He stared at the screen with a calm expression for a moment, then blinked and subtly slipped his phone back into his handbag.
For Lin Tianheng, who was covertly watching all of this from nearby, he could never have dreamed that this stunning woman, known by her stage name Jiao Jiao, was actually a listener of the radio station just like him—and had just received his story preview.
"Brother Tianheng, what are you looking at? Wow, that woman is really beautiful. Brother Tianheng, you're not falling for her, are you? Let me tell you, she's the star of a wealthy family..."
Lin Tianheng gave the kid beside him a sharp knock on the head and curled his lip. "What do you know? Wrap it up!"
---
After that little episode, time slipped by unnoticed for several days. On this day, Chen Mo, as usual, opened his new serialized novel online—a supernatural story titled *Strange Tales Radio*.
Contrary to his initial expectations, this novel, marketed as "real supernatural experiences," didn't seem to attract much attention from readers. In fact, many left comments in the review section questioning the author's pretentiousness.
"The author has a good imagination, but this trope is way overused. How could there possibly be a strange radio station in this world that drags people into a supernatural realm?"
"The author's really going all out for attention. Here's a one-yuan tip to encourage you."
"Waiting for it to be abandoned."
"Shh, don't call it abandoned. Maybe the author got dragged into the radio station too."
"Hahahahaha, kid, that's a wild idea."
Reading the comments, Chen Mo almost laughed in frustration, but there was nothing he could do. Although he had claimed most of the book was based on his real experiences, it was only natural for readers not to believe him.
If anyone actually believed a strange radio station existed in the world, that would be the truly terrifying thing.
"Might as well keep updating. After all, there's a 600-yuan attendance bonus."
What should he write for the new volume? Hmm, how about a midnight bus story? Something like a bus converted from a funeral hearse. Buses are something everyone rides every day—cramped spaces, terror up close—it's definitely a theme with potential.
"Old Wang, about to retire, is driving the No. 404 bus for the last time. After reaching the terminal, he can leave his job peacefully."
"But strangely, the usually crowded bus has no passengers tonight. For Old Wang, this is heartbreaking—like someone about to leave home with no one to see them off, leaving him feeling bitter and uneasy."
"Three more stops to the terminal. Old Wang hopes in his heart for one last passenger."
"Just then, though, he sees... an old woman... suddenly appearing in the middle of the road, dressed in black clothes and pants, nearly causing him to hit her."
"Startled, Old Wang slams on the brakes and realizes this old woman, crouching in the road, is burning a pile of ghost money in front of her..."
"Ah! Old Wang is terrified..."
Chen Mo was deeply immersed in the horror plot he was crafting when suddenly, his phone on the side vibrated abruptly, breaking his train of thought.
He picked it up and saw a familiar name on the screen.
Wang Hanzhang?
Old Wang?
Chen Mo vaguely remembered that this caller was a former tipster. But since he had left his job nearly half a year ago, he figured the other person had probably made a mistake and called his old number by accident.
"Sorry, Teacher Wang, I've already left my position..."
Before Chen Mo could finish his sentence, the other end of the line came through with a voice that was both anxious and choked with tears.
"I know, Xiao Chen, I know you've left. But I don't know who else to turn to for help. Xiao Chen, could you please help me..."
Chen Mo was startled. Judging by the tone, the other person must be in some kind of trouble. He quickly said, "Teacher Wang, don't panic. What's going on?"
The voice on the phone paused, then spoke with difficulty.
"It's about my son. My son... he's gone missing."
"Missing?" Chen Mo was stunned. Given the other person's age, Wang Hanzhang's son must be at least in his twenties or thirties. How could a grown adult just vanish without a trace?
"Teacher Wang, take it easy. Tell me slowly."
"I can't calm down, Xiao Chen. My Wang Jianguo hasn't shown up for seven days. I'm worried, worried that he... he's my only son!"
Suddenly, Chen Mo had a thought.
"Did you... call the police?"
"Of course I did, but the police couldn't find anything wrong. I'm at my wit's end, Xiao Chen. You're a journalist—you journalists can get to the bottom of anything. So I..."
Hearing the urgency in the other's voice, Chen Mo understood that this wasn't just a simple plea for help; it also represented a trust.
For the sake of that trust, he couldn't just brush the matter aside.
Even though he had plenty of his own troubles, Chen Mo took a deep breath and said, "Teacher Wang, tell me the details. What exactly happened?"
"It's like this..."
From Wang Hanzhang's account, Chen Mo pieced together the gist of the situation. Wang Hanzhang's son, Wang Jianguo, had just graduated from a vocational school and was assigned to the Western Bus Company as a trainee driver. But after just a few days on the job, one afternoon a week ago, Wang Jianguo didn't come home after work. At first, the family thought he had a work event and didn't think much of it. But when the whole night passed and their usually obedient son hadn't returned, and his phone was unreachable, Wang Hanzhang grew worried. The next morning, he rushed to the bus company, only to receive an even more shocking piece of news: not only was Wang Jianguo missing, but the bus he was driving had also vanished along with him. Although every bus was equipped with GPS tracking, the device on that bus had somehow been tampered with or malfunctioned, and no signal could be received at all.
After that, Wang Hanzhang and the bus company reported it to the police. But what infuriated Wang Hanzhang was that the police kept asking him repeatedly if his son had been acting strangely lately and prying into his social connections—almost as if they suspected his son had stolen the missing bus!
---
P.S. The other chapter is almost done; it'll be posted in about half an hour.