Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Come with me, I have an empty wardrobe at home."

The newly released missions had no time limits and were not related to Shen Qing's life or death.

After briefly reviewing all the missions and confirming that the situation wasn’t urgent, Shen Qing closed the simulator.

"I'm not a donkey that can work 24/7. My body can't handle it."

To onlookers, Sen Shen appeared to be lost in thought as they couldn't see the Saint Father Simulator.

Rong Ye whispered in his ear, "Lost in thought? That's unlike you. Are you feeling unwell?"

"You haven't rested for three days. It's time for a good sleep. Let me use my web to wrap up this ghost and secure him. Once you wake up, we can listen to his ram

Sen Shen shook his head, and Rong Ye, observing the swaying white earlobe, gently enveloped it with his mouth.

The ghost's body temperature was low, his tongue brushing against Sen Shen's earlobe, felt like an ice cube pressed against his ear.

Sen Shen, initially drowsy, instantly became alert.

Pei Yue, oblivious to their actions, was engulfed in nightmarish memories, her body trembling uncontrollably.

————

A bus carrying 36 passengers meandered through the fog. The driver had turned into a plastic dummy, and the woman who had interviewed them had disappeared without a trace.

The pale-faced man with glasses sitting next to her stammered, “I get carsick, so I fell asleep as soon as we boarded. I have no idea when she vanished. The bus never stopped, and she was sitting inside, next to me. I didn't feel anyone passing in front of me. She seemed to disappear into thin air.”

His voice wasn't loud, but the bus was so quiet that everyone heard him.

Panic spread quickly inside the bus. Several children who boarded with their parents started crying loudly. Their sharp, piercing cries added to the oppressive atmosphere.

A man sitting in the back suddenly roared, "Enough! Who the hell is playing this stupid prank? Is this some kind of reality show or a TV drama shooting?"

He got up from his seat, grabbed the glasses-wearing man by his collar, and threatened, “Cut the crap, or I swear I’ll beat you to death!”

"I'm not playing tricks; this bus is only so big. Where could I possibly hide her? If you don't believe me, search yourself!"

The man with glasses moved aside, allowing the irate man to rummage through the seats, only finding a backpack containing a tablet and a laptop.

There was nowhere here to hide a person.

The uncle who first checked on the driver now looked terrifyingly pale, "My kid just called the police."

Sitting in the front row, he became the focus of everyone stretching their necks to see him.

"Did the call not go through? We must have hit a ghost. Isn't that what they show on TV? When it's haunted, cell phones never have a signal!"

"Nonsense, when do thirty-something people encounter a ghost at the same time? Big brother, what did the police say?"

The uncle, hugging his twelve-year-old daughter, trembled as he spoke, "A female officer answered. No matter what my daughter asked, she kept repeating the same phrase: Don't look outside the window, don't make eye contact with them."

Two nearby workers, looking bewildered, asked, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know. My daughter couldn't resist and glanced outside the window after the call, and then she turned into what she is now."

The uncle turned the girl's face towards them. Her complexion was pale, her eyes wide open, unresponsive to anyone calling her.

Her skin felt unnaturally plastic, hard and cold to the touch, more resembling a finely crafted lifelike doll than a living person.

The uncle cried desperately, continuously calling out his daughter's name.

The irate man spat in anger, "Damn it! I don't believe this crap!"

He took out his phone and dialed the police himself, putting the call on speakerphone so everyone could hear.

After two beeps, the emergency call connected.

The irate man shouted into the phone, "What kind of service is this? We have 36 people here, all abducted! Send the police quickly, stop this bus!"

From the phone, a gentle and graceful female voice replied, "Do not look outside the window, do not make eye contact with them."

"I'm telling you, send a police car over here now!"

"Do not look outside the window, do not make eye contact with them."

"Damn it!"

Just as the irate man was about to curse again, a female student leaned over to his phone and quickly reported the license plate number.

But no matter what they said, the woman's response was always the same: "Do not look outside the window, do not make eye contact with them."

This time, even the irate man couldn't muster any more anger, and the bus fell into a deathly silence once again.

Pei Yue was terrified. She clutched her boyfriend's hand tightly, seeking some sense of security.

The gang of ruffians was clearly frightened too, and her boyfriend, not in the mood to comfort her, left her aside to join his friends for a smoke, one after another.

And so, the bus continued to travel through the mist.

The rain grew heavier, the fog thicker, until the view outside the bus windows was completely obscured, as if covered by a sheet of white paper.

After a long while, the bespectacled man hesitantly spoke up, "Is the bus still moving? I can't feel it swaying anymore."

His comment drew the attention of others to the oddity.

Pei Yue looked at her water glass. The water inside was perfectly still, indicating the bus might indeed have stopped.

The irate man and a few passengers discussed for a while and decided they couldn't just sit and wait for doom.

The passengers gathered a fruit knife and two badminton rackets from among themselves, preparing to open the bus door and go out to see what was really happening.

Raindrops pattered against the windows, occasionally making strange noises. It sounded like someone pressing against the glass, whispering, "I found you, I found you!"

No one knew what was truly in the mist. Many passengers opposed opening the door, fearing that whatever was hidden in the fog might take the chance to board the bus.

Even the irate man felt uneasy. Clutching the fruit knife, he decided to wait a bit longer and tried to make contact with the outside world again.

This time, instead of calling the police, he video-called his wife.

The call connected, and before he could even feel relieved, he shivered violently.

In the video, there was no sign of his wife, only a vast expanse of white fog.

He tried to speak, "Honey? Can you hear me?"

The response was an elegant, mechanical female voice, but this time she didn't repeat her usual phrase.

“10”

"What did you say? What are you trying to do?"

“9”

“8”

The irate man had the speakerphone on, and as the people in the bus listened to the woman's voice counting down, they gradually realized what she was doing.

She counted numbers, oblivious to their reactions. No one knew what would happen when the countdown ended. Panic and an indescribable fear spread among the passengers.

Without her boyfriend by her side, Pei Yue huddled alone in her seat, shivering continuously.

“6”

“5”

The angry man yelled at his phone and even ended the video call. But the woman's voice continued to emanate from his phone.

Growing more fearful and aggressive, he threw his phone to the ground and crushed it.

The next second, everyone's phones in the bus simultaneously entered a video call.

The screens displayed endless fog, and the woman's voice echoed from different phones, overlapping and creating an eerie, spine-chilling effect.

“3”

“2”

“1”

"Bang—"

At the very moment the countdown ended, a dull thud sounded against the bus window, as if something had fiercely struck it.

Pei Yue instinctively wanted to look back but caught a glimpse of the middle-aged couple seated next to her.

Their backs to her, they stared blankly outside the window, bodies trembling violently as if witnessing a horrifying scene.

Then, as the window shattered, Pei Yue saw something she would never forget.

A huge, ghastly pale human head pushed through the broken window, biting and severing the middle-aged woman in half at the waist.

Paralyzed with fear, the husband blankly watched as his wife was gruesomely devoured by the monster.

“Ah, there's a monster!!!”

“Run, the monster is eating people!”

The horror was too blatant to ignore; many saw the ghastly scene. Panicking, they tried to flee, but the confined space of the bus offered no escape.

Screams and cries filled the bus in a cacophony of terror.

The sound of shattering glass never ceased. Monstrous heads and hands continuously reached in through the windows, snatching passengers away.

Pei Yue remembered the mechanical voice's warning and shut her eyes tight, covering her ears, trembling uncontrollably.

After a while, silence fell inside the bus. When she dared to look again, the once-crowded bus had less than ten people left.

The others had been devoured.

The group of thugs and her boyfriend had disappeared, likely meeting a grim fate.

As the fog outside gradually lifted, Pei Yue, worried about her boyfriend, bravely looked out.

She saw a bustling street lined with various shops, and private cars occasionally drove past them.

Everything appeared so peaceful, as if they had just experienced a nightmare.

The irate man, still alive, had lost his earlier aggression. He rushed to the window, intending to jump out.

Just then, a voice came from the driver's seat, “You'll die if you jump out at this speed.”

The previously missing interviewer reappeared on the bus. She approached the irate man and plunged a knife into his back.

The man didn't even grunt; he died instantly.

The remaining people, initially considering resistance, were so terrified by the scene that they dared not make a sound.

"Don't bother trying to call the police or escape through the windows. Right now, no one can see this bus, nor can they see you. Even if you run to the police, they won't be aware of your presence."

The eldest sister, holding a blood-stained knife, paced back and forth in the bus, counting the passengers. Her expression grew increasingly grim until she finally pulled out her phone and made a call.

"How is your department handling things? Why haven't you dealt with the core figure of that foggy world yet? Every time I transport goods from the old industrial area, I accidentally enter that world. Do you know how much I've lost this time? A total of 30!"

"I brought 36 quality goods, and now only 6 remain! Such bad luck! Today, I encountered an attack by a white monster. If I hadn't run fast, I would have died on this bus!"

"I'm sorry, Sister Yun, that world is full of monsters, it's not easy for us either..."

"Easy for me? This isn't the first or second time, I always lose a lot of goods!"

Pei Yue, who was close by, could faintly hear the person on the phone constantly apologizing.

They seemed to be saying, "We have already found the main character and will soon be able to control him."

————

When recounting this experience, Pei Yue focused on the appearance of the monsters. She was unaware that Sister Yun's last few words were the most important and valuable.

Cen Sheng was somewhat astonished.

The foggy world mentioned by Sister Yun was likely the world of the novel "Otherworld Arrival 1: White Tide".

It is slowly merging with the world of "Yin He Ghost Tales," and the monsters from the otherworld have already reached Xin'an City and the northern old industrial area with the rain.

As the fusion progressed, the boundaries between the two novel worlds became increasingly blurred.

This was probably why Sister Yun's bus would inadvertently enter the foggy world.

However, other vehicles leaving the old industrial area didn't seem to accidentally enter the world of "Otherworld Arrival".

The police and detectives Cen Sheng knew had never mentioned such occurrences. He had been following several paranormal forums, but none had similar posts.

It seemed that specific conditions were required to inadvertently enter another world.

[Core characters, protagonists? What do these terms mean?]

Rong Ye instinctively felt these pieces of information were crucial, but he couldn't understand them. A series of question marks appeared above the head of his partner's avatar.

Cen Sheng whispered, "I understand, I'll explain it to you later."

[You're keeping something from me, you don't love me anymore.]

"Stop it, behave, I'll explain when we're alone."

[So, I'm your insider?]

In front of others, Rong Ye was aloof and arrogant, hardly interacting with anyone. But around Cen Sheng, he turned into a chatterbox, talking endlessly and flirtatiously.

Cen Sheng ignored him, gesturing for the ghost girl to continue her story.

Pei Yue was immersed in her terrifying memories, her translucent body trembling continuously, seemingly becoming more frightened.

"After Sister Yun finished counting, the bus continued on. Gradually, I noticed the surrounding scenery becoming stranger, the air stifling and the temperature unusually high. It felt like we had suddenly moved from the north to the south."

————

After another half an hour, the bus finally stopped. Sister Yun opened the door, signaling everyone to get off.

What puzzled Pei Yue was that those who disembarked first vanished the moment they stepped out.

Pei Yue stood at the end of the line, with Sister Yun cursing behind her, uttering words Pei Yue couldn’t understand.

Sensing she was glossing over details, Cen Sheng immediately asked, "What exactly did Sister Yun say? Tell me everything."

The female ghost, clutching her head, took a long time to recall, "She seemed to say, 'Damn, why did they only give me one key to the door? If they had given me more, loading goods wouldn’t be so tough. Every time I pass through the foggy world, I’m damn worried I might die there.'"

"That's the gist of it; I can't remember the specifics."

Pei Yue was very nervous, her voice quivering, "Is this important? She was mainly cursing. Besides the swear words, I couldn’t understand much, so I didn’t listen closely. I’m sorry! I really didn’t hide anything, please don’t hit me!"

Cen Sheng glanced back.

Rong Ye, perched on his shoulder, was staring at the little ghost girl with a cold gaze, as if he might pounce on her any moment.

Cen Sheng knew he wasn’t targeting anyone specifically, he was just inherently irritable and impatient.

Covering the ghost man's eyes from behind, Cen Sheng softened his tone, indicating for Pei Yue to continue.

"I was pushed out of the bus by Sister Yun, and the moment I stepped out, everything blurred. I instantly went from outside to inside. It seemed like a dilapidated factory, crammed with people. The floor was covered with bamboo mats, and the air reeked of sweat."

"Sister Yun said, this would be our future workplace. Originally there were 36 people, set to be divided into 6 different groups. Now with only 6 left, she decided to make us all assistants in transportation."

Sister Yun told Pei Yue and others that if a bamboo mat was empty, its occupant was likely dead, and they could choose any mat to lie down.

The large factory had rows of restrooms around it, but no other rooms.

The open space was densely packed with people, both men and women, living and eating together.

On her first day there, Pei Yue witnessed dozens of fights, assaults, and acts of violence.

It wasn’t just the women; men also fell victim to these incidents.

Watching their frenzied state, Pei Yue thought that even a dog passing by would walk with its tail between its legs.

Saying this, Pei Yue fell silent for a moment. She lowered her head, her expression tinged with sadness.

Cen Sheng didn’t ask if she had been harmed. He deliberately skipped over the topic and took out a piece of candy from his pocket, offering it to Pei Yue.

“Want one? Candy can lift your spirits.”

Pei Yue sniffled and whispered a thank you.

The next second, a voice from the assistant echoed in Cen Sheng’s mind.

[Pei Yue thinks you’re a gentle and handsome boy-next-door.]

[Pei Yue’s favorability towards you +55]

[Current favorability of Pei Yue: 55 (She likes you a lot)]

Watching the little ghost girl lower her head to eat the candy, Cen Sheng sighed silently.

He hadn’t expected Pei Yue to be so starved for affection that even a small act of kindness would move her so deeply.

The naive ghost girl, also drawn to the white jade bracelet, was vulnerable to dangers while wandering outside.

If she wanted, they could be friends.

————

"After a week in the factory, Sister Yun took me and a few young people aside, saying she had work for us. Outside the factory's door was a large area of tin-roofed houses, filled with pregnant women. Our job was to take care of them."

"Oddly enough, there were both male and female pregnant individuals. They didn’t seem to be normally pregnant; I felt their bellies, there were no babies inside. I cared for a male 'mother' for half a month. He told me he was tricked into coming here."

Pei Yue gestured at her stomach, "The male 'mother' was easy to talk to and very gentle. He said he had never slept with anyone. Sister Yun took them to the transfer room, and he was unconscious the whole time. When he woke up, his belly grew bigger each day. He was a PhD, very knowledgeable and smarter than me. He even managed to get me a phone to seek help from the outside world."

"Sister Yun took him away, saying a client needed him for a wealth transfer ritual. I stood outside the door, watching her video call someone on the phone, while another burly man smashed the male 'mother’s' belly with a stick."

The female ghost was enveloped in a blood mist, her breathing became rapid, "I saw them smash his belly like a watermelon, bludgeoning it into a bloody pulp. He was beaten to death, and there was blood everywhere, on him and the floor."

"In the end, Sister Yun pointed the phone at his corpse and told the person on the other end, 'Client, your wealth transfer ritual is complete. We’ve shattered your bad luck; you will now flourish in business and wealth.'"

Rong Ye looked at her emotionlessly, his tone as calm as ever, "I saw your stomach was torn open, oh... you ended up pregnant too, and were used for the ritual."

The ghost could hear Rong Ye’s words; being reminded of her trauma, Pei Yue burst into tears, her face smeared with blood.

Cen Sheng knew Rong Ye meant no harm; he just lacked social skills and tact in front of others.

He covered Rong Ye's mouth, effectively silencing him.

Rong Ye was stunned by her crying, somewhat at a loss. A dialogue box quickly popped up below his character.

"I was trying to ask her, since she died there, why did she say earlier that the landlord, Yun, was a good person who saved her?"

"Her boyfriend is dead, she became a pregnant teenager, and suffered a lot before dying. Pei Yue is very fragile now, so we need to communicate with her gently. I’ll talk to her again. Here are two little toys for you to play with."

Rong Ye, curious and fond of novelties, was soon distracted by the lucky coin and a small stone, squatting to the side, flipping the coin back and forth.

Cen Sheng comforted Pei Yue for a long time until she stopped crying, then continued to inquire about her landlord.

The little ghost girl, wiping away her blood-stained tears, said, "I had managed to get a phone earlier, right? I couldn’t call the police or contact anyone, but I could reach Yun, the school doctor. I told him about my ordeal, hoping he could help."

"A few days later, Yun, the school doctor called back, saying he couldn’t find the place I mentioned, and the police didn’t believe him. But he found a method at Yingnan Temple that could turn a person into a ghost."

"What method?"

The little ghost girl's expression blanked for a moment, "I can't remember."

Cen Sheng tapped her head back and forth with the book "A Warm World", but Pei Yue couldn't recall anything.

Afraid of hurting her, Cen Sheng stopped tapping.

Pei Yue, holding her head, said with a hint of grievance, "I can't clearly remember how I left the factory and returned to the old town either. I'm not lying to you, Brother Sheng, please don't hit me, that book really hurt."

Cen Sheng put the book back in his bag and smiled apologetically at her, "Sorry, I was too anxious just now. How much do you remember about this white jade bracelet?"

Seeing the jade bracelet, Pei Yue's eyes instantly turned blood red, "Sister Yun and all the managers in that factory were wearing such a white jade bracelet on their wrists!"

Cen Sheng had a rough guess and narrowed his eyes, "Have you ever heard of Bai Yu Jing?"

"Bai Yu Jing?"

Pei Yue murmured blankly, "I have an impression, 'Heavenly Bai Yu Jing, twelve floors and five cities'? But I think I read it in a book, it's a common trope in many cultivation and fantasy novels, almost overused. It's from Li Bai's..."

Whatever she said next, Cen Sheng didn't hear clearly.

His mind was filled with the voice of the assistant.

[Detecting Mr. Cen’s acquisition of a special item—the bracelet of Bai Yu Jing]

[A beautiful white jade bracelet, containing some kind of magical power. Wearing it, you become a core member of Bai Yu Jing.]

[Congratulations Mr. Cen for unlocking a new faction—Bai Yu Jing]

[Heavenly Bai Yu Jing, twelve floors and five cities. The immortals bless my head, and I receive eternal life.]

[Congratulations Mr. Cen for successfully initiating Main Quest 2—Eradicate Bai Yu Jing]

[This is an organization that is madly bloody, cruelly violent, and unscrupulous in achieving its goals. As a kind and upright holy father, you decide to destroy this brutal organization.]

[Note: All main quests have no time limit. The completion of side quests will impact the main quests. The assistant suggests Mr. Cen prioritize completing side quests.]

Cen Sheng took a deep breath, his mind in turmoil.

He preferred gaming over reading novels. When Rong Ye first mentioned Bai Yu Jing, the phrase 'Heavenly Bai Yu Jing' unconsciously popped into his mind.

Was it because he was most familiar with this poem that he immediately thought of it?

Or had he encountered Bai Yu Jing through some means before?

Just like Rong Ye, Pei Yue, and others, he had lost a fragment of his memory.

The difference was, his memory was continuous, and he was unaware of his amnesia.

————

Rong Ye played with the lucky coin for a while before returning to him dejectedly. His avatar was topped with dark clouds, and the dialogue box displayed a summarized emoticon from the assistant, [QAQ!]

Noticing this, Shen Sheng planned to have a thorough conversation with Rong Ye when they were alone.

The misunderstanding cleared, and the little ghost girl's fondness for Shen Sheng increased rapidly.

Just a few comforting words from him, and Pei Yue became a partner he could unlock. She shyly avoided looking at his face, seemingly falling for him.

Shen Sheng knew she couldn't distinguish what love really was.

In front of Pei Yue, he affectionately kissed Rong Ye's cheek. Witnessing this, Pei Yue's love quickly transformed into gratitude.

The little ghost girl survived till the end, proving to be much stronger than the two-headed ghost.

Shen Sheng, urgently in need of help and concerned about Pei Yue wandering naively, feared she might encounter danger.

With a warm and friendly smile, Shen Sheng spoke gently, like a spring breeze.

"Do you feel lonely wandering alone as a ghost?"

Pei Yue, wiping her bloodstained tears, murmured softly in affirmation.

"I can see you and am not afraid of ghosts. Would you like to be my friend and live at my place? My boyfriend is a ghost, and my roommate has extensive experience with ghosts and is adept at dealing with them. We have a kind deity in our house, and our neighbor is a young ghost who loves comedy, even younger than you."

Pei Yue, who had been drifting near Yingnan Temple, had rarely encountered other ghosts and felt a bit tempted.

"But is it appropriate for me to live in your house?"

"Of course, it's appropriate. One of our roommates, who was eaten... just moved out a few days ago. The large wardrobe she used to live in is now vacant. You're both ghosts, and since she liked living there, you should find it comfortable

"Although the neighborhood I live in is a bit unusual and not entirely safe, as long as you don't sign anything and don't become a tenant there, you should be fine. Trust me, wandering around the old town area in your current state is far more dangerous. You could lose your soul at any moment. Staying at my place is a safer option."

Shen Sheng, smiling, extended his hand to the little ghost girl, "If you come to my place, I'll give you the vacant wardrobe to live in, rent-free. We'll keep it a secret from the landlord and stay there quietly."

Author's Note:

I'm back! Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or nourished me with nutrient fluids between 2023-09-06 21:30:57 and 2023-09-07 21:43:10~

Special thanks to the nutrient fluid donors: Qing Chu 18 bottles; Kuro-san 11 bottles; Deep Green Wood in Summer Flowers, Tang Xi Xing, Vanishing ☆ Time 10 bottles each; rainingtacos, Foodie 5 bottles each; Bamboo 3 bottles; Da Fu Eating Your Meat 2 bottles; Rong Rong Rong, Fesay 1 bottle each;

Thank you so much for your support, I will keep trying my best!