CH 7.2

Suddenly, another text came in. 

【Firstly, congratulations. For this round, you are the chosen lucky one. From this point onwards, you shall experience something that you will never forget for the rest of your life. How long this experience will last shall be determined by your Health Points (HP).】

This round? Were there many other rounds before this?  Tang Tian thought incredulously.

Another text message appeared as soon as she was done reading. 

【Name : Tang Tian

Gender: Female

Age: 22

City of Birth: Jin City

Date of Birth: 22nd February 1997

Time of Death: 4:03 a.m., 18th July 2019】

She felt a sudden, stabbing pain in her heart. As she grew up in an orphanage, she had never known her real date of birth. 

Time of death? …Less than 48 hours from now. 

“How—”

How did it know beforehand? was what she meant to say, but before Tang Tian could deliberate further, another text message appeared. 

【Do you wish to live? If you complete the mission, you can continue to remain in the world of living.】

The phrase “remain in the world of living” sounded odd to Tang Tian, somehow. She tightened her grip on the phone and muttered under her breath, “Of course I want to continue living.”

But what mission would I need to complete? Was Chen Xu’s death somehow connected to some mission? More and more doubts piled up in Tang Tian’s mind. 

In the next few seconds, bright crimson letters appeared on the phone screen, as if stained by blood.

【Dearest friend, have you heard of ghost marriages?】

“…I’ve also heard of relentless advertising.”

What kind of rubbish phone is this? She had heard enough of ghost marriages and being wed to the dead to be on the verge of being traumatised. 

As if the phone heard her frustrated internal monologue, another text message came in. 

【Within 48 hours, find a vengeful ghost and complete the ghost marriage ceremony. Once completed, you will be rewarded 480 hours to live. If you fail… you know what happens.】

“No, I don’t know what happens,” Tang Tian grumbled. Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced at the promised reward. Then her eyes glared piercingly at the phone, wondering suspiciously if there was something wrong with the mobile phone itself. 

“I mean, finding a ghost, how do I even begin? Okay, maybe I know of one, but the problem is that the ghost marriage ceremony can only be done when both parties are dead. If I have to die to complete the mission, what are you going to do, revive me? Wouldn’t that give a fright to everyone else? And if I fail, what happens? I was already dead anyway.”

This time, the mobile phone stayed silent, as if it was broken. 

“Speak! Weren’t you very talkative a while ago?” Tang Tian grabbed the phone and shook it violently. As she felt it vibrate in her palm, she quickly checked the new text message.

【Time left to complete the mission: 47 hours 59 seconds. A reminder will be sent every hour. Do hurry. This is your final chance, cherish it.】

The numbers were written in a glaring shade of blood red. After that message, the mobile phone fell completely silent. 

Tang Tian studied the mobile phone carefully. Its exterior looked no different than any other smartphone. There was an Android system installed, but without any phone applications nor contact records. All it had were text messages she had seen from that creepy number. 

She tapped on the phone settings. Only the text size and colour could be changed. She couldn’t remove the default black-and-red background wallpaper, which was named “SSB”. 

There were no regular phone applications such as camera, pictures or internet browser installed. However, there was a “useful apps” folder that included a calculator and a flashlight app.

Tang Tian threw the not-so-useful phone on her bed and sat down. “According to the original plan, I was meant to have a ghost marriage when I died. Everything I need for the funeral has been prepared by Wang Li, so there was no need for the phone to assign this mission to me at this point. It’s meaningless.

“But that’s just what it did. So it means that, somehow, I have the power to make a choice. And that choice will change my fate…”

Tang Tian tapped the bed frame with her finger absently as she voiced her thoughts out loud. “Chen Xu is dead, but I still don’t know if he used the phone before he died. When I was brought to the study to get his notebook that night, I was confused about whether he intended to stop me from taking it. Now, it seems clear that he had no power over the phone. Whether I touched the phone or not, he couldn’t do a thing about it. Still, whatever happens from now on, I know it will be correlated to him somehow.” 

Then, the incessant tapping stopped—she had an idea. 

There’s no harm in trying it, I guess.

After mentally preparing herself, she picked up her own phone and called Wang Li. “Sister Wang, hurry. I’m dying.”

“What? So soon? Xiao Tang, are you…” Wang Li’s bewildered voice trailed off, not knowing what to say. It was Wang Li’s first time hearing someone say these words in such a calm, indifferent tone, and she wasn’t sure if she should say a few comforting words or offer her condolences. 

“I… I’ll come over right now.”

If Tang Tian truly is dying, the stuff needed for the ghost marriage ceremony must be ready! I must see to it myself! Wang Li thought.

After she hung up, Tang Tian laid down, face-up on the bed with her hands on her stomach, and tried to get some rest. 

She was going to take a gamble—what would happen if she was wed to the ghost while she was still alive? 

The plan was to get Wang Li to come here and force her to conduct the ceremony. From her previous research, Tang Tian knew that she would be transported in a bridal carriage into the depths of the mountain, where she would be left overnight. With her sickly body, she wouldn’t stand a chance against the low temperatures in the mountains at night, so if she dropped dead, they would likely just bury her there and then. Once it was all over, Wang Li would be able to receive her commission, and everyone else in the estate would feel more relieved. Less trouble for everyone, how wonderful. She never liked to cause any inconvenience to others anyway. 

But what if, miraculously, she survived after the ceremony was completed? It was not that she could live peacefully ever after. Instead, according to the phone, she would have 20 more days to live, so there was still a limited time period. 

Only 48 hours remaining. I have to try.

The phone had foretold her exact time and date of death, so she knew death loomed near. This time, she wanted to try and fight for her own fate. In the words of the last text she had received on that phone, if she wanted to live on, this was her final chance.