CHAPTER 156: CHAPTER 156: OPENED PORTAL

"Sh*t! Why them! We should have dragged the priest with us!" Xander’s panicked voice made everyone’s hearts tremble with fear.

"Calm the fuck down." Oliver massaged his temple; his dirty blonde hair was neatly styled. "Even if a portal is opened, it hasn’t gotten to the point that we all will die. Let our branch manager and manager take charge!"

His words calmed the rising uproar, and all of them looked at Maya, who cast a grateful glance in Oliver’s direction.

She immediately contacted the driver of bus number two.

The drivers sensed the urgency and responded without hesitation. Both buses began to turn around swiftly.

Since they believed they had already started moving away from the ghost zone, everyone thought they might survive.

But their mood plummeted rapidly; no one even tried to sing anymore. Instead, they clung to each other in fear.

The terror of ghost portals was so overwhelming that neither ordinary people nor soul cultivators ever willingly stepped into such places.

One of the employees, Sasha, finally asked with trembling lips,

"How come there’s a ghost portal open? Aren’t the priests and celestial masters stationed in the mountains supposed to constantly exorcise the ghosts?"

Hearing Sasha’s shaky question, Jamie, her colleague with shoulder-length black hair, frowned sharply.

"Sasha, don’t be stupid. If a ghost portal opens suddenly, even priests and celestial masters become nothing but tools. Unless a mystic cultivator or spiritual cultivator is stationed here, this place is never truly safe. Don’t expect those low-level protectors to handle a portal opening."

Sasha went silent, shrinking into her seat.

"Indeed, a ghost portal once opened can’t be closed. Maybe all those priests and celestial masters are already dealt with!" Oliver’s grim voice made everyone feel fear bubbling up in their heart.

Meanwhile, Naina clenched her bag tightly.

’I knew something would happen today... But why didn’t the danger lessen even after I said I wouldn’t come? Why did it worsen instead?’

She opened her phone to check for any possible mishaps but faltered back when she realized that her phone had lost signal.

The phone she had brought wasn’t something brought by her family; otherwise, it wouldn’t have lost the signal.

Since she had thought of severing ties, she had slowly started to stop using any privileges that had been provided to her by her family.

Just as confusion filled her mind, Maya, who sat beside her, received a call. Because of her good package, she was able to afford a phone that can maintain signals even in mountain regions.

Maya listened for a few seconds... and then froze, staring at Naina with wide, horrified eyes.

A bad feeling punched Naina in the stomach. "What happened?" she asked, her voice tight.

Maya swallowed. "Naina... I got a call from your emergency contact. Your family...your maids...your mansion caught fire. Most of them are injured... some are critical. And..." she hesitated, "the fire started from your room."

Naina’s blood ran cold.

In that instant, she remembered the faint smell of gasoline she had noticed earlier in the mansion, which the maid had dismissed, saying that it was a result of construction work.

’So that’s why the danger didn’t go away... because it wasn’t about me going outside. It was following me all along!’

Unease twisted in her stomach; her fists clenched painfully.

"Nothing will happen," Naina whispered to herself, trying to stay calm.

Yet at the same time she was filled with gratitude toward Lana. If it wasn’t for Lana’s reminder... she might have...

Suddenly, she remembered the talismans Lana had given her... a thick stack, almost a hundred of them. But the employees traveling with her were more than two hundred.

’Even if I give everyone one talisman... I won’t have enough for myself.’

Her chest tightened. I’m sorry.

If things became desperate, she would use the talismans and help others... no matter the cost. But handing out a talisman was a stupid move.

Sometimes less is more.

Just as she made the decision, the bus suddenly jerked violently. Everyone was thrown forward, gasping in shock.

Sasha burst into tears. "We’re going to die! My mother told me something bad would happen today!"

Jamie snapped, "Shut up, Sasha! Stop panicking!"

Oliver muttered in a grim voice, "Something is very wrong. Maybe the portal wasn’t open yet... Maybe it’s opening now."

His words sent a shiver through all of them. They stared at him in horror, silently begging him not to say such terrifying things.

But Oliver wasn’t exaggerating. He was speaking from experience.

Before joining Sunshine Corporation, he and his family had worked to clear ghost zones... ensuring roads, train tracks, and public pathways remained safe. He had witnessed portals opening and closing firsthand.

He explained,

"If a portal has already opened, ghosts come pouring out, causing chaos. The area’s frequency gets so disturbed that compasses stop functioning. If a portal is about to open, the frequency is disturbed too, but not enough to break equipment. Weapons can still work at that stage if you have a mystic cultivator or spiritual cultivator assisting. But... we don’t have any of those right now. Meaning we’re in serious danger."

He quickly told someone to open a compass app on their phone.

The moment Oliver saw how the compass spun uncontrollably, he paled.

"No... The portal is already open. Ghosts might be pouring out right now."

A blanket of silence fell... thick and suffocating.

The driver felt a sudden chill run down his spine. As if compelled, he glanced at the rearview mirror.

And froze. Staring directly at him was the same strange woman in black.

He gasped and screamed. The bus swerved violently, nearly crashing into a mountain wall. Everyone was thrown against their seats, people shrieking and grabbing onto anything they could.

The second bus behind them screeched in shock, nearly ramming into the first.

The driver’s terrified scream echoed inside the bus, fueling everyone’s panic.

Maya rushed toward him. "What happened?! Why did you scream?!"

The driver’s breathing was ragged, his hands trembling uncontrollably as he tried to steady the wheel, and the terror in his eyes made everyone’s stomach drop.