Doomsday Dealer

Chapter 2: I Never Wanted to Cross Over!

A prank! A premeditated, malicious prank!

Marcus Sullivan felt a chill run down his spine as this thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

The bizarre contents, the delivery slip—there was no way some assassin organization had sent the wrong package. The self-combusting paper wasn't entirely incomprehensible either. Maybe it was some high-tech magic paper that ignited after contact with skin for a certain period. But why would someone send a real g*n? That was completely insane!

What the hell was this all about? Could it be that client, William Wang? Impossible! That bastard had just demanded he call and apologize.

Marcus felt his scalp tingling as countless movie scenes flashed through his mind—all featuring wealthy elites secretly orchestrating schemes to manipulate and toy with ordinary people for their amusement. Maybe some people would show up soon, drag him to some dark place, and he'd wake up in a survival scenario.

"s**t!" he muttered under his breath, then decisively dialed 911.

"Ring... ring... ring..."

The phone kept ringing. Marcus's lips felt dry as he anxiously rehearsed what he would say. Finally, someone picked up.

"Hello! I'm—"

"Hello, this is—"

Halfway through their words, the female voice on the other end abruptly cut off, replaced by a mechanical, cold voice that seemed to echo directly in Marcus's mind.

"Do not disclose company information in any form. Second-time violators will face severe punishment! Put on the mask immediately and prepare quickly."

Beep————

Listening to the harsh dial tone, Marcus keenly noticed something abnormal... his pupils had become somewhat unfocused. Bizarre! Things were getting more and more bizarre!

The call being cut off could be explained by technology, but how could the mechanical voice's audio effect be completely different from the final dial tone? At first, it was normal phone audio, but the mechanical voice seemed to resonate directly inside his head. His seven-year-old phone couldn't possibly produce stereo effects through a single speaker!

Was he dreaming? Marcus numbly picked up his phone, opened his BitTorrent app, and clicked on a movie with a blue dot next to the title. Soon, inappropriate sounds came from his phone. After watching for a while, Marcus closed the app expressionlessly, quickly dismissing his previous conclusion.

No way! "Two Days and One Night Hot Spring Date"—he'd downloaded two films last night, but hadn't reviewed this one due to... bodily fluid loss the previous evening. Even though those companies liked reusing props and sets, and this genre was old, this was his favorite actress's new film, her first hot spring series. His dreams couldn't possibly be this detailed.

Marcus stepped back dejectedly and slumped into his computer chair. From the corner of his eye, his pupils suddenly contracted!

On his computer screen, in the corner of a job posting page, "Heavenly Dao Responsibility Unlimited Company" was clearly displayed!

Wait... wasn't that the popup from earlier?! Marcus quickly grabbed his mouse and clicked on the page, but as soon as the cursor moved over it, the entire page automatically closed. In his panic, he started typing to search for it.

No such company found... as if it had never existed.

Marcus looked dazed, breathing heavily as he closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. What the hell was happening... could he still run? No, he was already being watched by some organization. If he just abandoned everything and fled now, the consequences might be even more unpredictable.

After a moment, he lifted his head and slowly reached to his left, picking up the transparent mask he'd casually placed there and examining it carefully. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary plastic mask. The voice on the phone had told him to put on the mask...

Frowning, he observed it cautiously for several minutes before carefully placing it against his face. The moment it touched his skin, a cool sensation covered his entire face, and the mask disappeared!

The vanished mask, his fingers now touching bare skin. Before Marcus could react, something in his field of vision immediately captured his attention. A line of constantly changing numbers had mysteriously appeared in his sight.

1:32:11

1:32:10...

Marcus stared wide-eyed for a full ten seconds before finally sitting in his chair, his chest heaving.

The room was silent except for his rapid heartbeat and the faint whir of his computer fan. Coming to his senses, he immediately ran to the bathroom mirror, frantically feeling along his jawline, trying to remove the vanished mask. After groping for a long time until his cheek turned red, he finally gave up and examined himself instead.

The mirror showed everything as normal except for the string of numbers and his violently twitching eyelids. This was no longer some rich people's game—this was definitely supernatural!

Gritting his teeth, Marcus turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face several times. Stay calm... he had to think rationally now!

Something strange had entered his body. Whether it was good or bad was hard to determine, but since he couldn't remove it now, he'd have to ignore it. Since the mask wasn't ordinary, the g*n and briefcase must also have some eerie properties.

...

First, let's examine those two items.

...

00:59:23

00:59:22...

More than half an hour had passed. Marcus sat quietly on his bed with the briefcase and g*n laid out before him.

It was hard to say he'd regained his composure, as the series of strange events had completely shattered his understanding of reality. The mask was completely irremovable. The two items on his bed were, as expected, extraordinary.

The g*n couldn't be found in any online database. The magazine couldn't be removed, and the bullet he'd accidentally fired had left no empty shell or projectile—shooting tests were currently impossible.

The briefcase was even more peculiar. When his palm reached the bottom, he could sense a strange connection, and there was a cubic meter of space below... though it couldn't be seen with the n***d eye. He'd tried storing several items inside—retrieval was effortless and quite convenient. This thing was practically a magical artifact from a novel, except larger items wouldn't fit.

In the past, getting such a treasure would have made him ecstatic, but right now he wasn't in the mood. The more miraculous these items were, the greater his psychological pressure. Dying world, apocalypse... each word was enough to scare the piss out of someone. The current situation had completely exceeded his comprehension, and he didn't have much time to think.

What should he do? Prepare according to that notice? After struggling with the decision, Marcus reluctantly picked up his phone.

...

Half an hour later, his small rental apartment was piled high with supplies ordered through food delivery. Looking at the chaotic room, Marcus felt indescribably bitter.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered running away, but the numbers constantly hung before his eyes like a shadow. Having clearly encountered a supernatural event, his best choice was to honestly prepare as instructed—otherwise, reckless actions would only lead to a quicker death.

00:31:09

00:31:08...

After categorizing and packing everything, Marcus sat at his computer, breathing heavily as he selected a life insurance policy with his parents as beneficiaries—payable after two years if he went missing. Then he took out loans from legitimate platforms, totaling just under $25,000. He created a $22,000 donation agreement to his parents online, minimizing the risk of fund recovery.

He left $1,500 for his landlord, transferring six months' rent with a note asking not to be disturbed, and converted the rest to cash to carry with him. Finally, he cleared his browser history.

With everything settled, Marcus heavily dialed his family's number. Soon, his mother's drowsy voice answered: "Son, why are you calling at this hour? Haven't you gone to bed yet?"

"Ah, I transferred some money to you and Dad. Did it come through?"

"Transfer money... what?! $22,000? Where did this money come from?" His mother's voice immediately became alert, and his father's voice could be heard faintly in the background.

Marcus forced a smile, making his voice sound excited: "Of course it's good news! Another company is trying to poach me, so our Director Lee gave me a bonus to keep me. I don't need this money right now, so you and Dad should take it and spend it freely."

"Really? Our son is so successful now that companies are fighting over him! You scared me just now—I thought the money came from somewhere shady." His mother sounded much more excited.

"Of course not. When have I ever done anything dishonest? Director Lee just transferred the money to me. I'm happy, so I forgot you two were sleeping. Um... well, the company has a really big project coming up, so I might have to work overtime for several months straight. Don't call me—wait for me to call you."

"Son!" His father's voice came through. "Work has its limits—don't exhaust yourself! Don't get carried away just because they're paying you more. You're not selling your life to them... the harder you work, the more they'll exploit you. Just perform well in front of the boss."

"I know. You two go to sleep early. I have to get to the company early tomorrow."

After hanging up, Marcus hung his head and let out a deep sigh. He'd done everything he could. So be it. If something really happened to him... at least he'd fulfilled his filial duties.

...

00:00:12

00:00:11

00:00:10

In the final ten seconds, Marcus stared intently at the countdown, his hand thrust into his coat pocket, gripping the g*n handle tightly.

3, 2, 1, 0!

As the timer reached zero, Marcus's pupils contracted sharply as a blinding point of light suddenly appeared before him! Under his shocked gaze, the light point instantly expanded, finally becoming a golden portal standing before him.

Blinking hard twice, Marcus quickly snapped out of his extreme shock. A miracle! A real miracle! Was this the work of aliens or supernatural beings?

The portal stood motionless. As long as he didn't enter it, nothing should happen, right? Maybe he should try sticking his phone through first?

"Holy s**t!"

Just as he was thinking this, Marcus's eyes suddenly widened as the portal rushed toward his face at incredible speed, instantly swallowing him whole...