The bus moved steadily, while the sun continued to sink. The towering skyscrapers gradually lost their golden glow as the sunset faded.
"Jiyang Station. Passengers for this stop, please prepare your belongings and exit from the rear door," the electronic announcement suddenly rang out.
The bus suddenly became crowded. Seats were full, and five or six people were standing.
Three minutes later, Firefang Dog unexpectedly turned its head and barked at a nearby passenger.
Sitting next to Qiao Sang was a female student wearing the uniform of St. 37 Beast Tamer High—the same bus stop as Qiao Sang's.
The girl glanced at Firefang Dog but said nothing, only shifting slightly to make space.
Qiao Sang turned Firefang Dog back to face her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Firefang Dog glanced at the girl.
"Ya?"
It tilted its head, looking confused.
"This could scare people, you know?" Qiao Sang said, patting Firefang Dog's head.
"Ya."
Firefang Dog gave a decisive response and turned to enjoy the scenery outside the window again.
The girl smiled at Qiao Sang, friendly. "I'm fine."
Qiao Sang noticed the extra ten centimeters or so of space between them and was about to say something.
At that moment, Firefang Dog turned again and bared its sharp teeth toward the girl, looking fierce.
The girl was startled and instinctively wanted to stand up.
"Can you control your dog? If it scares anyone, it's your responsibility," a male voice said sharply.
The speaker was standing beside the girl.
Qiao Sang looked over. He was a broad-faced man wearing a gray vest.
"Yeah, this Firefang Dog obviously isn't fully trained yet," the woman sitting nearby added.
"Everyone on this bus, control your pets quickly," another voice chimed in.
The girl looked at Qiao Sang, eyes wide, hoping she would restrain Firefang Dog.
Qiao Sang frowned but ignored them.
It was common for Beast Tamers to carry their pets—there was nothing wrong with that.
Pets acting independently happened all the time.
These people were just being judgmental because she looked young. If it were someone slightly older, they wouldn't dare speak up.
Still, it was Firefang Dog's first time causing a scene on a bus…
"What's wrong?" Qiao Sang asked, turning Firefang Dog toward her.
"Ya."
Firefang Dog stubbornly turned its head away, refusing to look.
It had heard the surrounding voices and thought its Tamer would scold it.
"Firefang Dog," Qiao Sang said, gently holding its head so it had no choice but to meet her gaze.
Firefang Dog's wet eyes looked both stubborn and hurt.
Qiao Sang stared at it seriously, speaking slowly:
"I trust you. You have to trust me too. If something happens, you can tell me. I understand what you mean."
Firefang Dog perked up immediately, excited.
"Ya-ya-ya!"
"Ya, ya."
"Ya-ya-ya-ya, ya!"
It barked while gesturing with its small paws.
Qiao Sang confirmed, "You mean something appeared on her and then disappeared suddenly?"
"Ya!"
Firefang Dog nodded vigorously.
"That thing scared you, didn't it?" Qiao Sang patted its head.
"Ya." Firefang Dog buried its head against Qiao Sang, whining in frustration.
The girl sitting beside them watched for a long moment.
So that was its personality…
Actually kind of cute…
Maybe she should make her second contracted pet a fire-type too…
"It's okay now, it's okay," Qiao Sang reassured Firefang Dog, then turned to the girl. "You heard everything just now."
The girl blinked, unsure. "You mean something appeared on me?"
Qiao Sang nodded.
"But…" the girl started, only to be interrupted.
"Don't listen to her nonsense! They're just making up an excuse for not restraining their dog. I'm warning you—control your dog now, or if someone gets hurt, I'll deal with you!" The broad-faced man barked viciously.
"Yeah, restrain it. If someone gets hurt, it'll be too late," the nearby woman echoed.
"Control it. Everyone's worried," another voice joined in.
"I don't think this girl's lying. Could it be a wild Ghost-type supernatural creature on this bus?" a different voice said.
Suddenly, the chatter on the bus quieted.
The most mysterious of supernatural creatures were Ghost-types. Any strange phenomenon could be "explained" once a Ghost-type was involved.
Things disappearing inexplicably, sudden blackouts or cold drafts—these were trivial.
Ghost-types were unpredictable and eccentric.
Take the Spirit Possessor, for example.
It liked to attach itself to people. The possessed retained consciousness but couldn't control their body, helplessly watching it perform all sorts of bizarre actions.
Jumping, dancing, diving—if it was a nudist Spirit Possessor, that was just terrible luck.
The police both loved and hated them.
Spirit Possessors attached to the living and the dead. Two years ago, unidentified corpses appeared at the police station in Guang City at regular intervals.
Some had been dead for a day, a year, or even ten years. One was a famous missing girl from three years prior: Lu Baiqian.
CCTV footage showed Spirit Possessor manipulating the corpses to the station.
At first the police didn't know. Later, when the Spirit Possessor floated out from the corpses, they realized it was it.
They loved it because the Spirit Possessor could inexplicably help them find bodies they couldn't locate themselves.
They hated it because even recently dead corpses were dragged there—ruining crime scenes.
Then there were the Soul Lanterns, appearing near lost travelers and guiding them home—but at the cost of absorbing some of their spiritual energy.
It sounded reasonable, but in practice, not really.
Recently, a woman in Nankou City left a bar at night and waited for a taxi. Possibly swaying from walking or intoxicated, the Soul Lantern judged she was lost…
Before a taxi arrived, it forcibly "escorted" her home and drained her spiritual energy. The next morning, she looked in the mirror and felt completely drained.
Ghost-type supernatural creatures were notorious for all sorts of mischief.
If you got one that only liked pranks, fine. But a wild evil Ghost-type? Nobody would survive to tell the tale.
For a moment, everyone on Bus 66 was on edge.
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