The man pulled twice but couldn't move the girl. He flew into a rage, raised his fist, and swung it violently at her head.
The girl screamed in pain but dared not fight back, only shielding her head with her hands. The man landed several punches on her arms, growing even more furious. He dragged her over, slapped her hard across the face several times, and while she was dazed, hauled her into the dark alley.
Even after the bus had driven far away, the girl's cries from the dark alley still echoed in Zhao Yang's ears.
Wu Li... you bastard!
Zhao Yang gritted his teeth, hating that guy to the core.
"Do you think I shouldn't have kicked that girl off the bus?"
Just as he was cursing him in his mind, Wu Li's voice suddenly rang out from behind, as if haunting him relentlessly. Zhao Yang didn't speak but turned his head and glared.
Seeing the other's gritted teeth, Wu Li wasn't angry. He glanced sideways at the carriage, seemingly casually, and said something that shocked Zhao Yang.
"Do you know, those three people might have all been ghosts."
"I risked getting myself killed to drive those ghosts off the bus, and this is the attitude you give me?"
"What?"
This time, Zhao Yang was taken aback. Suddenly realizing something, he lowered his voice, "How... how do you know they were all ghosts?"
"That short man had no feet, and that girl's face suddenly blurred. Tell me... what are they?"
Zhao Yang fell silent. If what Wu Li said was true, then that had been extremely dangerous. Perhaps only a ruthless bastard like Wu Li would dare to forcefully drive those three ghosts off the bus. Was it really like the saying went—ghosts fear the wicked too?
Thinking about it this way, being assigned to the same route as Wu Li might actually be a blessing?
"Anyway, just drive your bus properly. I'll handle whatever comes up."
Having smoothly weathered the crisis, Wu Li seemed to have gained sudden confidence. After brushing past death's door, he no longer wanted to die. What was wrong with living? As long as he completed the mission, he'd have money to spend and women to enjoy. Why the hell would he want to die!
No passengers got on at this stop either, and the bus seemed to resume its steady journey. As time passed, for some reason, Zhao Yang's heart shifted from the relief of surviving a disaster to a slowly creeping unease.
Was it really... over?
Was driving those three people—or rather, three ghosts—off the bus truly the right solution?
Just as Zhao Yang was thinking this, he unconsciously glanced at the side mirror extending outside the bus. In the smooth glass, a patch of white mist had suddenly appeared, exuding an indescribably eerie atmosphere in the dead of night.
Zhao Yang's heart tightened. Then he noticed that within the white mist, a ghostly figure was floating!
A deep blue skirt, long hair... This...
Wasn't this the long-haired girl from earlier?
Zhao Yang was horrified. He whipped his head around, but in the darkness behind the bus, white mist was indeed rising, yet no ghostly figure appeared within it.
What... is going on?
Just as Zhao Yang breathed a sigh of relief and turned back, he suddenly saw that the ghostly figure of the girl had reappeared in the side mirror, and it was closer to him now, as if it were about to pounce on him from behind!
"Ahhhhhhh—!"
Startled, Zhao Yang couldn't help but scream, leaping up from the driver's seat. But at that moment, a sharp screech of brakes rang in his ears, and a massive dark shape abruptly appeared before the windshield.
It was a fully loaded truck, suddenly rushing out from the side, crashing head-on into the bus. A tremendous force flung Zhao Yang into the air.
Amidst a dizzying spin, Zhao Yang saw that the remaining passengers on the bus didn't even change their expressions. With a loud crash, as the bus tumbled and hit the ground, they slammed heavily onto the floor!
"Ugh... I... I'm still alive?"
After who knows how long, Zhao Yang opened his eyes. Blood from his forehead covered one eye, his body ached terribly, and worst of all, one leg was twisted into an impossible angle—probably broken...
But he hadn't died!
Looking around, the bus, nearly shattered by the truck's impact, was filled with blood and mangled corpses. Even the ferocious Wu Li had died in the crash. A broken metal pipe pierced his throat, and though his wide-open eyes were full of resentment, he was undeniably dead.
Everyone was dead, but he alone was still alive?
Was surviving in this terrifying supernatural world a blessing or a curse?
No, Zhao Yang, since you've survived, you can't give up easily! You have to keep going! Absolutely, absolutely survive!
His broken leg throbbed with excruciating pain at the slightest movement. Drenched in sweat, Zhao Yang struggled to crawl out of the driver's seat. Inside the overturned bus, broken metal parts and glass shards were everywhere. The nearest exit was the skylight that had popped open in the crash.
The bus was destroyed. Alone, how could he complete the radio station's assigned task...
First, just get out of here.
With that thought, Zhao Yang gritted his teeth against the pain and crawled desperately toward the skylight, leaving a long trail of blood behind him.
Thump, thump, thump.
Something rolled down from a seat and landed beside him. Startled by the sound, Zhao Yang turned his head and saw a smashed, mangled head grinning at him.
"No one can escape. Let's die together!"
"Who the hell wants to die with you? Get lost!" In the face of life and death, Zhao Yang found immense courage. With a wild shout, he kicked the talking head away and crawled forward again, gritting his teeth.
"Don't run. Come die with us."
"Die, die."
"Die together. Don't run!"
More sinister voices kept rising behind him—countless ghosts...
Could it be that there wasn't a single living person on this bus...
Zhao Yang thought in terror. Now he had only one thought: escape this bus full of ghosts, no matter if it violated the mission's requirements or what consequences awaited him.
Just... get out of here!
Just leave this carriage filled with ghosts!
After a desperate struggle, Zhao Yang finally grabbed the skylight with one hand. But at that moment, he felt something behind him grab his remaining left leg.
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PS: "Strange Tales Radio" book club group, group number: , welcome friends who love this book to join us and discuss~