Chapter 3: Say ’Please’?

Chapter 3: Say 'Please'?

No matter from which angle one scrutinized that sentence, it sounded ominous and a whole lot disturbing. Wishing them a pleasant stay in the Corpse Apartment? It's more like he was cursing for them to die sooner instead!

The passengers gulped and showed a various degree of nervousness and trepidation. Only Jin Jiuchi could still laugh and chirped happily, looking very much like a boy on his first field trip. "Thank you, I sure will!"

The corpse officer stared at him for one long moment as if he was engraving Jin Jiuchi's appearance to mind, to which Jin Jiuchi returned with an innocent look. What was the problem with this man? Why did he look kinda... constipated? Was it because he did not have a ticket and that's why the officer was sulking?

Alas, before Jin Jiuchi could confront him for his lack of hospitality, the door to the bus opened by itself with a hiss and the corpse officer finally averted his gaze to gesture politely, "Please be careful with your step."

Surnamed Zhi was the first one to descend the bus, his gait was tense and wary as if he was sending himself to a deadly battlefield. Well, in a sense, all of them behaved so... except for the child beside him.

Jin Jiuchi discreetly snuck a glance at the jade doll and saw that they were peering out of the window to observe the apartment in front of them. His pale purple eyes were placid and composed, just like the surface of a calm lake devoid of any ripples.

What made the child so different from others? Goodness, Jin Jiuchi was getting so curious!

Next, Sister Hong stood up decisively and straightened her suit, looking every inch like a career woman who was on her way to a board meeting. Soon, she was followed by Xinxin who decided that she was the perfect person to latch onto – or perhaps it was because they were the only women in the group.

Tang Ye walked forward and stopped at Old Guan's aisle. The middle-aged man was huddling in his seat while trembling violently. He did not look like he was going to step down anytime soon. "Old Guan, aren't you getting off?" he asked worriedly.

"N–No!" Old Guan flinched as if someone had struck him a blow. "I'm not going! I... I'm not going to enter that... that cursed place!"

The corpse officer glanced at the clock in front of the bus and stated with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "Five minutes left."

Hearing this, Tang Ye sucked in cold air. He glanced at Old Guan in slight hesitation as if considering whether he should physically drag the man off the bus. But then he finally shook his head and proceeded to join the three people outside.

Left behind, Old Guan trembled even harder. He buried his face into the crook of his arm and whimpered. Jin Jiuchi had difficulty listening to what he was mumbling under his breath, but it sounded similar to 'I don't want to die' being repeated again and again like a mantra.

Why was he so afraid? What was there to be afraid of? Jin Jiuchi really could not figure it out. Amused, he nudged the child beside him with his elbow. "How about you, kid? Aren't you getting off?"

Without saying a word, the beautiful jade doll stood up. Alas, because Jin Jiuchi was having the aisle seat, the child could not walk out unless he removed his legs out of the way. But instead of showing any sign of love and courtesy toward minors, Jin Jiuchi crossed his mile-long legs and raised a provoking brow. His lips curled into a smirk as he asked, "Now, shouldn't you say 'please'~?" noVe)Lb)1n

The jade doll leveled him with an unimpressed stare, his purple eyes flickering like sparkling gems bathed in moonlight. Beautiful but also... oozing with killing intent. Jin Jiuchi shuddered when he sensed it. Not out of fear, of course!

The grin on his face widened in excitement. He almost vibrated in his seat while he waited for the other's reaction.

"Three minutes," the corpse officer announced.

With a harrumph, the jade doll grabbed onto the partition screen in front and smoothly flipped their body through it, not before slapping Jin Jiuchi on the face with their swishing ponytail. In a blink of an eye, they descended the short flight of steps and joined the people outside.

Stunned, Jin Jiuchi rubbed his itchy face and barked out a laugh. He, too, stood up and got down from the bus. He saw that the jade doll chose to keep a distance from the other people, opting to stand by the side instead. Jin Jiuchi really couldn't stop wondering, just how could nobody notice this child?! Instead, everyone's gaze snapped to him, this simple and ordinary man, once he stepped down.

Seeing a mixture of complicated emotions in the others' eyes, Jin Jiuchi grinned and playfully gave a bow, "Please take care of me, everyone~"

In response, Xinxin, Sister Hong and Surnamed Zhi abruptly took a step back as if avoiding the source of a plague, whereas Tang Ye scratched his nose and laughed awkwardly, "Haha, Brother Yang is too modest..."

Kinda bored, Jin Jiuchi then returned his gaze to the yellow kindergarten bus.

Now, there was only Old Guan left.

"Two minutes."

"One minute."

"Thirty seconds."

Each time the corpse officer counted down the time, the middle aged man would whimper even harder. From where Jin Jiuchi was standing, he could see that the man already started to cry. His body was wrecked in sobs, and he looked as if he was on the verge of breaking down.

"Twenty seconds... Nineteen seconds..." This time, the officer suddenly moved. He took one step after another toward Old Guan, all the while counting down the time. "Fifteen seconds... Fourteen seconds..." He arrived beside Old Guan and stopped.

For two full seconds, there was utter silence.

Jin Jiuchi heard a few sharp intake of breaths beside him while his gaze was trained on the corpse officer whose face began to look distorted. It was as if something was writhing under his dead skin, a ripple that looked both bizarre and unnatural. The man towered over the quivering Old Guan, "You're not getting off?" His voice was scratchy and squeaky like an old radio that barely held on by a wire.

But then, it suddenly grew sharp and shrill as the officer opened his mouth wide,

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING OFF?!!" His lips stretched wider and wider until they reached below his ears and the upper half of his head began to tilt back, his black hat slipping off his head to the ground, as the blackhole of his mouth spread bigger and bigger. "YOU'RENOTGETTINGOFFYOU'RENOTGETTINGOFF—"

Jin Jiuchi's eyes rounded in surprise. He could see a small pale hand reaching out from the void deep inside the officer's mawing mouth. It was like a child's hand, small and dainty, yet on its palm was a... mouth with sharp jagged teeth, moving along with the officer's words – wait, that's not right. He realized that this was the source of the voice all along.

And that bizarre hand was currently reaching out toward the petrified Old Guan.

"Damn...!" Tang Ye cursed out loud. He lunged into the front of the bus gate and hollered, "RUN!!"