My Birthday Wish Is Your Nightmare After finishing the physical examinations for all the students, I implanted explosive chips in every single one of their brains. SWAT teams, weapons drawn, had me completely surrounded. My voice was terrifyingly calm: “Grant my birthday wish, and I’ll remove the chips.” “Otherwise, every fifteen minutes, a random chip will explode!” All the parents panicked, desperate to know what my wish was. I clenched my jaw, trembling all over. “I can’t tell you! A wish spoken out loud won’t come true.” “Time is running out. You’ll have to guess.” … Everyone erupted. “Crazy much? How are we supposed to grant your wish if you don’t even tell us what it is?” “It’s five o’clock! I need to pick up my kid and get back to work! You’re wasting *everyone’s* time with this insanity!” “I bet those explosive chips are a bluff! Let the kids go, and if you want a birthday, go home and celebrate!” As they spoke, the SWAT teams tightened their cordon, some itching to storm the school. I gave a faint smile and pressed the button without hesitation. A deafening blast. The school infirmary was reduced to rubble. Everyone instantly fell silent. If reinforced concrete could be turned into rubble in an instant, what chance did a human head have? From the crowd outside the school gate, a man stepped forward, hands raised high. “Dr. Reed, please, calm down.” “I’m here to help you. Just tell us what you need, and we’ll do everything in our power to arrange it!” I knew this man – Detective Miller, the city’s most renowned negotiation expert. Many parents’ voices trembled as they echoed him. “Dr. Reed, you’ve been our school doctor for over twenty years. We’ve all witnessed your dedication.” “Someone who loves these children like her own couldn’t have been driven to this point without extreme duress.” “Whatever your hardship, just tell us! We’ll support you!” Their eyes were bloodshot and swollen, brimming with terror for their children’s safety. But I just caressed the button in my hand, my voice cold. “Didn’t I just say?” “Guess and grant my birthday wish, and I’ll release the children.” Some of the more volatile parents couldn’t hold back, cursing and spewing obscenities. Detective Miller shot them a stern glare, terrified I’d be provoked again. I shrugged. “These chips are extremely powerful. Once they explode, a person will be reduced to nothing but… a mess.” Parents’ eyes were blazing with fury, wanting to tear me apart. The school’s outdoor screen, usually displaying uplifting messages, now showed a vivid red countdown. “Time is running out. I advise you not to waste it on yelling at me.” “You have ten minutes left.” They had no choice but to compromise, huddled together in intense discussion. A minute later, dozens of armored trucks sped towards the intersection. “Dr. Reed, you’ve lived a simple life, your parents are bedridden, and their medical bills alone run into the tens of thousands every month!” “We understand your struggles. Here’s fifty million! Is that enough?” Everyone’s eyes lit up like stars, their faces full of anticipation. I spoke slowly. “I don’t want money.” My husband, who had been silent in the crowd, pounded his chest in anguish. “That’s fifty million! If you take the money, Mom and Dad’s illnesses, and our hundreds of thousands in debt, all our problems would just disappear!” “Don’t worry, the officer promised me they’d never take the money back!” Detective Miller’s tone was soothing, persuasive. “Dr. Reed, don’t be afraid.” “If you release them now, we won’t press any legal charges against you!” My voice was flat. “Sounds tempting.” “But that’s not my birthday wish.” “You have five minutes left.” Detective Miller gritted his teeth. “One hundred million! Is one hundred million enough?!” Silence was my reply.
The countdown relentlessly decreased, and the crowd grew increasingly agitated. “Just shoot her! One shot and all these crazy problems will be solved!” “Yeah, even if she has a reason, she’s still a kidnapper playing with human lives! She doesn’t deserve sympathy!” A sniper was already in position. I stood in the center of the plaza, with no cover around me. Detective Miller’s expression was grim. “Dr. Reed, this is your last chance!” I raised the button again. “The moment you shoot me, I’ll press the master switch, and thousands of students across the school will die with me!” The sniper slowly aimed the laser dot at my right hand. I smiled disdainfully. “Even if you cripple me, it’s useless.” “I’ve had hundreds of detection chips implanted all over my body. Any injury, anywhere, will trigger the explosive chips!” “If you don’t believe me, you can try.” Everyone held their breath. This involved thousands of lives; they couldn’t take the gamble. Three minutes remained on the countdown. The Mayor shouted loudly. “I’ll give you the National Medical Excellence Award! With that award, you can pick any hospital in the country!” This was an honor every doctor dreamed of. Since its inception, only two people had ever received it. Yet, I still shook my head. Parents stomped their feet in frustration. “You don’t want fame, you don’t want money, what on earth do you want?!” They forced my husband to recall my preferences. They even brought me birthday cakes, expensive dresses, luxury cosmetics… but I rejected them all. Two minutes left. My husband, who had been deep in thought for a long time, suddenly shouted. “I know what you want!” He frantically searched the back seat of my car, digging a piece of paper out from between the seats. Everyone suddenly understood.
A liver cancer diagnosis. Stage four. To survive, I needed a transplant. “Evelyn Reed, you want a compatible liver, don’t you?” “That’s something neither money nor power can guarantee!” Before I could answer, they immediately accessed their classified resource database, matching me with a suitable liver. In just one minute, a match was found. Fearing I’d burden my family, I’d kept silent about my cancer, barely surviving on painkillers. But now, if I agreed, I could get a free surgery right away, extending my life by at least thirty years. Everyone thought I’d agree. But I still shook my head. “That’s not my birthday wish.” “You have one minute left.” The crowd erupted into chaos. Professional teams had already scoured all my recent browsing history and call records, but still found no clues. Detective Miller frantically flipped through the thick stack of documents in his hands, trying to grasp at any shred of evidence. Thirty seconds on the countdown. Detective Miller suddenly received a call, his voice filled with excitement. “I know! You want revenge for your daughter!” “Three years ago, your daughter graduated and started working at a top tech company, but she quit after six months in a rush, not even collecting her salary!” “Officially, it was a voluntary resignation, but in reality, she was sexually harassed by her boss!” “You tried to seek justice through countless complaints and legal avenues, but they were all shut down.” “The culprit not only refused to admit guilt but even issued death threats against your family!” Someone in the crowd sighed. “So that’s it. A mother’s love is truly limitless.” “I knew it; Dr. Reed wouldn’t kidnap children unless she was pushed to the absolute brink.” Detective Miller’s eyes were full of sincerity. “We’ve just apprehended that man. Don’t worry, he’ll receive the punishment he deserves!” I curved my lips. “That man holds a high position. You’re truly impressive to have caught him in such a short time.” “I’m somewhat emotional. The nightmare that tormented me for three years, you managed to resolve in just a few minutes.” “Then why, for the past three years, did my cries for help go unanswered?” Detective Miller’s face paled. He tried to explain, feigning composure. I gently raised a hand to interrupt him. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter anymore.” “Unfortunately, that’s not what I want either.” The countdown on the large screen showed ten seconds. All the students in their classrooms were engrossed in a movie, occasionally bursting into laughter. They didn’t know that death was approaching. I picked up the megaphone connected to the school-wide broadcast, my voice gentle. “Students, watching movies for too long isn’t good for your eyes.” “Everyone, close your eyes and rest for a bit.” “And please, *please* don’t open them up…” 10, 9, 8… Just then, my daughter, Chloe, looking disheveled and frantic, suddenly arrived. “Mom, no—!” My body violently shuddered. Three years ago, her boss had drugged her, causing severe nerve damage. Doctors had diagnosed that my daughter would never speak again. I stared blankly at Chloe. Her voice was hoarse, her pronunciation strange from not speaking for so long. “Mom, I know you must have an incredibly difficult reason for this.” “But no matter what we face, we’re a team, we’ll get through anything together!” “Mom, please don’t do anything foolish, okay?” “Your daughter can’t live without her mom!” Chloe spread her arms, pleading with me to put down the button. A tender embrace awaited me. Countless people in the crowd wept. I clenched my jaw, trembling all over. *Beep*. The countdown hit zero.
I jolted, shivering. There was no turning back now! *Click*. The button descended. Almost instantly, the windows of Room 302, a third-grade classroom, turned a vivid crimson. Thick, viscous red liquid, like blood and… something else, snaked down the glass, chillingly reminiscent of venomous snakes. Students were splattered with fresh blood, frozen in place. Several minutes later, someone finally reacted, screaming and frantically banging on the door. But the doors and windows had long been locked by me. The school’s soundproofing was excellent, so their screams sounded like faint whispers to others. Other classrooms continued watching their movies. Only Room 302 was a living hell. The countdown reset to fifteen minutes. Chloe was so shocked she fainted, falling unconscious. The parents of Room 302’s students cried hysterically, their hearts breaking. They were too far away to tell if the child who had just exploded was their own. Parents from other classes visibly relaxed, relieved that their darlings had escaped. I secretly chuckled. “You might not know this, but I shuffled all the students’ class assignments.” “So, who do you think that unlucky child was?” Everyone erupted instantly. Wailing, praying, and furious shouts mingled together. Detective Miller’s gaze grew cold. “Evelyn Reed, a powerful sedative is on its way.” “I urge you to give up and surrender.” I laughed bitterly. “What’s the point of surrendering? Will you let me go?” Detective Miller forced himself not to look at the crimson window. “We can try to negotiate a lenient sentence…” I cut him off directly. “I’m terminally ill with liver cancer anyway. Death penalty or life imprisonment, it makes little difference to me.” “Ten minutes left. Let the games continue.” Everyone went wild. Infuriated parents directly aimed their rage at my family. The police couldn’t hold back the enraged crowd. David and Chloe were pelted with mud and filth, looking like beggars. I fought back tears, my voice trembling. “Five minutes left.” Chloe, barely conscious, forced herself up from her faint, tears streaming down her face. “Mom, you said you loved children most.” “When a child had a fever and their parents didn’t take it seriously, you’d pay out of pocket to take them to a big hospital for tests until the results were normal.” “When parents were divorcing, you’d bring the child home to live with us, fearing they’d be traumatize.” “Thousands of children in this school, didn’t every single one call you ‘Aunt Evelyn’?” “Mom, I’m begging you, tell me why you’re doing this? Please?” “What do you want, Mom?” Chloe cried herself hoarse. I trembled all over, biting so hard on the inside of my cheek that I could almost taste blood, but my words remained cold. “I can’t say.” “A wish spoken out loud won’t come true.” “Four minutes left.” Chloe screamed in despair, grabbing a fruit knife from a nearby stall and pressing it firmly against her carotid artery. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll die!” Chloe had suffered from depression for three years. With severe psychological trauma and nerve damage, she’d wake up dozens of times every night, barely getting two or three hours of sleep in total. But no matter how difficult, her eyes were always full of hope, never a word of discouragement. She even planned to study for her Master’s and restart her life. And now… The blade cut her skin, drawing a bead of blood. “Enough!” “Come here, I’ll tell only you.” Detective Miller squeezed Chloe’s hand tightly, signaling her not to be afraid. Chloe walked step by step, her frail body like a withered leaf. I leaned close to her ear and slowly whispered my wish. Chloe froze, the color draining from her face. It wasn’t until Detective Miller shouted himself hoarse that she nodded numbly, utterly bewildered, and started to walk back. Once she returned to the crowd, everyone clamored to know what I had said. Chloe slowly turned back, giving me a meaningful look. Suddenly, with an unnatural speed, she rushed towards the school fence! She threw herself onto it! Without hesitation, with absolute resolve. The spiked railing pierced straight through my daughter’s neck, blood gushing out. Yet, a strange smile spread across Chloe’s face. David instantly collapsed, screaming. “What did you tell our daughter?!” My face was streaked with tears as I stared blankly at the countdown. “Three minutes left.”
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