Chapter 44: Jiang Yang's Past

Jiang Yang said, "You're right. As long as the number of humans among the passengers exceeds the number of Fierce Ghosts—or at least equals it—every vote will only result in a Fierce Ghost being thrown off.

"That is why Bus 444 is only classified as a third mission.

"But don't think it's that simple.

"The places Bus 444 travels through are beyond your imagination. The 'passengers' who board have all sorts of bizarre abilities and Killing Rules. Some can even vaguely rival the Supernatural Bus itself.

"No one ever said only one ghost boards per stop. If five Fierce Ghosts suddenly get on at a single stop after you hit seven people, the human vote will lose its advantage."

Right then, Ling Feifei timidly raised her hand from beside Zhou Yan.

"Um, isn't that a bit bad?

"If the four of us Apartment residents gang up and vote together, wouldn't that be unfair to the other passengers on board?"

Everyone present felt their brains short-circuit. For a moment, they couldn't process what she meant.

Gao Tian felt a giant question mark pop up over his head.

Su Jiu slowly turned her head.

"?"

Even Xia Ta, who had been completely silent, felt her mouth twitch.

Jiang Yang didn't quite catch her meaning at first. He explained, "Other than you all, the vast majority of the passengers on the Bus are ghosts from the Inner World.

"What you need to do is concentrate all your votes on a single ghost once the number of passengers exceeds seven—"

Ling Feifei cut him off.

"I understand what you're saying. Don't forget, Zhouzhou and I both graduated from elite programs at top-tier universities.

"What I mean is—if the four of us gang up and vote for one ghost, wouldn't that be too unfair to it?

"After all, we're passengers, and they're passengers too. Does it deserve to be voted right off the vehicle just because we want to ride it?

"People shouldn't be so selfish. I think we should consider the other passengers."

Listening to her, Gao Tian felt the wrinkles on his brain being smoothed out inch by inch.

He understood every single word she said, but put together, they made him feel like he could no longer understand Chinese.

Beside her, Zhou Yan gave a thumbs-up.

"You're so amazing, baby. You're so caring."

Jiang Yang went silent for five seconds, seemingly stunned by Ling Feifei's astonishing thought process.

Off to the side, Xia Ta ignored the staggering remarks and addressed Gao Tian.

"Student Gao Tian, the third rule is just as important as the first two. Have you figured out its meaning?"

Gao Tian recalled it. The third rule seemed to say something about not fighting or destroying public property, and that passengers shouldn't get on or off unless the Bus was at a stop.

It looked completely ordinary, just like the standard rules for a regular bus in the normal world...

Suddenly, he froze.

The rule was so viciously insidious that he hadn't noticed it at first—

Other than arriving at a stop, using any other method to board or disembark is forbidden.

Could it mean...?

If that was the case, it was truly terrifying. The Supernatural Bus had completely stripped him of his biggest trump card.

Seeing his expression shift, Xia Ta nodded.

"That's right. It's exactly what you're thinking.

"While on the Bus, you cannot use the Black Card to return to the Living Apartment.

"Other than normal boarding and disembarking, you cannot leave the Bus through any unconventional means, including prying open a window or using the Black Card.

"The moment you try to teleport back to the Living Apartment, the Bus will instantly obliterate you. Only a mangled corpse will arrive.

"I was in the first-floor lobby when Jiang Yang and his team were executing their fifth mission. A weaker resident received the most votes on the vehicle and used his Black Card. He ended up teleporting back as a lump of rotten meat."

Every single restriction on the Bus had indeed been tested with the lives of their predecessors.

If not for Xia Ta's warning, Gao Tian might have actually used the Black Card the moment he ran into trouble on board.

He sought confirmation.

"If I become the top-voted passenger and choose to get off, using the Black Card outside Bus 444 is allowed, right?"

Xia Ta nodded.

"That's completely fine.

"But you probably wouldn't survive long enough to do that.

"The moment you receive the most votes, the Killing Rules of all the other ghosts will awaken, and outside the vehicle lies a string of even more horrifying places. You have no way of knowing whether getting off makes you safer or puts you in greater danger."

Not only that, there was also a terrifying hidden rule on board.

"Even though the Bus strictly suppresses every ghost's power, that doesn't mean their Killing Rules become invalid... If you proactively trigger them, they can still kill. Some passengers will even try to set you up, luring you into violating their rules so they can kill you without suffering the Bus's punishment.

"For example, there was a resident who boarded the vehicle and sat behind a beautiful, elegant young woman. Halfway through the ride, the Bus braked hard. Her lipstick fell to the floor and rolled right in front of him.

"The resident subconsciously leaned down to pick it up and return it to her. Given her normal clothes and appearance, she didn't look like a Fierce Ghost at all.

"But the instant he bent down, he saw a bruised, ashen face jutting out from beneath the woman's lower half, staring fixedly at him. That was her Killing Rule—

"Looked at from above, she was a normal human. But looked at from below, she was a ghost, and any living person who met her eyes would die instantly.

"Just like that, the resident dropped dead on the spot. Because he leaned down on his own, the Fierce Ghost hadn't violated the Bus rules by killing him."

Su Jiu clutched her chest and asked timidly, "Um, in that case, shouldn't we try to sit apart once we get on?

"Some ghosts' Killing Rules might easily sweep through a whole section of passengers at once, wiping everyone out."

Jiang Yang nodded.

"Your idea is correct.

"Concentrate your votes on one ghost when the time comes, but sit as far apart as possible once you board."

Right then, Ling Feifei grabbed Zhou Yan's arm like a spoiled child.

"No way.

"With so many scary things on the Bus, I absolutely have to sit next to my darling to feel safe. Otherwise, your baby will be scared to death."

Showing off his masculinity, Zhou Yan wrapped an arm around her.

"Don't worry, baby. Just sit right beside me. Don't go anywhere.

"If we run into danger, your knight will protect you with his life."

Looking at these two weirdos, Gao Tian felt a faint, ominous premonition.

He suspected they were absolutely going to cause trouble once they got on board.

There was nothing he could do about it now. He hadn't picked his team, and Green Text Mission teammates couldn't be swapped out. He would just have to take things one step at a time.

It was worth noting that in the Pot's prophecy, only Gao Tian and Su Jiu walked off the Bus. This couple was nowhere to be seen.

Unable to endure it any longer, Xia Ta said coldly, "Zhou Yan. Ling Feifei.

"I hope you can act a little more normal on this mission.

"No one knows exactly how your teammates died during your last two missions, but everyone has a pretty good idea.

"Gao Tian is the leader of this mission. While I am not there, you are obligated to follow his orders.

"If you deliberately disobey him, or commit acts detrimental to the team out of selfish desires, you might just suffer an 'unnatural death' in the Apartment even if you survive the mission and return."

This was one of the very few times Xia Ta had spoken to residents in such a threatening tone.

Her duty was that of an Apartment administrator; most of the time, she was solely focused on keeping as many residents alive as possible.

Perhaps intimidated by Xia Ta's icy aura, Ling Feifei actually dropped her frivolous smile.

"How could we, Sister Ta? We've never thought about getting anyone killed.

"Please don't misunderstand. The residents who died on missions with us were just genuinely unlucky."

After the group dispersed from the first-floor lobby, Jiang Yang and Gao Tian walked side by side up to the Third Floor. Once there, after ensuring no one was around, Jiang Yang spoke up.

"Gao Tian, please hold on a moment.

"There's something regarding Pagoda Primary School that I need to discuss with you privately."

Gao Tian replied, "Go ahead."

Jiang Yang said, "My fifth mission was to take Bus 444 to Pagoda Primary School. Of course, the real mission was inside Pagoda Primary School—the Bus was just an extra challenge. You know that, right?"

Gao Tian nodded.

"You mentioned that earlier."

Jiang Yang rummaged through his pockets for a moment and pulled out an old engagement ring.

Its surface looked somewhat dull, as if its owner had held it day and night.

"But what I didn't say down in the lobby is that one of the residents on that mission was my girlfriend.

"No, she was my fiancée.

"I had already made up my mind to propose to her once the mission was over.

"She... was very smart. Extremely smart. She helped me tremendously during the previous missions. In fact, I should have been the one who died in Pagoda Primary School, but... she took my place and stayed behind.

"She gave me the chance to live, and I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life. People come and go in this Apartment, but she will never return. I owe her, and I'll never get the chance to repay it in this lifetime."

Jiang Yang actually had a fiancée, and one who made it all the way to the fifth mission with him?

If that girl were still alive, the Living Apartment would probably have four administrators right now.

Gao Tian asked, "What do you want me to do?"

With his current level, it was absolutely impossible for him to enter such a dangerous place. The most he could do was check in at the entrance of Pagoda Primary School.

Jiang Yang handed the ring over to Gao Tian.

"When you reach the entrance of Pagoda Primary School, leave this ring there.

"If she's still there, she'll know it's from me.

"This ring is a year late, but it was originally meant for her."

Gao Tian didn't say anything. He just silently accepted the ring.

Deep down, he knew perfectly well that any living person who stayed in a Supernatural Zone for that long was one thousand percent dead.

In truth, Jiang Yang knew it too.

Giving away this ring was just a way to hold on to a memory.