Jiang Qiao was stunned.
City God?
He remembered that the radio had mentioned "City God".
It seems that there is some kind of headquarters above this village, and everyone is cooperating with the headquarters to search for the ruins of the ancient city god.
The village chief said, "Nothing else matters."
This means that, for a period of time, finding the City God is a top priority.
and.
From their conversation, it seems that this City God is not only from the previous era, but also has successfully driven away the mountain spirit.
However, as a time traveler, Jiang Qiao was genuinely confused.
He had heard many stories about the "City God" since he was a child, and many places still have City God temples even today.
In some places, the City God Temple is a famous tourist attraction.
"In ancient legends, the City God is not only the guardian deity of the city, but also in charge of the affairs of the underworld in the region."
"If the City God in this world is similar to this, then it will indeed attract humans to explore it."
"and..."
Jiang Qiao recalled the local earth god he had met by the highway before.
This strange man is suspected to be a ghost, and his origins are unknown.
Two of His sentences left a deep impression on Jiang Qiao.
"I have existed longer than you can imagine. I was already a local deity when this world was still normal."
"Some people needed God, so God came into being."
If the first statement is true, then did the village chief and the organization behind him know that gods originally existed in the world?
The small temple dedicated to the local earth god isn't far from the village. Is there some connection between the two?
And when combined with the second sentence, it becomes even more chilling upon closer examination.
It is not strange for ordinary people to believe in gods; in fact, it is quite common.
However, a supernatural catastrophe later occurred in this world!
So, does this mean that vengeful ghosts appeared very early on, but most ordinary people couldn't come into contact with them, leading to them becoming legends?
"In the real world, there were already many ghost stories before the paranormal resurgence."
Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered slightly.
He felt as if he had grasped something.
There are certain similarities between these two worlds!
"When we return to the real world, we will not only go to the northern frontier, but also visit some places with legends of vengeful ghosts."
"Examine the local ghosts and see if there is any connection between them and historical legends."
Jiang Qiao added another goal to his list after returning home.
...
Time keeps passing by.
Dusk, dawn, midnight, before dawn, afternoon...
It goes through cycles of reincarnation, constantly changing.
Jiang Qiao and his companions didn't want to cause any more trouble, so they neither left the courtyard nor entered the villa.
They sat down in the corner and waited silently.
Li Xin and the other two were waiting for the system to open a door and let them leave after the mission was completed.
Jiangqiao was also waiting.
He wanted to see if he had really participated in the mission as an unofficial member.
Liu Yuanyuan was also waiting.
She didn't have anything else to do.
The plan to enter the deeper world has failed, but fortunately, a place that seems to be an entrance has been discovered, and a token has been obtained.
We're just waiting to gather another group of people, form a team, and come back to fight again!
She was waiting because she planned to add Jiang Qiao as a friend after the mission was over.
Because the friend system is disabled for survivors in the mission.
No one spoke again.
soon.
It was midnight on the seventh day.
During this time, although many strange noises occurred outside the courtyard, no evil spirits entered the courtyard in the end, and no one was attacked by supernatural forces.
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"It's finally over."
Looking at the system that had returned to normal, Li Xin couldn't help but smile with delight.
Luo Wen and Xue Lan, who were standing nearby, were equally excited because they could already see the door that appeared a few steps away.
As long as they can get through the door, they can return to where they came from.
"Brother Jiang, without you on this mission, I would have surely died."
Xue Lan came to the river bridge and said with a serious expression.
"My strength is meager, far inferior to Brother Jiang's, and I dare not hope to become friends with him. But if Brother Jiang ever needs someone to risk their life for him in the future, just call me."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very firm.
Jiang Qiao nodded slightly.
This girl is quite nice; she knows how to be grateful.
The so-called "risking one's life" is, frankly speaking, being cannon fodder.
For people like Jiang Qiao, Xue Lan's only use was to risk his life to explore the path.
In the supernatural world, danger lurks everywhere.
Therefore, many strong people would drive the weak to manually defuse mines, detonating the dangers one by one, while he would observe and prepare from behind.
"If you have time, you can come visit me in Village 404."
Jiang Qiao smiled.
Upon hearing this, Xue Lan's face immediately lit up with excitement, as if she wanted to say something more.
"Alright, it's dangerous here, go."
Jiang Qiao patted her on the shoulder and gently pushed her through the door.
Then, Li Xin, who seemed hesitant to speak, and Luo Wen, who was extremely excited, went inside one after the other and eventually disappeared in front of Jiang Qiao.
As the three of them left, the door vanished without a trace.
"Um?"
Jiang Qiao narrowed his eyes slightly.
Was his entry into this map really an accident?
Was that television originally destined for Yicheng?
"Where did the door go?"
Liu Yuanyuan, who was standing next to Jiang Qiao, had already added each other as friends.
Looking up, he saw that the door had disappeared and glanced at Jiang Qiao with some surprise.
"Weren't you supposed to be on a mission with them? How come you disappeared before you even got inside?"
Jiang Qiao shook his head.
"I don't know what happened either; I didn't enter this mission normally."
He turned his head and said:
"Before I came here, I was in a county town deep in a swamp."
"I experienced some strange things inside, and finally came across a television that was playing a video of a haunted house in Yicheng."
"While I was observing carefully, I was inexplicably teleported inside."
"At that time, Li Xin and his group of more than a dozen people entered that house and needed to complete a survival task."
Jiang Qiao briefly explained the whole story to Liu Yuanyuan.
"Your situation is quite rare."
After hearing this, Liu Yuanyuan pondered for a moment.
"That television set must be connected to Yicheng."
"Perhaps it was because of Li Xin and the others' mission that the house developed teleportation power, which affected the television set, allowing it to act as a medium to teleport people from the other side of the television."
"And you just happened to be watching TV."
"Such coincidences are extremely rare, but there have been a few cases."
"But I don't know much either. I'll ask around for you when I get back."
Liu Yuanyuan said.
"never mind."
Jiang Qiao let out a sigh of relief.
Regardless, I gained a lot from this trip.
Not only did he learn many secrets, but his strength also increased to the fifth rank.
Although I was a little annoyed.
But this was a worthwhile investment!
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Although the situation was somewhat problematic.
Fortunately, he had Liu Yuanyuan with him, so he could leave with her.
However, returning to the real world might require taking some detours.
Unexpectedly, after Jiang Qiao told Liu Yuanyuan that he was going back to Blue Star, she looked at him with surprise.
"You can just take that old bus and then transfer to the ghost train in the wasteland."
"With your current strength, the danger isn't that great."
Jiang Qiao was stunned when he heard this.
Actually, when he left Village 404, he had already thought about leaving the supernatural world by taking the ghost train.
However, considering the uncertainty of the danger posed by the ghost train, after careful consideration, they ultimately chose to leave through the swamp.
However, his strength was far inferior to what it is now back then.
Now, he is already a fifth-tier expert, and his actual combat strength has reached the sixth-tier level!
You could absolutely try taking a ghost train home.
However, he still has some concerns.
"The ghost train does indeed lead to the real world, but why haven't any powerful individuals left the supernatural world and returned to Earth all these years?"
"The strongest experts I've encountered on Earth were only two peak fifth-tier humans from the new human race."
Jiang Qiao said.
In fact, he also encountered the leader of the prayer group in the simulation.
Including the corpse-driver who was suspected to be a new human.
But by the time we encountered it, it had been a long time since the paranormal resurgence.
The only people who can be truly confirmed to be experts who existed in the real world during normal times are the two elders of the "New Humans".
Jiang Qiao voiced his question.
To everyone's surprise, Liu Yuanyuan burst into laughter.
"Mr. Jiang, actually many problems are not that complicated."
As she spoke, she and Jiang Qiao walked towards the entrance village.
After Li Xin and the others left, they didn't plan to stay in the village.
"It's no secret that the Ghost Train leads to the real world. Those powerful Awakened Ones and Evolvers can also use it to return to Earth."
"The reason they don't leave is simply because the vast majority of people don't want to leave."
Liu Yuanyuan said.
"Don't you want to leave?" Jiang Qiao looked at her with a skeptical expression.
Yes, I don't want to leave.
"Mr. Jiang, the real world is not as simple as you think."
"One theory is that the connection between the supernatural world and the real world is due to the influence of powerful figures behind the scenes."
"But overly powerful awakened or evolved beings can cause enormous damage to the real world."
"Do you think that if such a powerful figure truly existed, he would allow someone too powerful to appear on Earth?"
Liu Yuanyuan said.
This is just speculation.
"Speculation is not enough to deter those powerful awakened ones."
Jiang Qiao didn't really believe this claim.
During the simulation, he knew clearly that the new humans had sacrificed blood in several cities.
He himself had also done similar things, and even raised his strength to the eighth level as a result!
However, no particularly terrifying figures came forward to hunt him down.
When he went north to the capital, he was simply sent into the supernatural world by someone using supernatural objects.
Ultimately, the other party took advantage of his mental state and used a trick.
If it were a real fight, every single person in the capital combined wouldn't be enough for one slap from him.
"Mr. Jiang, it's alright if you don't believe me. It's just a guess."
"But in the real world, there are indeed some terrifying evil spirits that hunt down higher-level Awakened Ones and Evolvers."
"Someone took photos."
"In the photo, there is a dwarf holding a lantern, walking towards an ancient castle in the distance."
"This photo was taken two years ago."
Liu Yuanyuan's tone became somewhat serious as she spoke.
"If you really want to go back, you'd better be careful."
"This is not a fabricated story; some people have actually witnessed it."
"Generally speaking, they won't take action unless someone enters the territory of a vengeful ghost or a ghost story."
"But these evil spirits actively target the strong."
"There's probably a big problem here."
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Liu Yuanyuan said.
Jiang Qiao nodded upon hearing this.
Liu Yuanyuan was not lying.
At least, the photo she mentioned should actually exist.
The dwarfs holding lanterns and the ancient castle both resembled the hellish fairy tales that appeared in the simulator.
If someone had photographed them two years ago.
That definitely doesn't seem right.
Moreover, in several simulations, those hellish fairy tales did appear rather strangely, as if they were specifically waiting for him.
Besides, he was also well aware that there were indeed some strange and inexplicable things in the real world.
For example, Hualong Mountain!
The seven-colored light inside seemed to be some kind of deity.
"I will be careful."
Jiang Qiao replied earnestly.
Liu Yuanyuan smiled slightly and said nothing more.
...
Because they had the token in their hands, Jiang Qiao and Liu Yuanyuan were able to leave Gujing Village without any problems.
There was no situation where the exit could not be found.
The group of vengeful ghosts outside the village, as well as the eerie creature pushing the cart and boxes, had all disappeared, leaving only an off-road vehicle behind.
"I'll take you to the surface, to the bus stop in Yicheng."
Liu Yuanyuan said.
"Yicheng has living people, so it's less likely to encounter messy things that could cause unexpected complications."
"Okay," Jiang Qiao replied.
He was getting quite fed up with dealing with vengeful ghosts these past few days.
then.
The two drove along the highway back the way they had come from the river bridge. Although they encountered some vengeful spirits along the way, they were not attacked.
Jiang Qiao noticed that the ghost seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally ignoring the car.
As he passed near the local temple, he noticed that the sedan chairs and coffins on the road had disappeared.
The shrine on the opposite hillside was completely silent.
The white lantern on the bamboo pole standing in front of the door had been extinguished.
"It is said that there is a local earth god temple up there."
Liu Yuanyuan spoke up.
"Someone once met a man there who claimed to be the local earth god and wanted him to deliver a message."
"It's very strange."
She floored the accelerator, seemingly unwilling to linger in the vicinity.
"Deliver a message?"
Jiang Qiao's heart skipped a beat.
The so-called local deity did indeed want him to deliver a message to a place called Yancheng.
and.
Jiang Qiao suddenly remembered the address the so-called local deity had given him to deliver the letter to: Yancheng, east of the city, at the City God Temple!
"It's the City God Temple again," Jiang Qiao thought to himself.
Liu Yuanyuan did not notice the change in Jiang Qiao's expression.
She stared intently ahead, driving while speaking in a low voice:
"I heard that someone actually delivered the letter."
"What was the result?" Jiang Qiao asked immediately.
"That person has disappeared."
A strange look appeared on Liu Yuanyuan's face.
"He had told his friend before sending the letter."
"After he disappeared, several of his friends went to great lengths to find him."
"They even asked someone to board that old bus."
"Because it is said that he left in that car when he delivered the letter."
Unfortunately, nothing was found.
"The place where he delivered the letter, I think it was called..."
"Yancheng?"
"That place doesn't exist at all."
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Yicheng.
Due north, an abandoned bus stop.
After dropping Jiang Qiao off in Yicheng, Liu Yuanyuan left.
Jiang Qiao then arrived at this abandoned bus stop in the northern part of the city. Standing under the dilapidated waiting shelter, he waited for the old bus to arrive.
This place is very remote, surrounded by only some abandoned bungalows.
When Jiang Qiao came over, he found that the road had been vandalized, with large potholes, roadblocks, and barbed wire fences blocking pedestrians from entering.
Something terrible seems to have happened here.
Otherwise, it would simply be abandoned; there would be no need to take so many extreme actions.
"I've been waiting for two days now. Liu Yuanyuan said today is the 15th of the lunar calendar, and both buses will pass by in the early morning."
Jiang Qiao looked around at his surroundings.
Apart from being completely dark, nothing unusual was found.
When he returned, he found nothing unusual about the city; it seemed that taking an administrator with him had not caused any trouble.
As for the so-called "Lord Bai," he never appeared again.
To be honest, although his strength had improved to a higher level, he was still not confident in facing the "Lord Bai" who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
However, when he secretly went to the vicinity of Luohan Temple, he found strange figures carrying lanterns all over the mountain.
He also witnessed a black sedan chair being carried down the mountain by several paper figures.
Even from a distance, he felt a sense of unease.
"The so-called administrators are just ordinary workers. The temple itself is the one that is truly valued."
"There must be some great secret hidden in that Luohan Temple."
Jiang Qiao recalled his experience at the temple.
Even vengeful ghosts must avoid the central hall.
The ghost bride in the backyard.
The eerie voice calling out "Meng Xi" echoed continuously.
And the terrifying, malevolent spirits sealed within the Buddha statues in those grand halls.
Of course, there's also the secret behind the temple's destruction and its relationship with the cursed female ghost.
...
It can be said that the entire Luohan Temple is a dark and unsolved mystery. Even after walking around inside, Jiang Qiao only gained a superficial understanding of it.
"In the supernatural world, any city has huge problems. But abandoned dead cities are everywhere."
What kind of eeriness is hidden among them?
He lit a cigarette and smoked it silently.
We'll explore its secrets once we've gained more strength.
He had previously thought that the seventh rank was enough to achieve this level of strength.
But after seeing the black sedan chair, he felt that even reaching the seventh rank was somewhat risky.
"Let's leave first; we can't worry about so many things right now."
Jiang Qiao threw the half-smoked cigarette butt on the ground and looked into the distance.
There, two beams of light were moving toward him.
Under the gray light, the darkness did not obstruct his vision, so he could clearly see a brand-new bus.
"The driver is really skilled to be able to drive on such a terrible road."
His eyes flickered as he looked at the pits, the barbed wire fences, and the roadblocks, as if they had all become illusions and could not stop the bus at all.
It just kept driving forward without encountering any obstacles.
"This could be considered a kind of ghost realm."
soon.
As the bus got closer to the bus stop, it began to slow down.
Finally, it came to a smooth stop on the platform.
"laugh"
Clang
The car doors opened, seemingly waiting for passengers to get on and off.
However, Jiang Qiao was not going to get on this bus, but rather another old bus.
So he remained unmoved and simply observed the situation inside carefully.
8ЬОok． Ом
There were only three or four passengers in the entire carriage at that moment, and they all appeared to be elderly. Beside their feet were some baskets filled with vegetables.
It seems they planned to take this bus somewhere to sell their wares.
But Jiang Qiao knew very well that this car was actually carrying a ghost!
New cars are used to carry ghosts, old cars are used to carry people!
"This bus seems to travel all over the ghost world, stopping at many stations."
"There are indigenous villages, abandoned ghost towns, and even deserted bus stops in the wilderness. Who is orchestrating all of this?"
He recalled some of the intelligence he had obtained during the simulation.
"What would happen if I destroyed this car?"
His eyes flickered.
But it's just a thought.
"Um?"
Suddenly, he felt a chill behind him.
He suddenly turned around.
His expression changed slightly.
He saw an elderly woman, dressed in a white gauze dress and dressed in all pale white, walking slowly toward him on a path overgrown with weeds behind the bus stop.
"Holy crap, the old white woman?"
Upon seeing that outfit, Jiang Qiao thought to himself, "What is that?"
What's going on in this city?
There was a vengeful female ghost like Kayako before, but now there's this vengeful white old woman.
Is a black girl going to appear later?
Is this city planning to gather all the ghosts from the Ju-on series?
Jiang Qiao mentally complained, then silently moved a short distance to the side and activated "stealth".
The old woman did not disappear in the gray field of vision, which means that she was just an ordinary vengeful ghost, not a ghost story.
However, he still adopted a stance of keeping to himself and not interfering with each other.
Before getting on the bus, I didn't want to cause any trouble.
The old woman walked with a limp, as if she might fall at any moment.
However, with each step she took, even though it was only a small step, the distance she covered was as far as two or three steps.
In the darkness, there is a feeling of drifting.
"Truly worthy of being called an old ghost."
Jiang Qiao watched silently.
A short while later, the old woman arrived at the bus stop.
Those pitch-black eyes and wide-open mouth made it look like a corpse that died with its eyes wide open.
"Besides the old woman, I wonder what else is hiding around here."
Jiang Qiao looked back around.
He had been here for two days, and tonight was the first time he had seen the ghost.
However, this old woman was definitely not a formidable figure in this area.
In Yicheng, there are people who specialize in handling paranormal events, and there is also a terrifying being like "Lord Bai" who suppresses them.
Even though the cursed female ghost was suppressed, Taiping Alley, where she lived, was not completely sealed off.
Even at the entrance to Taiping Lane, there are still residents!
"An ordinary vengeful ghost could not possibly cause city administrators to abandon an area within several kilometers of it."
"Although the surrounding buildings are all single-story houses and low-rise buildings, the density is not low."
"There must have been a lot of residents back then."
What exactly is hidden in this place?
Jiangqiao was not idle during the two days he waited for the fifteenth of the lunar calendar.
He wandered around in circles several times.
Aside from the discovery that the residents here must have been relocated in a very hasty manner, no other findings were made.
They couldn't even find a vengeful ghost.
"This old woman came out of the house in the back; I just took a dump in there this afternoon."
There's nothing there.
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The elderly woman slowly made her way to the platform and gently boarded the bus through the front door.
She didn't seem to notice Jiang Qiao standing to the side, or perhaps her goal was simply to get on the bus and she didn't want to pay him any attention.
However, Jiang Qiao noticed a detail.
This old devil dropped a coin into the coin box.
"This kind of coin..."
Jiang Qiao casually pulled out a rusty, almost worn-out copper coin.
This was made using a second-tier vengeful spirit.
The newbies in Village 404 accepted his quest, exchanging second-tier vengeful spirits for some items he crafted.
He turned some of the vengeful spirits into coins using ceramic bowls.
"The old ghost just now used the exact same money as the one I have."
"In other words, you have to pay to get on this bus."
He held the coin in his hand, watching the bus close its doors and slowly pull away from the station.
There were no supernatural attacks.
No ghost got off the bus.
Everything was peaceful.
This put Jiang Qiao, who was ready to take action at any time, at ease.
"Um?"
Suddenly, Jiang Qiao smelled a very strong stench.
This stench wasn't the putrid or fishy smell commonly found in the supernatural world, but rather the smell of burning plastic, which was extremely unpleasant.
He looked up into the distance and saw thick smoke billowing from a group of houses across the street!
"Was the special situation caused by the bus, or was it a pre-existing paranormal phenomenon?"
He saw what appeared to be figures moving in the thick smoke, and he could vaguely hear shrill screams.
It looked like someone was being burned alive.
However, Jiang Qiao knew very well that there was no one in the vicinity.
"Is it a ghost that was burned to death?"
He suddenly remembered a story he had heard before.
That was the world before I traveled through time.
Decades ago, a movie theater in a certain city caught fire due to years of disrepair and aging wiring.
The fire engulfed the entire movie theater, resulting in heavy casualties among staff and audience members.
More than fifty people in one of the screening rooms perished in the fire!
From then on, rumors circulated in the neighborhood that the place was haunted.
People often see people crawling on the ground with their bodies charred black when they pass by in the middle of the night.
After that, very few people went near this area.
About ten years later.
A businessman took a liking to the land, bought it, and built a hotel on it.
Given the long-standing rumors of ghosts, the boss hired a feng shui master.
Under the master's guidance, he first dug three zhang and three chi (about ten meters) of soil, transported it away in batches and discarded it, and then brought in new soil from other places and poured it in.
Moreover, a town was buried in this soil. However, no one except the master and the owner knew what it was.
Later, in the hotel's design, two huge Pixiu statues were placed at the main entrance. In ancient legends, Pixiu can devour evil spirits and transform them into wealth.
besides.
The layout of the entire hotel also incorporates numerous special designs, striving to bring good fortune and ward off evil.
I wonder if the feng shui arrangement worked.
The hotel's construction and completion went very smoothly.
After opening, business was exceptionally good.
Not long after the hotel was built, the local area began to vigorously develop tourism. The hotel was located on the main road to a very famous scenic spot, and it was very close by!
but.
Like many hotels, there are occasional whispers among the staff about seeing ghosts.
However, these rumors did not affect the hotel's business; on the contrary, they attracted many curious young people to stay there.
Business is booming.
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And so, another ten years or so passed.
Even the nearby residents have gradually forgotten about the great fire that happened thirty years ago.
This hotel suddenly went out of business!
Not only that, the boss also jumped off the hotel rooftop and instantly turned into a giant watermelon in abalone sauce.
The incident happened so suddenly that everyone was completely bewildered.
I don't know what happened.
Even before the river bridge was crossed, it remained a mystery.
but.
As time went by, some true and some false rumors about the hotel gradually appeared on the internet.
It is said that...
A month before the incident at the hotel, several guests had been drinking heavily outside.
When I came back, I was still a little dazed. At the end of the corridor, I found a wooden door painted bright red.
The door was ajar, and light seemed to be shining through.
However, they did not recall seeing this door during the day.
Having had a few drinks, one of the men, who had a bit of a gangster-like demeanor, didn't hesitate to push open the door to see what was inside.
As it turned out, they found that the room inside was a dilapidated movie theater.
Dozens of viewers were seated in rows of seats in the screening room.
The audience members had dark faces, and they sat there lifelessly like lifeless black puppets.
On the white screen in front of them, a black-and-white film from decades ago was playing.
The three men were startled by this bizarre scene.
The effects of the alcohol had sobered me up considerably.
They scrambled out of the door, shouting all the way to the front desk, where they reported the situation to the staff.
The staff looked completely bewildered.
However, at the insistence of the others, I went with them to investigate.
However, the door disappeared.
Moreover, the location of the main entrance they pointed out was right behind the building's exterior wall, making it impossible for something as outlandish as a movie theater to be there.
Therefore, the staff believed they wanted to cause trouble.
But the three men wouldn't let it go, saying the hotel must be haunted and they wanted an explanation.
at last.
The hotel manager, who knew some old news, stepped in, arranged new accommodations for the three of them, and refunded their room fees, thus putting an end to the matter.
...
"I wonder if the ghosts who were burned to death are afraid of the white bone fire?"
Jiang Qiao suddenly had this idea.
He noticed that the thick smoke was slowly drifting towards him.
However, the smoke did not seem to be targeting him, as it split into several streams, drifting in different directions.
And at the same time.
Beep beep beep—
A car horn sounded from the distant highway.
Two dim lights, appearing and disappearing in the darkness, kept approaching.
"The old bus has arrived."
Jiang Qiao looked at the car that was almost falling apart, and a solemn expression appeared on his face.
The smoke drifted in, approaching almost as fast as a bus.
If nothing unexpected happens.
Both will appear at this bus stop at the same time.
Is it a coincidence that the bus and the smoke appeared at the same time?
Or perhaps.
Is there something else that wants to leave this place by bus?
After all, that local deity had said so.
This old bus, originally used for carrying people, is now often boarded by vengeful ghosts because it is unmanaged!
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They don't seem to be after me?"
Thick smoke billowed towards us, carrying an unbearable, pungent, acrid smell, as if plastic were being burned.
The thick smoke split into several plumes, heading in different directions without any particular purpose. Jiang Qiao just happened to be on the platform and was thus enveloped by the smoke.
If he chooses to leave, he will most likely be able to avoid the supernatural attack.
"The bus is about to pull into the station, so I can't go anywhere else."
"This car is only available on the first and fifteenth of the lunar calendar. If you miss it, you'll have to wait another two weeks."
Jiang Qiao watched the bus getting closer and closer, but instead of backing down, he thought about how to avoid conflict and get on the bus.
"You can't do it by stealth; stealth only makes you invisible to the ghosts. But with such a large area of smoke, once it's covered, you'll still be discovered."
He is currently in a stealthy, invisible state.
In this state, even a more powerful ghost, if it is a level above, will be basically invisible unless it gets too close.
But that doesn't mean he's really become invisible.
If it's a large-scale paranormal attack, it will still cover him, and he will be discovered by the vengeful ghost later.
However, he did not panic. Instead, he began to observe the increasingly dense smoke.
"These figures are not vengeful ghosts, but some kind of image."
Paranormal images appear in many paranormal events.
It's like a filmed documentary that's triggered at a specific time or under certain conditions and then starts playing.
They themselves are not very harmful, but their appearance indicates that the evil spirits behind them are extremely terrifying.
Jiang Qiao stood still, mentally measuring the distance between the supernatural and the bus.
"Ten seconds."
He murmured to himself.
Ten seconds later, the two will appear at the bus stop at the same time.
The surrounding environment, affected by the thick smoke, began to darken from darkness to even greater darkness.
The road, steps, trees, and even roadblocks in front of the platform all began to change color, as if they had been exposed to smoke for too long and had developed a layer of black ash.
The pungent smell that hit you made you feel suffocated. Just breathing felt like a steel knife was scraping your lungs, burning and extremely uncomfortable.
Two gray lights flickered in Jiang Qiao's eyes.
At this moment, in this environment that seemed like falling into hell, only the two dim headlights in the distance remained unaffected.
"Six seconds."
Jiang Qiao saw that the bus had begun to slow down and was preparing to enter the station.
The main body of the thick smoke also appeared on the flower and grass isolation strip outside the platform, and the number of people inside it was increasing.
They didn't appear out of thin air; they came from deep within the thick smoke.
These figures were indistinct, or perhaps they had no faces at all, merely formed from mist. However, judging from their clothing, they were almost all elderly people and children.
"There was a fire in the houses across the street before. These people ran desperately to escape, but ultimately failed."
Jiang Qiao pondered the meaning of the picture.
"Three seconds."
Jiang Qiao saw that the bus had arrived at the bus stop and was about to stop.
The thick smoke also reached the open space in front of the platform and spread around the bus.
More and more figures were running towards them from a distance.
At the same time, hurried footsteps began to come from the depths of the thick smoke, as if someone was running towards them.
"One second."
When this number came to Jiang Qiao's mind.
"laugh--"
With a sharp brake, the old bus came to a smooth stop at the bus stop.
"Crunch"
Clang
The sound of the door opening rang out.
The thick smoke also engulfed the bus stop.
"Ta-ta"
"Tap tap tap"
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the front of the car.
Jiang Qiao looked up and his gaze sharpened.
He saw a charred corpse clinging to the car body, heading towards the front door, seemingly trying to get into the vehicle.
It looked like a piece of dried bacon, dry, charred, and emitting a very pungent odor.
Jiang Qiao even saw a few glimmers of light flashing in its wide-open mouth.
"Is this charred corpse the one who burned to death?"
"It seems that this thick smoke was caused by it, and now it wants to get on the bus."
Jiang Qiao immediately understood the purpose of this vengeful ghost.
He knew that this car, originally used to transport people, would also be haunted by many evil spirits because it was left unattended.
"We can't let it on the bus, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble it will cause along the way."
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Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered for a moment, and he immediately made a decision.
The sight of the vengeful ghosts and ghost stories killing people on the Ghost Train had left a very deep impression on him.
The next moment.
A flash of green fire appeared in his hand.
Although it was a ghost that had been burned to death, he didn't believe that this thing could really withstand the power of "white bone fire"!
"Pfft"
The flames suddenly blazed brightly after encountering the thick smoke, just like when they encountered gasoline!
Before Jiang Qiao could even take control, it rapidly expanded.
"Holy crap?"
In less than three seconds, a small flame turned into a raging fire, which quickly spread and expanded along with the billowing smoke!
The vengeful ghost that had reached the car door was also engulfed in flames.
"What's going on?"
Jiang Qiao sensed that the flames were not out of control and were still under his control.
However, as the flames continued to burn, they seemed to be merging with the thick smoke in some way.
Especially that charred corpse.
It reached out to resist, but the other green flames spewing from its mouth became a kind of catalyst, drawing the "Bone Fire" into its mouth.
The next second.
Its entire body was engulfed in flames erupting from within!
"As expected, even a ghost burned to death cannot withstand the bone fire that was tailor-made for the supernatural."
The principle is very simple.
It's true that fish can dive, but try letting a crucian carp dive thousands of meters below the surface.
Under terrifying water pressure, it was destined to die.
Streams of gray powder fell from the charred corpse and quickly disappeared into the air.
The charred corpse offered no resistance and quickly vanished from the spot.
Vanished without a trace.
This scene made Jiang Qiao feel slightly uncomfortable.
He hadn't dealt with a vengeful ghost so easily in a long time.
and.
As the vengeful ghost dissipated, he felt a strange sensation within his body.
seem...
He can control this thick smoke now!
Holy crap!
"This thing seems to have become some kind of complement to the Bone Fire?"
Jiang Qiao was stunned.
In his perception, the highway served as the boundary.
The thick fog on the other side of the highway was still the same thick smoke.
But he was able to completely control the smoke from the highway all the way to the bus station!
He felt as if he had a God's-eye view in this thick, dark smoke.
Every corner is within his perception and control.
The burning sensation in my lungs also disappeared.
"This feeling is very much like the ghost realm."
Jiang Qiao sensed this change and was shocked.
He never expected this to happen.
He knew in his heart that the vengeful ghost could not harm him.
His plan was that if he could eliminate the vengeful ghost, that would be ideal; if it took too long, he would simply use the ghost realm to keep it outside the carriage.
But I never expected that I would actually absorb the other party.
This is so unexpected!
"There is more than one vengeful ghost in this thick smoke."
His eyes flickered slightly.
If the flames were extended to the other side, would it be possible to control the entire thick smoke cloud?
But at that moment, the bus honked its horn.
It seems they're preparing to restart.
"Forget it, it's more important to leave first."
Finally, Jiang Qiao glanced at the houses across the street.
I boarded the bus in one step.
Once he leaves this place and returns to the real world, his strength will experience a rapid increase.
We'll come over again then!
⒏ьｏO＋. ＣΟм
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This bus is indeed quite old."
Jiang Qiao looked around the car with a hint of curiosity.
Two rows of wooden seats, the paint on which has peeled off, and there are even traces of nails used to fix them.
The walls were covered in rust, and even the floor had several large holes from the rust, through which the frame of the vehicle could be vaguely seen.
In addition, the car was filled with a strange smell that was a mixture of sour, sweaty, and fishy odors, so strong that Jiang Qiao frowned.
To anyone, this car should be queuing at a junkyard, not driving on the highway.
But it happens to travel through the supernatural world, passing through one eerie station after another.
Jiang Qiao couldn't find any station signs inside the vehicle, but there was a small blackboard in the middle of the driver's cab with the words "Zhanggu Village" written on it.
It's unclear whether it refers to the next stop or the final stop.
Jiang Qiao glanced at the driver in the driver's seat, hesitated for a moment, then dropped a coin made by a second-tier vengeful ghost into the ticket box and tore off a ticket.
He couldn't tell if the driver was a human, a ghost, or a ghost story.
Whether viewed with the naked eye or through double pupils, it shows no change.
I couldn't feel any qi or blood, nor did I sense any ghostly energy emanating from me.
It was as if he were just a wooden puppet.
But all his actions were just like those of an ordinary bus driver.
Even when he got on the bus over the river, he smiled and nodded.
His expression was natural.
Kind and friendly.
But could the thing that can drive this car be a normal person?
I can't figure it out!
Jiang Qiao eventually arrived at the last row of seats on the bus and sat by the window.
He was the only passenger on the bus at the moment.
"According to Liu Yuanyuan, it takes twelve stops from Yicheng to reach a place called Beiquan."
"Across from Beiquan Station, there is a small town. Inside, there is a station for the ghost train."
Jiang Qiao recalled the information Liu Yuanyuan had given him before she left.
According to the other party.
Beiquan is the best place to board the bus.
Because that town has been completely abandoned, there are no vengeful ghosts or strange tales there.
More than ten years ago, a team of awakened beings wiped out all the supernatural forces inside.
Certainly.
This group of awakened individuals also took a very interesting supernatural item from the town.
Therefore...
In the supernatural world.
It's not just weak humans who can't protect themselves.
Even a powerful ghost that lacks strength will be targeted by someone who is greedy for money!
Thinking about this...
He then sensed the "White Bone Fire" within his body.
at this time.
This talent, born specifically to burn away supernatural phenomena, has undergone a qualitative change, enabling it to unleash its own ghostly aura!
"This Ghost Realm is not as strong as Double Pupil, but it can enhance the White Bone Fire."
A thick cloud of smoke swirled around Jiang Qiao's hand.
However, compared to the previous pitch blackness, the thick smoke now had a slightly greenish tinge.
"Where thick smoke blankets, the flames can burn indiscriminately."
"Moreover, the smoke itself can also cause paranormal harm."
"The combined damage from both is quite formidable, even among fifth-tier monsters."
"It's probably no weaker than the peak of the fifth rank."
Jiang Qiao smiled with satisfaction.
His talent is of very high quality, and he is further enhanced by "critical strike" and "armor penetration".
8ьоОК·сОm
Therefore, even a fourth-tier talent can demonstrate the power of a high-level fifth-tier talent!
"I participated in this mission without really understanding what was going on, but I gained quite a lot."
"Not only did we obtain a large amount of intelligence, but our Lightning Strike Fist also reached the fifth level, giving birth to a Thunder Spirit."
"Now, the White Bone Fire has also undergone a qualitative change."
"The only troublesome thing is carrying that thing on my back."
Jiang Qiao felt a little gloomy thinking about the evil curse he had been afflicted with in Gujing Village.
This thing hasn't manifested yet.
However, getting involved with evil spirits has always been a disaster.
"Fortunately, my strength will soon experience a leap forward."
Hopefully, we'll be able to clean it up by then.
...
"Crunch"
Clang
With a sickeningly sour sound, the bus doors closed.
The driver started the vehicle and began to slowly leave the platform.
at this time.
The roadblocks, barbed wire, and even deep craters on the highway seemed to disappear in front of this car.
Aside from the wobbling caused by the car's age, it was almost like walking on flat ground.
After the bus drove forward for a while, the surrounding scenery began to change gradually, like a scene transitioning from the city to the suburbs.
All around were desolate fields, stretching as far as the eye could see.
There is only one two-lane cement road, and it's unclear where it leads.
"It seems to be no different from a ghost train."
Jiang Qiao sat quietly in his seat, comparing the bus to the eerie train he had once ridden.
"Who manufactured this vehicle, and who is controlling it behind the scenes?"
He looked at the driver.
At this moment, the middle-aged man was holding the steering wheel with a serious expression, making corrections from time to time, and he looked very skilled.
Does he know?
"Or is it simply a paranormal phenomenon?"
Jiang Qiao pondered the matter, but did not take any drastic action.
Not only that.
He also closed the glass window.
There was a strange smell in the wind blowing in from outside, somewhat like ashes.
that's all.
He waited quietly for the next stop to arrive.
The entire bus was eerily silent, except for the creaking sound of the vehicle swaying.
As time goes by.
Gradually, the scenery around the bus began to change.
At the edge of a vast expanse of fields, a brightly lit village came into view. Outside the village, a dirt road stretched out, connecting to the highway.
At the intersection, there is a crooked bus stop sign that reads "Zhanggu Village".
"We're almost there."
"It seems the place name on the blackboard refers to the next stop."
Jiang Qiao looked out the car window.
The village was quite large, filled with two- and three-story houses. Outside the houses, there were rows of cars parked, suggesting it was a rather prosperous village.
Moreover, the village lights were very bright, standing out quite brightly in the dim fields.
But the more this was the case, the more eerie Jiang Qiao felt.
How could there be such a village that looks like it was just built in this eerie space where there is no village in front and no shop behind?
"Is it a ghost village or a village of living people?" Jiang Qiao wondered to himself.
⑧вσOK． cом
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The scenery outside the car window was dark and oppressive.
In the vast fields, a brightly lit village appeared.
At the same time, the bus began to slow down and gradually moved closer to the bus stop sign that read "Zhanggu Village".
As the car approached...
A man wearing an old-fashioned dark blue overcoat suddenly appeared on the dirt road that stretched out from the village. He slowly walked over, seemingly preparing to get into the car.
"In a place like this, you don't know if it's inhabited by living people or vengeful ghosts."
Jiang Qiao remained calm and composed, and did not take any extreme actions, nor did he intend to prevent it from getting on the vehicle.
Things are different now than when I was in Yicheng.
Yicheng is, after all, a human city. Even if something unexpected happens, he can wait relatively safely for the next ride; it's just a waste of some time.
So he chose to drive away the burning ghost to minimize the chance of the evil spirit getting on the bus and causing unforeseen complications.
Of course, the fact that the burned ghosts eventually became nourishment for the "white bone fire" was something he never expected, and it was a pleasant surprise.
But now they are in a supernatural space, surrounded by strange and inexplicable things.
Therefore, the best approach is to remain calm and wait for the situation to change. If the evil spirit tries to harm him after getting on the bus, then it's not too late to make a move.
Jiang Qiao's gaze followed the man's movements and soon reached the front door of the car.
"This person..."
Jiang Qiao frowned deeply.
He discovered that the man, dressed as he had been decades ago, had no trace of any vengeful ghost on him.
However, there were no signs of it being corrupted by something sinister.
He looked like an ordinary person.
"Is it the kind of ordinary person from Gujing Village, or the kind of ordinary person from Yicheng?"
Jiang Qiao fell into deep thought.
In the supernatural world, not everyone is an awakened being or an evolved being.
At least in some villages inhabited by indigenous people, there are a large number of ordinary residents.
In many villages, the entire population consists of ordinary people.
He already knew this during the simulation.
He had always been very curious about this, not understanding how they survived in the perilous supernatural world.
Even after the simulation ended, he had some doubts.
However, his trip to Yicheng made him realize that there are indeed a large number of ordinary people in the supernatural world, and most of these ordinary people are not even aware of the existence of vengeful ghosts!
This is extremely strange.
"During the simulation, I saw an indigenous village turn into a deserted village overnight. But a few days later, it returned to normal."
"This situation looks very similar to that of ordinary people in the sacrificial temple in Gujing Village."
"They are unaware that they are dead; they are simply repeating the activities they had in life according to a certain pattern."
"Although I don't know the reason behind all this, as long as I don't expose them, nothing will happen."
Jiang Qiao compared the two types of ordinary people and couldn't understand for a moment what was going on with the person who was about to get on the bus.
soon.
The man approached the bus, grabbed the door, and boarded the vehicle.
And then he got into the car.
The driver next to him suddenly stood up, used a small eraser to wipe away the three characters "Zhanggu Village" on the small blackboard next to the driver's seat, and rewrote the three characters "Wild Dog Ridge".
"Ding-dong"
The man put a coin into the ticket box.
Then, step by step, he walked to a chair next to him and sat down.
During this time, he didn't even glance at Jiang Qiao, who was sitting at the back of the car, as if Jiang Qiao was just a wisp of air.
Seeing this, Jiang Qiao nodded slightly.
It seems that once on board, whether they are living people or vengeful ghosts, they are all passengers and may not interfere with each other.
This is different from the ghost train.
The ghost train will only stop killing people when it is in motion, as ghosts and supernatural tales do not kill.
Once it stops, everyone will lose their protection and be attacked by supernatural forces.
⑻bООК． сОм
He witnessed several awakened individuals and ordinary people being inexplicably killed by vengeful ghosts in the train carriages.
Moreover, Jiang Qiao still doesn't know the situation of the front and rear carriages of the ghost train.
Even in Nightmare City, when the train needed maintenance, no passengers got off in the other carriages; it seemed as if no one was inside.
However, while the train was in motion, he personally heard terrifying screams coming from the front carriage, as if someone was committing a massacre inside.
Unfortunately, he didn't dare to explore at all and instead chose to get off the bus obediently.
...
"There shouldn't be any passengers left."
Jiang Qiao looked out the window and saw no one else walking this way.
At that moment, the bus slammed its front and rear doors shut with two loud bangs.
The bus slowly started moving again.
The brightly lit village was quickly left behind and disappeared from sight.
The rice paddies on both sides gradually began to transform into rolling hills.
Jiang Qiao withdrew his gaze from outside and began to observe the middle-aged man sitting in front of him.
"He should be around forty years old, with rough skin and calloused hands, and must have done farm work frequently."
"His qi and blood are abundant, and he has no ghostly aura at all. He seems to be just an ordinary person."
The gray light surged, and his gaze, like X-rays, swept over the man from head to toe.
No abnormalities were found.
However, it seemed that the other party had sensed Jiang Qiao's gaze.
The man suddenly turned to look at him, his dark, wrinkled face revealing a pair of fierce, triangular eyes staring at Jiang Qiao.
"What's so interesting about it?"
The man's voice was very hoarse, as if his throat was cracked.
Jiang Qiao was somewhat surprised.
How could this man have noticed that he was being observed?
"Just out of curiosity. It's rather strange that there's a village in this desolate place."
Jiang Qiao smiled slightly.
"Strange?" The man frowned.
"Young man, I advise you to take the bus properly and get off when you reach your stop. Don't be curious."
The man said coldly, his tone carrying a hint of threat or warning.
"oh?"
"Is Zhanggu Village dangerous?"
Jiang Qiao asked.
"That's not your question."
"Sew your mouth shut and look to the side. If you look around again, I'll gouge your eyes out."
The middle-aged man spoke coldly, not only refusing to answer Jiang Qiao's question but also displaying a very rude attitude.
"none of your business!"
Jiang Qiao retorted without hesitation.
What the hell!
So you're even meddling in my business, Mr. Jiang?
"hehe."
To Jiang Qiao's surprise, the man did not fly into a rage. He merely gave a cold laugh and turned away, ignoring him completely.
"Heh, the little orphan's chickened out?"
Jiang Qiao chuckled and gave a cheerful laugh.
"What did you say?"
The man who had just turned around immediately stood up and glared angrily at Jiang Qiao.
Did you just insult my parents?
He stared intently at Jiang Qiao and spoke slowly and deliberately.
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As the saying goes: Don't hit someone in the face, and don't insult someone by revealing their shortcomings.
It means that no matter whether you're fighting or arguing, it's best to leave others some room to maneuver.
This is what is meant by leaving a way out for everything, so that you can meet again in the future.
Because you leave no room for maneuver in your actions and always push people to the brink, one day you will also be pushed to the brink.
The middle-aged man in front of me looked humiliated, clearly touched on a sensitive spot by Jiang Qiao's words "little orphan".
"Heh, so what if it is?"
Jiang Qiao's face remained indifferent.
That bastard, he doesn't care if he doesn't want to answer questions, he doesn't think it's a big deal.
But he made rude remarks and even threatened repeatedly to gouge out his eyes.
Since his debut, he has rarely encountered anyone who dares to be so arrogant in front of him. Does he really think Boss Jiang has no temper?
You deserve to die!
The middle-aged man's eyes began to turn bloodshot, and the veins on his clenched fists bulged.
It was at this moment that Jiang Qiao sensed something was wrong.
"This man has mental problems."
In the instant the other person erupted in rage, he saw a blank look in their eyes, as if their computer had suddenly frozen.
Although it only flashed by and then returned to normal, he still managed to capture it.
"Interesting."
A cold smile appeared on his lips as he watched the man's face slowly turn ashen, and an eerie aura began to emanate from him.
Jiang Qiao noticed something arching up from his shoulders on his back.
"He seems like an ordinary person, but he definitely has a problem."
That's right.
"In such a dilapidated place, how can there be any normal living people?"
"They're all ancient foxes, playing some kind of ghost story."
A wisp of electricity began to coil around Jiang Qiao's fingertips, ready to strike at any moment in response to the man's attack.
He didn't want to fight on the bus either.
But if this man dares to make a move, he won't be polite.
"Haha, you bastard, come here."
Jiang Qiao chuckled.
The middle-aged man was furious, but he was also extremely wary when he saw the electric current in Jiang Qiao's hand.
They freeze in place for a moment.
"how?"
"You don't dare to make a move?"
Jiang Qiao sneered.
"If you don't dare to make a move, then go back to your seat and don't fucking embarrass yourself in public."
Just as the atmosphere between the two sides was becoming increasingly tense, and a major war could break out at any moment.
Sudden.
A hearty laugh came from the driver's seat of the bus:
"Passengers, please stop arguing; it's affecting driving safety."
"Just give me face."
"Let's talk about it after we get off the bus."
The voice was gentle, even carrying a hint of pleading and entreaty.
But as soon as he finished speaking...
A terrifying chill began to emanate from all around the bus, instantly making it feel like the dead of winter.
"Um?"
Jiang Qiao's gaze sharpened.
He saw patches of human-shaped grime beginning to appear on the walls around the carriage.
The grime looked as if a corpse had once been placed there, leaving indelible marks due to the passage of time.
"This car has so many ghosts."
Jiang Qiao narrowed his eyes, his vigilance rising to its maximum.
These figures didn't actually look dangerous; at least, they didn't pose much of a threat to him.
But he knew very well.
This bus, which travels through the supernatural world, transporting both the living and vengeful ghosts, is definitely not that simple.
The appearance of the vengeful ghost at this moment is more like a warning.
If he doesn't listen and insists on taking action, then he may very well encounter a truly terrifying supernatural attack!
"What level of supernatural object is this car?"
Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered.
He looked at the middle-aged man confronting him in front of him.
At this moment, the man, who had been furious, turned around and sat back down in his chair as if he were a startled caged bird after hearing the driver's advice.
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Not moving at all.
They returned to their original posture.
"This man knew how dangerous this car was."
Jiang Qiao stood still, glanced at the driver in the driver's seat, and finally sat back down.
"This train is definitely different from the ghost train."
"It seems that the driver will prevent conflicts between passengers and will not allow any disputes to occur on the bus."
This is indeed a very important piece of information.
This suggests that public buses are likely much safer than ghost trains.
"Is it because you bought a ticket?"
Comparing his two bus rides, Jiang Qiao said the biggest difference was that he had to pay for a ticket after boarding the bus.
When they rode the ghost train, they neither bought a ticket nor paid for it; they simply boarded and left.
It seems that this train does not need to pay any price.
Anyone can ride!
"Is it because there's no cost involved that the train doesn't need safety protection?"
Jiang Qiao recalled the scene from back then.
"No, that's not right."
Suddenly, a scene from the Nightmare City train station flashed into his mind.
In the waiting hall, train tickets belonging to vengeful ghosts were neatly placed on the seats.
Instantly.
A spark ignited in his mind, and a series of fragmented pieces of information were pieced together.
"The ghost train also has tickets."
"But the passengers didn't know where to buy their tickets, which ultimately led to them boarding without tickets."
"From the train's perspective, this behavior constitutes ticket fraud and constitutes illegal passenger behavior, so of course they will not provide protection for such passengers."
"That's why the train won't interfere with murders committed by vengeful ghosts and ghost stories."
Jiang Qiao thought about it more and more and felt that this guess was very likely.
"When the first brand-new bus came, I saw the old white woman get on and pay the fare. So when I boarded the old bus, I also chose to pay the fare."
So...
"If I hadn't bought a ticket, would the driver have stopped me?"
"Or will he help the middle-aged man deal with me, the fare evader?"
Jiang Qiao's heart stirred slightly, and he glanced at the driver.
"To verify this idea, we need to wait for a vengeful ghost to get on the bus."
Only vengeful ghosts and supernatural tales enjoy killing.
If a vengeful ghost appears but doesn't attack Jiangqiao, then this guess is most likely true.
If an attack is launched...
Therefore, we cannot go and test it ourselves.
"Not only is the vengeful ghost itself dangerous, but this car is not a safe space either."
He glanced at the faded silhouettes of people.
He had a premonition.
This dilapidated bus is probably even more dangerous than the sacrificial temple in Gujing Village!
"If a vengeful ghost gets on the bus, we can find a way to have the middle-aged man test the ghost."
Let them fight like dogs.
Jiang Qiao thought to himself.
However, this middle-aged man was not his pet dog, and he had quite a temper, so he probably wouldn't be easy to manage.
If things go wrong, a situation might arise where a vengeful ghost and a middle-aged man team up to fight him.
"It's not entirely hopeless. Let's wait until the vengeful ghost gets on the bus first."
Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had thought of something.
He then stopped paying attention to what was happening inside the carriage and turned his gaze to the outside of the window.
at this time.
After passing through fields and hills, the scenery outside has transformed into a range of towering mountains.
The rolling mountains and dense, dark forests on both sides make the old bus traveling through them appear extremely small.
"There are many graves in these mountains."
Jiang Qiao, with his gray-tinted camera in the background, carefully observed the scenery outside.
He saw that every now and then, a messy grave would appear in the woods on the mountain.
These graves didn't look very big; they were just mounds of earth.
Perhaps due to its age, not only are the tombstones broken, but the burial mounds have also collapsed, revealing large holes.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Jiang Qiao saw a dark figure flash past through the woods.
"How could such a place exist..."
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Jiang Qiao curiously looked at the scenery outside the car window.
He used to think the entire supernatural world was gray, but now he realizes it's because there's a problem with the area he's in.
His activity areas, whether they were beginner villages, swamps, or indigenous villages, were all located in that vast and boundless wasteland.
This led him to believe that the entire supernatural world was shrouded in gray.
The place he is in now is exactly the same as the wasteland.
The undulating mountains and dense forests on both sides present a dim scene, dotted with one earthen mound after another.
The deathly silence made it seem somewhat eerie.
Just as Jiang Qiao was trying to find out if there were any evil spirits inside.
Suddenly, several figures flashed past from the woods.
"Um?"
"Are those things mutated animals?"
Jiang Qiao narrowed his eyes, watching the eerie figure emerge from the collapsed grave in the distance and run away quickly.
The figure landed on all fours and moved swiftly, seemingly some kind of animal.
For example, wild dogs and foxes often lurk among graves, eating corpses and living in tombs.
Although this is a supernatural space, perhaps mutated animals also have this habit?
But.
When Jiangqiao observed further.
The silhouettes of those figures also looked like people lying on the ground!
"They ran too fast, I didn't see them clearly."
Jiang Qiao scanned the area but ultimately found no further similar ghostly figures.
...
Time passed second by second.
The bus continued along the cement road, seemingly without end.
The sky outside remained unchanged, still dim but not pitch black.
However, the mountain peaks on both sides began to become lower and flatter.
It was at this moment that the bus began to slow down and veer to the right side of the road.
"Are we about to arrive at our destination?"
Jiang Qiao looked up and saw a three-way intersection not far ahead.
At the intersection, there was a utility pole with a bright street lamp hanging from it. Below the street lamp, a piece of wood was nailed to the ground, on which were written three large, blood-red characters: "Wild Dog Ridge".
"Huh?"
"Is someone here?"
Suddenly, Jiang Qiao saw seven or eight men and women run out of the shadows next to the streetlight.
These people were dressed in tattered and filthy clothes.
On the exposed skin, there were lacerations and teeth marks, as if he had been bitten by something, making him look quite disheveled.
"Great, the bus has finally arrived."
When the group saw the bus, their faces lit up with joy, and they cheered.
As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, they rushed over as if something was chasing them.
"No, something is definitely chasing them!"
Jiang Qiao followed their figures and looked behind them.
Immediately, several figures, some on all fours, were rushing towards this side at high speed.
These figures looked exactly like the ghostly things that had sprung out of the graves on the mountain before, and at such close range, Jiang Qiao was able to see their appearance clearly.
"Holy crap?"
"What is this thing?"
What came into Jiang Qiao's view were several skinned human corpses. They had lost their skin, and their muscle fibers and fat were exposed to the air, with blood and bright yellow bodily fluids constantly dripping down.
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However, when Jiang Qiao looked at their faces, he discovered that the heads of these ghostly things were huge fleshy tumors with a foot-long incision on them.
Inside its mouth, rows of canine teeth crisscrossed, looking incredibly ferocious.
"This place is called Wild Dog Ridge, so wild dogs are these things?"
Watching the evil spirit land on all fours and quickly pounce on the people outside the car, Jiang Qiao gained a new understanding of the "wild dog".
"ah--!"
A man and a woman behind this group were a little slower and were instantly pounced on by the "wild dogs" and knocked to the ground.
"Get out of my way!"
"Let me go—"
"ah--"
"Help me—"
After the two fell to the ground, they immediately cried for help.
Unfortunately, the people in front, upon hearing this, not only didn't turn back to help, but they ran even faster!
The two people who fell to the ground were overwhelmed by the pack of "wild dogs" that kept coming, and screamed in agony as they were frantically torn apart.
During this time, Jiang Qiao sensed strange fluctuations emanating from the two of them, seemingly trying to repel these things. However, not only did they fail, but the "wild dogs" became even more frenzied!
"Click"
"Click"
"Click"
The chilling sounds quickly subsided, and eventually disappeared.
Meanwhile, the three men and two women in front, a total of five people, also successfully boarded the old bus under the "cover" of their companions.
"call--"
"Whoosh—"
"Finally...finally...we escaped..."
"call..."
A young man carrying a satchel hunched over and plopped down in a chair, panting heavily, filled with the joy of surviving a close call.
"That damned Ye Peng, accepting missions recklessly! This is no place for us," another woman said, her face turning pale.
Several people nearby chimed in, "Yeah, it's one thing for him to die, but he also dragged us down with him. A team of over twenty people was reduced to just a few of us in less than a day."
"If he weren't already dead, I would never have let him go!"
Their voices betrayed lingering fear. Clearly, they had just experienced unimaginable horror.
"We're safe for now. These bastards won't get on the bus, but how are we going to explain this to our employer when we get back? We've already taken the goods, but we haven't even gathered any information about the surrounding area yet. I'm afraid we'll have a hard time explaining ourselves."
"That's what the young man with the satchel said."
"The other party is from an ancient village. If they want to become a deadbeat, the risk is extremely high. What are your plans?"
"What can we do?"
A disheveled woman in her thirties angrily retorted, "If his ancient village is so powerful, does he really need to send a search team deep into Wild Dog Ridge? I'll just pay the penalty for breach of contract."
"This mission is practically suicide!"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," the young man with the satchel said with some concern.
"Although the rewards for the ancient village mission are generous, there will be serious consequences if you accept it but fail to complete it."
"I've heard of several cases where search teams took money from ancient villages but didn't do their jobs, and in the end the whole team disappeared. They were never seen again, neither alive nor dead."
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
Clearly, they had heard similar rumors as well.
a long time.
Another young man spoke up:
"There's no point in saying more now that things have come to this."
"The ancient village is indeed dangerous, but going deep into Wild Dog Ridge is certain death."
"Once we get back, everyone should go into hiding. Even in an ancient village, it might not be easy for them to find all of us."
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Jiang Qiao sat in the last row, listening silently to their conversation.
He had already activated "stealth mode" when the group got on the bus, so he was not discovered by them.
As for the middle-aged man sitting in front who remained motionless, the group only glanced at him and then ignored him, speaking without any restraint.
It seemed they knew who the middle-aged man was.
This scene stirred something within Jiang Qiao.
"Is this uncle and that village quite famous?"
He found this supernatural world to be incredibly complex, and everything seemed new and exciting.
Why don't we ask?
Jiang Qiao thought about it and decided that there was nothing wrong with asking questions if you don't understand.
So he opened the supernatural world system and found Liu Yuanyuan in his friends list. Then he sent her a photo of this middle-aged man who looked like he was about to die, along with information about the village in the field.
After the message has been sent.
Jiang Qiao looked up at the window.
The pack of "wild dogs" had completely devoured the two unfortunate men who had fallen.
Not to mention bone fragments, there wasn't even a drop of blood left on the ground.
If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you would never believe that a horrific murder had occurred here just minutes ago.
"These people seem to be the search team that Liu Yuanyuan mentioned before, an organization that makes a living by exploring and selling intelligence."
"It seems they were tasked by the ancient village to explore Wild Dog Ridge, but due to insufficient strength, they failed before even reaching the outer perimeter."
That's interesting.
Jiang Qiao narrowed his eyes.
Deep within Wild Dog Ridge lies something that even ancient villages find fascinating.
However, the search team, which had long dealt with danger and paranormal spaces, was not even fully aware of just how dangerous this place was. Rushing in recklessly nearly resulted in the entire team being wiped out in just one day.
Jiang Qiao didn't believe these people were idiots who valued money over their lives, nor did he believe they didn't even do their basic homework and treated their own lives like a joke.
At least, their previous escape attempt didn't lead Jiang Qiao to this conclusion.
Even the most greedy person understands that you only have the right to enjoy things if you're alive.
"There is only one possibility for them to come here: they have been misled by some kind of information, which has led to a miscalculation."
Jiang Qiao analyzed in his heart.
First of all, this must be a very remote place, rarely visited by anyone. And those who have come here are probably all dead.
As a result, the information here is not known to most people.
Secondly.
"That ancient village must have provided them with some kind of intelligence and support, making them believe that they could handle the situation here."
"No, it wasn't given to them, it was given to Ye Peng, who accepted the mission. Otherwise, these people would be cursing the ancient village right now, not cursing Ye Peng for accepting missions recklessly."
"This Ye Peng must be the leader of this group. He was misled by the ancient village and misjudged the situation. Not only did he die, but he also almost wiped out everyone."
Jiang Qiao extracted the information from the conversation and pieced it together, quickly creating a backstory.
"The only problem is that these people are too weak to even break through the outer perimeter, so what's the point of luring them in?"
"Could it be that they're being used as cannon fodder to clear mines?"
This situation is not impossible.
Many experts, when venturing into extremely dangerous places, like to force weaker individuals to act as cannon fodder and trigger the danger.
"If that's the case, then there's more than just this one team."
Thinking of this, Jiang Qiao glanced at the system chat window.
Liu Yuanyuan has not yet replied to his message.
He didn't care about anything else and edited another message and sent it: "Could you check if any ancient villages are hiring search teams recently?"
After sending.
Suddenly, the car engine started making a loud "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound.
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The driver in the cab used a brush to erase the place names on the blackboard, rewrote the next stop, and started the car.
"They seem unable to get on the vehicle?"
Jiang Qiao saw the "stray dog" outside lying on its back on the outside of the car, baring its teeth at the passenger compartment, but keeping a distance of several meters, let alone crawling in through the front door.
"Although this vehicle is for carrying people, it does not refuse entry to vengeful ghosts."
"But not only do these things not get on the bus, they also seem quite wary of it. What's going on?"
Jiang Qiao felt like he had become a walking encyclopedia of questions.
So he edited another message with the relevant information and sent it to Liu Yuanyuan.
Damn it!
...
The bus quickly pulled out of the station and sped off again onto the seemingly endless road.
The guys who got on the bus stopped talking, but it was clear that their tense bodies were slowly relaxing.
"The first stop is a grumpy old man who won't live to see tomorrow."
"The second stop brought up a group of search team survivors who were used as cannon fodder."
"I wonder what the third stop will be like."
Jiang Qiao looked at the name of the next stop on the blackboard in front of him, his eyes flickering slightly.
Ren Tou Wan!
"This place sounds ominous just from its name. The name contains the character for 'bay,' so it must be near water."
He muttered to himself.
In the supernatural world, anything related to water is anything but simple!
Let's not even talk about the legendary and mysterious Underworld Sea.
He hasn't been there yet.
But in the previous simulations alone, he experienced two terrifying bodies of water: lakes in the wilderness and ponds in the swamp!
Even if you reach the seventh rank, you will be instantly killed!
Among them, the enormous lake in the wilderness is said to be home to a legendary "god".
"In the real world, the ocean is the largest area and also the most mysterious place, with only five percent of its area explored by humans."
"Since ancient times, there have been legends of sea monsters and the like."
"And the supernatural world seems to follow the same principle."
"The so-called local deity once said that the most terrifying and malevolent creature in the supernatural world is hidden in the Underworld Sea."
"Liu Yuanyuan also said that there is a suspected ancient god's corpse in a certain body of water."
"And most importantly..."
"The most terrifying part of the supernatural world's cataclysmic events seems to have begun in the depths of the ocean!"
Jiang Qiao recalled some information he had previously obtained.
Although it is very fragmented, it is enough to piece together a suffocating truth.
"Once I reach a certain level of strength, I must go and see the Crow Ferry."
"Judging from the fragments of memory inherited by Xue Lan, that place was a ferry crossing in the Underworld Sea, but there was still human activity there at least twenty years ago."
"Moreover, there were suspected vessels that went out to sea back then!"
Just as Jiang Qiao was pondering.
Suddenly, the car jolted violently, as if it had hit something.
Then came a screeching sound of tires screeching.
"Sizzle—"
After the car slid forward for a distance, it suddenly shook violently.
Then.
It stopped in the middle of the road.
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