“Sss...” Bai Ci rubbed her forehead, taking a good moment to recover from the impact.
The moment the vehicle stopped, the onboard system emitted an electronic announcement:
“An obstacle has appeared ahead. The safety mechanism has been activated, and the vehicle has automatically stopped. Please confirm whether to ignore the obstacle and continue driving.”
Following the sudden braking, the baby's crying—which had been faint and intermittent—shifted from blurry to clear, drawing closer from the distance.
It was as if the sudden stop had allowed the “crying baby” to catch up. It was right outside the car now, perhaps even right next to the window.
Enduring the pain in her forehead, Bai Ci looked up toward the front of the car. Illuminated by the headlights, she could clearly make out the obstacle ahead.
It wasn't anything supernatural, but a calf.
It looked like a young calf, small in size and covered in light brown hair. It seemed no different from a normal calf in the real world, looking and behaving completely normally.
However, it appeared to be startled by the car. Trembling all over, its limbs were frozen stiff in the exact center of the highway. It neither moved forward nor backward, simply blocking the front of the car.
A pair of pitch-black eyes stared unblinkingly at the headlights.
Bai Ci stared blankly for a moment, then felt a wave of helplessness.
Regardless of whether it was just an ordinary calf, it was always wise to remain guarded against everything inside an instance.
Besides, the crying baby that had caught up couldn't actually harm her.
Instead, it made it even more obvious that the baby's cry was deliberately designed, meant to goad her into driving straight into the calf.
Steeling her nerves, she felt around the driver's seat and quickly located the horn, pressing down on it firmly.
Getting out of the car was out of the question.
Who knew what might be waiting for her out there?
The horn blared. Already terrified, the calf violently shuddered at the loud sound.
It spun around abruptly and bolted toward the wooded hills by the roadside, quickly vanishing into the dark night.
With the obstacle gone, the autopilot resumed, and the vehicle continued its journey down the highway.
But this was only the beginning.
Not long after starting, the vehicle slammed to a sudden halt once more, and the onboard system's electronic voice rang out again.
“An obstacle has appeared ahead. The safety mechanism has been activated, and the vehicle has automatically stopped. Please confirm whether to ignore the obstacle and continue driving.”
This time, Bai Ci peered through the headlights but saw nothing. Within the illuminated range, there wasn't a single animal in sight.
Still refusing to ignore it, she honked the horn again until the car restarted and moved forward.
This did not stop there.
For the rest of the drive, the car seemed stuck on a loop, stopping and starting every few minutes, with the system repeatedly broadcasting, “An obstacle has appeared ahead.”
Sometimes, she could see squirrels, wild rabbits, or stray dogs darting across the road in the headlights. Other times, she saw absolutely nothing, only hearing the system's announcement and waiting for the vehicle to restart on its own.
After a while, Bai Ci was practically laughing in frustration.
Her initial wariness gradually gave way to a sense of resignation.
It was like some sort of mandatory KPI—the same old tricks, already exposed, kept being recycled over and over.
Well, she had already stopped so many times; one more wouldn't hurt.
The car stopped yet again. With nothing in the headlights' beam, Bai Ci leaned back against her seat and tapped the horn, waiting for the car to start back up.
Meanwhile, the baby's crying that had been chasing her began to change amidst the constant stops.
The crying slowly faded, replaced by a faint, chilly sensation on the back of her neck.
It was soft and gentle, as if a tiny hand were repeatedly brushing against her neck.
Bai Ci's body stiffened slightly, but she quickly relaxed.
She reached up to touch the ring on her left middle finger again. It remained cool to the touch, meaning there was nothing to fear.
She didn't even bother looking back. Keeping her original posture, she simply raised her hand and pressed the horn whenever the onboard system announced an obstacle.
Once, twice, thrice...
Bai Ci silently counted the number of times the vehicle stopped.
Every stop corresponded to an “obstacle ahead” alert, and she repeatedly honked the horn, going through the exact same motions each time.
On the ninth stop, she honked the horn, scaring away a wild black cat that had darted across the road.
Right after that, the soothing, soft music playing on the car radio abruptly cut off, falling into a brief silence.
Bai Ci knew that the host, Beiguan, was about to speak.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, that mild, flat male voice drifted out from the car speakers.
“Dear tourists, welcome back. After a brief rest, the host will continue to introduce the scenery along the way.”
“This time, the host would like to introduce the ecological reserve section of Yefu District.”
“Yefu District has always prioritized environmental conservation and actively promoted ecological construction. This ecological reserve nurtures a wide variety of wildlife and serves as a home to countless small animals.”
“Therefore, on this stretch of road, it is completely normal for various small animals to cross the highway.”
“The host kindly reminds all tourists to care for small animals and respect life, which is also one of the key purposes of this journey.”
“Encountering small animals crossing the road is a special circumstance where stopping is permitted. Tourists, please wait patiently or use your horn appropriately to scare them away.”
“Additionally, for your personal safety and to avoid attacks by large wild animals, the host advises you to remain inside the vehicle and not step out when animals are crossing the road.”
“We wish you a pleasant journey.”
As the host's voice faded, the soothing soft music resumed from the speakers.
Strangely, after the host finished that broadcast, the vehicle didn't stop a single time. The rest of the drive was perfectly smooth, without any more “obstacle ahead” warnings.
What was this? Locking the stable door after the horse had already bolted?
What was the point of introducing safety precautions for a section of road she had already passed?
Usually, this kind of reminder wouldn't be of any help; instead, it would only increase the psychological burden on whoever heard it.
Especially for anyone who had previously acted contrary to the rules.
Hearing this wouldn't bring any peace of mind; it would only make them panic more. Coupled with the baby's hand occasionally touching their neck, how could their sanity not collapse?
Though she thought this, Bai Ci didn't voice her complaints out loud.
Ever since she had experimentally asked the host back at the gas station if he could see her, she had been keeping it in mind.
Even though she hadn't received a reply, she already had a strong suspicion: the host could most likely hear her, and perhaps even see her every move.
“Your customer service really needs improvement. You only started the introduction after I already passed the wildlife reserve. It really ruins the travel experience and is quite disappointing.”
Since she was playing the role of a tourist, complaining like this was perfectly reasonable.
If there was a response, she could fish for information; if not, she would keep testing. After all, he was currently the only sheep she could shear.
There was no response from the car radio, only the soft music continuing to play.
Bai Ci hadn't expected an immediate response anyway. After speaking, she leaned back in her seat and kept a watchful eye on the vehicle's progress.
Rate on N.U.
