Chapter 55: Crematorium at Bridge No. 3

The cold wind rushed into the bus, as if a cling film covering my face was finally torn away, letting me breathe freely at last.

After breaking the illusion, the way everyone in the car looked at me changed instantly.

"So, turns out we've got a real Taoist on board, huh? You know quite a bit, brother," Wang Chunfu shifted his stance like a sail in the wind, conveniently forgetting our earlier quarrel, and approached with a sycophantic grin.

I ignored him and patted the driver on the shoulder. "Wipe that sweat and keep driving."

Returning to my seat, Yiyi turned around with a look of disbelief. "How did you do that?"

She voiced the question that was on everyone's mind, and all ears were tuned in, eager to eavesdrop.

"Your mom taught me. It's all thanks to her," I said, pinning the origin of the talisman to a non-existent person—something I had planned before pulling it out.

"My mom? Did she tell you anything else?"

"Of course." I patted Yiyi's head and fabricated a benevolent lie. "She said as long as you behave, you'll see her very soon."

"Ding-dong! Broken Hope Tower has arrived. Please gather your belongings and exit through the rear door. Watch your step as you disembark."

The bus had arrived at the stop. I checked the route map for Bus 14. The next stop after Broken Hope Tower was Bridge No. 3 Crematorium, and tonight's live broadcast task was nearing completion.

"Get off the bus. Forget about your brother. If we can keep our own lives, we're already lucky enough," Wang Chunfu consoled Jianye. The two of them, along with Yuan Feng, who seemed eager to leave the eerie Bus 14, prepared to disembark here.

"Hey, if you don't want to die, stay with me until the end of the line," I said coldly, standing and glaring at the others. "I'll only warn you once—see things through to the end."

The scene of me breaking the illusion with the guiding talisman was still fresh in their minds. My words made them hesitate.

Honestly, I didn't care about their fates—I was only trying to complete the optional task in Hell Show: earn one extra point for every surviving passenger.

"We're staying. We're staying. We'll listen to you," they finally relented.

Three minutes passed, and no one got off the bus. The driver shut the doors and prepared to head to the final stop.

Relieved, I thought, If these idiots decided to disembark and die after all my effort, it would've been a waste.

"The vehicle is departing. Please hold on and remain seated. Thank you for riding Bus 14, an unmanned ticketing bus. Please prepare exact change of one yuan and move toward the rear door after boarding. Next stop: Bridge No. 3 Crematorium."

Looking out the window, it was around 3 a.m., the darkest hour of the night.

"The stop is coming up, but there's still a long way until dawn. This doesn't feel like the usual style of Hell Show." A sense of unease gnawed at me. I suddenly remembered the yellow paper given to me by the Taoist from Qingtu Temple. Quietly, I unfolded it. Though it contained only one short line, it sent chills down my spine.

I let go of Yiyi's hand, pulled out a cigarette, and held it in my mouth. No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't light it. "Uncle, do you need my help?"

Seeing the innocence in Yiyi's bright eyes, I silently shook my head. The message on the yellow paper had upended all my previous deductions.

The road became increasingly treacherous. The decrepit bus jolted up and down, flanked by barren land without a single house in sight.

In the pitch-black night, the dim yellow-green headlights illuminated the path ahead, like a small boat ferrying souls across the River of Forgetfulness.

After about ten minutes, rows of buildings emerged—classic black-tile roofs and pale-red courtyard walls. That was the Bridge No. 3 Crematorium.

The road ahead was littered with growing piles of paper money, their whiteness stretching endlessly under the night wind. Closer to the crematorium lay what seemed like a dump site, filled with the remains of paper effigies and spirit horses. Vibrantly painted, grotesque faces fluttered eerily in the breeze.

A shiver ran through me, and I fell silent.

"Ding-dong! Bridge No. 3 Crematorium has arrived. Please gather your belongings and exit through the rear door. Watch your step as you disembark."

As soon as the broadcast ended, everyone in the bus stood up as if on cue.

"Let's get off," I muttered, resigned to fate. Clutching my chest, I concealed the Seven-Star Talisman of Mao Shan in my palm.

The crematorium gate faced the bus stop directly. As I stepped off Bus 14 and my feet touched the ground, the familiar notification from Hell Show arrived.

"Ding!"

"Live Task: Arrive at Miyun Mansion at midnight via Bus 14 and survive to the end of the line. Task complete."

"Now beginning evaluation..."

"Task completion: 1 point. Peak live viewers exceeded 1,000: Bonus 3 points. Total gifts exceeding 1,000 Nether Coins: Bonus 2 points. Failure to complete an underworld commission: -1 point." "Optional Task: Protect all passengers. Bonus: 2 points."

"Final score: 7 points."

Seeing the notification, my face turned grim—not because the points were measly, but because of the optional task.

I distinctly remembered the task description: Protect all passengers. Earn 1 extra point for every life saved.

But now? Including the driver, eight people reached the terminus, yet I was only awarded two points.

This meant six out of the eight passengers weren't even human!

"Successfully arrived at Bridge No. 3 Crematorium. Failure to complete the underworld commission has triggered a mandatory task: Survive until dawn!"

Just as I feared, the worst-case scenario had come true.

"The driver, Yuan Feng, Wang Chunfu, Jianye, Zhang Rong, Yiyi, the hospital gown guy, and the creepy little girl sitting at the back—who among them is human? And who is a ghost?"

Pulling out the yellow paper from the Taoist again, I glanced at the writing.

"Could it be Yiyi?"

"What are you looking at?" Yuan Feng asked, eyeing me suspiciously as he approached.

"Do I need to report to you?" Earlier, I had researched his background online. The news only stated he was missing; whether he was alive or dead remained unknown.

"Stop arguing. We've been through life and death together. No need to ruin the camaraderie," Wang Chunfu said shakily, forcing a smile. At this hour, parked in front of a crematorium, fear was inevitable.

Zhang Rong, missing one high-heeled shoe, also disembarked. She scurried around like a thief, glancing everywhere to make sure the vengeful ghost in red hadn't followed before seeking refuge behind the men.

"Get lost. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess," someone spat at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, let me stay with you," she begged tearfully.

Yuan Feng kicked her away with disdain. "Jinx. Get lost."

The group treated Zhang Rong harshly. Only I remained silent, which made her think I sympathized with her. Clutching her injured arm, she ran to me and hugged my legs. "You're a police officer. Please save me! I'll do anything you ask!"

"Anything?" Narrowing my eyes, I asked coldly, "Then can you tell me this—are you human or ghost?"

Zhang Rong froze at my sudden question, clutching her head as if in pain. "My head hurts…"

Prising her hands off me, I stood among the group, feeling strangely isolated. "Out of eight passengers, only two are human? What kind of sick joke is this?"

"Where to now? Are we really going to wait until dawn in this haunted place?" Wang Chunfu asked, clearly looking to me for guidance.

"Nowhere." I called Yiyi to my side and began searching for the other little girl. My instincts told me they held the key to tonight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, three minutes have passed. It's time to board," the driver called out, his face perpetually glistening with sweat as he leaned out the window.

"Board? We're already at the end of the line. Where else is there to go?"

"Return trip. Quickly now. Each stop has a maximum dwell time of five minutes!" The driver's warning unsettled everyone. "You wouldn't really want to spend the night at a crematorium, would you? Even the staff here don't dare stay overnight!"

Indeed, staying at a crematorium past midnight was terrifying. But the stationary Bus 14 seemed even more ominous.

"You keep stressing the five-minute rule. Well, today, I'm curious to see what happens if we exceed it," Yuan Feng sneered, deciding to align with me.

"And the rest of you?"

"Well… our house is at the last stop, Broken Hope Tower, so maybe…"

"Silence!" Holding Yiyi's hand, I emerged from the back of the bus. "We're missing someone. Hasn't anyone noticed?"

I had searched everywhere but couldn't find the little girl who had been sitting at the rear of the bus. It seemed she had vanished the moment Bus 14 arrived at Bridge No. 3 Crematorium.