I'm bombarding the Supernatural World with my firearms
Chapter 114: Chapter 113: "How was it recorded that no one survived?

Chen Miao's eyes narrowed as he remained silent. The middle-aged man had never once asked about his level or profession, as if he had assumed from the start that Chen Miao was doomed.

Just as the middle-aged man had said, Chen Miao was the only one who had boarded the bus unaware of the circumstances, a lucky charm, so to speak.

"Insect Tribe Priest, level 34."

The young man sitting at the front of the bus didn't turn around, but his voice still floated back.

"Heh heh heh."

The middle-aged man let out an inexplicable chuckle, and after a long while, he hoarsely added, "Fighter, level 24."

Both of their levels were higher than his.

Chen Miao leaned back in his seat and gazed at the silhouette of the young man at the front, lost in thought and silent—this was the first time he had encountered someone from Jingjiu City, an Insect Tribe Priest... He had just learned about this Magician's Hidden Occupation from Zhou Shen, and unexpectedly, he had now encountered one.

A profession where, as long as one had money, their Combat Power was virtually limitless.

Perfectly suited for those young masters from Jingjiu City.

No wonder the middle-aged man had laughed so strangely. Judging from the luxury items on the young man, it was clear he must be someone with no shortage of money. Having such a person in their small team seemed to greatly increase their sense of security.

If one had enough money to buy so many luxury items, wouldn't they be able to summon an Insect Sea in the face of any crisis?

Before he could ponder further...

Broken Pot City arrived.

However...

The person boarding the bus this time made Chen Miao freeze in place.

"Doctor Gou?"

The scenery outside the bus remained unchanged from the last stop. Had it not been for the clear movement of the outside world while the bus was in transit, he might have thought the bus was just spinning in place.

And at this stop, Broken Pot City, the person who boarded was none other than his old acquaintance, Doctor Gou!

Doctor Gou, dressed in a white lab coat, looked visibly unwell as he boarded the bus from the door. Upon seeing Chen Miao, he too seemed shocked, obviously not having expected to run into Chen Miao here.

"What are you doing here?"

Doctor Gou sat down in the seat behind Chen Miao and instinctively asked.

"I was the first to board."

Chen Miao sighed lightly and said with some helplessness, "I was originally taking the bus home. As I rode along, I noticed something odd about the other passengers, and by the time I realized what was happening, I was already swept up into this."

"What about you? Why did you board?"

"Weren't you planning on retiring in Broken Pot City? Why are you still pushing yourself so hard?"

Based on what the middle-aged man had said, Chen Miao had come to understand that this code-named 128, the Hell Bus, had a very high mortality rate. Under such circumstances, it puzzled him why Doctor Gou would choose to go, since he had explicitly told Chen Miao about his retirement plans and no longer wandering in Jianghu.

This event was invitation-based, with invitees having the choice to decline or accept. Declining carried no penalty, so he couldn't fathom why Doctor Gou would feel compelled to accept the invitation.

Upon hearing this, Doctor Gou's expression darkened slightly, "I've rejected it once before; this is my second time."

The moment his words fell...

The middle-aged man inside the bus couldn't help but laugh, "Everyone can only refuse once; the second invite will be accepted by force. Though theoretically, most people will never be invited by the Fixed Event 128 in their lifetime, and the probability of being invited twice in succession is incredibly low."

"In a sense, this big brother here is quite lucky, too."

Doctor Gou ignored the middle-aged man and instead turned to Chen Miao with furrowed brows, "You just said you weren't invited. By the time you realized it, you were already on the bus?"

"Hmm."

As Chen Miao confirmed his situation, Doctor Gou looked at him with a complex expression, "Then that's not so good."

"Can you elaborate?"

Chen Miao hadn't asked the middle-aged man too much— it was difficult for him to completely trust this stranger. It was enough to gather information that was roughly accurate. If the information was inaccurate, it could lead him astray and impact his decision-making at critical moments.

Doctor Gou, on the other hand, was essentially trustworthy.

An old friend.

"After I declined the invitation to this Fixed Event last time, I investigated a lot of information about it," Doctor Gou began, glancing around the bus's interior and at the route map displayed. Then, without looking at the Hungry Monkey seated behind, he spoke quietly.

"The Fixed Event occurs in the Federation about 18-22 times a year."

"Compared to other Fixed Events, the frequency isn't low."

"The bus has a passenger limit of 18, and most of the time, only 3 to 4 passengers choose to board. Before each Fixed Event 128 starts, 18 people are randomly invited. The number of people who accept determines how many will be on the bus."

"The more people on board, the higher the risk."

"In the recorded incidents of 128, there have been quite a few cases where only one person boarded. It is said that in these scenarios, not only is the difficulty lower, the rewards are also exceptionally generous."

"It's rare for all 18 invited individuals to accept and board, and in the years since the world underwent transcendentalization and since the occurrence of Fixed Event 128, this has only happened 11 times. Each and every time, everyone was completely wiped out; not a single survivor."

Chen Miao's eyebrows arched, "If nobody survived, how was it recorded?"

"I'm not sure. That's what I found in the database. But that's not the most important part. For you, the key detail is that before each 128 event begins, there's usually nobody on the bus in advance. If a lucky person boards without having received an invitation, they've hit the jackpot."

"You'll be automatically assigned the role of the ticket collector."

"As the ticket collector, after the bus officially sets off, you'll be responsible for collecting ticket fees from some passengers and for protecting the bus and its passengers. This is a rare scenario; you could think of it as a hidden role."

"This role is selected at random. When the bus leaves the initial city, it will randomly choose a lucky individual to start the journey."

"Chen Miao, you're that lucky individual."

"The good news is, as a ticket collector, you are part of the bus. Like the driver, no matter what the situation, you won't need to leave the bus, and in special circumstances, you'll be in a position of near-absolute safety."

"The bad news is, if the bus encounters a crisis while en route, you'll have to disembark to face the enemy, and until you're dead, no one else can leave the bus to help you."

"..."

Chen Miao nodded, staying silent without saying a word; he more or less understood the situation now. The reason why he felt the bus was a little odd, yet not particularly special, could be understood as still in the middle of team matching, not yet having officially started.