Jiangyang's Past

Jiangyang:

"You're right. As long as there are more humans than Vengeful Ghosts among the passengers on the bus—or at least no fewer—then every vote will only ever cast out a Vengeful Ghost.

"So Bus 444 can only be used as a three-time mission.

"But don't think it'll be that simple.

"The places Bus 444 travels through aren't ones you can imagine. The 'passengers' who get on have all kinds of abilities and Killing Rules. Some can even go toe-to-toe with the Supernatural Bus.

"No one ever said only one Ghost could get on at each stop. If five Vengeful Ghosts suddenly get on at some stop after there are already seven passengers, then the humans won't have the advantage in the vote anymore."

Just then, Ling Feifei, standing beside Zhou Yan, timidly raised her hand.

"Um, isn't that a little unfair?

"If the four of us from the apartment stick together and vote as a bloc, wouldn't that be unfair to the other passengers on the bus?"

Everyone present had a momentary mental shutdown. For a moment, no one understood what she meant.

Gao Tian felt a question mark appear over his head.

Su Jiu slowly turned around.

"?"

Even Shata, who had been silent the whole time, could barely keep a straight face.

At first, Jiangyang didn't understand what Ling Feifei meant. He explained, "Most of the passengers on the bus, apart from you, are Ghosts from the Inner World.

"What you need to do is concentrate all your votes on one Ghost once there are more than seven passengers..."

Ling Feifei interrupted him.

"I understand everything you've said. Don't forget, Zhou Zhou and I both graduated from top-tier 985 universities with flagship majors.

"What I mean is, if the four of us vote together against one Ghost, wouldn't that be too unfair to him?

"After all, we're passengers, and he's a passenger too. Is he really supposed to be voted off the bus just because we need to ride it?

"We can't be so selfish. I think we should consider the other passengers too."

After hearing Ling Feifei's words, Gao Tian felt the wrinkles in his brain slowly smoothing out.

He understood every word she'd said, but why did he suddenly feel like he couldn't understand Chinese when they were put together?

Zhou Yan gave a thumbs-up beside them.

"Baby's amazing. Baby's so compassionate."

Jiangyang was silent for five seconds, apparently stunned by Ling Feifei's astonishing train of thought.

Shata, who had been silent until then, ignored Ling Feifei's astonishing remarks and spoke to Gao Tian.

"Gao Tian, besides the first two rules, the third rule is just as important. Do you understand what it means?"

Gao Tian thought back. The third rule seemed to say not to fool around or damage public property, and that passengers weren't allowed to get on or off except at stops.

It seemed perfectly ordinary, just like the rules on a regular bus in the Normal World...

Suddenly, he froze.

The rule was so vicious. He hadn't noticed it at first.

Other than at a stop, passengers weren't allowed to get on or off by any other means.

Could it be that one?

If so, it was terrifying. The Supernatural Bus had just taken away the biggest trump card in their hands.

Seeing the change in his expression, Shata nodded.

"That's right. It's exactly what you're thinking.

"You can't use a Black Card to return to the Living Person Apartment while you're on the bus.

"Other than getting on or off normally, you can't leave the bus by any unconventional means, including prying open a window or using a Black Card.

"The moment you teleport back to the Living Person Apartment, the bus will kill you outright. All that'll return will be a mangled corpse.

"When Jiangyang and the others were doing the Fifth Mission, I was in the First Floor Hall. One of the weaker residents was voted Ticket King on the bus and used a Black Card. In the end, he teleported back as a lump of mangled flesh."

Every restriction on the bus had, of course, been tested by earlier residents with their lives.

If Shata hadn't warned him, Gao Tian might really have used his Black Card if he ran into trouble on the bus.

He asked to make sure.

"If I'm voted Ticket King, can I get off first and then use my Black Card outside Bus 444?"

Shata nodded.

"That's completely fine.

"But you might not survive until then.

"The moment you become Ticket King, the Killing Rules of all the other Ghosts will begin to revive. And outside the bus are places even more terrifying. You can't know whether getting off will make you safer or put you in greater danger."

On top of that, there was a terrifying Invisible Rule on the bus.

"Although the bus firmly suppresses every Ghost's power, that doesn't mean their Killing Rules stop working... If you deliberately touch one, it can still kill you. Some passengers will even stage an accident on purpose, luring you into touching their rules. That way, after killing you, they won't have to follow the bus's rules for passengers.

"For instance, once, a resident got on the bus and saw a beautiful, dignified young woman sitting in front of him. Halfway through the ride, the bus braked suddenly, and the lipstick in her hand fell to the floor and rolled in front of him.

"The resident instinctively bent down to pick it up and return it to her. She looked normal enough, and didn't seem like a Vengeful Ghost.

"The moment he bent down, he saw a bluish-gray head sticking out from beneath the woman's lower body, staring fixedly at him. That was the woman's Killing Rule—

"Seen from above, she looked like a normal human. Seen from below, she was a Ghost, and any living person who glanced at her would die instantly.

"And just like that, the resident died on the spot. Since he'd bent down of his own accord, the Vengeful Ghost hadn't violated the bus's rules by killing him."

Su Jiu covered her chest and spoke timidly.

"Um, in that case, should we try to sit apart after we get on?

"Some Ghosts' Killing Rules can easily affect a whole section of passengers at once, wiping us all out."

Jiangyang nodded.

"You're right.

"When it's time to vote, put all your votes on one Ghost. But once we're on the bus, we should sit as far apart as possible."

Just then, Ling Feifei grabbed Zhou Yan's arm and pouted.

"No way.

"There are so many scary things on the bus. I need to sit next to my darling to feel safe. Otherwise, Baby will be scared to death."

Zhou Yan put an arm around Ling Feifei with a manly flourish.

"Don't worry, Baby. You'll sit right beside me and won't go anywhere.

"If danger comes, your knight will protect you with his life."

Looking at the two oddballs, Gao Tian had a vague sense of foreboding.

He suspected those two would definitely cause trouble once they got on the bus.

There was nothing he could do about it now. He hadn't chosen his teammates, and teammates for a Green Text Mission couldn't be replaced. He could only take things one step at a time.

One thing worth noting was that in the Pot Prophecy, only Gao Tian and Su Jiu got off the bus at the end. The couple were nowhere to be seen.

Shata, unable to stand it any longer, spoke coldly.

"Zhou Yan, Ling Feifei.

"I hope you'll behave normally during this mission.

"No one knows how your teammates died in the first two missions, but the rest of us can guess, more or less.

"Gao Tian is the Captain for this mission. When I'm not around, you're obligated to follow his instructions.

"If you deliberately disobey him, or even do something that harms the team for your own selfish reasons, you could still suffer an Abnormal Death even if you survive the mission and return to the apartment."

This was one of the rare times Shata had threatened the residents.

As the apartment administrator, she usually thought about how to help more residents survive.

Perhaps cowed by Shata's icy demeanor, Ling Feifei actually stopped grinning for once.

"Of course not, Sister Ta. We've never wanted anyone to die.

"Please don't get the wrong idea. The residents who were on our team before and died during the missions really were just unlucky."

After the group prepared to leave the First Floor Hall, Jiangyang walked alongside Gao Tian toward the Third Floor. Once they reached it and confirmed no one else was around, he spoke.

"Gao Tian, please wait a moment.

"There's something I'd like to tell you about Pagoda Elementary School in private."

Gao Tian said, "Go ahead."

Jiangyang said, "My Fifth Mission was to reach Pagoda Elementary School by taking Bus 444. The actual mission was inside the school, of course. The bus was just an extra part. You know that, right?"

Gao Tian nodded.

"You mentioned it earlier."

Jiangyang rummaged around in his pocket for a while, then pulled out a worn Engagement Ring.

The ring looked somewhat dull, as though its owner had held it in his hands day and night.

"But what I didn't mention in the First Floor Hall was that one of the residents on that mission was my girlfriend.

"No, I should say my fiancée.

"Once we completed the mission, I'd already decided that I was going to propose to her.

"She was... incredibly smart. She'd helped me a great deal in my previous missions. In fact, at Pagoda Elementary School, I should have been the one to die. But... she took my place and stayed behind.

"She gave me the chance to live. I'll regret it for the rest of my life. People come and go from this apartment, but she'll never come back. I'll never get the chance to repay what I owe her."

Jiangyang had actually had a fiancée, and she'd gone with him through the Fifth Mission?

If that woman were still alive, there would be four administrators at the Living Person Apartment now.

Gao Tian said, "What do you want me to do?"

At his current level, he couldn't possibly enter a place that dangerous. At most, he could check in at the entrance to Pagoda Elementary School.

Jiangyang handed Gao Tian the ring.

"When you get to the entrance of Pagoda Elementary School, leave this ring there.

"If she's still there, she'll know I gave it to her.

"This ring is a year late. I'd originally bought it for her."

Gao Tian said nothing. He simply accepted the ring in silence.

He knew perfectly well that a living person who'd spent so long in a Supernatural Place was one thousand percent dead by now.

Jiangyang knew it too.

He was giving away the ring only to hold on to a little hope.