Chapter 17 - Sheep enter the wolf's den, bus conflict!
Qin Nuo stopped in his tracks, turning stiffly to look at the driver.
The driver's face was deathly pale, staring directly at Qin Nuo, and from his cracked lips came a few hoarse words: "You put in too many coins."
Qin Nuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief and calmly said, "It's okay, I have plenty of money."
The driver said nothing more, closed the door, and started the bus.
There weren't many passengers on the bus.
Apart from the elderly and women with children who boarded with Qin Nuo, there were four other passengers.
Two were ghostly and transparent, and two were solid.
One of the solid figures had a terrifying seam running down the center of his face, with numerous steel nails embedded in his head.
Clearly, this was a ghost.
The other solid figure was dressed in a suit, with a lean build, a square face, and slicked-back hair, gazing nonchalantly out the window at the passing scenery.
Qin Nuo looked at him, feeling a shiver inside.
A human presence!
Not a Half-Ghost; this man in the suit was a real human!
With his Ghost Power, Qin Nuo could roughly distinguish between humans and ghosts.
A player from another area?
Why wasn't he afraid, daring to ride this ghost bus alone?
Qin Nuo was shocked and puzzled.
The elderly and women with children who had just boarded also noticed the human on the bus.
They scrutinized the man in the suit, then seemed to realize something, and withdrew their gazes, appearing wary.
"Mommy, I want it!"
The ghost baby in the woman's arms stared at the man in the suit, as if seeing something amusing, reaching out with tiny hands to grab him.
The woman held the baby's hands, turning away to prevent it from causing trouble.
"There must be things I don't know about in this Horror World, or some rules I haven't touched upon," Qin Nuo pondered to himself.
After all, it was his first time entering the Horror World, a genuine newbie player!
Back on Earth, Qin Nuo had seen news reports more than once.
Those national-level veteran players could freely enter horror games, complete instances, and earn rewards.
For those experienced players, horror games were not nightmares but dream worlds that constantly offered them benefits.
"We newbies think every day about how to survive and return, always on edge."
"Those veteran players have long found the essence of playing these games, freely shuttling between the horror and real worlds."
Qin Nuo sighed inwardly as the bus arrived at a stop.
"Blood Grudge Cemetery, please disembark in an orderly fashion. The next stop is the Underworld Hotel, passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready!"
The man in the suit stood up, glanced down at Qin Nuo as he passed, smiled, and then exited through the back door.
"I've been discovered."
Qin Nuo smiled wryly, unsurprised.
This raincoat, as a ghost-level item, wasn't very high-level. More powerful ghosts and humans could easily see through it and discern Qin Nuo's true identity.
At the subsequent stops, passengers on the bus were replaced one after another.
Fortunately, none of these ghosts discovered Qin Nuo's identity as they passed by him.
Suddenly, Qin Nuo felt the hood of his raincoat being tugged by someone.
Qin Nuo quickly held down the hood, turning to see the ghost baby from earlier, staring curiously at his raincoat.
It reached out again to tug!
"Be good, Xiaoying." The woman gently stroked the ghost baby's forehead but made no move to stop it.
Qin Nuo pulled out the Bone-Crushing Hammer, the black blood on it dripping onto the seat.
"Control your child!"
Qin Nuo spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a murderous intent and ferocity.
The woman was startled, seemingly realizing Qin Nuo was not to be trifled with, and quickly held the ghost baby's hands, sitting back down.
Qin Nuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
That was close.
Almost exposed!
Qin Nuo glanced at the bus stop sign; there were only two more stops to his destination.
He felt anxious, growing increasingly uneasy.
The more passengers there were on the bus, the more dangerous his situation became.
The next stop arrived.
Suddenly, half of the passengers got off, and the once-crowded bus became quiet again.
Qin Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.
Just one more stop until he could get off.
He was almost safe...
Only one passenger boarded, with long, wet hair dragging on the floor, a ghastly white body dripping with water.
The bus floor was instantly soaked.
The ghost driver didn't care, closed the door, and started the bus.
"A water ghost," Qin Nuo thought, guessing that this ghost might have drowned.
The water ghost didn't rush to find a seat but sniffed the air, revealing a creepy smile beneath its wet hair: "I smell a rat!"
Qin Nuo's expression changed.
He looked up sharply, and the water ghost's eyes locked onto him.
Its mouth cracked open, eyes filled with greed, and its crimson tongue dripped with saliva!
He was discovered!
Qin Nuo's body tensed.
But the water ghost didn't expose Qin Nuo; instead, it found a seat and sat down, its greedy eyes never leaving Qin Nuo, afraid its prey would escape.
Five minutes later.
The bus stopped, and Qin Nuo immediately stood up, ready to get off.
The water ghost suddenly blocked his path, grinning sinisterly: "Sit back down!"
Qin Nuo looked at him coldly: "This is my stop."
"I said sit back down, little rat, don't you understand what I'm saying?"
The words "little rat" caught the attention of the passengers.
They all looked up, their eyes falling on Qin Nuo.
Qin Nuo's face darkened; this water ghost clearly wasn't planning to let him go.
Under the raincoat, his fingers tightly gripped the Bone-Crushing Hammer.
He wasn't afraid of the water ghost.
But if he made a move against it on the bus, his identity would undoubtedly be exposed.
The ghost driver also turned to look at Qin Nuo and the water ghost, then closed the rear door that had been opened.
Some passengers began to stir.
They vaguely guessed something.
A rat had snuck onto the bus!
"Trouble, a lamb in a wolf's den."
As the atmosphere on the bus gradually became tense, Qin Nuo's expression also turned increasingly grim.
The water ghost stared sinisterly at Qin Nuo: "Rat, I'll say it again, sit back down!"
Qin Nuo didn't move. Sitting back down meant not only missing his stop but also facing unknown dangers ahead, which he couldn't imagine!
At the critical moment, the water ghost felt a tap on its shoulder and turned to see a shadow behind it.
"It's mine," the shadow said expressionlessly.
"Yours? What proof..."
The water ghost sneered, but before it could finish, the shadow suddenly raised a hand, its fingers gripping the water ghost's face.
Sharp nails pierced the water ghost's face, and black blood splattered.
Before the water ghost could resist, the water on its body quickly evaporated, releasing steam.
Then, terrifying flames engulfed it, and its ghastly white flesh charred and burned at a visible speed.
Amidst a horrific scream, the water ghost was burned into a charred corpse.
The shadow crushed the water ghost's skull, and the headless body fell to the ground, shattering into pieces of black charcoal.
The shadow looked at the ghost driver and coldly said, "Open the door."
The ghost driver, showing a hint of fear, opened the rear door of the bus.
Without giving Qin Nuo a chance to speak, the shadow pulled him off the bus.