Trembling in the Skies

Chapter 41: A Fleeting Passenger

The bus continued on its way, heading toward the next stop. The streetscape outside the window grew increasingly desolate. “Why didn’t he do anything on the bus just now? I thought he was going to do something,” the young girl whispered to the office worker. “Like… jamming the door shut so no one could get off?” the office worker whispered back to the girl. “Once you get off, you’re supposed to run away, right? Why just sit there and wait to die? Or maybe get off, say your seat’s still on the bus, and use that as an excuse to get back on—that should work, shouldn’t it?” “Here’s what I think: the ghost can’t kill anyone while she’s in the car. Once she’s sealed away, she’s just like an ordinary person. We could beat her to a pulp, break her limbs, and then chain her to one spot. Aside from her being a little crazy, none of us would let her go. Once we pass the first stop, he can get off the bus and run away safely, right?” The office worker and the teenage girl continued their discussion. “Hmm, use a barstool to pin the ghost to her seat so she can’t get off the bus.” “It’s also possible… given that he’s a lighting technician, maybe light repels ghosts or something. Or, after getting off the bus, if she stands on a stool with her feet off the ground, that wouldn’t count as getting off. Or she could step on a stool, climb onto the roof, and escape directly. I don’t understand why he didn’t try any of these methods.” “Yeah, once he’s on the bus, he could have sabotaged it or threatened the driver to make sure the bus couldn’t reach the first stop within an hour—that would’ve finished off the ghost. I don’t know why he didn’t try that either.” “The ghost’s powers are sealed while on the bus. I think if you just kill the ghost while it’s on the bus, wouldn’t that mean you win? Of course, I’m not sure if that’s actually possible.” The discussion between the female office worker and the teenage girl was getting more and more heated. “How naive do you have to be to think that? On set, you’re not allowed to attack other actors unless it’s part of the script, let alone the driver or other crew members. How could the director possibly let him do something that would ruin the plot?” The woman in sunglasses sitting in the back seat couldn’t stand it anymore and couldn’t help but interrupt their discussion. Given these two’s IQ, if it weren’t for sheer luck, they would’ve turned into wax figures long ago. But it wasn’t surprising—these people were just ordinary folks in the real world. Suddenly being dragged to a place like this, their intelligence wasn’t going to skyrocket overnight. “We’re just discussing it casually—we don’t necessarily think it’s feasible. It just seems strange that he’d do nothing, get off the bus, and sit at the station waiting to die,” the female office worker explained to the woman in sunglasses. “It’s precisely because he knows there’s no point in doing anything that he’s doing nothing,” the woman in sunglasses offered her guess. “Has he just given up like that? Sigh…” the office worker sighed. “No way! He’ll definitely find a way to turn the tables and win!” Gao Fei chimed in. “Hahahaha…” The pretty-boy burst out laughing, clearly dismissing Gao Fei’s suggestion. He didn’t even bother to argue, content instead with a mocking burst of laughter. “Ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh. He won’t escape tonight’s fate—you know that deep down, so stop fooling yourself!” The man in glasses spoke up on behalf of the fair-faced young man, hurling a few sarcastic remarks at Gao Fei. As soon as the bespectacled man finished speaking, the car suddenly fell silent. “Ghost has successfully killed the target. This take is wrapped!” Everyone heard the director’s voice in their ears. “Hahahaha…” The pretty-boy burst into laughter again; his laughter sounded like a metal spoon scraping against a porcelain bowl—it was quite grating. “Congratulations, congratulations,” the guy with glasses said to the pretty-boy. “Damn it!” Gao Fei cursed. How long had the bus even been on the road? Five minutes? And Li Teng was already killed? It looked like he’d really given up on his own—otherwise, it couldn’t have happened this fast. There’s no way he should just sit there and wait to die! Even if he can’t escape, he should at least try his best! Since filming was over, there was no point in the bus continuing on to the next stop. So the driver made a U-turn and headed back the way they’d come. Five minutes later, as the bus passed the first stop—the one where Li Teng and Guo’s mother had gotten off—everyone gathered at the windows and looked over at the platform where Li Teng had gotten off earlier. The bus stop was a complete mess. The lightbox There was also a large pool of fresh blood on the ground. It looked as though a fierce struggle had taken place here. Or perhaps… a brutal murder. I dare not imagine what Li Teng went through before he died. It certainly couldn’t have been pleasant. Guo’s mother wouldn’t have killed him so easily; she must have tortured him for a few minutes before finishing him off. It’s possible Guo’s mother wanted to torture Li Teng for even longer before killing him, but Li Teng’s big mouth… could drive a person to their grave just by talking. Guo’s mother didn’t want to be driven to her grave by him, so she couldn’t hold back and quickly killed him. “Poor guy. He sure had a way with words—he could make black look white and the dead look alive. Too bad he couldn’t talk his way out of this one.” The man in glasses clicked his tongue a few times; anyone could tell he was in a very good mood right now. With Li Teng around, the man in glasses certainly hadn’t had an easy time on set. Now that Li Teng was dead, the rest of the crew posed no threat to him. “Will we ever see him again?” the girl asked, sounding a bit downcast. In less than an hour, they’d seen both the old woman and Li Teng pass away. Life is unpredictable, and the world is full of surprises; life is so fragile and fleeting. “He’ll probably come back to say goodbye to us,” the office worker whispered to the young girl. “What a shame. He must have been a really interesting person in real life,” the woman in sunglasses remarked about Li Teng. “He was a man who drew a clear line between right and wrong—a very wise man, but one born in the wrong era,” Gao Fei offered a brief summary of the Li Teng he had known. “The elderly lady is a very thoughtful person; she spoke very highly of him. I really didn’t expect this…” The office worker was referring to the refined elderly woman. Although that refined elderly woman had spoken very highly of Li Teng, no one could have anticipated that, the moment her words had fallen, Li Teng would have followed her in death. No matter how profound the impression he left on them, he was, after all, merely a fleeting passerby who would soon fade from their memories. The departed have gone, but the living must continue to press on through hardship. Returning to the original station and passing through that alley, the group found themselves back in front of the café, gathered around the coffee table. The pretty-boy and the guy with glasses pulled their bar stools away to sit apart, chatting and laughing. The guy with glasses fawned over the pretty-boy in every way, then took the opportunity to ask him a few questions; the pretty-boy mostly gave half-answers, keeping the guy with glasses hanging. The bespectacled man seemed determined to align himself with Guo’s mother and the fair-faced young man, and the fair-faced young man was also willing to take this young sidekick under his wing. The others looked dejected and remained silent. The production crew remains constant, but the actors come and go. In every production, some actors leave, and new ones join. The end of every old story marks the beginning of a new one. Life isn’t a web novel; it doesn’t have just one fixed protagonist. For this production team, no one is the protagonist forever. At least not those who have passed away. Ten minutes later. Li Teng appeared at the street corner and walked toward them with a dejected look on his face. Seeing Li Teng like this, the women felt a strange pang of sympathy. Ever since they’d known Li Teng, they’d never seen him look so dejected. He usually kept a calm demeanor, occasionally cracking dry jokes through his performance art. Then, he’d sneak a sip of coffee or play pranks on people who had it in for him, bringing everyone a bit of unconventional fun. All in all, he should be a happy person—he shouldn’t be so down.