Chapter 40: It might not be me who is powerless, but you!

[Rule 7: When passing a gas station, you must refuel this vehicle to full, even if the tank is already full.]

[Rule 8: If the vehicle's radio starts automatically, please listen carefully; there may be news within that can assist you.]

[Rule 9: If a passenger's emotions become unstable, please play the songs they wish to hear to soothe their mood.]

[Rule 10: If you notice the driver deviating from the route, please remind him promptly; this concerns your life.]

[Rule 11: Do not expose your neck in close proximity to the passengers.]

[Rule 12: Upon reaching the destination, ensure no passengers are left behind on the bus, as they may be of assistance to you.]

[Rule 13: The driver is prone to drowsiness; please wake him politely to avoid startling him.]

[Rule 14: If you lose all passengers, you will be stripped of your tour guide qualification and fail the level.]

When they saw the first rule, Rule 7, many people were stunned.

Everyone knew that refueling required money.

The rule stated that regardless of whether the tank was full or not, it had to be filled to capacity, making refueling a necessity.

Without fuel, it would be impossible to drive the bus to its destination.

If they couldn't reach the destination, it would be no different from waiting for death.

The Chosen One checked his pockets, confirmed he had no money, and asked his little assistant; she didn't have any money either.

In other words, the money needed for refueling was the tips.

So, the trap was right here from the very beginning.

Among the remaining 199 Chosen Ones, 39 had chosen to take tips, while 159 had chosen to refuse them.

Only Saburo Mitarai chose to take tips selectively.

This meant the current situation for those 159 Chosen Ones was extremely dangerous if they had no money to refuel.

Therefore, the current remedial plan was to find ways to solicit tips from the passengers.

As long as they didn't violate any fatal rules, there was still a way to fix the situation.

The 39 who took the tips would not let their guard down either; they had the money to refuel, but they would have to face the passengers' demands.

The strange creatures on this bus certainly wouldn't make normal requests; it would be a matter of seeing what they asked for and then finding ways to deal with it.

It gave off the feeling of being the meat while others held the knife.

It was an unpleasant feeling—once you boarded this bus, you were no longer in control of your own fate.

One had to be extremely cautious; a single slip-up could mean death.

Only Saburo Mitarai wore an expression of absolute confidence, as if he had anticipated this all along.

He always maintained a calm and composed demeanor. According to Zhang Yangqing, all fear stems from insufficient firepower.

Saburo Mitarai did not possess Zhang Yangqing's heaven-defying abilities, but his physical skills were among the top tier of the Chosen Ones.

At 32 years old, he insisted on daily fitness training.

That was his foundation.

Next was intelligence; the information he had deduced in this Weird Tale World was already among the best.

If the puzzle of this Weird Tale World were 100%, Saburo Mitarai had already solved 30%.

In this short amount of time, normal Chosen Ones had only solved about 5%, and even the clever ones had only reached 10%.

His ability to make such efficient judgments was the source of his confidence.

As for the heaven-defying fellow Zhang Yangqing, he had already solved 51%.

Without Zhang Yangqing's existence, Saburo Mitarai could be considered in a league of his own, with everyone else in a second tier.

But with Zhang Yangqing here, Saburo Mitarai could only be considered "second-tier elite," with everyone else in the third tier.

However, based on current performance, Saburo Mitarai's popularity was higher than Zhang Yangqing's.

Because the two choices Zhang Yangqing had made were similar to what the masses would do, many people felt he hadn't understood the rules. Everyone believed that truth is always held by the minority.

But Zhang Yangqing's subsequent performance showed them what it meant to say: "It's not that I didn't understand, it's that only I can choose this way!"

Because in Zhang Yangqing's view, the only truly useful rule was Rule 14—that you cannot lose all passengers. That was a death rule.

As for the other rules, don't bother asking how I interpret them.

Jones, a Chosen One from the Land of Kangaroos, was one of the unlucky souls selected by the Weird Tale World this time.

In reality, Jones was a homeless man who usually lived in a tent near a park.

If it were a survival-type Weird Tale dungeon, he might have been somewhat skilled.

But being a tour guide on a bus made him quite anxious.

Compared to the "famous figures" in the top ten for popularity, he was the most average type.

He was even more nervous than the beautiful little assistant beside him.

Just as Jones was considering how to ask for tips, a drop of foul-smelling saliva landed on his neck, instantly snapping his nerves taut and making him leap from his seat.

Jones looked back. The hooded passenger had sat down in the seat behind him at some unknown moment without making a single sound.

At this moment, the hooded passenger seemed to have just removed his mask, revealing those "sharp" fangs.

His teeth were strange; it seemed his lips couldn't even cover them, leaving the serrated teeth exposed.

They looked like sharp razors; one bite could decapitate a Chosen One.

This terrified Jones immensely. He felt that if he had reacted any slower, his journey would have ended before it even began.

Because Rule 11 stated: Do not expose your neck in close proximity to the passengers.

Initially, he had interpreted it as not bringing his neck close to the passengers when interacting with them.

Since he had no intention of approaching the passengers, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Who knew that the passengers could also move, and move so silently?

Seeing Jones watching him warily, the hooded passenger put his mask back on and sat in his seat, showing no intention of continuing the attack.

Seeing this, Jones finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed their rule was that they could attack the guide's neck, but once discovered, they could not continue the attack.

Thinking of this, Jones didn't dare sit with his back to them again; he preferred to stand while gripping the handrail rather than giving the passengers an opportunity.

Jones's reaction was relatively fast. Ten other unlucky souls, either due to lack of focus or being too focused on how to get tips, were attacked by the hooded passenger, and their screens went black immediately.

During this time, many others had shrunk back like turtles in fear, but fortunately, as long as they tucked their heads in, they were fine.

Saburo Mitarai from Japan was not attacked because he kept his back against the seat behind him, pulled his collar up to completely cover his neck, and had even adjusted the bus's rearview mirror upon boarding to reasonably use it to observe everything behind him, leaving no opportunity for the passengers.

His performance once again made the Japanese audience cheer. This was a detective who interpreted the rules perfectly!

He was even more powerful than that "Muscle Doctor" from the Eagle Nation.

This was a detail that ninety-nine percent of the Chosen Ones had failed to notice.

The Japanese expert group felt that as long as Saburo Mitarai could clear the level, his evaluation would be no less than SS.

Whenever a Chosen One encountered danger, everyone would instinctively turn the big screen toward the Dragon Nation side, wanting to see how the Dragon Nation's Chosen One would operate.

The Japanese audience even hoped that the Dragon Nation's Chosen One would be eliminated in this round.

But Zhang Yangqing disappointed them.

The hooded passenger's movements were incredibly eerie and light; most Chosen Ones could not detect them.

Others only realized it when the hooded passenger revealed his fangs nearby.

The moment the hooded passenger silently sat down behind him, Zhang Yangqing suddenly stood up and looked at him.

This left the hooded passenger completely bewildered. *How was I discovered?*

The answer he received was not an explanation, but a resounding slap from Zhang Yangqing that echoed through the bus.

*Slap!*

The hooded passenger felt a momentary daze from the blow.

The immense force made him feel as if his skull were about to shatter, and three or four of his teeth were knocked out.

*And I didn't even do anything! Why did you hit me?*

Before he could get angry, a voice made his heart tremble.

"You think you're special, don't you? Get back!"

When the other Chosen Ones boarded the bus, it was like sheep entering a tiger's den; they were helpless, and their fates were in the hands of the other passengers.

Zhang Yangqing felt: *Do I even need a reason to hit you?*

Since you've boarded my (black) bus, you are the ones who are helpless!

Hearing Zhang Yangqing's words, the Dragon Nation audience began to get excited, because they knew—the Great Celestial Master was finally starting!