Mysterious Awakening

Chapter 308:

As the number of ghosts on the bus increased, the situation on this bus became much more complicated than imagined.

If it weren't for some unknown restriction on board that confined the behavior of these ghosts, the horror here would have already surpassed that of an S-class supernatural event. Each of these ghosts, if let loose individually, could potentially cause an unsolvable supernatural incident, not to mention now that they were all gathered together.

"What on earth is this bus, how does it know the exact location of each ghost, and what is making these ghosts willingly board?"

Yang Jian's expression grew solemn, as he could see that every time the bus stopped, it was at a site of supernatural significance.

Such places did not belong to any known location on Earth but resembled barren spaces constructed akin to the Ghost Domain, an incomprehensible realm.

The bus seemed capable of disregarding certain boundaries, freely traversing them to pick up and drop off fierce ghosts.

Upon further thought, Yang Jian felt that there must be some incredible secret hidden behind this.

"There are already four ghosts, but based on the timing of these stops, it's unlikely that the bus will be at full capacity by dawn tomorrow. However, as the number of fierce ghosts grows, the situation inside the bus will only become more complex. My previous caution was right. As long as I keep myself safe, there is no need to confront the ghosts boarding head-on."

Yang Jian rallied his spirits, planning to hold out during this period and wait for a chance to get off at the next stop.

Given that this bus would stop in the city area, it meant that it wouldn't always pick up ghosts; there had to be a moment when things would go back to normal.

And that would be his opportunity to disembark.

The vehicle continued to advance along the dark highway.

No matter where this bus went, there was always a road ahead. Yang Jian tried to locate his position using his cellphone, only to find that his GPS seemed to be malfunctioning.

Sometimes the location would show up in the south, sometimes in the north, and sometimes it would even appear to be overseas.

The signal was intermittent and inconsistent.

It was similar to the situation with the cellphone signal from Xu Feng received earlier, which was also erratic and couldn't pinpoint a specific location.

At this moment, the inside of the carriage was eerily silent.

Yang Jian sat motionless, his gaze fixed intently on the few ghosts within the bus, fearing they might act out. He also remained silent to maintain his cool and avoid triggering the horrors around him.

Behind him, Xu Feng seemed to have fallen asleep early, as there was no movement.

Zhang Haw and the two girls next to him had shrunk into their own little worlds out of terror, trembling all over with unmistakable fear.

The time showed 1:30 a.m.

In the meantime, the bus hadn't stopped again, which was good news; no stops meant no new ghosts boarding.

But unexpectedly, the event everybody dreaded soon took place. The bus, which had been traveling at a steady pace, suddenly began to slow down as if someone were pressing the brake.

A sudden stop.

Everyone leaned forward, and those not seated securely nearly fell over.

The bus.

Had stopped.

Eerily stationary in the middle of the road, without entering a station or reaching any end point, the situation was entirely different from before.

But what sent chills down Yang Jian's spine in the next moment was the sight of the Crying Tomb Ghost, dressed in white mourning clothes, slowly standing up from the seat by the door. It turned around and began to move towards the back of the bus.

The white cloth hid the Crying Tomb Ghost's face, only outlining a hollow visage; its stiff body advanced, exuding a chill that carried with it the stench of rotting soil, triggering fear from just one glance.

"What's going on? The bus has stopped, and now the ghosts are moving," Yang Jian's eyes flickered with apprehension as he kept his gaze locked on the Crying Tomb Ghost.

Was the ghost getting off?

Or was there another reason?

But before he could ponder further,

The bride clad in the red qipao, with a red scarf over her head resembling a dark brown Dried Corpse Bride, also stood up and started making her way to the back of the bus.

Two visible ghosts were stirring into motion.

As for the unseen ghost, it was uncertain whether it was also beginning to move.

"Bang~!"

The next moment.

Before Yang Jian had time to think further, the rear door of the bus, which had never been opened before, suddenly swung open.

The cool breeze of the night poured in, making one shiver uncontrollably.

At this moment, the number of passengers on the bus's electronic display changed from 4 to 3.

A certain ghost had chosen to get off.

Then Yang Jian saw that the Dried Corpse Bride, who was closest to the rear door, also slowly walked off the bus, using the recently opened door, and the number of passengers on the electronic display dropped from 3 to 2.

The second ghost got off.

In the end, the approaching Crying Tomb Ghost, like the ghosts before, slowly made its way off the bus without choosing to attack the living seated at the back.

Inside the bus, the number of ghosts had drastically decreased.

At first glance, this seemed like very good news; at least the ghosts that boarded earlier had now all left the bus, yet the passenger count on the display still showed 1.

All the ghosts had disembarked, but this last remaining ghost still hadn't left.

Yang Jian watched the changing numbers, and although it wasn't a complete clearance, the situation was much better than before, which allowed for a temporary sigh of relief.

However, before he had time to think further, Xu Feng, who had been sleeping at the back, suddenly stood up from his seat.

Without any explanation, he hurriedly prepared to get off the bus, seeming not to want to stay a minute longer.

"He's choosing to get off at this time?" Yang Jian was immediately stunned.

The bus was stopped in the middle of the road, with three ghosts having gotten off; if a normal person were to follow suit, they would likely die the moment they disembarked, considering the ghosts might have not gone far and could still be lurking nearby. Without the protection of the bus, the previously disembarked ghosts would not continue to stay quiet.

"Knowing how dangerous it is, Xu Feng still chose to get off. There must be a reason, maybe compared to those ghosts outside, the bus is even more dangerous... Did the bus suddenly come to a halt in the middle of the road because of some special reason?" Yang Jian's mind raced.

But before he had time to think further,

The headlights of the bus suddenly went out, and then the lights in the aisle quickly followed suit.

A wave of darkness instantly spread from the front to the back of the bus.

Extreme danger~!

As darkness enveloped him, Yang Jian felt an unprecedented urgency, his Ghost Eye restless and uneasy, almost unable to be suppressed even with Ghost Shadow.

As for Zhang Haw next to him and the two girls, they were overwhelmed by fear and confusion, utterly unable to tell whether this development was good or bad.

"Let's get out of here."

After quick consideration, Yang Jian gritted his teeth and chose to leave the bus.

He was now certain that there was something wrong with this bus, and that it was deadly for the people inside - no, perhaps not just the people, but the ghosts too.

With a flash of red light,

Yang Jian disappeared from the bus along with Zhang Haw and the two girls.

They stood up too late; only Ghost Domain could be used to instantly teleport them away.

And with the bus doors open, Ghost Domain could extend outside the bus.

No sooner had Yang Jian left than the bus was plunged into complete darkness.

One couldn't see their hand in front of their face, and a silence as deep as death set in.

But the road outside was also dim, with only silhouettes barely visible.

"The engine died again, Xu Feng. It seems we're really unlucky; who knows if we'll make it out alive this time."

Outside the bus, a voice abruptly sounded, revealing a man in a baseball cap who was squatting by the roadside with a strange, cold laugh. It seemed he had gotten off the bus much earlier, and how he had managed to get off without being noticed was a mystery.

The person who had been in the back row next to Xu Feng turned out not to be a ghost, but a human.

From his tone, it appeared he had been on the bus with Xu Feng for some time.

"That newcomer seems to have died on the bus. I was thinking of helping him grab a seat to prevent any accidents. Since the bus has stalled, it's just his bad luck. If he were to die out here, the revival of the fierce ghosts would cause quite a bit of trouble. Only if you die on the bus are you safe."

Xu Feng's face was grim as he spoke. His purpose in helping Yang Jian was to secure a seat, and as for the real reason behind securing a seat, probably only those who had spent a long time on the bus would know.