Only when the old woman boarded alone did everyone's diverted attention return to the Route 666 Bus itself.
The bus looked even more dilapidated in the late-night fog, its body covered in patches of rust. Through the slightly grimy windows, the people at the stop could make out the interior by its lights. Quite a few passengers were seated inside, and they all looked perfectly ordinary-some scrolled through their phones with their heads lowered, fingers swiping rapidly; others leaned back in their seats with their eyes closed, apparently resting. The old woman, too, casually chose a window seat without showing anything unusual, resting her hands quietly on her knees and gazing thoughtfully outside.
The burly man frowned and raised a hand to scratch his head, his tone growing more impatient. "Isn't this just a perfectly Regular bus? What's weird about it?" The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he spoke, a hint of disdain in his voice, as though the ordinary scene before him had washed away all his earlier tension.
The old woman's behavior, however, only made Feng Yan, the intern from the Relevant Authorities, more flustered. His expression stiffened, his eyes darting uneasily between the bus door and the empty street deep in the fog. His lips parted slightly as though he wanted to say something, but his throat seemed blocked. All he could manage was an incoherent "uh, buh, uh, buh," without getting a single complete sentence out.
Feng Yan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He forced himself to stare at the bus, his gaze anxious and intent. Yet when his eyes landed on the old woman by the window again, he suddenly froze.
He saw the old woman sitting by the window, slowly lifting her arm to wave at him.
Her wave