Yes, that face was unmistakably the same person he had seen in the photo—Wang Jian’guo, Wang Hanzhang’s missing son.
At this moment, he seemed trapped inside an oncoming bus, pounding on the window and shouting something at Chen Mo. But because of the distance between the two vehicles and the barrier of the glass, despite the man’s agitation, Chen Mo couldn’t make out what he was saying.
The bus sped past in a flash, quickly disappearing into the darkness behind.
What was this supposed to mean?
In a supernatural mission, danger lurked everywhere, and any clue could mean life or death for the participants. Though Chen Mo couldn’t yet figure out the significance of this mirrored bus’s appearance, a faint unease stirred within him.
But in truth, after that identical No. 404 bus had roared by, no further anomalies occurred along the route. Just two or three more stops, and this bus would reach its terminal at the oil refinery.
His thoughts drifted back to another pressing issue.
As the terminal drew nearer, the number of passengers on the bus hadn’t decreased—it had actually increased.
At the last stop, a few chattering middle-aged women had boarded, their backpacks stuffed with colorful silk fans, as if they’d just finished square dancing somewhere and were heading home.
This brought the passenger count to eight.
A man clutching a briefcase, a young woman, two youths on their phones, and four women returning from their dance.
Especially after the four women got on, their lively chatter instantly breathed a spark of life into the previously stifling cabin.
But this atmosphere didn’t fool Chen Mo.
These things were “strange passengers”—ghosts.
This trigger mission had set traps from the start: five routes, five buses, all ghost buses involved in major accidents. There was no way any living person could be on board!
As the terminal approached, none of the passengers showed any intention of getting off. He couldn’t force them off, nor could he drag them into triggering a dead end. Chen Mo’s brow furrowed tightly.
Few stops remained. Little time was left for him to think.
And then there was that ghost bus that had passed by like a mirror image, filling him with deep unease. The appearance of supernatural phenomena was both a warning and a sign of approaching danger. He even suspected this bus might never reach the terminal.
Just then, something else emerged from the darkness ahead—a dark shape hurtling toward them with a roar.
It was that No. 404 bus again!
Like a bizarre cycle, the same bus appeared once more—identical in its lack of light, its driver, and its passengers—rushing straight at him.
This time, even Qu Jiaojiao’s delicate face betrayed a hint of tension. Someone who had survived multiple horror stories could sense the danger in this. Encountering the same bus twice, identical as a mirror image, was clearly a crucial clue from the story.
As the oncoming vehicle drew closer, Chen Mo noticed that the second appearance of the No. 404 ghost bus seemed to have changed.
Compared to the first time, this bus looked more dilapidated—its body covered in mottled marks, some areas deeply dented, and the passengers, including the driver, were smeared with bloodstains on their faces and clothes!
Once again, Wang Jian’guo, trapped inside the other bus, stood up and pounded frantically on the window, as if urgently trying to tell Chen Mo something. But again, Chen Mo couldn’t hear a thing.
Since that was a ghost bus, Wang Jian’guo was likely already dead, his ghost trapped inside.
What Wang Jian’guo’s ghost wanted to tell him must be something extremely important!
Despite his anxiety, Chen Mo could only watch helplessly as the ghost bus roared past.
Just as he was at a loss, a burst of laughter erupted from the back of the bus.
The four women who had just boarded, seemingly oblivious to the ghost bus outside, were chatting animatedly, laughing together at something amusing.
“I tell you, Zhang, you’re so lucky to have such a successful son.”
“Yeah, the Longjing Bay Bridge—that’s a huge project. He must have made a lot of money, right?”
“Not at all! My son’s just an employee!” The woman called Zhang, though her words were modest, couldn’t hide the pride in her eyes. “But he did say he’d take me to Europe soon to relax…”
“Europe? That must cost tens of thousands.” The faces of the other two women turned a bit sour, a mix of envy and jealousy.
Just as Qu Jiaojiao was silently mocking their fake friendship, she noticed one of them subtly tug at another’s sleeve and give a meaningful glance, as if hinting at something.
The one who received the hint hesitated at first, but after hearing Zhang’s grating laughter, a shadow crossed her face, and she opened up.
“But I’ve heard that during the construction of the Longjing Bay Bridge, a lot of strange things happened. That bridge is unlucky!”
“Oh? Unlucky how?”
Hearing this, the other two women’s faces lit up with surprise and curiosity. At their age, with plenty of free time and a love for gossip, their eyes sparkled at such a tidbit.
“Isn’t the Longjing Bay Bridge where Zhang’s son is working? What’s unlucky about it?”
“Yeah, tell us!”
The two played off each other with interest, but Zhang wasn’t pleased. She scowled and snorted, “What unlucky business? Just some troublemakers making things up!”
At her glare, the woman who had started the topic faltered, rubbing her face awkwardly. “I just heard it from someone else. Maybe it’s just idle gossip.”
Since she’d said that, the other two, though burning with curiosity, felt too embarrassed to press further. The cabin gradually fell silent again.
Just then, Qu Jiaojiao blinked, let out a sweet laugh, and suddenly spoke up.
“Oh, stopping halfway like that is such a tease! I’m dying to know—what exactly happened with this… this bridge you mentioned?”