Get on the Bus!

After carefully reading the blood-red words in his field of vision, Xiao Ran felt a little puzzled.

This time, Micheng seemed different from before.

According to the instructions, he had to make his own way to the task location.

If he was right, that meant one of the four stops listed on the bus sign in front of him.

The four task locations seemed to be connected to one another, rather than being in an enclosed village like last time.

"Hmm... No wonder it was a trial last time, but this time it's participation."

Xiao Ran read the instructions carefully once more. After confirming that they contained no misleading hints like last time, he narrowed his eyes. "And what's this urban legend?"

"Crack!"

Just as Xiao Ran was lost in thought, a sharp cracking sound made him instantly alert. He followed the sound with his gaze and turned to look at the alley across the road.

In the dim alley, something that looked like a dark shadow seemed to be crawling along the ground, inching its way out.

When the faint streetlights fell on the shadow, Xiao Ran furrowed his brow and quickly took a short knife out of Micheng Space.

It was Xue Hongling's weapon. When he had collected her corpse earlier, he had tossed it into his space.

"What the hell is that?" The creature's outline was reflected in Xiao Ran's pupils.

In the shadows at the end of the street, a dark shape crawled along the ground. Its emaciated body was nothing but skin and bones. At a glance, its posture made it look like a large cat.

Its long, sharp, bluish-gray nails scraped against the ground with a rustling sound.

The monster had no face. Long, slender tentacles stretched from its cheeks and dragged along the ground, as if searching carefully for something. With its twisted limbs, it looked like a beggar deliberately crippled for sympathy on the evening news.

A cold breeze blew past Xiao Ran. The monster paused, then slowly raised its head. The tentacles on its face danced lightly in the air, as if catching a scent. It abruptly turned toward Xiao Ran.

A sense of being watched welled up inside him. As Xiao Ran quickly backed away, the black Ghost Cloak settled over his shoulders at the same time.

"Activate!"

Black curse markings snaked out from Xiao Ran's shoulders and quickly merged with the Ghost Cloak.

[Ghost Cloak - Trainee]

After fusing with the curse markings, dark shadows of runes appeared across the cloak. They grew denser, enveloping Xiao Ran in shadow, until he soon disappeared entirely into the darkness.

Privilege 1: Nightwalker. At night, enter a partially invisible state. When standing still, enter a fully invisible state.

The monster, however, didn't seem affected by his invisibility. The slender tendrils on its face writhed in the air, then all locked onto Xiao Ran's direction. It charged straight at him.

Its twisted limbs began to lengthen, and in an instant its body took on a spider-like shape.

Before it even drew near, its stench hit him. The crushing pressure made Xiao Ran's heart race. One hand gripped the knife's handle tightly, and beneath the cloak, he leaned forward slightly—the standard stance for Blade Draw Slash.

The monster was fast. In the blink of an eye, it had reached the road.

It suddenly sprang off with both legs, hurtling toward him like a pouncing leopard.

But at that very moment, two blinding headlights suddenly pierced through the fog.

"Beep! Beep-beep!"

With a piercing honk, two powerful beams suddenly lit up the road in the darkness.

A bus bearing the number [404] burst out of the darkness at incredible speed. It showed no sign of slowing or braking, and came barreling straight toward them.

"Thud!!" The monster was sent flying before Xiao Ran's astonished eyes. It spun through a full 360 degrees in midair before crashing down more than ten meters away.

"Skree—hiss—"

The sudden turn of events caught Xiao Ran completely off guard. He only came back to his senses when the piercing screech of brakes rang out. Looking up, he saw a yellow bus slowly come to a stop in front of him.

The bus looked quite old.

It looked more like something from the 1980s. The mottled paint on its body was peeling away, exposing the dull metal beneath. Rust spread around the corners of the doors and the edges of the windows, whose glass had taken on a hazy appearance.

There were several dents on the bus's front bumper, crudely patched over with uneven paint that clashed with the rest of the bus. The headlight casings were full of dust and dead insects.

"Ka—whirr—"

The doors opened. The fat driver leaned out of his seat and glared at the monster that had been hit, cursing it out. "Damn it, I just washed this bus! Can you scavengers get lost already?!"

Xiao Ran glanced at the monster still writhing on the ground in the distance. He wondered whether he should take the opportunity to go finish it off and collect its corpse.

But just then, the driver turned his gaze to Xiao Ran, who was standing outside the bus. Looking annoyed, he frowned and asked, "Getting on or not? If you're not, I'm closing the doors."

At the driver's urging, Xiao Ran couldn't help feeling a little regretful. It looked like going to collect the corpse wasn't an option now. Getting on the bus was what mattered.

"I'm getting on!"

Xiao Ran nodded and stepped aboard.

"Remember to pay!" The driver closed the doors and pointed to the fare box beside him.

Xiao Ran hesitated as he looked at the slot, then took out a round copper coin. A sheen glimmered on its green patina, and the four characters [Fengcheng Treasure Mirror] were engraved on it.

It was one of the rewards from his last Micheng trial. He had only four coins in all.

Since the coin came from Micheng, it made sense to spend it there.

Holding the coin, Xiao Ran glanced at the driver. Seeing no objection, he dropped it into the slot.

"Clink!"

After the coin fell into the slot, a rattling sound like a printer came from inside. A blue ticket then emerged from below.

Xiao Ran casually picked it up and glanced at it, his brows lifting slightly.

[Bus No. 404 ticket: Valid for this trip only.]

Destination: Seventh Middle School

(Note: Get off after your stop at your own risk.)

"Looks like my task location this time is Seventh Middle School."

Xiao Ran tucked the ticket into his pocket. He remembered Seventh Middle School was probably the fourth stop.

"Wait, wait..."

A figure hurried up from outside. Reaching the doors, he scrambled aboard on both hands and feet, practically crawling his way in.

The newcomer wore a tank top. He lay on the floor, panting heavily. A few sparse strands of hair hung from his head, making him look especially disheveled.

The driver glanced at the man, then, looking thoroughly disgusted, raised a fist as big as a bear's paw and punched the fare box.

"Clang!"

The fare box shook a few times. The rattling started up inside it again, and soon a second ticket came out.

Xiao Ran glanced at the writing on the ticket.

He saw that it was different from his own.

It was also a Bus No. 404 ticket, but the destination was [Jiaomu Village]. A black stamp on it read [Trial Ticket Only].

"A trial? Is this guy a newcomer?"

Xiao Ran's thoughts stirred. What would happen if he switched the two tickets right now?

Of course, it was only a passing thought. Who knew what the consequences would be?

Even if he really took the man's ticket and entered another Micheng trial, it wouldn't offer him any particular benefit.

But this newcomer would almost certainly die.

"Come on, hurry up! Take your ticket and sit down. We're leaving."

The driver urged them impatiently, then pressed the accelerator before either of them had a chance to find a seat. As the engine roared, the bus lurched forward. As if deliberately taking revenge, the driver yanked the wheel, sending the bus straight over the monster.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

The sound of bones breaking beneath the wheels was painfully sharp. Xiao Ran saw the driver's face twist into a bloodthirsty, sick grin, and a chill crept through him.

"Is this guy some kind of psychopath?"

"Bzzzt... bzzzt..."

The bus radio crackled with static. Then a cold voice came through: "Welcome aboard Bus No. 404. Passengers, please hold on and take your seats. Next stop: Evil Spirit Lane."

Xiao Ran: ???