Chapter 157 - Two

The words of the girl didn't confuse Ruan Jin. If a hungry ghost then decided to eat everything in this bus, the driver could only report the incident to the higher-ups. It's not really safe to do this. Then again, perhaps this was one of the tests they had instated. Besides, dying on the pseudo-first day wouldn't be giving them any benefit.

Song Qixi then climbed up after seeing that everyone was inside. He swept his eyes across and spotted the tagged participants. He then spoke, "This is going to be a two-hour trip. Try not to get eaten. Remember, you have to survive the night if you want to get paid for your sacrifice."

The people started twitching, and Ruan Jin only pouted his lips. Their bus was the first to leave. They would be brought to the facility in broad daylight to force some spirits to sleep. Ye Ling was awake at any time, and the ones inside the girl next to Ruan Jin seemed to be asleep. There was no harm in traveling with them for now.

At the Moses bus, Li Feng carried Chuan Nayi in his arms. The driver secured the folding wheelchair at a slot for its kind before going back to his seat. Some people already started eyeing Chuan Nayi. What part of the crippled woman was 'in good health'? Moreover, that awfully handsome man was an acquaintance of the speaker earlier. Staying longer meant more money so the people in this bus had become wary of the two.

"Geez, why are they looking at us like they want to eat us?" Li Feng only turned his back on them. If only Chuan Nayi could walk properly, he wouldn't be sitting here. However, he had to be used to it. If there was no nurse, then he might be the one Chuan Nayi would depend on.

"What do you think?" Chuan Nayi sighed before watching the scenery from outside. She saw that the other bus had already left. When she turned to Li Feng, someone actually kicked the railing of their seat. The prospective mother lifted her gaze at the man, and then he spat at the side. "You think that just because you have connections mean you can survive and outlive everyone? What an idiot. You're better off s.u.c.k.i.n.g c.o.c.ks than stealing money."

"We only just met so I won't be rude to you." Chuan Nayi didn't rest her eyes on his totality. That was just one of the losers that got mixed with them. Moreover, Li Feng actually got up as if calling the other man's bluff. He even held out a hand. "Look. We're not even trying to hurt you. What is your problem?"

The man only laughed. "You think this is a honeymoon? Hehehe." The man walked away and sat somewhere else. After he sat down, Li Feng was exposed to the mixed gazes of instant loathing and disinterest. Was Chuan Nayi too beautiful to attract the ire of everyone else? Wasn't this project only a study? Why did it feel like someone was about to kill another person and start a chain of killings?

"He said connections won't help me survive." Chuan Nayi blinked her dead eyes. "Watch me get out of Cherry Med with Xiaodan then."

…

After Ten made a decision for them, Seven agreed as well before pulling Six up to his feet. He also patted Five who could only move like a zombie. The big nurse walked upfront and guarded them as they walked at a slower pace. Liu Xiaodan didn't mind as he had been walking around for so long in this place. Moreover, Guangru had reached out and cauterized the bleeding limb so Eight wouldn't lose more blood than he already had.

The most neural among them—which was Ten—then spoke, "I can't say much about Mr. Wu. We only know him as the associate of Dr. Fan, just like that Sergeant Song and Qiao Yun. He didn't speak to us unless he needed us to take down experiments that are potentially out of control. We don't see him around a lot, only when he needed to be here, I guess. Red Scales is on the go so that's probably why he's here."

Liu Xiaodan frowned. Did he say… Sergeant Song? Wasn't that one of the people from the prison? It's just that… even if he was curious, he doubted Ten had answers for him. He only asked what could be within their pay grade. "What is Red Scales?"

"I only know them as project names, something less brutal than Red Justice. Probably a branch project." Ten frowned. He didn't really know much. "We're only briefed about it because new experiments will be introduced, and that means more patients to control if they started a riot."

"Oh, I know that!" Six twitched as he finally remembered. "Red Scales is not a branch, but rather a sister project. If Red Justice aims to infect humans with ghosts, Red Scales is for nurturing potential counterbalance if Red Justice goes haywire. The Mian family really hated that project, but there's nothing to be done to stop it. Without proof to be presented that the experiments were abused, they can't shut it down."

"Tch, how would you even know that?" Seven growled, not used to Six sounding so intelligent.

Six growled back at him. "My sister signed up for Red Scales! I tried to apply, too, because she was scared to do it alone, but they said I was too weak! If only we didn't need the money, we wouldn't be here!" His tone grew somber. "I wouldn't be stuck in this job… and she wouldn't be locked up somewhere in this Hall."

"Locked up here? Somewhere? You didn't know where?" Liu Xiaodan frowned at Six's words. The soldier then answered him: "It's kinda because I am not normally deployed here, and no one could get inside this place without authority. Somewhere because I haven't found her yet. Though… I'm not really positive she's still here..."

"...can you give me her name? If I find her, I'll let you know." Liu Xiaodan was addicted to doing people a service since he would only get bored in this place if he had nothing to read or nothing to draw. Six only gazed at him, but Seven only scoffed. "Tch, give him the name, Six. Didn't he dare to look for that Zhang Wuji guy?"

Six turned away as if unwilling, but since Liu Xiaodan succeeded in locating one of the people he promised to look for, Six only shrugged his shoulders. "Mian Qingwei… tell her that her brother Qingtao is still looking for her… and she should look for me if we could still go home…"

"...okay."

Liu Xiaodan could clearly remember their conversation from hours ago. Yes, hours. They had been going around for hours, and yet the exits were nowhere in sight. Even the Lodging Hall entrance was impossible to be found. The father then squinted as he paused walking and stared at the wall.

He then turned to Eight who was barely awake. "Mr. Eight, did you remember that you destroyed the walls before? Can we do that now again?"

"That's impossible." Eight shook his head. "Only One and Two had the detonation switches with them. They're the only ones who could do it. The switches are fingerprint-locked."

"Two?" Liu Xiaodan's eyes lit up a little. Wasn't that the guy that the big nurse had eaten?