Chapter 35: Bus No. 404 (4)

"If the vehicle is overweight, everyone dies."

The chilling laughter sent a shiver down everyone’s spines. Tall, burly men cast sinister glares at the vulnerable women, elderly, and even children inside the bus. The simplest and most brutal way to avoid being overweight was to toss the existing passengers off the vehicle to keep the weight at a relatively stable level.

"Ah! Let go of me! What are you doing?! This is murder! You can't do this!"

The menacing man gave a cruel smile, his large hand gripping the woman’s long hair tightly. Ignoring her frantic resistance, he dragged her toward the rear exit. Hearing her piercing screams, the man grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Murder? I’m not about to die with you lot. You useless trash who can’t even contribute—isn't it perfect for you to just die?"

In an instant, the women, elderly, and children on the bus were gripped by fear, scrambling backward in terror, terrified of being snatched by the men and thrown off the bus. What awaited them outside was self-evident; only a gruesome death awaited those who fell.

Meng Zimu lifted his eyelids, a ruthless glint flashing in his clear eyes that made the man flinch. Never having expected to be intimidated into backing away by a brat who wasn't even dry behind the ears, the man’s face darkened, and he threw a punch.

"Damn it, daring to glare at me? I’ll throw you off right along with her!"

"Trying to play the hero before you’ve even grown up? You’d better check if you’ve got the guts for it!"

The man’s expression was twisted and ferocious, his lips curling into a cruel sneer as a malicious light flashed in his eyes. Jiang Shengsheng, tightly shielded behind Meng Zimu, covered her eyes in fear, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes as she braced for the final outcome.

"Ah!"

A shrill, miserable scream tore through the air. Jiang Shengsheng’s hands trembled, and she squeezed her eyes shut, quietly awaiting death. However, after several minutes, she found herself still sitting firmly in her seat.

Eh?

Gingerly, Jiang Shengsheng lowered her hands. As she opened her eyes, she was met with Meng Zimu’s smiling gaze. "It’s alright now, it’s alright. I told you I would protect you."

She widened her eyes in astonishment, staring dumbfounded at the man convulsing violently on the floor. He was clutching his unnaturally twisted arm, wailing and cursing, rolling on the ground in agony with a face as pale as a sheet.

Meng Ze, a faint smile on his face, glanced unobtrusively at the young girl protected behind his brother, his fingers twitching slightly. A surge of overwhelming emotion welled up in his chest, leaving him momentarily dazed, but in the blink of an eye, he regained his composure.

Really now, a brother’s life is a life, too. He didn't have a penchant for liking NPCs, nor did he have a habit of snatching away someone his brother fancied.

Forcibly ignoring the turbulent emotions, Meng Ze walked to Meng Zimu’s side and scanned the hostile men on the bus without a word. He offered a gentle smile, his voice refined and warm. "Everyone, perhaps there is another way that doesn't involve killing each other. Let’s not be in such a hurry to throw people off."

Meng Ze felt no sympathy or concern for the NPCs on the bus; he was merely worried about the games that might follow. If their numbers were too low and a game requiring a large group suddenly appeared, wouldn't they be walking into their own graves?

"Hmph!" Most of the men stood at the front of the bus, mocking him with cold snorts. "Easy for you to say. What guarantee do you have that we’ll all survive?"

"I never said I could guarantee everyone would survive." Meng Ze didn't take the bait. He pointed smilingly at the seats on the bus. "Throwing the seats off to reduce the weight will achieve the same goal required by the game."

The women, who had been clinging to one another, felt a spark of hope. They nodded vigorously, chiming in, "That's right! Throw the seats off! It reduces the weight just the same, perhaps even more than throwing people off!"

Seeing that some were actually following Meng Ze’s line of thought, the short man sneered bluntly. "Wishful thinking. Without tools, how are you going to remove the seats?"

The short man still remembered the mockery he had endured from the brothers Meng Ze and Meng Zimu, and the embarrassment and humiliation he had suffered; there was no way he would obediently agree with Meng Ze.

The men, prompted by this, snapped back to reality and glared fiercely at Meng Ze. "He’s right! Without tools, how can we take them apart? You’re just trying to drag everyone to their deaths!"

"Stop wasting time with these bleeding hearts! Brothers, attack! Throw them all off and we’ll survive!"

The roaring men went mad, beating the weak passengers indiscriminately, their eyes bloodshot with killing intent. Meng Zimu half-embraced Jiang Shengsheng, pushing her into a blind spot between the seats. His broad shoulders shielded her, and he traded punch for punch, knocking back anyone who tried to drag her out.

Meng Ze secretly glanced behind him and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Meng Zimu.

"Stop fighting! There are toolkits under the seats!" A male student, his face bruised and swollen, shouted at the top of his lungs, holding up a toolkit.

"Let go! Didn't you hear him say there are toolkits?! Do you really want to kill someone?!"

With her scalp torn and bleeding, the woman, near death, gripped the man’s wrist. Her sharp nails dug deep into his skin, drawing blood—a testament to her terror and hatred. She was human too; why should she have to die for a bunch of strangers?

"Hah," the vicious man spat on the ground. "Consider yourselves lucky!"

The toolkit in the student’s hand was snatched away by a burly man. Not daring to say more, the student grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and retreated in silence to the rear door. There was more than one toolkit. The passengers scrambled anxiously on the floor, frantically searching under the seats.

They eventually found three toolkits. Pliers were quickly divided up, while hammers, screwdrivers, and small blades were also snatched up. After what had just transpired, people no longer trusted those around them; only by clutching a weapon for survival could they feel at ease.

Meng Zimu quietly swiped two pairs of pliers, tucking one into his pocket and firmly pressing the other into Jiang Shengsheng’s hand. "Keep this hidden. It's a good tool for self-defense."

Hearing this, Jiang Shengsheng nodded gratefully and quickly hid the pliers inside her wide sleeve.

[Well, this instance is so dangerous, it's good to have a bug following the wife around.]

[Let me in! I want to protect my wife!]

[I saw my brother; I didn't think he’d be so lucky to be in the same instance as my dear wife.]

[I'm so jealous (Smiling face.jpg)]

With tools in hand, no one dared to stop. They worked until they were drenched in sweat, dismantling the seats in a frenzy, terrified of being the ones thrown off next.

"Hee hee, the next stop—[Guangjiu Residence] is here! Do not crowd when getting off."

The playful voice made the passengers’ hearts tighten, a chill crawling up their backs. The front door creaked open, and things unseen began boarding the No. 404 bus one after another. The living could clearly feel things brushing past them as they crowded onto the bus, and the floorboards sank under the weight.

On the display screen at the front, the vehicle's weight load rose at a visible rate. Under the watchful eyes of everyone on the bus, the rising curve finally stopped just below the red line.

They exhaled sharply, their hearts finally settling back into their chests. Only then did the passengers realize they were soaked in cold sweat, sticky droplets clinging to their skin. Ignoring this, the relief of having survived death led them to cheer softly.

Before they could fully release their tension, the voice spoke again: "What a pity, you managed to escape. But that's alright, the second game is about to begin!"