Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World
Chapter 75 The Man-Made Curse

The guy who owned the phone store was named Dante Moretti.

Dante admitted he was a bit of a con artist, tricking people with phone repairs. But lately, he hadn't been up to his old tricks.

Because a weird melody kept playing in his head, and only he could hear it.

This afternoon, while fixing a customer's phone, Dante suddenly frowned and asked, "Hey, Zach Kovac, you hear any sounds?"

Zach, his apprentice, looked curious. "Mr. Moretti, what sound? I don't hear anything."

"How can you not hear it? It's that familiar tune," Dante insisted.

"Mr. Moretti, are you having one of your episodes again? You should see a doctor," Zach suggested.

"I did see a doctor. He said it's nothing, just a psychological thing. Told me to stay happy, eat well, drink well, and treat myself better," Dante replied. "Listen, there it is again," Dante added suddenly.

He closed his eyes, listened carefully, and then hummed softly, "It's kinda like this."

"Mr. Moretti, I still don't hear anything," Zach said, looking puzzled.

Just then, someone walked over, humming a song.

Dante perked up. "Listen, it's getting clearer."

"Mr. Moretti, that's just someone singing. A customer's here," Zach pointed out.

"Mr. Moretti, you want some music?" Michael suddenly sat down at the counter and placed a phone on it, which was playing a song.

"Yes, that's the melody. How did you know?" Dante was curious. When he saw Michael, he was so shocked he stood up and stepped back.

"Hello, we meet again," Michael said with a smile.

Dante dropped to his knees, his voice trembling, "I was wrong."

"You did nothing wrong," Michael said.

"Yes, I was wrong. I'm guilty," Dante insisted.

"You're not guilty," Michael replied.

"I'm a bad guy," Dante said.

"No, I'm the bad guy," Michael said. "I shouldn't have hurt you. I'm repenting now."

"No, I'm the bad guy. You were right to teach me a lesson," Dante said.

"Alright, if you say so, you are indeed a bad guy," Michael conceded.

Michael continued, "I'm not here to cause trouble. We had a good deal last time, and I think this time will be the same. I have a phone here. Can you help me unlock it? I just need the contact list inside." He handed over the phone that Howard had left behind.

"Hurry, take it. The phone is yours. Just don't hurt me," Dante said, waving his hands frantically.

It seemed the last incident had really shaken him.

"Can you unlock this in an hour?" Michael asked.

Zach chimed in, "Depends on the phone model."

"What about this one?" Michael tossed the phone to him.

"This phone's encrypted, but I can get the data from the storage. I'll need to take it apart, though, and it might not work afterward," Zach explained.

"That's fine. The phone itself isn't important. I just need the contact list. How long will it take?" Michael asked.

"Half an hour," Zach replied.

"Alright, if you can do it in half an hour, I'll give you a thousand bucks," Michael said.

"No problem," Zach agreed.

"Stop hiding. I have a question for you," Michael knocked on the counter, addressing Dante.

"What is it?" Dante asked cautiously.

"Is there a way to dial someone's number without hearing another ringtone?" Michael inquired.

"Transfer the number to a computer, use the computer to dial, and then operate it remotely," Dante suggested, a bit nervously.

"Good idea. Looks like I found the right guy. Do you have a computer here? Can I borrow it?" Michael asked.

Dante didn't dare refuse. "I have a computer at home. I can upload the data from here to my home computer and help you remotely." "Let's do that then. By the way, is there anyone at your place?" Michael asked.

"No, I live alone," Dante said.

"That's good," Michael replied.

Not long after, the phone was unlocked, and the contact list appeared on the computer screen next to Zach.

"Mr. Moretti, should I upload it?" Zach asked.

"Yes, of course, upload it." Dante didn't know what Michael was up to, but he wasn't about to argue.

With someone like Michael, it was best to just go along with whatever he wanted and hope he left happy.

"Mind if I handle it?" Michael asked, stepping into the store.

"Not at all, do whatever you need," Dante said quickly, signaling to Zach.

Zach pointed to a software on the screen. "Just click here, and the call will go through. This side is for changing the number."

"Great, there's no sound here, right?" Michael asked.

"We don't have speakers installed, so we can't hear anything," Zach replied.

"Perfect. You guys step out for a bit. Come back when I'm done," Michael said.

Zach was stunned for a moment, but Dante quickly pulled him away.

"Then we won't disturb you. Go ahead," Dante said, eager to get as far away as possible.

Michael ignored them and logged back into the forum. It had been shut down, likely due to what he had told Freya. The authorities must have noticed the post spreading the curse. But it didn't matter. He had already saved the audio file on his phone and knew how to copy and upload it.

In no time, the audio file was on another computer.

The first call was made.

Michael couldn't hear the sound, but as soon as the software showed the call was connected, he played the audio file.

A heavy, oppressive knocking sound echoed in the room of a rented apartment nearby.

The sound wasn't loud, and no one else heard it. Only the person on the other end of the call did.

Michael clicked two or three times, repeatedly playing the file before hanging up and moving on to the next call.

It was a simple, repetitive operation with no technical skill required.

But who would have thought this was a man-made spread of a terrifying curse?

As the calls continued, some people in Astoria began receiving Michael's strange calls one after another.

A company CEO was in a meeting when his private phone rang.

"Howard, what's up?" the CEO answered.

But there was no voice on the other end, just eerie silence, followed by a strange sound that reached his ears through the phone.

It sounded like knocking, heavy and oppressive, almost suffocating, as if it was pounding on his heart.

After the sound played two or three times, the call ended.

The CEO was puzzled, not understanding the purpose of Howard's call.

He put down the phone and continued the meeting.

At a swimming pool, a bald, muscular man was backstroking when a subordinate came over with a phone. "Sir, your call."

"Give it to me," he said.

The bald man spat out some water and took the phone. "Howard, I heard you recently got a big deal. Need any help? Just say the word, and I'll help. Of course, we can discuss the price."

But instead of Howard's voice, he heard a strange knocking sound.

The bald man was momentarily stunned but quickly realized something was wrong. He hurriedly turned off the phone. "Throw the phone away and never use it again. Also, check if Howard is dead." "Yes, sir," the subordinate responded.

"Could he have encountered a ghost?" The bald man frowned, his expression serious.

Despite his caution, the knocking sound still echoed. The invisible curse had already taken hold of him.

No one could guard against this man-made targeted spread.

In a luxurious villa, a wealthy young man had just finished playing golf and was sitting down for a drink when the phone rang.

"Howard?" The young man answered. "How did it go? Was it successful?"

The knocking sound came through.

The young man's face immediately changed.

Not only was there no voice from Howard, but the knocking sound was so strange. It definitely didn't sound like a person knocking, but like a ghost.

The young man thought seriously for a moment, then suddenly became terrified. He forcefully crushed the phone. "Is it the recently documented A-level ghost, codenamed 'Ghost Knocking'? Man-made or accidental?"