Mysterious Awakening

Chapter 306:

Yang Jian, though confident in his ability to confront the Crying Tomb Ghost that had just boarded, differentiated himself from a typical ghost controller ever since he had tamed the Headless Ghost Shadow.

However, the weirdness here did not stem from just the Crying Tomb Ghost alone.

The unverified ghost inside the bus, the supernatural bus itself, and that grave mound out there in the fields—all of them represented potential dangers with unconfirmed Terror Levels.

Any reckless action from himself might trigger a chain reaction, causing all the potential terror to erupt at once.

By then, most likely it would be him dying here.

There's an essential difference between humans and ghosts, for humans can die, whereas ghosts cannot.

It is in this respect that he was at a definitive disadvantage.

Therefore, Yang Jian chose to calm down, refrained from any drastic actions, and quickly pulled Zhang Haw and the other two survivors back with him towards the rear of the bus, giving way to allow the Crying Tomb Ghost room to board.

As the bus continued its journey,

Outside the window, the grave mound amidst the fields stood still, and the temporary stop beneath the power pole was still erected, yet no lights could be seen around it, nor any village buildings, and there wasn't even a single passerby or a vehicle nearby.

The desolate fields seemed like the entirety of this dim world.

That grave mound subtly exuded an inexplicable terror.

A tomb before which even ghosts would kneel and weep—what exactly lay inside? It couldn't possibly be just a simple earthen mound, especially since there weren't many things near the bus stop to attract attention—the most noticeable feature was that mound.

"Now is not the time to ponder that solitary grave, the question is, what shall we do with this thing?" Yang Jian furrowed his brow deeply.

Ignoring another unknown ghost on the bus, just taking the verified Crying Tomb Ghost as an example, everyone had watched it board with their own eyes and it was still sitting there, absolutely still.

The distance between the humans and the ghost was at most around five meters.

Even though the Crying Tomb Ghost was currently sitting motionless, without showing any sign of harm, who could assert it wouldn't suddenly start to move again.

The terror of the unknown ghost lies in not understanding its rules and abilities, requiring analysis.

But to rashly go and analyze a ghost requires a hefty price—one this environment does not permit.

He remained cautious and serious, but the only survivor, Zhang Haw, and the two girls beside him were already scared to near paralysis. Their faces had transformed, resembling that of lunatics, hunched over with faces filled with fear and despair, and they continued to sob quietly. Had it not been for Yang Jian's intervention earlier, their situation might have been even worse.

After all, not everyone can overcome fear.

"You needn't be too tense, ghosts on the bus won't kill people indiscriminately. As long as you don't act recklessly, you'll be seen as just another passenger in the eyes of the ghost and will be directly ignored. Of course, if you decide to be foolhardy and try something, you might provoke the ghost and it could wake up, stand from its seat, and kill you," advised Yang Jian.

At this moment, Xu Feng from the last row raised his bloodshot eyes and spoke up.

"Will it get off at the next stop?" Yang Jian inquired.

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't; nobody knows. There are no rules to it. If you're lucky, it might get off at the next stop. If not, it might sit through several stops. But no one can guarantee that after one ghost alights, two won't board. The number of ghosts might just keep increasing," Xu Feng explained.

Yang Jian pressed on, "You've been here for seven or eight days, what's the most number of ghosts you've seen on the bus at once?"

At this question, Xu Feng suddenly bared a grin, "Asking about the number is pointless, but I can warn you of one thing: pray that this bus never reaches full capacity."

"There's a situation where the bus is full?" Yang Jian was taken aback.

The bus had a total of thirty-six seats. To be fully occupied, there would need to be someone seated in every one of those thirty-six seats.

But that seemed nearly impossible.

Even if people boarded by mistake, by the time they realized what was going on, they'd be scrambling to get off. And typically, exiting would lead to the same fate as before—death awaited them outside.

The extremely high mortality rate largely contributed to a high vacancy rate, making the bus appear very empty.

"No, that's not right. There's another possibility when the bus is full... it means that all the living passengers are dead, and all that's left are ghosts," Yang Jian thought of the worst possible scenario.

All thirty-six seats filled with ghosts.

"Looking at you, it seems you've realized, yes, a full bus isn't about the number of living people, but the number of ghosts. Alive, people can die, they can run, their numbers quickly dwindling, but ghosts are different. As long as they don't get off, they'll stay on the bus with limited reductions in their number."

Xu Feng sneered coldly, "I'm giving you extra tips because you're also a ghost controller, but I've said everything I had to say now. Whether you survive in the end is up to you. If you die here, don't blame me for not saving you. Under these circumstances, I can hardly save myself."

After finishing, he closed his eyes again, seemingly taking the opportunity to catch some sleep.

Yang Jian's gaze flickered. Although he knew Xu Feng was hiding a lot of information, it wasn't wise to ask too much. After all, it was quite nice of him to offer even a few hints. If any other ghost controller got a wicked idea, they could just kill you without a second thought.

"Looks like I'll have to rely on myself to get off the bus. Was that timing for getting off the bus mentioned by Xu Feng about waiting to enter the city area and making sure everything outside is normal? Or are there other conditions?"

There were simply too many things he didn't understand, not something he, who had just boarded the bus, could figure out.

Better to take care of the immediate situation first.

"Apart from those who got off earlier, right now on the bus I can confirm there are the bus driver's corpse, the Crying Tomb Ghost, Zhang Haw, as well as the two girls beside him, myself, Xu Feng, and that person in the back row who seems to have been sleeping all this time."

"The good news is that the old lady I suspected was a ghost got off with the crowd. Dead or not, at least she won't appear before me again."

"Aside from the confirmed ghost, the identity of the other one can almost be locked down."

Yang Jian glanced again at the back right corner, where the person wrapped in a cocoon was sleeping, still unidentifiable with the hat covering his face.

Is he the ghost?

"I cannot be completely certain, but at least I have a rough guess."

As time trickled by.

Yang Jian looked around the bus, searching for any useful clues. Yet, based on the information he had at the moment, it seemed the only way to get off was to wait for the bus door to open again.

Only this time, the bus should not stop in this desolate, eerie place, but in a confirmed safe area of the city.

"Are you all okay? You should have calmed down by now. If you've truly given up hope, then there's no need for me to worry. You can just fend for yourselves," Yang Jian said to Zhang Haw and the others nearby.

He had casually helped these people, doing what he felt was morally right.

If they maintained their current mental state, they would surely be doomed next time; there was no chance of survival.

"Big brother, do you have a way to get us out of this godforsaken place?"

Zhang Haw, having gradually adjusted to the fear, asked with a face full of hope.

Yang Jian shook his head and said, "No, I'm a victim too, knowing even less than the person in the back row. There might be a way to get out, but I haven't grasped it yet. If you want to survive, find a way to hold on until then. That's the most I can do."

If he could figure out how to leave this place, he wouldn't mind taking these people with him.

But only if they could survive that long.

"Then we'll rely on you," said Zhang Haw, looking somewhat agitated.

Yang Jian didn't respond, feeling in his heart that the chances of these three surviving were slim since their qualities were simply too poor.

And as everyone sat in silence waiting,

The outside sky had completely darkened.

The time displayed was eight-thirty.

The bus continued its journey until nine-fifty when the calm was once again broken; the vehicle began to slow down and steered towards the side of the road.

Slowing down and moving right, this was the sign of approaching a station.

Yang Jian glanced out the window and his face darkened again.

The place was yet another desolate wilderness, devoid of people all around.

No, not entirely devoid.

Yang Jian narrowed his eyes, looking at two dim lights that had appeared in the distant woods, red in color.

The lights were faint, likely not from bulbs, but from lanterns or the like, blurred and unclear, appearing exceptionally eerie amidst the Black Night.

Soon, the bus came to a stop.

"Bang~!"

The bus door opened on its own, and the chilling wind poured in, causing everyone's hair to stand on end.

Sitting near the bus door, the Crying Tomb Ghost's face, covered by a white cloth, began to sway, as if the face beneath was about to be revealed.

Yang Jian, curious, tried to get a clear look, but unfortunately couldn't see clearly.

"Big, big brother, look outside..." The voice of a girl beside him trembled as she pointed outside the window, fear seeming to erupt in her eyes.

Through the headlights of the bus, one could make out a winding path through the woods behind the stop, the dirt road overgrown with wild grasses.

At the end of that path, an old wooden house faintly came into view.

The house was made of wood and seemed to have been standing there for a long time, with several parts already collapsed and overgrown with weeds, as if abandoned, showing no sign of human habitation.

But in front of this dilapidated house hung two red lanterns, casting their glow.

About two to three minutes after the bus stopped,

A change occurred in the distant wooden house.

A figure suddenly stood under the red lanterns, seeming to look this way.

"Please don't get on the bus," was what Yang Jian was thinking.

He was certain it was a ghost, mysterious and unknown, with an undetermined Terror Level.

But things just didn't go according to his wishes.

The figure beneath the lantern swayed and began walking down the desolate path toward the bus.

"Big brother, can we get off the bus now?" Zhang Haw, who hadn't seen the scene, just wanted to leave the place quickly.

Yang Jian said, "Getting off the bus now is practically seeking death; this place is even more bizarre than the field of graves we passed earlier."

Before it was just a grave, just a Crying Tomb Ghost, but what lay outside now was a haunted house; getting off the bus could awaken some hidden terror, bringing about true despair.

Hearing that they couldn't get off, Zhang Haw had no choice but to endure the torment driven by fear, waiting anxiously.

About four minutes after the bus had stopped,

The figure that had emerged from the abandoned house finally arrived.

It was someone in a red cheongsam, head covered with a red veil,

Like a bride about to be married.

However, Yang Jian saw that the woman in the red cheongsam had hands exposed that were withered and stiff; the dark brown skin clung tightly to the bones, resembling a dried corpse.

"Damn it."

Yang Jian cursed inwardly, feeling unsettled as he saw the Dried Corpse Bride board the bus, a strong unease reappearing in his heart.

His Ghost Eye was sending him a warning of danger~!

He could be certain the Terror Level of this Dried Corpse Bride was definitely higher than the Crying Tomb Ghost.

The figure with the red veil and cheongsam didn't choose a seat nearby but walked several steps forward, finally sitting down in the row in front of Yang Jian.

They were only a little over a meter apart, which was only due to being separated by the rear bus door.

As this entity sat down, the digital display in the bus showing the number of passengers changed from 2 to 3, since the previous Crying Tomb Ghost hadn't gotten off.

Fortunately, the situation in the bus remained as quiet as ever, with no incidents occurring, even though there were now three ghosts in the bus and still no one had died,

A bit of good news indeed.

Soon, five minutes passed.

This bus stop was passed without incident.

The bus continued on its journey, following the road ahead as it had before.

The time was now half-past eleven.

The bus stopped again, this time at a crossroads.

The surroundings were pitch-black, not a spark of light to be seen.

Yet the middle of the crossroads was somewhat illuminated, a stark anomaly, since no source of light was visible.

The bus chose to stop at the crossroads.

What was terrifying, however, was that there was no one at the intersection, at least not visible to the naked eye, no one standing there.

But after stopping for five minutes, the bus closed its doors and set off again.

The number of passengers in the bus increased from three to four.

An unseen ghost had boarded the bus.

The Dried Corpse Bride, the Crying Tomb Ghost, and the ghost whose identity had not yet been determined inside the bus still had not chosen to leave.

With four ghosts on the bus, Yang Jian's sense of crisis intensified.

If the number kept increasing like this, even if not at full capacity, the gathering of these ghosts could potentially cause unexpected changes.

Even the protection of the bus might not be effective.

Yang Jian clenched his fists, restless.

With the ghost that couldn't be seen now on the bus, no one could be sure where it was sitting.

It might be far from you, or it might be right beside you, a huge latent threat.

At this moment, simply speaking a word or standing up could provoke one of the ghosts to start killing.

And as the number of ghosts on the bus gradually increased, even breathing might be a mistake later on.

"Getting off is dangerous, but staying on might not be safe either. When will this bus finally reach the normal city area and stop?" Yang Jian waited silently for an opportunity.

But the bus's stops were one stranger than the other; none seemed normal, crazy to consider getting off haphazardly.

He checked on Xu Feng several times during the journey.

The guy seemed to have really fallen asleep, showing no reaction, completely ignoring the fact that several ghosts had boarded, with a level of indifference hard to match.