The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 29

Paulina had never mentioned this string of numbers while she was alive, nor had she explained the origin of the pendant. In prison, Leilani had asked Paulina about it. Paulina had only smiled kindly and said, “When the time comes, you will know naturally.”

Leilani hadn’t understood back then. Now it seemed this pendant… was likely not simple.

Thinking of the numbers and Paulina, Leilani tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At 2:00 AM, she opened her laptop and logged into an encrypted dark web forum.

This was one of the “skills” she had learned from her fellow inmates in prison. If you couldn’t obtain information through open channels, you could often find traces in the dark web.

Moreover, Paulina’s background didn’t seem entirely orthodox. Perhaps there were clues on the dark web.

Leilani registered an anonymous account. The ID was just a simple letter: L. After successfully logging in, she figured out the rules and instructions of the site.

After hesitating, she posted a bounty thread.

[Request for Identification. Crescent Jade Pendant, pattern as shown, number on back: 9582831. Private message if you have information. Heavy reward.]

The post included a sketch of the pendant, carefully omitting some details and revealing nothing about Paulina.

After posting, Leilani closed the laptop and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. When she returned, the private message icon in the bottom right corner of the screen was flashing frantically. The icon showed 37 unread messages. Leilani leisurely clicked on the first one.

[The Phantom Doctor’s pendant? Is Paulina coming out of retirement?]

[Is this ‘L’ a successor of Paulina? Or Paulina herself?]

[But hasn’t Paulina been missing for years? She’s still alive?]

[Is this a phishing attempt?]

[My father is critically ill, begging for your help! Name your price!]

[Same here, as long as Paulina helps, price is no object!]

Leilani quickly scanned the messages, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter. Almost everyone under the post recognized the origin of the pendant, but few knew the meaning of the numbers.

What surprised her even more was that Paulina’s title as the “Phantom Doctor” was so prominent on the dark web. The post hadn’t been up for ten minutes, yet people were ceaselessly begging for medical help. It hadn’t stopped.

Leilani closed all the irrelevant medical requests, leaving only a few clues that might be related.

[Do the numbers look like some kind of ID? or maybe try a payment password? Maybe it’s the password to Paulina’s inheritance?]

11:23

[9582831… If it’s a password, it might need a corresponding key.]

[Phantom Doctor never lets her pendant leave her body. If you have it, it means she’s either dead or gave it to you voluntarily. Are you her chosen heir?]

Leilani stared at the last message, tapping her finger on the desk. Heir? What exactly did Paulina want her to inherit?

As she pondered, a new private message popped up on the screen.

[L, whoever you are, stop investigating this pendant immediately. Unless you want to disappear ‘voluntarily’ like Paulina.]

The message automatically destroyed itself after three seconds, and even the sender’s ID turned into a string of garbled code.

Leilani’s eyes turned instantly cold. Was this a threat? Or a warning?

It seemed the truth behind Paulina going to prison wasn’t simple either. After all, why would a normal person go in voluntarily unless they were threatened.

11:23

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