In Virtual Reality ☆ 1: The Eternal Bus (1/4)

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现实虚拟中【无限】 In Virtual Reality 【Unlimited Flow】 Author : 名利

RAW: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=6862965

—— A bus that loops forever.

—— A haunted house that accepts screams as payment to skip scenes.

—— A dark and shadowy university that demands the best behaviour

—— A lift that leads to hell and back.

—— A stairwell that doesn't let you leave until you reveal its history.

—— A library that was filled with death and secrets.

In the 23rd century, the struggle between life and death was being played out worldwide.

People blessed with "good luck" were forced to wander through mysterious dilemmas and pay attention to its rules.

"—— Don't disturb the driver while driving."

"—— Don't push the lift button at random."

"—— Don't pile up your rubbish in the stairwell."

"—— Don't make a lot of noise in the library."

But all changed when someone finally noticed that amid all the recent spirit shenanigans, a person in a pink hoodie consistently strung out.

**

Xu Jin Yi, who had a sizable collection of single-player horror-themed RPGs, was pleasantly delighted to discover that several of them had been upgraded to a VR version.

Using VR's default avatar with a pink hoodie, Xu Jin Yi relied on her bountiful experience to beat bosses, break puzzles, and tease NPCs.

There was only one obstacle she couldn't beat.

NPC: "... I don't know your name yet, pink hoodie."

Xu Jin Yi hesitantly entered her ID: "... YourRealDaddy24K??"

[Blocked word detected. Please re-enter ID]

Chapter 1: The Eternal Bus (1/4)

[TN: slightly re-edited 11.02.2023, Leave a like in support!]

"— Riverside (江城Jiang-Cheng) Station is here! Passengers getting off the bus, please bring all your belongings and get off through the back door."

As the hour hand of the clock approached the hour of seven, the sun had already set beyond the western horizon, drenching the surroundings in a serene stillness. The only disturbance in the tranquility was the announcement ringing in Wang Zhou Zhou's ((王周周)) ears, heralding the arrival of a bus.

The bus pulled up beside a lush swath of greenery, its dull orange and red exterior seamlessly blending in with the surrounding beauty. The number "25" was carelessly attached to its glass window, lending it an unremarkable appearance. With a thundering sound, the front door creaked open, beckoning passengers aboard.

Pausing his video, Wang Zhou Zhou stepped onto the bus, his eyes fixed downward as he retrieved the boarding code from his phone.

"— Code swiped successfully."

Clutching his phone tightly, Wang Zhou Zhou scanned the bus for an unoccupied seat. To his surprise, the bus was remarkably packed for the hour of the day. Settling into a seat near the window, just before the back door, Wang Zhou Zhou leaned back and took in the other passengers.

In front of him, to his left, was an elderly man who sat hunched over, his head bent low, with a plump black plastic bag at his feet. Ahead of him, two rows of seats faced each other, and in one of them, a man who appeared to be a "social animal" (a slang term for office workers who work long hours) reclined comfortably. However, the other man had his back turned to Wang Zhou Zhou, making it impossible for him to make out his face clearly.

And the rest...

With a discreet tilt of his head, Wang Zhou Zhou cast a sidelong glance, taking in the view behind him. To his left, two men were seated in the last row of seats, and for some inexplicable reason, Wang Zhou Zhou felt that they were exchanging a surreptitious, hostile gaze. Despite the availability of numerous other seats on the bus, they had chosen to sit side by side and appeared ready for a physical altercation.

As if sensing his gaze, both men turned their heads toward him in unison, their faces set in stern expressions and their eyes devoid of emotion. The sudden movement caught Wang Zhou Zhou off guard, and he quickly averted his eyes.

Glancing at the time on his phone, Wang Zhou Zhou saw that it was 19:10. This was the final stop of the bus route, and in just five minutes, the bus would set off on its journey.

The bus was so hushed that Wang Zhou Zhou felt self-conscious about playing on his mobile phone. He rummaged through his pockets and finally located his headphone cord, which had knotted into a tangle.

Wang Zhou Zhou: "..."

He resigned himself to his fate and began to untangle the ball of yarn.

"— Code swiped successfully."

"— Code swiped successfully."

Two more passengers boarded the bus.

Wang Zhou Zhou casually glanced up.

'Ah, it was them.'

Two girls boarded the bus, one after the other, and after surveying the interior, they decided to take a seat in a double seat a row away from the old man. Wang Zhou Zhou, plugged into his headphones, nodded in greeting.

These girls were classmates of Wang Zhou Zhou at driving school. Tomorrow, they would be taking their second driving test together. Their instructor had taken them on a tour of the exam center earlier in the day, which was why they had gotten off the bus a little later than usual.

Thankfully, they had made it just in time to catch the last bus.

At the front of the bus, the two girls chattered quietly, their voices filling the otherwise silent atmosphere. At one point, the hush around them was so profound that even the girls fell quiet, their attention diverted to their phones.

At the last minute, before the bus left…

"— Code swiped successfully."

The final passenger to board was also a fellow classmate at driving school. He was panting heavily, sweat streaming down his face.

Wang Zhou Zhou recognized him. He had been careless and lackadaisical during their driving lessons. On his first time behind the wheel, he had almost run over their instructor while maneuvering into an open field.

It appeared that he had nearly missed the bus, perhaps due to the instructor holding him back for a scolding.

Wang Zhou Zhou was skeptical about the man's chances of passing the test tomorrow.

The man grumbled to himself before taking a seat in front of the office worker.

Wang Zhou Zhou averted his gaze.

At last, the bus pulled away, beginning its journey.

"Vehicle is starting; please sit still and hold on tight. Next stop: Riverside Station."

Wang Zhou Zhou's hand holding the headphones paused for a moment.

'Which station? Wasn't this the Riverside Station?'

Under the driver's professional skills, the bus smoothly departed from the stop and moved forward.

'...Maybe I heard it wrong.' Wang Zhou Zhou hesitated for a moment and withdrew his gaze.

***

The bus route #25 made a stop right outside Wang Zhou Zhou's doorstep, making his daily commute to and from school a breeze. The trip from the bus terminal to his home took a mere seven stops. While he was not familiar with the other passengers, he would occasionally see the two girls from driving school on the bus when he disembarked.

However, today something unusual occurred.

"— Riverside Station is here! Passengers disembarking, please bring all your belongings and disembark through the back door."

... It was Riverside Station again.

But he had obviously boarded the bus at Riverside Station!

The next stop should have been East Riverside Station!

At first, Wang Zhou Zhou couldn't believe his ears. Had he misheard the announcement of the next stop? But as he looked around at the other three people in his driving group, he saw that they too were staring in confusion.

Despite having been learning to drive for over twenty days and riding the same bus route more than fifty times, the four of them were sure that this was not the expected stop.

The atmosphere on the bus grew tense as they all realized that something was amiss. Nobody got on or off at this stop, only adding to the eerie silence.

As the bus started to move forward once again, Wang Zhou Zhou's hands trembled as he struggled to convince himself that it was all just his imagination. He repeated to himself, 'I'm just imagining things, I'm just imagining things.' But deep down, he knew that something was not right.

He glanced at his mobile phone screen.

There was no signal.

Instead, the phone's screen still played a video commentary on an endless loop:

【Seven people took the evening bus and disappeared.】

【The seven people on the late evening bus are suspected of being accidentally involved in a Spirit Shenanigans Event!】

No pop-ups. No comments.

Wang Zhou Zhou could only view the statements discussed by one netizen on his cellphone. He couldn't do anything else.

He couldn’t dial 110*.

Finally, the bus stopped again.

"— Riverside Station is here! Passengers disembarking, please bring all your belongings and disembark through the back door."

Wang Zhou Zhou: "..."

He was getting a bit desperate.

The other three didn't act, probably because they were clinging to their luck like him.

But this time, the electronic transmission dashed their hopes again.

"— — Code swiped successfully..."

Wang Zhou Zhou: "!"

He jerked his head up. Someone else boarded the bus?

At the front of the bus, a figure in a pink hoodie swiped their phone and sauntered to the back of the bus with a nonchalant expression. As the bus jolted forward, the person stagger along took a seat beside Wang Zhou Zhou.

Wang Zhou Zhou was at a loss for words, his mouth hanging open without saying a word. But the person next to him remained absorbed in their phone, not even glancing in his direction.

"Vehicle is starting. Please sit still and hold on tight. Next stop: Riverside Station," came the announcement over the PA system.

Despite not wearing headphones, the hoodie-clad figure remained unfazed, their calm demeanor unchanged by the announcement.

Wang Zhou Zhou suddenly thought: 'Apart from the four of them, were the people in the vehicle really alive?' He shook his hand and put his headphones back on to listen to the video, which he hadn't yet finish.

【...surveillance shows that seven people boarded the #13 bus, but three days after the time had elapsed, the police still hadn't found the bus or its passengers.】

【Is this a new Spirit Shenanigan Event? Will these seven people stay on this "Eternal bus' forever? What happened on the bus? Why didn't the seven people get off the bus after sensing something was wrong?】

Old Li (老李) in the video paused and frowned as he offered his opinion:

【Maybe some of the seven passengers may have attempted to exit the bus, but those who did may not have returned to reality.】

【The officers are still doing everything they can to investigate. Old Li says the police likely shared this information so that we might all survive.】

【After all, we never know when an unexpected Spirit Shenanigans Event may occur.】

Wang Zhou Zhou paused the video.

He collapsed into the padded bus seat, his nose was suddenly sore, and he wanted to cry a little.

The Spirit Shenanigans Events had only occurred in the last few years. Still, they had occurred so infrequently that everyone had assumed they were the lucky stars not involved in them until now.

Wang Zhou Zhou sniffled.

He was a little indignant. 'I've got my fucking second exam tomorrow!'

He didn't know if the others thought so too, but suddenly the other man stood up.

"Open the door!" A man strode towards the driver's seat, his tone hostile as he knocked on the protective door. "Open the door, I want to get out!"

But the driver remained silent, unfazed by the man's demands as the bus continued on its route.

The man's patience was wearing thin. "I fucking told you to open the door!!!" he bellowed, pounding on the door with increasing force. Despite the man's rage, the protective door held strong, causing no disturbance to the driver.

The man, breathing heavily, turned on his heel and stomped towards the back of the bus. Wang Zhou Zhou watched him warily, wondering if he could actually get off.

The man seized the armrest of the rear door, shaking it violently. "Open the door!!!" he shouted. "Open the door for me! I want to get off!!!"

But the bus continued its journey, the man cursing and pacing before finally lifting his foot and launching into a frenzy of kicks.

"Bang!"

Once.

"Bang!"

Twice.

"Bang!"

Thrice.

With a sudden jolt, the bus came to a halt after the third try. The back door swung open swiftly, and the man stepped out in surprise.

Wang Zhou Zhou's eyes widened in disbelief. 'He really got off the bus?' he thought to himself.

——— Translators Notes ———

Over the years of reading Chinese novels, I have found that character names sometimes play a role in the story. Authors either imply or explicitly state: he is the bad guy; this will be a crybaby, and so on. As a result, when readers are merely provided simple pronunciation without meaning, they miss out. That is why I'll put here the character names with Pinyin.

Wang Zhou Zhou

王周周: character approximate name meaning, Wang = king or monarch / best or strongest of its type / grand / great, Zhou = cycle/something that repeats itself, Eternal King?

Old Li

老李: lǎo = prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity / old (of people) / venerable (person) / experienced / of long standing / always / all the time / of the past / very / outdated / (of meat etc) tough; Li = plum

Riverside Station

江城Jiangcheng: Jiang = river, Cheng = city walls / city / town

Spirit Shenanigans

诡秘: guǐmì = secretive / furtive / surreptitious / bizarre / mystery / weirdness / bizarre]

*110 Emergency Calls (Special Service) Call 110 when you meet common criminal or public order cases, emergencies and need help. Call 119 when there is a fire breaking out. Call 120 when you need emergency care and first aid.

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