Journey

"Alright, it looks like everyone's here." The strong man naturally became the leader of the group. "The mission's about to start now. Everyone, get ready."

As if answering the strong man's words, a light gradually appeared in the distance.

As the light drew closer, two beams pierced through the darkness.

A brand-new luxury coach slowly pulled up and stopped by the platform.

"Talk less, observe more. Make sure it's safe before you do anything, and try not to act alone." Before the bus door opened, the strong man hurriedly added a few more words of advice.

The moment he finished, the door swung open.

A young person jumped down from it.

A buzz cut, a blue hoodie on top, and a pair of washed-out jeans on the bottom. Clean features, around twenty years old.

Their mouth moved slightly, as if chewing gum.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. We were delayed because of the weather," the young person said, and the moment they spoke, they gave everyone a surprise—it was a woman.

The woman introduced herself: "It's my honor to be your guide for this trip. My surname is Zheng. You can call me Xiao Zheng, or Guide Zheng."

"Guide Zheng," someone responded.

Everyone tacitly avoided calling her Xiao Zheng.

"Alright, everyone, please board quickly," Guide Zheng said politely. "The weather's bad, the roads are rough. Let's hurry."

They boarded from left to right: first the strong man, then the woman with a mole on her lip, the male clerk, the bald middle-aged man, Jiang Cheng, the agile fatty, and finally the girl.

Once on board, they found other passengers already there.

A couple sat on the left side toward the back. The girl was reading a magazine, while her boyfriend wore a sleep mask and headphones, leaning against the window to rest.

A middle-aged woman sat with a big boy in the first row behind the driver.

They were probably mother and son, but the boy seemed unwell—low in spirits, his gaze wandering. As Jiang Cheng passed by, he noticed both of the boy's hands were wrapped in bandages.

Guide Zheng boarded and called for everyone to find seats. Then the door closed, and she sat to the driver's right.

The strong man sat behind the mother and son, while the woman with a mole on her lip sat behind Guide Zheng.

Jiang Cheng chose the second row behind the couple. As soon as he sat down, a massive figure squeezed over. "Bro, let's sit together!"

Jiang Cheng looked up. Sure enough, it was the agile fatty. He said, "Fine, but I don't like sitting by the window."

"No problem, I can squeeze in."

Half a minute later, the fatty managed to squeeze in, but the overflow still encroached on Jiang Cheng's space, forcing him to shift outward.

The male clerk tried several times to share a seat with others but was met with cold shoulders. Finally, the girl let him sit beside her.

The middle-aged man sat alone in the last row. Jiang Cheng glanced back at him and noticed his face was so dark it could drip water.

"Bro, tell me what the hell's going on?" the fatty leaned in and whispered. "I was sleeping, and then I ended up here."

Jiang Cheng embellished the information he'd gotten from the strong man and relayed it to the fatty, who nearly burst into tears. "If you die here, your whole family dies in a bloody mess?"

"That's right."

"Then how come you don't seem that scared?"

Jiang Cheng turned his head and said in a very formal tone, "Because I'm an orphan."

The journey was calm—so calm that the male clerk thought it might stay that way. But then a sudden screech of brakes shattered all illusions.

BANG!

Massive inertia, along with shattered glass shards, swept through the cabin like a storm.

The bus had hit something.

The male clerk curled up in the aisle between two rows of seats, blocking everyone's way out, mouth open as if about to scream. In the end, the strong man dragged him out of the bus and slapped him twice.

"Shut your fucking mouth if you don't wanna die!" he threatened viciously.

The male clerk, disheveled and humiliated, shrank to the ground. It took him a while to get up, hiding at the back of the group.

Sure enough.

The bus had hit a tree.

The driver got out to check and found that heavy rain had caused a collapse on one side of the road, throwing the vehicle off course. It lost balance and crashed into a roadside tree.

Luckily, no one was seriously hurt—mostly just cuts from the broken glass.

But the bus couldn't move anymore. Here...

Jiang Cheng looked around. There was nothing in sight—no village ahead, no inn behind—just a straight road leading into the unknown.

The rain had lightened a bit, but it was still falling.

"Passengers, I'm really sorry," Guide Zheng said, rubbing her hands as she walked over. "Looks like today's trip is a wash."

They'd only met a few hours ago, and she'd already apologized twice. But everyone knew neither apology was sincere.

According to the strong man, she was just an NPC pushing the plot forward.

"How about this? I know there's a villa in those woods over there. You can go take shelter from the rain. I'll take a few people to find a vehicle, and once we do, I'll come back to pick you up." Guide Zheng pointed at the nearby woods.

Even someone as green as Jiang Cheng could tell this wasn't a good choice, yet the strong man and the others agreed and turned to head into the woods.

The real mission. Here it comes.

The previously relaxed atmosphere shifted.

Walking along the muddy path, a single misstep could send you sprawling. After about half an hour, a three-story villa finally appeared before them.

The villa was buried deep in layers of dense forest—impossible to spot unless you got very close.

"Can people even live in there?" the girl whispered.

The villa's decay was obvious; conservatively, it hadn't been touched in five years. Piles of fallen leaves were heaped in front of the door.

"If you don't want to stay, you can wait outside," the strong man said without looking back, holding his umbrella as he walked toward the villa.

Jiang Cheng watched the strong man's back. His mood seemed to be souring. Everyone could tell the girl was just complaining.

But Jiang Cheng caught something else in their gripes and discontent: fear.

Once everyone had caught up, the fat man sharing an umbrella with Jiang Cheng urged, "What're you staring at, big brother? Let's go."

"Mm."

No one answered the knock. The strong man tried pushing, and to his surprise, the thick wooden door creaked open a crack.

Unlocked.

When the door swung fully open, the scene inside came into view.

The spacious living room was a little worn but not dilapidated. A thin layer of dust coated the floor, and the same went for the rectangular dining table.