Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

Outside the door was a street that had also faded in color, with a gray asphalt surface. The buildings were exactly the same, but now they all seemed to be soaked in a silent, flowing gray fog.

The most conspicuous thing is a bus stop sign that is almost rusted through, hanging on a crooked iron pole by the roadside.

On it, written in a crooked and illegible manner, in some kind of dark red ink that resembled dried blood—

"Third Station".

Lu Changsheng led Cheng Caijun to the bus stop and stopped.

"Brother Lu..." Cheng Caijun couldn't help but lean closer and ask, "What are we waiting for?"

"The car," Lu Changsheng said succinctly.

"car?"

Cheng Caijun was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant, his eyes widening, "A ghost bus?!"

Lu Changsheng didn't answer again, which was taken as tacit agreement. He tilted his ear slightly, as if listening to something in this deathly silence where even the sound of wind was scarce.

After an unknown amount of time, a sound finally came from the depths of the gray fog.

The sound came from afar and approached.

Two dim, yellowish headlights, like the pupils of a dying person, pierced through the thick gray fog.

A car slowly drove up.

It looked like an old-fashioned bus, but its entire body was a dull, dark red, as if it had been soaked in blood and dried for many years.

The vehicle was covered in scratches, dents, and rust. Several windows were shattered and haphazardly covered with dirty tape or wooden boards. The route sign on the roof was blurry, with only the words "public" and "vehicle" vaguely visible.

The bus drove extremely slowly, swaying and rattling, accompanied by a teeth-grinding, tooth-grinding groan that seemed as if it might fall apart at any moment, before finally stopping in front of the bus stop.

"laugh--"

A stream of air, carrying a strong smell of rust and a sweet, rotten stench, poured out from the gap in the car door.

Lu Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then handed Cheng Caijun a copper coin, gesturing for Cheng Caijun to get into the carriage first.

Cheng Caijun, his face pale and his legs weak, staggered onto the bus, one step at a time.

Lu Changsheng followed closely behind, but just as he stepped one foot onto the bus door step, leaning slightly forward in preparation to enter the carriage—

"Clang!!!"

A loud bang!

The rusty, seemingly sluggish car door suddenly slammed shut inwards with a speed completely out of character!

The heavy iron door slammed shut, almost grazing Lu Changsheng's nose, and the gust of cold wind it generated even ruffled his hair. If he hadn't reacted quickly and instinctively leaned back half a step, he probably would have been hit squarely in the face.

Immediately afterwards, the old, dark red bus, as if lashed by an invisible whip, shuddered violently. Its dull, sluggish engine emitted a near-piercing screech, and the wheels screeched and sparked against the gray pavement.

Then, like a startled wild beast, it suddenly accelerated and plunged into the thicker gray fog ahead. After a few shakes, it disappeared without a trace, leaving only a cloud of foul exhaust fumes that quickly dispersed.

The area beneath the bus stop has returned to its former emptiness, with only the silent flow of gray mist.

Lu Changsheng stood there stunned for a moment, then touched his nose.

But the next second, a red talisman appeared in his hand.

Meanwhile, inside that frantically fleeing dark red bus—

Cheng Caijun felt like he was about to die.

They didn't freeze to death; they were scared to death.

Just as the car door slammed shut, he was thrown backward like a rag tossed into a tumbler, his back slamming heavily against the hard, cold seat back, making him wince in pain.

Before he could catch his breath, an even more terrifying feeling gripped him.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Countless icy gazes, like tangible icicles, pierced him from every corner of the carriage!

Cheng Caijun stiffly and extremely slowly raised his head.

The old woman, wearing a floral-patterned jacket, stared at him with two hollow eyes. Her withered lips seemed to twitch upwards very slowly, revealing broken, charred teeth.

The middle-aged man in the blue uniform twisted his neck 180 degrees at an angle that no normal person could possibly do, turning his face completely backward and staring straight at Cheng Caijun, who had fallen to the ground.

Each "passenger" remained eerily still, their gazes fixed on Cheng Caijun, their eyes growing increasingly greedy.

The presence of living people stood out like torches in the darkness on this lifeless, ghostly bus.

He collapsed to the ground, too afraid to move, even holding his breath, his mind blank, filled only with boundless fear.

Lu Changsheng was locked outside, all alone on this ghost bus heading to an unknown destination, being watched by a whole bus full of ghosts...

Just then.

"Squeak—creak—"

A sharp, piercing screech of brakes suddenly came from outside the car!

The bus jolted violently, as if it had crashed into an invisible wall, and came to a screeching stop with a tooth-grinding groan!

Cheng Caijun slid off the ground and his head hit the metal leg of the front seat with a thud, his vision filled with stars.

Before he could even recover, something even more shocking happened.

The deathly silent yet greedy atmosphere inside the carriage suddenly changed!

All the cold gazes fixed on him seemed to be roughly pried open by an invisible hand, turning in unison towards the front of the car.

The ghost driver, who was sitting at the very front of the ghost bus, was so frightened that his head tilted to the side.

The half of its face visible beneath the brim of its hat was ashen and lifeless, but its cloudy, yellowish eyes were now filled with unbelievable horror and fear.

A figure was standing quietly in front of the bus, less than five meters away.

It was Lu Changsheng.

He was still wearing those ordinary clothes, but against the gray and desolate background and under the dim yellow light of the bus, his figure exuded an indescribable sense of solemnity and oppression.

Then, in the deathly silence, Lu Changsheng raised his right hand.

He bent his fingers, using his knuckles, and lightly but firmly touched the thick, rusted front bumper of the bus—

"Knock, knock, knock."

He knocked three times.

The sound wasn't loud, but it penetrated the barriers of the carriage with exceptional clarity, reaching the ears of every passenger.

"Open the door."

"Or, I can 'open' it for you."

The driver, Ghost, began to tremble uncontrollably in the driver's seat. His bluish-gray knuckles gripped the steering wheel so tightly they turned white and made a soft cracking sound.

Its cloudy eyes darted around wildly, and the next second it opened the bus door.

"laugh--"

The car door slid inward slowly and silently with an almost fawning, yet uncontrollably trembling speed.

The creaking sound from the door hinges became cautious, as if afraid of further angering the menacing figure outside.