Chapter 13 Fear Not, Phantom Exit

After the bus departed, the interior gradually quieted down. It was 7:45 p.m., and by this time, everyone was mostly tired. Some were leaning against their seats, scrolling through videos on their phones, while others were listening to music with headphones and closing their eyes to rest. Tan Yuxi and Fu Yingxue were different. They each took out a large bag of snacks from their pockets and started opening the packages.

"Here, have a piece of candy." Tan Yuxi opened a lollipop, lifted half of Xie Yizhi's mask, and casually stuffed it into his mouth.

"Hmm?" Xie Yizhi held the lollipop in his mouth. He thought it was just right. The air in the bus was not good, and his mouth felt bitter. Looking closely, he saw that both of them were drinking coffee at this hour. Were they not planning to sleep at night? Xie Yizhi glanced at Tan Yuxi. At this moment, they were both silent, quietly eating their snacks, and their expressions seemed a bit more serious.

They were on a mission, but the environment of being in a moving vehicle was likely to make people drowsy. So the method they came up with was to eat some snacks. Eating was the best way to keep them alert. Moreover, most importantly, during the process of eating, some of their actions would seem more natural, making it more convenient for them to observe the situation on the bus. However... they had bought way too many snacks! People who knew they were taking the bus would understand, but those who didn't might think they were going for a buffet. Each of them had a backpack filled with snacks, spicy and sour ones, all with strong flavors. They wanted to get excited and stay sharp! As a result, apart from the rumbling of the bus engine, all that could be heard was the "crunch crunch" sound of them eating in the back row.

As the bus drove into the mountain road, the streetlights became sparser, and the interior of the bus grew darker. Suddenly, there was a "whoosh" sound.

"What was that?" Tan Yuxi suddenly became alert and looked around. At this moment, her mind was completely on edge. This was her first mission, and she had to ensure its successful completion.

"We're entering a tunnel," Xie Yizhi reminded.

Tan Yuxi looked at the enclosed view outside the window and suddenly realized. She relaxed a little. Before coming, she had carefully studied the route. After passing through the tunnel, there was about five or six kilometers to Xiufeng Slope. There would be a road sign at Xiufeng Slope. She had to communicate with the driver immediately, identify herself, and ask him to make a temporary stop. Once Captain Zhang Qi and Consultant Yan arrived to pick them up, her and Fu Yingxue's mission would be completed.

Before Tan Yuxi could sit down properly, she heard a woman in the front row 发出痛苦的哼哼声. Tan Yuxi looked over and found that the woman was holding her big belly. She was probably a pregnant woman, and there was a four - or five - year - old boy sitting next to her, who should also be her child.

"Ah... Sigh..." The woman held her stomach, looking extremely painful, and swayed her body from side to side. She seemed to be quite far along in her pregnancy. It was unknown whether it was due to sitting in the bus for a long time that made her feel unwell. But at this moment, the passengers who were originally sleeping or playing with their phones in the bus were no longer asleep. Instead, they sat up straight, very stiffly, and the stiffness was a bit strange.

Seeing that there was a pregnant woman feeling uncomfortable and in great pain, there was no one around showing any concern. Even the child next to her was expressionless, sitting there on his own, looking ahead. He ignored his mother's twitching in pain beside him.

"How heartless," Tan Yuxi said indignantly as she stood up from her seat, holding a thermos filled with hot water in her hand. She quickly walked to the woman's side, wanting to see if there was anything she could do to help.

"Hello, are you okay? Do you feel very uncomfortable?"

"If it's serious, we have to go to the hospital," Tan Yuxi said in a low voice.

If she was really in severe pain, she needed to be taken to the hospital in a timely manner. There was no room for delay. The body of a pregnant woman was extremely fragile, and unexpected situations could easily occur. It had to be taken seriously. After exiting the tunnel later, they would find another way to send her to the hospital in a different vehicle.

The woman didn't answer Tan Yuxi's question immediately. Instead, she suddenly grabbed Tan Yuxi's arm tightly. The hot water in the open thermos splashed onto Tan Yuxi's hand, and her tiger's mouth instantly turned red. However, Tan Yuxi wasn't angry and continued, "Does it hurt a lot? Don't be afraid. Let's have a sip of hot water first."

After that, the woman still didn't reply. Instead, she slowly turned her head stiffly. Not only the woman, but her child also turned his head at the same time. In Tan Yuxi's field of vision, only two pale faces appeared in front of her. Even in such a dim light, their complexions were terrifyingly white. But when she first got on the bus, as Tan Yuxi walked from the front, she clearly didn't remember seeing these two faces.

During her time at the police academy, there were special courses to train them to remember people's faces. So when Tan Yuxi walked towards the back row earlier, she habitually took a look at the faces of the passengers on the bus and tried to remember them briefly. In such a short time, it was impossible for her to forget to the point of having no impression. Tan Yuxi was certain that the faces of this mother - son pair had never appeared in her memory.

"You... You guys..." Thinking of this, Tan Yuxi was already a bit flustered and subconsciously looked around to observe the reactions of the other passengers. But what came into her sight were other strange, pale faces, each expressionless. The previous painful screams of the woman hadn't attracted their attention. But at this moment, almost all the passengers on the bus were looking at Tan Yuxi, as if she was an alien.

This feeling of being stared at by dozens of people at the same time made Tan Yuxi's whole body shiver.

"Hehe... Does it not hurt anymore? If it doesn't hurt, I'll go back to my seat first," Tan Yuxi realized something was wrong, forced a smile, and tried to pull her hand back and escape. But the woman's hand was like an iron clamp. No matter how hard Tan Yuxi tried, she couldn't break free.

Looking at the woman's blood - shot eyes and the veins bulging on her pale face, her appearance was extremely strange. But Tan Yuxi just couldn't break free. Her heart was in her throat, and her body was shaking with fear. She really couldn't remember when the changes had occurred. Why did everyone on the bus seem so different from just now?

Suddenly, she looked towards the back seat of the bus. Fu Yingxue and Xie Yizhi, who should have been sitting there, were also gone. In their place were two faces she had never seen before. This feeling of being all alone was the most terrifying, even desperate.

"Oh no, am I going to die on my first mission..." Tan Yuxi said nervously.

She could clearly feel that the woman's grip on her hand was getting stronger and stronger, causing her great pain.

"Help! Ugh..." Tan Yuxi just tried to shout for help, hoping that the other cars in the tunnel could hear. But before her voice could fully carry, a hand covered her mouth. However, unlike the woman's cold hand that was holding her, the hand covering her mouth was warm. Then, Xie Yizhi's familiar voice rang in her ear, "Don't be afraid. I'll get you out of here."