The Midnight Mailman

Late at night, with the wind making the windows rattle, the streetlights cast a dim yellow glow. Li Chen sat at his desk, buried in paperwork. Suddenly, a knock at the door broke the silence, sending a chill down his spine. The sound was slow and deliberate, as if each knock were striking at his very heart.

He stood up, his heart racing, and walked toward the door. Through the peephole, he saw a figure — a man wearing a black coat and a black hat, holding a package in his hands. Li Chen's heart skipped a beat. Who would be delivering a package at this hour?

"Is anyone home?" The man's deep voice came from outside, sounding particularly out of place.

Li Chen's heart tightened, and he hesitated to open the door, peering through the peephole at the unexpected visitor. The man seemed in no hurry to leave, standing still as if waiting for something. Li Chen's mind raced with frightening thoughts — was someone watching him? Had he fallen into some dangerous situation?

"Are you lost? If so, please leave," Li Chen tried to keep his voice calm, though it trembled slightly.

"This is your package," the man responded slowly and steadily, his voice carrying an unmistakable firmness.

Li Chen’s heartbeat quickened, and his hand involuntarily grasped the doorknob. Just as he hesitated to open the door, the package was slid through the gap under the door. The man swiftly turned and vanished into the darkness. Li Chen opened the door wide, but there was no one in sight, only the package sitting alone on the ground.

He crouched down, picked up the package, and noticed that it bore no markings — the only odd thing being that it felt faintly warm. Despite his unease, Li Chen couldn't help but tear open the package.

Inside was a fake egg, an electric egg to be precise! It was incredibly realistic, almost lifelike, and there was a note: "Try frying it into a perfect fried egg!"

Li Chen stared in disbelief. The whole situation seemed absurd. Here he was, holding a fake egg, feeling like he had somehow become part of a prank or a madman's joke.

"What on earth is this?" he muttered under his breath, his brow furrowing. Just then, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" Li Chen answered, his voice tinged with unease.

"Did you just open the package?" A raspy laugh echoed from the other end. "From now on, your life will be forever entangled with that egg."

Li Chen froze for a moment, his body shivering. Before he could say anything, the call abruptly ended. He stood still, his mind swirling with confusion and fear. Looking at the electric egg in his hand, he took a deep breath, deciding not to worry too much about the bizarre event.

But just as he was about to set the egg down, it suddenly started to laugh. The sound grew louder, shaking the entire house. Li Chen jerked his hand back, his heart pounding in his chest. The egg started to spin on its own, as if some strange mechanism had been triggered.

Li Chen was paralyzed with fear. His mind raced as he wondered what would happen next.

Then, with a sharp crack, the egg split open. Li Chen jumped back, bracing for whatever would emerge.

To his surprise, out popped a clown! The clown wore brightly colored clothes, a wide smile on its face, and even began dancing around, jumping and twirling on the floor. Li Chen stood there in shock, unable to process what was happening.

"What are you doing?" Li Chen finally blurted out.

The clown paused its dance, winking at him. "I'm here to give you a little performance, thank you for participating in this ultimate challenge!"

Li Chen stared, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. This was nothing like the terrifying crisis he had imagined. Instead, it was a ridiculous prank.

He took a deep breath, looked at the clock — it had just passed midnight. He couldn't help but laugh. It seemed all of this was just a darkly humorous game after all.

However, just as he began to clean up the mess, the electric egg suddenly emitted a strange mechanical noise. It began to rotate slowly, as if hinting that this bizarre experience was far from over…