### Chapter 56: Ghosts on the Winding Road
**8 AM, the next morning.**
On a hill west of Donghai City, a dark brown bus wound its way along a serpentine mountain road.
Inside, over twenty passengers sat in an eerie silence. Some dozed off, while others stared blankly at their phones. The only sound came from the bus's onboard TV, which played a video at a low volume.
From the outside, the scene appeared ordinary. Yet, those close to the driver's seat would notice something unsettling. The driver's face, visible in the reflection of the window glass, contorted and shifted in an unsettling manner, a reflection of his turbulent emotions. He alternated between expressions of joy, anger, frustration, and an unsettling calm.
Moments later, he shakily retrieved a cigarette from his jacket pocket, placing it between his lips without lighting it. The cigarette trembled, mirroring the turmoil on his face.
"Old Zhang, you know the rules. Smoking isn't allowed on the bus," admonished Xiao Li, the flight attendant seated beside him.
"I know," Lao Zhang replied, his voice quivering. "I just... I'm addicted to smoking. I thought it would help with my boredom."
"Are you feeling alright today? You don't look so good," Xiao Li remarked, concern etching his brow as he stood to check on the driver.
But just as he stood, he caught sight of Lao Zhang's face through the window's reflection—twisted and filled with despair.
"Old Zhang, what—" Xiao Li gasped, but it was too late. Lao Zhang suddenly yanked the steering wheel, sending the bus veering sharply to the right, crashing toward the low guardrail.
The guardrail was barely half a meter high, and beyond it loomed a cliff that dropped dozens of meters. With the bus hurtling forward, it was clear: if the bus breached that guardrail, none aboard would survive.
Panic swept through the bus as passengers shot anxious glances forward, unprepared for the imminent danger.
In that crucial moment, a figure surged through the narrow aisle of the bus like an arrow, racing toward the driver's seat.
With remarkable speed, he seized the steering wheel, yanking it back with all his strength. The bus screeched as the tires skidded against the asphalt, carving an "S"-shaped track on the winding road.
In an instant, the engine sputtered, the bus finally slamming against the guardrail, coming to a jarring halt.
**Inside the bus,**
Lao Zhang's sinister plan unraveled. He yanked the wheel hard and pressed the accelerator, desperate to plunge the bus into the abyss. But to his astonishment, despite his effort, the steering wheel remained unyielding, and the accelerator felt like it had no power.
"Who are you?" Lao Zhang hissed, his eyes blazing with resentment, a dark mist seeping from his eye sockets, ears, and nose. "Don't you know obstructing a driver can get you killed?"
Yet, as he glanced at the young man before him, a chill crept down his spine. The youth wore an Ultraman mask, concealing his true identity.
"Greetings, Master Driver," Su Yu said, his voice playful yet commanding. "I am Ultraman Tiga!"
With a dramatic gesture, Su Yu struck a pose, as if invoking a higher power. "My Buddha is merciful! I see you as a benefactor, and today I, Tiga, have come to save you!"
Suddenly, a surge of electricity surged from Su Yu's hands, crackling through the air.
**Crack! Click!**
Lao Zhang convulsed, his body enveloped in arcs of electricity. The dark presence that had possessed him shrieked in agony, dissipating into a wisp of smoke.
**"Ding! You gain 640 experience points for defeating [Soul Control Ghost lv8]."**
Now level 10, Su Yu noticed the experience drop due to his higher level. If he were level 18, this ghost would yield no points at all.
But Su Yu's focus remained on the greater threat lurking ahead.
As the bus collided with the guardrail, chaos erupted inside.
"What kind of driving was that?" one passenger yelled, blood trickling from his forehead.
"Is the driver alright?" another cried.
"What's going on? Someone call for help!"
Xiao Li, pale and trembling, was at a loss. He had witnessed Lao Zhang's descent into madness, but this masked hero had intervened at the last possible moment.
Su Yu, undeterred by the confusion behind him, burst through the bus doors, not looking back.
"Wait! You!" Xiao Li reached out, unsure what to say.
"Don't worry about me; just call the police!" Su Yu called over his shoulder as he leapt over the guardrail and plunged down the cliff.
"Someone just jumped off the cliff!" a passenger shouted in panic.
"Call for help, it's going to end badly!" another screamed.
**The bus erupted in chaos.**
But for Su Yu, the fall was nothing to fear. At the last moment, he cast [Blink Technique], landing gracefully in the valley below.
Before him stretched a dark forest, the air thick with the presence of ghosts.
The soul-controlling ghost he had just vanquished was merely a pawn; the real danger lurked among the eight ghosts hiding in the woods.
According to reports from his past life, these ghosts had driven the bus off the cliff to feast on its passengers. After consuming several "meals," they had posed as passengers, even driving the bus into Donghai Bus Station, resulting in a horrific bloodbath that claimed over 400 lives—a tragedy that had shocked the nation.
Now, surrounded by the ghostly forest, Su Yu grinned beneath his mask. "I've found you!"
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**(End of this chapter)**