers inside too! Half the seats are occupied!”
Someone discovered yet another abnormality and pointed toward the back half of the bus, shouting loudly. Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn over.
Sure enough, several figures could be seen sitting in the window seats toward the rear of the bus. Looking closely, they were all sitting in exactly the same posture as the driver!
The entire bus was eerily quiet, without making the slightest sound…
The excitement gradually vanished from everyone’s faces, replaced by ugly expressions.
Could it…actually be real?
Gulp.
Someone swallowed. In the oppressive silence, the sound was exceptionally clear, completely igniting the atmosphere of terror and sending it spreading through the group once more…
Everyone took a step back in unison, wanting to put as much distance as possible between themselves and this place.
They weren’t idiots. There was nothing wrong with watching the excitement, but only if they could guarantee their own safety…
Otherwise, if the spectacle turned around and ate them, they wouldn’t even have a place to cry.
“Maybe…we should just leave?”
“Yeah. I just remembered that I left something at the factory. Let’s go back and get it…”
“Don’t you guys think this is a great opportunity?”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone’s eyes locked onto the person who had said them.
Yep…he was definitely the idea guy.
A moment later.
The idea guy and his companions hoisted him into the air. They were about to throw him into the bus—through the only opening it currently had, naturally: the window.
“Actually, I was just joking. Can you put me down?”
The idea guy changed his tune instantly.
It was always like this. Until the fist landed on their own face, people never knew how much it hurt. They always wanted to stand around and watch the show.
But now look at him. He couldn’t laugh anymore, could he?
Heh heh, not heh heh…
Sure, sure, we can put you down, brother. But next time you say something like that, remember to say it sooner. Because now…it’s too late!
Thud!
And so, the idea guy was tossed into the bus. The moment he landed inside, he was hit by an oppressive chill and darkness. When he fell, he felt like he had landed on… something.
It was cold and icy… Was it a hand?
The idea guy looked up and saw a deathly pale face staring straight at him. Its pupils were dull and lifeless.
“AAAAAH—!”
A bloodcurdling scream rang out. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet, and in his panic accidentally shoved over someone sitting in one of the seats. The person toppled into the aisle like a stack of blocks…
Thump!
The muffled impact struck the floor—and slammed straight into the idea guy’s already taut nerves.
Fear surged and spread like a tidal wave once more. The idea guy darted around the bus like a crazed bullfrog.
Only then did he get a clear look at the horrifying scene inside.
A dozen or so people were packed into the bus, all sitting in their seats. Every one of them was in the same position, heads lowered, eyes dull, bodies cold, skin deathly pale. No one knew how long they had been dead…
Which raised the question: How had these people gotten onto the bus?
And how had the bus gotten here?
The answer seemed to point in only one direction…
Ghosts!!!
“AAAAAAAH—!”
“Ghosts!!!”
“They’re dead! They’re all dead! AAAAAAH—!”
In blind panic, the idea guy turned and scrambled back the way he had come, desperately climbing toward the only open window. He stepped on the “dead people” inside the bus, and every accidental touch brought an icy sensation that pushed his terror to yet another peak!
He seemed to be only… one final scare away from losing his mind completely.
At that moment, Da Huang, who had been sleeping on the floor of the bus, was finally awakened by the noise. Clearly annoyed, he got up, rushed over, and bit the idea guy on the calf.
“AAAAAAAH—!”
At last, his fear reached its absolute limit. The idea guy successfully passed out from fright, half of his body stuck inside the bus and the other half hanging outside, dangling there unconscious.
Everyone: “???”
“Holy shit!”
There really was something supernatural in there—and it was the vicious kind!!!
The group was scared out of their wits. The people who had come along dragged the unconscious idea guy out of the bus, hoisted him onto their shoulders, and ran for their lives, screaming as they went.
The blond guy responsible for filming everything on his phone was also scared stiff. He hurriedly put his phone away and ran. He did not even bother finishing the video…
“Ghosts!!!”
The group fled toward the city in a panic, shouting at the tops of their lungs.
“Thank you for your patronage! We hope to see you again!”
Du Wanyi emerged from the convenience store carrying over a hundred pounds of snacks piled up like a small mountain. She munched as she walked back toward the bus. Not long after setting out, she ran into the group that had just “encountered a ghost.”
They were running and screaming about ghosts.
“Ghosts? Where are the ghosts?” Du Wanyi immediately perked up at the mention of them. She sprinted off at top speed, only to run all the way back to where she had come from.
There was no ghost in sight—not even a shadow of one.
“What? Where’s this supposed ghost?” Du Wanyi sighed, unable to hide her disappointment. She tossed the huge bag of snacks into the bus and climbed in after it.
Then she pulled the silver needle from the back of the “Ginseng Fruit.” The Ginseng Fruit instantly came back to life!
“Hey, why are you two sleeping on the floor?”
Du Wanyi blinked, then repeated the process and removed the silver needles that had been keeping the other two people immobilized.
The two of them: “…”
After briefly explaining what had happened, Du Wanyi looked utterly disappointed.
“What? So it was you guys? Huh… I thought there was actually a ghost. I got my hopes up for nothing.”
The others: “…”
Ma’am, you…
“Come on, come on. I’ve bought just about enough food, so let’s keep moving. Don’t slack off. If you won’t drive this bus, there are plenty of people who will. If we don’t reach a place to stay before dawn, I’ll hang you from a tree!”
As she spoke, Du Wanyi munched on a spicy snack stick and tore open a packet for Da Huang as well.
Old Li: “…”
What a damn animal…
He had thought that raising the price halfway through the journey and dumping people on the roadside when they refused to pay extra was already heartless enough.
He never imagined that, in front of Du Wanyi, he was merely a rookie.
As the saying went, evil would eventually meet its match. In a way, that saying really was true. After decades of doing evil, Old Li’s debts could be considered repaid the moment he encountered Madam.
“What are you staring at? Keep driving!”
“Woof!”
Everyone: “…”
Under the oppression of one person and one dog, everyone on the bus wore masks of pain. Beneath those masks were expressions straight out of the “eating shit in agony” meme from Fire Punch—pain doubled, then doubled again.
Westward they went!
Meanwhile.
At the Haishi Welfare Institute.
“Miss, Brother Cheng said that if he ever kicks the bucket, we should come to you for food. He said we could work as your underlings and carry knives and stuff…”
Xiao Chun spoke with a hint of reminiscence, but his tone was extremely serious. He failed to notice that the expression on the young lady’s face opposite him had begun to look rather unpleasant.
So… was this really a last will and testament?
Shen Qinghan furrowed her willow brows.
“What about me? Xiao Chun, think carefully. You’re sure you’ve never heard my name? It’s me—Dongfang Zhixia, the president! Think harder!”
Dongfang Zhixia fidgeted anxiously in her seat, scratching at her head. Her cheeks had turned red, and she looked as though she were about to break down.
Xiao Chun honestly shook his head.
“No.”
Dongfang Zhixia: “???”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
