My roommate and I split the cost of a lottery ticket and won seven million dollars. That night, she transferred me six dollars and said, "Bestie, buying the lottery ticket was my idea. I've paid you back the money you chipped in, so this lottery ticket has nothing to do with you anymore." I laughed out of sheer anger. Just as I was about to argue with her, I noticed that the small statue of the Virgin Mary I kept on my desk had suddenly lost an arm. A broken arm on a holy statue is an omen of extreme misfortune; it seeks to save a life. My face instantly drained of color, and I told my roommate, "I don't want the lottery ticket! I don't want it anymore!" 1 As soon as I found out the winning numbers, I sprinted back to the dorm in high spirits. "Fiona! That lottery ticket we bought together a few days ago won!" Bursting through the dorm door, I ran over and gave her a huge hug, unable to suppress the smile on my face. You have to understand, this ticket hit the jackpot—a full seven million dollars! Even after taxes, splitting the remaining money fifty-fifty with her would be enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life! My family is just an ordinary one. My parents make about four to five thousand a month. We aren't poor, but we're definitely not well-off. And I'm just a broke college student living on a tight budget, always busy hunting for coupons just to order takeout. But now, this seven million dollar prize was enough to completely turn my family's situation around and give me financial freedom. "Fiona! Seven million! Seven million! I've never seen so much money in my life. Let's get packed, we'll go claim the prize tomorrow!" I thought Fiona would be as happy as I was, but I noticed her smile wasn't very natural—it was even a bit stiff. Then, she gently pushed me back, creating some distance. Fiona sat in her chair, tapped on her phone a few times, and said, "Bestie, I was just about to talk to you about this." The next second, I received a transfer notification on my phone. I opened my banking app. Fiona had transferred me six dollars. While I was completely bewildered, Fiona spoke up. "It's like this, remember? When we were shopping, it was my sudden idea to buy a lottery ticket, and I picked the store. Even though you picked the numbers, if it weren't for my suggestion, we definitely wouldn't have bought this specific ticket that day, right?" I nodded, covering my mouth to hide a smile, still not fully processing what was happening. "Of course! We owe this all to your suggestion!" "So, logically and emotionally, this lottery ticket should belong to me. However, keeping in mind that you chipped in for the cost of the ticket at the time, I've transferred those six dollars back to you!" I finally realized something was wrong. My other roommates, who had been quietly envying us, also caught on. My face turned ugly. I was almost laughing from anger. Crossing my arms, I asked her: "Fiona, are you saying you want to buy out a seven-million-dollar lottery ticket from me for six dollars?!" Fiona, who had been calm and composed, instantly changed her tune. She raised her voice and yelled: "What do you mean? If it weren't for my suggestion, do you think you would have ever come across this ticket? Besides, didn't I transfer the six dollars back to you? Why are you making it sound like I'm taking advantage of you?" The atmosphere instantly became explosive, completely tense. The other roommates exchanged glances, afraid of getting caught in our crossfire. My face turned red, and my neck veins bulged as I retorted, "Am I that desperate for your six dollars? If it weren't for my six dollars back then, you couldn't have bought this ticket either! What the hell are you barking about?" She put her hands on her hips, completely tearing off her usually gentle mask. "Chloe, I never realized you were so selfish before. Anyway, I said this ticket is mine, and it's mine. Take the six dollars or leave it! If you don't want it, fine!" One of our roommates couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up for me. "Fiona, I feel like... this ticket should be split fifty-fifty. After all, Chloe did put in money too..." "Shut up! Does anyone care what you think?" Fiona rolled her eyes and snapped at her. Just as I was about to continue arguing, I heard a crisp crack. I couldn't help but look at my desk. The small statue of the Virgin Mary I kept there had lost an arm. The arm lay broken on the desk, the small statue still with its eyes closed in a serene expression. I was instantly terrified, my face turning deathly pale. My body trembling, I stumbled backward several steps. "I don't want the lottery ticket! I don't want the lottery ticket anymore!" 2 Seeing me finally back down, Fiona felt incredibly smug, but her words were still unforgiving. "What do you mean you don't want it? It was originally mine anyway. Don't act like you're giving me charity, OK?" I put on a serious face. "Fiona, for the sake of us being roommates, I'm warning you—you better not want this ticket either. Hurry up and burn it!" As soon as I said this, not only Fiona, but the other roommates also looked at me strangely. "Get lost. What right do you have to order me around? This is my ticket, I'll use it however I want!" I yelled loudly, "This is blood money! You'll have the money but not the life to spend it—you'll die!" The other roommates started chiming in. "Yeah, Chloe, this is seven million we're talking about. How can you just say you don't want it? Even if you don't want it, you shouldn't say things like that." Another roommate, Sarah, who usually didn't get along with me, sneered: "Stop acting, Chloe. Aren't you just jealous that Fiona has the ticket? Blood money? I bet that statue on your desk is just cheap junk from a flea market, it broke because it's poor quality." "I think you know you can't get the ticket, so you made up a lie to curse Fiona to die. I never realized you were so vicious." Seeing people speaking up for her, Fiona's arrogance grew even stronger. She grabbed Sarah and left, leaving one last sentence behind. "Dare to curse me? Chloe, you're destined to be poor your whole life!" Instead of getting angry, I turned around to clean up the porcelain shards on the table first. The small statue of the Virgin Mary was smooth and rounded, its eyes slightly closed, a gentle smile on its lips, as if looking kindly upon the world. But the arm that had been extended in front of its chest was shattered into pieces, making it look twisted and strange. Back in my hometown, we have a custom. Every child who comes of age holds a ceremony at the local church, taking a specific saint as their patron. The blessed statue must be kept close, and one must maintain a heart of reverence toward it at all times. The saints are compassionate and can foretell great disasters. If something abnormal happens to the statue, it's a warning. But if the statue's arm breaks, it means a terrible misfortune has been encountered, and it seeks to save a life. It means the saint cannot block this great disaster, and can only break its arm to save a life, leaving alone, no longer accompanying the faithful. This means the presence of the "saint" is no longer inside the statue; it becomes an empty shell. If you want another, you can only go back to your hometown and pray for a new one. Since leaving my hometown with the statue, I had never experienced any abnormality with it. But this time, the very first abnormality was a broken arm, and it terrified me completely. I quickly called my parents and told them. They were also terrified, their voices trembling, telling me I must be careful lately. Hearing what Fiona did to me, they were furious, cursing Fiona for being ungrateful and bringing ruin upon herself. I didn't care about the strange looks from my other roommates and complained about it with my parents. After hanging up, I warned the other roommates. "Whatever you do, do not take Fiona's money! If you take it, you'll die!" They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. That night, Fiona and Sarah didn't return to the dorm, but went to stay in a hotel. I shook my head, carefully put the statue away, and waited for the next time I went home to pray for a new one. 3 Fiona was originally a somewhat famous internet influencer. That very night, she started a livestream from her hotel, showing off her seven-million-dollar lottery win to her viewers. The netizens in the livestream were incredibly envious, flooding the screen with gifts. Sarah also rode her coattails—having defended her in the dorm, she suddenly became her little assistant. For a moment, the two of them were living the high life. Fiona even twisted the story of me fighting for the lottery ticket, using it as content to complain about in her livestream. Our original agreement to split the cost of the ticket turned into me simply accompanying her to buy it. Fiona rested her chin on one hand, a look of disdain on her face, and said, "Family, who gets it? My roommate is so bizarre. She literally just went shopping with me, and when the ticket I bought won, she demanded I split it with her. Sorry, but I have no obligation to humor a giant baby roommate, OK~" "Hmph, when the time comes, I'll definitely donate to help stray animals, but I won't give her a cent, hehe." The comments cheered her on. [I think she's just jealous of you, the streamer has no obligation to help the poor.] [Supporting the streamer! Beautiful inside and out! Thanking the streamer on behalf of all the stray cats and dogs!] [I'm so sick of roommates like this, can they learn some boundaries? Not everyone has to humor her, OK?] The comments insulting me came one after another. The incident also blew up on the university forum, and someone quickly doxxed me as the person fighting Fiona for the ticket. When I woke up the next morning, I found myself completely exposed online. Harassing phone calls rang non-stop, text messages and direct messages on short-video platforms bombarded me. In just one night, my entire family, including me, was ripped to shreds online. A quick search online, and I understood the whole situation. I was instantly furious, but then I calmed down. I had to stay steady. Suppressing my anger, I called Fiona. She didn't pick up; Sarah did. As soon as the call connected, Sarah started mocking me, "What's up? Are you going to accompany her to claim the prize today?" "Sarah, if you guys want to die, I won't stop you. But please don't drag me down with you. Because of you, I'm getting cyberbullied, do you know that?" "Whoever is cyberbullying you, go find them, why are you coming to me? I didn't insult you. Every wrong has its perpetrator, why are you venting your anger on me here?" Fine, there's no reasoning with this type of creature. I swallowed my temper and said calmly, "I'm warning you one last time: burn the lottery ticket, and do not spend the money from it. Otherwise, you'll regret it for the rest of your lives. You've provoked something you can't afford to provoke!" "What is this 'thing'? Tell me! Say it! Why did you stop talking? What happens if I spend the money? Will a ghost come knocking on my door, hahaha?" I lowered my voice: "Something more terrifying than a ghost." Perhaps because my voice didn't sound like I was joking, Sarah stopped laughing on the other end, her tone becoming a bit cautious. "Who would believe you? Besides, there are no such things as ghosts in this world!" I sharply caught the slight panic hidden beneath her words and repeated what I just said, "Something more terrifying than a ghost. It's something you can't afford to provoke." She cursed me out as a psycho a few times and hastily hung up. As soon as the call ended, Maya rolled over in her bed, making it creak. I didn't know if she heard my phone conversation just now. After a good while, there was no sound. Suddenly, Maya curiously peeked out from her bed curtains. "Chloe, is there really something more terrifying than a ghost?" 4 I didn't answer her question directly. "The world is huge, and full of wonders. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There are still many undiscovered things in this world, and all we need to do is maintain a heart of reverence toward them." "Knowing too much isn't good for you. You just need to remember, damn it, don't take a single cent of the money from that lottery ticket." Maya is a very gentle and kind girl. When I was confronting Fiona, she was the only one who dared to speak up for me, even though she was immediately shut down. My eyes took on a strange look as I slowly began, "Do you know why the statue's arm broke?" She was confused. "Your statue? I really don't know." "The Holy Mother is always serene and dignified. People often call her 'Holy Mother Mary'. Actually, she is a protector, looking after the world. She listens in all directions, hearing all cries for help. From praying for children to praying for rain, she can do anything." "Our Lady of Lourdes brings healing, Our Lady of Guadalupe brings miracles... There are many titles for her, corresponding to the different people she saves." "But the statues from our hometown aren't meant for all those things. Praying to them for other things won't work. They only do one thing, and that is to provide warnings. In fact, many people's statues will never give a warning in their entire lives. Even a matter of grave danger wouldn't necessarily cause it to break an arm to save a life." I looked at Maya with a half-smile. "Guess what kind of thing could be so terrifying that a divine protector, revered for centuries, would be scared enough to break an arm to save a life, and hide away before it even arrived?" Maya thought for a moment, and an inexplicable sense of creeping dread washed over her. She quickly covered her ears and shook her head. "No, no, no, I don't want to hear it, don't tell me! I'm really terrified of that kind of stuff!" Fiona didn't listen to the warning. Instead, she publicized the fact that I had warned her out of good intentions, calling me a weirdo who worshipped a statue in the dorm. She was very good at playing the internet game and manipulating netizens' emotions. "Since someone said whoever claims this lottery prize will die, I'll livestream the whole process on the day I claim it. Everyone is welcome to come and see if I die or not, hehe~" The gossip-hungry netizens immediately attacked me en masse, spouting all kinds of rumors and smears. Some people were genuinely curious and booked the livestream early. I really couldn't stand her continuous slander and demanded a face-to-face confrontation with Fiona, but she deliberately avoided me, staying in the hotel every day. Now the whole internet knew she was the lucky one who won seven million. Fiona struck while the iron was hot, starting the livestream at 7 AM on the day of claiming the prize. Once the livestream started, it hit the platform's trending page within minutes, with over ten million concurrent viewers. All sorts of gift effects flooded the screen. Fiona put on exquisite makeup, wore a Chanel-style dress, and rushed to the lottery center looking like a celebrity. Sarah had clearly forgotten the warning I gave them. Her face was flushed with excitement. She hyped Fiona up enthusiastically in the livestream, praising her as a girl blessed by luck. I stayed in the dorm watching the livestream, shaking my head. "It's hard to persuade a damned ghost with good words. What 'girl blessed by luck'? 'Girl cursed by misfortune' is more like it." I suspect Fiona had no idea just how terrifying the things that even the divine protectors feared truly were. 5 "Congratulations to Ms. Fiona for winning the seven million dollar jackpot! Let's give her our warmest applause! Our city's first millionaire jackpot winner of 2026!" As soon as the voice fell, Sarah was the first to applaud, followed by thunderous applause that washed over the scene like a tidal wave. Fiona's face was glowing with health. She confidently announced to all the citizens present and the tens of millions of viewers in the livestream: "I, Fiona, will donate three hundred thousand to our city's stray animal protection organization! And seven hundred thousand to the child protection organization!" The applause grew even louder. Fiona posed with a V-sign for Sarah's phone camera, her eyes crinkling in a bright smile. "Chloe, I know you're definitely watching this livestream. I've claimed the seven million, and then what? And then what? You said I would die because of the lottery ticket, but aren't I standing right here, perfectly fine?" Sarah took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: "I think someone is just jealous, right?" The netizens in the livestream were also riled up by Fiona and her friend, and started mocking me together. I just sat in the dorm, calmly watching the screen full of mocking comments. Maya was a bit worried about me. She came over and hugged me. "I believe you. You definitely wouldn't say things like that without a reason. Don't mind what they say." "Thank you. But you don't have to worry about me now," my eyes darkened. "Fiona can't escape. They're here." "Who?" I didn't say anything, turning around to get water to wash up. Night fell. A sudden cold front hit the usually warm March weather, and the temperature plummeted. Fiona paid the taxes, pocketed the remaining millions, and the livestream of claiming the lottery prize had not yet ended. In just a few days, her account had gained nearly three million followers, transforming her into the hottest streamer of the moment. No one believed my words. Even the other two girls in our dorm gradually started having issues with me. Smack— My washbasin was roughly kicked into the farthest corner, cracking slightly. I frowned: "What's that supposed to mean?" The roommate rolled her eyes and arranged her own washbasin, "Nothing, just thanking you." Before I could understand, she added sourly, "You said Fiona would be unlucky because of that ticket, and told us not to take her money. But look at her now, she's doing great hosting her livestreams, she's got the prize money, and she's got fame..." From her sour tone, I seemed to understand something. "Did she say she'd give you a share of the money before?" "Hmph, what else?" The roommate rolled her eyes as she walked past me. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to miserably use delivery coupons every day." The others remained silent, seeming to agree with her. I didn't reply. The next second, that roommate's phone rang. It was Fiona inviting her to a party. Fiona had already completed the withdrawal procedures from the university, and even Sarah had done the same. "Fiona! Okay, okay! I'll be right there!" The roommate excitedly hung up the phone and scanned the dorm. "Fiona is being generous and isn't holding a grudge about us rejecting her earlier. She's throwing a party right now. Anyone who wants to go, just go. Oh, right, Chloe, don't go, she didn't invite you." Half an hour later, only Maya and I were left in the dorm. The next morning, I received a summons from the police. Because Fiona had died last night. 6 The big influencer who had just claimed a seven million dollar jackpot during the day died bizarrely that night. This news swept the entire internet overnight. All netizens were sighing over the short life of this young millionaire, who died before she even had a chance to enjoy her seven million. I, who had once predicted she would meet with misfortune, was naturally listed as the prime suspect. But very soon, I was released. First, because I had a solid alibi. Second, because Fiona's cause of death was too... bizarre. An ordinary college student like me simply couldn't have pulled it off. Fiona was literally scared to death. The party was held at the hotel where she was staying. During the party, Fiona only went to the bathroom once, and never returned. When her friends found her, her body was rigid, her pupils bulging, her mouth wide open in an expression of extreme terror, collapsed on the floor. After coming out of the police station, I kept my head down in deep thought. Based on the police's questioning and the fragments of information circulating online, I could roughly deduce the cause of Fiona's death. It hadn't even had time to act; Fiona was scared to death just by seeing its appearance. "Chloe!" It was Sarah, crying with tear-filled eyes, who pushed open the dorm door. As soon as she entered, she immediately fell to her knees and kowtowed to me frantically, all traces of her former arrogance gone. "I'm sorry! You can punish me however you want, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to end up like Fiona..." "Please save me! However much money you need to save me, I'll give it to you. Even if it means being your beast of burden for the rest of my life, I'm willing, please! I don't want to die, my parents worked so hard to put me through college, I haven't even had the chance to work and provide for them!" Sarah thought I would be soft-hearted. After all, I was known in the dorm for having a good temper. But when she looked up, she met my utterly cold gaze. I shook my head. "I can't save you. I told you, anyone who spends the money earned from that lottery ticket will die." Maya's heart softened: "Chloe, why don't you just help her? We're all roommates after all." I still shook my head without speaking. Sarah broke down crying, coughing violently as she almost choked on her own breath. I sighed, sat down on a chair, and told her, "I can't save you. But I can tell you this: if you encounter it, do not panic. Pretend you didn't see it, and you might just escape the first encounter." I didn't do this out of the goodness of my heart, but because I was also curious to know what exactly that thing was. Sarah rushed up to me, her voice filled with fear. "Who is it? Is it very scary?" "I don't know either." I shook my head, then looked at her meaningfully. "Scary enough to kill." I could only tell her that much, because I wasn't entirely sure myself. But Sarah had her own ideas. She thought that places with more people had stronger 'Yang' energy, so instead of staying home, she ran to the town square and started a livestream. She said there were many people around, and many people online, so that kind of thing wouldn't dare come looking for her. The person she was co-streaming with was me. As soon as the livestream started, tens of thousands of netizens flooded in. [Waiting, do you guys think the streamer will survive tonight?] [Don't know, but who's that co-streaming with her?] [I went and checked, it seems to be the person who originally said whoever won the lottery would die.] [Damn, this is getting crazy. Is this lottery ticket really cursed?] [Maybe it really is?!] 7 Sarah held up her phone tripod, aiming the camera firmly at herself. Many people in the square recognized her, taking photos and whispering. But Sarah had no time for that. She sat on a bench in the square drinking soda, her eyes darting around wildly, scanning her surroundings. I asked: "Nothing unusual, right?" Sarah had just nodded when she immediately lowered her head and stayed silent. I noticed in the livestream that her body suddenly sat up rigidly, as if she had suddenly become very tense. I sharply caught onto this point. "Sarah, what's wrong!" Without lifting her head, she said something that made the hair of every netizen in the livestream stand on end. "It's sitting across from me." But the netizens saw nothing; the chair across from her was clearly empty. Maya immediately burst into tears in the dorm: "It... it... it's here! What do we do?!" I rubbed my temples: "Don't look at it, continue what you were doing." "Sarah, I'm asking you, what does it look like?" Hearing my words, Sarah, with a trembling hand, picked up a cup of juice from the table and drank it, but ended up choking violently. "Cough, cough, cough!" "It... it has so many hands, it's very tall and big, its body is densely packed with hands and feet. But... but it... it looks so familiar..." I quickly pressed: "Familiar how?" Sarah looked up, facing the camera, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying. "Chloe, its face looks exactly like your statue!" The next second, Sarah's head separated from her body, bouncing towards the edge of a flowerbed like a rubber ball. Then her arms and legs snapped off out of thin air, and Sarah turned into a bloody, mangled pile of meat. That head ignited screams across the entire square, and the livestream comments were a blur of "Holy shit." The next second, the livestream was banned for extreme graphic violence. But I just stared blankly at my phone screen. Sarah said its face looked exactly like my statue. In an instant, all sorts of speculations flooded my mind. I couldn't help clutching my chest, panting, my heart pounding wildly in terror. Sarah died. The police cordoned off the square, and the city's residents were in a state of panic. Fiona's death could perhaps be called an accident, but now that Sarah had died a bizarre, violent death in front of countless netizens, everyone who attended the party was instantly fearing for their lives. This included the other two roommates who had previously complained about me not letting them take the money. Because they had all spent money obtained from that lottery ticket. By the time the roommates brought others to look for me at the dorm, I had already taken a leave of absence and left. Right now, I was kneeling and praying in the church back in my hometown. Afraid of being in danger myself, I had rushed home overnight to devoutly kneel and complete the ceremony, obtaining a new patron statue. My parents secretly rejoiced, because these statues aren't something you can just get if you want to; you must complete a drawing lots ceremony. If you don't draw it, it means the saint isn't willing to go with you, and you can only come back a year later. After getting the statue, I stayed at the church. The new small statue looked exactly like my previous one, elegant in posture, eyes closed, smiling. I placed her in the most prominent spot at the head of my bed and knelt in prayer every day. Fortunately, she indeed didn't show any abnormalities, and I finally felt I could relax. But in the middle of the night, I suddenly heard the sound of the statue shattering. I immediately turned on the light and looked at the nightstand, only to discover that the statue I had just prayed for that morning had also lost an arm! 8 I immediately sought out the head priest of the church. Since I was born, this priest had been the head of the church. He only took one look at the broken-armed statue and immediately closed his eyes. "You must not leave the church these next few days. No matter who calls you, you absolutely must not go out. Going out means certain disaster." I grew anxious: "Priest, I clearly didn't spend the money from that lottery ticket. Why did my statue break an arm again?" He patted my shoulder gently, his eyes dim. "When that lottery ticket was bought, you paid half the money. Although you didn't spend it, you are still entangled in its karma." "It's fine. Listen to me and stay in the church, and nothing will happen to you." The priest's words were a reassuring pill for me, and I slowly calmed myself down. For those few days, I ate and lived in the church, but I could still contact the outside world with my phone. Through the internet, I learned that my two roommates and the others had been desperately searching for my whereabouts. But to no avail. I had never revealed my home address to them, and my counselor naturally wouldn't disclose it easily either. Before they could find me, disaster struck. A few days later, the first roommate died at home. Her entire body was twisted like a pretzel and hung from the ceiling fan, her liver and blood constantly dripping down from the fan. Her parents fainted from terror the moment they opened the door, and were still in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment. The second roommate vanished into thin air at home. After her sister called the police, the police searched for a long time but didn't know where she went. It wasn't until the family cat spent all day scratching at the rug in the roommate's room that her sister noticed something was wrong and forcefully pulled up the rug. She discovered there was another rug underneath. Only it was bloody and mangled. A long, sticky thread of blood stretched between the floor and the rug, with several teeth stuck to it. Half a month later, everyone who attended the party was dead. The state of their deaths was gruesome, the killer unknown, and the methods extremely cruel. Meanwhile, I knelt in the church, praying devoutly every day, offering incense to the saint daily. Just as I was offering incense, I heard a very familiar voice. "Chloe, so your home is here." My back stiffened, and I slowly turned my head to look back. It was Maya. The moment I saw her, I instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Having lived in the church for so long, I only remembered the voice belonged to a roommate, but I had forgotten which one. Seeing the massive statue in the church, Maya also offered incense following my example. "Chloe, I haven't dared to sleep in the dorm these past few days. It's too terrifying to be alone in the dorm, so I thought I'd come find you." "You know about what happened to them, right?" I nodded. "I know." After offering incense, I brought her to my quarters in the church and poured her a cup of tea. She looked around curiously. "Chloe, your village is really strange, actually having its own dedicated church." I also drank some tea and nodded. "Because our village has worshipped only these saints since ancient times, and no other gods or buddhas. You know the custom, everyone carries a small patron statue on them. This might be because our villagers have prayed devoutly since ancient times, so the saints trust us and are willing to go with us." Maya was still very curious and asked me: "Is that so? But I didn't see your statue in this room. I remember you always used to put it in the most prominent place." "Didn't you pray for a new one when you came back?" "Can outsiders pray for a statue?" "Is it really true that the statues can only give warnings and can't block disasters?" I froze, suddenly feeling that the Maya in front of me was making my hair stand on end.
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