Free Web NovelChapter 52: Chapter 52: Blood Gate Village
The bus traveled along the dark highway for about ten minutes, leaving the old city district far behind. The view outside the window had changed to a desolate, rural wilderness. Hardly a soul in sight.
Next stop, Blood Gate Village. fгeewebnovёl.com
As the bus continued down the road in the Inner World, Gao Tian gazed out the window. Something was off about the village in the distance—every single house had a blood-red door, so bright it was jarring to the eyes. The color stood in stark contrast to the mottled walls. If it were just one or two houses, it might have been a coincidence. But every house as far as he could see was the same, making it impossible to ignore.
’What in the world happened to this village?’ freewebnovёl.ƈom
Still, it was none of Gao Tian’s business. His final destination was Pagoda Primary School. No matter how bizarre the situation in Blood Gate Village was, as long as he didn’t leave Bus 444, he wouldn’t be in any danger.
"Blood Gate Village. Arriving shortly.
"Passengers wishing to alight, please gather your personal belongings. Please exit through the rear door."
With a lurch of the carriage, the Supernatural Bus came to a stop in this bizarre, blood-red village. Shen Nian, who was sitting in the front, stood up and cupped his hands toward Su Jiu and Gao Tian.
"You two, thank you for your companionship and support on this short journey.
"I’ve reached my destination. Blood Gate Village is my final stop. According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, the most recent sighting of a possibly living human child was right here. Even if there’s only the slimmest chance that it’s my child, I have to go in and see for myself."
"I wish you both a safe journey to Pagoda Primary School and success in your mission. More than that, I hope you can soon escape the curse of that apartment of yours."
’Shen Nian thinks his child could actually be in this place, this... Blood Gate Village in the Inner World?’
Gao Tian wanted to say something, but the words died on his lips.
’How long has Shen Nian been searching for his child, stopping at every station in the Inner World? Judging by his travel-worn, haggard appearance, it must have been at least a month.’
’Forget about an ordinary child with no survival skills—what professional Ghost Hunter would dare guarantee they could survive this long in the Inner World?’
’And in a place as terrifying as Blood Gate Village, no less. Gao Tian had never been inside, but just one look from the outside was enough to give him goosebumps.’
It seemed even more sinister and grotesque than the old city district or Dexin Hospital.
’If Shen Nian’s child had ended up here... it was almost certain they’d met a terrible fate.’
That was what Gao Tian thought, but his emotional intelligence wasn’t so low that he would say it out loud.
’If he, a rookie to the supernatural world, could see the truth so clearly, how could Shen Nian, a middle-aged Ghost Hunter, not know?’
’He just refused to believe it.’
’He was clinging to a sliver of hope, a desperate "what if."’
This hope was the only thing that had kept Shen Nian going, that had allowed him to survive one supernatural location after another. If Gao Tian shattered that hope, Shen Nian, who seemed to have a will of steel, would likely break down on the spot.
A father’s love is as vast as a mountain.
Gao Tian simply cupped his hands in a gesture of farewell to Shen Nian.
"If we make it back to the real world alive, I’d love to learn from you about all this supernatural business. With your experience, you’re more than qualified to be my teacher."
"Here’s hoping the next time we meet, it’ll be in a coffee shop in the real world. I’ll buy you a drink then. Not in this godforsaken place."
Su Jiu added from the side:
"Shen Nian, please be careful out there."
"That village looks so strange... You have to be careful. I hope you find your child soon, so you can both return to the real world safely."
Shen Nian smiled. He was in his forties, his face deeply lined from a life of hardship. In terms of both age and experience, he was old enough to be a father to these two young people from the apartment.
Before getting off, he glanced at the timetable:
"Pagoda Primary School, where you’re headed, is three more stops away, right?"
"That place... I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve exchanged information with other Ghost Hunters on the bus. I’ve heard some of the rumors about it."
"Even in the Inner World, which is teeming with malevolent spirits, that place is considered one of the most sinister."
"Unlike other supernatural sites, it seems to be constantly expanding and growing."
"That’s right, you heard me. It’s a supernatural site that grows. Every so often, Ghost Hunters go inside to hunt for treasures, and they find that Pagoda Primary School seems to have ’gotten bigger’."
"At the same time, other supernatural sites near Pagoda Primary School, along with the vengeful spirits inside them, have mysteriously vanished. It seems Pagoda Primary School absorbed them."
"It’s hard to say whether that’s a good or a bad thing. But if Pagoda Primary School keeps consuming its surroundings, it will soon clash with ancient supernatural sites like Blood Gate Village and the old city district. No one knows what will happen then, or what it’s truly like inside Pagoda Primary School."
Seeing Su Jiu’s face go pale with fright, her eyes welling up with tears, Shen Nian realized he might have said too much. He quickly tried to reassure her:
"But you two shouldn’t be too stressed about it."
"After all, didn’t that woman say your mission is complete as long as you make it to the entrance of Pagoda Primary School?"
"Just taking a look at the entrance, without having to go inside, shouldn’t be a huge problem."
"To sum it all up: just be careful. You can never be too careful."
After saying his piece, Shen Nian, clutching the three long guns hidden beneath his trench coat, hurried off the bus.
No one got on at this stop, either. For miles around Blood Gate Village, there was nothing but tightly shut, blood-red doors. Not even the shadow of a ghost could be seen.
With Shen Nian’s departure, the number of passengers on the bus dropped to three.
The doors slowly closed, and Bus 444, which never stops in the Inner World, continued its journey to the next stop.
Through the window, Gao Tian watched Shen Nian’s figure slowly recede, shrinking to a small dot as he headed toward Blood Gate Village.
His steps were slow and cautious, ready to draw his guns and fire at the first sign of trouble.
Gao Tian’s thoughts turned to something else.
Jiang Yang and his fiancée’s fifth mission had been to enter Pagoda Primary School.
On that mission, his fiancée had sacrificed herself to ensure Jiang Yang made it back alive.
’Five missions... that’s probably the absolute limit for a normal person.’
’Which makes you wonder just how powerful the Monk, Yu Sheng, who survived a sixth mission, really is.’
Gao Tian checked his pocket. The wedding ring Jiang Yang had given him was still there.
’Three more stops. Nothing else can go wrong, right?’
The bus drove smoothly for about eight minutes before its speed began to drop again. It was approaching the second-to-last stop.
Gao Tian, leaning against the window, stared at the blood-red horizon in the distance.
Countless white bones were piled up on the distant horizon, forming beautiful and intricate little towers.
’I wonder what happened here,’ Gao Tian thought. ’For so many people to have died that their bones could be built into towers...’
"Next stop, Blood-colored Nursery Hall. Arriving shortly."
As the cold, mechanical female voice announced the stop, the bus began to slow down, preparing to pull in.
The distant view grew closer, revealing a new, imposing figure waiting at the station.
The moment he saw the next "passenger," all sleepiness vanished from Gao Tian’s mind, and he shot up from his seat.
’What is that thing?’
Outside the bus, a tall woman in a red dress was waiting. She appeared to be the passenger waiting to board at the next stop.
The first moment Gao Tian saw her, he was filled with a primal fear.
The woman’s features were indistinct, the kind of utterly unremarkable face you’d see anywhere. And yet, for some reason, no matter how long he stared, he found he couldn’t remember it.
What was truly chilling, however, were the countless metal chains she held. They fanned out from her hand, leashing dozens of purple-bruised creatures that crawled on all fours. They resembled dogs, but they had the faces of humans.
Ghost Infants.
The first thing that came to Gao Tian’s mind was a username from the Jialan Society’s chat group: Ghost Infant.
He wasn’t sure if the malevolent spirits that the user named Ghost Infant had fought while he was alive were the same filthy creatures being led by this tall woman.
If they were, the thought was terrifying. The woman held the leashes of several dozen "Ghost Infants." While waiting for the bus, they snapped and nipped at each other, a writhing, bruised-purple mass.
’If this woman gets on, won’t the passenger count instantly skyrocket?’
He felt a terrifying pressure emanating from her, the same kind of oppressive aura he had felt from the multi-headed ghost. A single glance from afar was enough to make him feel like a small animal facing its natural predator, completely draining him of the will to fight.
In fact, Gao Tian suspected this spirit’s power might even surpass that of the multi-headed ghost. It was questionable whether the rules of the bus could even suppress her as they had the other one.
"Get off!"
Gao Tian made an instinctive decision. If that woman was getting on, they had to get off. This "passenger" was in a league of her own; he was in no position to tangle with her.
But was it any safer outside? If simply getting off the bus guaranteed one’s safety, the Inner World would be far too simple a place.
Just then, the rear door of the bus opened onto the stop for the Blood-colored Nursery Hall. Outside, a river of ankle-deep blood flowed across the ground, with countless white bones bobbing on its surface. To get off here meant waiting in that sanguine muck.
If this stop was Hell from a nightmare, the description would be apt.
In the distance stood a building like a Holy Hall, surrounded by massive pillars of white bone. From within the Holy Hall, the piercing cries of a baby echoed intermittently.
The timid Su Jiu was already frozen with fear. Hearing Gao Tian’s shout, she instinctively tried to stand and leave the bus. But after seeing the scene outside, her courage failed her once again.
"Brother Gao, my legs have gone weak. I don’t think I can even stand up."
"You go on without me. Don’t worry about me. I’d rather die on the bus than get off at this stop..."
Outside the window, the baby’s piercing cries echoed across the land.
As an ordinary person, after experiencing so many terrifying things, Su Jiu’s spirit was on the verge of shattering.
In truth, Gao Tian was also caught in a dilemma.
Staying on the Supernatural Bus might mean death, but getting off could mean an even quicker one.
