"Stop daydreaming, your family can’t possibly be here."
Seeing the middle-aged man with the beer belly return to normal, Wang Zhifan released his hand from the man’s shoulder and offered him a reminder.
At the same time, since no one was getting on or off the bus, the doors in the middle of the vehicle began to slowly close, and the voice announcement sounded:
"The vehicle is starting, please hold on tight and sit properly, the next stop is: Hell Academy."
Just as Wang Zhifan thought the recent commotion had passed, he suddenly heard voices outside the slowly closing bus door—a middle-aged woman and a young boy:
"Honey! Get off quickly! The food is ready at home!"
"Dad! Get off the bus and come home!"
As soon as these voices sounded, the middle-aged man with the beer belly seemed bewitched and abruptly stood up from his seat. He then rushed past Wang Zhifan, who was sitting in front of him, and dashed towards the still-closing bus door without a care.
Given Wang Zhifan’s reaction speed and strength, he could have easily restrained the man and forced him back to his seat. However, in that brief moment, Wang Zhifan chose not to intervene. He simply turned around, calmly watching the middle-aged man with the beer belly rush towards the half-closed door. As the petite Assassin girl nearby sped over to assist, Wang Zhifan reached out to stop her, shaking his head.
The Assassin girl was slightly taken aback as Wang Zhifan halted her rescue attempt, but she quickly understood his reasoning. She gave a small pout and also chose to abandon rescuing the middle-aged man.
By this time, the middle-aged man with the beer belly had squeezed through the closing door and jumped out onto the desolate crossroads outside bus 444.
Wang Zhifan, along with the passengers whose view was unobstructed, watched as the man ecstatically spread his arms wide as if embracing the transparent air in front of him, as if truly holding his welcoming wife and child.
"At last! I finally see you! I can finally go home!"
Standing outside the bus door with his arms open, the man with the beer belly exclaimed in joyous relief. However, before he could finish his jubilant declaration, a faint red line suddenly appeared on his neck. Immediately, his head began to separate from his body, slipping down to the concrete pavement beneath him. His upright body then collapsed, lifeless.
Since the bus doors were now fully closed and the vehicle had begun to move forward, Wang Zhifan walked to a window to observe the man’s condition. He saw the man lying decapitated at the crossroads, with his head rolling slowly on the cement, his eyes wide open in disbelief and terror.
"Such a bizarre attack method. I almost couldn’t perceive how he died at all."
Having just saved the man moments ago, Wang Zhifan remained calm as he assessed the sudden death of this unstable apartment resident. His interest was more piqued by the mysterious method of death, one that eluded even his keen senses.
"This proves that the ghosts in this scenario are indeed powerful, just as the old man said. It’s best not to confront them directly."
After pondering this, Wang Zhifan turned around from the window, addressing the remaining seven residents inside the bus—some indifferent, some terrified, some quietly seated, others peering towards the crossroads behind.
"You’ve all seen that man’s fate! His death was utterly bizarre, a consequence of his actions! I saved him once, but there won’t be a second time! I hope all of us can learn from this and maintain our composure during this mission. Don’t be easily tempted or deceived! In short, we must remain united and act cautiously!"
After finishing his speech, Wang Zhifan paid no mind to whether the seven remaining residents agreed with his words. He walked back through the middle aisle to his previous seat, where the petite Assassin girl had already returned.
"Bro, your heart’s a bit cold... but I like it!"
As soon as Wang Zhifan sat down, the young man in a school uniform nearby turned to him, smiling as he spoke.
Another middle-aged man, a gunner sitting nearby, soon glanced at Wang Zhifan and flatly said:
"I wouldn’t have saved that idiot even the first time. Protecting eight people is too much; even seven is a bit too many. Let’s assess the situation and maybe reduce the numbers later."
He was referring to their current mission requirements; they needed to team up with at least two apartment residents for the blood-letter task and ensure at least one resident returned. Having started with eight residents, the current seven still seemed a bit too many, and reducing numbers could certainly ease their protective burden.
"Hey, don’t be in such a hurry to cut numbers. The mission just started. If the pressure increases later and people die quickly, won’t it all be for nothing?"
The petite Assassin girl casually whispered, suggesting that they should take things more slowly.
"Doesn’t really matter."
The young man in the school uniform immediately shook his head at the Assassin girl’s suggestion before speaking:
"This task is just to test the waters. If it’s not too difficult, we can choose to lead separate teams in the days following. At most, we’ll complete three tasks and call it a day."
He expressed considerable confidence in the current task, but Wang Zhifan wasn’t fully in agreement. He remarked:
"You shouldn’t be too careless. I couldn’t detect any sign of that beheading attack earlier. The methods our current adversaries use are incredibly strange. We might need to collaborate more to ensure residents make it back."
The young man in the school uniform pondered for a moment after hearing Wang Zhifan’s words, then responded:
"I did notice that beheading attack earlier. It’s indeed strange... but that intersection is called Beheading Pass, almost explicitly indicating its danger. As long as we’re not foolish, we should avoid such attacks. Otherwise, no one could complete this blood-letter task... Let’s assess the difficulty as we proceed."