Chapter 40: Bus 404 (9)

The entity’s excitement was plain to see. The display screen flickered rapidly, the scarlet light stinging everyone’s eyes as they stared in terror.

"For the fourth game, let’s play 'Spot the Difference'!"

"At the next stop, Dulu Nandan, an inspector is waiting for you. Identify the outlier among you and kick them off the bus, and the inspector will be merciful enough to let you go."

"Otherwise, you’ll have to go die with the outlier."

The thing let out a sinister, mocking laugh. On the screen, a pair of pixelated, slit-like eyes stared unblinkingly at the passengers, whose faces were turning deathly pale.

An outlier? What exactly defined an outlier?

Was it dressing differently from everyone else? Was it behaving differently? Or was it something else entirely?!

Seemingly sensing their confusion regarding the meaning of "outlier" in the fourth game, the entity offered a rare, kind reminder: "Among all of you, one person will have a small black dot appear on their forehead. That is the outlier."

Whoever had the small black dot on their forehead was the outlier! As long as they kicked that person off the bus, they would be safe!

"I’m telling you, this is no time to sacrifice everyone’s lives for your own selfish desires!"

"Exactly! As long as one person jumps off, we’ll be fine. Don’t harbor them!"

[Damn! Look at Sheng-Sheng! The studio is heartless! They made Sheng-Sheng the cannon fodder for this round!]

[Someone from the studio come out and get beaten! I swear I won’t kill you!]

[If my wife dies, I’m quitting! Do you have any idea why I’m even watching this!]

[Wuwuwu, my poor baby. Even though there are other NPCs, the pain won't be any less. My heart aches for her!]

Upon hearing that there was only one outlier, the people on the bus collectively let out a sigh of relief. They suddenly became united, shouting and shoving those around them, roughly brushing aside their bangs to check for black dots.

The moment the voice faded, Jiang Shengsheng felt a heat on her forehead. She couldn't help but raise her hand to touch it.

"Don't make a sound."

A hand with distinct knuckles lifted her chin. Jiang Shengsheng met Meng Zimu’s serious gaze, confused, but then she realized something, and her breathing hitched.

It couldn't be... was she the outlier of the fourth game?

Her heart in turmoil, Jiang Shengsheng’s breath grew ragged, but under Meng Zimu’s steady gaze, she gradually calmed down. She wanted to survive. She still had to go to her grandmother’s house for dinner; she hadn't seen her mother in a long time. She wanted to live to see her mother.

***

Jiang Shengsheng came from a single-parent family. Her mother had raised her alone, so busy that they rarely saw each other, sometimes going four or five years without even a phone call.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid." A warm, rough hand patted Jiang Shengsheng. Meng Zimu softened his voice to soothe her rapidly beating heart. "Trust me, everything will be fine, okay?"

At this moment, Jiang Shengsheng stared at Meng Zimu’s downcast, puppy-like eyes with hope and nodded firmly. She had no choice but to trust the boy in front of her.

[Ordinary Marker Pen · Auxiliary Prop] successfully used!

Taking advantage of the moment he reached into his pocket, Meng Zimu crushed the card and pulled out a brand-new marker, waving it in front of Jiang Shengsheng.

What was Meng Zimu doing?

When they saw a small black dot inexplicably appear on the girl’s fair forehead, Meng Ze and Hang Qimo’s eyes darkened, their brows furrowed. Before they could act, Meng Zimu had already found a solution.

Glancing at the marker in his hand, the two men had a flash of insight and knew exactly what Meng Zimu was about to do. They didn't stop him; instead, they walked forward and said in unison, "Let me do it."

Jiang Shengsheng didn't understand—why fight over an ordinary pen?

Meng Zimu gave Meng Ze and Hang Qimo a meaningful look, then refused with a thin, mocking smile: "I’ll handle it; you two can take over later."

A bewildered Jiang Shengsheng felt as if she had been tossed into a group of high-IQ masterminds; she was just a dummy with no ink in her own brain.

Without another word, Meng Zimu marked a black dot in a similar position, then hooked his finger to flick the tip of Jiang Shengsheng’s delicate nose as she stood there dazed: "Come back to reality."

Such a brilliant move was definitely not something an ordinary person could come up with in a crisis.

However reluctant, Meng Zimu had to yield the right of protection. Pushing his stunned wife toward his older brother, Meng Zimu gave Meng Ze a warning glare and cautioned him with a double meaning: "Watch her for me. Don't let her get hurt."

Even if Meng Zimu hadn't said it, Meng Ze wouldn't have let Jiang Shengsheng suffer the slightest harm. Fighting his own brother for her? They had always shared the same hobbies since childhood—the same toys, the same tastes, the same standards for partners... so, was falling for the same girl not perfectly normal?

The man, who appeared sunny on the surface, did not hide the filthy, crazy thoughts in his heart. His feelings for Jiang Shengsheng had suddenly crystallized; the beast that had finally broken out of its cage smelled a living creature and was crazily obsessed with her. Yet, Meng Ze remained harmless on the surface, as if he were simply Meng Zimu’s most reliable brother, thinking only for his sibling’s sake.

***

Only in his increasingly dark eyes could one glimpse flashes of desire and gloom.

"Stop looking; I’m the outlier."

The boy who had come forward raised his handsome face. His puppy-like eyes were full of smiles, his features sharp and deep—a truly striking appearance.

Hearing this, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at his forehead with suspicion and excitement—sure enough, they saw a tiny black dot.

"It’s him! I see the black dot!"

"Good lad, you’ve got guts! We’ll remember you!"

As the words fell, the boy with the wolf-cut tilted his head, puzzled, and waved his hands frantically at them: "When did I say I was getting off the bus?"

The chaotic noise was as if hit by a pause button; the surroundings fell into an eerie silence. Then, someone spat on the ground and pointed at Meng Zimu, cursing: "Damn it! You want to get us all killed?!"

"Young man, you can’t be this selfish. You want to live, and so do we! It’s your own bad luck that you were chosen; how can you drag us down with you!"

"Looks like a decent human being, but your heart is so dirty and selfish!"

Jiang Shengsheng listened to the people around her pointing fingers at Meng Zimu. Her heart was tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and the suffocation made it hard to breathe. The moment she realized Meng Zimu was enduring all this for her, her nose stung, and her eyes turned red.

*Tsk.*

Meng Ze, who knew him inside and out, knew perfectly well that Meng Zimu’s tail was practically wagging in the air. He was using the girl’s beauty and her grateful, kind nature to deeply imprint his image in her heart... what a schemer.

[Wait, he’s secretly gloating, isn't he? He must be plotting something!]

[Brothers, I have a bad feeling. My wife is about to be tricked by that stinking dog!]

[Stop it, stop it! What a poser, using my wife’s innocence to cement his image as a saint! Despicable!]

[It’s over, wuwuwu, wife, don’t be fooled by him!]