novelnext Chapter 327 - 320: Deceitful Bus
Chapter 327 - 320: Deceitful Bus
The other was a man in a black windbreaker and a black scarf, wearing a face mask.
He was bundled up tight and would cough occasionally, as if he had a cold.
Just as the bus was about to start moving.
A voice suddenly called out from the side.
"Driver... wait... wait up!"
The shout was jarring on the silent street.
Everyone on the bus turned toward the sound.
A bare-chested figure had appeared out of nowhere and was now slapping a hand against the bus window.
"Dri...ver, o...open the door. I need to get on."
His words were slurred and indistinct.
The driver said nothing and simply opened the door.
The man staggered aboard.
He was a balding, middle-aged man of about fifty.
The man was shirtless, sporting a beer belly, and his face was flushed. He had clearly been drinking heavily.
He reeked of alcohol, and judging by his unsteady, swaying steps, he was completely plastered.
Seeing this, the other passengers frowned.
They watched the man warily.
After all, nobody likes being stuck with a drunk.
If he started acting up, they’d be the ones to suffer for it.
Fortunately, the man seemed to be aware of this and didn’t cause any trouble.
"Dri... Driver... when we get to Sanqiao Station, re... remember to wake me."
The middle-aged man said his piece.
He didn’t wait for the driver to reply.
He found the nearest seat, sat down, closed his eyes, and promptly fell into a deep, snoring sleep.
The bus continued on its way.
The cabin fell silent once more.
Only the sound of the man’s snoring echoed through the space.
Just then.
A thin layer of mist abruptly appeared up ahead.
As the bus drove into it.
The outside of the bus changed.
The exterior of the already old vehicle became even more mottled, with large patches of paint flaking off.
A reddish-brown stain appeared on the front of the bus, looking just like dried blood.
At the same time.
The black characters on the license plate began to distort, like ink bleeding into paper.
When they came back into focus, they had shockingly changed to 4444.
A few more minutes passed.
The bus was still moving slowly along the road. Before, other vehicles had occasionally passed by.
But ever since entering that thin layer of mist.
The surroundings had grown quieter. Not another car was in sight.
And as time went on, the tall city buildings that had lined the road began to disappear, fading into a blur.
Guo Wei leaned against her seat, texting her best friend. After thoroughly venting about her slave-driving boss...
The resentment she’d built up from all the overtime finally began to fade, and even her physical exhaustion seemed to ease a little.
But just then, she happened to glance out the window.
To her surprise, she saw wisps of mist rising on both sides of the road. In the hazy fog, the surrounding scenery grew blurry and indistinct.
She rubbed her eyes.
Straining to see, she realized the familiar buildings were completely gone. In their place were stretches of neatly arranged black rice paddies.
The stalks of rice swayed eerily in the night wind, looking like rows of blurry human figures.
The sight alone was enough to send a chill down her spine.
Seeing this, she couldn’t help but feel confused.
Guo Wei took this bus to and from work every day; she knew its route by heart.
It was true that to save on rent, she lived in the Qingyin City Suburbs, some distance from her company. But it was by no means a remote area; there was no reason for there to be rice paddies.
With this in mind, she looked at the driver, who was focused on the road, and couldn’t stop herself from asking.
"Excuse me, driver, did you take a wrong turn? This doesn’t look like the way to Hu New District."
The driver didn’t respond.
Before she could ask again.
In an instant, an inexplicable chill swept through the bus like a tidal wave, making everyone shudder.
By now, the other passengers had also noticed something was wrong outside.
Before they could react, a line of blood-red text silently materialized on the window.
[Congratulations on becoming provisional script actors.]
Below it was a twisted, bloody smiley face. Both the text and the face looked as if they had been smeared on with fresh blood, giving off a blood-curdling, bizarre aura.
"What the fuck! What is this shit?!"
The teenager in the headphones, sitting closest to the window, jumped at the sudden sight.
A string of curses flew out of his mouth reflexively.
He wasn’t the only one. The others were just as startled.
However, while everyone was still reeling from the shock, the text distorted and changed again.
[The assessment mission for probationary script actors will now commence: Deceitful Bus.]
[Mission Requirement: Survive the journey on this bus to the final stop. Success will pass the assessment and make you an official script actor.]
[Friendly Reminder: As passengers, you must remain in your seats. Do not leave your seat for an extended period, and under no circumstances should you disturb the driver.]
...
The bloody text appeared line by line on the window, its glaring red flickering with a chilling light in the darkness.
The words remained for several seconds, long enough for everyone to read them clearly.
Then, like paint washed away by rain, the bloody text gradually faded, leaving no trace.
It was as if the horrifying scene had been nothing but a hallucination.
"What the hell was that?"
The first to speak was the man from the young couple.
He wore a black tank top, revealing a surprisingly burly and muscular physique with well-defined arms.
He was clearly a regular at the gym.
His girlfriend, in contrast, was petite with short, blonde hair. She was huddled in his arms like a frightened fledgling.