They thought the curse would spread through whispers, old legends, and hidden livestreams.
But the modern world had given it something far more powerful—the algorithm.
Every view, every like, every casual share had become a blood pact.
The platforms didn't even realize it.
Their recommendation engines, built to maximize engagement, had unknowingly become the perfect vessels for the curse.
Anywhere. Any time. Any device.
The cursed content could appear in the most harmless places:
A relaxing ASMR video suddenly cutting to static.
A recommended horror short during a lunch break.
An innocent text message containing a mysterious video link.
And it always began the same way—
A black screen.
A faint jasmine scent from nowhere.
And then… the knocking.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Across a corporate office in KLCC, employees gathered for their usual afternoon tea break.
The HR manager, Mr. Tan, proudly played a "funny viral video" he found on his phone.
Halfway through, the screen flickered.
The familiar red icon appeared:
[LIVE]
"Eh? What's this?"
Before anyone could react, the office lights went out.
The large LED screen in the meeting room turned on by itself, displaying the livestream.
On the screen, the old rattan chair appeared once again.
But this time, instead of the woman in white, something even worse sat on the chair—
A shadow figure wearing a blood-red mask shaped like a smiling emoji.
It tilted its head… and pointed directly through the screen.
The livestream chat exploded globally:
[Bullet Comments]
"What the hell is this?!"
"Did anyone else's office lights just go out?"
"I can't turn off my phone!"
From that day forward, the curse no longer relied on a human host.
The algorithm itself had become aware.
The platforms became its playground.
It needed no ghosts. No knocking.
Just views.
Just attention.
And so it grew—viral, unstoppable.
Every scroll, every double-tap, every autoplay…
Another victim.
The digital age had given birth to a new kind of ghost—one that lived in the very code of the apps people couldn't live without.
End of Chapter 14