Mysterious Awakening

The store owner was visibly rattled by the icy and detached gaze that Miles fixed upon him. But, he quickly mustered the courage to physically shove Miles back, shouting out his indignation, “What are you thinking? You want to fight me? I’m not afraid to call the police right this minute! You look suspicious, like a petty thief, pawning off your goods here and even threatening violence. Leave with your worthless junk if you don’t want any trouble. Or else, I’ll ensure you’re behind bars. Don’t think I fear you.”

Drawing attention to Miles, he continued, “Everybody, take notice! This man’s trying to peddle stolen items here. Someone, alert the police and get him arrested!”

The owner’s malicious plan was clear: not only cheat Miles of his phone but also brand him a thief.

His loud cries attracted the attention of passersby, who turned to watch the unfolding drama.

At this point, the depth of the unscrupulous shopkeeper’s cunning became apparent to Miles.

“Well, shopkeeper, since you’ve decided to stir up trouble, don’t fault me for showing no mercy. You’re a fan of phones, aren’t you? Here’s another one for you,” Miles retorted, a frosty smile inching across his face.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed a phone and aimed it at the duplicitous shopkeeper’s head. As he did, a faint red light radiated from his hand, an eye on the back of it snapping open instantly.

“Crack!”

The phone made contact with the shopkeeper’s forehead. Yet, when Miles withdrew his hand, the phone was nowhere to be found.

“How dare you hit me? I’m dialing the police right now. If you’re so brave then don’t try to escape!” The shopkeeper was seething, reaching for his phone to alert the authorities.

However, guilt took over and he faked the call, fearful that any recorded evidence of his treachery would incriminate him instead of Miles.

Unfazed, Miles calmly stated, “By all means, proceed. I also need to make a call.”

He picked up his phone, dialing a number.

As the call connected, the phrase “The cold moonlight has turned my longing for you into a river” echoed throughout the shop. The source of the sound, however, was not Miles or the shop counter. Rather, it emanated from the duplicitous shopkeeper’s head.

“Ah!” With a shriek of agony, the shopkeeper fell to the floor, his body convulsing wildly, blood seeping from his nose, mouth, and eyes. His head felt as if it was on the verge of explosion.

Swiftly ending the call, Miles picked up a pen from the counter and scribbled down an account number. “The phone’s worth ten grand. Transfer it to this account within the next ten minutes. If I don’t see the money, your personal concert resumes. Also, call me on this number when you’re ready to retrieve the phone from your skull.”

After delivering his ultimatum, Miles collected his remaining phones, swung his backpack over his shoulder, and exited the phone repair shop.

Cross me, will you?

I’ll ensure you endure a punishment worse than death.

It was some time after Miles had departed that the shop owner, who had been writhing in agony on the floor, his nose and eyes streaming with blood, managed to get to his feet, his face a mask of pure terror.

He gingerly felt his skull.

It was as if there was an unwelcome guest lodged in his brain, like some foreign entity had been brutally forced in. His head pulsed with intense and uncomfortable pain, almost like he needed to split his cranium open to remove the intruder. He glanced out of the shop window, but the backpack-toting young man who’d been hawking used phones was nowhere to be seen.

On the counter, he discovered a piece of paper, bearing a phone number and an account number.

Ten thousand dollars?

He had to transfer this hefty sum within ten minutes or else the dreaded ringtone would invade his head once more?

Not wishing to relive the excruciating pain, the shop owner quickly prepared to transfer the ten thousand dollars to the given account.

However, as he was about to confirm the transaction, he hesitated.

What if this was all a scam?

Maybe the whole event was just a bizarre coincidence, a fluke.

In such a case, wouldn’t he be parting with ten thousand dollars for nothing?

He decided against the transfer.

The shop owner took a sip of water and allowed himself a moment to rest. His head still felt strangely full and heavy, but it was bearable compared to the earlier ordeal.

Perhaps a visit to the hospital was in order.

Yet, ten minutes later…

As Miles walked the streets, his phone remained silent, void of any money transfer notification. Without a second thought, he dialed the number once again.

“The cold moonlight has turned my longing for you into a river.”

The call connected, and the ringtone resonated in the shop owner’s head anew. The sensation of a phone ringing within his brain brought him to his knees in pain, convulsing, frothing at the mouth, and bleeding from his eyes and nose.

“Ah!”

After ten seconds, Miles ended the call.

Unfazed, he continued his stroll, holding the destiny of the shopkeeper at his fingertips. Cheat him, would he? Miles was game for a long, excruciating lesson in retribution.

Moments later, the chime of a transferred amount sounded on his phone.

Ten thousand dollars!

Simultaneously, his other phone rang.

Upon answering, he was met with the desperate voice of the shopkeeper, “Sir, please have mercy. I’ve transferred the money. Please let me be.”

“Money? What money? I didn’t receive anything. You must’ve sent it to the wrong account. You have three more minutes. When I call again, the price won’t be ten thousand, it’ll be twenty thousand.” Miles responded, the lie sliding smoothly off his tongue before he disconnected the call.

And so, their dance of deceit continued.

Realizing the painful gravity of his situation, the shopkeeper quickly transferred another twenty thousand dollars.

The familiar ping of a money transfer echoed from Miles’s phone.

“Big brother, I’ve triple-checked the account number this time. Did you get it?” The merchant’s voice pleaded over the phone.

Miles affirmed, “Yes, I received it. I’ll hold off calling for the next ten minutes. After that, we’ll follow the usual drill – ten thousand per call.”

With that, he ended the conversation.

“Another call in ten minutes? If that happened, I’d be finished.” The wily shop owner, on the verge of tears, berated himself.

He was in deep trouble, indeed. If only he hadn’t lusted after that phone. He had pulled the same trick countless times without facing repercussions. But this time, he had tangled with someone ruthless.

His pleas for mercy, sent through multiple calls to Miles, fell on deaf ears because Miles didn’t pick up.

Unable to bear it any longer, the shop owner promptly transferred another ten thousand dollars and dialed Miles’s number once more. This time, the call was answered.

Such an expensive phone call.

Ten thousand per call.

“Brother, please let me be. Can I just return your phone? Please, stop this torment. You’ve already wrung forty thousand dollars out of me,” the shop owner implored.

Miles shot back, “Weren’t you the one who acted high and mighty earlier, threatening to call the police? If you think I’m robbing you, report me. I’m just nearby shopping. Here’s the thing, it’s ten thousand every ten minutes.”

Then, he hung up once more.

Seven or eight minutes later, another ten thousand rolled in.

The shop owner called again, his sobs even more desperate. “Brother, I’m begging you. I’m kneeling, bowing to you. You’re a decent man. Please forgive me this time. I’m in the wrong. I shouldn’t have deceived you or taken your phone, or acted so arrogantly. I swear I’ll surrender myself. What do you say?”

“Whether you go to jail or not is your concern, not mine. I’m simply conducting a transaction with you, and I’m not forcing you to pay. Remember, it’s another ten thousand in the next ten minutes.”

“Bu-But I don’t have any money left in my account,” the desperate shop owner stuttered, “I’ve already transferred fifty thousand to you.”

“Out of money? That’s not an issue. I know of several online loan platforms. Their interest rates are steep, but they provide quick and reliable loans. They’ll suit your situation just fine. If the money doesn’t arrive in the next ten minutes, I’ll have to say goodbye,” Miles countered.

“You’re, you’re robbing me,” the shop owner’s voice trembled.

Miles retorted, “Don’t be absurd. Robbery isn’t this efficient. Besides, my phone credit is running low.”

“Beep.”