"The boss replied!"
Xiao Gu stared at the short line of text on his phone screen and felt a weight lift from his chest. He fished a pair of earbuds from his pocket, plugged them in, and dialed
It rang once before someone picked up. Chen Ge's voice came through: "Try to speak as little as possible. From now on, just listen to me."
"Got it." Xiao Gu leaned against the window, shielding the earbud cable with his arm, his body swaying with the motion of the bus.
"I've read everything you sent me just now. Whether you believe it or not, there's something I have to tell you." Chen Ge's voice was calm and steady. "Before I say it, I want you to prepare yourself mentally. Don't make any big reactions. If you're ready, text me."
"Go ahead, boss." After sending the text, Xiao Gu took a deep breath. He was still a little scared.
"I just looked into the Route 104 bus you're riding. That bus has been in three accidents within the past month alone, and the most recent one happened last night. The last run last night had an accident when it passed the Eastern Suburbs Waterworks — the vehicle went off the road, nearly crashing into the Bailong River beside it. Because of that accident, an emergency notice was issued from above: Route 104 buses were to have their routes changed immediately, no longer heading toward the Eastern Suburbs."
"No longer heading to the Eastern Suburbs?" Xiao Gu couldn't help blurting out. "Then what about the bus I'm on?"
"Route 104 didn't just change its route — the nine o'clock last run was also cancelled. So the bus you're on right now isn't the real Route 104. There's a very good chance it's a hearse loaded with dead people." Chen Ge delivered this absolutely terrifying piece of information in an utterly composed tone.
The arm supporting Xiao Gu's weight trembled slightly. Fine beads of sweat sprang up on his forehead. He didn't dare turn his head to look at the passengers beside him. Both hands clutched his phone as though it were his only lifeline.
"Wh-what should I do?" Xiao Gu wanted to text, but his fingers seemed to stop obeying him.
Chen Ge had saved his life before, so he had always trusted Chen Ge unconditionally. But precisely because of that, hearing what Chen Ge had just said made him even more terrified.
"Stay calm. You have to stay calm right now." There was no trace of unnecessary emotion in Chen Ge's voice. "Don't speak out loud — you don't want the people around you to hear. Text me. How far is the bus from the next stop?"
"Next stop is the Eastern Suburbs Waterworks. Stops on suburban routes are really far apart — I'd guess another seven or eight minutes." Xiao Gu moved his stiff fingers and spent a good while typing out the message.
"The Eastern Suburbs Waterworks is exactly where the Route 104 last run crashed last night. That stop is your last chance. You have six minutes to prepare. Tell me how far you are from the rear door — are there any passengers blocking the way?"
"I'm sitting right near the rear door, but there's a passenger next to me whose coat is soaked." Xiao Gu stole a glance to the side. The man sitting there with his head bowed was leaning toward him. He was drenched from head to toe, and there seemed to be mud in his shirt pocket that hadn't been cleaned out.
"Since you're close to the rear door, you don't need to worry. The moment the bus stops, do whatever it takes to get off through the back exit."
"Don't need to worry? But I still feel like I'm in serious danger." Xiao Gu hugged his phone, thought for a moment, and typed another message: "Boss, there's a woman wearing a red raincoat standing outside the bus stop. I can see her at every single stop! I swear! I'm not lying! I think that red raincoat — she's not human."
Xiao Gu drew a breath and mustered every bit of his courage to say this.
Back at Fanghua Yuan, he had once seen a ghost. He had buried that experience deep in his heart, constantly lying to himself about it, but everything happening tonight had dredged up that horrifying memory all over again.
"Boss, right now I think I'm still safe as long as I'm on the bus. Once I get off, I might have to face her alone — face that ghost in the red raincoat." Xiao Gu's palms were slick with sweat. There wasn't much time left to prepare.
"I understand what you're thinking. There's a ghost guarding the bus from outside, and there are ghosts mixed in among the passengers. At first glance it seems safer to stay on the bus."
"Yeah. My situation seems pretty hopeless." Xiao Gu's face crumpled. All he wanted was to go home — who could have predicted something like this?
"It's not hopeless. You just haven't seen the full picture." Chen Ge spoke at his fastest pace, analyzing calmly: "From the very first message you sent me, you can see that the female ghost at the stop hasn't actually caused you any trouble. She just kept asking whether you'd seen her child. That means at least for now, she has no ill will toward you — she only wants to find her child."
"Right."
"Then have you ever thought about where her child went? And why she keeps standing guard at the bus stop?"
Xiao Gu had never considered that question. Who would think that much about a ghost? Besides, the sight of that red raincoat had terrified him so badly that he'd had no time to think about any of it.
"The woman in the red raincoat keeps following the Route 104 bus, which means the child she lost might be on the bus." Chen Ge chose his words as gently as he could. "For some reason the woman in the red raincoat can't get on the bus, but you're on it — and that's the key to breaking through this!"
"The raincoat woman's child is on the bus…" Xiao Gu looked toward the middle-aged woman sitting a few seats ahead. She seemed completely indifferent to whether the child in her arms lived or died. Even when the child had a fever and was coughing violently, she merely made a perfunctory gesture of lifting the toddler, a hint of annoyance on her face.
"Boss, I think I know who the raincoat woman is looking for."
"Don't make a scene. When the bus is about to reach the stop, get close to that child and take him off with you! If you can fulfill the red raincoat woman's wish, she won't hurt you."
"But she's still a ghost no matter what! If I take the child off the bus, she'll really let me go? She's a ghost, not a person!" This was Xiao Gu's first time doing anything like this. Just thinking about it made his whole body shake.
"They were killed by people — why do you hold such a grudge against ghosts?" Chen Ge's voice remained even. "Do as I say. It's the only way to save yourself. Remember: whatever you do, don't linger on that bus!"
"Understood." Xiao Gu's heart was pounding wildly, completely out of his control. He was growing more and more nervous.
"There's more than one ghost on the Route 104 bus. For all you know, everyone on it besides you might be a ghost. When you get off, you have to be decisive — don't let them hold you back. Also…" Chen Ge paused. "Once you've gotten off safely, don't hand the child over to the red raincoat woman right away. Watch how she reacts first, then decide."