Chapter 42: That doesn't sound like a request a normal person would make!

Since there was no money, the purpose of these 159 Chosen Ones standing up was to demand money.

Jones was an utterly ordinary Chosen One, and he was one of the 159 who had not received a tip.

After telling the driver that they would need to stop at a gas station later, Jones planned to head to the back of the bus to take a look.

He carefully avoided the hooded man, whom he perceived to be highly aggressive.

He first approached the passenger in the vest; after maintaining a certain distance, he asked if there was anything he could help with.

The passenger in the vest ignored him, preoccupied with looking at a menu.

Jones had suffered a setback right at the start, but he didn't lose heart; at least this person didn't seem aggressive. Being able to confirm that was a gain in itself.

Then, he walked toward the back rows.

The four normal passengers seemed uninterested in Jones and had no intention of chatting with him.

The old lady and the sister travelers were both willing to give tips, but they both presented Jones with a requirement.

The old lady's requirement was: [At the next stop, which is Joyful Graveyard, she needs the guide to get off the bus with her to help dig a grave, and then carry the 'person' inside the grave onto the bus].

If the guide agreed, she could give him a 200-yuan tip right now.

The sister travelers' requirement was simple and brutal: [Kill the other].

They pointed at each other; if the guide killed either the elder or the younger sister, the survivor would give the guide a 400-yuan tip.

Seeing this, Jones swallowed hard.

As expected, these requirements were not something a normal person would propose.

Jones was no fool; he knew Rule 4 stated: *Do not get off the bus before dark. The bus is your sanctuary; you are relatively safe inside.*

If that rule was correct, it was currently only 12:28, and it wasn't dark yet. Getting off the bus would definitely be dangerous.

Furthermore, going to a graveyard to dig a grave didn't sound like a good thing at all.

Was this old lady trying to trick him into getting off the bus so she could finish him off?

But if he didn't agree to the old lady, the sisters' request was somewhat outrageous.

Jones was a relatively normal person; even if the sisters looked strange, they still seemed like "people."

How could he bring himself to kill one of them? Even if he gritted his teeth and did it, how he would manage the kill was a problem in itself.

Just as Jones was hesitating, the bus came to a stop.

Visibility in the surroundings was very low, but a gas station could be faintly seen by the roadside. The station had only one employee and looked exceptionally desolate. The employee maintained a smile at all times; in such an eerie and terrifying place, that smile looked quite frightening.

With no other choice, Jones could only brace himself and agree to the old lady's request first. He would take the 200 yuan to solve his immediate crisis.

As for whether he would go to the graveyard, there would likely be some so-called "clues" along the way.

Because the "onboard radio" mentioned in Rule 8 had not played at all.

With no other options, Jones could only take a gamble.

He did not get off the bus; instead, he opened the window and handed the money to the gas station employee. Only then did the employee begin to fuel the bus with a gas nozzle.

Even as the fuel overflowed from the tank and spilled onto the employee's clothes, he maintained his smile and did not move an inch.

Everything looked incredibly bizarre to Jones, but the other passengers seemed used to it and didn't find anything strange.

It wasn't until the 200 yuan worth of fuel was topped off that the gas station worker pulled the nozzle out of the bus's tank.

By this time, a dark puddle of oil had formed on the ground, and the worker's clothes had turned from blue to black.

Seeing so much oil leaking, Jones felt a pang of heartache.

He wasn't aching for the oil, but for his money.

If he had known, he would have only given 100 yuan. Why give 200 for no reason?

The rule only said to "fill it up"—filling it a little bit is still filling it up!

Maybe 50 yuan would have sufficed.

The rules didn't say there was only one gas station; what if there was another one later?

If so, wouldn't he have to kill one of the twins?

Many Chosen Ones, like Jones, only realized this after giving the money away.

But it was too late for regrets now; it wasn't as if they dared to get off and snatch it back.

During this brief refueling period, the driver seemed to have fallen asleep again. Once the fueling was done, Jones woke the driver, and the bus continued forward.

Most Chosen Ones shared similar thoughts with Jones.

As humans, they faced a choice between long-term pain and short-term pain.

Regarding the request to dig a grave at the next stop, that belonged to the "future." Most people had a "deal with it when the time comes" mentality, thinking there might be a way to solve it.

Regarding the request to kill one of the sisters face-to-face, that belonged to the "present." Acting against the sisters required an immediate decision, and a wrong choice could lead to being killed in return.

Who said sisters lacked combat power?

Perhaps neither was dangerous, perhaps both were, or perhaps only one was a supernatural entity.

This was the world of urban legends; without reliable intelligence, any wrong choice could lead to instant death.

Therefore, when faced with the choice between long-term and short-term pain, the Chosen Ones would avoid immediate danger to challenge future danger.

Because at the very least, that allowed them to live a little longer.

Before refueling, Saburo Mitarai from Japan took a glance at the fuel gauge in front of the driver.

Estimating that 50 yuan would be enough to fill it, he gave 60 yuan.

The extra 10 yuan was to ensure he didn't violate Rule 7 regarding "filling it up," making sure the tank would "overflow."

It could be said that from the moment he boarded the bus until now, all of Saburo Mitarai's judgments had been nearly "standard answers," leaving expert groups from many countries in awe.

How could someone understand the rules so precisely under such a bizarre and terrifying atmosphere?

It required extremely high judgment and a calm mind.

Thus, the expert groups from various countries reached a conclusion: Saburo Mitarai was the most intelligent person among this round of Chosen Ones.

The expert group from the United States reached a different conclusion: They should give this guy a Green Card; he must come to America.

America needed talents like him.

And because of his outstanding performance, Saburo Mitarai's support rating remained firmly in first place.

The audience in China didn't care about support ratings; they just wanted to see what Master Zhang would do.

Inside the urban legend world, after seeing the message on his phone, Zhang Yangqing stood up, adjusted his loudspeaker, and began testing the volume.

So far, he was the first Chosen One brave enough to use a loudspeaker.

Other Chosen Ones were afraid of disturbing the passengers, so they didn't dare use one.

But for Zhang Yangqing, fear? Who was afraid of whom?

After adjusting the loudspeaker, Zhang Yangqing brought the microphone to his lips and spoke in a voice loud enough for all passengers to hear

"Passengers, welcome to this tour group. As your guide, I must say a few words. Everyone is here for travel, and isn't travel just about spending money? You should spend what you need to spend. Money is something you can't take with you when you die, so the bus is about to refuel; everyone, please pool your money together and give it to me first."

As he spoke, Zhang Yangqing walked to where the hooded passenger was sitting, as he was the closest to him.

The hooded passenger was disdainful. He had no intention of giving a tip from the moment he boarded. Now you're begging me for money? What about when you hit me just now?

The other passengers also didn't seem to take Zhang Yangqing's words seriously. *You actually dare to collect money from our group of supernatural passengers?*

Seeing that the hooded passenger ignored him, Zhang Yangqing didn't indulge him.

He delivered a direct, heavy slap to the man's face. Even though the man tried to defend himself, he was still hit so hard he saw stars; he couldn't dodge it, and he couldn't block it.

At this moment, the hooded passenger clutched his face, looking up at Zhang Yangqing in shock.

*I was going to attack you just now, and I'll accept the beating. But now I'm not giving money and you still hit me? Aren't you a corrupt guide! This is robbery! I'm going to report you!*

Zhang Yangqing didn't care how miserable his expression looked. *You got on my bus and now you want to argue logic with me? If you don't give money, I'll keep hitting you until you do.*

To put it nicely, I'm just asking you to pool money for fuel; to put it bluntly, I'm just robbing you, so what are you going to do about it?

I'm just playing the role of a "qualified" guide.

Isn't the profession of a guide just...

(End of Chapter)