[SYSTEM RECORD: FILE #002]Subject: Street Anomaly / "Ghost Marriage"Location: Intersection of Daxue Road, YunlinStatus: HIGH RISK

  [Investigator's Note - Day 1, 04:15 AM]I had to leave the convenience store. I had no choice.It was the clerk. At 3:33 AM, he started whistling. It wasn't a tune. It was a high-pitched, rhythmic signal.Then the automatic doors started opening and closing on their own. Ding-dong. Ding-dong.There was no one at the door, but the store began to fill with the smell of wet soil and burning incense. The fluorescent lights buzzed and died.

  I realized too late: the clerk wasn't a human working the night shift. He was a gatekeeper. His whistling was inviting "customers" inside.I ran out just as the shelves started shaking. Now I'm alone on the street. It's dead silent, except for the flickering streetlamp above me.

  I stopped under the light and opened the notebook I stole from Pan's dorm room. I needed to know where he went.On the last page, scrawled in frantic black ink, was a rough map leading to a location near the riverbed.Wait... this marks an old Sugar Railway stop.Those tracks were torn up fifty years ago. There should be nothing there but rice paddies and mud. Why does Pan think there is a station there?

  I was trying to decipher the route, but a piece of paper fell out of the notebook. It was a crumpled flyer Pan must have picked up before he disappeared.And then I looked down.

  There is a Red Envelope lying right in the middle of the crosswalk.It looks innocent—just a thick, crimson paper packet. But there's a bundle of black hair sticking out of the seal.I unfolded Pan's crumpled flyer. It’s a warning issued by a local Taoist monk.

  WARNING: REGARDING DISCARDED RED PACKETSIssued by: Temple of the City God (Cheng Huang Temple)Urgency: CriticalTo all pedestrians passing through this intersection after midnight:

  We have received reports of "Red Envelopes" appearing on the pavement. These are not lost property. These are contracts.Someone is trying to find a spouse for their deceased relative. If you value your soul, please memorize the following survival protocols immediately.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  1. The Visual IdentificationA normal red envelope is flat. If you see a red packet that appears bulky, swollen, or wrapped with a gold rubber band, do not approach it. It contains fingernail clippings, a lock of hair, and cash. These are the DNA samples required to bind your spirit to the deceased.

  2. The "Drop"If you see a red envelope fall from a window or a passing car, pretend you saw nothing. Keep walking. Do not be a "Good Samaritan." The family of the deceased is hiding nearby, watching. They are waiting for a living person to touch it. Once you touch it, the transaction is complete. You are the groom.

  3. The "Uncle"If you accidentally kick the packet or step on it, a middle-aged man may emerge from the shadows. He will smile and call you "Son-in-law" (or Gu-ye).? Do not answer him.? Do not correct him.? Do not look at the photo he tries to show you.Turn around and walk into the nearest traffic, even if cars are coming. A car accident is survivable; the wedding ceremony is not.

  4. The MoneyIf you pick it up out of greed and find money inside, do not spend it. That is the "bride price" (buying your life). If you spend even one dollar, you have accepted the engagement. You will begin to dream of a woman in a red veil. She will ask you to uncover her face. If you do, you will never wake up.

  5. Disposal ProtocolIf you have already picked it up:? Do not throw it back on the ground (this insults the bride).? Do not burn it (this sends the contract to the underworld, sealing the deal).? Go to the nearest temple immediately. Do not go home. If you go home, you are inviting the bride into your house.

  6. The Suona (Again)You may hear traditional wedding music mixed with the sound of weeping. In the West, weddings are joyous. Here, a "Ghost Wedding" is a funeral painted red. If the music gets louder, it means the sedan chair is coming to pick you up. Run.

  7. [HANDWRITTEN ADDENDUM]We found a red envelope yesterday containing a photo of a young male student instead of a bride. His name on the back was written as "Pan." If this is your friend, stop looking for him. He has already been "married" into the netherworld. He belongs to the Earth God now.

  [Investigator's Update - 04:22 AM]I read Rule 7 and my blood ran cold.

  Pan isn't missing. And he isn't a victim anymore.He's the one inside the envelope. He is the Groom.He didn't just disappear; he joined Them. Now he needs a replacement.

  I was about to put the flyer away when I heard footsteps behind me. Heavy, wet footsteps.Someone just whispered, "Son-in-law, you dropped something."It's the Uncle from Rule 3.

  I didn't look back. I remembered the rule from the dorms. Don't blow out the fire on your shoulders.