Chapter 34: Bus 404 (3)
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The creaking and groaning made one’s teeth ache, as though the bus might fall apart at any moment.
Jiang Shengsheng took out the few coins in her pocket and had just risen when a pair of slender fingers tugged lightly at her sleeve.
She blinked in confusion.
Meng Zimu awkwardly scratched his head. “Um, I only have one coin. Could I borrow another? I’ll definitely return it when we reach the stop.”
[This bastard is so calculating.]
[You’re all just jealous of him. I’m the only one who wants a coin handed to me by my wife.]
[A coin carrying my wife’s warmth and fragrance.]
[You’re not the only one, bro. All of us want one.]
It was only a coin. Jiang Shengsheng handed it to him. “You don’t have to return it.”
Unlike his warm fingers, hers were icy cold. They brushed his palm and withdrew at once, and Meng Zimu’s breathing grew heavy for a moment.
She said he did not have to return it?
How could that be? He had to return it… A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. He would give her a castle in return, one containing only the two of them.
“Didn’t I already give you a coin? Did you lose it?”
Regretfully withdrawing his gaze, Meng Zimu curled his lips and glanced at Meng Ze, whose tone was impossible to read. “I didn’t really intend to put it in the fare box.”
[Oh no, someone’s got his eye on our sweet, soft wife, sob.]
[My wife didn’t bait me. I simply lay down on my own and opened my mouth, waiting for her hook.]
[Can someone hurry up and tear that filthy, lowly man apart? He’s so irritating and jealous-making.]
[I can’t lick my wife, so licking the coin she rewarded him with will do. Sob, I can see it but not eat it.]
[Can someone find out whether the streamer is dating or married, and whether she’s willing to take another boyfriend or husband?]
[Plus 10086.]
How could the token of love his wife had given him be casually treated like an ordinary coin tossed into a fare box?
Smiling brightly, Meng Ze gave him a long, meaningful look. “Don’t take the game too far.”
Game?
Who was playing?
Meng Zimu pouted, too lazy to explain feelings to someone who understood nothing about them.
In his infatuation, Meng Zimu had forgotten that twins sharing such close blood ties could possess a kind of telepathy—not to mention that the two of them shared their emotions.
Many people had boarded at the previous stop, including four of the players.
There were just enough empty seats for the six players and one non-player character.
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Jiang Shengsheng sat by the window. Quick as a flash, Meng Zimu squeezed over and planted himself firmly in the seat beside her.
“Shengsheng, do you like puppies?”
Hearing this, Jiang Shengsheng, who had been resting her chin on her hand while gazing out the window, curved her lips. “I do.”
She liked puppies.
His wife was so enthusiastic. She had just confessed that she liked him outright. Should he kiss her little mouth? Should he bark once?
No. That would frighten her. He did not want to leave such an impression on her at their first meeting.
His sticky, lovestruck gaze lingered over her. Jiang Shengsheng frowned and looked around uneasily, then buried her face in the plush collar of her coat, leaving only her dark eyes visible.
“Bus 404 is now in service!”
“Next stop—zzzt… zzt!”
The bus announcement abruptly cut off. The strange crackle of static sounded especially sharp and terrifying in the silent night.
Terrified, Jiang Shengsheng clenched her fists and opened her phone, intending to message her mother and ease the fear spreading through her body. Instead, the phone had lost all signal.
“How could this be…?”
Her voice trembled, and her face gradually drained of color.
Had they really encountered a ghost?
The passengers on the bus began screaming in terror. Summoning their courage, some called to their companions and rose to walk toward the front door.
They had intended to ask whether the driver needed to replace the announcement system. But when they took a closer look, the driver’s seat was empty.
The driver had vanished.
Bus 404 sped through the silent darkness without anyone at the wheel.
The moon hanging in the sky gradually became shrouded in blood-red haze, and an ominous atmosphere enveloped the road ahead of Bus 404.
“What kind of lousy bus is this? How could the driver suddenly disappear? Who’s pulling some supernatural prank?!”
“Are we all going to die?! Where is it taking us?!”
“Help! Has anyone called the police?!”
From beginning to end, ten people remained utterly out of step with the passengers around them—some panicking, some sobbing hysterically, others cursing at the top of their lungs. They exchanged glances and became even more alert to their surroundings.
“Zzz—heehee. Welcome, passengers, aboard Bus 404. The night is long. Let’s play a game together!”
The eerie hiss of static vanished, replaced by a voice impossible to identify as male or female. What it said caused everyone’s expressions to change drastically.
The middle-aged man abruptly smashed his glasses onto the floor and angrily pointed at the display, which had become nothing more than two short horizontal lines. “Stop pretending to be a ghost! We want to get off! We want to go home! We don’t have time to play some ridiculous supernatural house game with you!”
The announcement fell silent.
The middle-aged man had barely let out a cold snort when the thing said ominously, “You have violated the rules. I hate being interrupted.”
“Tch. A little piece of garbage like you is trying to threaten people now?”
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The middle-aged man gave a mocking laugh, clearly taking no notice of the threat. He rolled up his sleeves and raised his middle finger at the display.
“Open the doors and let us off!”
“I’m going to kill you and chew your bones to pieces.” The sinister voice sounded as though it were speaking through clenched teeth.
The moment the words fell, the creaking bus doors flew open, and a massive red tongue covered in barbs shot inside without warning.
The long tongue wrapped tightly around the middle-aged man and, amid his screams, dragged him out of the bus.
“Ah!”
Crack. Crack.
The crisp sound of bones being chewed apart followed.
Jiang Shengsheng clamped both hands over her mouth and trembled backward, trying to get away from the window before her eyes, where thick red liquid was streaming down.
A suffocating despair swept over her like a rising tide. Jiang Shengsheng could hear her heartbeat nearly bursting from her chest, while her hands and feet turned ice-cold.
[What a dedicated staff member. The resentment doesn’t seem fake.]
[My wife looks so cute when she’s scared. Kisses for my wife’s little hands.]
[What kind of staff member scares people like that? Can’t you see you’ve frightened her? Terrible review, terrible review, terrible review!]
[When will they arrange a work instance with our wife? I want to get up close and snuggle against her.]
A warm, powerful arm slowly settled across her shoulders. Jiang Shengsheng shuddered violently, nearly dying of fright when Meng Zimu startled her.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”
The long ends of his hair, hanging down his back, brushed against her neck. His hot, damp breath fanned across Jiang Shengsheng’s face.
Meng Zimu was not joking. He wished with all his heart that Jiang Shengsheng would depend on him a little more.
His innocent puppy eyes were crystal clear, yet their owner’s thoughts were dark and damp with hidden intent.
“Ah! Someone’s been murdered!”
“Waaah! Has anyone called the police? Hurry and call them! I don’t want to die!”
“Let me out! I only wanted to go home!”
The air fell into an eerie silence. The next second, the people who had descended into chaos began screaming wildly, their voices trembling faintly with terror. They pounded on the windows, and some were even so frightened that they wet themselves.
The hidden hand controlling everything clicked its tongue impatiently and issued a chilling threat. “Anyone who makes even one more sound will be killed immediately.”
Everyone’s pupils shook with terror. Some covered their mouths tightly, rolling their eyes as they struggled to breathe. Others shoved their hands into their mouths and bit down hard; even when blood appeared, they did not dare let go.
The thing seemed satisfied and gave a low chuckle.
“First game. Passengers from the next stop are about to board. Before the doors close, the bus must not be overloaded.”
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