My bizarre resurgence: My price is the ability to trade everything.

It was already 9:30 a.m. when I came out of the police station.

Lin Xiaofan stood by the roadside, watching the cars come and go, suddenly unsure of where to go. Go home? He didn't want to go back to that tenement building where every step had become seven. Go to the library? His mind was filled with the number 7; he couldn't concentrate at all.

In the end, he decided to go to school.

At least there are many people there, and the yang energy is strong, so nothing strange should happen, right?

He comforted himself with this thought as he boarded the bus to Jiangzhou University.

The bus was a bit more crowded than in the morning, mostly young people going to work or school. Lin Xiaofan found a seat towards the back, put on her headphones, and wanted to listen to some music to relax.

But the first song that played randomly stunned him.

"Seven Mile Fragrance"

He usually listens to Jay Chou's old songs, but hearing them at this particular juncture just doesn't feel right.

He changed the song.

Next song: "Seven Friends".

Cut it again.

"Sunny Day, July 7th"

Lin Xiaofan took off her headphones, her face pale.

This is no longer a coincidence.

It was as if some force was deliberately reminding him that the rules had firmly locked him in place.

He looked out the window, and the shop signs on both sides of the street flashed by. Suddenly, he noticed a pattern: every seven shops, one of them had the number "7" on its sign.

Seventh Sense Hair Design, No. 7 Mansion KTV, Seven Fresh Supermarket, No. 7 Pawnshop

Like an invisible thread, it connects the entire street.

"What exactly is it trying to tell me?" Lin Xiaofan muttered to himself.

When the bus arrived at the stop, he got off and walked into the campus of Jiangzhou University.

In November, most of the leaves on the sycamore trees on campus had fallen, leaving bare branches pointing towards the hazy sky. Students walked in twos and threes, chatting and laughing, full of youthful energy.

All of this seems so normal, so real.

Lin Xiaofan almost doubted whether the strange experiences he had had were just his own hallucinations.

He walked to the library entrance and glanced at the time: 10:07 a.m.

It's 7 again.

He shook his head with a wry smile and walked into the library.

He swiped his student ID, passed through the turnstile, and went up to the second-floor study area. He found a seat by the window, took out his "Civil Service Exam Bible," and tried to force himself into a study mode.

But as soon as he opened the book, he realized something was wrong.

The page numbers in the book have all become multiples of 7.

Page 7, Page 14, Page 21, Page 28

Moreover, there is a small number 7 in the header of each page.

It's not big, but it's very clear, as if it was there when it was printed.

Lin Xiaofan's hands began to tremble.

He glanced around; the other students were all engrossed in their books, and no one noticed his unusual behavior. He picked up a novel from a girl's desk next to him and secretly flipped through it—the page numbers were normal, with no extra 7s.

Only his books have problems.

"It followed me here," Lin Xiaofan thought with a sinking feeling.

He closed the book, took a deep breath, and told himself: Calm down, you must calm down. We're in a library, a public place. Even if something strange is happening, I wouldn't dare to openly harm anyone.

Yes, as long as you stay calm, wait until nightfall, wait for what?

he does not know.

But at least for now, let's just get through this.

He reopened the book, skipping the "contaminated" pages and turning directly to the graphic reasoning section. But the graphics began to distort and deform in his eyes, eventually turning into the shape of the number 7.

Triangle → 7

Square → Rotated 7

Circle → 7 turned horizontally

"I can't, I can't concentrate," Lin Xiaofan said, rubbing her temples in pain.

He decided to go to the restroom to wash his face and clear his head.

The library's restroom was at the end of the corridor. Lin Xiaofan went in, turned on the tap, and the cool water splashed on her face, slightly relieving her anxiety.

He looked up and saw himself in the mirror.

Then, his pupils suddenly contracted.

His face was changing in the mirror.

Tiny numbers were moving beneath the skin of his forehead, cheeks, and chin. The numbers were tiny, densely packed, like ants crawling. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that all the numbers were "7".

Moreover, the number is increasing.

1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21

"Ah!" Lin Xiaofan instinctively stepped back and bumped into the door of the cubicle behind him.

In the mirror, his face was covered with the number 7. The numbers, like tattoos, were deeply imprinted beneath his skin, shimmering with a faint glow.

He rubbed his eyes hard, then opened them again.

The numbers disappeared.

The man in the mirror looked normal again. Only his face was pale, his eyes filled with terror, and he looked like a coward.

"Hallucination, it's just another hallucination," he said, leaning against the door, his legs trembling.

But just then, he heard a voice.

It was very light and faint, as if it came from a very far place.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Each sound was spaced exactly one second apart.

The sound of the second hand ticking.

Lin Xiaofan suddenly turned her head and looked at the clock on the bathroom wall—the time was 10:14 a.m.

The second hand was moving normally, but the "tick-tock" sound wasn't coming from the clock.

It came from his mind.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Each sound felt like a blow to his heart.

At the same time, numbers began to appear before his eyes.

It's not an illusion; it's real numbers floating in the air like a holographic projection.

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Then, the numbers disappeared.

Everything is back to normal.

But Lin Xiaofan knew that something had already been activated.

The countdown has ended.

The rules are now officially in effect.

He rushed out of the restroom, returned to the study area, grabbed his backpack, and was about to leave. But after only two steps, he was stopped by a girl.

It's Su Mingyue.

She was wearing a beige sweater today, with her long hair down, and carrying several books in her hands. She looked like she had just come from the archives.

"Xiao Fan?" Su Mingyue asked in surprise, "What are you doing here? Didn't you say you were going to focus all your energy on preparing for the provincial civil service exam?"

"I...I came to look up some information." Lin Xiaofan forced a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping the counselor sort through Zhang Hao's belongings," Su Mingyue said. "Some study materials need to be returned to the library for archiving. By the way, did the police contact you?"

"Yes, I went this morning."

"What did they ask you?"

"They asked about my relationship with Zhang Hao." Lin Xiaofan didn't want to say more. "I said we're not close."

Su Mingyue looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Xiao Fan, do you really know nothing?"

"I really don't know," Lin Xiaofan said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because among Zhang Hao's belongings was a notebook," Su Mingyue said in a low voice, "which mentioned you."

Lin Xiaofan's heart skipped a beat.

"Notes? What notes?"

"A black hardcover notebook, kept at the very back of his desk drawer," Su Mingyue said. "It contained some very strange things. For example..."

She paused, seemingly hesitant to speak.

"Like what?"

"For example, a passage: 'The seventh key contact has been confirmed: Lin Xiaofan, male, 22 years old, a recent graduate of Jiangzhou University. Birthday: July 7th, last four digits of his mobile phone number: 777. Meets all screening criteria. Rule trigger countdown: seven days.'"

Lin Xiaofan felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.

Seven days.

A day has passed since he received the call.

Six days left.

"What else did the notes say?" His voice trembled.

"It also mentioned some rules about the 'taboo of the number 7'," Su Mingyue said. "According to the notes, this is a rule-based anomaly. Once triggered, it will inflict a 'seven-day curse' on the triggerer and their key contacts. Every day, abnormal phenomena related to the number 7 will occur. On the seventh day..."

"What will happen on the seventh day?"

"The notes stop here," Su Mingyue said. "The last page was torn out."

Lin Xiaofan fell silent.

He was now certain that he had indeed been drawn into some kind of supernatural event. And, there were only six days left.

"Where are the notes now?" he asked.

"It's in the counselor's office, waiting for the police to come and pick it up," Su Mingyue said. "Do you want to see it?"

Lin Xiaofan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

He needs any information he can get right now.

The two left the library and headed towards the administration building. Along the way, Lin Xiaofan remained restless, her eyes darting around, afraid that something unusual might happen again.

But strangely, everything was normal the whole way.

There was no 7, no eeriness, and even the "tap-tap" sound disappeared.

It was as if the rules had temporarily let him off the hook.

"You look very nervous," Su Mingyue suddenly said.

"Really?" Lin Xiaofan forced a smile. "It's probably because of the pressure of the provincial exam."

"It's not just the provincial exam, is it?" Su Mingyue looked at him. "Ever since Zhang Hao's incident, you've been acting very strangely. Before, although you didn't say much in the group chat, you would at least participate in the discussions. This time, you've completely disappeared."

Lin Xiaofan didn't know how to answer.

He can't exactly say that he's being targeted by a numerical curse, can he?

"Su Mingyue, do you believe in the supernatural?" he asked tentatively.

Su Mingyue paused for a moment, then laughed: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Just asking."

"I believe in science," Su Mingyue said, "but I also know that there are many things in the world that science cannot explain for the time being. For example, Zhang Hao's death scene was too bizarre and did not conform to common sense at all."

Lin Xiaofan nodded.

The two walked down to the administration building and were just about to go in when Lin Xiaofan's phone rang.

It was still that unfamiliar number.

He stared at the screen, his fingers frozen.

Answer or not answer?

"Why aren't you answering?" Su Mingyue asked.

"It's a scam call," Lin Xiaofan said, and pressed the reject button.

But the phone rang again immediately.

Reject the call again.

Hit again.

When the bell rang for the third time, Su Mingyue frowned: "Could it be something urgent?"

Lin Xiaofan gritted his teeth, pressed the answer button, but instead of putting it to his ear, he turned on speakerphone.

"Feed?"

On the other end of the phone, there was still that crackling sound of static.

Then, a voice rang out:

"the next day"

It was Zhang Hao's voice, but clearer and more real than last night's.

It was as if he were nearby.

Lin Xiaofan suddenly looked up and glanced around.

In the open space in front of the administration building, besides them, there were only a few students passing by. In the distance, a cleaner was sweeping the ground.

Zhang Hao is not there.

The cries of "Help me!" continued, "The rules have been activated; you can't escape."

"What exactly do you want?!" Lin Xiaofan couldn't help but shout.

Su Mingyue, who was standing next to her, was startled: "Xiao Fan, who are you talking to?"

The voice on the phone suddenly changed.

It was no longer Zhang Hao's voice, but a cold, mechanical voice devoid of any emotion:

"Rule for Day Two: Find seven items containing the number 7 within seven minutes. Penalty for failure: seven years of lifespan will be randomly deducted."

Then, the call ended.

Lin Xiaofan stood there blankly, her phone slipping from her hand and falling to the ground.

The screen is broken, but it still works.

The time displayed is 10:35 AM.

The seven-minute countdown has begun.

"Xiao Fan, what's wrong?" Su Mingyue picked up the phone and handed it to him. "Who called just now?"

Lin Xiaofan did not answer.

All he could hear in his mind was that cold voice.

Seven minutes.

Seven items.

Seven years lifespan.

The rules have been implemented.

"Su Mingyue, help me!" He grabbed Su Mingyue's arm, his voice distorted with fear. "Find something with the number 7 on it! Quickly!"

"What?" Su Mingyue looked bewildered.

"No time to explain!" Lin Xiaofan released her and began frantically searching around.

There was a bulletin board at the entrance of the administration building. He rushed over, his eyes quickly scanning the posters on it.

First: A lecture notice, dated November 17th—there are 7!

He tore off the notice and stuffed it into his pocket.

The second item: a club recruitment poster, the contact person's phone number ends in 777 - there's a 7 in it!

Tear it off and stuff it into your pocket.

"Xiao Fan, what are you doing?" Su Mingyue followed, both puzzled and worried.

Lin Xiaofan didn't have time to pay attention to her.

He rushed into the lobby of the administrative building, his gaze sweeping over the front desk.

The third thing: the desk calendar, flipped to November 7th—there is a 7!

He grabbed the calendar and tore off that page.

"Hey! What are you doing!" The receptionist stood up to stop her.

Lin Xiaofan rushed toward the newspaper rack next to him.

The fourth item: a copy of the Jiangcheng Evening News, dated November 7th—there are 7!

He grabbed the newspaper.

Two minutes have passed.

Three more items are needed.

His heart pounded, and cold sweat soaked his back. If he failed to live for seven years, would he suddenly age prematurely? Or would he simply die?

He didn't know, and he dared not imagine.

"Xiao Fan!" Su Mingyue caught up and stopped him. "Calm down! What happened?"

"Get out of my way!" Lin Xiaofan pushed her aside and rushed upstairs.

On the second-floor corridor, photos of outstanding teachers hung on the walls. He looked at them one by one, then suddenly stopped in front of one photo—the teacher in the photo had the name tag number 007.

The fifth item!

He reached out to pick the photo, but it was too high for him to reach.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Su Mingyue shouted from below. "Tell me, and I'll help you!"

"The number 7! Anything with the number 7 in it!" Lin Xiaofan roared.

Su Mingyue paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and pulled a pen from her pocket: "This! It has '0.7mm' marked on it!"

The sixth item!

Lin Xiaofan rushed down and snatched the pen.

One item left.

Four minutes have passed.

His mind raced, his eyes scanning everything around him like a scanner. The number of staircase steps, the fire hydrant numbers on the wall, the door number...

Suddenly, he saw it.

At the end of the corridor, there is a sign for the emergency exit.

Below the green "EXIT" is a small number: 7.

That's the floor number.

The seventh item!

Lin Xiaofan rushed over, trying to remove the sign. But it was embedded in the wall and couldn't be removed at all.

"No, I need something I can take with me!" He was so anxious he was almost crying.

There are two minutes left.

苏明月突然说：「手机！我的手机尾号是137，1+3+7=11，1+1=2不对。」

Suddenly, she thought of something, took out her phone, opened the calculator, and entered 7 ÷ 7 = 1.

"Calculator! The calculator has the number 7!" she shouted.

Lin Xiaofan was taken aback.

The calculator did indeed display the number 7 on the screen.

But that's virtual, not real.

"I want the real thing," he murmured.

There is only one minute left.

His gaze fell on his own hands.

On his right wrist, he wore a digital watch. It was a gift from his mother for his birthday last year.

The time displayed on the dial is 10:37.

3+7=10，1+0=1不对。

and many more.

37.

3+7=10.

But 37 itself is the 12th prime number in the prime number sequence, no, that's not right.

It suddenly occurred to him.

The digital watch shows the time as 10:37:21.

21 is a multiple of 7.

21 ÷ 3 = 7.

Moreover, a digital watch itself is an "item with the number 7"—it displays numbers all the time, including 7.

The seventh item!

He took off his watch and gripped it tightly in his hand.

Time's up.

10:42 AM.

Seven minutes passed.

Lin Xiaofan slumped to the ground, panting heavily. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his hair was plastered to his forehead; he looked utterly disheveled.

Su Mingyue squatted down and looked at him: "Was Xiao Fan's rule just now real?"

Lin Xiaofan didn't say anything.

He only felt that cold, mechanical voice in his head ring out again:

"Day 2 rules completed. Reward: None. Warning: Day 3 rules will activate in 24 hours."

Then, the sound disappeared.

Lin Xiaofan closed his eyes, feeling all the strength drain from his body.

finished.

He survived.

But the cost is

He suddenly felt a sharp headache.

It felt like something was tearing at his brain. The pain started at his temples and quickly spread throughout his head. He couldn't help but cover his head and groan in pain.

"Xiao Fan!" Su Mingyue panicked. "What's wrong? I'll call 120!"

"No, no need," Lin Xiaofan said through gritted teeth.

The pain lasted for about ten seconds.

Then, it stopped.

But Lin Xiaofan sensed that something had been taken away.

It's not a specific organ, nor blood, but something more abstract.

life.

Seven years lifespan.

Although the rules state that the "failure penalty" is a seven-year deprivation, isn't there a cost to fulfilling the rules?

He stood up shakily, walked to the bathroom, and looked at himself in the mirror.

Then, he saw it.

Her originally jet-black hair now had a small tuft of white hair at her temples.

Very subtle, very few, but they do exist.

Like a proof of some kind of price.

"This is..." He reached out and touched the tuft of white hair, his fingers trembling.

Just then, a line of numbers suddenly appeared in front of him.

It's not an illusion, not a projection, but numbers that appear directly in the optic nerve.

[Current lifespan: ???]

[Time Expired: 7 years]

[Remaining lifespan: ???]

The numbers appeared for only three seconds, then disappeared.

But Lin Xiaofan remembered it.

Seven years.

He was deprived of seven years of his life.

The "???" is probably because he doesn't yet know his total lifespan.

So, is the cost-benefit balance based on lifespan in response to the rules?

He didn't quite understand.

But he knew one thing: this curse had already firmly bound him.

And today is only the second day.

Five days left.

He must find a way to crack it.

Otherwise, by the seventh day

He might die.

Or, become someone like Zhang Hao.

Lin Xiaofan walked out of the restroom and saw Su Mingyue looking at him with a worried expression.

"Xiao Fan, your hair," she noticed the tuft of white hair.

"It's nothing," Lin Xiaofan forced a smile. "It's probably because of too much stress lately, causing premature graying."

But Su Mingyue clearly didn't believe it.

She paused for a few seconds, then said, "I secretly took a few photos of Zhang Hao's notes. Do you want to see them?"

Lin Xiaofan's eyes lit up.

"We need it!" he said. "We absolutely need it!"

Su Mingyue took out her phone and opened her photo album: "Here. But I advise you to be mentally prepared; the contents might scare you even more."

Lin Xiaofan took the phone and looked at the photo on the screen.

It was Zhang Hao's handwriting, neat and clear, but it exuded a sense of madness.

The first page had a line of large text:

"The Taboo of the Number 7 - A Record of Bizarre Research on Rules"

Below is a detailed description of the rules:

"Trigger condition: Write down seventeen consecutive '7's at 3:00 AM."

"Rule scope: the triggerer and its seven key contacts."

"Rule cycle: seven days."

"Daily Rules: A task related to the number 7 will appear every day. Completing it will earn you 'cost points', while failure will result in a penalty."

"Final punishment: On the seventh day, all participants who fail to break the rules will be completely wiped out."

Lin Xiaofan's fingers were trembling.

Erasure of existence.

In other words, not only will you die, but even the traces of your existence will disappear. Just like no one ever remembers you.

This is more terrifying than death.

He continued scrolling down.

I saw a description about "cost points":

"Completing daily rules will earn you a certain number of penalty points. These points can be used to offset penalties or exchange for 'rule exemptions'."

"Points acquisition formula: base points × completion efficiency".

Base points: 7.

"Completion efficiency: Calculated based on factors such as task completion speed and item matching rate, up to 200%".

In other words, he can get a maximum of 14 points for today's task.

But what are these points used for? How are they used?

It wasn't written in the notes.

Lin Xiaofan turned to the last page.

That was the page before it was torn out; it contained only one sentence:

"On the seventh day, the rules will be fully revealed. The only way to survive is to find the 'Scales'."

Balance scales.

The balance of costs.

Were those numbers that just appeared in his mind the interface of the "cost balance"?

In other words, his abilities have awakened?

Because they were drawn into this rule, they instinctively activated a certain power to fight against the strange.

Lin Xiaofan didn't know.

But he felt as if he had grasped something crucial.

"Su Mingyue." He looked up at the girl in front of him. "Would you be willing to help me?"

Su Mingyue paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Otherwise, why would I tell you all this?"

Her smile was warm, like the winter sun.

Lin Xiaofan suddenly realized that perhaps he wasn't fighting alone.

Perhaps, there is still a possibility of breaking this curse.

The balance of costs.

He needs to figure out exactly what this ability is.

How to use it.

How can we keep him alive?

"Thank you," he said softly.

"You're welcome," Su Mingyue said. "But you have to promise me that no matter what happens, you'll tell me. Don't bear it all alone."

Lin Xiaofan nodded.

He knew that from this moment on, his life would be completely changed.

The civil service exam disrupted my life; all my plans were thrown into disarray.

He now has only one goal: to survive.

Survive these seven days.

Find a way to break the rules.

Then find out what exactly happened to Zhang Hao.

Why did you involve him?

And what exactly is that "balance of costs"?

Lin Xiaofan looked at the glaring tuft of white hair in the mirror.

He knew this was the price to pay.

Seven years lifespan.

And this is just the beginning.