Chapter 42: Encountering Crisis on the Road

Chapter 42: Encountering Crisis on the Road

"The vehicle has reached the terminal. Please take your belongings and disembark."

After a long ride on the steam bus, Gu Xi realized he was almost out of Victoria City when he came to his senses.

Upon hearing the conductor's announcement, Gu Xi got up to get off the bus.

At that moment, the conductor repeated, "Take your belongings and disembark."

Gu Xi turned around and noticed that he was the only person left on the bus, and at the back of the carriage, there was a small burlap bag.

The burlap bag was quite conspicuous, placed directly on a seat.

Since Gu Xi was the only passenger left, the conductor naturally assumed the bag belonged to him.

"That's not mine."

Gu Xi looked at the conductor, "You should handle it yourself."

After saying that, Gu Xi was about to get off the bus.

The conductor was reluctant. Having a passenger leave their luggage on the bus wasn't good news for them; it was more of a hassle.

This is something whispered among steam bus drivers and conductors—about eerie objects.

Previously, there was a case where a passenger left their luggage on the bus. The conductor and driver took the luggage, and the next day, the bus disappeared along its route.

When the bus was found again, it was discovered that everyone on it, from the driver to the passengers, had died.

So now, the policy for all steam buses was clear: no luggage could be left on the bus, at least not taken by the conductor or driver.

Seeing Gu Xi about to get off, the conductor resolutely blocked the door.

"Take your belongings and leave!"

The conductor, standing at 1.8 meters tall and weighing 180 kilograms, blocked the door completely.

Gu Xi's previously good mood turned sour.

"What do you mean? I said it's not my stuff."

Halfway through his sentence, Gu Xi felt a disturbing presence behind him.

Turning around, he saw that the bus had changed. The once new-looking steam bus now had water dripping from the ceiling, and the seats looked as if they had rotted for decades.

Even the conductor had changed. His skin turned green, and his body swelled as if filled with fat, becoming unrecognizable.

His skin was covered with various stitching lines, clearly no longer a living person.

Anyone else would be scared by such a sight.

But Gu Xi, being a necromancer, easily recognized that the transformed conductor was still alive.

"Don't move, or I'll kill you."

Gu Xi pulled out a bone club and pressed it against the conductor's head, preventing any further action. Then he drew a dagger and threw it at the burlap bag.

The dagger disappeared half a meter before reaching the bag.

Did he miss?

Gu Xi couldn't believe it. His throwing skills, honed in prison using rats, ensured accuracy.

Something was definitely wrong. Without hesitation, Gu Xi pointed at the burlap bag.

"Bone spikes!"

Three bone spikes shot toward the burlap bag from three directions.

In a flash, the bus returned to its original state.

Gu Xi realized that the bag was an eerie object, designed to instill fear.

But this time, it encountered a necromancer.

Its setup was nothing to a necromancer and was damaged by the bone spikes, revealing its nature.

Realizing this, Gu Xi rushed to the bag and smashed it with his bone club.

Bang!

The bone club's special effect activated, smashing the contents and the seat beneath the bag to pieces.

The burlap bag tried to swallow the bone club.

When the burlap opened, Gu Xi saw broken mirror shards and many inactive souls inside.

Seeing this, Gu Xi's eyes lit up.

He tossed a mysterious head toward the burlap bag, then pulled the bone club out and smashed the mirror shards.

This time, the shattered mirror turned to powder.

The mysterious head bit the burlap and pulled it away.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Xi grabbed a complete soul.

[You obtained a Catastrophic Soul (Green) *107.]

[Catastrophic Soul (Green): A soul extracted through a special method, lacking the vitality of a normal soul. It can only be used as demon food or material for making devils.]

Holding the catastrophic soul, Gu Xi frowned. As a necromancer, he could tell the soul was useless.

These souls died due to some rule, losing their vitality, unusable for necromancy but only as materials or food.

Wait, food?

An idea struck Gu Xi.

At this moment, the conductor approached timidly, "What is this?"

Interrupted by the conductor, Gu Xi lost his train of thought.

He glared at the conductor, "Nothing, just a random eerie object. This is my problem."

As he spoke, Gu Xi continued smashing the mirror powder until it turned to dust, then stopped.

His bone club was covered in the powder. He pressed a catastrophic soul onto it.

In an instant, the club transformed into a meter-long staff, black with silver specks.

[Bone Club upgraded to Crushing Staff.]

[Crushing Staff (Green, Staff)]

[Attack: 4-6]

[Requirement: Strength 2]

[Special: Crushing, 75% chance to shatter bones, armor, or other defenses.]

[Description: Staff of Crushing, either you crush others or get crushed yourself.]

After upgrading the bone club, Gu Xi noticed the mysterious head wrapped in burlap like a mummy.

Realizing the situation, he immediately fed a catastrophic soul to the head.

The head shrank to the size of a thumb, and the burlap increased.

Just as the head was about to transform, Gu Xi's expression changed. He swung the Crushing Staff, sending the head flying.

Boom!

The steam bus's interior expanded into the size of half a football field.

A man in a black robe emerged from the other end.

"I wondered why the eerie object lost control. Someone disrupted my setup."