The next moment.
Everyone looked out the car window, their faces instantly changing.
The tunnel outside the car.
Apart from the tunnel stretching endlessly ahead and behind, and the tunnel lights, there were no other cars. If one listened carefully, there wasn't even a sound of wind outside, eerily silent.
At any other time.
The crowd would have merely thought that there were fewer vehicles in the morning, which was why only their bus was in the tunnel.
But now.
The bus had been in the tunnel for over ten minutes and still hadn't exited. The strange situation, coupled with the empty, silent tunnel, left them no room for wild thoughts.
"Stop overthinking, it's probably just the early morning, and there are fewer cars."
A young man spoke.
However, though his words seemed calm, the trembling tone of his voice betrayed his panicked emotions.
Unease was spreading.
Despite the young man's attempt to comfort everyone, what happened next made it impossible for them to remain calm.
After realizing the strangeness of the tunnel.
The driver also panicked. Under the repeated urging of the passengers, he sped up to 80 kilometers per hour. But even so...
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes...
After driving at 80 kilometers per hour for three minutes, they still hadn't exited the tunnel, nor had any other cars passed them.
At this moment.
Gazing at the endless, empty tunnel ahead.
No matter how carefree they were, everyone could no longer remain calm. They were all panicked, and fear gradually appeared on their faces.
Just as the emotions of the crowd were on the verge of collapse.
"Look quickly!! The exit, it's appeared!!" the young man shouted excitedly.
They saw that the tunnel ahead was no longer lit by yellow tunnel lights, but a dazzling brilliance erupted.
That was the light of the tunnel exit.
This sight.
Reinvigorated everyone, and their taut nerves relaxed.
"Haha, we're getting out of the tunnel."
"Hey, I told you, we were being jumpy. I guess the driver accidentally took a wrong turn. Maybe a new tunnel was built recently, and this is..."
Before he could finish.
The bus exited the tunnel.
And at this very moment, the chatter inside the bus abruptly stopped.
"Ah!!"
Screams immediately followed.
Everyone was horrified.
As the bus exited the tunnel, everyone stared in terror at the scene outside.
The sky was a deep, oppressive black.
The road had turned into a country dirt path, with withered grass and abandoned graves on both sides.
A graveyard!
Terror flashed across everyone's faces. This was not the scene outside the tunnel they were familiar with. Outside the tunnel, there should have been towering buildings, not a country graveyard.
And...
It was important to remember that this was the urban area of Wenling City. No matter how lost the driver was, he couldn't have ended up in the countryside.
Most crucially.
Everyone's terrified gaze was fixed on the sky outside the car window.
It was dark and dim.
It had gotten dark.
What a joke! They had only been in the tunnel for over ten minutes in the morning, how could it be late at night when they came out?
A ghost trap?!
Had they encountered a ghost?!
Unease erupted completely at this moment. Everyone was terrified. Whether it was the young man, the women, or the office workers, none of them could suppress the panic.
But before they could calm their emotions, an even more terrifying situation occurred.
"Driver, why are you stopping the car!! Drive quickly!! Get out of this place!! Don't stop!"
A middle-aged woman yelled, noticing the car was slowly coming to a halt.
However, the driver looked over in panic.
"It's not me, I didn't intend to stop, the car, the car isn't under my control."
In his words.
Everyone noticed that the driver was stomping on the accelerator, but no matter how hard he pressed, the car seemed to have a new driver. Under this new driver's control, the car slowly stopped.
Hiss!
Accompanied by a clear braking sound.
The bus stopped, halting in this desolate country graveyard.
Whoosh~
A gust of wind blew in from outside the window. Everyone felt an inexplicable chill inside the car, despite it being the middle of summer, causing goosebumps to rise.
Seeing everyone fearfully looking out the car window, no one dared to get out.
Outside the car, it was deathly silent.
It was night, and there was overgrown grass in the countryside, yet there wasn't a single sound. Not even the chirping of crickets or the croaking of frogs. It was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat and breathing.
This situation.
Terrified everyone. They desperately urged the driver to start the car and drive away from this place.
But the driver was almost twisting the car key off and his foot was about to stomp the accelerator to pieces, yet the car wouldn't start.
Just then.
A voice came from behind everyone.
"Driver, please open the car door."
The sudden voice startled everyone. They turned around and saw Qiu Xiaolin and the other three girls walking over, carrying their bags.
Seeing this.
Even the most foolish would realize that Qiu Xiaolin and the others wanted to get off the bus.
"Are you crazy, wanting to get off here?!" the middle-aged woman exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Others also looked incredulously, unable to comprehend Qiu Xiaolin's intentions. This was a graveyard, and a place with definite problems. How could they dare to get off?
Because of this.
The driver thought he was hearing things, "You want to get off?"
Qiu Xiaolin nodded. Just as she was about to say something, the young man beside her reached out to stop her:
"Driver, don't open the door. Are you crazy? This place looks problematic. If you let them off, what if something unclean comes in? You can't let them go! What if we all die here? I don't want to die."
His words instantly reminded everyone.
But before they could speak, Qiu Xiaolin's voice rang out first.
"If you don't let us off now, we might all die here, because... the unclean thing you're talking about has already arrived. Look over there."
Qiu Xiaolin pointed to the front of the car.
Everyone followed her gaze, and screams erupted instantly.
"Ghost! Ghost ghost!!"
"Ah—!!!"
"There's a ghost!!"
They saw that in front of the car, illuminated by the headlights, the country road was filled with figures. Ten or so figures, with pale skin and faces ashen as death. Even with the car's headlights shining on them, they appeared eerie and hair-raising.
Those figures were not human at all. They looked exactly like the ghosts depicted in movies and folklore... Ghosts!!
They hadn't noticed that as they frantically urged the driver to drive, ghosts had appeared ahead. However, Qiu Xiaolin and her companions, who were well aware of the existence of the supernatural, had noticed the appearance of ghosts much earlier.
Precisely because of this.
They had asked for the car door to be opened.
Watching the ghosts approach them, at this moment, terror permeated the car. Everyone was scared out of their wits, their faces pale with fear. The child held by the middle-aged woman was crying hysterically.
"Grandma, I'm scared."
The child clung tightly to the middle-aged woman's sleeve, crying, with fear and terror etched on his face.
In response.
The middle-aged woman, suppressing her own fear, tried to comfort her child.
But at this moment.
Just as the middle-aged woman was about to speak, she saw Qiu Xiaolin approach the child and crouch down, stroking his head:
"Little one, don't be afraid, you'll be alright."
In this atmosphere of terror.
Qiu Xiaolin's voice echoed clearly, and everyone heard it, their attention drawn to them.
Suddenly.
They realized that Qiu Xiaolin and the other three girls were different from the others. Their faces showed little fear, and they were much calmer than the rest.
"Really? Sister, don't lie to me."
The child spoke with a crying tone. Despite being comforted, his fear had not diminished.
Qiu Xiaolin smiled and nodded:
"Really, sister won't lie to you. And not only will you be alright, but everyone will be alright."
"Why?" the child asked instinctively.
In response to the question.
Qiu Xiaolin flashed a smile:
"Because... my ex-boyfriend is protecting us."
As she finished speaking.
Qiu Xiaolin exchanged a glance with Zhang Ya and the other two girls, nodded slightly, and pressed the car door switch.
The car door opened.
Qiu Xiaolin and the others stepped out of the car.
Then, to everyone's stunned amazement.
Qiu Xiaolin and the others each took out an Armor Hero belt from their bags. Following the usage instructions previously given by Zhang Wei, they fastened the belts around their waists and charged towards the approaching ghosts.
"Flame Dragon Armor, Transform!!"
"Wind Eagle Armor, Transform!!"
"Black Rhino Armor, Transform!!"
"Earth Tiger Armor, Transform!!"
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
Four magnificent and dazzling beams of light erupted, the belts spewing brilliance, enveloping Qiu Xiaolin and the other three girls.
As the shining light dissipated, the running Qiu Xiaolin and the other three girls had transformed into figures clad in gorgeous and cool armor.
...