Chapter 15 Strange Shadows in the Window, There Are Eyes Inside! Red Ones!…

Chapter 15: Strange Shadows in the Window—With Eyes! Red Ones!...

Night had already fallen, and a seemingly ordinary bus drove into District C.

Even at night, District C remained lively. Although there were few pedestrians on the streets, indoor entertainment venues were still open for business, and the roads were bustling with an endless stream of vehicles.

Countless neon signs blazed in a riot of colors, drenching District C in a way that clashed with the rest of the world.

The bus moved steadily along the busy street, ignored by all—in this city, people only cared about themselves.

People drank themselves into a stupor, took drugs, and swerved the latest hover cars recklessly through the streets.

"BANG!!"

Finally, the intoxicated drivers got their due—they crashed into a bus.

The violent impact launched the sports car flipping skyward while the bus was sent skidding sideways. The accident happened too suddenly for other vehicles to react in time, and wherever the bus went, chaos followed. In an instant, the whole street erupted into pandemonium.

Eventually, the bus plowed off the road and crashed headlong into a building on the roadside.

Though the scene on the street was chaotic, modern vehicle safety systems were advanced enough that fatalities from car accidents had become exceedingly rare.

The drivers affected by the collision soon recovered and climbed out of their cars, cursing as they went to confront the bus driver.

By then, the bus lay quietly on the roadside, completely overturned, its front end caved in—a wreck.

Quite some time had passed since the accident, yet no one had emerged from the bus. From the outside, the inside was pitch-black, as if the lights had died, making it impossible to see inside.

The crowd began to wonder—had something happened to the passengers?

It made sense. Compared to private vehicles, public transport like buses had much worse safety systems. Moreover, buses had more space and carried more passengers, making injuries more likely in an accident.

The city’s traffic monitoring system had auto-reported to the cops the moment the crash occurred, and the police were already on their way.

Those waiting for the police to handle the accident now gathered around the bus. Someone said under their breath, "No sign of life for this long—could the people inside be hurt?"

They hesitated for a long time but still didn’t attempt a rescue.

One person stepped closer, pressing against the bus window to peer inside. Yet the darkness remained impenetrable.

Another whipped out their terminal and turned on its light, shining it against the glass. Strangely, even with the terminal pressed right against the window, nothing inside became visible. All they could see was pure blackness, like blackout curtains were drawn inside.

But that was impossible—buses didn’t have curtains.

Just as the crowd grew restless around the bus, the guy who’d wrecked his hover car staggered over. The crash had knocked some sense into him. Given his family’s influence, a DUI or drug charge wouldn’t be a big deal—as long as no one died. That was why he rushed to check the bus.

"What’s going on?" he asked nervously. "No one’s come out yet?"

"Nope," someone nearby replied. "No idea what’s happening inside."

The young man tugged his long hair, crouching down to mimic the others, using his terminal’s light to peer inside.

The interior was pitch-black. Just as he was about to give up, the blackness in front of him suddenly twitched.

Since when does darkness move? He wondered if the drugs were still affecting him.

Then, the blackness jerked violently—and a pair of blood-red eyes flashed open right at him.

"Ah!" He screamed, falling backward onto the ground.

The people around him rushed to ask, "What’s wrong? What happened?"

"Eyes!" he babbled, jabbing at the window. "There are eyes inside! Red ones!"

The others hurried to look but saw nothing. Whispers rippled through the crowd, many suspecting the young man was still drunk—he reeked of booze.

But then, out of nowhere, a single eye opened behind the window—a blood-red eye.

As if receiving a signal, one after another, more eyes opened. Soon, the entire window was crammed with blood-red eyes, crammed together, seething with hatred and pain.

"Let me out!!"

A scream, as if torn from the depths of the soul, erupted from inside the bus.

The sight was so horrifying that the crowd panicked, bolting in every direction.

Meanwhile, the already mangled bus shuddered—then, right before their eyes, righted itself. Its lights flickered to life.

"Now departing. Please hold on tight. Next stop: District C Zoo."

Despite its crumpled, wrecked front, the bus started up. As it did, the interior lights turned on, revealing the scene inside to the horrified bystanders.

The bus was filled with human-headed, feather-blackened creatures. They stood motionless behind the windows, their blood-red eyes fixed on the outside, mouths opening in creepy sync.

"Let me out!!!"

The wreck of a bus turned onto the road, merging into traffic as it drove away.

Yu Xing had been petting the monster like mad when, whether due to her actions or not, the bus suddenly crashed. The entire vehicle flipped over, smashing into a jagged corner of a building, its front crumpling inward.

Trapped inside, she was thrown around like a ragdoll before finally collapsing onto the floor, unable to get up for a long while.

When the lights inside flickered back on, Yu Xing groggily came to. Every part of her ached. She lifted her head, her face smeared with bus gunk.

Grossed out, she clambered up fast.

The movement sent white-hot pain lancing through her thigh. Looking down, she saw a massive claw embedded in her leg. It had snapped off, its longest claw buried deep into her muscle.

"It hurts…" Her eyes watered as she gripped the claw and yanked it free.

In that moment, she remembered Old Wang, her neighbor in the mental hospital—a man with self-harm tendencies. During their chats, he’d once told her that cutting his own skin and watching the bright blood flow out was a beautiful, almost artistic process.

Of course, he believed the most artistic act of all was to strip oneself completely bare—to shed the skin, which he saw as nothing more than a disguise. True honesty, he claimed, meant tearing off that outer layer and revealing one’s true self to the world.

So whenever he had the chance, Old Wang would try to peel off his own skin, much to the horror of the hospital staff.

Yu Xing stared at the blood gushing from her thigh.

Ah… She swallowed. It did look a little artistic.

Looking up, she saw the monster impaled by jagged metal shards protruding from the wrecked front of the bus.

The creature was in a pitiful state—missing a leg, feathers scattered everywhere, its body riddled with wounds. Strangely, despite the crash, everyone else inside, including the transformed passengers, had emerged relatively unscathed. Only the driver-turned-monster had suffered so badly.

Was it really… that unlucky?