I looked toward the door, my heart thumping heavily.
I was considering whether or not to open the door when I heard a lady"s voice coming from outside.
"Are you in there, Mister Luqiao?" Her voice was soft and gentle.
I stood still, confused.
A girl"s looking for me?
Her voice was melodious but I knew for a fact that she was a stranger.
"Are you in there, Mister Luqiao?" she repeated.
After much thought, I walked stealthily toward the door and looked through the peephole.
I stared at her face as she continued knocking on the door.
A beautiful and innocent girl was knocking on my door.
The peephole magnified her features significantly but she was still enchantingly beautiful.
Without even realizing it, my hand was already on the doork.n.o.b.
"If you"re not in, I"ll come back tomorrow," she spoke again before turning away.
"Wait! I"m here!" I shouted.
After a short pause, she responded, "Were you sleeping, Mister Luqiao? I"m sorry to disturb you."
I loosened the bolt and opened the door slowly.
I regretted it immediately. A huge black army glove reached in and forced the door open all the way in.
The girl was still standing in front of me, but four armed, big fellows strode inside my apartment.
They were in thick clothes, had helmets on, and were holding onto gun-like objects.
Weren"t guns illegal in China?
I fell b.u.t.t down onto the ground out of fear and crawled backward.
I saw the girl stepping away for a moment before pushing a wheelchair into the apartment.
An old man sat on the chair, an oxygen tube attached to his nose. He looked as if he was on his last gasp.
One of the armed fellows spoke, in English, "The air quality here is horrendous, don"t bring him in."
The old man coughed and answered in a hoa.r.s.e voice, "No worries, it"s all worth it."
I looked in fear at the scene unfolding before me. My whole being was trembling.
They communicated in English so they must"ve been the ones sending me those emails.
The girl started, "Hi, Mister Luqiao. I"m a temporary translator, here to help Mister Blanc and you communicate."
Two other armed fellows came foward, one pushed my computer chair over while the other pulled me up and onto the chair.
I met the old man"s eyes.
The old man spoke slowly and the girl nodded. She translated, "Sorry for the scare, Mister Luqiao. I had thought that you"d have a few guards of your own so I brought a few more people along, but I was wrong. I did not expect you to be alone at home, it seems inconsistent with your online presence."
Inconsistent with my online presence?
What? I am merely a keyboard warrior.
And what was this man"s ident.i.ty? A dying caucasian with four American mercenaries? And a Chinese lady translator? What a troop.
I stuttered, "You.. you are?"
The old man coughed a little before speaking. Nodding, the lady translated, "I forgot to introduce myself. I"m Michael Blanc, the chairperson and also the last elder of Luciferian Society.
Luciferian Society? What?
"What"s that?" I asked.
The lady forwarded my question.
The old man"s face brightened up and he smiled. The lady explained, "We do not condone violence and immoral acts. We strongly believe in equality, honesty, and integrity. We especially support and encourage the development of children"s ethics and intelligence, and also the preservation of this natural environment. We believe that the arts and sciences have a perennial impact on mankind and we admire the positive effects they"ve had on us. Man should optimize the days they have in this world, rationally distinguish good from evil and accept that all actions come with consequences, good or bad."
"A cult?" I blurted out.
The lady turned pale. She raised her index finger up to her mouth, asking me to hush.
The old man mumbled, "What did he say?"
The lady wrinkled her brows and answered, "He said he understands."
A smile returned to the old man"s face before he continued talking.
The lady heaved a sigh of relief. "Lucifer is a G.o.d that really exists. No worshipping or revering is required. On the contrary, he"s more like a teacher, a friend, a savior."
"Why talk so much? A cult is a cult," I added.
The lady urgently shouted, "I"m just here to translate. How would I know that they"re in a cult? They offered a ton of money so who wouldn"t do it?"
I wanted to say something but one armed fellow held his gun up to my head.
The old man spoke again, "What did Mister Luqiao say? Why are you so agitated?"
The lady coughed nervously, "He understands your idea and wishes to know what your goal is. I raised my voice in hope that he would listen to your teachings properly."
The old man extended his hand out to pat the lady"s trembling hand. "Thanks for your support. Our society will bless you."
The lady smiled in embarra.s.sment and the old man continued sharing his beliefs.
Instead of translating, the lady said, "Do not talk. They think I"m telling you about their teachings. They"re indeed a cult and I was, too, frightened by the armed men. My phone"s been confiscated. They"re paying me 4,000 RMB an hour and have already deposited 10,000 into my account. I"ll call the police once I get my phone so don"t worry."
I nodded in agreement.
The old man extended his hand toward me, smiling.
The lady added, "You"ve agreed to join their society. Shake his hand, quick."
I paused for a moment before accepting the handshake.
The old man said something, causing the lady to open her mouth wide in shock.
"They can give you a lot of money. All expenses will be unconditionally taken care of by them as long as you bring their teachings into China. When it"s all done, you"ll receive a portion of the proceeds collected from members."
I was in shock.
The lady spoke up again, "What exactly have you done for them to notice you?"
I pondered over her words. "I"m just a leader of a keyboard warrior forum with 26,000 followers."
The man waved his hand and an armed fellow brought a suitcase out.
He opened it, revealing a caseful of banknotes.
"Your deposit," the lady explained.
The old man loosened his grip and the armed guy handed the suitcase over to me.
The lady translated, "You"re running a cult too, aren"t you, Mister Luqiao? While I don"t know much about your views and teachings, you"re clearly expanding well over here. As such, I hope you"ll use your method to spread our Luciferian teachings. I hereby welcome you into our society. Any questions or clarifications?"
Were they planning to take over my forum and convert the members?
I pointed at the lady. "I want her to stay and help us communicate."
The lady replied in fury, "Are you crazy? I"m trying to save you! Why are you dragging me down?"
"Have you ever thought about how you might get killed the moment you leave? You know their secrets," I explained dully.
She fell into a short silence before talking to the old man. "I"d like to stay and continue working for you."
The old man nodded happily. "From now on, your salary will be 10,000 a day. I"ll be staying here for a month. Please let me know if Mister Luqiao is facing any problems, and thanks again for your support."
He took out a mobile phone and handed it over to her.
He put a black manual down, said a few lines, and was escorted out by the armed fellows.
I asked urgently, "What did he say?"
The lady smiled bitterly. "He wants you to finish reading this book. He"ll pay for all your living expenses and provide whatever you need. That"s about it."
I rushed to the door and looked through the peephole.
A big armed fellow was guarding the door.