Little Dog has a separate bedroom at Aunt Susan's house, but he insisted on sharing a bed with his brother James.
James didn't mind it.
"James, I didn't tell Aunt Susan about the bus," Little Dog said, as if seeking praise.
"At least you're clever enough."
"How could it be just a bit? James, you underestimate me. In our Rockridge town, can you find anyone as clever as me in 500 years forward or backward?"
"Why shouldn't we talk about the bus?"
Little Dog proudly answered, "Isn't it obvious? If I told her, Aunt Susan would definitely not let me go to the city with you."
"..."
James was momentarily speechless, such a powerful reason that he couldn't refute.
Alright, this answer is very Little Dog-like.
If Little Dog had answered that keeping it a secret was to prevent panic and avoid trouble, it wouldn't have been like him.
"James, do you admit that you underestimated me now?"
"Yes, great job. You're very smart. But remember, if you leak this information, don't ever think of me taking you to the city again."
Since Little Dog loved to show off his "wit", let him keep this wit mode and completely bury today's events in his stomach.
"James, do you think that if we hadn't stopped that bus today, they wouldn't have been buried?"
"No." James answered decisively.
"You're right; the bus would have been caught by the filthy things and definitely wouldn't have reached Nova City."
James sighed lightly and remained non-committal.
Whether the filthy things had such strong harm or not, James hadn't seen it and wasn't sure.
He believed more in the saying of fate and destiny.
Fate includes destiny and individual fortune.
Continuous rain caused landslides on the mountain; this was destiny.
The people on the bus happened to be there; this was their individual fortune.
Although they were destined for disaster, they didn't necessarily have to face it.
Most fortunes eventually have a way of resolution. But that bus obviously didn't have the fortune to trigger a solution.
People who don't believe in fate would say that if they hadn't stopped halfway and delayed for half a minute, they could have driven hundreds of meters away and definitely wouldn't have encountered this calamity.
People who believe in fate would think that maybe the landslide was brewing to a certain critical point and needed a fuse to trigger it.
The weight and aura of the bus and its passengers happened to trigger the critical point of the explosion, so they were buried. Regardless of whether the bus arrived thirty seconds earlier or half a minute later, it would be the same.
If one or two people were riding an electric donkey, it might not even trigger it for a while.
"So, what's the situation with Little Dog and me not getting on that bus and escaping?" James had been pondering this issue.
Little Dog had suffered all day, didn't sleep well last night, and combined with James's low enthusiasm for chatting, he fell asleep drowsily.
James had a heavy heart and didn't feel sleepy for a while. Just like Aunt Susan said, the following days in town might be tough.
A bus with dozens of people involved dozens of families.
Crying sounds came from time to time, heartbreaking wailing especially during the night.
James empathized with the pain of losing loved ones.
Ten years ago...
When he learned that his mother's archaeological team's car fell off a cliff, the whole family's pain and despair at that moment took James ten years to slowly walk out of it.
For ten years, James had countless dreams about his mother and her young and beautiful appearance. He shouted "mom" with all his strength but never got a response.
But this month, the dreams changed dramatically, and his mother in the dream was no longer young, and she seemed to be hinting at some clues.
James gently pulled out the family photo from under the bed,
Holding it to his chest, he whispered in his heart.
"Mom, what exactly do you want to tell me?"
James didn't even dare to close his eyes; he was afraid that as soon as he closed his eyes, that dream would appear.
His mother's desperate and painful appearance broke his heart, making every second unbearable for him.
But at the same time, he had some expectations!
Maybe... if this dream continued, could his mother in the dream provide more clues?
Even after ten years, James still had a little fantasy deep in his heart.
At that time, the archaeological team's vehicle rushed off a cliff. The driving trajectory, the scene's brake marks, and the damaged flowers and bushes beside the road all proved that this was an accident.
What was puzzling was that they couldn't find any wreckage of the vehicle at the bottom of the cliff where it happened.
It seemed like that fall made the archaeological team disappear along with their car.
The cliff was deep and covered with fog all year round. However, relevant departments sent people down to investigate several times using various methods and high-tech means.
Nothing was found.
In the end, it was concluded as a traffic accident, leaving his mother's life or death a mystery.
After a while, James calmed down, took a deep breath, put the photo back under the pillow, and prepared to sleep.
Bang!
Suddenly, Little Dog kicked the bed hard with both feet, and his whole body jumped up like a zombie.
He said anxiously: "They're back! They're all back!"
Then he waved his hands in midair with a frightened expression on his face and hid towards the corner of the bed.
"Little Dog, what's wrong with you?" James thought Little Dog was sleepwalking and slapped him.
Well, it really worked.
Little Dog shook his whole body and woke up completely.
"James, they're back! They're all back!" Little Dog suppressed his voice, but the trembling in his tone showed his extreme fear.
He had never been like this before.
"Who's back?"
"The people on the bus. A total of sixty-six people, including the driver. Look out the window... The driver's left cheek and arm are gone; I recognize that person, he's Llyod manson from the grain and oil shop next door. He's worse off, only half of him is left... That's the boss of the barber shop at the bridgehead, he's crawling on the ground with his intestines spilling out, covered in blood..."
James felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, cold to the core of his being. He quickly covered Little Dog's mouth.
Don't say anything else, Little Dog! Shut up!
The night light flickered.
Crackling sounds came from outside the window as if it were wind or some other unknown force trying to push open the window with all its might.
Sounds like raindrops or wind rolling broken branches and fallen leaves also seemed like something dragging slowly across the ground.
On the contrary, there was no stopping to dog barking throughout the night.
Suddenly, it seemed as if all dogs in town were choked simultaneously and their mouths were sealed; their barking ceased!
The temperature in the air seemed to drop by more than ten degrees instantly.
The cold air swept in from windows, under beds, and every corner of empty space. It was hard for people to resist; their teeth chattered.
Crying continued throughout the night, becoming more and more tragic from midnight until dawn.
Early in the morning, the two brothers had a quick breakfast and decided to return to Nova City.
Aunt Susan wanted to keep them, but with the current situation in town, she didn't want to stay if it wasn't for the business she couldn't leave behind.
Coincidentally, a delivery driver from Nova City who had been stranded in town for a night was planning to detour back to Nova City today. Aunt Susan heard about this situation and agreed to pay an extra 3o pound for gas money for a ride.
"Little Dog, when you're in the city, you have to listen to your sister and James. Otherwise, Aunt Susan will slap you." Aunt Susan threatened jokingly.
"I don't like listening to other people's words, but I'll definitely listen to James," Little Dog said happily, not arguing with Aunt Susan.
Aunt Susan quickly took out 30 pounds and handed it to the delivery driver through the car window: "Mr. Brown, drive slowly on the road. I'm giving you the fare now, don't ask my nephew for more later. And don't bully my nephew."
"I wouldn't dare bully anyone related to you, Susan! Besides, I'm afraid that next time I come, you'll dismantle my vrhicle!"
"Hmph, it's good that you know! Actually, I'm doing this for your own good. These two little guys in my family are not easily provoked by ordinary people. Who knows who would lose out?"
The vehicle was a double-row pickup truck; the two brothers sat in the back row with plenty of space.