Chat Group

"Among the dozens of ghosts here, it seems a living person has slipped in."

At one in the morning, Gao Tian was still working through practice problems by the window when the phone beside his desk buzzed with a new message.

It was from a group member called "Ghost Cave."

Gao Tian glanced at his phone, intending to mute the group's notifications.

He had joined this strange chat group called "Jialan Society" about a month ago. Back then, he'd just failed the college entrance exam and was planning to repeat a year and try again. He'd rented an apartment off campus and joined a bunch of chat groups for repeat students. Somehow, he'd ended up in this bizarre group called "Jialan Society."

He must have joined by accident, with a careless tap. It had nothing to do with retaking the exam.

The group members had strange names, things like "Ghost Infant," "Ghost Cave," "Living Person Apartment," and "Burning Death Ghost." They often discussed bizarre and terrifying stories. For instance, how a car accident on a certain stretch of road at a particular time was a supernatural event; how everyone in a certain hospital had been replaced by ghosts, though it still seemed to be running normally to outsiders; how an exorcism at a certain church had failed completely, and the only reason they'd announced it as a success was that the priest had already been possessed...

Now and then, the group members also sent "red packets" in the chat. Ordinary red packets should have been a festive red, but the ones in this group were pitch-black, with a faint border. They looked a bit like coffins and seemed deeply unlucky. Their names were even more bizarre: "Supernatural Item," "Urn," "Spirit Absorption Pot," "Blood Shroud"...

Gao Tian had tried claiming one or two of the "black packets," but every time he tapped one, a confirmation box popped up, asking if he was willing to pay a year of his lifespan. He didn't believe in ghosts and spirits, but it seemed like bad luck, so he'd backed out at the last step.

Even now, Gao Tian still hadn't left the group. He figured its members were probably fans of some niche subculture, and it was kind of interesting to watch. The people in there were a little too obsessed, though. They talked about these horror stories with complete seriousness, getting every detail right and fully immersing themselves in the stories. Sometimes, as he watched, Gao Tian even wondered if the stories they told were real.

Until today, when he saw the serious tone of the message from the group member called "Ghost Cave." Gao Tian couldn't help laughing to himself. What kind of trick were they playing now?

He'd been lurking in the group by accident for over a month. Had they finally figured out who he was?

[Ghost Infant]:

Ghost Cave, what proof do you have?

[Ghost Cave]:

I don't know. Just a feeling.

[Ghost Infant]:

(mocking emoji)

If your instincts are that good, how come your wife and kid both died in the "Woman in the Rain" incident?

[Ghost Cave]:

I don't want to argue with you, Xiao Qianqian.

And don't try to provoke me on purpose.

Believe me, all this month, whenever we chat in the group, I've felt the gaze of a living person watching us.

He's observing us.

Living people aren't allowed in this group. If there's a living person here, we have to kill him.

[Living Person Apartment]:

@Ghost Cave, what are you going to do?

Everyone in the group who doesn't say anything—are you going to follow the internet connection and kill them all?

[Ghost Cave]:

Too much trouble.

There are some big shots in the group I don't know well. It's best not to bother them.

Besides, I don't have much time left. I can't waste it on one living person.

How about this? I'll send a "black packet." Everyone in the group, claim it.

This black packet carries a curse. Anyone who taps it will be hunted by a Vengeful Ghost called "Shattered Face" until he's killed.

[Ghost Infant]:

(scared emoji)

Eep, I'm so scared.

If I tap this emoji, will that Vengeful Ghost come after me too?

[Ghost Cave]:

@Ghost Infant.

Are you stupid?

You've already turned into a ghost. You can't die a second time.

But that living person is different. If he taps the black packet, he's dead for sure.

If he chooses not to tap it, then that'll identify his ID. Ghost Infant, you can follow the internet connection to him and kill him.

[Ghost Infant]:

(admiring emoji)

[Ghost Cave]:

After you kill the living person who slipped in, don't forget to kick his account out of the group.

@Group Owner Living Person Apartment

User [Ghost Cave] sent a black packet.

Even after reading that, Gao Tian still found it kind of funny.

But for some reason, a little cold sweat had appeared on his forehead.

"The weather's getting cold so fast."

Gao Tian stood up and casually closed the window.

When he returned to his seat, he saw that [Living Person Apartment], [Ghost Infant], and more than twenty other group members had all claimed the black packet sent by [Ghost Cave]. The number of group members who hadn't claimed it was dwindling, and people were still claiming it.

Should he claim the black packet too, or pretend he hadn't seen it?

Gao Tian didn't really believe a group member could reach him through the internet and kill him just because he'd accidentally joined the wrong group. But if he didn't claim the black packet, Ghost Cave would soon realize he'd slipped into the group. At the very least, the group owner would kick him out immediately.

To be honest, Gao Tian found the conversations in this group pretty interesting. He didn't want to be kicked out so soon. He wanted to see how many ghost stories these group members could come up with.

As he reached out to tap the black packet, cold sweat trickled from his fingertips again.

For some reason, his temples were pounding. A bizarre thought surfaced in Gao Tian's mind:

Was it possible that the group members really were all ghosts?

They thought they were telling stories, but what if they were actually describing documentaries?

Gao Tian startled himself with the thought, then laughed it off.

According to Ghost Cave, if he didn't tap the black packet, his identity as a living person would be exposed.

He'd die.

If he tapped the black packet, he'd trigger a curse, and a Vengeful Ghost would soon come after him.

He'd still die.

If this group really was full of ghosts, then no matter what Gao Tian chose to do next, he'd be doomed, wouldn't he?

In the group, every user had claimed Ghost Cave's black packet except Gao Tian.

Gao Tian didn't have much time left.

He had to make a choice.

Gao Tian tapped the black packet.

A prompt appeared on his phone screen:

Claiming this black packet requires you to pay 0 years of your lifespan.

Are you willing to pay?

The words "willing to" were specially bolded, as if reminding users not to miss them.

It seemed these "ghosts" were pretty reasonable. They might kill people, but they'd never force anyone to pay.

For the past few dozen days, this ominous prompt had made Gao Tian feel that claiming a packet would bring bad luck. He hadn't claimed a single black packet from any user.

But today, he had no choice. If he didn't claim it now, the group owner would kick him out. Besides, this time the black packet cost zero years of his lifespan, so it wasn't unlucky at all.

After he claimed the packet, the phone rapidly switched to an image that popped up in front of Gao Tian without warning—

It was a huge, pallid face.

It was impossible to tell if it was male or female, because the skin was so white it seemed to shine. Its features were almost impossible to make out, leaving only the outline of a face, like a sheet of white paper.

The only thing that made his skin crawl was the faceless figure's blood-red eyes, without pupils. They stared fixedly at Gao Tian through the screen. It was like two red dots had been painted onto a sheet of paper.

[Living Person Apartment]:

@Ghost Cave

Everyone in the group has claimed your black packet.

I mean, every ghost.

[Ghost Infant]:

@Ghost Cave

I couldn't find the living person, boohoo.

I thought I'd have something to do tonight.

[Ghost Cave]:

Heh.

That living person is pretty sly, huh? He's been quietly watching our chat logs the whole time.

Maybe he's already figured out he joined a ghost chat group. He's just doing a good job of pretending, hardly ever speaking and never drawing anyone's attention.

But it doesn't matter. As long as he opened the black packet, he's as good as dead.

Three days from now, everyone in the group should pop up and say something. Anyone who doesn't will be the living person, already killed by "Shattered Face."

[Ghost Infant]

@Ghost Cave

Honestly, don't you think you're being a little too paranoid?

What if it turns out you've spent all night playing mind games with thin air?

[Ghost Cave]

Heh.

That night, no one in the bizarre chat group called Jialan Society spoke again.

Gao Tian looked at his phone. The eerie white face with red eyes had appeared only briefly when he opened the black packet. It had long since vanished without a trace.

For the next half hour, he couldn't keep his mind on his pencil. On his English worksheet's true-or-false questions, he had gotten seven of ten wrong. He would've done better if he'd just picked the same answer for all of them.

Distracted, Gao Tian set down his test paper and glanced again at the black phone lying in the corner of his desk.

The group members' chat logs didn't look like a joke at all.

They really wanted to find the extra person in their group and kill him.

If—just if—

Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance—

What if every single thing the members of this crazy group said was true?

Gao Tian slowly stood up, trying to clear his head.

Just then, he looked down through the window on the third floor. In the open space of the residential alley, a strange figure stood beneath the shadow of a streetlight, watching in his direction.

It was impossible to tell if the figure was male or female. From this distance, the only thing he could be sure of was that its face was very white, so white it seemed to glow. Its features were impossible to make out.

The "person's" eyes were blood-red, with no pupils at all. It stood below, staring toward Gao Tian on the third floor, motionless.

Gao Tian's mind exploded with a boom.

There was no doubt about it. It was the inhuman figure from the black packet's picture.

It had taken him almost no time at all—or rather, nearly a month—to realize that this group wasn't a niche subculture chat. Every user in it was a ghost. Their so-called horror stories, and their talk of killing the person who had slipped in through the internet, were all real.

He'd only tapped the black packet and looked at the picture of that pale face. And already, the other party had found his home.

Just like Ghost Cave had said.

The Vengeful Ghost had come.