In a dark and gloomy room, a young man sat in front of his computer, the sound of rapid keystrokes echoing from his room.
He shouted angrily,
"Damn it! A hacker! He's a hacker— that cursed bastard!"
With an annoyed sigh, he stood up from the worn-out computer desk and, with heavy steps, opened the window. A blinding light poured in, nearly piercing his eyes.
"Ah… damn…"
He muttered in realization,
"It seems I've been in this state for far too long."
A phone rang on the desk beside the computer. The young man glanced at it and immediately recognized the caller's name.
"The bald boss…"
He jumped lightly, stretching his body with a few quick exercises as if preparing for a performance. Once done, he answered the call.
"Ahem… ahem… ahem… Who's calling?" he said, pretending to be sick.
"Don't you recognize my number, you bastard?"
"Oh, Boss… I'm practically dying from illness right now. Even opening my eyes is nearly impossible."
"You think you can fool me, Fang? Still, I must praise you as a talented actor… You fooled the chairwoman and everyone else—except me!"
"What are you talking about, sir?" Fang replied with obvious feigned ignorance.
"Fine, fine, you 'sick' man. I'm calling because someone contacted your office. They said they're from the Xing Shui Nursing Home."
"Oh, haha… yes, I gave them the work number."
"You bastard! Don't give the work number to anyone who isn't a client, do you understand? You—"
"Shhhh… shhhh… Mr. Roy Ts… I can't hear… crackle… properly…"
"Beeep… beeep… beeep…"
Fang burst out laughing in front of the computer.
"Damn you, bald bastard! You're a disgrace to bald people worldwide!"
Then he calmed down slightly.
"The nursing home called… it must be Qing Susu.
Hmm… is she okay?"
Fang put on a black shirt and blue jeans, brushed his teeth, and left the house.
Standing in front of the Xing Shui Nursing Home, Fang placed a black donut in his mouth.
"Alright… let's go see the old lady."
At the reception desk, two girls were chatting together.
Fang stopped in front of them and cleared his throat.
"Ahem… ladies, could you tell me why I was contacted?"
"Oh, Mr. Fang Qing, you came!"
One of them said quickly.
"We sincerely apologize for disturbing you. Grandma Susu has been ill lately, but she urgently requested to see you."
"Hm… why me? What about her son?"
"She refuses to see him. She says she wouldn't meet him even if it were the end of the world."
Fang sighed.
"Sometimes kindness comes from those farthest from us."
Then he added quietly,
"I repay kindness with kindness. Grandma Susu supported me during my hardest times."
After walking and climbing the stairs for a while, Fang stopped in front of a door labeled:
SUSU – Room 26
"Was the room changed?"
"Yes, she was moved here."
"Ah… alright."
Fang opened the door and stepped inside quietly, but a chill ran through his body the moment he entered.
The nurse smiled and said,
"I'll leave you two alone."
Then she closed the door.
"Hello, Grandma Su… is everything alright?
I brought you some donuts."
On the bed lay an elderly woman with white hair, a beautiful necklace resting on her chest, gazing at the sunset through the balcony. She seemed detached from her surroundings. The moment she sensed someone's presence, she turned around.
"Fang! Welcome! I missed you—why haven't you visited for a whole month?"
"I'm sorry, Grandma… I barely get any days off these days. Sometimes I wonder if I'm working for a gang without realizing it."
She laughed softly.
"Yes, yes… companies these days treat employees like slaves."
Fang laughed.
"I suppose that's the one thing that never changes."
"Everything changes… except that," she replied meaningfully.
Fang quickly changed the subject.
"Why did you urgently want to see me? Is everything okay?"
"No… there's a problem."
She paused.
"A big problem… I've been bored for nearly a month. How about we play a game?"
For a moment, Fang thought it was something serious.
But it was important to a lonely old woman.
"A game? What kind?"
"A card game—but not an ordinary one. I'll place ten cards, each different. You get ten attempts. To win, you only need to draw a card different from the first one."
"What? That's the easiest game in the world! Did you create a game no one can lose?"
The old woman laughed.
"In fact, by one of the universe's ironies, I created the opposite."
"Alright, shuffle the cards. I'm actually quite competitive."
"That's how young people should be."
She shuffled the cards and placed them on the bed.
Fang chose a card. The moment he looked at it, an overwhelming sense of strangeness filled him.
If one person said it was darkness, another would say it was a shape, and yet another would claim it was a person. He couldn't define what was drawn on it.
"Alright… I've chosen."
The second time, he chose the same card.
He blamed luck. Then it happened again… and again. Third, fourth, fifth—until the tenth time.
"I get it… you're clever, Grandma… or maybe I'm the idiot."
He flipped the remaining cards—each one was different.
"How?! How?!"
"Trade secret," she smiled.
"Let me give you one more attempt."
"Another attempt?"
"Yes. This time, all the cards are face-up and clear. Choose a different one. If you succeed, you win. If you fail, you lose—and I win."
"This is stupid. No matter what trick you're using, it has limits!"
He quickly reached out, grabbed a different card, and held it up to her.
"I won!"
She looked at him with feigned surprise.
"Hmm… are you sure?"
Fang looked down at the card, his face stiffening.
"Damn…"
The dark card was in his hand once again.
"Honestly, I didn't think you'd end up holding that card.
I had other assumptions… and you shattered them."
"What did you do? Is this magic? What is this?"
"In a way… yes, boy."
The old woman removed the necklace from her neck and handed it to Fang.
"Take this necklace. It will help you greatly—consider it a lucky charm.
My time is near, I can feel it. Goodbye, boy… perhaps we'll meet again someday."
She then drifted into a deep sleep.
"So that's why… she wanted to play…"
Fang gently closed her eyes and pressed the button beside the bed.
The nurse he had spoken to earlier arrived. Fang told her that Grandma Susu felt her end approaching and wanted to play a game.
The nurse looked at him with sorrow. The words stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.
"I know," Fang said quietly.
"She's dead."
The nurse nodded.
Fang left the nursing home and headed home.
"Should I cook instant noodles and play video games?
To hell with that… I'll sleep and prepare for Grandma Su's funeral.
Damn… grief really does make you angry sometimes."
As he crossed the street, he glanced to his right and saw a massive truck speeding toward him.
In that moment, countless thoughts flooded his mind—one of them being:
A truck, huh—
BOOOOM!
The truck screeched to a halt as Fang slammed into a stone wall. His arm flew off to the side.
What he heard was:
"Call an ambulance!"
He had lost an arm and a leg, his face scraping against the asphalt.
He heard a paramedic sigh and say,
"No need to rush… he's dead."
Strangely, he felt no anger—no pain.
As if even his pain receptors had given up on him.
A darkly humorous thought crossed his mind:
"Double kill… the world must be a pro gamer—killing two people who knew each other in different ways, on the same day… haha… well, I'm dead."
Yet a burning heat rose in his chest. He forced his eyes open with all his strength. When he succeeded, he saw the necklace floating in the air—burning.
Then his entire body ignited.
"Ah! Ah!"
Fang screamed in agony as he burned… until nothing remained but ashes.