Stone Man Mountain, originally named Dead Man Mountain, as the name suggests, had been a burial ground for the dead since ancient times.
Back then, customs were still unrefined, and earth burial was prevalent. People valued the idea of resting in peace after death. Coupled with the lush forests and excellent feng shui of the area, more and more families within a hundred miles chose to bury their dead here. As more people were interred, the mountain earned its name. At night, eerie winds would rise, ghostly flames flickered, and it eventually became a notorious haunted spot far and wide.
After the founding of the nation, especially since the reform and opening up, the state vigorously promoted new funeral customs to break feudal superstitions. The issue of Dead Man Mountain gradually came to the forefront.
However, perhaps due to concerns about escalating conflicts or fear of the mountain's legends, despite multiple expert discussions, no feasible plan was ever put forward.
This situation persisted until one year, when a new official who didn't believe in superstitions was transferred in.
As the saying goes, a new official brings new vigor. With this momentum, the official pushed hard to bring in developers for tourism development on Dead Man Mountain. Bridges were built, roads were constructed, and everything proceeded with great fanfare.
Since tourism development was underway, the name Dead Man Mountain naturally couldn't be used anymore. So the official made a bold stroke of the pen, writing "Stone Man Mountain." From then on, Dead Man Mountain was renamed Stone Man Mountain. But with the name change and the road connection, Stone Man Mountain's appearance was indeed transformed. The lush forests and oddly shaped rocks gave it quite the look of a tourist attraction.
The new official's first initiative was a roaring success, so on the day the road was completed and the bus route opened, a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony was held. Several buses were organized to give local residents free tours of the scenic area, serving as a promotional event.
The buses were all rented from the local public transport company, exactly ten in number. But no one expected that on this supposedly festive day, something strange would happen—ten buses went out, but only nine returned.
The event organizers and the bus company immediately had a bad feeling and quickly sent people to search. They found the bus, but it was in a mountain stream. Since the ceremony had been rushed, guardrails on some dangerous sections of the road hadn't been installed yet. The bus driver, unfamiliar with the terrain and due to heavy rain on the mountain causing slippery roads from flash floods, had overturned into the stream. According to rescuers at the scene, victims were scattered along the road, having been thrown from the windows, creating a horrifying scene. Inside the submerged bus, even more waterlogged bodies were discovered.
Such an accident on a newly opened road sparked rampant rumors, and the developers were terrified. Those in construction are often superstitious, and after inquiring, they learned that this strange incident seemed linked to the haunting legends of Dead Man Mountain. They decided that even if it meant breaching the contract, they wouldn't continue the project, treating the road construction as charity. Once the developers fled, Stone Man Mountain's development fizzled out, though the bus route remained, with one trip in the daytime and one at night.
Meanwhile, eerie tales began to circulate about this route. For instance, on late-night buses, strange passengers would sometimes board—some soaking wet, water dripping from them, others covered in mud, and a few with barely noticeable bloodstains. These odd passengers were the victims of that accident. Because the incident happened so quickly, many didn't realize they had died and become ghosts. They continued to board and alight according to their memories, endlessly repeating the cycle, forever unable to leave this mountain road.
So, drivers on this route were advised not to let passengers who were wet or muddy board. Since their deaths occurred before the bus route opened, they mostly hailed the bus randomly along the mountain road. Similarly, because the accident happened midway, they didn't know where the bus's final stop was.
If such strange passengers appeared, drivers must not panic or make a fuss. They could simply pretend to arrive at a random stop, and since the ghost victims didn't know the real terminus, they would naturally get off.
Thus, this route was actually the easiest among the five. If Zhang Yaqi had been more observant, he would have found not only the driving manual in the driver's compartment's hidden compartment but also an introduction to Stone Man Mountain, which hinted at the story's background.
But by the time a flash of insight struck Zhang Yaqi, it was too late to change the outcome. Zhou Junzhu's final question had awakened the ghosts' memories, triggering the ultimate killing intent.
So, the ghosts on this Route 901 were all from that bus that overturned into the mountain stream.
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With a jolt of unease, Chen Mo felt a bad premonition rising in his heart.
Was it Wu Li, Chen Hai, or Zhang Yaqi?
This supernatural mission, though short, was like the amusement park—fraught with danger every second. Hadn't he just faced a killing judgment? The gold wrapped in black cloth was the ghost's trap.
And on the dark road ahead, who knew what other traps awaited him.
Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang. But since he was driving, Chen Mo didn't answer immediately. After a while, he pulled over at a bus stop and took out his phone, seeing Li Yan's name flashing on the screen.
"Where are you now?"
Hearing Chen Mo's question, Li Yan chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm at a bus stop. As long as I'm not driving, answering the phone shouldn't count as violating the mission requirements."
"So, you saw that manual too?"
"Yes," Li Yan nodded. "It wasn't hidden well. I figured you'd find it. It looks like an ordinary driving guide, but it's actually the fatal rule we, as bus drivers in this mission, must never break."
"I understand. But you didn't call just for that, did you?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Li Yan's voice came through, somewhat somber.
"Actually, I wanted to ask if you've encountered any of those 'strange passengers'..."
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