Chapter 33: The Ghost Bus

Xie Yunyun had spent several boring days in the hospital. Whenever she felt restless, she would teleport to Dr. Zhao’s office to chat and farm some fear points.

Dr. Zhao, the automated fear-farming machine: "..."

In the entire eerie hospital, besides the Dean, Dr. Zhao, and that creepy nurse, there were no other entities left. Xie Yunyun felt bad about constantly bothering the nurse, afraid she might literally scare the poor thing to death. The Dean was at a similar level to her, so he wasn't afraid of her and naturally didn't contribute any fear points. Thus, all things considered, Dr. Zhao was the most suitable target. Moreover, because the number of doctors and nurses in the hospital had plummeted, he was forced to work every single shift.

Dr. Zhao, the corporate slave: "A beast of burden in life, and still exploited after death. I’ve really had it!"
Dr. Zhao: "Who could understand the bitterness of a life born to toil!"

With so many entities gone from the hospital, the hallways and lobby had become quite empty. While wandering around, Xie Yunyun felt a bit unaccustomed to the silence. It felt like she had returned to the days just after she first arrived in the instance. But at least back then, there were players around; now, there was nothing but empty, chilly air.

Growing bored, Xie Yunyun teleported to Dr. Zhao’s office a few times. Dr. Zhao was already used to her uninvited appearances. No matter how much he disliked her, he still had to show proper respect to the Department Head on the surface. After all, here, being a rank higher really could crush an entity to death!

"Department Head Xie, why didn't you let me know before coming?"

Xie Yunyun didn't answer him, simply stating, "I’m going to other instances."

Dr. Zhao, who had assumed she was coming to intimidate him again, couldn't hide his joy upon hearing she was leaving. His dull, lifeless eyes regained a glimmer of spirit. "Is that so? You’re heading out, Department Head? That’s wonderful!"

"I’m leaving, and you look very happy!"

"Oh, yes, yes," he stammered, catching himself as he saw Xie Yunyun looking at him with a half-smile. He quickly scrambled to cover his tracks. "I’m just sincerely happy for you, Department Head. After all, external assignments can earn quite a lot of Ghost Coins."

He grinned at her as he spoke.

"Fine. I came to ask you how I can travel to other instances."

Seeing her ask this, Dr. Zhao scratched his dead scalp in confusion. "A bus passes by here every night at 7:30. That bus can travel between various instances. Just stand at the stop next to our hospital, and when 7:30 arrives, you’ll see the bus pull up."

"I see, thank you."

Xie Yunyun’s sudden politeness left Dr. Zhao at a loss. He still preferred the unreasonable Department Head; that way, he could curse her in his heart without any psychological burden! Xie Yunyun didn't care what he was thinking and left after thanking him.

At 7:10 PM, Xie Yunyun gathered her usual tools and headed out of the hospital lobby. This was her first time in front of the hospital; other than looking desolate and dilapidated, it was no different from the real world—at least, as a ghost, that was how she perceived it.

After walking out the gates, she saw a bus stop sign five meters away. Beyond the immediate vicinity of the stop and the hospital entrance, everything else was shrouded in thick fog. It seemed the fog’s primary purpose was to isolate the various instances.

Xie Yunyun looked around and slowly walked to the bus stop. As time ticked away on her wristwatch, it finally hit 7:30. A dilapidated, decrepit bus slowly rolled into view, appearing just as old and rusted as the stop sign behind her.

When the bus came to a halt, the front and back doors opened automatically. Several humans stepped off. Xie Yunyun counted them silently—exactly nine.

"Hey! Tell me, where is this place?"

A tattooed man, banking on his 1.9-meter height, blocked her path. When she ignored him, he felt slighted and shouted at her again. "I’m talking to you! Are you mute? Don’t think that just because you're pretty, I won’t lay a hand on you!"

Xie Yunyun glanced at him expressionlessly. "Chongshan Psychiatric Hospital."

The tattooed man heard her, but the vibrant, living energy radiating from him was instantly dampened by the ghostly aura Xie Yunyun emitted. Outside of game hours, humans were not protected by the main system. When Xie Yunyun brushed past him, the man shivered from the sudden chill.

"Damn! It’s a psychiatric hospital! How unlucky!"

The tattooed man cursed as he turned and climbed back onto the bus. Hearing him, the others rushed to get back on as well. These ordinary humans, who had accidentally boarded the ghost bus, didn't notice the passenger count on the display change from three to four.

Xie Yunyun found an empty seat and sat down. Not long after, the humans returned. Two minutes passed. Once the five-minute stop limit was up, the doors closed, and the bus continued its journey through the thick fog.

Two minutes later, the conductor approached Xie Yunyun and leaned in. "Dear passenger, you haven't bought a ticket yet. Which stop will you be getting off at?"

As an F-rank entity, she was as humble as could be in the face of Xie Yunyun.

"How many Ghost Coins? Happiness Residential Complex."

"Happiness Residential Complex isn't close, so that will be five Ghost Coins!"

Xie Yunyun handed over the coins. After collecting the fare, the conductor pulled a ticket from her pocket, handed it to her, offered a fawning smile, and returned to her post. The six ordinary humans who had just boarded witnessed this interaction, wondering to themselves what "Ghost Coins" were.

After Xie Yunyun boarded, there were almost no empty seats left. Aside from the six ordinary humans who had accidentally boarded and the four ghostly passengers, there were eighteen players heading to various instances. Unlike the ordinary humans, the moment Xie Yunyun stepped on, they felt her dense, powerful ghostly aura and knew she was no low-level entity. Seeing the conductor’s respectful behavior confirmed their suspicions.

The players prayed silently that no more ghosts would board while simultaneously keeping a wary eye on the four entities already on the bus.