Disturbed by her commotion, the middle-aged man who had been resting with his eyes closed seemed startled. He opened his eyes and looked over with some surprise, while the young woman who had been listening to music, perhaps because of her earphones, didn't notice the stir and kept staring out the window.
Only Qu Jiaojiao remained unfazed, legs crossed, squinting as she watched the scene unfold.
"Boo-hoo, my gold is gone! Has anyone seen my gold... anyone seen it?"
The old woman shrieked a few times, and when no one responded, she shifted to a sobbing tone, wailing pitifully. But if you looked closely, there wasn't a single tear on her face.
Perhaps truly annoyed by the ruckus, the middle-aged man finally stood up from his seat, briefcase in hand, and walked over to the old woman. "Ma'am, what's wrong? What gold is missing?"
"Boo-hoo..." The old woman started sobbing again, gesturing with her hands. "It was my dowry from when I was young, wrapped in a black cloth. If my husband hadn't fallen ill, I'd never have taken it out to sell... This is life-saving money, life-saving money! Which damned soul stole my gold? I'll make sure they die a miserable death!"
When she said "die a miserable death," a vicious glint suddenly flashed in the old woman's cloudy eyes, and she ground her teeth audibly. The middle-aged man seemed startled by her fierce expression and involuntarily stepped back.
"Well... ma'am, how about I call the police for you?"
"Yeah, call the police. The thief who stole the gold must still be on the bus. We'll catch them like a turtle in a jar. Hmph, with just these few people, no one's getting away."
The young woman had somehow taken off her earphones and joined the discussion with interest. Though she'd been listening to music moments ago, she seemed to know exactly what was happening and quickly chimed in with the middle-aged man. One suggested locking the doors and calling the police, while the other advocated driving straight to the police station.
Just as they were getting into it, a voice from the back called out, "It's so late, what's all this fuss about! I need to get home! If you're going to the police station, drop me off first, then do whatever you want!"
"Hey! Young man, watch your tone!" The middle-aged man shot him an annoyed look, while the young woman snorted, "This guy doesn't dare go to the station with us. I think he's guilty."
"Who, who the hell is guilty! I'm telling you, that's slander!" Yellow Teeth jumped up like a cat with its tail stepped on. "The thief crying 'stop thief'! Maybe the thief is you!"
Finding it amusing, Qu Jiaojiao let out a chuckle, earning a glare from the young woman.
"Driver! Stop the bus! We're going to the police station! Drive to the station!"
Feeling her reputation insulted, the young woman was furious and started shouting loudly. But Chen Mo remained unmoved, not even turning his head. "Sorry, the bus can't leave its designated route."
"You...!" The young woman stomped her foot in anger. "You're shielding a criminal!"
Chen Mo shrugged. A criminal? Was there really a criminal on this bus? More likely a ghost.
Just as things seemed deadlocked, the old woman who had been screaming and wailing suddenly stopped her sobbing. Wiping her tearless face with a handkerchief, she spoke in a sinister tone, "No need for the police station. My gold has been with me for years. It carries my scent."
The middle-aged man was taken aback. "Ma'am, what do you mean?"
"Heh heh, whoever stole my gold will carry its scent on them. I can smell it..."
As she spoke, the old woman covered her mouth with the handkerchief and let out a creepy laugh that sent chills down everyone's spine.
The middle-aged man and young woman exchanged glances, both looking bewildered. This old woman had gone from screaming to crying, and now, in less than ten minutes, she was cackling eerily. The speed of her mood swings was astonishing.
But the old woman kept laughing to herself. "No one's getting away. I can smell it. Come, let me smell you..."
The middle-aged man's face turned pale with fear, yet he stood frozen as the frail old woman leaned in, her nose rubbing against him like a dog's, as if truly sniffing for something.
"Not you..."
After a moment, the old woman muttered with some disappointment, then moved away from the middle-aged man and shuffled toward the young woman. The young woman's face twisted with disgust, but she didn't dodge, letting the old woman sniff her. The scene was both repulsive and eerie.
After another moment, the old woman shook her head again and stepped away from the woman, who let out a huge sigh of relief and returned to her seat with a grim face.
Having sniffed the two, the frail old woman wobbled toward the front of the bus, heading straight for the driver!
Watching in the rearview mirror as the eerie old woman approached him, Chen Mo's heart tightened. As the bus driver, he'd never left the driver's seat, so he couldn't have stolen any gold. Yet the old woman was still treating him as a suspect.
This meant it wasn't a simple case of a passenger losing valuables, but a test designed by a ghost for the participants!
At that moment, he was almost certain: this old woman was indeed the ghost on the bus.
And now, the ghost had set its sights on him.
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on Chen Mo's palms, but he didn't panic. The ghost targeting him might just be due to some rule-based force—in other words, a judgment on whether to kill.
Quickly reviewing his actions in his mind, he confirmed he hadn't made any major mistakes. His heart gradually steadied. Meanwhile, the eerie old woman had reached him, her withered, orange-peel-like face leaning in, her cracked lips revealing broken teeth as she sniffed around him.
As the old woman drew near, a chilling aura suddenly enveloped him. In that moment, Chen Mo felt his body freeze, as if pinned by that aura, completely unable to move...
This was... the power of a ghost...
"No... it's... not you either..."
The old woman shook her head, a hint of regret on her face, then turned and headed toward the back of the bus. Qu Jiaojiao, who had been lounging with her legs crossed and an indifferent look, showed a serious expression for the first time.
P.S. The author had to go out today, so here's one chapter first. The second will be written tonight. Please forgive me.