A prank! A premeditated prank! And an extremely malicious one at that!
A chill ran down Su Jin's spine as the thought suddenly leaped into his mind.
The bizarre contents, the shipping label... there was no way some assassin organization had simply sent the package to the wrong address.
The fact that the paper had self-combusted wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
Maybe it was some kind of high-tech flash paper... the kind that ignites after being in contact with skin for a while.
But why would they send a real gun? That was just absurd. What on earth were they trying to do?
Could it be that client, Old Wang?
Impossible! That scumbag had just been demanding an apology call from him.
Su Jin's scalp tingled with unease as countless movie scenes flashed through his mind.
All of them featured plots where a bunch of bored, ultra-rich tycoons secretly manipulated and toyed with ordinary people.
Maybe a few people would show up soon, drag him off to some remote place, and the next thing he knew, he'd be waking up to a game of wilderness survival or an escape room.
"Damn it!"
Muttering a curse under his breath, Su Jin decisively dialed the police.
"Beep... beep... beep..."
The line rang on and on. Su Jin's lips were dry, his mind racing as he tried to formulate what to say.
Finally, the call connected, and Su Jin immediately spoke.
"Hello! I'm—"
"Hello, this is—"
He was cut off mid-sentence. The female voice on the other end had just begun to speak when it was abruptly silenced, replaced by a cold, mechanical voice that echoed in Su Jin's mind.
"Do not, in any form, disclose company information. A second violation will result in severe punishment! Please put on the mask immediately and prepare at once."
*Click—*
Listening to the piercing dial tone, Su Jin's sharp senses picked up on something strange... His pupils had begun to lose focus.
Weird! Things were getting weirder and weirder!
The call being intercepted could be explained by technology, but how was it that the audio quality of the mechanical voice and the final dial tone were completely different?
It started with a normal human voice on the phone, but the mechanical voice that followed sounded like it was speaking directly inside his head.
He'd had his crappy old phone for years; its single earpiece was incapable of producing stereo sound!
Was he dreaming? Or had he stumbled into some kind of paranormal event...
Looking lost, Su Jin staggered back two steps and plopped down in front of his computer.
A glance out of the corner of his eye, and his pupils contracted sharply!
There, on the corner of the recruitment page on his computer screen, were the brightly displayed words: Tiandao Responsibility Unlimited Company!
Wasn't that... the pop-up from earlier?!
Su Jin's reflexes were sharp. He grabbed the mouse and quickly tried to click on the page, but the moment his cursor moved over it, the entire window instantly closed on its own.
In a panic, he started typing, trying to search for it.
Company not found... It was as if it had never existed.
Dazed, Su Jin exhaled, squeezed his eyes shut, and dug his fingers into his hair.
What the hell was going on... Could he still run?
No. Some organization already had its eyes on him. If he just ignored everything and bolted now, the consequences would likely be even more unpredictable.
A moment later, he lifted his head, slowly reached to his left, and picked up the transparent mask he had casually tossed aside, beginning to study it closely.
No matter how he looked at it, the thing just seemed like an ordinary plastic mask. The voice on the phone had told him to put it on...
Frowning, he examined it cautiously for several minutes before carefully pressing it to his face.
The instant it touched his skin, an icy sensation spread across his entire face, and the mask vanished!
The mask was gone. His fingers felt only his own skin.
Before Su Jin could react, a new sight instantly captured his attention.
A string of constantly changing numbers had inexplicably appeared in his vision.
1:32:11
1:32:10...
Su Jin stared, wide-eyed, for a full ten seconds before slumping back into his chair, his chest heaving.
The room was silent, save for the frantic beating of his heart and the soft whir of his computer's fan.
Once he came to his senses, the first thing he did was run to the bathroom mirror.
He frantically clawed at his jawline, trying to pull off the mask that was no longer there.
He fumbled for a long while, until the side of his face was red and raw, before finally giving up and examining himself.
In the mirror, aside from the string of numbers and his violently twitching eyelid, everything looked normal.
This wasn't some rich man's game anymore. Damn it, this was a full-blown haunting!
Gritting his teeth, Su Jin turned on the tap and viciously scrubbed his face with cold water.
Calm down... I have to think calmly now!
Something strange had entered his body. Whether it was good or bad was hard to say, but since he couldn't get it out now, he had no choice but to ignore it.
Since the mask was no ordinary object, the handgun and the briefcase must have their own strange properties as well.
First, he would check those two items.
...
00:59:23
00:59:22...
More than half an hour had passed.
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Su Jin sat quietly on his bed, the briefcase and handgun laid out before him.
It was hard to say he had calmed down, especially since the string of bizarre events had completely shattered his understanding of the world.
The mask was well and truly stuck.
And the two items on the bed were, as expected, anything but ordinary.
He couldn't find any information about the handgun online. The magazine was unremovable. And the single round he had accidentally fired had left no empty casing or bullet, making further test-firing impossible for now.
The briefcase was even stranger. When he touched the bottom, he felt a peculiar connection, as if there was a one-cubic-meter space beneath it... though it was invisible to the naked eye.
He tried putting a few things inside; retrieving them was effortless and incredibly convenient.
This thing was basically a magic item straight out of a novel, except it couldn't fit anything too large.
If he had obtained such a treasure in the past, he would have been ecstatic, but right now, he was in no mood for it.
The more magical the items were, the greater the psychological pressure.
Dying world, apocalypse... every word squeezed his heart tight.
The current situation was completely beyond his comprehension, and he didn't have much time to think.
What should I do? Should I prepare according to the notice?
After a moment of internal conflict, Su Jin reluctantly picked up his phone.
...
Another half hour passed.
His small rental apartment was now piled high with supplies, all ordered through delivery.
Looking at the chaotic room, Su Jin felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about running, but the numbers were a constant shadow, hanging right before his eyes.
He had clearly encountered a supernatural event. The best choice now was to obediently prepare. Otherwise, struggling blindly would only get him killed faster.
00:31:09
00:31:08...
He sorted and packed the items by category.
Panting, Su Jin sat staring at his computer screen. He picked out a life insurance policy, listed his parents as the beneficiaries, and noted it would pay out if he was missing for two years.
Then, he took out several loans from legitimate platforms, totaling just under 170,000 yuan.
He drew up an online donation agreement for 150,000 yuan to his parents, maximizing the chances of avoiding fund reclamation.
He transferred 10,000 to his landlord to cover half a year's rent, adding a few words to prevent being disturbed. The rest he converted to cash to keep on his person.
Finally, he cleared his browser history.
With everything done, Su Jin called home with a heavy heart.
A moment later, his mother's groggy voice came through. "Son, why are you calling at this hour? Aren't you asleep yet?"
"Oh, I sent you and Dad some money. Did you see if it arrived?"
"Money...? What?! 150,000! Where did you get this kind of money?" His mother's voice was suddenly wide awake, and he could faintly hear his father's voice in the background.
Su Jin forced a smile, his voice tinged with feigned excitement. "Of course it's good news! A company tried to poach me, so our Director Li gave me a bonus to convince me to stay. I don't need it right now, so you and Dad should take it. Spend it on whatever you want."
"Really? My son is so successful, companies are fighting over you now! You scared me for a second. I thought you'd gotten the money through some shady means." His mother's voice was buzzing with excitement.
"Of course not. When have I ever done anything crooked? Director Li just transferred the money, and I was so excited I forgot you two were asleep. Uh... um... hey, there's a really big project at work, so I might have to work overtime for a few months straight. Don't call me, okay? I'll call you."
"Son!" his father's voice cut in. "There's a limit to overtime. Don't work yourself to exhaustion! Don't get carried away just because they gave you a little extra money. It's not like you sold your life to them... The harder you work, the more they'll exploit you. Just make a good impression on the bosses, that's enough."
"I know. You two get some sleep. I have to be at the office early tomorrow."
Hanging up, Su Jin lowered his head and let out a deep, sorrowful sigh.
He had done all he could.
So be it. If he really met with misfortune... at least he had fulfilled his filial duty.
...
00:00:12
00:00:11
00:00:10
In the final ten seconds, Su Jin's eyes were glued to the timer, his hand plunged into the inner pocket of his windbreaker, gripping the gun handle tightly.
3, 2, 1, 0!
As the timer hit zero, Su Jin's pupils contracted. A blinding point of light burst into existence before him!
Before his astonished eyes, the point of light expanded in an instant, transforming into a golden portal that stood before him.
Blinking hard a few times, Su Jin quickly snapped out of his shock.
A miracle! This is truly a miracle!
Was this the work of aliens, or of gods and ghosts?
The portal is just standing there. If I don't go in, nothing should happen, right? Maybe I should try sticking my phone through first?
"Wha—!"
Just as he was thinking this, Su Jin's eyes flew wide. The portal lunged at his face and swallowed him in an instant...
Proofreader: Peter Pan