On the sleeper train, the young man on the opposite bunk was staring at me.

I felt a wave of fear and hesitated, unsure if I should call the conductor.

He leaned forward and said in a low, sinister tone, "You need to get rid of that scar by your eye, or you'll keep having bad luck."

I was stunned.

He was right; I'd been down on my luck for the past few years.

As I thought about it, I realized my misfortune had begun around the time I got this scar.

1

It was ten o'clock at night when I boarded the train, alone, with my suitcase.

The lights in the carriage were already off, and darkness filled the space.

Using the faint glow from my phone, I managed to find my bunk.

It was quiet.

I yawned, pulled the quilt over me, and tried to settle in for sleep. But just as I was about to drift off, a shiver ran through me.

I noticed the young man across from me had sat up and was staring intently in my direction.

He looked to be about twenty, with big, black-framed glasses. His beard was scruffy, and his hair was a mess. He had an unkempt appearance that made me uneasy.

I remembered all the recent news reports of women being harassed on night trains. Instantly, my drowsiness vanished. I gripped my quilt tightly and watched him warily.

He seemed oblivious to my discomfort and continued to stare, inching closer.

My muscles tensed, and I debated whether to call for the conductor. But before I could act, he spoke first. "You need to get rid of that scar by your eye, or you'll keep having bad luck."

I was taken aback, stunned into silence.

I never expected him to say such a thing.

Seeing I didn’t respond, he added, “Get it looked at as soon as you get off the train, or you’ll face serious trouble soon.”

I finally found my voice, "How do you know?"

He was right—I was on the brink of serious trouble.

Just before the New Year, my company had secured a major contract and tasked me with proofreading the details.

Somehow, I had made a critical error, miswriting an important price. Now, I was on my way to meet the client and fix the mistake.

If I couldn't resolve it, not only would my hopes of becoming a permanent employee be dashed, but I might also be held financially liable for millions of dollars.

In that case, my career could be over.

Seeing the shock on my face, the man seemed to know he had struck a nerve. He pushed his messy hair back and asked coolly, "That scar—it looks recent. When did you get it?"

By now, I had started to regain my composure.

He didn’t seem like the usual timid creep, so I decided to tell him the truth. “Last spring, my best friend was trimming my eyebrows, and accidentally hurt me.”

Linda Anderson, my college roommate, and I had been inseparable for over three years, closer than sisters.

She was skilled at makeup and always helped me with my eyebrows.

But this time, while trimming, she slipped and scratched me by mistake.

She cried out of guilt, and I tried to comfort her, saying it was just a minor injury and that I didn’t rely on my looks for anything important.

Luckily, the wound healed quickly, leaving only a faint scar, which I soon forgot about.

“I was right.”

The young man nodded as if he understood. Then, looking at me intensely, he said, “That cut fell right on your luck line. From that day, your good fortune vanished.”

I was silent.

His words sent a chill down my spine.

As I thought back, I realized my bad luck did start around then.

First, I twisted my ankle walking on a perfectly flat surface. Then, I bombed an exam in my best subject, costing me my guaranteed spot in grad school.

Later, despite landing an internship at a prestigious multinational company, I started making frequent mistakes at work.

Seeing my silence, the young man continued, his expression serious. “I bet the person who scratched you is doing well now.”

I stared at him, shocked, then slowly nodded. “Yes.”

Since then, Linda, who used to struggle with her studies and complain about her bad luck, seemed to have turned her life around.

She not only took my spot for guaranteed admission to grad school, but she also became the favorite of our professors and started dating a handsome, talented guy.

Our fortunes had completely reversed overnight.

But I had never given it much thought.

“If I’m right, she consulted someone knowledgeable.”

The young man said, scrutinizing me with a mix of seriousness and pity.

“She had your luck cut off and transferred to her. This change will drastically improve her life and that of her family.”

As for my family, the repercussions were evident.

My father, who had always been healthy, began to fall ill last autumn and hasn’t fully recovered since.

My dad once mentioned that a friend, knowledgeable about evil spirits, thought he might be affected by something sinister. But after a thorough search, they found nothing and eventually gave up.

At the time, I dismissed it as superstition. But now, it seemed the problem was with me all along.

Linda had such a vicious mind!

Meeting this person on the train was a stroke of luck. Without this encounter, I shudder to think what other misfortunes might have awaited me.

Reflecting on this, I began to relax and addressed the person with more respect, “In your view, sir, if I repair this scar, will everything return to normal?”

“Certainly not.”

The young man replied without a moment's pause, shaking his head.

“It will only stop your bad luck from continuing. To restore your former good fortune, you must find the master behind her and break the curse he placed on you.”

“A curse?”

The word sent chills down my spine, and I felt my skin prickle. “Do you mean she did more to me than just leave this scar?”

"Yes."

He confirmed, staring intently at me as if searching for answers. After a pause, he murmured to himself.

“The Parasitic Insect isn’t in your body, so where could it be?”

Parasitic Insect?

The thought made my scalp tingle. Images of tiny bugs swarming over me, crawling and biting, flooded my mind.

They moved in groups, invading every orifice—mouth, eyes, nose...

"Vomit..."

I gagged, trembling with fear. The urge to rush back to school and confront Linda surged within me.

But now wasn't the time to confront Linda.

I needed to understand her actions and uncover the mastermind behind this dark magic.

I knew that relying solely on my own strength wouldn’t be enough.

Summoning all my courage, I stood on my shaky legs and bowed deeply to the young man.

“Since you’ve offered me advice, could you help me end this bad luck? I’m willing to give you anything you want in return.”

“I don’t go around looking for good deeds to do every day. I just happened to cross your path.”

He replied with a gentle smile, dimples appearing on his cheeks.

“I don’t need anything from you, but there is one condition: from now on, before you take any action, you must consult me. Don’t act impulsively.”

Breaking a Parasitic Insect curse was complex; even a small misstep could disrupt the entire process.

If the other party sensed anything amiss and prepares accordingly, it would make breaking the curse far more challenging.

But the crucial task is to discover where they placed the insect.

“Understood.”

I agreed quickly, then asked, “Do I need to repair this scar immediately?”

If Linda noticed the scar at the corner of my eye was gone, it could tip her off.

“Yes, we need to fix it as soon as we get off the train tomorrow morning.”

The young man said, scrutinizing me. “Once it’s repaired, it will halt your current streak of bad luck. As for the future...”

He abruptly stopped talking and stared intently at my chest.

It made me feel uneasy despite his seemingly good intentions.

“Sir...”

I began to speak, but before I could finish, he leapt up from the bed and grabbed my neck with his strong hands.

Panic surged, and I instinctively wanted to scream.

But before I could, he pulled at the red string around my neck, yanking off the jade pendant I had been wearing.

Examining it closely, he frowned and said, “If I’m not mistaken, this was given to you by your best friend.”

"Yes."

My heart sank deeper as I realized the implications. Biting my lip, I asked, “This jade pendant affects my luck too, doesn’t it?”

Every year on our birthdays, Linda and I exchange gifts.

Linda, who comes from a modest background, usually gives handmade trinkets. But this year, she surprised me with this valuable-looking jade pendant.

I assumed it was her way of making amends for accidentally cutting my skin, so I accepted it without hesitation.

I never suspected it was part of a sinister plan, a trap designed to drain me dry!

The malice in human nature could be unfathomable.

The young man didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned on his phone’s flashlight and inspected the jade pendant carefully.

After a moment, he placed the pendant on a small table, pulled out a bag of silver-gray powder from his backpack, and sprinkled it meticulously over the pendant.

I had never seen anything like it. I watched, wide-eyed, afraid to blink and miss something crucial.

What happened next left me speechless.

The silver-gray powder began to turn black, reminiscent of a silver spoon detecting poison in an old TV drama.

The transformation was rapid and continued for about ten minutes. When the powder had completely blackened, the young man used a small broom to sweep the blackened ash away bit by bit.