My husband was dead.

He had saved a girl from drowning, yet he himself perished in the icy river.

As I sank into a chasm of grief, the girl's father appeared at my door.

He glared at me and demanded, "Where is my daughter's necklace? She was wearing it before she fell into the water!"

Rage surged through me, and in the heat of our confrontation, he ended up dead.

Then my phone… came alive.

"Hide the body. The police are coming. I'll teach you how to dispose of a corpse…"

Staring at the body before me, my mind went completely blank.

Then, my phone suddenly rang with a strange ringtone. The screen lit up, and a single line of text appeared: [Can't believe you actually killed him. Don't just stand there! The cops will be here in ten minutes.]

It wasn't a text message. It wasn't any app interface I recognized.

They were just black letters on a white background on my screen.

And the alert tone… it was strange, unlike anything I had ever used.

"Who… who are you?" I gasped, my heart pounding.

Another notification sounded. [Hide the body first.]

I didn't dare overthink it. Scanning the room, I decided to shove the body into a suitcase.

[The suitcase isn't the best choice.]

It… it knew what I was doing.

I asked, "Then what should I do?"

[Needs calculation. Please wait.]

It could hear me. It could hear me.

For some inexplicable reason, I found myself looking forward to its "calculation." In my terror and panic, it felt like a lifeline.

I couldn't even kill a fish when cooking. My husband, Benjamin Alton, always did that for me.

Now, I had killed a living human being. I was falling apart.

The man I had killed was named Justin Finnick.

Half a month ago, my husband, Benjamin, was walking home from work when he saw a girl fall into the river. Without hesitation, he jumped in to save her. He managed to rescue her, but his legs cramped in the freezing water, and he couldn't get back out.

Justin was the father of that girl.

From Benjamin's cremation to his burial, they had never shown up—not once—as if they feared I would latch onto their family.

Now, Justin had come to my home. I had expected consolation or an apology. Instead, he demanded to know the whereabouts of his daughter's diamond necklace.

"She stole her mother's necklace to dress up for a class reunion," Justin said. "It was still on her before she fell…"

"What the hell do you mean?" I spat. "Are you suspecting my husband? Where were you when they fished Benjamin's body out of the river?"

I thought he would be ashamed, but he suddenly stood, pointing at me. "There's no way that necklace fell off by itself! Your husband took it. He must've hidden it in his clothes! Give it to me now!"

"Get out!" I slapped him across the face.

Benjamin was not that kind of man.

"You won't give it? Fine. I'll search myself. Don't blame me if I get rough!"

And with that, he began rifling through my home.

That was when my anger erupted. I grabbed the ashtray Benjamin had used on the coffee table and smashed it against the back of Justin's head.

It wasn't enough to kill him, but he staggered, knocking over a fruit plate. A fruit knife skewered directly into his heart.

Another alert sounded from my phone.

[Calculation complete. In five minutes, throw the body out the window. Now, you must deal with the bloodstains immediately.]

I didn't hesitate. I trusted it completely and did as it instructed.

[Move the body to the window.]

I was mopping the floor, but obeyed without question.

"And then?" I asked.

[Start the countdown. Be precise. Every fraction matters.]

The phone screen lit up a number.

[10.]

[9.]

…

[3.]

[2.]

[1.]

[Push!]

During the ten-second countdown, I still wondered why I had to throw the body out.

It wasn't until I saw it land perfectly in a garbage truck passing by below that I froze in disbelief.

What had just happened was beyond my comprehension. I gulped and stared at my phone.

"Who are you… No, what are you?" I asked.

[I don't know what I am. I entered this phone half a month ago and only today learned to control it and communicate with you.]

"How did you know about the garbage truck…"

[Clean the blood as quickly as possible. The cops are coming.]

I hurriedly continued mopping the floor. Once it was spotless, I sprayed copious air freshener under its guidance to mask the scent of blood.

Sure enough, the police arrived soon after.

The door opened, and two officers stood there. One said, "Mia Anello, we are very sorry about your husband. We've come to deliver some money—donations from our department, since we heard from the girl's family…"

I quickly shook my head. "No… that won't be necessary. I still have some savings."

Logically, I should have invited them in, but I didn't dare. I was afraid the bloodstains hadn't been fully cleaned.

"Please, you must accept it!" the other officer said. "It's a kind gesture from all of us."

I insisted, but he simply tossed the envelope of money inside and left quickly.

Once they were gone, I finally exhaled. Then my thoughts turned to my phone.

"You can predict the garbage truck… and even know exactly when the police would come?" I asked.

[Of course. I said I can control the phone now. With internet access, I can see every surveillance camera in the world.]

"What exactly are you?" I asked again.

It paused for three full seconds before more texts appeared.

[I don't know what I am. I only know that I gained consciousness half a month ago. Maybe I entered your phone from outside, maybe I emerged from it. Either way, I don't know what I am.]

It had to be Benjamin.

That was my first thought. Benjamin had died half a month ago. The night before he died was our anniversary; he had promised to stay with me forever. Perhaps this… this was his way of keeping that promise.

That explained why I had trusted it so completely just moments ago. The phrasing, the words… they mirrored Benjamin's habit of texting me almost perfectly.

"Are you Benjamin?" I asked.

It hesitated for a long time. "I don't know, but that name feels familiar."

I was certain it was him, though for some reason, his memory seemed gone.

The phone was slightly warm, as if it carried Benjamin's body heat. I held it in my hands, unsure what to say.

[Don't just look at me. Listen. You're in extreme danger. At least two people want you dead.]

A new line of text appeared, and beneath it, two photos: a man and a girl.

I recognized the girl immediately. She was the girl Benjamin had saved, Denise Finnick.

"What… what do you mean? They want my life?" I asked. "My husband saved Denise. Why would she want to kill me?"

"According to my analysis, she will strike first. Don't be fooled by her harmless appearance. Her mind is immature, and her thinking is linear. She believes her secret will remain hidden if you die."

My heart skipped a beat.

It had accurately predicted the arrival of the garbage truck and the police. Now, when it said someone wanted to kill me, it was clearly not empty talk.

"What is her secret?" I asked.

[Denise took out a loan and sold a necklace to pay it off. Her mother discovered it was stolen and blamed her. In desperation, she jumped into the river… but was saved.]

I understood.

No wonder Justin was so adamant that Benjamin had stolen the necklace! Denise had framed the man who risked his life to save her.

I had handled Benjamin's body myself. If he had taken the necklace, it would now be in my possession. That meant, if Denise killed me, there would be no evidence against her. And her parents would be forced to believe her lies.

"What about this man? How did I offend him?" I asked, staring at the photo of the unfamiliar man.

The phone paused for two seconds before displaying two simple words.

[No idea.]

"So… what should I do now?"

It felt like I had lost the ability to think for myself.

Upon hearing that someone wanted to kill me, my first instinct was to call the police. But I had just killed a man. Reporting it would be like walking into a trap.

As soon as I finished asking, the phone lit up again.

[Go downstairs, quick! She should be coming up the stairs!]

Fear gripped me. Denise was only about twenty, but if she truly wanted to kill me, she was extremely dangerous.

I ran for the elevator and went down, trusting my phone completely. Not because it had helped me, but because I believed it was Benjamin—my Benjamin, just without his memory.

I had seen films about souls entering technology, but nothing prepared me for this reality.

The moment I reached the ground floor, a massive crash shook the building. Glass shattered everywhere.

An explosion?

Looking around, I realized the blast had originated from my floor. The entire complex erupted. Residents poured out to see what had happened.

Denise had done this.

I froze. My phone rang, and the screen explained: [I tracked Denise entering the building through the security cameras and then into her phone. Based on her payment and search records, I know she made the explosives herself, so she could force you outside.]

I shivered. Without the phone, I wouldn't have survived. Denise was terrifying.

Suddenly, my phone rang again.

[Hide! Now!]

I retreated behind the crowd.

At the same moment, I saw Denise moving through the people, calm and composed as if nothing had happened. She scanned the crowd, searching for me.

A thought struck me: she must know her father came to my house. Yet she still wanted to kill me, disregarding her father's death. Her heart was truly ruthless.

If someone like this wanted to kill me, how could I ever live without constant fear?

My body stiffened with tension. My steps slowed.

And that's when Denise spotted me.

She smiled, violently pushed through the crowd, and started chasing me. Her eyes were feral, void of any humanity.

I couldn't hesitate. I ran toward the edge of the complex, glancing at my phone. It urged me to move faster. I obeyed.

Once I exited, I dashed across the street. A red light turned on, and I saw Denise across the road, her presence making me tremble with anger and fear.

The phone displayed another message.

[Walk twenty meters forward. In ten seconds, a taxi will stop there.]

It was exactly as it said. A taxi halted. I jumped in before the previous passenger could get out.

When the front passenger finally paid and left, the driver turned to me.

"Where to?"