Meanwhile, Chen Mo drove the No. 404 bus away from the main bus terminal. The road was pitch-black at night, and the streetlights flickered as if due to a power shortage. Combined with the dim headlights of the old bus, the entire journey felt like being trapped in a horror movie.
But what horror movie could compare to this world, where real vengeful spirits existed?
When the dim yellow streetlights illuminated the upcoming stop, Chen Mo’s heart involuntarily tightened. After all, the story’s hints had made it clear that every bus route had "strange passengers"—ghosts disguised as riders.
However, the stop ahead was empty. No one was waiting.
No passengers boarding was the best-case scenario. Letting out a long breath, Chen Mo steadied himself and, after confirming this, restarted the bus.
Next...
Perhaps because the main terminal was in a remote area, or maybe because it was too late, the next several stops had no passengers at all. The stunning woman in the back seemed drowsy, yawning again. But just as she raised a hand to cover her mouth, her expression shifted slightly. She pointed out the window. "Handsome, look over there. Isn’t that someone trying to catch the bus?"
Following her finger, Chen Mo saw a young man frantically waving his arms and sprinting toward the stop, not far away.
At that moment, the bus Chen Mo was driving had just started pulling away from the stop.
The young man got closer, his face showing panic as he gestured wildly at Chen Mo.
"Driver, stop!"
He seemed to be in a real hurry, but Chen Mo acted as if he hadn’t seen him, stepping on the gas and speeding away from the stop.
"Didn’t you see that guy? He wanted to get on," the stunning woman said, glancing back at the young man still chasing after them, pursing her lips.
Chen Mo didn’t respond. The manual explicitly stated, "No stopping at non-designated stops." The bus had already left the stop. Though the young man seemed desperate, stopping now would violate that rule.
The bus accelerated, leaving the young man behind. Realizing he couldn’t catch up, he gradually slowed to a stop. His panicked expression twisted into one of venomous hatred. Suddenly, he ripped off his own head. Blood gushed from his neck as he held the head in his hands, stumbling back the way he came.
The next stop was called Chenjia Bridge. When the bus arrived, three or four passengers finally boarded: a young man in a sleeveless T-shirt, a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase, a young woman with headphones, and an elderly woman bringing up the rear. Seeing Chen Mo, the young man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "Oh, a new driver?"
Chen Mo nodded but didn’t immediately reply. The young man lingered at the door instead of going inside. "Didn’t the last driver last long? Why the change?"
"Change?" Chen Mo’s mind stirred. The last driver didn’t last long—could that refer to Wang Jianguo?
Ignoring the confusion in Chen Mo’s expression, Yellow Teeth casually pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, explaining, "I work at a factory nearby. When I’m on the night shift, I always take this bus home. So I know the drivers well... Ah, sorry."
As if remembering something, Yellow Teeth awkwardly offered a cigarette to Chen Mo. "It’s not a good one, but it’ll help you relax, driver."
Chen Mo wanted to say smoking wasn’t allowed on the bus, but after a moment’s thought, he took it. The cigarette felt rough to the touch—definitely not high-quality. Just as he was about to strike up a conversation, a passenger behind urged, "Are we going or not? Don’t block the door."
"Sorry, sorry," Yellow Teeth muttered, slipping into the bus. When he saw Qu Jiaojiao in her pajamas, his eyes went wide. "Hey, beauty, what’s this..."
"Pay your fare if you just got on!" Qu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes.
"Fare, right, fare, hehehe..." Yellow Teeth had never seen such a stunning woman. He fished out a coin from his pocket, trying to flirt. "This bus is great. Beauty, big brother here will ride your bus every day from now on."
Qu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes again, completely ignoring him.
The other passengers who boarded one by one also noticed the pajama-clad beauty, showing surprise or frowning as if silently judging her as "indecent." But Qu Jiaojiao didn’t care. She sashayed over to the elderly woman. "Passengers who just boarded, pay your fare!"
"Fare, fare, hold on... How much is this bus ride?"
Qu Jiaojiao sighed impatiently. "One yuan!"
"One yuan? That expensive?"
Qu Jiaojiao was almost amused. "One yuan is too much? Grandma, maybe you shouldn’t take our bus. Route 11 is fine—free rides, no charge!"
"Route 11? What’s that? My daughter-in-law told me to take this No. 404 and not to get on the wrong one. Hang on..."
As she spoke, the elderly woman pulled out a tightly wrapped handkerchief. Layer by layer, she unfolded it to reveal a roll of neatly bundled bills, mostly in small denominations of one or two jiao. She counted out one yuan and dropped it into the fare box Qu Jiaojiao held.
"Seriously... In this day and age, people still use jiao coins. Might as well keep them as collectibles," Qu Jiaojiao muttered to herself, looking thoughtful.
Chen Mo watched all this through the rearview mirror by the driver’s seat. Then he lowered his gaze to the cigarette Yellow Teeth had handed him.
The cigarette itself wasn’t strange. What was strange was its brand.
This brand had been famous over a decade ago, popular among the masses for its low price. But as living standards improved year by year, these cheap, poorly made cigarettes gradually faded from the public eye.
Yellow Teeth looked like a laborer, but even laborers nowadays didn’t smoke these two-yuan-a-pack cigarettes.
So, among the four passengers who just boarded, the most suspicious as "strange guests" were these two: the elderly woman with the handkerchief full of bills and the young man smoking a discontinued brand.