Free Web NovelChapter 112: Chapter 30: The Old Comrade of the Spirit Disaster Bureau
SCREECH.
The yellow light in the distance down the alley grew larger until the dilapidated Bus 444 pulled to a stop in front of them. This was their second time on this bus. Gao Tian was far calmer than the first time.
Their luck seemed to be holding. Aside from the four of them, there wasn’t a single ghost passenger on the bus.
While choosing a seat, Gao Tian reached into the mirror he carried and pulled out a stack of smaller mirrors.
He stuffed one into every possible corner of the bus and under every seat.
This was a precaution against any unexpected incidents along the way.
As the four of them sat down, the passenger count on the red plaque displayed "4." The dilapidated bus’s engine ignited, and it set off once more, driving into the boundless gray sea in the distance.
The atmosphere among the four inside the bus was heavy. Although Jiang Yang and the others didn’t know about the Future Altar’s prophecy, they could instinctively feel that the setup and requirements for this mission were strange.
Gao Tian twisted open the Luck Jar, releasing a portion of its otherworldly luck.
The prophecies from the Future Altar were fragmented, but one detail was always consistent: the moment of his death would absolutely be inside a Buddhist temple, not on this dilapidated bus.
In other words, the thing that would kill Gao Tian would be waiting for him at Longshu Temple. The chance of an accident happening on the bus was low.
"I’ve ridden the Supernatural Bus more than once, and I don’t ever recall a stop called Longshu Temple on the schedule."
Jiang Yang had barely finished speaking when he fell silent.
Because an extra stop, Longshu Temple, had appeared out of thin air between two of the existing stations.
This temple was truly special to be able to make Bus 444 alter its route for it.
"How fun."
Lan Chu fiddled with the dog leash in her hand, looking incredibly excited.
"When are the ghost passengers getting on? I can’t wait to start voting."
Just then, a completely emotionless announcement broadcasted through the bus:
"Now approaching: Moonlight Asylum.
"Passengers wishing to disembark, please gather your personal belongings and exit through the rear door."
The bus pulled into the first stop.
Gao Tian couldn’t see the scene outside the window clearly, but in the station’s waiting area, a single crimson dot was blinking steadily.
It looked like a ghost passenger was about to get on. The good news was, there was only one.
CLOMP, CLOMP. The sound of heavy leather shoes drew closer, one step at a time.
What appeared before them was a plain-looking old man in a military greatcoat. The fiery dot they had seen in the waiting area was merely the lit pipe in his hand.
’A human?’
Gao Tian, Jiang Yang, and the others observed him. The old man had no signs of decay, nor any malformed organs. Outwardly, he appeared to be human.
Anyone who dared to enter the Inner World alone was the most ruthless of the ruthless. Take that man named Shen Nian, for example. To find his child, he had actually wandered the Inner World for over a month.
’I wonder how Shen Nian is doing now, and if he’s even still alive after entering Blood Gate Village.’
He glanced at the old man but didn’t engage him in conversation. You can’t judge a ghost by its appearance. Who knew what was hidden under that greatcoat, or if speaking to him would trigger some entity’s kill condition.
While the group was still cautiously observing the new passenger, the old man’s wrinkled face broke into a smile. He found a seat, sat down, then pointed to himself and began to speak:
"Me, I’m an old-timer from the Spirit Disaster Bureau. Ate too much after dinner, so I figured I’d take a walk in the Inner World.
"Name’s Wang Jianguo. You can call me Old Wang.
"What are you kids called? Which stop are you headed to? Let’s see if we’re on the same route."
’Gao Tian didn’t recognize this old man at all. Why would someone from the Spirit Disaster Bureau be in the Inner World?’
’Based on my impression, aren’t they a group that wears black uniforms and acts in unison? How could one of them be like this old man, so lax and undisciplined?’
’He doesn’t seem like a well-trained Ghost Hunter.’
’Could it be... *him*.’
’The name’s not right.’
’Is it because big shots like to use aliases?’
Several possibilities flashed through Gao Tian’s mind, but he didn’t jump to any conclusions.
Regardless, the upcoming stop at Longshu Temple was the immediate priority. The probability of Old Man Sun being on the same bus as him was close to zero.
Jiang Yang stared intently at the strange old man claiming to be from the Spirit Disaster Bureau, remaining on full alert without saying a word.
’It’s not like we’re three-year-olds. Just because he says he’s from the Spirit Disaster Bureau, that makes it true?’
’In the Inner World, the odds of running into a ghost are tens of thousands of times higher than meeting a living person. What kind of agent from the Spirit Disaster Bureau goes for a stroll in the Inner World after dinner without any preparations?’
’It’s just too strange.’
Of the four of them, Lan Chu, the least cautious of the bunch, took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.
"Hey, old-timer, you’re ancient and still taking strolls in the Inner World? If you run into any bad guys, you think those old legs of yours can even run?
"We’re going to Longshu Temple. Ever heard of it? It’s a new stop. Wasn’t there before. They set it up just for us.
"Pretty amazing, right?"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing the words "Longshu Temple," the old man’s cheerful and relaxed expression vanished in an instant:
"You’re going to Longshu Temple? You might as well tell me you’re going to Pagoda Primary School!
"A bunch of jinxed fools rushing to your deaths! I’m getting off at the old district. You can go wherever you damn well please."
Gao Tian let out a dry, speechless laugh.
’The mere name of the Longshu Temple stop scared him that badly?’
’Is he just playing the fool, or is he hinting at something?’
The old man on the bus was clamoring to get off. Just then, the Supernatural Bus, having traveled for some time through the Inner World, began to slow down as the female announcer’s voice came over the speakers:
"Now approaching: Corpse Sewing Alley.
"Passengers wishing to disembark, please gather your personal belongings and exit through the rear door."
Gao Tian frowned.
’I remember from last time... Corpse Sewing Alley was one of the later stops, right before Pagoda Primary School.’
’Why is it one of the first stops this time?’
He looked up and checked the bus schedule again.
Just as he thought.
The order of the stops had been completely scrambled.
The Inner World was truly an incomprehensible, chaotic place. The bus route was different every time.
Seeing the old man making such a racket, Jiang Yang worried he would attract something nasty and said in a low voice:
"Sir, the old district is the very next stop.
"Longshu Temple is still a ways off. If you can just hold on a little longer... no one is forcing you to get off there."
At the same time, he became even more convinced: ’This old man either has dementia or there’s something seriously wrong with him.’
He stopped mid-sentence, like a jammed pistol.
Heavy footsteps echoed from outside the station. As a shadow loomed larger, a "passenger" began to drag its massive body, struggling to get on the bus.
The entire bus tilted to the right.
When the living passengers inside got a clearer look at the new arrival, they all drew a silent, sharp breath.
Only the lunatic, Lan Chu, managed to gasp and pull out her phone to take a picture at the same time.
’Just what you’d expect from Corpse Sewing Alley.’
First, a mass of five stitched-together arms heaved itself up, gripping the frame of the door. Then, three legs stomped aboard. Four heads connected to a single chest poked their way in, squeezing into the bus. "Its" body was simply too large; cramming the fifteen arms, eight chests, four backs, and six pairs of thighs still outside into the bus was clearly an extremely difficult task.
The bus tilted further and further to the right. The floorboards began to groan in agony.
One could only imagine the immense size of the "passenger" weighing it down.
’Looks like some morgue is having a company outing.’ Even before it was fully inside, Gao Tian could smell a stench of decay so strong that even the thick odor of formalin couldn’t mask it.
’At least it’s just "one" passenger,’
Gao Tian could only try to console himself.
Wang Wenbo was the first to gasp in alarm, just as the red plaque tallying the passenger count began to tick upward relentlessly. The last trace of a wry smile on Gao Tian’s face froze.
’Holy crap. It really *is* a company outing.’
’Only the finest from Corpse Sewing Alley. A monstrosity stitched together from so many body parts couldn’t possibly count as a single fare. The Supernatural Bus had directly determined this thing was more than ten passengers in one.’
By the time the red plaque jumped to 33, only a third of the stitched monstrosity had managed to squeeze inside, dragging a small mountain of flesh behind it. Dozens of heads, arms, and stomachs had yet to be pulled in.
From within the mountain of bodies, countless hands slowly emerged through thick layers of fat. There were dozens of them at least, and one by one, they pointed at Gao Tian, Jiang Yang, Lan Chu, Wang Wenbo, and the old man.
The number of living people on the bus, all put together, was less than the count of this single stitched horror.
Red X’s appeared above each of their heads. They had lost the vote, without a doubt, and their passenger status had been revoked.
’Looks like my luck is really in the gutter today.’ In a situation like this, Gao Tian couldn’t be bothered with wasting words. He immediately activated his Mirror Ghost ability and pulled himself into the Mirror World.
At the same time, bloody hands shot out from the small mirrors Gao Tian had already placed behind Jiang Yang, Wang Wenbo, and Lan Chu—a precaution for this very moment—pulling his three teammates inside to hide.
Now outside the bus, in the world behind the mirror, Gao Tian watched the scene in the carriage. He hesitated for a moment, then extended a bloody hand once more. This time, it reached for the old-timer from the Spirit Disaster Bureau who called himself Wang Jianguo.
No matter who the man was, or whether he was just feigning weakness, he was still human. If there was danger, it was only right to help if he could.
"Old-timer, the living can’t stay in this bus anymore. I’ll pull you into the mirror—"
The blood-red hand pressed down on the old man’s military greatcoat. He had clearly heard Gao Tian’s voice, but he began to struggle anyway.
"What are you doing, you young punk?
"You’re a perfectly normal person, why are you acting like a ghost?
"Let go of me! I don’t want to go into that damn place. Who knows if you’re one of the good guys."
With the Mirror Ghost’s power, Gao Tian could have forcibly pulled the man into the mirror.
However, since the old man was so resistant to entering the Mirror World, he might have his own plan. Gao Tian didn’t force the issue. The hand slowly retracted back into the mirror’s surface, leaving him be.
At the front of the bus, the stitched monster’s body, composed of innumerable corpses, continued its relentless, oppressive push toward the back.
From behind the mirror, Gao Tian and his team watched as the bus filled up.
’Damn. If I’d run into this thing on the bus before I mastered the Mirror Ghost, I would’ve been dead for sure.’
’This thing is made of so many corpses, and it’s so thick with fat. My Terror Blade probably wouldn’t even be able to hack through its outermost layer.’
The old man shook his greatcoat, clearly displeased about the bloody hand that had just been on his shoulder.
The next second, he felt a shadow loom over him.
He looked up. The four scouting skulls at the forefront of the corpse-amalgamation turned in his direction, all of them breaking into wide, twisted smiles.
