The Game of Death chapter 1

After losing his job, Tom was extremely frustrated. One day, he had another argument with his wife. In a fit of anger, he stormed out of the house.

After leaving home, he wandered aimlessly on the streets and unconsciously found himself in a small alley called Elmwood Lane. Suddenly, Tom saw a man in front of him stagger a few steps and then collapse to the ground. He rushed over and saw that it was a well – dressed middle – aged man, lying on his back with his mouth wide open, and there was a delicate password – protected suitcase beside him. Tom felt the man’s breath and was shocked to find that he had stopped breathing. Tom had never encountered such a thing in his half – life. His heart was pounding like a drum, and his nose was sweating.

Just when Tom was at a loss, the password – protected suitcase caught his eye. Strangely enough, the lid of the suitcase was half – open. Tom casually lifted the lid, and immediately, a dazzling light blinded his eyes. The suitcase was filled with jewelry! How much money would this be worth? He couldn’t earn this much in his whole life! Tom’s heart beat even faster, and his hands trembled constantly, as if he was holding a pack of dynamite with a lit fuse. Somehow, he suddenly stuffed the suitcase into his arms and started running out of the alley.

After walking just a few steps, Tom heard the sound of chasing footsteps behind him, and faintly someone was shouting, “Wait… wait a minute…” He didn’t dare to look back and quickened his pace, dashing out of the alley in a flash.

It was already a little past five o’clock in the afternoon when he got home. Tom knew that his wife must have gone grocery shopping at this time. He closed the door and impatiently poured out all the contents of the password – protected suitcase. Diamond rings, jade bracelets, gemstone necklaces… As Tom rummaged through the jewelry with his trembling hands, he thought, “This isn’t stealing or robbing. It’s God’s gift to me because I’m so pitiful.” Thinking this way, Tom felt a bit more at ease.

He continued to search on the table and suddenly saw a business card fall to the corner of the table. Tom picked it up and saw that it read: John Smith, CEO of Starlight Jewelry Company. So he was the boss of a jewelry store. No wonder he carried so many valuable things with him. Just as he was thinking, another small card beside the business card caught Tom’s attention. It clearly read, “I’m not dead. I suffer from a special type of强直性昏厥症 (here we can translate it as a special type of cataplectic fainting disorder). Once this disease attacks, the symptoms often make people think I’m dead. If you find my body, please inform Dr. David Brown immediately. I’ll reward you handsomely afterwards! Remember this well!”

The card also prominently printed Dr. Brown’s contact address and phone number. Tom was stunned for a long time after reading it. He never expected that the man was still alive, or rather, if not rescued in time, he would surely die. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel scared: “If I don’t send him to the hospital, won’t I be a murderer?” Realizing the seriousness of the matter, he rushed out of the house.

Tom took a taxi and hurriedly headed to the place where the stranger had fainted. He didn’t want the driver to know where he was going, so he got off at a nearby cross – road in advance. After getting off the taxi, he walked casually as if strolling on the street and then suddenly turned the corner at the street corner.

When he entered the alley, Tom saw that there was no one in the alley. Where the man had fallen, there was now a police car!

Tom had rarely interacted with the police in his life, but now he had to ask them about the situation.

“Officer, what happened here?” Tom stammered.

“Someone fainted here just now. His life or death is unknown,” the police officer said. “We’ve sent him away first. Can you provide some clues about this?”

“No, no. I don’t know anything. I just came to have a look after hearing the siren…” Tom said, waving his hands repeatedly.

Tom tried his best to look unconcerned on his face, but his legs couldn’t help trembling, and he walked unsteadily. “I’m a murderer!” This terrible thought flashed through his mind from time to time.

Just as Tom was about to leave this trouble – making place, he heard a voice from behind, “Please wait a moment!” Tom looked back and saw that it was the same police officer. The officer walked up to Tom and said kindly, “You seemed very concerned about the fainted man just now. Do you have something to report? If you tell me, maybe I can help.”

“I, I…” Tom hesitated for a moment and finally summoned up the courage to say, “I want to tell you that actually, the man you took away just now… he, he is still alive. You might think he’s dead, but in fact, he just fainted…”

“Are you joking?” The police officer was very surprised after hearing Tom’s words and looked incredulous.

Tom nervously scratched his neck. “No, I’m telling the truth. This man has an illness. He often has attacks. You mustn’t cremate him. He definitely can’t be cremated…”

The police officer was silent for a while, as if considering something. After a while, he finally said, “Can you come with me and tell me in detail what you know?”

What to do? There was no other choice but to go to the police station and explain the matter clearly. Tom believed that he could explain the whole thing clearly. If he was clever enough, he might even be able to hide the fact about the password – protected suitcase. The most important thing was to act before John Smith was cremated…

At the police station, a tall man called Captain Johnson received Tom. As Tom spoke, Captain Johnson scribbled notes in a notebook.

“At Elmwood Lane, right? A middle – aged man, not very tall, in his fifties?”