CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 189: MIDNIGHT BUS

Besides the victim being found hanged at the scene, everything else, including the method of murder, bears a striking similarity.

Moreover, the victims all suffered a certain degree of abuse before dying.

It could even give one the illusion that the same murderer committed the crime. But the previous killer had already been captured and imprisoned by them, although the charges have yet to be formally established, and it hasn’t reached the point of a judge’s sentencing.

But for now, the person is definitely detained and can’t come out.

This suggests several possibilities: either someone is imitating the crime, or it’s the previous killer’s family doing something to exonerate him...

Clearly, Zhou Zhicheng leans more towards the latter possibility.

But there are some things Zhou Zhicheng hasn’t figured out yet.

Would their family really go to such lengths for that Zhang Zhen?

In any case, such defiance of the law has thoroughly enraged him.

Once the basic situation at the scene was clarified, Zhou Zhicheng hurriedly took the body back to the police station.

This was no longer a matter for Mu Yunchu and her group.

At most, if there are any questions later, they might need to cooperate in the investigation again.

And on this day, the most desperate might have been the amusement park owner.

Already strapped for funding and waiting to transfer ownership, now this disaster struck within the park.

Not to mention whether it can operate normally, even if it could, the two incidents today would reduce customer flow.

The daily operation of the machines and electricity bills seem like burning money, not to mention the numerous staff responsible for each project.

The owner never expected these two incidents would accelerate their bankruptcy.

Mu Yunchu never thought she would become so intricately linked with this amusement park.

But those are matters that will occur in the near future.

...

Mu Yunchu didn’t expect that she would end up staying at the amusement park until it was dark.

She heard there was a really good restaurant nearby and waited in line for a long time.

In any case, by the time their entire trip concluded and they planned to head home, it was nearly midnight.

Mu Yunchu couldn’t help but yawn.

She was utterly exhausted that day.

Actually, she could use a talisman to refresh herself, but thinking she would be home soon, she didn’t resort to that method.

Otherwise, it would be counterproductive, making her unable to sleep once she got home.

But unexpectedly, she overlooked the unpredictability of life, and variables always emerge.

When Mu Yunchu left the restaurant, she took out her phone to hail a cab, and her gaze subconsciously shifted to the time at the top left corner.

It was nearly twelve o’clock.

That’s why the restaurant they ate at was a hotpot place; otherwise, who would operate this late at regular meal times.

A call from the boss sounded behind her: "Take care, it’s late for a young girl like you. Be cautious about getting into the wrong car."

Though seemingly ordinary words, they sent a chill down her spine for unknown reasons.

It was as if something was implied within.

Moreover...

Ye Zhixia was somewhat displeased, "That boss looks like a real perv."

Li Shang: "Why do you say that?"

"There are so many of us, but he only warned the boss to be careful, implying we’re not human?" Ye Zhixia felt ignored and was quite unhappy.

But Li Shang was unfazed, "You weren’t human to begin with, right?"

Meanwhile, thinking to himself: This person hasn’t been dead long enough to accept reality.

As the two were about to argue, Mu Yunchu turned back intending to see the boss talking, only to find the entrance empty. The person who had just been advising her on safety was now roaming inside the main hall, welcoming guests.

She withdrew her gaze, intent on continuing to hail a cab, when unexpectedly, a bus happened to stop right in front of them.

Three people: ...

The hotpot restaurant was less than a kilometer from the amusement park.

And the bus stop was right across from the restaurant’s entrance, along the roadside.

They had taken this bus route during the day, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.

If they boarded now, it would be the most cost-effective way to get home.

But the problem is... it’s already midnight, where did a bus come from?

Mu Yunchu recalled what the restaurant boss had just said.

It seemed like his words were meant to warn her not to board this bus.

"So should we get on?" Li Shang naturally sensed something was off.

"Of course," Mu Yunchu replied with a faint smile on her face, "When the bus comes right to us, how could we not get on?"

Isn’t this a cost-saving opportunity laid out before us?

It was already midnight, the road was silent, and even the bus emitted no sound.

With the pale moonlight struggling through the clouds, illuminating the surroundings, there was an indescribable deathly silence. The bus looked old and worn, its paint peeling like patches of human skin, and the windows were covered in a thick layer of dust, emanating an intense eeriness.

Mu Yunchu stood calmly at the bus stop, as if so long as she didn’t move, the bus wouldn’t leave.

Li Shang stood beside her, retracting the aura surrounding her, her eyes flashing with eager excitement, almost trembling with anticipation. Ye Zhixia shrank back to the rear, clenching the corners of his clothes tightly, his tension visible to anyone.

This situation didn’t last long. With a creaking sound, the door slowly opened, and a rancid smell assaulted their senses.

Mu Yunchu stepped onto the bus, and the interior lighting dimmed, flickering as if it might extinguish at any moment.

She raised her eyes and casually glanced; the driver was a middle-aged man with a pallid face like paper, sunken eye sockets, unmistakably not living.

He was staring straight ahead, not even glancing at them as they boarded.

After a moment, seeing Mu Yunchu not moving, the man’s bloodless lips curled into an eerie smile, yet his head remained fixed forward, his voice hoarse and dry, "Get on, pay the fare."

Mu Yunchu calmly inserted a coin, leading Li Shang and Ye Zhixia towards the middle of the bus.

To their slight surprise, the bus was not empty at all; it was practically full.

Only five seats remained in the back half of the bus. As Mu Yunchu walked towards the rear, everyone on the bus simultaneously, eerily, turned to look at her.

Li Shang masked her aura well, and Mu Yunchu had long since altered the scent of death on Ye Zhixia. Hence, when facing a busload of ghosts, the others only sensed they were alive.

Ye Zhixia wasn’t sure if it was his imagination.

But he felt those by the window, clad in various outfits, each with unique faces, seemed to be smiling faintly as they watched them.