PS: I made a silly mistake yesterday. The last chapter of yesterday should have been 146, but I accidentally wrote it as 142. VIP chapters can't have their titles changed, so today I'll restore the correct numbering.
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Just as Chen Hai was feeling panicked and anxious, Zhu Yilun finally couldn't stand it anymore either.
If he didn't step in to stop the fight, this woman would probably be beaten to death by the man.
Although he sensed there might be issues between this couple, Zhu Yilun, as a "social elite" with a good education, couldn't bear to watch a frail woman be brutally abused to death right before his eyes. So, he finally stepped forward and shouted, "Stop it!"
With that shout of "Stop it!", the surrounding passengers' gazes immediately turned to him. Those pairs of eyes seemed to show concern, but as Zhu Yilun was stared at by these passengers, he inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine, because deep within those eyes, what he saw was not care, but a profound coldness.
"Stop it! If you beat her to death, you won't get away with it either—you'll face legal consequences!"
As he walked toward the struggling couple, he tried to intimidate the man with words. Strangely enough, the man, who had been arrogant and reckless just moments ago, seemed startled, his face darkening as he stopped. He shot a vicious glare at Zhu Yilun, then another at his woman, yanked her up from the ground, and barked, "Stand up straight!"
The woman had a gash on her forehead, blood gushing out, and her nose was bleeding too. She looked utterly miserable, but she somehow managed to stand. The man muttered a few curses like "I'll deal with you later," and she seemed to hear none of it.
Just then, with a creak, the bus came to a stop. They had arrived at a station, but not a single passenger was waiting there. As the doors opened, the man grabbed the woman by the arm, dragging her as he cursed and headed toward the exit, grumbling, "I'll settle this with you at home," pulling her stumbling off the bus.
Seeing the two get off, both Chen Hai and Zhu Yilun breathed a huge sigh of relief. Those two passengers were just too strange. In broad daylight, a man beating a woman was already highly immoral, and he was so vicious it seemed like he was trying to kill her—it was terrifying.
Maybe that woman was already a ghost, just unaware she was dead. If the man had beaten her to death, she would have revealed her true form as a vengeful spirit on the bus. Luckily, I sped up and got the bus to the stop in time, and that kid behind me wasn't dumb—he managed to talk those two troublemakers off the bus.
Thinking this, Chen Hai relaxed a little. He started the bus again, and as it slowly pulled away, he glanced to the side and saw the station sign reading "Dahuai Road." At that moment, the couple—the woman suddenly started running along the road, with the man cursing and chasing after her.
Just then, sitting in the driver's seat, Chen Hai felt the bus shudder, making his heart leap. His eyes inadvertently caught the rearview mirror, where a large truck shrouded in black mist, as if driven by a demon, suddenly charged up from behind!
The truck didn't hit the bus, but it ran over the couple. The immense momentum carried the truck another dozen meters before it stopped, leaving long streaks of blood and shredded flesh under its wheels on the road!
This couple had been hit by the truck and crushed to death, dying in such a gruesome way.
Seeing this bloody scene, Zhu Yilun couldn't hold it in and immediately leaned over the window, vomiting violently. Chen Hai, full of suspicion, vaguely felt a sense of familiarity—why did this scene seem so familiar?
Right...
He remembered...
That eerie old woman Qin had mentioned her son's cause of death—hit by a truck. And after that, she had pointed at the bus he was driving, shouting hysterically that this bus had killed her son.
Connecting the dots, could it be that Old Woman Qin's son had been on this very No. 13 bus before the accident?
Could it be that Old Woman Qin's son got off this No. 13 bus and was then hit by the truck charging from behind, and what he had just witnessed was exactly the scene of her son's death?
Thinking this, a deep chill shot straight up to his head. If that were true, it was horrifying! Everything was interconnected. Though the old woman burning paper money was no longer visible, this eerie incident was far from over!
It must be supernatural forces... It must be supernatural forces at play, making him see the scene of Old Woman Qin's son's death! So without a doubt, this couple were ghosts. But thankfully, they had both gotten off—they were finally off the bus! Chen Hai, don't panic. Even if they were ghosts, they're off the bus now!
Despite constantly reassuring himself, Chen Hai's hands still trembled uncontrollably. After all, he had only experienced one formal horror story, and now he was unexpectedly caught in a triggered mission.
Steadying himself, Chen Hai started the bus again and instinctively glanced at the "Dahuai Road" station sign. The old-fashioned bus, like a sickly old man, lurched forward and slowly began to move.
Along the way, though no more strange events occurred, Chen Hai's heart remained uneasy for some reason. After a while, he realized the source of this unease: the reactions of the passengers on the bus.
That couple were ghosts, but what about the other passengers? They had seen the man beating the woman, nearly to death, yet they just watched without anyone stepping in to stop it?
Explaining it away with coldness and indifference in society didn't hold up, because this wasn't a simple marital spat—the man was intent on killing the woman!
A normal person, even if afraid to intervene, would at least call the police for help!
So...
The passengers didn't stop it—could it be because they knew this couple weren't alive, so there was no need to intervene?
This thought sent goosebumps all over Chen Hai's body. It was terrifying to think about! How could these passengers tell that the couple were ghosts?
There was only one possibility...
Unless they were all ghosts too!
Only ghosts could recognize their own kind. Knowing it was just ghosts fighting ghosts, they simply watched. Following this logic, could all the passengers on this bus be ghosts?
This thought lingered in his mind, terrifying Chen Hai so much he could barely hold the steering wheel. He managed to steer the bus, wobbling, to the next stop.
At this stop, only one man and one woman were waiting. Chen Hai's heart skipped a beat, because he suddenly realized...
This man and woman were exactly the same couple who had been fighting earlier.
The same couple who had been hit and killed by the truck!
PS: Thanks to the reader Ye Qing Chao Hao De for the tip, much appreciated.