Chapter 506 Taking a Seat

Chapter 506 Seating

After helping the elderly woman settle into her seat, Feng Yan shifted his backpack to his chest and took a seat in another single seat behind her. He glanced once more at his phone, where messages still refused to send, then tucked both the phone and the mirror he had been clutching into his bag. From the backpack, he then retrieved a seemingly ordinary book.

His movements were exceptionally gentle as he opened the book, as if handling a rare treasure. His gaze fell upon the pages, as if utterly detached from the suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere surrounding him.

The new passengers who were still standing all turned their eyes toward him, each pair filled with doubt and disbelief.

How can he be in the mood to read at a time like this?!

Do you think this is your school commute?!

The other standing passengers stared fixedly at Feng Yan, their eyes screaming these two silent questions.

Feng Yan, however, appeared oblivious to their gazes. He looked up calmly, his eyes shifting from the book. He gently closed it, his gaze sweeping over the tense passengers before he spoke. "Rest assured, everyone sitting on this bus is human. They aren't the threat."

At that moment, the dim, flickering yellow light inside the bus made everyone look even paler and more haggard.

All this time, despite feeling utterly exhausted, none of the new passengers had been willing to sit down. Although there were still a few empty seats near the back door, even though they were clean, no one wanted to make a move toward them.

Deep down, they knew that if there was an open window, they would not hesitate to jump out, even at the risk of breaking bones. However, the fate of the male student who had earlier attempted to disembark was still vivid in their minds.

That student's fingers had dried up and turned into withered bone, and in the end, he couldn't even maintain consciousness, collapsing to the floor. The blood at the broken ends of his fingers had clotted in a bizarre, unnatural way—not flowing, yet all the more horrifying to behold. Such an outcome undoubtedly served as a stark warning to the others.

Suppressed by fear, a sliver of rationality resurfaced among the new passengers. Their gazes began to focus on Feng Yan, the previously inconspicuous passenger who now seemed to be their only guide in this eerie bus.

"You can sit down," Feng Yan spoke again, his tone carrying a hint of reassurance. "It makes no difference whether you stand or sit. No need to waste your energy."

Fatigue washed over the new passengers like a tide; they could hold out no longer.

Reassured by Feng Yan's words, the passengers began to gradually find seats. The two female students supported the unconscious male student toward the back, eventually choosing the row closest to the rear door. Another female student followed closely, sitting in a row further back with the burly man.

The office worker, his face deathly pale and his steps unsteady, hesitated for a long time before finally selecting the seat behind Feng Yan. His gaze fell upon the passenger beside him—a woman whose head hung at an unnatural angle, the rise and fall of her chest almost imperceptible, as if her breathing might stop at any moment. He stiffly twitched the corner of his mouth and ultimately sat down in the spot nearest to Feng Yan.

Soon, only two empty seats remained in the entire bus: one in the front row behind the driver, and one in the far corner of the last row.

Feng Yan took a moment to compose himself before speaking again, his tone polite yet firm. "Seniors, when does this bus usually arrive at the next stop?"

After a few seconds of silence, a frail voice came from beside the office worker. The passenger with the lowered head answered softly, "We don't know. Sometimes ten minutes, sometimes two or three hours... sometimes even days." Her voice was as thin as a thread, yet each word pierced the eardrums like a needle. "Before you boarded, this bus had already been driving for five days."

Her voice grew even fainter, as if she had expended all her strength. "Those who boarded five days ago are barely holding on, let alone those of us who..."

"Every time this bus stops, someone gets on," another hoarse voice added. "But no one knows when the next stop will be."

"Just hold on a little longer," the first passenger spoke again, forcing a faint smile onto her face that was chillingly eerie. "As long as two more people board, once the bus is full, we'll have hope."

"Then we can go home..."

Looking at them, Feng Yan felt a complex, indescribable emotion rise within him. Under the light, these passengers' faces were as pale as paper, their eye sockets sunken, their lips cracked. Their bodies were emaciated beyond recognition, even more frail than someone who had fasted for days without water.

Although Feng Yan knew they likely weren't supernatural entities, when they repeated these words in a tone bordering on despair, their eerie smiles made the entire scene feel utterly chilling.

The office worker sitting in the back also drew a sharp breath and whispered, "Are they... really human?"

"Rest assured, I've already confirmed it with an artifact," Feng Yan said, raising the book in his hand, his tone calm. "This is an artifact purchased from a mysterious shop by some... special individuals. Even ordinary people like us can utilize some of its functions."

"Special individuals? Ordinary people?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Feng Yan steadied his voice, speaking as calmly as possible. "I know you must be very confused. However, since we're all on this bus now, I have enough time before we disembark to explain to you exactly what is happening."

Feng Yan hadn't panicked yet. It seemed he still had a few cards up his sleeve.