Chapter 60: Bus No. 18
Lin Ye didn't fully understand why, but immediately started running to catch up.
"I can't let them escape."
"Hurry up!"
One delinquent helped his comrade up and shouted as he chased after them.
Meanwhile, Bus No. 18 had already stopped.
The three people waiting at the bus stop boarded the bus one by one. Ren Nanase followed closely, paid her fare with coins, and then Lin Ye got on.
"You two better not try to run."
The two delinquents also boarded.
At this point, Ren Nanase was worried. The stalker had gotten on the bus as well. The fact that he followed her onto the bus meant he was really targeting her.
Could he be the person responsible for the recent string of young women kidnappings?
She tightly gripped her phone, ready to call the police, but for some reason, the bus felt unusually cold.
Ren Nanase looked around.
The bus wasn't crowded, but the atmosphere felt heavy. Passengers were seated in groups of two or three, their faces obscured in the dim lighting, and there was a faint air of strangeness around them.
Others might not have noticed, but as a player in the strange world, Lin Ye was already familiar with such sensations.
The real danger Ren Nanase was facing was this bus.
"Hey, kid, respond. We're about to get off,"
The driver suddenly spoke from the front of the bus.
"Please take your seats, the bus will be leaving soon."
His voice was cold, almost chilling.
"Wait for us, we'll get off soon..."
One delinquent tried to forcibly pull Lin Ye off the bus, but the next second, "slap!" — the delinquent's head exploded, and his body collapsed to the floor.
The entire bus fell silent.
The blue-haired delinquent at the back of the bus widened his eyes. His buddy had just died like that?
Ren Nanase was stunned, terror surging through her mind as she prepared to scream.
"Wuuu..."
But Lin Ye quickly covered her mouth.
"If you don't want to die, keep quiet."
He pointed to the warning notice at the front of the bus: "Please refrain from loud noises during the ride."
"Slap!"
The middle-aged woman who had just gotten on the bus ignored Lin Ye's warning and continued screaming.
With a pop, her head exploded, and she collapsed to the ground, her body quickly melting away into nothingness.
The blue-haired delinquent turned to run but found himself unable to move past a certain point — he couldn't leave the bus.
"Please take your seats, the bus will be departing soon."
Under the threat of two deaths, no one dared to ask any more questions. The other two people quickly found nearby seats and sat down.
Lin Ye quietly analyzed the seating arrangement of the other passengers. He then gently reminded Ren Nanase.
"Two people should sit together, one person on the single seat."
After speaking, he guided her to a pair of seats at the back of the bus.
In front of them, two unknown strange entities sat together in the row.
The middle-aged man and young guy quickly swapped seats and sat together, while the remaining blue-haired delinquent sat alone on the right side in a single seat.
The three of them instinctively trusted Lin Ye's advice.
With a hiss, the bus door slowly closed.
"Boom, boom..."
The bus began to accelerate slowly.
Sitting by the window, Ren Nanase was starting to calm down. She gently pulled her hand away from Lin Ye's grip. Though he had helped her, she still couldn't shake the impression that he might be the stalker. She remained wary of him.
She glanced at Lin Ye, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention to her, she felt somewhat relieved. She began to observe the surroundings just as he had.
Her first glance out of the window revealed nothing but darkness.
It was as though Chiba City's bright lights had disappeared entirely.
A thought began to form in her mind.
She had encountered a supernatural event. Simply put, she had encountered ghosts.
Suddenly, her heart started racing again, filled with dread. Ren Nanase wanted to cry.
She wanted to go home. She missed her parents.
Who could save her?
Just then, a warm, solid hand took hers, which was trembling. Ren Nanase froze. Lin Ye handed her his phone, and the screen lit up, showing a message.
— Follow the rules and you'll be fine.
— Don't make loud noises, don't communicate with the driver.
— I will take you out of here safely. Trust me.
The text, accompanied by a cute emoticon (*?????)?), immediately helped ease her anxiety.
Despite him being the potential stalker, Lin Ye now gave Ren Nanase a sense of security.
She trusted him.
She believed she could make it out alive.
Trembling, Ren Nanase took the phone and typed out a reply.
— Why are you helping me?
— Do I need a reason to save someone?
— But you were following me, right?
— Yes, because you're very cute.
Lin Ye chose this simple, direct reason, as it was easier for her to accept.
He couldn't exactly tell her it was part of the "strange game" mission.
Ren Nanase bit her lip, thought for a moment, and typed again.
— Will we really be able to leave this bus alive?
Lin Ye gave her a thumbs up.
Ren Nanase gently nodded, signaling her trust in Lin Ye.
The other three passengers were still trembling. They had also realized that the other passengers around them were not human — they were definitely monsters!
The blue-haired delinquent glanced at Lin Ye, signaling with his eyes, hoping Lin Ye would give them some reassurance.
Lin Ye pointed to the notice on the bus.
"Boom, boom..."
The bus continued driving for about three minutes before slowing down.
"The bus is about to stop, passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready."
"The bus is about to stop, passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready."
The repeated announcement made the group look toward the exit. Once the doors opened, they would finally be able to leave this terrifying bus!
Soon,
The bus stopped.
The front and rear doors both opened with a swish.
The exit doors were open!
Hope was just ahead.