Su Zimo thought that if the ghost umbrella blocked the wisps from invading, Liu Qi and the others would feel their hostility when they got out of the bus.
Then Liu Qi and the others would only need to back up a little bit before they returned to the bus.
But Su Zimo didnât expect the wisps outside to not immediately attack Liu Qi and the others. Even when all of Liu Qiâs people exited the bus, the wisps still flew around them like good children, sometimes close and sometimes far.
In the face of such a situation, although many wisps tried to rush inside and were blocked by the ghost umbrella, they didnât attract Liu Qiâs and the othersâ attention. It made them feel like the little spots of light were mysterious, but not malicious.
Seeing them even begin teasing the wisps, Su Zimo couldnât help but command Ghost Umbrella to appear.
But⊠when Ghost Umbrella appeared with his evil and pale face and holding an umbrella at the door to the bus, Su Zimoâs decision had a counterproductive effect.
Before Su Zimo could speak, shouts came from outside the carâ
âThereâs a ghost! Ah!!!â
Ghost Umbrella appeared suddenly at the door, instantly making the passengers who just got off the bus mistakenly believe that there was a ghost on the bus. They sped up and escaped even farther away.
The auto-sensing door on the bus also closed at that moment.
ââŠâŠâ
Seeing his innocent expression before the ghost umbrella disappeared, Su Zimo felt helpless. Obviously he had done all he could, but it seemed that he had made it worse.
âWhat was that just now?â Fu Mingchen also saw the ghost umbrella flicker by the door, and he began to wonder if his decision to stay in the bus compartment was wrong.
âMaybe itâs the patron saint of the bus.â Su Zimo replied halfheartedly. He looked at the passengers who followed Liu Qi fleeing into the dark, and they were lost in no time at all.
He didnât hear their screams, real or imaginary.
Donât those wisps want to take the passengersâ lives?
âWe should have gotten out of the bus just now.â At that moment, the Tight Man spoke suddenly. It was the first time he spoke loudly in front of other people.
But that voice made the three elderly in the back row wonder: âThis voice canât beâŠâ
The Tight Man took off his hat, his sunglasses and mask that were more dramatic than Su Zimoâs, and undid a few buttons on his coat, revealing a face that wasnât young but was dignified.
âBaba, ma, mama.â The man looked at the three elderly in front of him â his parents and mother-in-law â with embarrassment. âItâs just that you refused to let us send you off, saying that the three of you were going abroad to visit your granddaughter. Lily and I were worried, so we followed you.â
ââŠâŠâ
âI didnât tell you. Itâs probably because I was scared you would be angry, ma?â The man scratched his head in embarrassment.
âAiya, is now the time to talk about this?â For some reason, after discovering the weird man in the car were actually their own son, the three elderly people seemed to be more relaxed than before. âI was just saying that someone wearing that kind of clothing in this weather, I thought they must be a criminal!â
âIs it okay for us to hide in the bus like this?â The young father of the little boy couldnât help but interject. âIs it really safe? Just now I seemed to see something at the door.â
âIt will be safe when itâs dawn.â Su Zimo looked at the sky outside and secretly hoped they could last until dawn.
In the eyes of the others, Su Zimo was just an ordinary young man with no identity, so those who stayed in the bus wouldnât think of him as a commander or leader.
Everyone who stayed in the car, except the little boy who was enticed by Su Zimoâs appearance, decided to stay in the bus for themselves.
So it didnât matter to them what Su Zimoâs answer was. The wisps outside were still there, and there was no strange black figure in the compartment anymore. The spirits of the people in the bus who originally wanted to get off slowly relaxed.
*
It was indeed more comfortable to stay in the bus.
The scenic bus was full of energy, and it was a dual-drive car, so they didnât need to worry about the lights for a while. Now that the weather was cooling down, even if they turned off the AC and the heating-cooling system to save energy, they wouldnât feel stuffy.
The bus also had its own toilet as well as hot and cold water to use or drink.
Everyone was also prepared to stay on the scenic bus for eight or so hours, so everyone had enough snacks, drinks, and food.
Even the three old people in the back seat had plenty of power on their cell phones. Although they couldnât connect to the internet, they could watch some TV shows that theyâd downloaded.
Not to mention the other young passengers.
"
"
In short, for the first two or three hours that Su Zimo and the others waited in the bus compartment, although everyone was hypervigilant and uncomfortable, they seemed leisurely on the surface, and the wisps didnât enter the compartment just like Ghost Umbrella said.
The little boy in particular, perhaps because he was comforted by Si Zimo, was happily playing Lian Lian Kan on the tablet, and wasnât affected by their situation at all.
When the people in the compartment couldnât help but want to sleepâŠ
âBang bang bang!â
There were heavy slams on the bus door.
The door to the bus could only be opened from the inside, and its foundation was very strong. Even if the door was beaten from the outside, it wouldnât move.
But the passengers inside still heard the loud knocks on the door.
Su Zimo, who had been resting with his eyes closed but hadnât fallen asleep, immediately woke up and walked to the door. Some light shone from the compartment onto the transparent door of the bus, and he saw Liu Qiâs face.
It was a face with a proud, mocking expression.
Soon, the other passengers on the bus stood behind Su Zimo. After seeing Liu Qi and everyone else behind him standing out there with smiles on their faces, the passengers were also relieved and felt that their worries earlier were unnecessary.
âTheyâre back!â The passengers didnât regret staying the bus, but they were overjoyed because Liu Qi and the others returned.
âOpen the door!â Because of the sound insulation on the bus, Liu Qi needed to shout with a loud voice so the people inside could hear. âOpen the door quickly.â
Perhaps because he was used to obeying Liu Qiâs orders, Fu Mingchen passed by Su Zimo to open the door, but Su Zimo stopped him from behind.
âTheyâre back. Wonât you open the door for them?â Although Fu Mingchen felt shame at his subconscious actions, he didnât understand why Su Zimo stopped him from opening the door.
âDonât you want them to get back on the bus?â Fu Mingchen asked.
Su Zimo looked at the people outside the door and fell into thought.
Werenât these people scared away by the ghost umbrella earlier? Since they thought there was a ghost on board, what did they come back for?
[Theyâre humans, and theyâre still alive.] Ghost Umbrella whispered from the side. [But there seems to be something off with the team.]
Su Zimo was too lazy to shout, so he borrowed a tablet from the old man beside him, typed, enlarged and bolded the text, and then turned it around for Liu Qi and the others outsideâ
[What did you bring back?]
While Su Zimo was typing, the other passengers inside saw, and they were very surprised about what he asked.
After seeing the words on the tablet, Liu Qi and the others froze for a while.
At first, Fu Mingchen and the others thought Liu Qi was as confused as them, but then they heard a loud voice from outside the bus. âThis guy is really capable. Is it possible to pinch and count, noticing weâve come back with a helper?â
Only then did Fu Mingchen realize that Liu Qi and the others werenât confused. They were frightened because Su Zimo guessed the reason they returned.
"
"
âWe followed the lights and found an uncle!â Liu Qi yelled, and brought a simple-looking middle-aged man to the door. âThis uncle looks over the farmland. He has a truck that can take us to the national highway!â
âHe has a truck that can take us to the national highway!!â Liu Qi seemed worried that Su Zimo and the others inside couldnât hear him. He shouted again. âThere are ghosts on the bus. Since youâre still alive, just come down!â
Liu Qi just wanted to see if they were alive at first.
At that moment, the passengers in the compartment almost cheered. They immediately wanted to open the door and leave.
âFrom here to the national highway, itâll be a half hour drive. Weâll be able to leave here soon! Hurry up and open the door!â Liu Qi said, and gave Su Zimo a pointed look. He seemed to be taunting him for not leaving with them before.
But Su Zimo didnât share the othersâ good mood.
Because Ghost Umbrella reminded him, Su Zimo noticed the middle-aged man who was being pulled by Liu Qi.
The man wore very ordinary clothes, and he seemed neither rich nor poor.
His face was also like any general person in public. If you turned your head, you would forget what he looked like. That in itself was very strange.
The most important thing, though, was that Su Zimo didnât miss the yellow light flashing in his eyes.
That flash of light could be easily noticed through the glass window, provided that someone was observing thoroughly like Su Zimo.
Su Zimo thought about it. He felt that there may be something in Ghost Umbrellaâs mouth, the reason why Liu Qi and the othersâ lives were saved and then found an excuse for Liu Qi to return to the bus.
Heâs afraid that the only reason was⊠the other party didnât want to lose the remaining prey on the bus.
The ghosts wanted to capture them all in one go!
As soon as they opened the door, the ghosts, including the yellow-eyed ghost, would rush in at once.
[Sorry, I canât open the door. Youâre surrounded by ghosts.] Su Zimo raised the tablet again.
This time, the reactions inside and out of the bus were equally huge.
âAre you sick? Thereâs a way to leave, but you want to stay in the bus? You feel comfortable in the bus so just stay in there alone. What are you doing trying to stop the others from getting off? You also said that kind of nonsense reason. If you make this gentleman angry, none of us will be able to leave!â Because of the weather forecast, Liu Qi and the others mostly hadnât prepared and rain gear. At that moment, the only umbrella was held above Liu Qiâs head, supported by Qiu Qiu to his side.
The yellow-eyed ghost held an umbrella that looked a bit tattered.
âYes ah, since someone is willing to send us back to the national highway, we donât feel like staying here.â Even the three sane elderly began to persuade Su Zimo. âWe all brought rain gear with us, so the young man doesnât have to worry. We wonât get caught by the rain. Although itâs uncomfortable to ride in a truck, we can leave as long as there is transportation.â
âThis gentleman, what do you want to do if we stay in the car?â The young parents also began to doubt.
âUmm⊠you shouldnât be like the people outside, leaving us in the bus to fight for our life, right?â Fu Mingchen also questioned. âThere was a ghost in the compartment just now, and itâs not safe!â
âOkay.â Facing the questions from the passengers inside, Su Zimo raised his voice and spoke in a serious tone. âIâll get off first, you follow me!â
After Su Zimo finished speaking, the yellow eyed malicious spirit outside the bus suddenly smiled. Even the wisps floating around seemed to flit around much faster than before.
Itâs like the heartbeat and thirst of a person who had been starving for who knows how long, finally seeing meat that would be cooked.
âYouâre pretty sensible. Itâs rare for me to come back to you with good intentions in this way. If you refused to go, I would leave you alone and wouldnât care about you, no matter what you do.â Liu Qi was happy like he had won a game.