Chapter 50: The God-Tier Effect of the Inverted Cross

Seeing that Gao Tian had no intention of paying her any mind, Ling Feifei, who had been rolling on the floor throwing a tantrum, started scheming again.

That was it.

Ling Feifei's eyes suddenly lit up.

How had Gao Tian killed her boyfriend? After boarding the Bus, he had done something very strange. He had poked that male corpse a few times, then simply taken the Rusted Longblade from its hands without triggering any Killing Rule.

Ling Feifei wasn't exactly a supernatural rookie anymore; she naturally understood some of this world's most basic rules. If ordinary people wanted to survive, they had to collect various Supernatural Items. One source was rewards from Apartment tasks, and the other was items dropped by Fierce Ghosts.

This Gao Tian had simply stolen a powerful weapon from the male corpse on the Bus, allowing him to instantly kill Zhou Yan with a single strike.

He was nothing special himself. He just had remarkably good luck, managing not to trigger any rules after stealing the weapon.

If he could do it, why couldn't she?

At the same time, the Bone Flute around Ling Feifei's neck was amplifying the emotions of the surrounding Fierce Ghosts, constantly washing over her brain. It infinitely magnified the negative emotions in her heart—the greed, hatred, jealousy, and anger.

She had long since noticed that bizarre Inverted Cross stuck in the old woman's head.

It radiated wave after wave of a desolate, ruinous, and despairing aura.

Ling Feifei astutely realized that the old woman's corpse wasn't the ghost's true body, but merely a product of parasitism. The Inverted Cross wedged into her head was very likely a new Supernatural Item.

If Gao Tian could take the Rusted Longblade, why couldn't she take the Inverted Cross?

Ling Feifei had no idea that Gao Tian only dared to touch the Terror Blade in the tall male corpse's hands because he had seen glimpses of the future. He knew that after performing a specific ritual, he could safely retrieve it.

If just anyone who boarded the Bus tried to snatch the Terror Blade, they would have triggered the tall male corpse's Killing Rule and died on the spot.

Trying to snatch something from a ghost without preparation was no different from seeking death.

While Ling Feifei indulged in her fantasies, Gao Tian pretended to rest in his seat. In reality, he kept his peripheral vision fixed on the figure behind him.

He saw through her petty little movements with perfect clarity.

Earlier, when Gao Tian acquired the Terror Blade, Zhou Yan and Ling Feifei—who had been waiting for him to make a fool of himself—had flown into a jealous rage. They made sour remarks about how they wouldn't do any worse when it was their turn to grab something.

Back then, it might have just been sour grapes. But now, with Zhou Yan dead, Ling Feifei's mind was clouded. Her risking her life to pull out the Inverted Cross had become highly probable.

This was exactly what Gao Tian anticipated.

He had also noticed that the Inverted Cross lodged in the old woman's head might truly be a Supernatural Item, the kind that humans could wield.

But the Inverted Cross wouldn't be so easy to take. Currently, no one knew its inherent effects, its side effects, or its Killing Rule. Gao Tian couldn't see the Inverted Cross's future. If he acted rashly to seize it, it might just kill him outright.

Ling Feifei was willing to grab it. Letting her step into the trap and clear the minefield for him couldn't be a better outcome.

There were two highly probable outcomes if this woman tried to pull out the Inverted Cross:

First, she would trigger the Inverted Cross's Killing Rule and die on the spot.

That would conveniently eliminate one Killing Rule for him.

Once the rules of the Inverted Cross were clear, Gao Tian might actually have a chance to claim another Supernatural Item.

Second, Ling Feifei might actually pull out the Inverted Cross and miraculously figure out its effects, even without seeing the future or possessing the Human Skin Gloves.

Setting aside how infinitesimally small the chances of that happening were...

Even if it did happen, it would actually be even better for Gao Tian.

Once they arrived at the stop, he would simply get off the Bus, sacrifice Ling Feifei to the Terror Blade, and pocket the Supernatural Item she had painstakingly discovered at the risk of her own life.

The Terror Blade's effect on the living was far too heaven-defying. It could directly sacrifice anyone within a certain range to the blade, requiring absolutely no consent from the target.

In conflicts between the living, Gao Tian was an invincible existence as long as he held the Terror Blade.

From the moment Ling Feifei started plotting her petty schemes, no matter the outcome, Gao Tian would profit.

Of course, uncontrollable accidents could still occur during the process. But it was impossible to reap rewards without taking any risks.

He had to grow stronger at all costs. After completing this task and returning to the Living Apartment, he would have to explore the fourth floor with the administrators. In this cruel world, those without ability didn't even have the right to survive.

Firmly blinded by the belief that "if Gao Tian can do it, of course I can too," Ling Feifei, sitting in the back row, cast one last confirming glance in Gao Tian's direction. After killing Zhou Yan, he hadn't even bothered to turn around to spare her a look.

It was a silent contempt. From start to finish, Gao Tian had never treated the couple as equals or rivals.

But it was precisely Gao Tian's contempt that made Ling Feifei feel this was an excellent opportunity. The next stop was coming up. She felt she couldn't waste another second and had to act immediately.

Promptly, she tiptoed down the steps and moved toward the back of the old woman with the Inverted Cross.

The old woman remained motionless as red blood continuously oozed from the gaping hole in the back of her head. The massive cross seemed alive, standing quietly atop her skull, using flesh and blood as its stand while apathetically observing the movements of every passenger inside the Bus.

In the front row, Shen Nian immediately noticed Ling Feifei's abnormal behavior.

His peripheral vision swept over the other passengers and Fierce Ghosts without a moment's pause. Upon seeing Ling Feifei sneakily approaching the old woman with the Inverted Cross, Shen Nian immediately turned and voiced a warning:

"What are you doing?

"Don't approach the other Fierce Ghosts, you hear me?! Or I'll shoot you dead right now!"

Seeing that her actions were exposed, Ling Feifei dropped the act entirely. She broke into a full sprint toward the old woman with the Inverted Cross, screaming at the top of her lungs, "I don't care anymore! Since I can't survive anyway, none of you are going to live either!

"When we started out, we agreed that since we're all residents of the Apartment, we would help each other. But this bastard named Gao killed my boyfriend to save his own skin, and the rest of you just sat there watching the show! Heartless scumbags like you can all go to hell with Gao Tian!

"Once I get this top-tier Supernatural Item, I'm going to finish this task alone. What does the life or death of the rest of you have to do with me?!"

By now, the hysterical Ling Feifei had already clamped both hands onto the cross. With veins popping on her arms, she forcefully yanked it outward while glaring ferociously in Gao Tian's direction:

"Once I get a better Supernatural Item than yours, I'll...

"Once I get a better one than yours...

"Once I get it..."

The very moment this foolish woman's hands touched the cross, countless blood-red eyes outlined in dashed lines opened on its black surface once again. The eyeballs darted around frantically, as if they had just awakened from the abyss.

"Damn it! Get away!"

Shen Nian directly pulled out the gun barrel from under his trench coat to intimidate her, but he didn't dare actually fire. The rules of the Bus still applied.

Those Ghost Eyes seemed to possess a life of their own, relentlessly staring at Ling Feifei as she desperately gripped it, as if evaluating the caliber of their new master.

The old woman with the pierced skull also seemed to realize someone was pulling the cross from her head. Her neck let out agonized, clicking groans as she slowly turned her head an impossible one hundred and eighty degrees while still seated, looking back toward Ling Feifei.

"Come out!"

Ling Feifei abandoned all caution at this point. With a sharp cry, an inexplicable surge of tremendous strength erupted from her, actually managing to forcibly tear the Inverted Cross free from the fissure in the old woman's skull.

Excellent.

A blood-red illusory eye rapidly unfurled from the top of the Inverted Cross, staining more than half the cabin red.

Gao Tian had long since retreated to the front of the cabin to put a wide distance between them. On one hand, he could observe the Inverted Cross's Killing Rule; on the other, it prevented him from getting caught in the crossfire when Ling Feifei died.

Boom—

As the giant blood eye descended, the surrounding scenery went black. The entire Bus cabin vanished, and in an instant, Gao Tian's world turned pitch-black.

This area was entirely different from the Bus. There were no Fierce Ghosts, no sounds, and no land. Aside from pure darkness and a blood-red "sun" in the sky, there was absolutely nothing.

At the same time, Shen Nian and Su Jiu had also been inexplicably teleported here in the distance, both looking completely bewildered.

What was this?

Had he played with fire and gotten burned?

Gao Tian looked up, seeing a blood-red human eye as massive as a planet looking down at him from the equally pitch-black canopy above.

"57."

A majestic voice rumbled in his ears.

Simultaneously, Gao Tian felt the gaze of the giant eye above pierce straight through his body, probing his very soul.

Resting on his soul was a Ghost Card—the Three of Clubs. It was the Ghost Card drawn after his previous resurrection.

The Ghost Eye lingered for a moment, and then Gao Tian felt a sudden emptiness in his soul. The Ghost Card branded onto his soul was simply pulled away.

The mark of the Ghost Card vanished.

How was this possible?

Gao Tian felt a shock akin to raging waves crashing in his heart.

Was this blood eye's ability to extract Ghost Cards from one's soul?

Theoretically, it was impossible to remove a Ghost Card. Otherwise, a user could infinitely exploit the loophole.

Then, if he could wield this Supernatural Item, didn't that mean he could combine it with the Ghost Card for infinite resurrections without suffering any penalties?

After extracting the Ghost Card, the blood eye suspended above this black domain blinked and let out another low, meaningless roar:

"57."

Shen Nian drew his gun barrel and aimed it at the blood eye in the sky, but he didn't fire immediately. Unable to grasp the situation, he didn't dare launch a rash attack:

"Don't make any sudden moves!

"That damn woman pulled out the cross and caused it to unleash its ghost domain.

"We're inside a Fierce Ghost's ghost domain right now. The slightest misstep could kill us instantly."

Su Jiu's face was deathly pale. Like a frightened chick, she hastily held her breath.

Only Gao Tian knew that the ability of this blood-eye cross was highly unique.

Right at that moment, the scenery around the three of them shifted rapidly, and they were returned to the steadily moving Bus cabin, as if nothing had ever happened.

...

...

"We are now approaching the next stop: Old District.

"Passengers who wish to disembark, please prepare in advance."

The emotionless, mechanical female voice rang out once again. Simultaneously, the vehicle's forward speed noticeably slowed down as it prepared to pull into the stop.