[Chapter 244: Smile]
Clean.
Too clean.
Neither the middle-aged man nor the girl showed any trace of Dark energy, resentment, or the shadow of a curse. Even their energy fields were more vibrant than those of ordinary people.
"Hello, Mr. Cross. My name is Scott Swift, and this is my daughter, Taylor. We need your help."
Daniel sat in the main seat, gesturing for them to sit down. "Please, have a seat."
Daniel spoke calmly. "Mr. Swift, I'll get straight to the point. From what I sense, you two are very clean -- there's no sign of any evil spirits haunting you. Are you sure you came to the right place?"
Scott hesitated for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "That's the most terrifying part. The doctor says she's hallucinating, and the psychiatrist says it's post-traumatic stress disorder. But I know those things are real."
Daniel set his teacup down, focusing on Taylor's bloodshot blue eyes. "What are these 'things' you're talking about?"
Scott looked at his daughter and gently patted her shoulder. "Taylor, tell Mr. Cross."
Taylor took a deep breath, her hands clenched tightly until her knuckles turned white. Though her body trembled slightly, her voice was steady beyond her years.
"Someone is smiling at me," she whispered.
Daniel was taken aback, then chuckled. "Miss Swift, you're beautiful. It's normal for people to smile at you. How is that frightening?"
Taylor glanced up, terror clear in her eyes. "No, Mr. Cross. That smile... it wasn't ordinary. While that person smiled at me, they grabbed a utility knife and slit their own throat -- right in front of me."
Daniel's smile froze, and he leaned forward. "Slit their throat? Go on, give me every detail."
Taylor closed her eyes, reliving the moment. "It was three days ago, outside the school's counseling office. I was about to go in when a senior girl pushed the door open and came out. She stopped in front of me, her mouth stretched into a grin almost from ear to ear; her eyes were wide and just stared at me with that smile."
Taylor's breathing quickened. "She didn't say a word. Then she pulled a utility knife from her pocket and sliced her own neck, hard. Blood sprayed onto my dress, but she just kept smiling, as if she felt no pain at all."
Daniel's brow furrowed immediately. In his mind, the scene looked like a horror movie. "What did the police say?"
"The police called it suicide," Scott interrupted grimly. "Taylor was terrified, so I took her to the best psychiatrist. The doctor said it was just a stress response to witnessing a tragedy. But ever since then, the nightmares have started."
Tears welled in Taylor's voice. "I can see her. No matter where I am, she's there; standing on street corners, sitting on my windowsill. The wound on her neck is still bleeding, but she smiles at me just the same."
Daniel thought for a moment. "Have you done anything?"
Taylor nodded. "Yesterday afternoon, I was practicing piano when I looked up and saw her sitting on the piano. I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed a vase and threw it at her. The vase hit her and shattered on the floor. Then she flew into a rage, jumped off the piano, and wrapped her hands around my neck."
Taylor touched her neck; it was as fair and unbruised as ever.
"I felt my breath grow shorter, like my heart was going to stop. But just as I thought I was going to die, I snapped out of it. I was still sitting on the piano bench, the vase wasn't broken, and there were no hands on my neck. It turned out to be just a hallucination."
Daniel stood and slowly paced the room.
"No. That wasn't an ordinary hallucination." He stopped and faced Taylor. "After that, you saw more than just that senior girl, didn't you?"
Taylor's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"
"This morning when I went out," Taylor whispered, "I saw a driver smiling like that too. And just now, when I came in, I saw a mother on the roadside holding a child, and she had that same smile. I can't even tell who's real and who's... turned into 'it'."
Daniel leaned against the counter, fingers tapping the mahogany surface as he fell silent.
He was now certain which horror story Taylor had encountered.
This was the exact plot of the horror movie Smile.
This kind of evil isn't a ghost in the traditional sense. It's a mental parasite that feeds on trauma. It spreads by forcing the victim to witness a brutal suicide. The infected person then sees terrifying hallucinations -- all with that same twisted, unnatural smile.
The parasite tortures the victim's mind until their psychological defenses collapse completely. Then, in full view of others, it forces the victim to commit suicide, passing the curse to the next witness.
This evil spirit has no Dark energy because it attacks the brain's nerves and depths of consciousness directly.
According to the rules of the movie, infected people die by suicide within four to seven days.
Daniel asked Taylor, "You said you witnessed the suicide three days ago?"
Taylor nodded. "Yes."
Daniel said, "So today is the fourth day."
Taylor nodded again. "Yes."
"That means, from now on, you could die at any time."
Taylor and Scott both startled.
Scott quickly asked, "Mr. Cross, what should we do?"
Daniel looked at Taylor. Usually, when someone is doomed by an evil spirit, Death energy becomes visible. He should have seen it. But with Taylor... there was nothing.
This meant what was tormenting her was truly extraordinary. It was nothing like the usual malevolent spirits.
"Mr. Swift," Daniel said, "your daughter's case is very special. Like I said, she has no Dark energy around her. This shows that what's haunting her isn't a traditional ghost."
"So what is it?" Scott pressed urgently.
Daniel replied, "It's not a spiritual entity. It's more like a virus living in the mind. It 'plants its seeds' by making the victim witness an extreme suicide. Then it creates terrifying hallucinations and breaks down the victim's mind completely."
Daniel's tone turned cold. "Once mental defenses collapse, it takes full control of the body. Then, watched by others, it forces the host to commit the most brutal suicide, wearing that eerie smile. This spreads the mental virus to the witnesses. That's how Taylor got infected."
Taylor's face paled as she listened, curling on the sofa.
Scott stood abruptly. "Mr. Cross, please save Taylor!"
Daniel said flatly, "The appearance fee is tentatively set at $100,000. If anything changes, I'll let you know."
Scott didn't hesitate. "No problem."
Before Daniel could say another word, Scott pulled out a checkbook, quickly wrote the full amount, and handed it over.
Scott had been a stockbroker for decades -- $100,000 was nothing to him.
*****
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