Chapter 1, The Disconnected

Wang Lei concluded, "It should not be an explosion, so what could it be?"

The green light is on, the bus starts, the container truck starts, and the two vehicles are traveling head-on at a moderate speed, meeting each other, and then...

Suddenly, Wang Lei's expression changed dramatically. Having already stepped onto the second step of the vehicle, he retreated from the door with a speed as swift as a leopard, a movement that nearly caused him to be caught by the closing door.

She should have perished in the sinkhole, but she narrowly escaped disaster. When Wang Lei noticed her, she was sitting in the car, her face pale, trembling as she held her phone, seemingly saying something.

Fortunately, the lines on these pedestrians have not yet broken, and Wang Lei faintly noticed that the driver of the heavy container truck still had his "line" intact

Wang Lei asked, "May I ask, did you see anything before the incident occurred?"

The massive sinkhole that appeared at the intersection, the small bus that fell in first was directly crushed by a heavy container truck. Current assessments indicate that it is unlikely anyone on the bus survived

Is it a tire blowout that caused the rollover, or an explosion of hazardous materials on the vehicle

This is the experience summarized from the game of playing with death and escaping from it over the past year, a lesson learned through blood. At that time, his mother, despite having detected the anomaly in advance, was blocked by others and could not get out of the car in time, becoming trapped in that deadly vehicle, and then she was seized by death

The heavy container truck was precisely driving on the edge of the suddenly appeared sinkhole, with all the left wheels suspended in the air. Although the driver promptly applied the brakes, the vehicle's center of gravity still leaned towards the side that was suspended. The half-suspended vehicle trembled beside the massive sinkhole for more than ten seconds, and ultimately, amidst the screams of countless onlookers witnessing the scene, the truck tipped to the left and crashed down heavily onto the small bus that had fallen into the sinkhole.

Wang Lei knew that, as early as a year ago, his own "line" had already reached its end. Now, every additional day he lived was a "stolen" day of life, while death had long been standing behind him, constantly watching for any flaws, and continuously creating various "accidents" in order to harvest his life.

Are you out of your mind? Bastard

The beautiful red BMW that was following the small bus should have also fallen into this sinkhole along with it. The driver, a young woman, was clearly a novice. While waiting for the green light, she stalled the car, and for some unknown reason, when the green light came on, she did not restart the engine, remaining stopped at the intersection. This caused the cars behind her to honk incessantly in frustration, but she fortunately escaped a disaster.

This object, resembling a sketchbook, is originally intended to serve as a shield; its design as a sketchbook is merely a disguise. After fastening this "shield" to his hand, Wang Lei began to chase after the bus he had missed.

Wang Lei walked over and tapped on the car window with his finger. When the window was lowered, the beautiful yet pale face of the female driver was revealed

Through the bus window, Wang Lei saw the "lines" on the passengers' bodies, each one continuously breaking. When he stopped at the intersection, from a distance of about ten meters, Wang Lei clearly saw that all the "lines" representing life on the more than twenty passengers crammed in the bus had completely snapped without a single one left.

Before taking the bus, he carefully observes his surroundings, then positions himself at the end of the line to board, and finally boards the bus at the slowest pace. This has become a "habit" he developed after being pursued by the invisible Grim Reaper for a year, and it has even transformed into an instinct.

With a loud rumble, a large section of the ground at the intersection suddenly collapsed, measuring over ten meters in length. The small bus was positioned right at the center of this collapse. At that moment, Wang Lei was standing at a distance and could not discern the depth of the pit, yet he still heard the screams coming from the bus that had fallen in.

Over the past year, Wang Lei, who has escaped the clutches of death countless times, has gained a certain understanding of the killing techniques of the so-called "Grim Reaper." The Grim Reaper creates accidental deaths, but these accidents must always be very "reasonable"

The people on the vehicle, how did so many of the lines on them suddenly break!

The counter next to the traffic light at the intersection began the countdown from red to green. Wang Lei, while keeping an eye on the changing numbers, stepped back, distancing himself from this dangerous place. At this moment, his attention was no longer on the minibus filled with "people on the verge of death," but rather on the pedestrians by the roadside

Standing on the platform, gazing at the departing car, Wang Lei quickly unfastened the metal clipboard strapped to his back

The sudden tragedy caused chaos on the road, with some people screaming, others calling the police, and many more running away like frightened rabbits. However, at that moment, Wang Lei's gaze was directed towards the delayed BMW, as he noticed that the female driver in the car had also lost her composure.

The female driver's already pale face underwent another kind of change that he was very familiar with, a change similar to that of the people he had saved in the past

Wang Lei took a deep breath, his head quickly turning left and right, his eyes rapidly scanning the surroundings in search of any potential "weapons" that could instantly kill everyone in the vehicle

The waiting bus has arrived at the station; it is a small public bus with a capacity of about thirty passengers. The door opened, and Wang Lei, as usual, was the last to board. For the past six months, he has always been the last one to get on the bus. Being the last to board means sitting closest to the door, allowing him to jump off the bus in time if he notices anything unusual before the door closes

The bus traveled less than thirty meters before encountering a red light at the intersection, and then it came to a stop. Wang Lei removed the drawing board and slipped his left hand into the rubber sleeve embedded on the surface of the board, securing it to his arm. His drawing board was custom-made at a cost, crafted not from lightweight aluminum alloy, but from hard alloy steel, with a thickness of eight millimeters, capable of withstanding close-range gunfire from handguns and even submachine guns.

Every life in this world is connected by a thread, and at the end of that thread stands the Grim Reaper

In contrast to his mere twenty-one years of age, Wang Lei's gaze resembles that of a centenarian, filled with weariness. Within this profound weariness, there also lies a hint of restlessness.

Standing by the bus stop waiting for the bus, watching the men and women passing by, Wang Lei sighed inwardly.

At this moment, Wang Lei's face was extremely pale, devoid of any color.

Wang Lei is not a student of an art school, nor does he possess any artistic talent. The iron easel serves not for painting, but as a shield for self-defense. On the left side of Wang Lei's face, near his neck, there is a long, slender scar that runs down from the base of his ear, crossing the skin over the carotid artery, measuring a full six centimeters in length. At the time of the injury, had the wound been any deeper, he would not be standing here now. On the left side of Wang Lei's face, near his neck, there is a long, slender scar that runs down from the base of his ear, crossing the skin over the carotid artery, measuring a full six centimeters in length. At the time of the injury, had the wound been any deeper, he would not be standing here now

Wang Lei's dangerous actions provoked the driver's dissatisfaction, who shouted angrily, started the car, and drove away.

The passengers waiting to board the bus took their turns one by one, and soon it was Wang Lei's turn. He lifted his right foot and, like a centenarian, slowly stepped onto the bus, while his eyes quickly scanned the other passengers on board. Earlier, while waiting outside, he had already been observing the people on the bus, but due to the angle, some individuals were in blind spots, making it impossible for him to see them.

Are you coming?

More than ten seconds is sufficient for the truck driver to sense the danger, open the door, and escape from the other side, but it is not enough for the survivor who fell into the deep pit to escape

At the intersection, the crossroad is bustling with traffic, and Wang Lei noticed that all the vehicles passing by are small cars, with not a single larger vehicle within a hundred-meter radius. Moreover, this intersection is located in a busy urban area, where the roads are congested, and the speed of the vehicles has slowed to a crawl, akin to a cow's pace. Even if someone were to go mad and attempt to speed, it would be impossible for the vehicles to move quickly. On the longitudinal road, Wang Lei observed that a large container truck was parked right at the intersection.

On the surface, Wang Lei is dressed in the athletic attire commonly worn by students, sporting sneakers on his feet and carrying a heavy metal portfolio slung over his shoulder, giving the appearance of a student from an art school

As for those who are about to die in the car, it is not that he does not wish to save them, but rather that it is meaningless. The King of Hell may demand your life at midnight; even if you escape at that hour, he will eventually come to claim you. Over the past year, he has saved a few such individuals, but they did not live much longer, soon succumbing to "accidents".