The night air over Bukit Tunku was thick with fog.
It was said that those who reached the final stage of the curse would receive one last choice—sacrifice someone else, or disappear forever.
And tonight… the final invitation had been sent.
In a rundown motel room on the outskirts of the city, Jin Hao, one of the earliest survivors of Lin Ze's cursed stream, sat trembling by the window.
He had ignored every countdown.
Refused every invitation.
But now, the time had run out.
His phone vibrated one last time.
The screen lit up with a simple message:
[Final Chance. Choose or Vanish.]
Below it, two options appeared.
[Offer Another Soul]
[Accept Your Fate]
His fingers hovered over the screen, drenched in sweat.
If he chose to offer another soul… he could live.
But someone else would receive the final invitation in his place.
If he refused…
He knew what would happen.
A new message appeared before he could decide:
[If you refuse, she will come for you now.]
The air in the room grew icy.
The scent of jasmine filled every corner.
And then—
The knocking began.
But this time, it wasn't at the door.
It was inside the room.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The bathroom door creaked open.
From the darkness, two pale feet floated just above the floor.
Jin Hao's mind collapsed into panic.
Without thinking, he slammed his thumb onto [Offer Another Soul].
The screen flashed once.
"Enter their name."
Jin Hao's hands shook as he typed.
He could barely bring himself to look at the screen, but he entered a name.
Someone he knew.
Someone who had betrayed him long ago.
Mei Ling.
But as soon as he pressed enter, the screen turned blood red.
[Invalid. Already taken.]
His heart sank.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
She was right behind him now.
The screen vibrated one final time.
[Your time is up. Welcome to the final stream.]
The livestream went live automatically.
This time, the camera focused directly on Jin Hao.
He was strapped to the old rattan chair under the banana tree, tears and blood mingling on his face.
The woman in white stood behind him, her cracked lips curling into an impossibly wide smile.
For the first time, she spoke directly to the viewers through the livestream.
"Will you take his place?"
One by one, the livestream viewers started receiving the same message on their phones.
[Take his place, and the curse will end for you. Refuse… and the knocking will begin.]
Across the city, across the world, doorbells began ringing.
Phones vibrated uncontrollably.
And from behind closed doors, the soft, deadly scent of jasmine crept in.
The cycle had become complete.
A curse that would never stop.
Because there would always be someone…
Desperate enough to choose survival over their soul.
End of Chapter 10