C1 The Death of a Novelist(1)

"Hey, old dog, I'm gearing up to start writing a novel. Everyone needs a dream, right? Who cares if it makes money..."

Excited snippets of conversation floated through the somewhat crowded Bus Line 12, drawing curious glances from fellow passengers.

The voice belonged to a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, with a pale complexion framed by his signature black-rimmed glasses. His features weren't remarkable, but he wasn't hard on the eyes either.

He held down the voice record button on his phone, speaking nonstop into the mic—it looked like he was sending a voice message to a friend.

Feeling the weight of onlookers' stares, the young man's eyes flickered with embarrassment. He offered a sheepish smile and then lowered his voice a notch.

Yet, his enthusiasm for the future couldn't be easily quelled.

Beside him sat a serene and charming girl, tenderly watching as he shared his dreams with his friend, her eyes brimming with affection.

Lu Yu, another passenger on Bus Line 12, found himself drawn to the conversation behind him. He subtly turned his head for a quick peek at the young man, internally launching into a barrage of snarky commentary.

"Becoming a novelist isn't a walk in the park. With the market flooded with writers, I bet it won't be long before he realizes his work isn't as well-received as he'd hoped, and he'll just give up..."

"Though, the girl next to him must be his girlfriend, right? They seem really close. I can't help feeling a bit envious..."

"And about that Fast & Furious 9 movie I watched tonight—utterly absurd. Cars flying into space, yet not a single scratch on anyone? That's just beyond ludicrous..."

"Ugh, and tomorrow's back to the grind. Endless calculations, never-ending drawings—my soul feels so clogged up..."

Lu Yu's mind was a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts as he glanced around, pondering that age-old dilemma.

What's for breakfast tomorrow?

Outside, the evening sky darkened, draping the city in a neon glow.

The lethargy of the holiday was fading, with hurried pedestrians on the streets. In contrast, the bus's atmosphere retained a bit more calm.

The chatter of the man with the black-rimmed glasses was somewhat noisy, yet it brought a splash of color to the otherwise dull bus ride. It felt as though anything could happen.

Bus Line 12 weaved through traffic, and while the driver's skills left something to be desired, his work ethic was as impeccable as his crisply ironed collar and cuffs—nothing less than meticulous.

The bus wasn't crowded, nowhere near the crush of the morning rush hour. Still, under the driver's "expert" handling, most passengers huddled toward the rear, as if that would somehow let them disembark a second sooner and escape the jostling sooner.

An elderly lady, her hair touched with gray, leaned against the window, using the bus's dim light to check her shopping, counting and recounting as if she feared forgetting something.

A glamorous woman with her legs elegantly crossed chatted away on her phone, her smooth calves highlighted by her black stockings, drawing more than a little attention.

Yellow Hair, seated nearby, appeared to be lost in thought like Lu Yu, but the occasional glances he cast toward the woman's legs betrayed his wandering focus.

And then there was the large man in the back row, his face mostly hidden by a black hood, body shaking slightly—what he was up to was anyone's guess.

"It's nice, everyone's wrapped up in their own world," Lu Yu mused, taking a deep breath. The soothing atmosphere slowly eased his frustration.

"No more popcorn flicks like 'Fast & Furious' for me next time..."

Despite the heat of May, the cool night breeze wafting through the window invigorated the young man's sluggish mind.

"Tomorrow, I'll have buns for breakfast. Two beef and glass noodle buns, and maybe a cup of soy milk..."

Lu Yu planned his morning meal, inching further back in the bus. He always liked to be ready, even if the stop was still ahead.

"I've even come up with a pen name! How about 'The Silly Bug Who Loves to Talk in His Sleep'? Hey, what are you—what are you doing? Ah!"

A piercing scream erupted from the rear of the bus, snapping Lu Yu, the phone-engrossed beauty, the item-counting old lady, and the daydreaming Yellow Hair to attention.

The young man with the black-rimmed glasses was frantically struggling in his seat, his pale face smeared with bright red blood, erasing any trace of the smile that had been there moments before. He was beyond speech, his throat clamped in the vice-like grip of the man in black looming over him.

The scene was bloody and brutal, evoking in Lu Yu the image of a leopard mercilessly hunting down an antelope. The antelope would flail in desperation, but the leopard needed only to clamp down to swiftly end its prey's life.

A hush fell over Bus Line 12, the previous clamor giving way to stunned silence as every passenger stared, horror-stricken, at the gruesome spectacle unfolding before them.

Sensing the boy's resistance, the hulking figure in black intensified his grip, ripping a large chunk of flesh from the boy's neck. Blood, mingled with bits of flesh, sprayed out like an unchecked high-pressure hose, drenching the girl seated next to him first.

The hot, sticky blood jolted the girl's senses to full alert, her skin prickling as terror took hold and screams pierced the air.

"Murder, there's been a murder!"

The glamorous woman hadn't even managed to set down her phone before she let out a piercing scream.

The screech of the brakes cut through the chaos like a starting pistol. Propelled by inertia and panic, passengers leapt from their seats, tumbling toward the front door in a frenzied rush.

"Hit the emergency switch, let us out!" Yellow Hair was frantic, his face etched with the fear of becoming the next victim to have his neck savagely bitten through.

Lu Yu, who had been standing near the front of the bus, was jolted forward by the sudden stop. Now, pressed against the door, he found the emergency switch within reach of his right hand.

Without a moment to process the horror, Lu Yu instinctively followed Yellow Hair's command, reaching out to yank the emergency switch.

The door flew open with a crash, and the passengers, like fish desperate for an escape, surged outwards, clawing their way to freedom.

Thrown off balance and shoved maliciously, poor Lu Yu slipped and plummeted face-first to the ground.

Before he could even cry out in pain, he felt a series of heavy stomps on his back.

Everyone was scrambling off Bus Line 12, oblivious to what they were trampling underfoot.

As Lu Yu looked up, an elderly lady with streaks of gray in her hair vaulted over him with surprising agility, merging seamlessly into the throng of spectators.

"Whoa... what in the world is happening..."