Chapter 40: Reencounter with an Acquaintance

[Wind City Detective]: "?"

Was he unharmed?
That attack—it wasn't aimed at him?
Could it be that ghosts were fighting among themselves?
How is that possible!
Don't ghosts only target the living?

[Wind City Detective] wanted to open his eyes, but fearing Rule 3, he dared not. The other two severely injured players felt the same. Their hearts were filled with anxiety, unaware of what had transpired. Their nerves were stretched to the limit, suffering as if in hell.

*Creeeak—!*
The bus doors groaned with a piercing sound.
*Clap—!*
As the doors slammed shut, the engine started silently. The 444 bus pulled away once more.

[Wind City Detective] and the other two players opened their eyes almost simultaneously. Sitting quietly in the priority seating area in the middle of the carriage was a young girl. She was incredibly beautiful—not with the artificial, polished perfection of other female players, but with a natural, pure beauty like moonlight. Her skin was like fresh snow, her long hair like spilled ink; even the blood-stained seat beside her became merely a backdrop.

And beside her stood a boy. He was standing...
Wait!
He was standing!
Doesn't that violate Rule 1?
How could he be fine?
Even if he were a ghost, he couldn't possibly violate Rule 1 without consequence!

The players' pupils contracted sharply, their hearts filled with horror. Could they have encountered a legendary malicious spirit? Is this the kind of terrifying entity that could appear in an E-rank instance? Were they going to die?

Bai Ming scanned the shaken players in the carriage. "Awake? How much time is left on your missions?"

[Wind City Detective] immediately realized something, his breathing quickening. "You... are you a player?"

"What else?"
Bai Ming chuckled, casually displaying his ID panel. A translucent blue screen unfolded in the blood-scented carriage: [Wutian: LV3].

Seeing the system-verified player mark, the three players' tense spines visibly relaxed, and a sense of joy at surviving surged within them. They quickly realized that this Level 3 player was no ordinary person—he was definitely a top-tier player with an S-rank rating. The fact that no ghosts had boarded after the last stop was surely his doing.

They immediately began to talk to him warmly. Bai Ming was long accustomed to such reactions; he asked a few questions and got his answers. Although these players had entered the instance at 4:44 AM on July 18th, their mission countdowns were all different. This meant their missions hadn't started at the same time. As for the reason behind the discrepancy? That was beyond Bai Ming's knowledge.

The rest of the journey was exceptionally smooth. With Bai Ming in charge, every ghost that attempted to attack was easily slain by him.

"Dawn Hospital station reached. Passengers, please exit through the back door. Watch your step and mind the gap."

No ghosts boarded at this stop, and the players disembarked safely.

[Wind City Detective] was full of gratitude. "Big brother, if you hadn't saved us, I would have been dead long ago. Here is 50 game coins, please accept it."

The other two players also offered their thanks and transferred their payments. Of course, what they truly thought remained unknown. Even if they cursed [Wind City Detective] in private, they didn't dare refuse to pay. Bai Ming accepted the coins with peace of mind; after all, without him, none of them would have survived.

[Mission Complete]
[The player has ten minutes of remaining time in the current instance. Do you wish to return immediately?]

Bai Ming was about to select "Yes" when his peripheral vision caught the bus stop across the road. A 444 bus pulled slowly to a halt, and a familiar figure stepped off, dragging two paralyzed players. The person didn't head to the station to complete his mission and return immediately; instead, he bowed his head, whispering something to the two players.

Bai Ming didn't need to guess to know that he was likely threatening them to transfer game coins. Most players spent their coins before entering an instance and had little left. Therefore, he was surely using the promise of clearing the instance as leverage to force them to sign a contract and transfer funds. As long as the contract was signed, he didn't have to worry about them reneging later.

However, that guy doing the threatening... why did he look so familiar?
Oh, it was [Ink-Stained Dust].
Bai Ming’s lips curled upward, and he walked straight toward the other side of the road.

...

[Ink-Stained Dust] flicked the contract with the tip of his blade, sneering at the immobile [One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers] and [Cotton Candy and Cat]. "Sign this. Once we clear the instance, all your game coins belong to me, and I'll let you leave alive."

How could [One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers] and [Cotton Candy and Cat] agree? The reason was simple: if their coins were extorted, they wouldn't have enough to buy items for the next instance, which would surely mean certain death. Of course, they also knew that if they didn't pay, they would die right now. They understood the principle that a miserable life is better than a quick death, but they had to try to negotiate.

[One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers] said weakly, "If we give you everything... we'll just die in the next instance anyway... we might as well..."

[Cotton Candy and Cat] remained silent, waiting for [One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers] to take the lead.

*Swish—!*
A cold glint flashed from the katana, and a chunk of flesh was shorn from [One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers]'s shoulder.

"Threatening me?" [Ink-Stained Dust]’s blade dripped with blood. "Without me leading you, you would have died halfway here!"

[One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers] and [Cotton Candy and Cat] felt a deep, hidden hatred. Who asked you to lead us? They had given up on going to the ninth stop the moment they saw [Wutian] get off the bus. But they had been tricked by [Ink-Stained Dust] and forced to proceed. It was only then that they realized [Ink-Stained Dust] had lied—it wasn't that [Wutian] had been punished by the rules and kicked off; [Ink-Stained Dust] had sabotaged [Wutian].

Of course, they had suspected it all along, but [Ink-Stained Dust] was powerful, so they hadn't dared to speak up. Now that [Ink-Stained Dust] had struck, he admitted his actions without hesitation. He had also repeatedly used them as cannon fodder to block ghosts, leading to their current state of being crippled and severely wounded. This also confirmed that one could not kill passenger-ghosts during the trip, or other passenger-ghosts would attack in retaliation. This left the trio wondering how [Wutian] had been immune to that rule.

"Not signing?" The blade sliced another piece of flesh from [One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers]. [Ink-Stained Dust] turned and pressed the blade against [Cotton Candy and Cat]’s throat. "Then enjoy death by a thousand cuts! Let's see how you like being sliced to pieces!"

Compared to [One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers], [Cotton Candy and Cat] had a weaker will. [Ink-Stained Dust] chose her as his primary target. After just a few cuts, she broke down. "I'll sign! I'll sign!"

[One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers] sighed internally. Ultimately, his life was what mattered; it seemed he had no choice but to sign. He had hoped to be tough, thinking that his wounds could be healed once they returned, and maybe he could bargain the ransom down.

Suddenly, [One Blade Calms the Mountains and Rivers] caught a glimpse of movement behind [Ink-Stained Dust]. He widened his eyes and opened his mouth, but seeing Bai Ming press a finger to his lips, he immediately understood and kept quiet. Even without the hint, he wouldn't be stupid enough to ruin this turning point. He had only opened his mouth out of sheer shock.

He watched in silence as Bai Ming crept up behind [Ink-Stained Dust].

"Sign it quickly, or else—"
Before [Ink-Stained Dust] could finish his sentence, the katana swung fiercely toward the shadow behind him.