Chapter 52: Deadly Roadblock (Part 2)

The curly-haired woman's attitude took a dramatic 180-degree turn, not because her conscience had awakened.

Using the Hell Show's smartphone camera function, only I and the live room viewers could see it.

A woman with long, drooping hair and a blood-red outfit stood up from the seat behind the curly-haired woman. Her hands grasped the curly-haired woman's face, and her blood-stained black hair began to wrap slowly around her neck.

This red-clothed woman, who had appeared in my dreams, had never truly left. She had been following the curly-haired woman all along.

I finally pieced together the truth of the matter: the curly-haired woman falsely accused the first wife, Yang Rou, of infidelity, clearing the way for herself as the mistress to take over and join forces with Li Zijian.

Carrying deep grievances, Yang Rou had gone alone to the hospital for a prenatal checkup, heavily pregnant. Just as she stepped out of her neighborhood, she was hit by Bus 14.

Her overwhelming sense of injustice turned into immense resentment, tethering her spirit to the mortal world. She attached herself to the already cursed Bus 14.

Late-night calls to the curly-haired woman urging her to terminate her pregnancy, as well as the eerie scenes captured on video, were all acts of Yang Rou's vengeful ghost.

"No wonder the red-clothed woman stuck so closely to Zhang Rong in my dreams, following her wherever she went. It was all fueled by unrelenting hatred."

Looking closely, the ghost's red garment was oddly loose. At first, I thought it was an oversized red coat. It was actually a blood-stained maternity dress. The unborn child had already died, making the dress appear baggy.

The baby from the basket grabbed the curly-haired woman's leg and began climbing up her body. Her eyes bulged with terror, her neck elongated as if her head were a radish being pulled out of the ground.

"Help... help me..." The curly-haired woman's life hung by a thread. The ghost appeared to be deliberately prolonging her torment.

Sitting in my seat, I watched everything unfold through the phone. Her cries for help rang in my ears, but I made no move to save her. "Those who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind."

Whether it was Yuan Feng or the curly-haired woman, both had been marked by ghosts and deserved their fate.

Rescuing Yuan Feng was different—I could wait until daylight to bring him to justice under the law.

But Zhang Rong's situation was unique. Her actions, while morally reprehensible, didn't break any laws. At worst, she'd face public condemnation, which wouldn't really impact her life. She could still happily squander Yang Rou's insurance settlement with Li Zijian.

There are forms of justice in this world that can't be upheld and truths that won't reach the masses. If the curly-haired woman's death could appease the ghost's rage, I saw it as a fair trade.

"Auntie, you..." Yiyi began to speak, but I stopped her. Having weathered the harsh realities of society, I knew this was a time to stay out of harm's way and avoid provoking the ghost.

However, things didn't go as I expected. The three drunken workers and Yuan Feng came over.

The curly-haired woman's bizarre state drew attention.

"Help... help me..."

Four burly men surrounded her, their robust vitality slowing the ghost's movements.

"What's wrong with her? Is she having a seizure?"

"Maybe it's asthma? City smog is terrible. Lots of people get this."

"You kids know nothing! Stand aside!" Wang Chunfu, still tipsy, looked at Zhang Rong's frightened expression and smirked. "Heh, she needs chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth. Out of the way, keep the air flowing."

He was utterly shameless. I couldn't bear to watch but couldn't intervene either, as I hadn't yet identified these three men.

"Pay attention! This is basic first aid." Wang Chunfu spoke with a mock seriousness but had a lewd expression.

He tore open Zhang Rong's collar, performed compressions, and then leaned in for mouth-to-mouth.

"Sis, feeling better now?"

The yang energy entering her body gave Zhang Rong some warmth, loosening the hair around her neck. She nodded frantically, "Help me, save me."

"Of course! I can't just stand by and do nothing!"

Wang Chunfu continued, oblivious to the faint grayish death aura creeping over his flushed face.

"Bro, let us help too," said the two younger men.

"Sure, go ahead. Just press hard when you do it."

The three men grinned at each other and took turns, seemingly unaffected.

As the bus crept forward, the driver seemed oblivious to the eerie events. His only focus was driving.

Passing a desolate, overgrown rose garden, a massive "Invest in Us" billboard came into view. Then, the onboard broadcast chimed in.

"Ding-dong! Garden Community. Please gather your belongings and exit through the rear door. Watch your step as you disembark."

This was where Yang Rou's accident occurred. Based on the elderly woman and the factory worker's accounts, the ghost would have to disembark at the site of her death.

"Zhang Rong is lucky this time, escaping with her life."

Both doors opened. Watching through my phone, I tracked the ghost's movements. Unable to kill all four men at once, she hesitated. Her bloody garments billowed, and her hair surged like waves.

After a minute or two, the baby's skin darkened, and it tumbled back into the basket. Suddenly, as if performing a magic trick, a white cat with gouged-out eyes leaped from the basket and darted off the bus.

No one boarded at the front. The driver pulled the lever to start.

"Departing. Please hold on. Next stop, Broken Hope Tower."

The front door closed, but the rear door remained half-shut, as if something was blocking it.

"Driver, the rear door's stuck!" Yuan Feng banged on it. The driver glanced back but didn't dare leave his seat. "Might be a mechanical issue. Try pulling it shut," he mumbled.

"What a crappy bus!" Yuan Feng kicked it a few times before forcing it closed. "All set, let's go!"

Sweat beaded on my forehead. I knew why the rear door wouldn't close.

It wasn't mechanical—it was the red-clothed ghost blocking it. Her unfinished business kept her tied here.

I saw it clearly through the phone. Forced off the bus, the ghost's hair-covered face pressed against the glass, her head banging against the door.

The bus started again, and I thought this stop had passed safely. But the real horror was just beginning.

Before leaving the station, the bus halted again.

Passengers murmured, "Why aren't we moving? Let's go!"

The driver trembled as he stood, his face pale. He stared outside.

"What's going on?" I rushed to the front and froze in terror.

Lying inches from the front wheel was a pregnant woman.

No—a corpse. Blood soaked her beige maternity dress. Her unblinking eyes stared sideways at the bus.

"Oh my god! You hit someone!" The drunken workers sobered instantly.

The curly-haired woman shrieked, "Yang Rou! It wasn't me! It wasn't my fault!"

"I didn't hit anyone! I only saw a shadow from a distance and thought it was a log. It wasn't until I got closer that I realized it was a person!" The driver stammered, drenched in sweat.

Yuan Feng, the driver, and the workers stood dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

"The face is swollen, congested. She's been dead for hours." I held up my phone. "Don't panic. Can we maneuver around her and keep going?"

"We're too close. This old bus slides forward when starting. If we move, we'll crush her," the driver said, wringing his sweaty hands. "And there's something else I need to tell you..."

He hesitated. "The senior driver told me... never stop for more than five minutes at any one station. Bad things will happen."

"What kind of bad things?" Yuan Feng and I asked in unison.

"I don't know. He told me last night... before he died."

The driver's face turned even paler.

"This is bad." I frowned, glancing outside. The bus was stuck. The dead woman blocked the path, and five minutes were almost up.

"Hurry! Think of something! It's been four minutes already!"