Chapter 51: Black Tie

After being pulled into the ghost domain and returning to the bus, the very first thing Gao Tian did was search for the Inverted Cross.

Initially, he had only been casually trying his luck, but now that he knew the effects of the Inverted Cross, he absolutely had to get his hands on this Supernatural Item.

The combined effects of the Ghost Card and the Inverted Cross—one dealing a card to resurrect him, the other taking a card back. If he managed to obtain this item, his survivability would undergo a qualitative breakthrough.

He wouldn't be immortal and imperishable like a ghost, but his odds of survival would easily multiply dozens of times over. An ordinary supernatural event simply wouldn't be able to kill him.

Those terrifying blood-red eyes had completely faded away. Several lights in the bus had shattered, and the surviving ones flickered erratically, leaving the entire cabin dimly lit.

Su Jiu, still sitting in the front row, was curled up into a ball like an ostrich, not daring to lift her head even now. Shen Nian had opened his eyes a step ahead of him. Seeing Gao Tian look his way, Shen Nian pressed a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture, and pointed toward the rear door. It was as if something were standing over there.

Relying on his peripheral vision, Gao Tian turned his head slightly. He saw a massive, constantly bleeding black silhouette standing at the bottom of the rear steps, its back to him. It had already stepped off the bus.

It looked a bit like Ling Feifei, but also a bit like the old woman.

The two bodies had fused together into a tall, deformed monstrosity that defied description.

The Bone Flute still hung around its neck.

There was no mistaking it now. Part of this silhouette was undeniably Ling Feifei.

The black Inverted Cross had already pierced through her brain. The back of the Ling Feifei and old woman hybrid was as stiff as a zombie. The body continued to bleed profusely as it stumbled mindlessly down the rear steps, preparing to leave the bus. All of her former arrogance was long gone.

Gao Tian had essentially figured out the Inverted Cross's Killing Rule.

If someone attempted to pull it out, they would become its new puppet, transforming into a mindless walking corpse.

The moment someone pulled it out, the Inverted Cross would release a ghost domain, dragging all humans within a certain radius inside. Within that ghost domain, giant blood-red eyes would continuously repeat the incomprehensible pronunciation of "57."

The full effects of the ghost domain were unknown, and it didn't seem to possess an active Killing Rule. After Gao Tian entered it, the Ghost Card had been drawn away from his soul.

Therefore, the idea of sacrificing one person to pull out the Inverted Cross while another sat back and seized it was impossible.

Bystanders would be locked in the ghost domain as well, completely eliminating any chance of picking it up opportunistically.

Just how was he supposed to get his hands on this bizarre Supernatural Item?

Gao Tian was truly unwilling to just let it walk away.

At this moment, the corpse with the embedded Inverted Cross stepped onto the station platform and started wandering down the road into the distance.

The bus was still idling. This stop was called the Old District. A small path paved with bluestone slabs pointed off into the distance, where buildings of varying sizes clustered together. Occasional human silhouettes could be seen weaving between them, giving the place a faint touch of everyday mortal life. Compared to the previous stops, this one actually looked somewhat normal.

The only bizarre detail was that the station railings and the ground were plastered with yellow warning tape. Printed on them in bold black letters was: "No living persons allowed. Enter at your own risk."

No living persons allowed.

Entry of the living strictly prohibited.

Normal personnel, please keep away.

In accordance with relevant regulations, this area is closed to normal humans.

...

Similar signs were everywhere at this stop known as the Old District.

The street signs by the road all featured a black silhouette of a living person covered by two long red intersecting lines, forming a massive 'X'. They clearly indicated that living beings were strictly forbidden from entering.

Every Supernatural Zone possessed a different Killing Rule. It seemed this station called the Old District was exceedingly unwelcoming to the living. If a normal human stepped off at this stop, they might be killed on the spot.

However, looking at the Inverted Cross gradually drifting further away... if he didn't give chase now, the entity would enter the town. Countless conflicting thoughts battled in Gao Tian's mind.

The ability to draw away the Ghost Card was simply too tempting. Blinded by greed, the scales in his heart began to tip. The gambler inside him gradually gained the upper hand, and he actually took a step toward the still-open rear doors. He truly had the urge to step off and chase it down.

Why not take a gamble?

Wealth and honor are sought in danger!

He still had the Ghost Card anyway. Even if he died the moment he entered the Old District, he could just resurrect.

If he got the Inverted Cross, it would make up for all the losses from his previous deaths.

Just as Gao Tian's head grew dizzy with temptation, Shen Nian coldly barked, "Wake up, kid. What do you think you're doing?

"Did seeing that Supernatural Item release a ghost domain spark your greed?

"This station is incredibly dangerous. Once you step off, you might never make it back on. Snap out of it! Don't reach for things that don't belong to you!

"When dealing with the supernatural, the most important rule is never to be too greedy. You can't expect to reap every single benefit. You have to know when to let go. Figure that out now, or you're going to die an early death.

"Can't you see it? That Fierce Ghost is walking so slowly because it's trying to lure you in.

"Staying on the bus is your safest bet. The moment you step off, you'll be meat on a chopping block for the Fierce Ghosts. They'll toy with you however they please. Don't think that just because you have some Supernatural Items, you're guaranteed to make it back alive. Never underestimate the dangers of a Supernatural Zone."

His thunderous shout shocked Gao Tian back to reality.

Even though he was exceedingly reluctant to accept it, reason told Gao Tian that Shen Nian was right.

He had absolutely no intel on the death rules of the Old District, and his understanding of the Inverted Cross's ghost domain was only half-baked.

If he really let the heat of the moment get to him and stepped off the bus here, all that awaited him was likely a death without a burial.

Now completely lucid, he thoroughly abandoned the urge to chase after the Inverted Cross.

However, he committed the outline and the rules of the mysterious Inverted Cross to memory.

He would definitely return to the Inner World for missions in the future. Once he grew stronger, the Inverted Cross would inevitably become his.

But not today. The current Gao Tian simply lacked the strength to set foot in a forbidden area like the Old District.

Not even the Ghost Card could save him if he did.

In the distance, before entering the town, the fusion of Ling Feifei and the old woman—with the cross embedded upside-down in its skull—slowly turned its head. With its stitched, disproportionate face, it stared back at Bus 444 idling at the station.

Just as Shen Nian had said, it really had been walking slowly on purpose, waiting for someone to chase it off the bus.

After confirming that no living passengers had disembarked, the deformed, amalgamated body of Ling Feifei and the old woman stood quietly at the town entrance, completely motionless.

It remained there until the bus doors slowly closed, shutting out the scenery of the Old District.

Gao Tian turned his head and spoke sincerely to the man who had knocked some sense into him.

"Thank you."

After all, he hadn't been involved in the supernatural world for long. He lacked experience, and his mindset was still unstable. If Shen Nian hadn't given him that sharp wake-up call right when his greed was at its peak, Gao Tian really might have embraced a gambler's mentality and chased it off the vehicle.

Inside the cabin now, aside from the three living people and the tall male corpse, there was also Zhou Yan's severed head and his body, which had exploded into scattered chunks of gore across the floor.

"Hmm? Strange."

Among the scattered bits of flesh and blood, a peculiar object immediately caught Gao Tian's eye.

When the Terror Blade sacrificed Zhou Yan, it had hacked him into minced meat. The clothes Zhou Yan had been wearing, his gold watch, and his mobile phone had all been reduced to dust alongside their owner.

Yet, in the middle of all that messy carnage, a black tie dotted with red accents lay completely intact. It stood out starkly amid the wreckage.

Zhou Yan had been entirely wiped out, yet this tie remained. Gao Tian wasn't an idiot; he knew this tie had to be something special.

He pondered to himself, "This tie must be a Supernatural Item. That's why it wasn't destroyed by the Terror Blade's sacrifice."

During his previous conversation with Xia Ta, she had suspected that this couple's Supernatural Item might possess a different sort of ability. For example, the more people who met misfortune around them, the more benefits they would reap.

Otherwise, why would Zhou Yan—who normally acted like a bleeding-heart saint—harbor such a deep, bitter grudge and desperately want to kill him? The two of them had no prior grievances before this mission, so it simply made no logical sense.

Gao Tian wore the Human Skin Gloves. As long as he touched a Supernatural Item with them, its effects would be revealed to him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up the tie—now stained with countless bits of minced flesh—and held it in his hands.

"Just as I expected.

"The effects of this item are far too malicious."

The Black Tie's effects and Zhou Yan's secrets were laid bare, sliding into Gao Tian's mind as clearly and distinctly as a PowerPoint presentation.

The activation cost for this item was the death of someone near its owner. The more people who died, the stronger the owner's luck would become, and the longer the effects would last.

When one person died, the effect wasn't very obvious. The owner would receive a buff lasting just a few minutes, marginally increasing their Fortune.

Upon two consecutive deaths, the Black Tie would enter an [Activated] state.

The owner's Fortune would significantly increase, making them incredibly lucky and allowing them to escape near-fatal perils. This level of Fortune lasted roughly fifteen minutes.

Upon three deaths, this Ghost Luck would strengthen further, extending its duration to thirty minutes.

Upon four deaths, the Ghost Luck would become utterly unstoppable. The owner would become like the male protagonist in a Qidian novel, slaughtering gods and buddhas alike and turning any disaster into good fortune. The duration would extend to a full hour.

...

This fully explained why that couple was so sinister and hellbent on causing the deaths of others. Not a single one of their teammates from their two previous missions had met a good end.

Truth be told, this item was quite a test of Gao Tian's morals.

In his hands, the Black Tie's upper limits would far exceed what Zhou Yan could achieve.

Zhou Yan had to meticulously scheme to get his teammates killed just to activate the Black Tie. For Gao Tian, if he wanted people to die around him, he could simply sacrifice them directly with the Terror Blade.

As long as Gao Tian remained ruthless and abandoned his moral restraints, he could instantly activate the Black Tie without any limitations.

For now, Gao Tian pocketed the Black Tie.

At present, he had no need to sacrifice his teammates to reap the Black Tie's effects.

Naturally, a Supernatural Item like the Black Tie could go unused, but he absolutely had to have it on hand.

He didn't have to harm others, but he absolutely needed the means to do so.

In this cruel, despair-filled world, who knew what the future held? In case he ran into another piece of scum like Zhou Yan, it would be the perfect countermeasure for self-defense.