13 Chapter 13
◎Weird【Wooden Man】: Peaceful.jpg◎
Ye Ping'an firmly implements the eight-hour work system. If it weren't for being closed this afternoon, Xile Restaurant generally wouldn't sell midnight snacks.
She had already thought about what to cook, but she got off the bus a little late, so all the customers she had picked up disappeared. She probably lost all the money to the snack stalls at the intersection.
It hurts, it hurts so much.
They clearly nodded their agreement when they got off the bus, so why didn't they keep their promise? Even if they missed their stop and were in a hurry to get back, they could have eaten before leaving.
But since people have already left, it is more important to hold on to the customers in front of you.
Ye Pingan walked back to the driver with a sincere look on his face, "There's no need to rush to hand over the last bus. Why don't you try my cooking?"
As she got closer, the driver's bulging eyeballs twitched, his facial features were squeezed together, and his ugly face, which was already pale and grayish, became even bluer.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't worry, the compensation has been paid, and that's over. Am I the kind of person who's so petty and calculating?"
Ye Ping'an walked over the fence, patted the driver's shoulder in a familiar manner, and lowered his voice, "Look, you have so many relatives and friends. It must be fate that we meet. Why don't you introduce some business to me? New customers can get a 99% discount on their first order, and I'll give you a 1% rebate."
The driver's fat and bloated body was slapped and vibrated, and the mole in the game of whack-a-mole shrank down little by little, becoming shorter and shorter.
His belly was so thick with fat from his swimming rings that his legs were invisible. His posture when sliding down the chair was strange, as if his lower half didn't even exist, and he had shrunk back into the driver's seat, blending in with the car.
Ye Pingan grabbed him and said, "Master, you should lose weight. Look, you're sliding down when you stand up. My medicinal food is the best for nourishing your body. Come and try it!"
The car began to shake as if it was about to fall apart. The driver stared at her straight, wrapped his hands around Ye Ping'an's arms like bones, and leaned his upper body back, trying to pull her back like in a tug-of-war.
"I'm glad you agree." Ye Ping'an felt the strength of the grip and happily held the driver's arm with his backhand. "I know you're fat and it's inconvenient for you to walk. I'll pull you!"
The sticky and soft seat, like a swamp, could not trap Ye Ping'an, nor could it pull up the driver who was being pulled up by the arms.
The driver's body was deformed and stretched from his obese belly. When he was pulled out of the driver's seat, all that could be seen was the bulging fabric of his pants, with no visible slits in his trouser legs or the instep of his feet.
His lower body was pressed against the ground, and without making any sound, he crawled like a snake, leaving only a trail of black slime wherever he passed.
Xia Zihan had just gotten off the bus and was standing outside in shock, watching Ye Ping'an's back as he returned, not daring to move.
All the people who got off the bus before disappeared. Did she really escape successfully?
She couldn't hear what was being said on the bus, she could only watch the old bus shaking, and faintly see pieces of black slime dripping from behind the dirty windows. Xia Zihan's ankle, which had been pulled, seemed to start hurting again.
She didn't dare look down, nor did she dare to move her eyes away for even a second, for fear that a hand would emerge from the shadows and drag her away.
Xia Zihan's pupils suddenly dilated and he looked at the front door in horror.
Ye Ping'an dragged the fat driver and walked down with a smile on his face.
Ye Ping'an carried the bag of bamboo shoots in one hand and dragged the driver with the other. He returned with a full load and walked straight up the steps to open the door.
The rolling door opened and she nudged the driver, "Why aren't you leaving?"
The driver's clothes were soaked with sticky sweat, and a trail of black slime was left behind him, extending all the way to the car.
He became much shorter and sat at the door in a heap, turning his neck slowly and shaking his head at Ye Ping'an.
"Can't walk anymore? Are you in a hurry to go back and hand over your shift?" Ye Pingan understood. "Okay, I'll make you a quick one."
The driver sat stiffly, like a frozen sculpture.
"Boss Ye——!" Xia Zihan almost screamed as she watched the driver approach, but she was so scared that she could only breathe.
She caught up with Ye Pingan in one step, squeezed in on the other side and entered the door together. She dared to speak only after she was far away from the driver, "Why did he he he get off the car!!!"
Ye Pingan was confused. "Eat. Do you want a midnight snack?"
Xia Zihan's eyes widened in surprise, "You didn't hit him? Just like in the car—"
"What are you talking about?" Ye Pingan was even more surprised than her, and interrupted seriously, "How could I, such a law-abiding person, hit someone? They were the ones trying to scam me, and I'm just trying to help them out of kindness, okay? Little classmate, your thoughts are very dangerous. Hitting the driver and endangering his driving is a crime."
Xia Zihan was speechless, "But he is a dirty guy..."
Ye Pingan pulled her speechlessly and said, "Keep your voice down. I may be a little ugly, with a face that looks a bit like a shoe horn, but you can't curse at me in front of me."
"You have a cold and you're all confused. You've been dozing off and on in the car, and now you're talking nonsense."
Ye Ping'an touched her forehead and said, "You really have a fever. If you don't plan to have a midnight snack, go back and take medicine quickly. Don't let the fever make you stupid."
"I was really scratched by something dirty. It hurts so much. It must be bruising. Look!"
Xia Zihan bent down and rolled up his trouser legs, and was stunned.
There was only a slight red mark on the ankle from being rubbed by the heel of the shoe.
"The road was uneven in the fields this afternoon, and your new shoes rubbed your feet?" Ye Ping'an pressed the cup into her hand and helped her sit down. "Here, have some brown sugar water. I told you not to be superstitious. You've read too many horror stories, and all you dream about are nightmares."
The steaming hot air was blowing against her cold cheeks. Xia Zihan held the cup blankly, her frightened brain turning into a mess.
Is there a ghost? No ghost?
The cold sweat of real fear still stuck to my back, but what Boss Ye said seemed to make sense.
Boss Ye dragged the massage girl away after a fight. Even a human would be angry, right? If there really were ghosts, how could they escape alive without even breaking their skin? From this perspective, it seems more like an illusion.
Recalling this chaotic night, Xia Zihan couldn't help but tremble.
She took two big gulps of hot water. The sweet brown sugar had a hint of spicy ginger in it. A thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she finally felt warm.
...Oh yes, you will feel cold even if you have a fever.
Could this be the reason for the chills in the car? This is too scientific, no one would even read it if it were close to science!
Xia Zihan gave up thinking and said, "Boss, I'm going back first. The dormitory door is about to be locked."
"Wait." Ye Ping'an poked his head out from the kitchen.
Xia Zihan shuddered and stopped reflexively, "W-what happened?"
Ye Ping'an clicked on the payment page on his phone and looked at her suspiciously, "You don't really want to default on the fare, do you? We're a small business and don't accept credit. Even for acquaintances."
“…”
Xia Zihan scanned a dollar and passed it over.
Xia Zihan carefully walked around the half of the steps where the driver was sitting, and walked a few steps out the door before looking back.
The driver neither grabbed her nor left. He just looked a little uglier, a little fatter, and had an uglier face. He was not as scary as he looked in the car.
The sound of the stove could be heard in the restaurant, just like every time I came here.
Xia Zihan walked back to the dormitory in a daze, took some medicine, and fell asleep.
Late at night in the Jiang City Investigation Bureau, many people were still awake.
"The body from the last [Life-Buying Money] roundup has been identified."
Lao Li hurriedly pushed open the door to the captain's lounge. "The only one among them who could control ghosts was from the evil organization Zhenlinghui. He was wanted for multiple murders and used the ghost item [E80192-Corpse Stitcher]. He died due to the killing pattern of [Life Purchase]. We didn't find any ghost item on him."
Captain Hu lay flat on his back, opened his eyes, and looked at the document clipped on the bracket.
"It has been confirmed that a sacrifice took place that day. After the [Life Purchase Money] devoured the Trickster and his followers, it may have merged or temporarily traded the [Corpse Stitcher]'s laws to escape the encirclement. A strange conflict later occurred, and it appears to have crashed."
Old Li pointed at the files. "I checked the records for the Hearse. It's been seen near the area where the Life Buyer and Corpse Stitcher are suspected to have committed crimes. The information department has been monitoring the E-level mysteries in the city for the past few days. Among them, the Human Head Ball and the Third Hand, which were near the area of the car accident in early April, are missing. Perhaps the missing mysteries were taken away by it."
Captain Hu frowned, "Have you alerted our colleagues in Lin Province?"
"They also discovered that the True Spirit Society might be sacrificing the [hearse], or using it to transport or sacrifice other strange things. They will keep us informed if there are any changes in the near future."
Old Li sighed wearily. "The C-class is already distorting reality with microscopic ghosts, making surveillance completely useless. The [hearse] can even travel distances, and the signal we locked onto last time has been lost again. I'm afraid the investigators who boarded the vehicle are in trouble. We'll probably have to forcibly intercept and round up the suspects."
Captain Hu pressed his old phone against his chest. "The last time I heard, the victim had become a ghost slave. The strange things in the car are getting more and more. We don't have many days left. Think of a new reason to evacuate in advance. After I leave, the city will rely on you."
Old Li quickly wiped his eyes and cursed, "Ever since the resurgence of the weird, evil cults have been popping up like cockroaches. Some are anti-human, some are criminals taking advantage of the opportunity to commit crimes, and some are purely superstitious... Most are dead, and a small number are not far from death, still sacrificing the weird in an attempt to expand the forbidden zone for the living. These lunatics should be called ghost slaves!"
The cell phone beeped, Lao Li glanced at it and blurted out in shock.
"Have all the victims gotten off the bus?!"
She quickly recounted the news, "Ten minutes ago, the team cordoning off the accident scene observed twenty-three people running out of nowhere, all appearing to be exiting their vehicles. Facial recognition confirmed they were the missing victims of the April accident."
Captain Hu slowly sat up, and Lao Li hurriedly said, "Don't worry. I warned them not to get close. Be careful of the strange being controlling the victim and attacking. The ambulance has already left to pick them up. Someone called Xiaobai, and the police car will be at the door soon."
Ding ding, the phone rang again.
Old Li stood up suddenly. "No wonder the victim got off the bus. Our colleague from Lin Province also got off, but his body was severely withered and he was unconscious when he got off the bus."
Captain Hu also quickened his pace. "The Wooden Man might be revived. We need to trap him as soon as possible and send the fastest car."
A team of people rushed to a blocked road and ambulances arrived one after another.
Bai Xuan turned around, holding the hedgehog with sleepy eyes, and shook her head, "The hearse is not parked here."
The area around the investigators who got off the car was completely cleared, and all preparations were made. Captain Hu, holding his cell phone, approached from both sides with Lao Li.
Within ten steps, the puppet held in the investigator's arms remained motionless and silent.
Old Li measured the distance and warned, "[Wooden Man]'s effective range has expanded with its resurgence, and it's now approaching the range she was in when she got on the car."
Until I encountered the puppet, all the precautions I had taken were completely useless.
The puppet was put into a special metal box. Apart from the unique coldness of the weird creature, it looked more normal than an ordinary human-shaped puppet.
The puppet lay straight, and the twisted and messy oil paint lines seemed to have inexplicably become more peaceful.
"The recovery process has regressed... No! The recovery speed has also slowed down?! If it keeps up this speed, it will last for a long time."
Old Li looked puzzled. "The [Hearse] has this function? Did it eat part of the [Wooden Man]?"
Other investigators carried the dazed victims to the ambulance and came over, sorting through their documentation. "Captain! We've concluded our interviews. The victims who exited the vehicle all had memory problems, had forgotten the accident, and were hungry... The exact extent of their injuries needs to be confirmed by the hospital. Uh, there's one more strange thing."
"You mean, they remember someone asking them for money?"
Old Li had a strange expression on his face. "...Could it be that the [life-saving money] was really taken away by the [hearse]?"
【Author’s words】
Small Theater:
If these ghosts could talk
【Money to buy my life】: I actually want to run away QAQ If I don’t have a car, I can walk by myself.
[Wooden Man]: Ran away, dead, do not disturb.
[Hearse]: Save me, save me, save me—
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