I wanted to ask about her situation. Watching the flames rising steadily and hearing those heart-wrenching cries, my eyes grew hazy, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't take a single step forward.
"Is she burning joss paper on the street because her family died on this road?"
"Or maybe workers from Miyun Mansion who died here in an accident?"
"Crying that painfully—it must be a close family member who passed away."
My mind was suddenly flooded with strange thoughts. The firelight dimmed as the bag of paper money quickly burned out.
"Sir, is this the Route 14 bus stop?" A voice suddenly came from behind.
Startled, I turned around. It was a girl with a backpack.
She looked about twelve or thirteen, probably not yet in middle school.
"Yes, this is the Route 14 bus stop."
"Oh, thanks." She smiled sweetly and stood next to me.
I was puzzled. When I looked back toward the opposite side of the road, the old woman was gone, leaving only the glowing embers of the burnt paper money on the asphalt.
"Gone already?" I didn't even realize when the old lady left; it felt like only a moment had passed.
"Gone where?" The girl beside me shook her ponytails and glanced at me.
"Nothing. Just an old lady I didn't know." I dusted off my pants and stood up, eyeing the girl out of the corner of my eye.
She was about 150 cm tall, fresh and youthful, dressed adorably—like a flower about to bloom, eager to show her best side to everyone.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Liu Yiyi."
"Why are you at the bus stop so late at night instead of being home?" I was a bit worried. The girl was pretty and wearing light makeup, looking innocent and charming. What if something bad happened to her?
She didn't answer directly but kicked some gravel by the roadside and asked back, "Then why aren't you going home either? Why are you waiting for the bus here?"
This sharp little girl actually stumped me: "Go home soon. See, there's not a single streetlight for hundreds of meters around."
"I'm not going back. I'm waiting for the bus."
"What bus? Didn't you see what the sign says clearly? The last bus left at 9:30 p.m. It's long out of service. Where are you going? If you want, I can give you money for a taxi."
"My mom said never take anything from strangers." The girl's two ponytails bobbed behind her head. She looked principled and interesting.
"Your mom probably also told you not to run around at night. Go home quick, don't make her worry."
The girl lowered her head, then said after a while: "My mom isn't home. I'm going to find her."
She was stubborn. I couldn't persuade her, so I decided to wait with her.
"Do you think the Route 14 bus will come?" After a pause, the girl blinked at me with big, pitiful eyes.
"It will." Actually, I really hoped it wouldn't. I'd rather stand here by the road all night than take that frequently late last bus.
Around one o'clock, sitting on the curb, nearly dozing off, two yellowish-green headlights pierced the dark along the bumpy road ahead.
"Route 14's coming!"
The bus moved slowly; it took five minutes from seeing the lights until it pulled up and stopped.
"Ding dong! Miyun Mansion has arrived. Please take care of your belongings, exit from the rear door, and watch your step."
"Vehicle entering station. Pedestrians and vehicles please beware. Route 14 unmanned fare bus. Please board from the front door and pay 1 yuan. No change given on board."
The familiar announcements reached my ears. My sleepiness vanished instantly, and I jolted awake.
"No way, it's one a.m. and Route 14 is still running? And there are quite a few passengers on board? Could the rumors be true?" Miyun Mansion was wrapped in dense darkness, the only light coming from the Route 14 bus's headlights.
Both front and rear doors of the bus opened. I stopped Liu Yiyi, who was ready to board with a one-yuan bill, and gestured for her to wait.
Shortly after, an old man got off from the rear door. Though it wasn't yet autumn, he wore thick cotton clothes and a scarf around his neck. He looked seriously ill, but his pace was quick. In a blink, he crossed to the other side of the road and stood next to the pile of burnt paper money.
I was about to get a closer look when Yiyi shook off my hand and boarded the bus by herself.
No choice—I took out a one-yuan coin and got on through the front door.
This was a decrepit old "Minsheng" bus, barely operable by manual lever start. The wipers were broken, and inside the bus was a patchy mess with a strange odor.
Though there was no obvious trash on the floor, the paint was peeling badly, and all the seats were wooden, making it feel like sitting on coffin lids—very uncomfortable.
"The vehicle is starting. Please sit tight and hold on. Welcome aboard Route 14 unmanned fare bus. Please prepare exact fare of 1 yuan. Passengers please move toward the rear door. Next stop: En Village."
I didn't sit immediately but took the chance to scrutinize every passenger.
The driver was a young man, younger than me. He wore the transport company uniform, eyes fixed on the wheel, forehead dripping sweat.
"Is it really that hot, or is he sweating from fear?"
His work ID was worn inside out, with the photo side hidden, so no info could be seen.
I took my time, and he didn't rush me—too polite for someone his age.
Right behind the driver, Liu Yiyi took off her backpack and made a face at me.
Several seats away was a middle-aged woman dressed plainly, like she had just finished a dance in the public square and was heading home.
"At one a.m., someone her age should be asleep. Where could she be going on Route 14?"
Behind the woman was a quarrelsome couple in their early twenties. The girl clung to the guy, unwilling to let go, but the guy frowned and looked annoyed.
Across the aisle sat a patient, or rather a strange man wearing a hospital gown with his head bandaged.
He was about forty, pale, muttering to himself, and his leg closest to the aisle twitched uncontrollably.
"No matter how I look at him, he doesn't seem normal. But somehow, he feels the most 'normal' on this bus." Two different meanings of "normal" crossed my mind.
Near the back, second-to-last row sat a girl about Yiyi's age, eyes swollen from crying, clutching a backpack.
"Two girls?" I recalled the call during The Netherworld Live Show's mission: a woman had said, "Promise me—don't let my daughter get on! Promise me!"
"Which one is your daughter?" The Netherworld Live Show missions were never simple. I had too few clues, so I let things unfold naturally.
In the last row, by the window, sat a heavily made-up woman with large curls, dressed like a hostess at a karaoke bar.
Next to her was a woman wearing a red cloak whose hair completely covered her face and who leaned against the first woman. Strangely, the heavily made-up woman ignored her completely, focusing on her phone.
"What kind of pairing is this?" I looked away and sat down in the empty seat behind Liu Yiyi.
"Uncle, where are you getting off?" Liu Yiyi's voice was very clear in the quiet bus.
"Don't talk. Don't move. Get off quickly when we arrive, okay?" I whispered back, wondering silently, "Can't this girl see how weird everyone here is?"
Just as the driver was about to move, the half-closed door was grabbed from outside.
"Finally made it! Hurry up!" Three workers wearing helmets boarded. Their clothes were stained with paint and their shoes caked with mud. After paying the fare, they slung their arms around each other and found seats.
"Wait, Miyun Mansion has been under construction for years—how are there still workers at this late hour?" They smelled of alcohol, faces flushed. Probably local farmers hired for repairs.
"Do ghosts drink too?" I shook my head.
Once the three settled, the door closed, and Route 14 slowly pulled away.
My third terrifying livestream had officially begun.
"The engine's on. Roads are clear. Heading north. None of Liu the Blind's three warnings followed. I'm disobeying them all." I smiled bitterly and looked out the window.
The wind scattered the ashes of burnt paper along the roadside.
The scarf-wrapped old man was gone, but I vaguely saw an iron basin with a black-and-white framed photo inside.
The old man in the photo seemed to be smiling at me.