Temporary Ticket Inspector

Female Ghost: ???

All Ghosts: ???

As Xiao Ran's voice faded, the entire carriage fell into dead silence. The female ghost's eyes were practically bulging out of her sockets.

"Right, right, right, she peed herself, and it stinks!!"

Unexpectedly, the vest-wearing man next to him also pointed at the female ghost and shouted. As he spoke, he pinched his nose, his face full of disgust.

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, but now that he had, there really was a smell of urine.

Xiao Ran wrinkled his nose, looked down, and indeed, the wet patch on the ground seemed much yellower than before. He was just wondering when he looked back and saw that the vest-wearing man's pants were already soaked. He was speechless.

The driver froze, his gaze swept over the wet patch on the ground, then he turned his head. After a brief silence, he suddenly slammed on the brakes.

"Screech!!"

The sharp braking sound was like the signal of a fierce storm.

The fat body suddenly stood up from the driver's seat.

"So tall!!"

Xiao Ran's pupils contracted. When the driver stood up, he realized how tall the man was. Standing at two meters, his head almost touched the carriage ceiling. The suffocating pressure emanating from him made it feel like a human-shaped giant bear was walking towards them.

The moment the driver stood up, wisps of black smoke surged from his body. The smoke swirled around the driver, and occasionally, the outline of a human face would appear from within the smoke.

However, Xiao Ran also noticed at this moment that this black smoke seemed to be coming from the white gloves the driver was wearing.

His gaze fixed on the gloves. The back of the gloves was white, but there was a very strange pattern on the palm.

"Cursed Object!!"

He looked at the driver, but no matter how he looked, this driver didn't seem like an Initiate.

Like Li Ji, he seemed to be a native of the Miyuan City world.

Facing the driver walking towards them, the woman clearly panicked. Like a startled cat, her disheveled long hair suddenly stood on end like a hedgehog's quills, all pointed at the driver's face.

Black resentment flowed from each strand of hair, but compared to the black aura swirling around the driver, it was like a tiny spark against a raging inferno.

The driver just glanced at the wet patch on the ground, sniffed, and his face immediately darkened. He raised his palm, which was as wide as a door panel, and slapped the female ghost.

"Whoosh..."

Xiao Ran, sitting beside him, felt a suffocating gust of wind sweep past his eyes. Even though the palm was still some distance away, his face still felt a burning sensation.

The power was so immense that even a physical attack could produce the effect of a magical attack.

He dared not imagine what it would feel like if such power were to hit him.

With a dull thud, "Bang!!"

The female ghost's body flew from the front of the carriage to the ground in the rear carriage. The loud thud was like a heavy hammer smashing into the chest of every passenger.

But that was far from over. The next moment, a cat-like scream echoed through the carriage.

The driver grabbed the woman's hair and swung his fist, as big as a casserole, down at the female ghost.

"Clang, clang!!" the sound rang out.

Even sitting on the chair, they could feel the weight of this punch transmitted from beneath their buttocks.

Xiao Ran watched closely. He noticed that the black resentment on the woman's hair was actually swallowed by the driver's gloves when they touched. Clearly, those gloves must be some kind of high-level Cursed Object.

At least, their level wouldn't be lower than the [Mourning Ring] he had.

At this moment, the passengers were like monks in deep meditation, their eyes focused inward, their noses aligned with their navies. Only when the woman's screams rang out would their gazes occasionally dart over, a smug smile appearing on their lips.

Among them, there were a few bold ones. For example, the man holding a bamboo basket kept grabbing sunflower seeds from it, cracking them with great enjoyment.

And the man in the third row on the left, near the door, crossed his legs, revealing a pair of shiny black leather boots. Although his eyes were closed, he was listening intently to the woman's screams, as if it were a beautiful melody, a look of intoxication on his face.

Xiao Ran's gaze swept across the faces of these passengers, carefully observing the changes in their expressions.

These 'passengers' were not good people either.

Although the woman's trouble was resolved, who could say that on the next stop, other passengers wouldn't come to harass them?

After all, with him and the vest-wearing man sitting with these 'passengers', it seemed like they were at a disadvantage.

Xiao Ran frowned deeply and looked again at the [Passenger Rules] hanging in front.

In just this short while, the female ghost had been beaten to a pulp by the driver on the ground.

What Floating Fish evil? In the face of absolute power, the female ghost could only howl. In moments, her head was smashed into a pulp, and her chest was caved in significantly.

The driver dragged the woman's body to the rear door, preparing to throw her out.

But looking at the closed door, he remembered he hadn't pressed the open button yet.

"Click!!"

However, to his surprise, the door opened at this moment.

The driver looked up and found Xiao Ran standing beside the driver's seat, having pressed the open button.

This scene almost made the vest-wearing man bite off his own tongue. "When did this guy get up? Is he crazy??" Shocked, he quickly twisted his body and moved to Xiao Ran's position.

He didn't want to give other 'passengers' a chance to take advantage, while also praying the driver wouldn't argue with this guy.

He really wanted to yell for Xiao Ran to come back quickly, but he was afraid his shout would attract the driver's attention and reveal that he had wet himself. Seeing the fate of the female ghost, he didn't think he could withstand a beating any better than she could.

His conflicted expression looked like he was constipated.

Fortunately, the driver just glanced at Xiao Ran before throwing the woman out of the car and turning towards the driver's seat.

As the driver walked towards him, Xiao Ran didn't return to his seat. Instead, he said to the driver.

"Hello, I didn't see any ticket inspectors on board. Can I try?"

Xiao Ran pointed to the [Passenger Rules] hanging nearby.

One of the rules stated: "This bus currently has no ticket inspectors. Ticket purchase is based on self-awareness."

"Hiss! There's such a thing?" The vest-wearing man, hearing Xiao Ran's words, felt that this guy must be crazy. On such a terrifying bus, he himself wished he'd never have to ride it again, and this guy was actually applying for a job?

The driver lowered his head, his small, bean-like eyes scrutinizing Xiao Ran. "You want to be the ticket inspector?"

"Yes, I think I can give it a try."

Even standing before the driver, who was like a mountain of flesh, Xiao Ran showed no fear. Compared to the various commissions he often accepted, this situation was a piece of cake.

Since the [Passenger Rules] stated there were no inspectors currently, it meant there used to be one.

If he tried, even if the driver didn't agree, he wouldn't attack him over such a small matter, right?

Seeing Xiao Ran's confident expression, the driver grinned. His smile was playful, with a strange sense of watching a good show.

He took out a faded Red Armband from his pocket and gave it to Xiao Ran. "Well, good luck. And clean the bus."

The unexpected smoothness of it all surprised even Xiao Ran.

"Okay," Xiao Ran agreed, reaching out to take the Red Armband.

At the same time, blood-red text reappeared before Xiao Ran's eyes.

[Branch Quest Triggered: Temporary Ticket Inspector]

Quest Requirement: Before you reach your destination, you must pay the driver five [Ghost Money] or an equivalent Cursed Object.

Quest Hint: You can collect tickets and find passengers who haven't paid, then punish them to obtain high fines.

Quest Difficulty: E-class

Quest Reward: E-class

(Note: If you don't have enough underworld currency, be prepared for a significant loss.)

"There's a branch quest too?"

This was somewhat unexpected for Xiao Ran, and the quest difficulty was quite high. He remembered that the main quest for the Miyuan City trial last time was only E-class.

After carefully scanning the contents, Xiao Ran looked down at the faded Red Armband in his hand.

"Detected F-class Cursed Object, activate?"

"Activate."

Xiao Ran detached the Ghost Cloak from the Trainee and instead activated the Cursed Object in his hand.

As black Curse Marks burrowed into the armband, forming a peculiar mark on it, the Cursed Object's information appeared in Xiao Ran's mind.

F-class Cursed Object: Red Armband · Trainee

While the bus is in motion, you can "inspect tickets" for any passenger on the bus. If the passenger cannot produce a ticket, you can enact the curse, giving the passenger the following choices.

Choice 1: Pay the Fare

Calculated at three times the regular fare.

Choice 2: Curse Contract

Activate the curse, causing the target to enter a 30-second stun period. During the stun, they cannot move, and their damage taken increases by 1.5 times. The target can choose to pay ten times the fare (mortgaging a Cursed Object) to lift the curse, or endure the 30-second stun.

(Note 1: If the target endures the 30-second stun, you will not be able to inspect their ticket again!)

(Note 2: You can only use the ticket inspection right twice per stop. This Cursed Object is only usable on bus [404].)

This is the new book period. I hope you won't just save it. Readership is crucial. As a small, new author, I beg you.