Seeing Yu Feng like this, Li Yan immediately understood: there was another ghost on the bus—one that was invisible, or rather, capable of possessing someone.
The arsonist’s gasoline canister hidden under the seat was, of course, the work of this very ghost.
When exactly the entity had boarded, Li Yan had no way of knowing. Perhaps it had slipped on among the other passengers, sneaking aboard unnoticed, or maybe it had been trailing behind the participants from the moment the bus left the main terminal, silently blending in.
In truth, Li Yan’s guess was quite close to the truth. Yes, this ghost was the “invisible passenger” that had followed the last bus out of the terminal and quietly climbed aboard.
Though the ghost was invisible, it wasn’t entirely traceless. Subtle changes occurred around it—an empty seat suddenly sinking in, or a trail of black footprints appearing on the floor of the carriage. These were clues the story provided to the participants. Unfortunately, from the moment it boarded to the moment it possessed someone, Yu Feng, acting as the conductor, had overlooked these vital hints.
Thus, this Route 711 bus concealed multiple layers of deadly traps.
If the old grandmother had found her ghost granddaughter early and taken her off the bus, the participants would have missed the crucial clue of the black ash in the girl’s mouth.
If the participants failed to deduce the arson plot from the various clues and didn’t find the gasoline canister under the seat, the bus would replay the explosion and fire tragedy near the end of the route, triggering a fatal outcome.
Even if both incidents were resolved, who would have thought that this Route 711 bus had, from the very start, hidden a possessing ghost—the soul of the arson suspect himself?
In reality, the bus arson incident involved two ghosts from the beginning: one was the little girl Miao Miao, who died in the fire, and the other was the arsonist—the man in the baseball cap—who ignited the gasoline canister, causing massive casualties and property damage. Shortly after the incident, the man in the baseball cap was arrested, tried, sentenced to death, and quickly executed.
But the intense resentment in his heart was selected by the radio station to become a ghost in the story, replaying the event in the form of a mission.
No one could have imagined that in these final minutes, another ghost would appear inside the bus and possess Yu Feng!
Step by step, it approached Li Yan, Yu Feng’s face gradually twisting into a ferocious expression.
His features began to change, becoming more and more like the man in the baseball cap.
A venomous gaze revealed a thick, murderous intent.
Kill!
Kill!
Kill!
All of you, die!
Though Li Yan didn’t know what had driven the man in the baseball cap to such a twisted psyche and cruel mindset, one thing was certain.
It had possessed Yu Feng to kill him.
In truth, this ghost didn’t need to act. If it simply maintained its possession, when the bus reached the terminal, the number of ghosts among the passengers would exceed the living, triggering the mission’s fatal rule. But its intense resentment made it impatiently bare its claws.
This might actually be my last chance. Li Yan thought silently. In that brief moment, he had conceived a plan in his mind that might turn death into survival. Yet, as he looked at Yu Feng, his gaze grew complicated.
The mission instructions only said they couldn’t refuse passengers, but they didn’t mention that the driver or conductor couldn’t leave the bus.
Of course, under normal circumstances, participants playing these roles would never dare to voluntarily leave the bus, since the instructions clearly stated that only by driving the bus to the terminal could they complete the mission.
But in this situation…
This ghost likely lacked the ability to kill participants in its spiritual form, which was why it chose to possess Yu Feng. Yet this very possession gave Li Yan a glimmer of hope: push Yu Feng off the bus. The rules might judge this as a crew member disembarking, not refusing a passenger, and the ghost possessing Yu Feng would also leave the carriage.
But the result would be tantamount to killing this newcomer who had just survived his first script.
A flicker of struggle crossed Li Yan’s face, and his gaze toward Yu Feng became complex and hesitant.
In past missions, he had helped many newcomers escape terrifying death traps. He had willingly shared his wisdom to guide them through their hardest, most fear-filled first tasks.
These people respected him, thanked him, and trusted him. All of this formed Li Yan’s “persona.”
But at this moment, something inside him seemed to shatter mercilessly.
When lives were weighed on a scale, in the end, one’s own was still more important.
He had successfully completed four radio station story missions. This arduous path was nearly halfway done, and his will to survive had only grown stronger.
Live! For this simple wish, he would pay any price—even kill with his own hands, even take another’s life.
Yes, at that moment, Li Yan suddenly realized that this thought was his truest inner desire.
His hesitant gaze gradually turned cold. Li Yan stood up without a word.
He was ready to fight for his life.
Watching Yu Feng lunge at him with a detached expression, Li Yan’s eyes hardened. He kicked Yu Feng hard in the abdomen.
Since joining the radio station, to handle the complex situations in the stories and perhaps just to struggle a little longer, all listeners had spent countless hours honing their bodies, far beyond ordinary people.
Though Li Yan wasn’t strong, this full-force kick sent Yu Feng stumbling back several steps, his ghostly face twisted with endless malice.
Just as he had guessed, this ghost could only possess the living and lacked the lethal power of other ghosts. Otherwise, this would be an unsolvable trap.
Of course, there was another disadvantage for Li Yan: he had to keep the bus moving. Fortunately, the road ahead to the tech park was straight and wide. This short stretch was his last chance.
Die!
When the possessed Yu Feng staggered to his feet again, Li Yan, already prepared, pressed the button to open the front and rear doors. As Yu Feng approached the front door, he lunged again.
This time, he used all his strength, knocking Yu Feng down. But in that face full of venom, he caught a glimmer of fear in the pupils.
That fear belonged to Yu Feng’s consciousness.
But in an instant, the fear vanished, replaced by the baseball cap man’s ghostly, snarling face.
Die!
Die!
Die!
Roaring inwardly, Li Yan pulled out a short knife and stabbed Yu Feng again and again, as if oblivious to the gushing blood.
Feeling the resistance weaken, Li Yan stood up, dragged the nearly defenseless Yu Feng, and threw him out the door.
Even if Yu Feng wasn’t dead yet, possessed by a ghost and violating the mission rules, he had no chance of survival.
This possessing ghost had no great power. Perhaps it was just the damned radio station’s test and torment of human nature for the participants.
To survive, he had to kill the other.
In the end, only Li Yan remained on the Route 711 bus.
He had finally passed the radio station’s test.
Finally, the Route 711 bus slowly came to a stop at the terminal called Tech Park. Sitting quietly for a moment, Li Yan raised his hands, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and took one out, sticking it in his mouth. But his trembling hands couldn’t light it no matter what.
Then, suddenly, he slumped over the steering wheel and burst into loud sobs.
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PS, second chapter delivered. I wrote this one with some difficulty, and I hope everyone can support it a bit~ Please cast some votes.