John, now endowed with ghost powers, could roughly distinguish between humans and ghosts.
Why wasn't this man afraid, daring to ride the ghost bus alone?
John was shocked and even more perplexed.
The old woman and the woman who had just boarded the bus also noticed that there was a human on board.
They sized up the man in the suit and then, as if they had discovered something, appeared wary and averted their gaze.
"Mommy, I want it!"
The ghost infant in the woman's arms stared at the man in the suit as if seeing something amusing, reaching out with tiny hands, wanting to grab the man.
The woman held down the infant's hands, cradled it in her arms, turned away, and didn't give it the chance to make a fuss.
"There must be things in the Thriller World that I don't know about, or certain rules I haven't touched upon," John pondered in silence.
After all, it was his first time entering the Thriller World, a true newbie participant!
Back on Earth, John had seen news reports more than once. Some people had a lot of experience with the Thriller World, able to move between two different worlds, and they all possessed strength far beyond ordinary people.
For those experienced participants, the Thriller World wasn't a nightmare but a dream world that provided benefits at any time.
Newcomers like John, who have just entered this world, think every day about how to stay alive and return, living in constant fear.
Whereas those experienced participants have long found the knack and move freely between the Thriller World and the real world.
John sighed inwardly as the bus came to a stop.
"Blood Grudge Cemetery has been reached, the next stop is Hell Hotel, passengers getting off please prepare!"
The man in the suit stood up, and as he passed by John, he glanced down at him, smiled, and then got off the bus through the rear door.
"I've been spotted, huh."
John wasn't surprised.
This raincoat, as a ghost item, wasn't of a high level; any slightly powerful ghost or person could ignore the raincoat and see through John's true identity.
Over the next few stops, the passengers on the bus were gradually replaced.
Fortunately, none of these ghosts noticed John's identity as they passed by him.
Suddenly, John felt something tugging at the hood of his raincoat.
John quickly held down the hood and turned to see that it was the ghost infant of the woman. It was staring at John's raincoat with curiosity and reaching out to fiddle with it again!
"Be good, don't move around," the woman gently stroked the ghost infant's forehead, but she didn't seem to intend to stop it.
John pulled out the Bloodied Bone Mallet, and the black blood from the hammer dripped onto the seat.
"Control your child!"
John spoke in a low voice, his tone filled with murderous intent and ferocity.
The woman was startled, seemingly realizing that John was not to be trifled with, and quickly held down the ghost infant's hands and sat back down.
John let out a sigh of relief.
That was close.
He almost blew his cover!
John glanced at the bus stops; there were only two more before his destination.
His heart was racing, growing more and more uneasy.
The number of passengers on the bus was increasing, which meant his situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
The next stop arrived.
Suddenly, more than half of the passengers got off, and the crowded bus instantly became desolate.
John breathed a sigh of relief.
He would get off at the next stop.
He was almost safe...
Only one passenger got on, with wet hair dragging on the ground, skin pale and frightening, water dripping profusely from the body.
The floor of the bus was instantly soaked in a large area.
The ghost driver didn't care, closed the door, and started the bus.
"Water ghost," John observed the ghost, guessing it was likely drowned.
The water ghost didn't rush to find a seat but sniffed the air, and under the wet hair, a terrifying face revealed a chilling smile: "There's the scent of vermin!"
John's expression changed. He looked up sharply, and the water ghost's eyes were also fixed on him.
Its mouth split into a grin, eyes gleaming with intense greed, and a crimson tongue dripping with saliva!
He had been discovered!
John tensed up.
But the water ghost didn't expose John; instead, it found a seat to sit down, but those greedy eyes kept staring at John, as if afraid the prey would escape.
Five minutes later.
The bus came to a stop at the station, and John immediately stood up, ready to disembark.
The water ghost suddenly blocked John's path, sinisterly smiling, "Sit back down!"
John looked at him with icy eyes: "This is my stop."
"I told you to sit back down, you vermin. Can't you understand what I'm saying?"
The word 'vermin' caught the attention of the other passengers on the bus.
They began to look up, their gazes falling on John.
John's expression darkened; this water ghost clearly had no intention of letting him go.
Under the cover of his raincoat, John's fingers were tightly gripping the Bloodied Bone Mallet.
With his current strength, he wasn't afraid of the water ghost.
But if he were to strike at the water ghost on the bus, John's identity would undoubtedly be exposed.
The ghost driver also turned to look at John and the water ghost, then proceeded to close the rear door of the bus that had been open.
A few passengers became restless.
They vaguely guessed what was happening.
A vermin had infiltrated the bus!
"It looks like trouble."
As the atmosphere on the bus gradually became tense, John's face also turned increasingly grim.
The water ghost stared at John with a malevolent grin: "Vermin, I'll say it one more time, sit back down!"
John didn't move. If he chose to sit back down, not only would he miss his destination stop, but he also couldn't imagine what he would have to face afterward!
At this critical moment, the water ghost felt a tap on its shoulder and turned its head to stare at the dark figure behind it.
"He's mine," the shadow spoke expressionlessly.
"Yours? Do you have any proof?"
The water ghost sneered, but before it could finish speaking, the shadow suddenly raised its hand, fingers clamping onto the water ghost's face.
Sharp nails pierced into the water ghost's face, and black blood splattered.
Before the water ghost could resist, all the water in its body rapidly evaporated, steaming up in billows.
Then, terrifying flames ignited on its body, and the pale flesh visibly charred and blackened at a rapid pace.