Chapter 82: Identity
"Hey, I know this one! It's called Raven Link, I've seen it before."
Little Sheep happily pressed the power button and showed Old Lamp how to turn it on. The three of them received each other's signals.
"In that case, let's enter the story world first, time is almost up."
Old Lamp and Little Sheep nodded in agreement.
The three of them disappeared into the spatial barrier, which then shattered.
Beep beep—! Beep beep beep—!
A series of chaotic beeping sounds came from his ears, and Marcus's vision slowly returned. He could see the scene before him clearly.
A middle-aged man with a sallow face, wearing a hospital gown and connected to an oxygen tube, was lying on a hospital bed.
His headboard was against the wall, and on a shelf two meters high was a heart monitor.
The heart waves on it kept changing, and each change in heart rate would trigger a sound coming from the machine.
A middle-aged woman with wavy hair was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking tired and worried.
Her meticulously styled perm was now greasy and clumped together.
Several patches of foundation were missing from her face, clearly indicating she hadn't washed up for several nights.
"Aaron, what will we do if you leave us—!"
Tears streamed down the middle-aged woman's face.
"Cough cough...shut up, cough cough, don't interrupt. I have something to tell my brother, Frank."
"Kyle, come here!"
Aaron, lying on the hospital bed, beckoned to the foot of the bed.
A handsome young man, about twenty years old, dressed in streetwear style, walked confidently to Aaron's side.
Aaron, lying on the bed, held his son's hand with his right and Marcus's hand with his left.
"This is my younger brother, Frank, and also your uncle. Go on, call him uncle."
"Uncle!"
Kyle obediently called out.
"Oh, this is my nephew. He's grown so much in the blink of an eye, 21 years! Time flies!"
Marcus exclaimed, recalling fragments of his memory.
His current identity was Frank Davis, 37 years old. Having done business overseas for 21 years and earned approximately 30 million dollars, he had only recently returned to his hometown.
"Cough cough... Bow to your uncle!" Aaron said, panting again.
Kyle glanced awkwardly at his parents.
"I said... Bow to your uncle!"
Aaron's eyes widened, he coughed violently, and said loudly and seriously, with a look of utter disappointment.
"Alright, alright, why all this formality? It's unnecessary for family."
Marcus tried to stand up to stop him, but Aaron gripped his right hand tightly. It was unclear where this seriously ill man got such strength.
Although he could easily shake him off, he figured Aaron's last breath would be knocked away.
Seeing his father's anger, Kyle didn't hesitate any longer, bowing down respectfully to Marcus.
Thump!
"Alright, alright, get up!"
Marcus, unable to shake off Aaron's hand, sat down politely.
Since this was a multiplayer instance, it was best to temporarily disguise themselves as natives and not reveal their identities easily.
"Three times!"
Aaron continued before his son even got up.
Thump thump!
"Frank, I know I'm the one who wronged you, your own brother. I've been heartbroken all these years, but you're my only family."
"I don't care about saving face anymore. Even in the afterlife, I'll beg Mom for forgiveness until I die to atone for my sins."
"I want to entrust this boy and your sister-in-law to you. I'm begging you, brother!"
Aaron said, struggling to sit up in bed to bow before Marcus.
"Hey, lie down. I thought it was something serious. Even a little bit of money is enough to support them."
Marcus pressed Aaron down, making him lie still.
He said this, but after reviewing some of his memories, he smiled inwardly.
This Aaron, back then, had used sweet words to trick their parents into lending him 30,000 dollars for his wedding.
He tricked the two elderly people into transferring the house to his name, claiming it was temporarily for his future in-laws to see, and that the house would be returned after the wedding for them to distribute. The outcome was predictable.
Not only that, he stole the 10,000 dollars their parents had saved for Frank's college tuition when he was 15, then spent a few hundred dollars on some video games for Frank, falsely accusing him of spending the money.
The two foolish elderly people, blinded by his deception, actually believed him, and in anger, beat Frank, forcing him to drop out and work, forbidding him from continuing his education.
Suffering injustice, Frank, at the age of 16, left home in anger and had been abroad for 21 years.
Aaron's business failed last year, leaving him heavily in debt. This year, he was diagnosed with cancer and tried to use his remaining time to find a shortcut to save money for his family.
However, he was severely injured by loan sharks on the street, incurring further medical expenses.
His wife had exhausted all possible sources of borrowing, and Aaron himself was unwilling to continue treatment, but he couldn't bear to leave his wife and son.
Somehow, they learned that their younger brother, Frank, had made a fortune overseas. They wrote 21 letters, lamenting that their parents, in their later years, regretted not being able to see Frank one last time, and died of grief.
In these letters, they repeatedly confessed their past mistakes, admitting they had been misled by friends and that they had prayed for their brother's safety.
Their regret and tears finally awakened Frank's homesickness, leading to his return and the elaborate scheme Aaron had staged.
Unfortunately, Frank's predecessor was unaware that their parents had found the toy store a day after he left home, discovering that Aaron had asked a friend to buy the games.
However, while Aaron owned the property, the elderly couple held the 100,000 dollar debt. The more indifferent Aaron appeared, the more they feared he would kick them out, leaving their second son to suffer.
The elderly couple did indeed want to see Frank one last time before they died, but Aaron, fearing complications, simply claimed his brother was dead and even fabricated an accident report.
"Brother, I want to hear your own promise before I can rest in peace."
Aaron persisted, struggling to get up again.
"Alright, I promise you. You should lie down and rest. You're not dead yet, acting like you're giving your last words!"
Marcus wanted to slap Aaron after checking his memories, but to maintain his persona, he remained calm.
As soon as he finished speaking, Aaron's arm went limp, and his body lay still, motionless.
The heart monitor emitted a series of steady, long beeps.
"Honey—! Nurse! Doctor!"
"Dad!"
Aaron's wife and Kyle rushed to Aaron's side, crying out in pain.
Marcus cursed inwardly. Why was Aaron cooperating with him like he was cursed to death?
After Aaron's body was taken to the morgue, the three returned to Aaron's house.
Aaron's wife was holding Aaron's photo, tears streaming down her face. Kyle quietly brought a glass of water to Marcus's side and placed it on the table.
While at the hospital, Marcus had glanced at the calendar; it was October 10th.
His clear memory reminded him that in the story, when they performed the ritual, the memorial candle on the wall showed October 24th, meaning there were still 14 days until the story began.
Marcus picked up the water, took a small sip, and carefully recalled the plot: it was about a 17-year-old girl named Jamie who possessed supernatural vision since childhood.
One day, Jamie's high school classmate, Quinn, and her influencer boyfriend, Greyson, wanted to film the famous urban legend "Bloody Mary," hoping Jamie would summon the spirits to attract viewers to their livestream.
(End of Chapter)
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