Chapter 2
1938 Words
In the few days following his hospital checkup, Jason had been cutting his body like a lunatic, trying to feel pain and regain hope for life.
Unfortunately, his battered body was silent and lifeless, like a ship sinking into the depths of the ocean without giving him any of the response he desired.
He began getting nosebleeds and his eyes were becoming bloodshot for no reason. He looked terrifying.
He had no money for medical treatment.
Not only did he have no savings, but he also had huge college education debts.
If he didn't start treatment, this weird illness would t*****e him to death within one year.
Jason became a lost soul. He stopped going to classes and simply laid in bed in his dormitory awaiting death.
His roommate called him several times, but Jason didn't respond, so he left him alone.
Jason only wanted to sleep forever, thinking that one day when he woke up, maybe he would discover that he was just dreaming, that he wasn't heavily sick, that he had got his mother's memento back, and that he still had a bright future.
However, every time he woke up, he still saw the b****y cuts on his arms that he had made.
The scary cuts told him plainly that it was reality, and not a dream.
He was indeed dying.
"Knock, knock..."
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Jason didn't want to get up at all, but the person kept knocking on the door in a persistent manner, annoying him so much that he was on the verge of getting mad.
He dragged himself out of bed with difficulty and went to open the door slightly.
Outside the door stood a person who he had not expected.
"Hi, how are you? I thought no one was in and was just about to leave," said the visitor.
It was Nicole, the prettiest girl in the university. She was the dream lover of all the boys, and Jason had a huge crush on her.
Although she was obviously startled by his dejected face, she tried speaking to him gently.
Jason was very surprised. "It's you... wh-why are you here?"
Nicole had sexy, silky blonde curls. A fragrance that turned on all the guys exuded from her low neckline and her curvy plump body. Every single man fancied this stunner.
Her smile instantly moistened Jason's dry heart, which was recently like a fountain of ice.
Nicole handed him a flyer and said with a smile, "The college is hosting a ball tomorrow evening. There will be wine and dessert from M Store. If you're free, you should come check it out."
It turned out that Nicole was here to promote the ball... Jason took the flyer.
When she saw a fresh, horrifying wound extending from under his sleeve, Nicole looked at him uneasily.
Jason had no interest in the dance party, but he politely thanked Nicole, thinking she would leave. "Thank you."
He was about to close the door when she suddenly said in a soft tone, "Hey... I don't know what trouble you're in, but you shouldn't hurt yourself. My grandmother once told me that all difficulties will pass as long as you have hope in your heart."
Giving him a bright smile, she left.
He stood in the doorway, lost in thought for a long time.
His long dead heart was aroused by Nicole's warm words.
She was really warm and kind.
Jason's eyes were somewhat red. Nicole was even better than he had imagined.
Jason had forgotten the last time that someone had cared about him.
He had long been fond of Nicole. He was deeply attracted to her at first sight. He didn't have any friends at school and bad things often happened to him, but Nicole gave him a warm smile whenever they passed each other.
Jason, who had thought it was just his imagination, had not expected Nicole to be both beautiful and kind-hearted, exactly as he had imagined.
He liked Nicole. There was no doubt he liked her.
He had been hiding his affection for her, and was certainly aware that he didn't deserve her, so he was certain that he would never have the chance to confess his love.
But he was going to die. If he didn't speak his mind openly, he would never get another chance.
He decided to attend the ball and confess his love for Nicole tomorrow evening. He would have no regrets whatever happened.
The next evening, Jason pulled himself together, dressed up nicely, and left the dormitory to make his first and possibly last love confession of his life.
On the way to the ball, his phone vibrated. He turned it on to find a push notification.
It was a push notification from an app called Monopoly.
Monopoly?
He had no memory of this app, which he had not downloaded himself.
Why had this strange app appeared on his mobile phone? Jason was puzzled. Was it a virus?
The name sounded like a child's game, but the content of the push notification forced him to stop walking.
[Monopoly: Do you want to get rich overnight? Come and play Monopoly.]
Jason stood still as the push notification flashed before his eyes, making his cold heart race uncontrollably.
Getting rich overnight was what he desired most indeed.
Money could save his life and give his unlucky life a fresh start.
He was so captivated by it that his fingers moved and opened the app subconsciously.
It was a very simple app with several functional options. He casually glanced at it. The options included: "Tasks," "Discovery," "Livestreams," and "Point Rewards"...
Players could earn points, each of which could be exchanged for one dollar after completing the tasks published by other users or systems.
There was a scroll bar at the top of the app with eye-catching text that broadcasted to the whole app community that someone had just completed a six-star task and won fifteen million points, which could be exchanged for fifteen million dollars.
Under the scrolling text was a striking banner which read:
[Monopoly makes everything possible! Earn everything you desire by completing tasks! Money, power, and anything else you can possibly imagine!]
What a joke! That's impossible.
This must be a scamming app that swindles users out of their money.
Jason didn't take it seriously. He locked the phone screen and stuffed it back into his trouser pocket.
When he arrived at the ball, there were far more people than he had imagined.
The deafening music made him feel uncomfortable, and he struggled to find Nicole in the crowd.
Between the lights and shadows, he saw her.
She was dressed in a black slip dress which revealed her shoulders and back. She was chatting with her girl friends with a glass of wine in her hand.
With a lazy aura, she looked even more beautiful and attractive than before.
Jason was so mesmerized by her beauty that he almost froze.
She was too sexy.
Jason couldn't take his eyes off of her. He pushed his way through the crowd and walked toward Nicole as if was being guided by God.
He was about to approach her when a huge force knocked him to the ground.
There was a commotion in the crowd. Jason looked up to see the person who had hit him - Philip. He was the captain of the school football team and the most popular quarterback. He was a man with an impressive height of six foot five, and a handsome face which attracted numerous women.
"Hey, loser, did I hurt you? Sorry," Phillip said while smiling and brushing aside his blonde fringe, revealing a pair of charming but contemptuous eyes. "You cant blame me though. It's your fault for being so insignificant. I didn't see you at all."
Jason, who had intended to say "It doesn't matter," remained silent after listening to Phillip's speech.
The football team surrounding the two of them burst into laughter. Phillip looked carefully at Jason who was ready to get up off the ground and sighed, "You're bleeding! Oh my god! Even a paper doll is stronger than you. Does it hurt? You're not crying, are you? Huh?"
Phillip acted like he'd discovered something very interesting. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Jason's sleeve, and rolled it up.
Jason's arm, which was covered in shockingly b****y cuts, was instantly exposed to the public. Some people let out low cries of terror and disgust.
Phillip acted as if he'd discovered some amazing secret. He held Jason's sleeve tightly to prevent him from covering up the cuts and shouted, "Look! He's an absolute madman!"
Nicole gave Jason a worried look through the crowd. She could clearly see his discomfort.
Phillip's ridiculing made Jason blush. He pushed Phillip away with almost all his strength and ran out of the ballroom.
The world had made him miserable.
Why was there always so much malice around him? And why was he so weak and helpless?
When he returned to the dormitory, Jason found the scabbed wounds on his arm broken in places. Presumably it was Phillip who had done it.
The blood had thoroughly stained Jason's most expensive clothes, but he hadn't felt any pain.
He felt creepy.
I'm a monster.
"If you can start the treatment right now, you'll probably have one year to live."
Dr. Bob's words came into Jason's mind again.
If he could start treatment right away, he would have a year, but how long could he live if he didn't?
Worse still, the first phase of treatment cost $200,000.
$200,000... this was an tremendously unobtainable amount of money that the down-and-out Jason had never even dared to dream of.
He had no hope, for God had closed all ways out.
Jason sat in the dark dormitory, tightly wrapped in despair and struggling to breathe.
He picked up a knife.
He wanted to end everything that had caused him extreme pain.
Pressing the cold blade against his carotid artery, he recalled the days when he was bullied at his aunt's house and Andrew's and Phillip's sarcastic eyes.
He recalled Nicole's worried gaze and his mother's gentle smile.
Would he be happy if he died like this?
How happy would the villains be if he really died like this?
Jason's breathing became louder and louder.
I don't want to die. I don't want to die yet...
His hands shook as he held the knife.
But was there any other way out?
As his hands continued shaking, the phone he had thrown on the bed suddenly rang.
DING!
[Monopoly: Do you want to get rich overnight? Come and play Monopoly.]
[Earn points by completing tasks, and exchange them for money, power, and anything else you can imagine!]
[Do you dare accept the challenge? Life or death. This may be your last chance.]
When Jason came to his senses, he found his bruised hand was holding the phone, and his eyes were staring greedily at the words on the screen.
Money, power, and anything I can imagine?
Does that mean I can live?
He was absolutely mesmerized. Even though he knew it was impossible, he couldn’t control himself because his time was running out.
With a trembling finger, he tapped the screen to accept a task.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed before his eyes, swallowing up everything.
When he came back to his senses, he found that he had left his room and was now in a deserted city.
There was debris everywhere, and the air was filled with a strange and extremely unpleasant smell of decay.
Jason was stunned.
Where am I?
- Writer
