I exclaimed, "Thanks for the invite. How can I address you? What kind of rune would you like?"
He replied, "I am Max Jackson. I bought a haunted house without telling my wife. How about a ghost-exorcising rune?"
I asked, "Do you have any photos of the house's interior?"
He nodded. "Yes, I sent them to you privately."
I said, "Give me a moment to take a look."
I opened the private message, ready to inspect the photos, when the screen suddenly seized up!
No matter how many times I refreshed my phone, it remained unresponsive!
I cursed inwardly, "Damn!
At the critical moment, the phone, overwhelmed with its memory at capacity, gave up and crashed!"
I swiftly rebooted the phone.
When I managed to get back online, the screen was a flurry of comments.
Netizen 1: [What? Giving up already?]
Netizen 2: [Rebellionist is such a tease!]
Netizen 3: [Don't jump to conclusions; this rune's legit! It's an invisibility one. Just watch!]
"My phone just crashed on me," I calmly explained.
Ignoring the skepticism, I reconnected with Max.
I asked, "Has your wife recently miscarried?"
He was stunned, answering, "How did you know? She's two months pregnant, but she fell in the shower last month. We lost the baby."
The moment those words left his lips, a deluge of comments poured in.
Netizen 1: [Huh? What's happening? This feels oddly familiar.]
Netizen 2: [That was too obvious. Consider me for your next act?]
Netizen 3: [The performance was a bit over the top, like a certain young actress who always overacts.]
Ignoring those comments, I pressed on, "There's something in that house. If you don't deal with it, your wife won't be able to conceive."
Max fell silent and anxiously blurted out, "How much will it cost?"
I was about to say "no charge" when a shrill laugh echoed through the room.
Max burst into laughter. "You've been had!
"I lied! Why would I buy a haunted house with a family? I just wanted to see you squirm."
His laughter ensued, accompanied by a flurry of comments.
Netizen 1: [Holy moly! He's lying.]
Netizen 2: [Impressive! Rebellionist, you're the online fraud buster!]
Netizen 3: [This twist is epic. Love it!]
The live broadcast was suddenly swamped with a cacophony of comments.
I furrowed my brow, coldly asking, "Has your mother been in poor health during the past six months since she moved in? She's skinny and has nightmares every night?"