Excessive ferocity due to caution

The outskirts, the wilderness.

A bus was driving steadily down a wide street, its body covered in graffiti of ghost faces and some brand-new posters that read:

[Thorns Paranormal Society - Uncovering the Secrets Hidden Behind the World!]

Next to it are seven stick figures scattered and running away, about to be swallowed by a ghost face.

The stick figure's body is drawn very roughly, but its terrified expression is drawn very vividly.

The bus had two levels, and a chattering sound could be heard coming from it.

Some people were snacking and chatting, while others were humming songs.

"Young Master Wu, that bus you bought is really amazing! Not only can it go over mountains and off-road, but it can also be charged by solar power and can even collect rainwater and filter it into drinking water... No wonder you're the rich second-generation of our gang!"

"Hey! Fang Detong, we're all from the same gang, why are you saying this... Holy crap, where the hell are you filming this live stream? Turn it around!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!!"

Seeing Fang Detong, who was live-streaming on his phone, approaching, the rich second-generation Wu Dading quickly kicked his fat butt and sent him flying!

Fang Detong moved his phone away, glanced back at Wu Dading and the pretty girl squatting in front of him working, his eyes revealing envy and jealousy, but he still chuckled and went to the lower level of the car.

He said to the viewers in the live stream on his phone:

"Sorry guys, this is Young Master Wu's car. That was paid content, so we won't watch it."

"We're almost at the infamous haunted site, 'Twilight Manor.' I heard many people have disappeared there, and the city police have blocked all the roads leading there. We had to go to great lengths to get around those long-winded police officers..."

"Let's hope they don't let us down!"

"Alright, guys, my phone's dead. Going to charge it. See you at midnight tonight!"

He turned off the live stream, casually picked up a bag of Lego potato chips, tore open the seal, and smiled at President Jing Qingdong in the driver's seat:

"President Jing, approximately how much time do we have left?"

Jing Qingdong glanced at the navigation and replied:

"There's about half an hour left."

"By the way, the place you chose this time is really eerie. I've read a lot of reports, all of which were posted by the official authorities. It's different from other places we've explored before."

"Twilight Manor doesn't seem to be much of a gimmick..."

Fang Detong chewed some potato chips, making a crunching sound, and said in a mischievous tone:

"President...you're not scared, are you?"

Jing Qingdong didn't answer. He opened the window and let the cold wind blow in.

Fang Detong waved his hand, chewing on potato chips, and mumbled something to Jing Qingdong, who was driving:

"It's nothing serious, President."

"Our team isn't all ordinary people. Besides you, little sister Shen Youyu has the blood of a priestess, brother Tang Yiwei has heterochromia, and you also have special abilities, don't you?"

"If we encounter any danger, we'll consider it an expedition to vanquish demons!"

Fang Detong seemed quite confident in the three men's abilities, his face showing complete indifference.

As members of the Thorn Paranormal Society, this wasn't their first time going on an adventure together. In the past, they had encountered some places with real "dirty things" at other famous paranormal sites, but in the end, these dirty things were subdued by special members of the society.

Fang Detong had witnessed Shen Youyu and Tang Yiwei's abilities firsthand, so he wasn't worried.

He finished a bag of potato chips, opened the car door, and casually tossed the bag out of the window. The strong, cold wind blew the trash far away, and the people speeding past in the cars didn't notice that the bag didn't land; instead, it drifted further and further away...

...

Boom!

A deafening sound rang out, startling everyone on the bus!

Fang Detong, who was half asleep, was suddenly awakened. He shuddered, his heart pounded, and his blood flow accelerated!

"What happened?"

He asked loudly.

"It's thundering, it's going to rain."

Sitting in the driver's seat, Jing Qingdong lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of white smoke towards the window.

The people in the car all knew he liked to smoke, and there wasn't much of a problem with it.

As soon as the thunder stopped, large raindrops began to fall directly from the clouds!

Da da—

A sound as intense as gunfire erupted, and a torrential downpour, accompanied by a hurricane, quickly turned the already past dusk into a terrifyingly gloomy sky...

"Grass!"

"Before we came, the weather forecast said there wouldn't be any rain here!"

Fang Detong cursed and swore.

"Are all those people at the weather bureau... just sitting around doing nothing?"

"The weather forecast is so inaccurate!"

The rain outside the car window, accompanied by a strong wind, splattered onto his face, feeling icy cold. Fang Detong quickly rolled up the window.

"I have a bad feeling..."

In the car, Shen Youyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

She is cute and petite, an important member of the club, and a veteran member.

She possesses witch blood and is able to use various spells.

In the past, whenever the club decided to go on an adventure, they always liked to take her along.

As soon as Shen Youyu finished speaking, the others quickly turned to look at her, their eyes filled with doubt.

"What's wrong?"

Fang Detong asked.

Shen Youyu was silent for a moment, then said:

"have no idea……"

Despite the wind and rain, she leaned out of the window, gazing at the hazy manor hidden in the darkness in the distance, her eyes filled with solemnity.

"I feel terrible."

The bespectacled, frail-looking man in front of her, Tang Yiwei, also said:

"I have to say something that might spoil the mood...maybe we should go back now."

Fang Detong said anxiously:

"No!"

"If I go back now, wouldn't I be leaving tens of thousands of viewers in the live stream behind?"

"Those are all potential members of our club!"

"Besides, our club is counting on making a fortune around this time next year. If you guys back out halfway, all the preparations we've done will have been for nothing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a weak, aching voice came from upstairs:

"That's right!"

"We can't give up halfway!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

Wu Dading came down, pulling up his pants.

"I've put in so much effort, using half a month's allowance on this expedition, and you're just going to turn back now?"

"So how should this money be calculated?"

"Who's going to compensate me?"

As Wu Dading spoke, he sat down, patted his waist with both hands, took out a small box from his pocket, poured out a small blue pill, and put it into his mouth.

After taking the pill, he felt much better.

Everyone remained silent. Jing Qingdong, having finished his cigarette, stuffed the butt into the ashtray in the driver's seat and said:

"Let's go then..."

"Let's go take a look..."

He accelerated, the bus speeding through the rain-soaked streets, heading towards the distant, hazy manor.

The red graffiti on the car body was washed away by the rain, turning it into an eerie shape, dripping down the body like blood...

PS: This is the first update. This instance is relatively short, and the perspective is rather strange, as it's mostly written from a third-person point of view. I hope this attempt won't be a disaster.

I'll write the second update right after I finish eating.