The sight of that maggot frightened me so badly I nearly opened the door and jumped out of the car.
Hearing my panicked shout, the driver pulled over and asked what was wrong.
I hurriedly kicked the maggot out through the door. The driver frowned when he saw it, too.
"Buddy, did you find that thing in my car?"
I didn't answer. I rushed to the roadside and stuck my fingers down my throat.
I gagged for three to five minutes, almost throwing up my stomach, but not a single noodle came out.
What the hell?!
The driver stood beside me, bewildered, and asked quietly:
"Buddy, what's wrong? It's just a bug. Does it really disgust you that much? It's not like you ate it!"
His words made me feel even sicker.
When I returned to the dorm, Little Six was snoring thunderously.
I lay weakly on the bed, thinking about that maggot and that bowl of noodles.
Did it really come out of my mouth?
The trip to Tangwazi Village had been exhausting. Maybe it was just a bug that had stuck to my clothes!
After daybreak, before I had even gotten out of bed, Old Wu rushed to the dorm to see me.
I had brought up Guan Jun yesterday. It seemed he really couldn't sit still anymore.
By the time I had washed and gotten ready, it was noon. I found a quiet restaurant outside and sat down opposite Old Wu.
Old Wu was so impatient he looked ready to slit me open and dig the secret straight out. The moment he spoke, he asked:
"Hurry up and tell me. How do you know about Guan Jun? Where is he now?"
I took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly:
"Brother Wu, Guan Jun isn't far from us. In fact, he's even had dealings with you recently."
Old Wu frowned at that and sighed.
"Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me where he is."
"Do you remember who sent that murderous, cursed clock?"
Old Wu nodded.
"I remember. Didn't you tell me someone surnamed Liu sent it?"
"Right, Liu Yunbo. He's Guan Jun! He just changed his name!"
Old Wu narrowed his eyes, pondering something as he leaned back in his chair.
"No wonder. I was wondering why this Liu Yunbo, someone I didn't even know or have any quarrel with, would send me a clock. So he's Guan Jun!"
Seeing that Old Wu was catching on, I teased him:
"You've got quite a few secrets. Guan Jun, and Old Tang too-you were actually comrades in arms. You never mentioned that!"
Old Wu froze, then said slowly:
"Now I remember. When we were dealing with the cursed clock, you said you'd been to Tiger Waist Mountain and even gone down into Demon Cave. No wonder you know so much. So where is Guan Jun now?"
I picked up the teapot and poured Old Wu some tea as I spoke:
"Brother Wu, I've told you plenty. It's your turn now. I still need you to teach me how to escape the Route 13 Last Bus!"
Seeing how confident I was, Old Wu leaned back and stared at me, thinking for a long while.
"You're something else, little brother. All that running around hasn't been for nothing. Fine, we'll trade secrets. I'll tell you about Route 13, and you tell me where Guan Jun is!"
My eyes lit up, and I readily agreed. Whether Liu Yunbo was even still alive in Tangwazi was uncertain. How Old Wu had survived back then was a matter of life and death for me!
"First, I owe you an apology. This Route 13 Last Bus you're driving-I drove it too!"
Sure enough, Wang Dazhong had been right. Old Wu really was the fourth driver!
Feigning surprise, I demanded:
"Brother Wu, you're quite the actor. You had me fooled. What exactly happened?"
Old Wu sighed.
"You think I wanted this? After those three drivers had accidents at Tangwazi Reservoir ten years ago, everyone at our depot signed a joint petition to the city to shut down the route. But the higher-ups sent some experts to inspect the road, and they said there was nothing wrong with it, that the accidents were purely accidental. In the end, they installed a few streetlights and left us to it!"
Old Wu's account sounded heartfelt and reasonable, not like a lie.
"What happened after that?"
"After the experts left, someone still had to drive the bus. The first person assigned to take over was a young fellow named Wang Dazhong. He was quiet and honest, and his family was terribly poor. I thought it over and couldn't bear it, so I volunteered to take his place!"
At that, Old Wu boldly drained the tea on the table.
"Everyone at work knew how cursed that bus was. From the moment I started driving it, I prepared for everything. There were more strange incidents than I could count!"
So far, Old Wu's account matched Wang Dazhong's exactly. It seemed he wasn't playing games and was telling me the truth.
I asked anxiously:
"Brother Wu, hurry up and tell me how you finally got out of it unharmed!"
Old Wu nodded and said slowly:
"I drove that bus for several months. Once, a tire blew out and I nearly died. Luckily, a gentleman on the bus saved my life!"
"A gentleman? Someone who could deal with evil spirits?"
Old Wu nodded.
"The bus was charging straight toward the reservoir then, too. I was so desperate I'd even closed my eyes. But that gentleman rushed over, cut his finger, and smeared his blood on the steering wheel. Incredibly, the bus actually stopped!"
"After we got off, I begged him to save me. He told me to go to the reservoir on the fourteenth day of every lunar month to burn joss paper and make offerings. That would keep me safe for ten years, but after ten years, someone had to drive the bus!"
Suddenly, I understood.
"So the reopening of the Route 13 Last Bus wasn't ordered by the city in the first place. You applied to have it reopened yourself?"
Old Wu lowered his head guiltily and nodded.
I sucked in a cold breath, unable to help lamenting it. Back then, Old Wu had nobly saved Wang Dazhong because he was honest and pitiful. Yet ten years later, he had become so afraid of dying that he had found someone to die in his place!
Things had already come to this. Angry as I was, there was nothing I could do. I could only ask nervously:
"Then where is the gentleman who saved you back then?"
Old Wu shook his head.
"He didn't leave me any way to contact him. He only told me his surname was He!"
"He only told you his surname was He? Nothing else?"
Old Wu nodded helplessly.
"Nothing. The year before last, I even asked a friend at the Public Security Bureau to look into it. There are hundreds of thousands of people surnamed He in our city. There's no way to find him!"
I had thought that as long as Old Wu was willing to talk, Little Six and I would be saved. Never had I imagined he would pass the buck to some gentleman surnamed He!
My heart sank to rock bottom.
I still had to drive the bus, and I still had to find the man!
Perhaps feeling ashamed, Old Wu opened his mouth to ask where Liu Yunbo lived, but was too embarrassed to get the question out.
I stood up and said coldly:
"Guan Jun changed his name to Liu Yunbo. He's in Tangwazi Village now. He usually lives in the middle apartment on the third floor of 2386 Huaiyuan Road!"
Without looking at Old Wu's reaction, I turned and walked out.
As I walked down the road, I tilted my head back and let out a helpless shout.
How much longer would the curse of the Route 13 Last Bus haunt me?
Little Six drove the bus that night. I stayed awake in the dorm the whole time, and when he returned after one in the morning, he found me still staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.
Seeing me sighing in misery, Little Six insisted on taking me out for a drink.
Unable to argue him out of it, I hailed a taxi for Nanjing Road.
I was listless throughout the ride. Before we reached Nanjing Road, Little Six told the driver to stop.
I got out, took a look, and shuddered in fright.
This was the very alley entrance where I had eaten noodles last night.
Little Six pointed happily into the alley.
"Buddy, I see a restaurant in there. Let's just have a drink here!"
Frowning deeply, I asked him:
"You can see a restaurant in that alley?"
Little Six was annoyed. He clicked his tongue and said:
"What's that supposed to mean? Last time at the hospital, you asked if I could see that old man. Now you're asking if I can see this restaurant. It's standing right there, big as anything. I'm not blind!"
Before I could speak, Little Six dragged me into the alley.
The shadow of that maggot still lingered in my mind. Returning to this late-night restaurant left me trembling with fear.
Once inside, Little Six exclaimed over how the decor looked just like something from his childhood, exactly as I had on my first visit.
Then he pulled me into a seat with a goofy grin and ordered two stir-fried dishes, two bottles of beer, and two bowls of noodles!
I looked at the owner, that middle-aged man, unsure what to say. He greeted me first instead.
"Young fellow, you've brought me a customer today! All right, I'll give you a discount on this meal!"
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. A discount?
The whole meal only costs a few mao. Do I really need a discount?!
The man carefully wrote our order on a piece of paper with a pencil, then turned and went into the kitchen.
I hurriedly leaned close to Little Six and whispered:
"Little Six, there's something wrong with this place. Let's leave right now. Forget eating here. Let's go to Nanjing Road Food Street!"
Little Six pushed me away and said impatiently:
"Buddy, enough. Don't you think you're the one with the biggest problem?"
Since I really couldn't persuade him, I could only wait and see.
Before long, the man brought out the two stir-fried dishes, two bowls of noodles, and two bottles of beer, one after another.
At the sight of the noodles, Little Six did exactly what I had done last night and polished off a bowl in two huge mouthfuls.
He gave a thumbs-up.
"Boss, these noodles are incredible. So slippery and chewy!"
I felt terribly stifled. I didn't touch the noodles and only took a sip of beer.
"Pfft!"
I spat out the beer before I could swallow it.
What is that taste?
I pulled the bottle away and looked at it.
It was actually Huadan Beer from 1989. That brewery had been closed for years, and there was still beer left?!
I grew more and more anxious, while Little Six ate with increasing enthusiasm.
When the owner wasn't looking, I lowered my head and said to Little Six:
"Little Six, if you think of me as a brother, listen to me. Keep a mouthful of noodles in your mouth without swallowing. Spit them out after we leave!"
Little Six let out a full-bellied burp and nodded.
I watched Little Six eat two plates of food, drink two bottles of beer, and finish two bowls of noodles.
Just like last time, when we paid, the owner asked for only two mao!
Little Six looked utterly baffled. I threw down fifty yuan and hurriedly dragged him out of the noodle shop!
I pulled Little Six along at a jog. Once we were out of the narrow alley, I asked:
"Brother, you didn't swallow that mouthful of noodles I told you to keep, did you?"
Little Six nodded with puffed-out cheeks, then opened his mouth and spat out the noodles.
I lowered my head and stared fixedly at what he had spat out.
It was actually nothing but a bowl of noodles mixed with Little Six's saliva!
Little Six glanced at me and said with a laugh:
"Buddy, you're such a pervert. You're into that too?"
As I stood there looking down in confusion, a woman's voice suddenly came from nearby.
"What a coincidence. You two are here too!"
I looked up and nearly stepped on the noodles Little Six had spat out.
The speaker was actually Tang Yao, the girl in the red dress who had died kneeling before the bronze bell!