I am a night bus driver, and my job is pretty easy.

I depart punctually at 10:30 each night, and after one round, my work is done.

But the person in charge gave me three strange instructions.

First, do not touch any women.

Second, do not stop unless at a station, and you must stay at each station for three minutes.

Third, after midnight, just drive back, and no matter who tries to stop your bus, do not stop.

There’s a saying among the people that the night bus doesn’t just carry the living.

I didn’t believe it, until I became the last bus driver.

A few months ago, I had an accident, suffering a severe head injury and consequent selective amnesia.

I remember my origins, my birth, and my name, but I can’t recall how the accident happened, only that it was terrible.

After being discharged, I was eager to find a job and came across a flyer on the roadside: Super transport is hiring bus drivers for night shifts on rural routes, with excellent compensation…

My previous job was as a bus driver, so I decided to give it a try and called the hiring company.

The place I went to for the interview chilled my heart. This motor transport company was located in the suburbs, in a very remote area, the walls old and covered with climbing ivy, heavily corroded by yellowing wastewater.

Several buses were carelessly parked roadside, their doors rusted and dented everywhere.

I didn’t understand how these broken buses obtained operational permits.

The hiring manager, named John, around forty, was stiff and somewhat wooden.

After the test drive, he seemed satisfied with my performance and pointed to an old, broken 17-seater in the parking lot, saying:

‘Once you’re hired, you’ll be driving this bus.’

Then he started explaining the job requirements, insisting I depart every night at 10:30 from the main station, ending at Green Town terminal, resting for twenty minutes before returning the same way, that would be all.

‘Monthly salary is five thousand dollars, plus a thousand-dollar allowance for night shifts. Satisfied?’

I was more than satisfied, it felt like a dream!

I went into the office, thrilled to sign the contract, but John stopped me, ‘Ross, our company has strict rules, and there are a few requirements you must remember!’

I didn’t want to miss out on such a good opportunity, so I nodded eagerly, ‘Please instruct.’

‘First, you must be a virgin, you are not allowed to date or touch any women during your employment.’

‘…I am a virgin, single.’

To be honest, I was surprised; I thought he would emphasize company policies first, not such a personal issue.

‘That’s good!’ He seemed slightly relieved, ‘From the main station to Green Town, you will pass five stations, you must not stop unless it’s a station, and you must stay there for three minutes, got it?’

I was taken aback again, what if a passenger has difficulty moving and needs me to wait a bit longer?

John shook his head, ‘Don’t bother, just do as I say.’

‘Alright!’

‘And the last point, after midnight just head back, no matter who tries to stop your bus, do not stop.’

After he finished speaking, John reached for his tea cup, ‘If you agree to these three points, we can sign the contract.’

‘Okay!’

I really needed this job, although his words sounded odd, I still hurriedly completed the employment procedures.

That afternoon, I moved into the staff dormitory, took a short nap, and when it was ten o’clock at night, I hurried to the departing point.

This bus was even more broken than the one I test drove in the morning, the door was loose, and there was a hole in the metal sheet, letting the wind in, impossible to close properly.

After checking everything, I departed on time.

The suburban roads were in poor condition with no street lights, I didn’t dare to drive too fast. It took me several minutes to reach the first station, York.

A young man holding a briefcase became my first passenger.

He looked very young but his expression was extremely wooden. After boarding, he walked straight to the last row of seats, without saying a word about buying a ticket.

I kindly reminded him, ‘Buddy, you haven’t bought a ticket yet?’

He paused, his expression as if he had just learned that one needs to buy a ticket to ride.

After dawdling for a while, he handed over a few coins.

I felt there was something odd about him, and couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

He ignored me, sat down directly, rested his head against the window, and stared blankly outside.

I guessed he might be too tired from work, these days making a living isn’t easy.

The road was very bumpy, it took me half an hour to reach the second station. The bus hadn’t even stopped properly when the young man stood up, indicating he wanted to get off.

Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly turned and said to me, ‘You can go next station, no one will be at this station.’

‘It’s fine, the company requires that we stop for three minutes at each station.’

I casually replied, just about to ask how he knew no one would be there, but when I turned around, he was already far away.

‘That guy’s fast on his feet!’

I muttered to myself, waited a little while at the spot.

Indeed, just as the young man said, not only this station, but the following stations also had no passengers.

I didn’t find it strange, after all, the road was too remote, and it was very late.

It was my first time running this route, and it wasn’t until around two in the morning that I finished my rounds and returned to the company to clock out.

The next day, when buying breakfast, John approached me, asking how my first day went?

I said it was okay, I picked up one passenger, a silent type, he didn’t even buy a ticket until I insisted.

‘It’s fine, the company doesn’t really expect to make money on this route, whether he buys a ticket or not.’ It might have been my imagination, but I felt John’s mouth twitched for a moment, but then he quickly returned to normal.

Considering I needed this job, I didn’t ask further.

The next day, I encountered the same young man again.

Just like last night, he boarded with a briefcase, didn’t say anything about buying a ticket, and went straight to the last row.

Remembering what John said, I didn’t urge him to pay.

After reaching the second station, he stood up again, repeating the same words as yesterday, ‘You can go next station , no one will get on at this station.’

At first, I thought he was joking, but what happened later proved he wasn’t lying.

For a whole week, I only picked up him as a passenger, and he always only rode for one station.

I mentioned this to John later, half-joking that this young man seemed like a fortune teller, his words eerily accurate.

John was handing me a cigarette when his hand froze for a moment, ‘Nonsense, how could there be no other passengers? It’s just a coincidence.’

Sure enough, the situation changed the next day.

I remember very clearly, all the abnormal events started from the eighth day of my work.

That day, as usual, I dropped the young man off at the second station, joking with him, ‘Buddy, guess if anyone will board my bus tonight?’

He just smiled, ‘Besides me, no one will get on your bus.’

After saying that, he walked away.

After waiting nearly three minutes, indeed, no one came, I felt a bit disheartened, thinking maybe this crappy bus was set up just for him?

Before I could gather my thoughts, suddenly a deep male voice came from behind, ‘Driver, open the door, I need to get on!’

I turned to look, a bald middle-aged man was knocking on the door.

I laughed, who says no one’s coming, here’s someone now!

The bald uncle seemed very anxious, as soon as the door opened, he squeezed in, glanced at the spot where the young man had sat, his face turned pale, and he spoke very urgently, ‘Driver, please drive quickly, I’m in a hurry!’

But just after leaving that station, the uncle was no longer in a hurry, he came up to chat with me, ‘Young man, is this your first time driving this bus?’

I nodded, ‘Yes, how did you know?’

‘I often ride this bus, of course, I know.’

The middle-aged man chuckled, handing me a cigarette.

I didn’t accept it, shaking my head with a smile, ‘Sorry, no smoking in the bus.’

‘I usually don’t smoke either, only when I’m on these two buses, then I’ll take a puff.’ He stuffed the cigarette in his mouth and bent down to light it.

‘Hey, you…’

I was about to stop him, but then thought, there’s no one else in the bus anyway, let him smoke if he wants.

The uncle was very talkative, smoking while chatting with me, asking if it was boring to drive alone?

I said it was fine, and asked back what his job was, still commuting so late at night.

‘Me? Ha ha…’ He didn’t answer, just laughed mysteriously.

When he finished his cigarette, I had just arrived at the third station.

Just before getting off, the uncle handed me a cigarette, ‘Have a smoke, it’s good to stay alert on the road, anyway, no one will get on your bus.’

I took the cigarette, a bit puzzled, the words of these two passengers were too similar, weren’t they?

I waited a while, indeed, no one came, I shook my head with a wry smile, and set off again.

But just as I was about to leave the station, a woman suddenly ran into the middle of the road, holding a child, ‘Driver, stop for a moment…’

The woman appeared so suddenly, I almost hit her with the front of the bus, I quickly stepped on the brake, still shaken, ‘Why are you stopping the bus with a child in your arms? Who’s responsible if something happens!’

The woman boarded the bus, continuously apologizing to me.

‘It’s okay, just be more careful next time!’

Seeing her sincere apology, I didn’t hold it against her, and glanced at the child in her arms, then froze.

The little boy was only five or six years old, covered tightly with a jacket, only half his head exposed.

I noticed the boy’s forehead was a bit blue, and he was dressed so warmly, probably running a high fever, so I casually asked, ‘Is the child’s illness serious?’

The woman didn’t make a sound, holding the child, she walked to the back seat.

The little boy just leaned on her shoulder, spinning his black eyes, and suddenly blinked at me, ‘Thank you, uncle!’

He was clearly smiling at me, but his face was pale and eerie.

Out of politeness, I also smiled, ‘When you’re sick, listen to your mom, be good, and you’ll get better soon.’

‘Yeah.’ The little boy nodded, then added, ‘But mom says my illness can’t be cured.’

I looked at the thin face of the little boy, thinking he might have a terminal illness, how sad!

I continued driving, arriving at the terminal in Green Town, parked the bus, reminding the mother and son to get off.

The woman thanked me, taking the child off the bus.

But not far away, she suddenly turned back and smiled at me.

Her smile was quite seductive, my ears burned, I felt a bit embarrassed.

After finishing the route, I returned to the company to clock out, finding John waiting for me at the parking lawn.

As soon as I parked the bus, he came over, offering a cigarette, asking how I felt after these few days?

‘It’s okay!’ I didn’t take his cigarette, instead picking up the one the bald uncle had left, ‘No need to spend, I’ve got this one.’

Seeing the cigarette in my hand, John paused, then looked at me oddly, asking why I had a cigarette on the road?

I quickly explained, ‘No, I didn’t bring this cigarette, a passenger left it for me…’

I stopped mid-sentence.

Something was wrong with this cigarette.

The filter was black, and the tobacco was moist, emitting a deep earthy smell, as if it had been buried underground for a long time.

I brought it up to my nose and sniffed, a foul smell hit me, almost making me vomit.

John saw it too, his expression uneasy, he muttered softly, ‘Throw away the moldy cigarette, don’t casually accept things from passengers!’

‘Oh.’ I quickly threw away the cigarette, returning to the dormitory to catch up on sleep.

On the way, I kept pondering, that bald uncle seemed pretty decent, why would he give me a damp cigarette, was it a deliberate prank?

I didn’t think too deeply, returned to the dormitory, and fell asleep.

Staying up late is harmful to health, this saying is true, ever since I started this night bus, my health has deteriorated a lot, and I slept very fitfully.

In the latter half of the night, half-asleep, I always felt like there was a woman next to me, even taking off my pants…

The next day when I woke up, I felt my pants were wet, I reached down, my face flushed red.

I had a wet dream.

I hurriedly got out of bed, went to the bathroom to wash my underwear, and unintentionally looked in the mirror, then froze.

Is this still me?

In the mirror, my forehead was dark yellow, my eye sockets sunken, very haggard.

While combing my hair, I actually lost a handful of hair.

Because of this, I specifically went to the hospital in the afternoon.

While checking, the doctor’s expression suddenly became strange.

He prescribed a few medicines, then earnestly advised me, saying young people should practice moderation.

I was completely confused.

Just a wet dream, it shouldn’t be this serious.

After getting the medicine, it was almost ten, I stuffed the medicine in my pocket, and hurried to start the bus.

As I approached the front of the bus, I encountered something quite eerie. Someone had burned a pile of joss paper (paper used in rituals to honor the deceased) in front of my bus. The ashes were contained within a brazier and nearby, yellow incense candles flickered ominously in the dim light.

‘Damn it, who the hell did this?’ I cursed under my breath, a glance at my watch reminding me I was already behind schedule, so I reluctantly moved on.

Arriving at the first stop, the young man with the briefcase appeared on time. However, this time, his behavior was unusual; as he boarded, he kept throwing me wary glances with a strange, almost warning expression, as if he was struggling with a decision to speak up.

By the time we reached the second stop, he stood up to alight, muttering under his breath, ‘Don’t wait, no one else will board at this stop.’ I chuckled, ‘Don’t joke, who says no one? Just last night a gentleman boarded right after you left.’

‘What gentleman?’ His grip on the briefcase tightened, and he suddenly turned, staring at me with small, almost entirely white eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. Wiping sweat from my brow, I replied lightly, ‘Nothing… just an ordinary middle-aged man.’

‘Hmm.’ He looked away, chuckled subtly, and unexpectedly asked, ‘He didn’t offer you a cigarette, did he?’ Huh? I was completely taken aback. How could he know? ‘Don’t smoke it.’ His voice carried a hint of urgency, a brief scan of my face followed by a cold smile before he disappeared into the dark.

I stood there, baffled for a long time, the unease from his departing look lingering. Two days later, the young man vanished, never to board my bus again. His absence made the route eerily quiet, especially late at night.

That evening, with the weather being poor and a light drizzle falling, by the time I reached the terminal in Green Town, it was past midnight. Recalling John’s advice that there was no need to pick up passengers after midnight, I decided to turn back. Just then, a woman holding a small umbrella approached the platform, standing in the rain and called out, ‘Driver, could you please open the door?’

I hesitated, recognizing her as the woman who previously boarded with a child, though tonight she was alone. Checking my watch, which confirmed it was well past midnight, I responded, ‘I’m sorry, but this bus doesn’t take passengers after midnight.’

‘Could you make an exception? It’s still raining; how will I get home otherwise?’ she pleaded, her slow blinking and sultry gaze adding a layer of manipulation.

‘Alright…’ I reluctantly opened the door, and as she boarded, I inquired casually, ‘Where’s your child?’ ‘He’s in the hospital,’ she replied softly, placing her umbrella behind the door. ‘Oh…’ I sighed, realizing the gravity of her situation. With the roads slick from the rain, the drive was slow and cautious. In the dimly lit, bumpy bus, the intimate atmosphere between us was palpable.

When we reached her usual stopping point, I stopped the bus, but she made no move to alight. Instead, she approached me awkwardly, her face flushed, asking if I could lend her some money for an emergency. What? I was shocked. Why would she ask me for money?

Before I could refuse, she started unbuttoning her blouse, tears streaming down her face, ‘ My child is very ill, if I can’t gather the money, the hospital won’t continue his IV.’ My head buzzed with confusion. Eventually, my heart softened, and I handed her three hundred dollars, urging her to get off the bus.

Taking the money, she gave me a deep look, and as she turned to leave, she softly warned, ‘You’re a good person, be careful of your supervisor.’ ‘Huh?’ The rain drowned out her words, and I barely caught the word ‘supervisor’ before she disappeared. What did she mean by that?

Honestly, ever since I started driving this night bus, every passenger has seemed bizarre, but I can’t quite pinpoint why. Driving in the rain at night is risky, and by the time I got back to my dorm, it was past three in the morning. After a shower, I immediately went to bed. Half-asleep, I dreamt again. This time, it was clear—the woman who had borrowed money was in my dream.

Unsurprisingly, the next morning I experienced a nocturnal emission, feeling exceptionally weak at the heels. Looking in the mirror, I appeared even more haggard than before. An inexplicable eeriness filled me; both incidents of nocturnal emission occurred after meeting this woman. Could it really be a coincidence?

After showering, I intended to change clothes, finding yesterday’s underwear still damp, I hung it up and went downstairs to the supermarket. Passing through the corridor, the janitor suddenly stopped me, smiling slyly, ‘Are you in love, young man?’ I was puzzled and denied it. ‘Then why were there those sounds coming from your room in the middle of the night?’ he asked, his smile ambiguous. My heart skipped a beat. What sounds? ‘Young man, oh well…’ The janitor chuckled ambiguously, shaking his head as he walked away. …

The events that followed took an even more bizarre turn. The frequency of the woman’s appearances increased, and so did my dreams. Whenever I was on the bus, we hardly spoke; she ignored me, and I never initiated conversation. But each time I returned to my dorm, we would meet in my dreams, passionately kissing… My mental state deteriorated, yet I was helplessly immersed, my health worsening, and I often found myself distracted while driving.

John seemed to notice my changes. One day after my shift, he approached me, asking what was wrong recently. Embarrassed, I dodged his questions, claiming nothing was amiss.

‘Ross, you’re definitely hiding something from me.’ John didn’t believe me, staring intently into my eyes, ‘I heard from the janitor that there’s been noise coming from your room these past few days. Haven’t you forgotten the company’s policy? I’ve told you, no women during work hours!’ Unable to hide it any longer,

I confessed everything to him. To my surprise, he remained silent, simply lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, murmuring, ‘As long as you haven’t really slept with her… your yang energy is strong…’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing…’ John seemed reluctant to discuss further, reminding me to rest before finding an excuse to leave. Watching his retreating figure, I felt that he hadn’t told me everything.

Sure enough, the next day when I was about to start the bus, there was another pile of burnt joss paper in front of the bus. I suspected that John might have burned it, but when I called him, he denied it.

A few days later, I drove the bus to the first stop, too exhausted to stay awake, so I rested my head on the steering wheel. I was jolted awake by footsteps at the door and turned to see, to my surprise, the bald man. ‘Why are you here?’

I was puzzled; logically, it should have been the young man boarding at the first stop. The bald man simply smiled mysteriously, saying he came especially for me. Confused, I shook my head, dismissing his comment as a joke.

As the bus neared the third stop, I saw that woman again, preparing to pull over, but the bald man suddenly shouted, ‘Don’t stop!’ ‘Why?’ I was baffled, but the bald man didn’t explain, instead, he grabbed the steering wheel and forcefully pressed the accelerator.

The bus sped past the stop without slowing down. I was furious and shouted, ‘What are you doing? That’s too dangerous!’ ‘It would be more dangerous if you stopped now!’ The bald man was even more agitated, glaring at me before releasing the steering wheel and lighting a cigarette, ‘Never let that woman board the bus again.’

I was confused and asked him what he meant. The bald man’s expression turned serious, ‘Didn’t John tell you about it?’

Hearing this, I was stunned, ‘You know John?’

He glanced at me, ‘Of course, I know him. I was the driver of this bus before you, I quit the job, and then you took over.’

Ah? I was even more surprised and quickly asked, ‘Then why did you quit?’

He smirked bitterly, ‘Do you think this job is easy, well-paying, and has good benefits, and only an idiot would quit?’

I indeed had similar thoughts, but I sensed there was a reason behind the bald man’s resignation, so I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

He said angrily, ‘Because this is a hearse!’ ‘What?’ My scalp tingled, and I instinctively stepped on the brake. ‘

Don’t hit the brakes, keep driving, this bus can’t stop until it reaches a station,’ the bald man panicked, quickly pressing down on my shoulder. ‘You know this rule too?’ His knowledge of such details confirmed he truly was my predecessor.

But I couldn’t understand why he would curse this as a hearse. ‘Don’t believe it?’ He took a harsh drag of his cigarette, his voice eerie, ‘Two years ago, this bus was involved in a major accident. It’s said that the driver at the time had a minor disagreement with the supervisor and drank half a liter of liquor before driving.

Coincidentally, he encountered a woman with a child hailing the bus.’ ‘The driver was drunk, mistook the accelerator for the brake, and then a tragedy occurred.’

‘What did you say?’ I felt a chill run down my spine, remembering clearly that the woman had also been holding a child when she first hailed the bus.

The bald man ignored my shocked expression, his face pale as he continued, ‘The second month after the accident, the first driver of this bus mysteriously died in a car accident, then the second driver, who drove for less than half a year, also met the same fate, and then it was my turn…’

He pointed numbly at himself. He said that on his first day on the job, he encountered the woman with her child hailing the bus. The route seemed normal, but once he returned to his dorm, things became abnormal.

The bald man said he had just lain down when he dreamt of having relations with the woman, and not just once. Later, he felt his health deteriorating, and one time he was so exhausted while driving that he fell asleep at the wheel, nearly causing a major accident.

I remained silent, my facial muscles twitching, betraying my inner fear. The bald man’s experiences were eerily similar to mine!

Noticing my pale face, the bald man coughed, ‘Later, I went to a temple and sought advice from a master, who told me that the woman I dreamt about was the vengeful spirit of the mother who died in the accident with her son.

Her death, known as a ‘mother-child tragedy,’ would cause both their resentments to cling to this bus. The mother would continuously drain the driver’s yang energy until she had killed every driver of this bus.’

Listening to the bald man, my mind buzzed, and I almost wanted to throw the steering wheel away. But then I thought again and turned to look at the bald man, ‘Then how are you still alive?’

‘Heh.’ He showed a bitter smile, rolling up the sleeve on his left arm. In the dim light of the dashboard, I saw a centipede-like scar running from his elbow to his shoulder.