Chapter 114: Destination Reached

A massive hand formed from seven or eight fused arms swung past, striking flesh with a deafening crack.

Standing before the Mirror, Gao Tian's group had a limited field of view and couldn't see exactly what was happening outside. He and Jiang Yang only saw blood spray across the glass, instantly splattering the small Mirror.

As the Bus jolted, the Mirror shifted, angling just enough to reveal the window beside where the old man in the military coat had been sitting. It was completely shattered. A jagged hole large enough to throw a person through gaped in the side of the vehicle, the surrounding glass heavily spiderwebbed and stained with blood.

It seemed the old man had been swatted right out the window. By the looks of it, his chances of survival were slim to none.

So that was it.

Gao Tian had thought he was some kind of hidden expert who could casually stroll through the Inner World alone.

Forget it.

So be it.

If he had just entered the Mirror World with them earlier, he would have been fine. Instead, that mountain of corpses had swatted him dead like a bug on the side of the road.

"Wait."

"Something's not right."

Wang Wenbo, who had been watching a few of the other Mirrors, cried out as if he'd seen a ghost.

The two Mirrors in front of him shattered with a bang. Within their frames, only a pitch-black void remained.

"The Mirrors over here too!"

Jiang Yang yelled urgently from the other end of the long white corridor.

In the outside world, every single Mirror they had placed throughout the Bus was being hunted down and crushed.

Was something deliberately cutting off their escape route?

Gao Tian could only see through the final Mirror, which was tucked into a concealed drawer beneath the back row of seats. It was the best hidden of them all, effectively their last hope of returning to the Bus.

This Mirror didn't even last five minutes.

The last thing they saw through the glass was a long arm covered in lividity spots slowly pulling the drawer open. Then, a smiling man's face, riddled with scars and burn marks, leaned close to the Mirror and nudged it with a dark nostril, tiny white bugs crawling in and out of the cavity.

If they hadn't known what was happening outside, they might have thought it was just a man with poor hygiene inspecting his bathroom cabinet.

Then that Mirror shattered too, its reflection going black.

All sixteen Mirrors Gao Tian had placed on the Bus were destroyed.

Even though he had stockpiled a large box of Mirrors inside the Mirror World, the problem was that they could no longer get back onto the Bus.

In the Inner World, without the Bus for transportation, moving even a single step was virtually impossible.

Down the white corridor of the Mirror World, staggered rows of Mirrors stretched into the distance. Many transit stops and Supernatural Zones contained large numbers of Mirrors as well.

Gao Tian naturally didn't dare to just pick a random Inner World Mirror and step out. God only knew what kind of hellish places they connected to.

The most pressing matter was finding the perfect Mirror—one that was both relatively safe and close to the Longshu Temple stop.

For ordinary people, fulfilling even one of these conditions would be a fool's dream. Gao Tian took out his Luck Jar and unscrewed the lid slightly, letting the Ghost Luck inside leak out at a faster rate.

"Be patient. We'll check them one by one."

Gao Tian took two steps forward, then paused.

The transit stops in the Inner World were far more dangerous than the fifth floor of the Living Apartment.

He remembered when he and Zhao Zhenjia had been trapped on the fifth floor. Just walking past the Mirrors and catching glimpses of the rooms outside had made his sanity plummet. The grotesque, blood-soaked scenes had felt like a true hell; staring at them for too long really could drive a person mad.

These weren't sights a person's willpower could simply overcome. He had no doubt that the Mirrors facing the Inner World held even more unspeakable horrors—things that could shatter a normal person's mind with just a passing glance.

Not to mention, what if they passed Pagoda Primary School? Just looking at it from afar might cause the things inside to chase them right into the Mirrors and kill them.

"Hey, Gao. Look at you dawdling. Are you going or not?

"If you aren't, then get out of the way and let me go first."

Lan Zhu hadn't considered any of the dangers Gao Tian was worrying about; she was just annoyed that he was blocking her path. Shoving past him, she muttered to herself as she took the lead.

Watching Lan Zhu's back, Gao Tian initially wanted to stop her. But then he remembered that because her brain wasn't quite right, her mental resistance was astonishing. Back then, even the Memory Ghost hadn't affected her in the slightest.

If she wanted to scout ahead, he would let her. In fact, it was probably a good thing.

He made a hand gesture to Wang Wenbo and Jiang Yang behind him, signaling for them to avoid looking into the Mirrors as much as possible. They could leave the most dangerous work to Lan Zhu.

The three men followed Lan Zhu, keeping their eyes straight ahead. Only Lan Zhu dared to inspect the Mirrors one by one, muttering non-stop, "Why are there so many corpses in this plaza? We definitely can't go out here.

"This place definitely isn't close to Longshu Temple either. That's a Buddhist holy ground; the monks couldn't stomach you people treating human meat like skewers.

"Ugh, why are these kids' heads so long and their mouths so big? They're pressed right up against the glass. What are you staring at?!"

They walked for an unknown amount of time.

They still hadn't found a suitable Mirror to exit through.

Just as the group was starting to lose hope, a Mirror not far ahead suddenly began to vibrate. It was as if someone outside was tapping on the glass.

Crap, had they triggered some Fierce Ghost's rule? Was it going to charge into the Mirror World just to kill them?

Gao Tian stopped in his tracks, preparing for battle. But to his surprise, the moment Lan Zhu saw what was outside the Mirror, a delighted expression lit up her face. She bent down and actually tried talking to him: "Oh, it's you, you old geezer! You scared me. How are you not dead yet?

"When we were on the Bus, we all thought you were a goner.

"Who would've thought you were still alive and kicking?"

A muffled voice drifted in from outside the Mirror: "You little brats, why are you walking so slow? Your legs aren't even as spry as this old man's.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been sitting here waiting for you?

"If you hadn't shown up soon, I would've just hailed a cab and gone home. I don't have the patience to keep you company."

That voice—it was actually the old man in the military coat from the Bus.

What was going on? Not only was the old man not dead, but he was waiting for them further down the road.

It was as if that slap from the mountain of corpses had been nothing more than a tickle to him.

All it had done was swat him through the air, ultimately saving him the walk.

Gao Tian stepped up behind Lan Zhu and looked at the old man puffing on his Smoking Pipe outside the Mirror. He studied him for a long time but couldn't see any signs that the old man had turned into a ghost.

The old man blew out his beard in a huff and glared at Gao Tian through the Mirror.

"Look, look, look. What are you staring at?

"I heard you lot were heading to Longshu Temple, so I came all this way just to drop a Mirror for you.

"If you're done looking, hurry up and get the hell out."

Jiang Yang, having just caught up, was highly vigilant. He wasn't about to easily trust a stranger and step out of the Mirror World.

His tone was quite direct. "Old sir.

"Could you please pick up the Mirror and spin around? We want to see the surrounding environment."

The old man in the military coat slammed his Smoking Pipe down heavily and cursed under his breath. He still followed Jiang Yang's request, picking up the Mirror and turning in a circle to show them the surroundings.

Even though it angered the short-tempered old man, this was the Inner World. They couldn't afford to be careless.

The old man's surroundings were a desolate wasteland. The ground beneath his feet was riddled with potholes, but in front of him, they could see a man-made dirt path leading off into the distance.

The area was incredibly remote. Forget about ghosts—there wasn't a second person or a single building in sight.

"I'll go out and scout first. Once I confirm it's safe, I'll knock on the Mirror three times to signal you to come out.

"If there's a problem, I'll knock four times on the Mirror. In that case, stay hidden in the Mirror World."

Jiang Yang fully loaded his revolver and volunteered to go out first.

Gao Tian knew that once Jiang Yang made a decision, trying to persuade him otherwise was useless. All he could do was summon a Wind Attendant Buddha outside the Mirror, pull it inside, and push Jiang Yang out.

The three of them stood behind the Mirror, waiting quietly.

About five minutes later.

Knocking sounded against the glass.

One tap.

Two taps.

Three taps.

A fourth tap never came.

Outside the Mirror, Jiang Yang looked relaxed as he signaled that it was clear.

Gao Tian summoned another Wind Attendant Buddha and had it pull him out second.

The four members of the Living Apartment emerged into the Inner World one by one.

This old man in the military coat truly was a mysterious figure with unfathomable strength.

—

He couldn't be bothered to answer any of their questions. Narrowing his eyes, he just blew the accumulated ash off his Smoking Pipe. "Longshu Temple... that place is incredibly wicked. If you insist on going, then all I can do is wish you kids good luck.

"After all, you'll have to deal with the upcoming troubles on your own.

"Walk straight ahead, then take a right. In about five hundred meters, you'll reach Longshu Temple."

He slowly blew out his Smoking Pipe and stood up from his squatting position. "I'm starving. I'm leaving."

In truth, Gao Tian had a pretty good idea of who he was by now.

It was just an unspoken understanding; he didn't voice his suspicions to confirm them.

In the direction the old man had pointed, they could indeed faintly make out the silhouette of an ancient Buddhist temple on the horizon.

"Take care, senior.

"May I ask where you plan on returning to next?"

The old man impatiently pointed his Smoking Pipe in the opposite direction of Longshu Temple. "You little brat, can you not understand human speech?

"I said I was going to eat. Where else do you go to eat but a restaurant? A latrine?"

In the direction his pipe was pointing, Jiang Yang and the others were stunned by an unbelievable sight. About three hundred meters ahead, situated beside the bumpy dirt road, an empty McDonald's had appeared out of nowhere.

"How—how is this possible?"

How could a McDonald's appear in the Inner World? Who were the employees inside? Were the customers even living people?

When they stepped out of the Mirror, they clearly hadn't seen a single building within a hundred li other than Longshu Temple.

Let alone such a modern fast-food joint.

Under the astounded gazes of Gao Tian and the others, the old man shot them a look of disdain, as if mocking them for making a fuss over nothing. Then, limping slightly, he walked toward the McDonald's.

Soon, his figure grew smaller in the distance as he pushed open the door and stepped into the McDonald's.