The Paradox Game - 1

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“...Zzz..."

*Knock Knock*

"...Zzz..."

*KNOCK KNOCK*1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnRa80E04q
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"...Who is it?" I shouted, rubbing my eyes while grabbing the ringing phone.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

My phone shows 6:46am. Who in the world would disturb a nice lad's dream so early in the morning?

"On my way!" I rushed to the door impatiently.

Just as I opened the door, I froze. Nothing was there but a dark envelope on the doormat. On the envelope there was only one word: "Paradox".

Probably some sort of AD mail, I thought.

"Hmm, not my job application result as expected," I murmured, tossing the weird envelope next to my pillow.

Just as I was about to head back to my dreams, my Samsung suddenly rang. The number on it showed: "7272 0369".

Hmm? Not a number I know... "Hello?"

"Greetings, Kano Sakamoto. You probably had already received our mail."

"Huh? Who are you?"

"I am the host of the Paradox Game. You can call me Null. You have been selected randomly as one of our 14 participants to join our game show."

"Huh, so the strange letter is from you? What is this all about?"

"Read the letter and you will find the details. Good luck. I am sure you will come."

The line went off.

What a weird guy, I thought. But what was this "Paradox Game" he is talking about? It sounds like something interesting... maybe I should have a look into the letter.

With a bit of anticipation, I opened the envelope slowly.

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Dear K. Sakamoto,

You were chosen by us to be a participant of the Paradox Game. Congratulations!

You may now have a lot of questions in mind. What is this game about?Why am I chosen? Do I get anything from it? We cannot disclose any information at this point, but we can let you know two things: every participants in this game are chosen at random, and the GRAND PRIZE for winning this game is $1,000,000 in cash.

For now, please prepare yourself for the game. The game will begin in 48 hours.

- X

What a weird letter, I thought. Who in the world is this "X" and what is this letter all about? From the sender's writing style, I can vaguely sense that the writer is either an arrogant, ego-centered guy or simply a maniac. "We cannot disclose any information at this point"? That seemed to be a contradictory statement itself.

However, I could not deny that my interest was greatly aroused by the "$1,000,000" prize money mentioned in the letter. I had just lost my job as a cashier in a nearby 7-Eleven 4 months ago, due to an unexpected event. I had been struggling to find a job since. Maybe this is my chance to win me a great fortune... and perhaps a better life?

With great excitement, I checked if there is any correspondence on the letter. None. What? I looked at both sides of the letter, checked the envelope which I had sadly torn into pieces, and scratched frantically at empty spaces of the letter. Still none.

So what should I do next? Just as I was about to swear, I suddenly remembered the phone call I just received. 72720369. I should call back immediately and make sure I could participate!

Bleep... bleep... bleep... no answer. I hung up in disappointment.

"Maybe this is just an April's fool - " While I was trying to calm myself down, my phone gave a quick beep. I just received an SMS.

"Thank you for your call. For now, please prepare yourself for the game. -X"

So this is a prank after all? The message and the letter both delivered nothing useful. But perhaps I should wait for another day? The letter said the game shall begin in 48 hours.

Confused and excited, I was unable to head back to bed. I checked the time on my phone. Its 7:02 am. I laid straight on my bed, writing a text message to Leon, one of my friends from high school.

"Call me when you wake up. I just encountered something random. Got to ask for your opinion on this. Kano"

I laid for a while longer, then I decided to go out for a walk.

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