Chapter 82#
Bus Route 13#
The childish words written in pencil were shocking in their content. Especially after reading the dialogue about Night Voyage, both Ye Sheng and Luo Xingyan froze, their expressions turning grave.
The Peeping Lady, the couple in the wall, the slit-mouthed hanging corpse, the old man on the swing—the low-level anomalies written by the Story King after he grew up were actually all ghost stories he had read in Night Voyage during his childhood. Night Voyage!
Luo Xingyan secretly ground his teeth, his pale golden cat eyes full of vigilance and wariness. He planned to take this paper back to the Non-Natural Bureau to facilitate the headquarters’ investigation.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from somewhere. Bang, the wooden window hit the wall. The wind entering through the window wound around Luo Xingyan’s fingers. It was clearly so gentle and warm, yet it made Luo Xingyan’s face change drastically in an instant, and he let go of his hand.
The moment he let go, whoosh, the wind rolled up the page and flew it outside.
Perhaps because of the creases, the diary page seemed to be blown into the shape of a paper airplane again in the air. The paper airplane drifted and drifted, carrying childhood dreams as it flew towards the sky.
Luo Xingyan’s expression was livid. Standing in the corner of the bookstore, he looked up against the light at the paper airplane disappearing into the horizon, his hands clenched into fists.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? I just heard a noise. Handsome guy, are you looking for something?” The landlady arrived late and asked in confusion.
Luo Xingyan unclenched his fists, his face still looking bad: “Yeah, I was just catching a mouse. Landlady, you should renovate this first floor!”
The landlady felt both guilty and awkward, laughing awkwardly: “Ah haha, how could we have mice here? Handsome guy, did you see wrong?”
Luo Xingyan ignored her and left with a sour face.
Ye Sheng had already turned off the communication device when the paper airplane flew out the window.
He took off the headset, closed the computer, and when he went out, he saw Cheng Fa guarding outside.
“Do you have a printer here?”
Cheng Fa said: “Yes, what do you need it for?”
Ye Sheng: “Typing. Take me there.”
Ye Sheng had a photographic memory. He could remember every word of a text after reading it once. He typed the Story King’s diary into the computer, then printed ten copies and took one for himself.
Cheng Fa was stunned: “What is this?”
Ye Sheng: “When Luo Xingyan comes back, ask him.”
When he left, Ning Weichen also happened to come out of the elevator. When their eyes met, Ning Weichen smiled elegantly: “Gege, are you done with your business?” Ye Sheng nodded: “Done, let’s go.”
Ning Weichen: “Okay.”
Back in the car, Ye Sheng directly handed the paper in his hand to Ning Weichen and said quickly and briefly: “This is the Story King’s diary found at the old site of the Time Bookstore in Qing’an Town. Take a look.”
Ning Weichen lowered his eyes, took the paper, and after reading the words on it, the corners of his lips hooked up into a smile: “It seems the Story King has a deep obsession with his childhood.”
Ye Sheng said coldly: “He not only has a deep obsession with childhood, but also with time and life and death.”
Ning Weichen said with a smile: “All anomalies in the Seventh Sector are humans. Only those who possessed extreme emotions during their lifetime can give birth to high-level anomalies after death. Obsession is inevitable.”
Ye Sheng was stunned and asked curiously: “Then what is the Story King’s emotion? Is it hatred?”
Ning Weichen shook his head: “Doesn’t look like it.”
Ye Sheng pursed his lips; it indeed didn’t look like it. The Story King lived in school bullying and domestic violence since childhood, but the diary still harbored the most innocent whimsy. Just like the thin, small boy in the dream who hid in the corner secretly reading books. Suffering from hardships, yet possessing a pair of quiet, innocent eyes.
Recalling the words in the diary, Ye Sheng suddenly said: “Maybe it’s disappointment.”
Ning Weichen: “Hmm?”
Ye Sheng: “Disappointment that the world after growing up is nothing like what was told in the stories.”
Ning Weichen chuckled low, then said: “Perhaps. But no matter why he became an anomaly, now as the Lord of the Seventh Sector, he is the most dangerous enemy for us.”
Ye Sheng gave a “mn”. He looked at the vegetation on the mountain road outside the window, a trace of coldness flashing across his almond eyes, and said softly: “Ning Weichen, I’m tracing his story only to find out where his true body resides now.”
They couldn’t always be in the light while the Story King was in the dark.
After Ning Weichen dropped him off at Huaian University, he received a call from Andrew and left first.
When Ye Sheng returned to the dormitory, Chen Can was still in the hospital and hadn’t returned, so he was the only one in the dorm. Ye Sheng opened his cabinet, took out the gun he had snatched from inside, and holding the cold handle, he lowered his eyes, looking at the yellow letter B above, lost in thought.
Song Zhang’s spiritual value was absorbed by the gun magazine and became a yellow bullet.
If C-rank is a green bullet and B-rank is a yellow bullet, does that mean red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—in order, purple is F-rank, blue is D-rank, correspondingly orange is A-rank… and red is S-rank?!
—A red S-rank bullet containing S-rank spiritual value.
Can this gun really be created? He felt it was doubtful, after all, the gun magazine couldn’t even completely absorb Song Zhang’s spiritual value.
Ye Sheng put the gun on the table and took out the diagram he had drawn to sort out clues after coming out of Luo Lake.
The Urban Night Walker’s attire was that of Hera, the goddess of childbirth in ancient Greek mythology.
Where Hera appeared, there was always a bunch of ghost children.
Hera was also the person who made a deal with Li Jianyang on the forum, asking him to smuggle fetal girls to Huai City.
Fetal girls, ghost children, Hera. Ye Sheng’s finger traced these terms one by one, suddenly realizing. Actually, these words all represent “birth”.
Birth.
Hera also had inextricable links with Huai City Third Hospital.
When telling ghost stories on the first night at Luo Lake Mansion, Liang Qingqing had mentioned a term. No one paid attention at the time, but thinking about it now, it seemed to be a sign of everything.
Liang Qingqing said, “Gate of Life”. The obstetrics and gynecology department of every hospital is inherently a “Gate of Life”.
Ye Sheng’s gaze fell on a name on the paper.
Liang Xu.
Liang Qingqing’s father.
Chief Physician of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Huai City Third People’s Hospital.
*
Ye Sheng wanted to go to Huai City Third People’s Hospital to have a look. Coincidentally, the promotional video director was gathering people in the group chat, saying they were going to visit Xie Wenci, Xia Wenshi, and Chen Can. As luck would have it, these three were staying at the Third City Hospital.
Huang Qiqi asked anxiously in the group.
“Why? Why are they hospitalized? Where are they hurt? My boss won’t be in trouble, right? Boo hoo hoo hoo.”
“Damn heaven, do you have eyes? Nowadays, there aren’t many bosses who work themselves to pay employees’ salaries. Boo hoo hoo, my boss is a good person and will be rewarded, he definitely won’t be in trouble.”
The director helplessly replied to this sensitive, sentimental screenwriter who typed extremely fast.
“Stop crying. The gymnasium just shook yesterday, it shouldn’t be anything serious. Maybe they just accidentally bumped into something when running out.”
After being comforted, Huang Qiqi finally stopped her wailing in the group and chose to call Ye Sheng.
“Xiao Ye, I’m going to the Third Hospital to visit the boss later. Do you want to come along?”
Ye Sheng stood in front of the bus stop and said with lowered eyes: “Let’s go together.”
Huang Qiqi was overjoyed: “Oh good, where are you now?”
Ye Sheng: “I’m right at the bus stop in front of the school.”
Huang Qiqi: “What a coincidence! Xiao Ye, wait for me! I can get to you in five minutes.”
Ye Sheng: “Okay.”
Ye Sheng’s main goal was the obstetrics and gynecology department of the Third Hospital. He knew Xia Wenshi wouldn’t die and had absolutely no intention of visiting him.
There were several bus routes from the Huaian University bus stop to the Third Hospital.
Speaking of which, after arriving in Huai City, the number of times he took private cars was far greater than taking buses or the subway… it was really ridiculous.
“Xiao Ye!” Huang Qiqi’s voice rang out not far away.
Ye Sheng turned around and saw his senior sister with a high ponytail, wearing a short-sleeved plaid dress, running over in a hurry, carrying a fruit basket and holding a bouquet of flowers.
“I’m dying of heat. I didn’t even bring my parasol, just applied some sunscreen and went out. Heaven knows how anxious I was when I heard the news about the boss being hospitalized in the group.” Huang Qiqi started chattering as soon as she saw him: “Yesterday, the gymnasium not only shook, but the police even came later. It was too damn scary. Xiao Ye, how are you? Are you okay?” She asked a bunch of questions in succession.
Ye Sheng said indifferently: “I’m fine.”
Huang Qiqi nodded: “It’s good that you’re fine. What about Junior Brother Weichen?”
Ye Sheng said: “He’s fine too.”
Huang Qiqi: “Oh oh, that’s good, that’s good.”
Ye Sheng saw the fruit basket and flowers in her hand and suddenly realized that he probably shouldn’t visit empty-handed. Just as Ye Sheng was planning to go buy some fruits casually, Huang Qiqi said enthusiastically: “Xiao Ye, where are you going? The bus is here, the bus is here.”
Ye Sheng turned his head and saw the No. 13 bus driving towards them.
He simply gave up in his heart. Forget it, no need to do these unnecessary things.
This time was not peak hours, and there were few passengers on the bus.
After Ye Sheng sat down, Huang Qiqi sat next to him and suddenly said to Ye Sheng with great interest: “Junior Brother, have you taken this bus before?”
Ye Sheng: “…”
Thanks to Ning Weichen, since he started working at the haunted house, not a day went by without a private car picking him up and dropping him off.
Ye Sheng shook his head silently.
As a local of Huai City, Huang Qiqi immediately smiled with bright eyes and said: “Then I have to tell you about this No. 13 bus properly. It’s quite famous in Huai City.”
“First of all, the name 13 is very meaningful. 1314 means one life one world (forever), so 13 is one life. And the route of this No. 13 bus in Huai City seems to be a person’s life.”
“The starting station of the bus is the Gynecology Building of the Third City Hospital, and the terminal station is the cemetery. It spans between life and death. Along the way, it passes kindergartens, primary schools, Huaian Attached Middle School, Huaian University, and then the Civil Affairs Bureau, nursing home, crematorium, and funeral home.”
Huang Qiqi said: “Look, isn’t our life just like this? Starting with the first cry, ending in a big fire. We go to school, we get married, we grow old, all the way to the end of life.”
Huang Qiqi held the fruit basket and flowers, looked out the window, and smiled: “But we are taking the return trip now. The next stop should be Huaian Attached Middle School.”
As if echoing Huang Qiqi’s words.
After a ding-dong sound, a voice announcement slowly sounded in the car.
[Huaian Attached Middle School has arrived. Passengers getting off, please exit from the rear door.]