The thought of eating suddenly drew several stomach growls from the carriage.
It wasn't that the sound was too loud, but rather the carriage was too quiet.
As if reminded, the attendant's manic excitement returned. "Everyone must be hungry, right?"
Who dared to respond to that? Everyone fell silent.
"Since you know, why aren't you preparing the meals quickly?" a voice interjected.
Everyone instinctively looked at the brave soul who spoke, the girl in the last row by the window.
They looked, but no one agreed with her words.
Who would dare eat what the female ghost provided?
"It is my fault," the attendant apologized with a smile, retrieving a basket filled with food from the door.
To facilitate eating, the driver turned on the lights, making the carriage as bright as day.
With her almost detached arm, the attendant carried the basket from one end of the carriage to the other.
Each passenger received different food; no one could choose.
The girl was the last to receive hers. She got a carton of milk, two pieces of bread, and a delicate small cake.
The passengers dared not refuse the food the attendant handed out, but no one dared to eat it.
After receiving her portion, the girl directly asked the attendant, "Were these all taken from gravesites?"
The attendant smiled and nodded. Her head movements were so vigorous that a piece of flesh fell from her face onto the ground. A passenger nearby quickly recoiled their foot, fearing it might touch it.
Upon receiving the attendant's affirmative answer, the girl was the first to eat the bread.
With her leading the way, and after the terrifying experience at the graveyard stop, they were all starving. One by one, the passengers began to eat.
As long as it wasn't food for ghosts, it was just an offering from a grave.
And the offerings were quite varied.
After their stomachs were full, the carriage darkened again. Some passengers were drowsy, while others fought to stay awake.
Nothing could be seen outside the window. Although the bus was moving, the engine's sound was entirely absent.
The girl suddenly asked the attendant, "How many stops until the end, or does this bus have no end?"
Hearing her voice, the attendant immediately flew to the last row, perching atop the seat in front of her, startling the person sitting there to lean forward as much as possible.
"How could there be no end? I'm eager to finish my shift. However, I can't recall the exact number of stations," the attendant said, feigning weakness as she pressed her temple. Her force was so great that she poked her finger right in.
The girl watched the attendant's performance with a blank expression, awaiting her answer.
The attendant pouted and gave a perfunctory reply, "I've been dead for too long and forgotten the number. Perhaps the next stop is the end."
The attendant did not want to tell the truth, and the passengers could do nothing about it.
Even so, the girl did not seem displeased. Instead, she addressed the attendant as if calling a pet, "In that case, you may return. I want to rest for a while."
The attendant glared at the girl, seemingly unhappy with being treated this way. Habitually, she reached out to check the girl's ID. However, as soon as the ID flew out, the girl pressed it down and put it back in her pocket.
This was the attendant's first failed attempt. Now, she postured like a peacock, flailing her limbs at the girl, "My eyesight is good, I saw it. I'll remember you, Ning Wei!"
After this incident, everyone knew the girl's name.
Though they didn't know if the names were important, two names had now been revealed. The others subconsciously clutched their pockets.
Ning Wei was not displeased when the attendant called out her name. She closed her eyes and began to rest, choosing to ignore it directly.
The brief interlude quickly passed. The attendant returned to the front, complaining the whole way about how difficult the passengers on this bus were. The driver remained silent.
Soon, the bus stopped.
Thanks to the driver's superb braking skills, all the sleeping passengers immediately awoke.
It was another station. The attendant resumed her work, standing in the aisle to announce, "Happiness Residential Area stop. Passengers, please disembark in an orderly fashion. Remember, only those with a ticket may board."
They had heard this before, and the passengers raised no objections. They disembarked according to their seat numbers.
When it was Ning Wei's turn, the attendant added, "I wish you'll become one of us soon. Keep it up!"
Ning Wei scoffed dismissively at the taunt.
The moment her foot touched the asphalt, the attendant shrieked at the driver to close the door.
The driver complied, swiftly closing the door and speeding away.
All the passengers stood at the station. Following the previous experience, someone should be distributing tasks here.
Indeed, after a short while, a figure emerged from the darkness. This person wore a security guard uniform, their head deeply sunken, and their arms dangled with their steps. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that only a few tendons connected their arms to their shoulders, and they could fall off at any moment.
It was clearly another ghost.
Approaching the station, the figure pulled a set of keys from their pocket with a blood-stained hand and distributed them to the passengers.
A piece of paper was attached to each key, bearing the building and room number.
"You have one week to appease the female ghost in Building Four. With her consent, you will receive your ticket."
After the security ghost finished speaking, it slowly retreated back into the darkness, swinging its arms.
The passengers discovered that they all resided in Building Four, though on different floors, effectively dividing them into groups.
Those with the same room number stood together. Counting them, there were twelve rooms in total. One person was particularly special; their room number was unique.
All eyes fell on this individual with sympathetic gazes. He was Song Zhi, one of the passengers who had previously argued with the attendant.
No one knew if the attendant had any part in this arrangement, but after this incident, their fear of the attendant grew even greater.
In this unfamiliar place, no one wanted to act alone.
There was a time limit this time as well. After the room assignments were made, they followed their teammates and slowly approached the residential complex.
Standing before the complex, it felt as if they had returned to the real world. Everything was as they remembered it: the fountain at the entrance, the security booth – all so familiar.
The sky was now clearly visible, and it was evidently deep into the night. The security guard was dozing in the booth.
The passengers, not daring to relax their guard, tiptoed past the security booth and entered the complex.
Once inside, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Only Ning Wei cast a subtle glance at the group.