The dagger moved downward slowly, the surroundings falling into an eerie silence.
The sound, like a blade slicing through pigskin, sent shivers down their spines.
More and more blood flowed from the incision, staining the pristine white wall with a shocking crimson splatter.
Qing Li paused, pulling out the dagger. The slit in the wall she had cut gradually sealed itself.
“Number 91, did you discover anything?” Bai Yueyue asked, forcing herself to remain calm.
“The texture is rather thin—not pigskin. It feels more like human skin,” Qing Li replied with an eerie smile.
The expressions of the other three darkened.
Could this sealed room not be a room at all, but instead the interior of some monstrous creature?
The thought was horrifying, sending chills down their spines.
Qing Li’s actions didn’t trigger any warnings from the system, and soon, bloody words began to form on the wall.
—
The last bus drove steadily along its route. I sat in the driver’s seat, forcing my weary eyes to stay open.
Passing through here again…
A profound, soul-deep fear gripped me, making me tremble.
From the roof, a crawling sound echoed, causing my heart to leap into my throat. My hands, gripping the steering wheel, wouldn’t stop shaking.
It’s here again… it’s back again…
Bang!
A decayed face smashed against the windshield, and countless wriggling things began to squirm out from beneath her rotting skin.
I screamed in despair, shouted, and finally… fell silent.
“I… will wait for you there.”
—
The final sentence of the bloody words sent a chill through them.
What exactly is “there”?
What horrifying events had the driver experienced?
Blood continued to pour down, completely covering the wall. The space around them distorted and shattered, and everything disappeared in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Qing Li and her team found themselves in a strange, unfamiliar environment.
The electronic watch on Qing Li’s wrist vibrated. She glanced down and began reviewing the details of the mission.
Game Name: Death Bus
Danger Level: 4 stars
Objective: Ride the bus to the final stop.
Hint 1: Players must sit in their assigned seat numbers. Do not switch seats with anyone!
Hint 2: Locked (Unlock with 10,000 popularity points)
Hint 3: Locked (Unlock with 30,000 popularity points)
“Four stars? Why is it four stars?!” Li Tao exclaimed, his face pale with shock.
A four-star mission was practically a death sentence—hell-level difficulty with almost no chance of survival.
“Why is the difficulty so high? The highest-ranked among us is only Number 69!” Wang Ge’s expression was equally grim.
None of them suspected Qing Li, naturally. After all, the horror livestream platform had existed for so long, and there had never been a case where a new player influenced the mission difficulty.
Seeing her three teammates look as though they’d just swallowed a pile of dung, Qing Li tried to comfort them. “Don’t worry too much. I’ve got talismans for peace, protection, and warding off evil spirits. Just 100,000 each! Guaranteed to keep you safe and sound—no ghosts will touch you.”
The three of them twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Even in such dire circumstances, this swindler was still trying to scam them out of money.
When none of them showed any intention of buying, Qing Li could only shake her head and sigh inwardly. Money is so hard to earn, and eating crap is even harder!
The dim yellow streetlights dispelled a small portion of the surrounding darkness, but the chilling wind that blew past was bone-piercing.
Qing Li pulled her cotton jacket tighter around her, tucking her hands into her sleeves, bundling herself up tightly.
In the distance, a pair of glaring high beams approached.
A yellowed bus ticket appeared in Qing Li’s inventory. She clicked to retrieve it. Printed on the ticket were two glaringly obvious numbers: 44.
Tsk, such an auspicious number.
The other three players also retrieved their tickets, waiting nervously for the bus to arrive.
Death Bus.
The word “Death” loomed over them like a dark cloud, filling them with despair.
Creak—
A battered bus screeched to a halt at the stop. The door opened, pulling a harsh and grating noise into the otherwise silent night.
Qing Li examined the vehicle. Its original white paint was peeling off, revealing patches of dark red along the lower half. The tires were caked with bits of unidentifiable flesh and blood, emitting a foul, decaying stench.
[This bus feels so eerie. It looks more like a hearse than a regular vehicle.]
[Even through the screen, I feel a chill. This bus is seriously cursed!]
[I suddenly want one of the village girl’s protective talismans. Sob sob sob.]
Li Tao was the first to board. He forced himself to suppress his fear, though the trembling of his thighs gave him away.
The moment he stepped inside, the scene before him almost made him cry.
If he turned around and crawled off the bus now, would he still have a chance to escape?
“Hurry up! What are you dawdling for? Are you a man or not?”
The driver’s raspy voice suddenly echoed from the front seat.
Startled, Li Tao scrambled to find his assigned seat according to the number on his ticket, sitting down as quickly as he could.
Luckily, the seat next to Li Tao was empty, so he didn’t have to squeeze in with any of those disgusting, horrifying ghostly beings.
Bai Yueyue boarded the bus next. Her face was as pale as a sheet as she silently took the seat behind Li Tao, which was her assigned spot.
The two exchanged a glance, both pairs of eyes reflecting shared bitterness and helplessness.
Wang Ge’s seat was next to Li Tao, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
When faced with fear, having companions of the same kind brought a sense of safety.
With the three of them sitting together, their nerves settled slightly.
Qing Li was the last to board. The hesitation and slow movements of the first three players had delayed her, causing the driver to impatiently rev the engine without warning.
The sudden jerk of motion threw Qing Li off balance as she was still searching for her seat. She stumbled forward, reflexively grabbing onto the seat beside her to steady herself.
“Squish.”
Her fingers sank straight into the eye socket of a female ghost. The ghost’s eyeball popped on the spot, releasing a sticky, slimy sensation that made Qing Li let out a bloodcurdling scream.
“AHHH—”
So gross, so disgusting…
Qing Li frantically wiped her hand on the ghost’s tattered clothes. The outfit was already soaked in blood and filth—surely a little more wouldn’t bother her, right?
The female ghost: “…”
The other three players: “…”
This Number 91… she really knew how to stir things up!
“Sorry, beautiful, I didn’t mean to. It’s all that driver’s fault. He drives so recklessly! I hadn’t even found my seat yet, and he suddenly started the bus, making me lose my balance. If you’ve got grievances or grudges, take them out on him! If you want someone to pay for your eyeball, go ask him. And if he refuses, we can lodge a complaint together!”
Qing Li rattled off her excuses, shifting all the blame onto the driver.
The one-eyed female ghost had initially been furious, but when she heard Qing Li call her “beautiful,” she froze for a moment.
Beautiful?
It had been so long since anyone had addressed her like that.
“Fine. Next time, make sure you’re steady.”
The ghost’s voice was icy and bone-chilling, but she didn’t lash out.
Qing Li beamed. “Thank you, sis! You’re truly a kind and beautiful fairy!”
If not for the fact that the ghost’s face was so rotten it no longer resembled a human’s, the livestream viewers would’ve surely seen her blush in shy delight.
[I thought the village girl would throw a talisman, but instead, she talked her way out of it. Amazing.]
[Even ghosts love a bit of flattery, huh?]
[Taking notes—another valuable lesson learned today.]
“Silence. Return to your seat,” the driver’s raspy voice cut through the air, laced with faint irritation and resentment.
Qing Li shrugged, preparing to move to her assigned seat, but just as she turned her head, her gaze fell on a familiar face…