Father X’s Prophecy
奇幻短篇小說《X神父的預言》

1

Before I met Father X, I had always been a “stubbornly skeptical” atheist. Whenever someone mentioned “destiny,” or said, “Everything is determined by fate; nothing is controlled by human will,” I would sneer at it inwardly.

What I disliked most were those religious fanatics, who seemed to believe that anyone who refused to acknowledge “God” or “Buddha” was an abnormal “creature” committing a great sin.

It was not until Father X appeared that I began to believe that there truly were people who could foresee my future.

That day, I directly confronted the company’s newly appointed general manager, Yi Liyu. Because she had issued a series of new regulations, she not only restricted the administrative discretion of managers in various departments but also took away many existing employee benefits.

The general manager’s reason was surprisingly this:

“In every company, only about twenty percent of employees are capable of creating profits for the company. The remaining eighty percent are negative assets of the company.”

As the leader of the research and development department, although I personally agreed with this school of management theory, it erased the contributions made by other departments and individuals. Measuring everything solely by actual benefits lacked the warmth of humanized management.

Under the recommendation of many senior executives, I became the person who “fired the first shot” in opposition.

They believed that my opinions carried “considerable weight” among the company’s leadership.

Over these years, under my leadership, the company’s R&D department had flourished and achieved remarkable results. We had developed a series of biotechnology products that were highly favored by consumers in the market, helping the company secure half of its success.

During the management meeting, I presented General Manager Yi with a “Product Development Revision Proposal,” advocating that we maintain a steady development strategy and restore employees’ existing benefits.

However, before I could finish speaking, the general manager, whose face was as beautiful as peach blossoms and plums, interrupted me with a smile:

“Director Chen, either you accept my decisions and management model, or you leave!”

I was completely stunned at that moment.

Frustrated, I sat down and, in front of everyone, picked up the proposal on the table, tore it apart page by page, and folded each piece into paper cranes.

Meanwhile, the meeting continued. General Manager Yi performed a one-person monologue show, and all the supervisors throughout the room sat silently, “receiving her lecture.”

When I returned to the R&D department director’s office, I instructed my secretary to prepare a leave application form.

I filled in all the unused vacation days from more than half of the year at once and immediately asked her to submit it to the personnel director.

After briefly packing my belongings, I left the company building amid my colleagues’ words of concern, carrying with me a hint of schadenfreude.

2

After passing by a stall selling popcorn, I bought a large bag of popcorn and wandered into a nearby small park.

There was a fish pond there, filled with colorful koi, along with some pigeons.

I wanted to calm myself down first.

I came to a bench beside the pond and sat facing the water.

I grabbed a handful of popcorn and held it in my hand, tossing it back and forth toward the pond and the grass, throwing the popcorn piece by piece.

Soon, a group of pigeons gathered behind me. Their cooing sounds rose and fell one after another.

In front of me, the surface of the pond became crowded with koi, and the scene grew lively.

When the popcorn in the paper bag was gone, the flock of pigeons gradually dispersed.

At that moment, an old man with silver hair, wearing an old-fashioned suit, walked toward me and took the initiative to start a conversation.

“Young man, it seems you’ve encountered something unpleasant, huh?”

I looked at him and gave a forced grin, showing my teeth, but did not answer.

“In this world, what could possibly be more important than matters concerning life and death? Misfortune has come upon you. A soul-reaping messenger is following closely beside you. Do you know that?”

The old man’s few words immediately aroused my curiosity.

“A soul-reaping messenger is following me? Where is he?”

“That blue-faced, fanged messenger, holding a life-taking hook, is sitting right now beside the pond behind you.”

I quickly turned around to look.

Sure enough, beside the pond there was someone dressed in a black cloak, holding bread and tearing off small pieces to throw into the pond.

I thought suspiciously:

“Is this guy really the legendary soul-reaping messenger?”

The old man said seriously:

“Don’t doubt it. From the moment you walked out of that building across the street, he had his eyes on you. He followed you all the way here.

If I hadn’t discovered him in time, you probably wouldn’t have lived to see tomorrow’s sun.”

“Old brother, then what should I do now?”

I felt a chill run through my body. A cold sensation rose from my chest.

“Of course, don’t give the messenger any chance to make a move!”

After saying this, the old man took a cross out of his clothing.

It was made of a gray-black material.

“This human-bone cross is for you. Wear it around your neck. No matter what happens, you must never take it off.”

I took it from him, rubbing it while examining it carefully.

“A human-bone cross?”

Only then did I realize that the gray-black cross was actually made from two small pieces of human bone.

“Its power can completely protect you. Remember! The cross must never leave your body.”

“Kn-know, I know, old brother.”

At that moment, I was like an obedient elementary school student, willing to believe it just in case.

“You just requested leave from your company, didn’t you? Am I right?”

“Old brother, how do you know this?”

I asked him in astonishment.

“Actually, I am Father X from Tamsui. I can foresee the disaster you are currently facing.”

“Then, Father X, why did you save me?”

“Right now, I cannot tell you too much. After your vacation ends, go to the Catholic Church in Tamsui and find me there. I will be waiting for you.

Let me remind you once again: during your vacation, the cross must never leave your body.”

“Can’t I take it off even when I’m bathing?”

“Of course not!”

Father X said:

“Only this way can the soul-reaping messenger find no opportunity to strike, and only then can you escape his entanglement.

It is time for me to leave. Put on the cross now.”

I obediently put on the cross and let it rest against my chest.

Father X gently patted my shoulder, stood up, and walked out of the park.

Looking at Father X’s departing figure, and then turning around to see the back of the messenger standing beside the pond, I felt as if I had experienced a supernatural encounter between ghosts and gods.

But this time, I chose to “believe it rather than dismiss it.”

3

As the saying goes, “The bird that sticks out gets shot first.”

After returning to the company, I became the center of the storm.

I was the biggest target on the blacklist, and General Manager Yi would occasionally appear in the R&D department, pretending to inspect things here and there, asking the researchers questions in a fake manner.

Although this strong-willed woman had an aggressive management style, she was actually an outsider when it came to biotechnology product development.

Everyone in the R&D department knew about the incident where General Manager Yi had publicly humiliated me during the management meeting.

Although they sympathized with my situation, they also understood that I had become General Manager Yi’s main target.

One after another, they began keeping their distance from me.

During the management meeting, General Manager Yi did not criticize the new products developed by the R&D department.

Instead, she made an issue out of my management style:

“Director Chen, your flexible working hours. I require you to change this as soon as possible, in order to comply with the Labor Standards Act’s regulations regarding weekly working hours, so that employees won’t report you to the Labor Bureau.

…Also, your afternoon tea period must be canceled starting tomorrow. Return to the same working schedule as other departments…”

I patiently waited until this auntie finished speaking.

Deep inside, I had already prepared for the worst.

Even if arguing with reason and evidence was useless, if I had to leave, I would leave with dignity.

Calmly, I said:

“A sense of responsibility and a sense of honor have always been the two core beliefs guiding my entire R&D team.

Because of this, no member of the R&D department has ever complained about the working environment.

Under the responsibility-based working system after regular hours, the development teams for each new product often work overtime.

Driven by their sense of responsibility and honor, they voluntarily remain at their posts every day until their work reaches a suitable stopping point before leaving.

This is also the biggest difference between the product development department and the company’s other departments.

As for the afternoon tea period, it is not only a way to relieve the mental pressure of R&D personnel.

More importantly, through relaxed tea and snacks, team members can exchange their research and development experiences and discuss various problems they encounter.

During these exchanges, they stimulate each other’s thinking and find feasible solutions.

Therefore, the company’s kindness toward R&D personnel and the investment in afternoon tea are absolutely consistent with cost-effectiveness.”

After listening to me, General Manager Yi impatiently concluded:

“The ball is now in your hands.

If you don’t want to catch this ball, the company will naturally find someone else to take over.”

Just like that, the auntie and I stared at each other face to face, locked in a standoff for several dozen seconds.

Then I stood up and left the meeting room expressionlessly.

At that moment, I had already made my decision.

4

After leaving the company, I quickly let go of the matter.

Although because of the “revolving door clause,” I was prohibited from working for a similar biotechnology company within three years, the savings and stock dividends I had accumulated over the years, combined with the severance payment from the company, were enough for me to change career paths and begin a completely new life.

I asked a friend to design a sightseeing yacht.

I commissioned a yacht company to build it according to the drawings.

During the three-month waiting period, I obtained my yacht operator’s license and my tourism guide license.

I was preparing to begin the maritime life I had always longed for.

That black-cloaked soul-reaping messenger followed me every day whenever I stepped outside, like a wandering ghost, appearing in front of me and behind me, constantly looking for a chance to strike.

However, those deliberately created misfortunes were all resolved or redirected one by one by the magical artifact I wore—the “human-bone cross.”

The only problem was that every time, someone else was injured or killed because of me, which made me feel deeply guilty.

Gradually, I accepted the fact that I was someone who attracted bad luck, someone who was extremely “jinxed.”

In order not to drag my relatives and friends into my misfortune, I could only live in isolation.

Most of my daily activities—eating, drinking, and sleeping—were carried out on my yacht.

The necessities of everyday life were ordered online and delivered directly to the pier.

6

I drove my RV to Tamsui and parked it in a paid parking lot near the Catholic church.

I entered the church, found a seat, and sat down.

Father X was beneath the cross in the worship hall, leading the believers in prayer.

I patiently waited until the ceremony ended and the believers gradually left.

Father X waved at me with a kind expression on his face.

I stood up and walked toward him.

“Young brother, come with me.”

Father X led me to the back of the church and entered his living quarters.

I told Father X everything about Father George’s exorcism plan in complete detail.

He spoke mysteriously:

“I know clearly about what you have told me, and I also have some connection with Father George.”

With a depressed expression, I said:

“But the soul-reaping messenger follows me like a shadow. He has no intention of letting me go at all!”

Father X calmly said:

“The human-bone cross was personally given to you by me. You are my successor.”

“Father George said the same thing.”

“Since you are my successor, the soul-reaping messenger can no longer come after you, because you are the one chosen by God.

Young brother, this church will be entrusted to you from now on.”

Father X took out a silver pocket watch from inside his clothing and grabbed my right hand.

“This pocket watch is for you. I have already adjusted the time.”

I looked at the pocket watch in my hand.

For a moment, I felt a mixture of countless emotions.

In my mind, I recalled the entire past year.

I had experienced a nightmare-like series of death incidents.

I felt that in this world, there was nothing more decisive than death itself, such a final judgment.

Career, fame and fortune, love, marriage, and family—all of these would suddenly come to an end once they encountered death.

It was like a clock whose battery had suddenly been taken away by the soul-reaping messenger.

“Young brother, actually, I am you fifty years in the future.

Because Satan does not want you to stay in Tamsui and preach, he sent the soul-reaping messenger to travel through time and return fifty years into the past to take you away.

Or rather, he came to take away me when I was young.

Stay here peacefully and complete your mission.”

As Father X spoke, his body gradually became transparent.

Then, he disappeared before my eyes.

At that moment, holding the silver pocket watch in my hand, I completely understood everything.

It turned out that I was Father X.

(The End)