Exorzismus

Kapitel 14

Is it really related to Su-lan's death?

Ye Xiao glanced out the window; it seemed the sky was already beginning to brighten. So, on Su Lan's phone screen, he typed the following text message: "You're wrong, I didn't."

He wasn't sure if it would work, or if it would intimidate the other party. Although Ye Xiao wasn't sure either, he still replied to the text message with "741111" using Su Lan's phone.

Seeing the notification that the text message had been sent, Ye Xiao suddenly felt his heart race. He immediately realized he had made a mistake, but the message had already been sent to the recipient, and it was too late.

A few seconds later, the text message alarm went off.

He slowly picked up Su Lan's phone and found it was still from that mysterious number. Yes, what was coming would come; no one could escape it. Finally, Ye Xiao took a deep breath and opened the fatal text message—"Do you know what the 19th level of hell is?"

The silence lasted for a full minute...

When Ye Xiao first saw the text message, his mind went completely blank. He had never thought about such a question before: "The 19th level of hell?"

Ye Xiao shook his head nervously. Perhaps only a first-rate philosopher could answer such a profound question. As a successful police officer, he hadn't been this nervous in a long time, and now he was facing a text message.

Perhaps because he had stayed up all night, Ye Xiao's mind was a bit muddled. He casually pressed a few keys and typed a reply: "Can you tell me the answer?"

Then, Ye Xiao replied to the text message.

This is the second mistake he made tonight.

Before he could even react, the text message notification rang again.

At this point, Ye Xiao had no way to avoid it. Trembling, he opened the text message—"Welcome to hell."

Six o'clock in the morning.

In the dimly lit girls' dormitory, Chunyu had finally managed to fall asleep for a few hours when she was suddenly woken up by a text message ringtone.

Chunyu cursed inwardly, but didn't look at her phone, remaining still in bed. A moment later, the text message alert rang again. She could only reach out and look at her phone, only to find it was a message from Nan Xiaoqin: "Chunyu, I received a text message from Sulan."

Chunyu immediately came to her senses. Hadn't Sulan already hanged herself?

Although Nan Xiaoqin and Su Lan were not in the same dormitory, they were classmates in high school and later got into the same university and the same major. They have always been the best of friends.

Could it be that Su Lan has become a ghost and is still haunting Nan Xiaoqin?

Chunyu was now wide awake and immediately replied to Nan Xiaoqin: "That's impossible. What did that text message say?"

Nan Xiaoqin quickly replied: "Do you know what the 19th level of hell is?"

It was still dark.

Ye Xiao looked out the window at the tall buildings, their lights flickering in the pre-dawn darkness, like will-o'-the-wisps occasionally emanating from a medieval forest.

Having not slept all night, most men would light a cigarette at a time like this, but Ye Xiao brewed himself a very strong cup of tea.

The tea, bitter and astringent, sipped through his tongue and throat, sustained his nerves, which were exhausted to the extreme.

There was a silver cell phone on the table. Although its small and exquisite design was inexpensive, it was very popular with girls.

The owner of this phone was Su Lan, a once-popular female college student, who hanged herself in her dormitory early the day before yesterday. No one could explain why she wanted to die, but since it was confirmed as suicide, it was no longer the police's concern. However, Officer Ye Xiao discovered the deceased's phone at the suicide scene, and a text message on this phone led him into the most unbelievable and suspenseful area.

Now, Ye Xiao picked up the phone again, tapped a few keys with his thumb, and opened the last text message—he had been staring at this phrase for a long time. As a child, he also enjoyed playing video games; whenever he lost a game, a capital "☐" would appear on the screen, indicating that the game was over and he had to start over.

The text message in front of me was received at exactly 2 a.m., and the owner of this phone may have hanged himself during that time.

Does receiving such a text message at the moment of death signify a death knell from hell?

Ye Xiao instantly came up with a formula: Death == Game Over. Could it be that the suicide of the phone's owner, Su Lan, was actually the end of a game?

Ye Xiao recalled playing video games when he was a child. His avatar would bravely cross levels, only to be shot to death by enemies in the game, and a message would immediately appear on the screen.

But games are virtual, after all; whether on a computer or a mobile phone, there is no real death. How terrifying would it be if there were a mysterious game that could actually kill its players?

Relying on the keen sense that only a police officer could have, Ye Xiao realized that Su Lan's death was not just a simple suicide.

Moreover, Ye Xiao saw Chunyu at the suicide scene that day. This girl, who had left a deep impression on him half a year ago, actually lived in the dormitory next to the deceased and was the first person to discover the body. Besides marveling at how small the world was, Ye Xiao couldn't help but wonder if Chunyu, a girl with such a special past, would continue to encounter similar mysterious events.

That's why Ye Xiao spent an entire night thinking about the strange things, especially the cell phone left behind by Su Lan.

He had carefully checked all the text message records on the phone. But except for the last message, the rest were gone.

The sender of this text message is a very strange number—741111. The first five digits of this number seem to have no meaning, but the last six digits give people a strange feeling. The last four consecutive "1"s are of unknown significance.

Is it really related to Su-lan's death?

Ye Xiao glanced out the window; it seemed the sky was already beginning to brighten. So, on Su Lan's phone screen, he typed the following text message: "You're wrong, I didn't."

He wasn't sure if it would work, or if it would intimidate the other party. Although Ye Xiao wasn't sure either, he still replied to the text message with "741111" using Su Lan's phone.

Seeing the notification that the text message had been sent, Ye Xiao suddenly felt his heart race. He immediately realized he had made a mistake, but the message had already been sent to the recipient, and it was too late.

A few seconds later, the text message alarm went off.

He slowly picked up Su Lan's phone and found it was still from that mysterious number. Yes, what was coming would come; no one could escape it. Finally, Ye Xiao took a deep breath and opened the fatal text message—"Do you know what the 19th level of hell is?"

The silence lasted for a full minute...

When Ye Xiao first saw the text message, his mind went completely blank. He had never thought about such a question before: "The 19th level of hell?"

Ye Xiao shook his head nervously. Perhaps only a first-rate philosopher could answer such a profound question. As a successful police officer, he hadn't been this nervous in a long time, and now he was facing a text message.

Perhaps because he had stayed up all night, Ye Xiao's mind was a bit muddled. He casually pressed a few keys and typed a reply: "Can you tell me the answer?"

Then, Ye Xiao replied to the text message.

This is the second mistake he made tonight.