Chapter 18: The Female Ghost in the White Dress

While the other three individuals could not see it, Huan Xiao saw it clearly.

When the bus stopped at South Wind Garden station, a woman in a white dress boarded in the final seconds before the doors closed. This was not the same woman who had been consumed by the Wedding-Dress Ghost. The one who boarded was a perfectly normal-looking woman in a white dress, with clean, silky long black hair, a pretty face, and pale skin. However, Huan Xiao could see a layer of ghost energy on her—a presence even more intense than that of the Wedding-Dress Ghost. She was clearly a female ghost.

To Huan Xiao’s surprise, the other three people chatted away as if they hadn't seen her at all. Seeing that they remained oblivious, Huan Xiao did not warn them. After all, a warning would be useless; they were doomed regardless. She couldn't very well play the saint and try to save everyone. If she truly did that, she would sooner or later be beaten to death by a mob of vengeful spirits. Huan Xiao had no intention of getting involved; their fate was in their own hands, and she would not interfere.

Just then, Huan Xiao noticed the white-dressed ghost move. It suddenly stood up, drifted over to the bald man, and began to devour him, bite by bite. Brain matter mixed with blood dripped down, and the scent of gore, which had begun to fade, filled the carriage once more.

The other two passengers did not see what Huan Xiao saw. To them, the bald man had simply remained still for a long time, and when they finally noticed something was wrong, he began to vanish into thin air, bit by bit, as if being eaten by an invisible monster. They could not see the ghost, only the mangled, bloody wounds appearing on the man’s body. The bald man was clearly still alive, but he was paralyzed and unable to make a sound; only his pupils dilated with terror and pain.

"Hey! Uncle, are you... are you still alive?"

The hooded youth on the other side could not see the look of extreme terror on the man’s face; he only saw a living person being devoured by the empty air. The bespectacled teenager sitting next to the bald man quickly used his own ghost energy to scramble away from the gruesome scene.

Huan Xiao did not leave. She watched the scene unfold and felt a wave of nausea. She doubted she would want to eat anything for a while. As a pure human, such a graphic display of consumption was still too intense for her; she found it difficult to adapt. Perhaps the white-dressed ghost sensed Huan Xiao watching and feared she might compete for its meal, so it accelerated its feeding.

Huan Xiao watched helplessly as such a large, living person was consumed entirely, leaving behind nothing but a puddle of blood and scraps of clothing. For a moment, the bus was deathly silent.

"Ding! Wukou Road stop. Passengers getting off, please hurry."

The doors opened, and the white-dressed ghost flashed a sinister smile before drifting out through the exit. Just before leaving, it lingered to cast a gaze at the hooded youth with its glowing eyes before reluctantly stepping off. Seeing the ghost depart, Huan Xiao grabbed the umbrella that had belonged to the young woman eaten by the Wedding-Dress Ghost and ran off the bus.

However, her intention wasn't to pursue the ghost, but to buy the roasted chestnuts from a stand near the Wukou Road station. In the rain, the sweet, intoxicating aroma of sugar-roasted chestnuts was mouth-watering. She had to have them!

"Boss, give me a bag!"

Huan Xiao looked at the quiet stall, relieved that there were few people around; she had plenty of time to make a purchase and return.

"Coming right up, I'll give you a generous portion," the chestnut vendor, a simple-looking middle-aged man, replied, deftly scooping the nuts into a paper bag.

Huan Xiao paid and ran back to the 404 bus. Her frantic dash drew the attention of passersby, who stared in confusion at a girl whose face they couldn't clearly see, holding an umbrella as she ran toward the road and then suddenly vanished. The onlookers were in an uproar.

Back on the bus, Huan Xiao had just settled into her seat when she noticed the commotion outside. "Huh? Can they not see this bus?" she wondered, putting the umbrella back in its place, and impatiently popped a roasted chestnut into her mouth. Being on this bus was incredibly boring—not only was there no internet, but she couldn't even open her photo gallery, games, or notes. It was essentially like being in prison!

Still, seeing the pedestrians outside frightened into running blindly into the rain, Huan Xiao felt a pang of guilt. It seemed she really had scared them, ha! Oh well, there were so many ghosts in this world that they should get used to it; consider it a rehearsal. She soon returned to eating her chestnuts with a clear conscience.

Before long, the doors closed, and the bus continued on its way. The scenery outside shifted instantly from busy streets to a rural path. Overgrown weeds taller than a person, bumpy dirt roads, and endless fields stretched out into the distance.

"You just hopped off for a snack?" The bespectacled teenager frowned at her, clearly unable to comprehend such a nonsensical move. The hooded youth looked at her with equal disapproval. "Little sister, are you out of your mind? This world is crawling with vengeful spirits, and you dared to leave the bus?"

Their criticism only earned them a blank look and a single sentence from Huan Xiao: "I don't know, I'm a newcomer."

This remark only solidified the teenager’s belief that Huan Xiao was a novice player with more nerve than brains and a head full of straw. Perhaps out of pity for a beginner, the hooded youth kindly offered a warning: "Don't do that again. On this bus, we have the game's protection, but once you're outside, it's a different story. Those ghosts will eat you the moment they want to, without any hesitation. If something happens, you'll just have to be more careful in your next life."

"Oh, I see! Thank you, you're so kind!" Huan Xiao acted like a total airhead. She thought for a moment, then held the bag of chestnuts out to the hooded youth. "Do you want some? They're still warm."

"...No, you eat them."

The hooded youth looked at the blood on the floor that hadn't yet dried, then at the girl casually snacking, and wondered if he should warn her that they were playing a game for their lives, not going on vacation.

"Oh, alright then." Huan Xiao didn't insist and pulled her hand back. When she saw the bespectacled teenager looking at her with disdain, she generously extended the paper bag toward him. "Brother Glasses, do you want some?"

"You are simply being ridiculous!" The teenager moved to swat the bag out of her hands. Huan Xiao quickly pulled it back, saving her chestnuts from his wrath.

*What a temper,* she thought, her impression of him shifting.