Even though they had experienced it once before, everyone remained trembling, too afraid to lift their heads.
Tong Yang watched the crowd as faint footsteps echoed around her. Suddenly, she noticed something.
—The number of people had increased.
During the first round of selections, there had only been twelve people. Now, there were ten beside her.
Why was there an extra person? Who was it?
Tong Yang turned her head slightly to look behind her. A figure brushed past, their fingers tapping lightly against the back of her chair in an almost imperceptible rhythm, as if conveying some kind of message.
"Please make your choice."
The figures gradually stopped moving, each standing behind the person they suspected.
Tong Yang realized someone was standing behind her too.
She couldn’t tell who it was, but their fingers kept tapping rhythmically against the chair, producing no sound—yet she could feel the vibrations distinctly.
Tong Yang leaned back slightly, and a shadow loomed over her. A faint whisper reached her ears: "Tong Yang, be careful."
Her expression froze. The voice sounded eerily familiar.
"Player One, one vote."
"Player Two, one vote."
"Player Three, eliminated."
"Player Four, one vote."
"Player Five, two votes."
"Player Six, five votes."
"Player Seven, one vote."
"Player Eight, zero votes."
"Player Six has been eliminated. The game will resume in five minutes."
The sound of chairs scraping against the floor filled the air as Xu Junyue silently followed the others and left her seat.
"Xu Junyue was eliminated?"
"The second round of discussions is over—why is the game still going?"
"That means Tao Bai and Xu Junyue aren’t the killers."
"But if we follow Tong Yang’s reasoning, the killer should be the cleaning lady."
"So the game will keep going until everyone is taken away?"
[Damn, this is getting weirder and weirder.]
[Did you hear something just now? It sounded like someone was talking to Tong Yang.]
[I think I caught a bit of it…]
[Me too.]
Tong Yang remained silent, her fingers tracing the photograph of He Jingjing and Tan Wanqi, a growing unease settling in her chest.
Earlier, Tao Bai—who had been taken away in the previous round—had stood behind her and warned her to be careful. Meanwhile, the usually impulsive Xu Junyue had left without a word. Did that mean Tao Bai was in a safer position now? Had Xu Junyue received some kind of reassurance, making her comply so obediently?
If so, then she and the others were in far greater danger.
The scrambled room numbers, the chaotic plot, the erratic voting system, the two disjointed spaces and scripts—where had things gone wrong?
"He Jingjing," Tong Yang suddenly called out.
"What is it?" He Jingjing’s voice came from the darkness, puzzled.
Tong Yang hesitated for a moment before running her fingers over the photograph’s surface. "You’re sure the person in this photo is you, right?"
"Yeah."
Tong Yang drew the butterfly knife from her waist, flicking the blade open. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark. She pushed her chair back and stood, walking toward He Jingjing.
"Tong Yang, what’s wrong—"
Abruptly, He Jingjing’s voice cut off.
Tong Yang clamped a hand over her mouth, the blade hovering above her neck. Warm blood soaked her palm.
"Tong Yang, what’s going on?" Chu Shiyu asked.
"Sister?" He Jingjing (Sister) called out.
"Nothing," Tong Yang replied calmly.
He Jingjing’s severed artery caused her to lose consciousness rapidly. Tong Yang released her grip, letting her slump lifelessly from the chair.
"What the hell just happened…?"
"I suddenly smell blood. So much blood."
Chu Shiyu called out hesitantly, "Tong Yang?"
"Everything’s fine."
Tong Yang returned to her seat, silently waiting for time to pass.
"Sister? Sister! Are you still there?" He Jingjing (Sister) called out anxiously.
Tong Yang replied, "Don’t worry. She’s fine."
Five minutes later, the lights flickered on in the distance, casting a dim glow over the office area.
"Sister…" He Jingjing (Sister) stared at the empty seat, her face blank.
"What the—? Where’s He Jingjing?"
"Tong Yang?? Did you do something just now? What did you do to He Jingjing?"
"Where is she? Why is she gone?"
Tong Yang placed the photograph on the table in front of them. "Can’t you see?"
Hu Shuo picked it up skeptically. "See what?"
"It’s just He Jingjing and Tan Wanqi, isn’t it?"
"Yeah!"
Chu Shiyu took the photo, her expression darkening as she examined the faces—identical to He Jingjing (Sister) and her twin. "No," she said.
"What do you mean, no?"
"What’s wrong?"
Chu Shiyu looked up at He Jingjing (Sister). "What about the torn photo you found in the trash?"
"Here." He Jingjing (Sister) placed the reassembled photo on the table, sliding it toward the center.
Chu Shiyu said, "In this photo, apart from Tan Wanqi, Zhou Jingyun and I are just stand-ins—our faces don’t match. But in the photo of He Jingjing and Tan Wanqi, the identity is clear. Only He Jingjing’s face is there. That’s why Tong Yang initially thought it was you, not the role she was representing."
Zhou Jingyun frowned as he took the photo. "If she were just a regular player, there’s no way she’d have a photo with Tan Wanqi. Plus, there are signs of photoshopping."
"What?"
"Why would that be?"
"If the person in the photo isn’t He Jingjing, then who is she?"
"The Jingjing who’s been with us all night…"
Tong Yang said, "She wasn’t He Jingjing."
"Huh? Then who was she?"
"I can’t take this anymore! What the hell is going on?"
"This is insane! None of this makes sense!"
"Someone explain! I’m seriously losing it."
He Jingjing (Sister) bit her lip before speaking hesitantly, "She might really not have been my sister."
"Why do you say that?" Tong Yang asked.
He Jingjing (Sister) replied, "My sister never liked being apart from me. But ever since we split up to search the shops and she came back from 7-29, she stuck close to me during the first and second rounds of investigation. Even when I followed her, she barely spoke to me."
Hu Shuo nodded in agreement. "True, you two were always inseparable. Tonight, I thought you’d had a fight."
Chu Shiyu glanced at Tong Yang. "Tong Yang, is that what you think too?"
Tong Yang said, "All the room numbers on the seventh floor were scrambled. The plot I know and the script you’re following don’t match, so the story we pieced together is incomplete—there’s a missing piece."
Moreover, the method Dr. Wu used to enter the parallel world also relied on chaos to disrupt order.
"My guess is that the seventh floor of Xili Mall has been split by the parallel world. Just like the disordered room numbers, some parts remain in reality, while others have shifted into the parallel world, creating a fractured space. The eight of us are the same—some are from the real world, others from the parallel world. It’s complete and utter chaos."
"So the murderer who should have been chosen by me was instead chosen by someone else. Perhaps in another dimension, another version of me is playing a game of identity confirmation—not to identify the killer, but to determine which of us is from the parallel world and which is from reality."
"Hiss..."
"What parallel world? What are you even talking about?"
Chu Shiyu said, "Are you saying that after we each entered different shops, we were split into two separate spaces?"
Tong Yang nodded. "Remember what I said? At 7-20, Hu Shuo and I met once."
Hu Shuo shook his head, his face pale. "But I left 7-32 at that time."
"Right. The person who appeared then wasn’t you—it was another version of you. As for which one is the real you from this world, I don’t know."
Amid the chaos, Tong Yang realized something.
The news only reported seven bodies in the end, meaning that among the original eight, one was already from the parallel world. The replacement must have happened before entering Xili Mall.
However, the appearance of the parallel-world Hu Shuo proved that after entering the mall, others from the parallel world also emerged. Once everyone entered their assigned shops, some remained in the real world while others were already in the parallel world.
Moreover, the parallel-world versions filled the gaps, keeping the group at eight people—but now with individuals from two different worlds mixed in.
What’s more, the spaces of the two worlds weren’t completely separate. Some areas belonged to the real world, while others were part of the parallel world.
"The real-world He Jingjing couldn’t have taken a photo with the victim before her death, so there’s only one possibility: the victim, Tan Wanqi, and the He Jingjing sitting here earlier were both from the parallel world. The script you received was from the parallel world. But the rest area I’m in now is part of the real world, so when I killed her, her body returned to the parallel world."
Chu Shiyu pondered. "Tan Wanqi’s body disappeared, meaning the ballet studio is a parallel-world zone."
"Exactly."
He Jingjing (Sister) asked, "Then why is your storyline different from mine?"
Tong Yang replied, "My plot is connected to the story in another space, but there’s only one of me in Xili Mall, so I’m sitting here with you now."
This was why Tao Bai, before being taken away, warned her to be careful.
Because "Tong Yang" most likely wouldn’t appear here, meaning there was only one Tong Yang present. Tao Bai could confirm her true identity.
[No way… my brain…]
[Sis Tong, how did you manage to untangle something so complicated?]
[Wait, let me sort this out…]
[The gist is, after exiting the elevator and drawing number cards, they were assigned to different places to study their scripts. At that point, they were already split into two spaces. So, in Xili Mall, parallel-world versions of everyone except Sis Tong appeared, filling the gaps between the two worlds. But since there’s only one Sis Tong, she’s actually interacting with the real-world plot while sitting with seven people who studied parallel-world scripts, making eight in total. The other space, missing Sis Tong, only has seven.]
[The real He Jingjing couldn’t have taken a photo with the victim, so both were from the parallel world.]
Tong Yang added, "Not just that. Before entering the mall, one person was already replaced by their parallel-world counterpart. Our original group of eight means the parallel world initially only had six people."
[Only six over there?]
[Wait, what?]
[I get it! Before entering, one was replaced, and the parallel-world Sis Tong wouldn’t appear either, meaning only six parallel-world people would show up! Their side has eight, so of course the other side only has six.]
Hu Shuo looked utterly lost. "What the hell? Some of us are from a parallel world??"
Tong Yang continued, "I killed the parallel-world He Jingjing. Now, in Xili Mall, there’s only one He Jingjing left—and one me."
"Aside from her identity and mine, every one of you is suspect."
Even Tao Bai, who had proactively warned Tong Yang, couldn’t be ruled out.
The group fell into silence, exchanging uneasy glances.
"But the other world’s group had twelve people when making their choice."
Tong Yang said, "Plus NPCs."
"So what should we do now?"
After a long pause, Chu Shiyu spoke.
After Tao Bai and Xu Junyue were taken away, and Tong Yang killed the parallel-world He Jingjing, only five of them remained—including one who had been replaced long ago.
Tong Yang glanced at Chu Shiyu. At least before entering Xili Mall, she could confirm Chu Shiyu was from the real world. But now, she wasn’t sure and had no way to verify.
He Jingjing (Sister) suggested, "Can we use odd and even numbers to figure it out?"
The shop numbers they initially entered were all spaced apart: Chu Shiyu at 7-11, Zhou Jingyun at 7-14, Tao Bai at 7-17, Tong Yang at 7-20, He Jingjing (Sister) at 7-23, Xu Junyue at 7-26, He Jingjing at 7-29, and Hu Shuo at 7-32.
Tong Yang shook her head. "Probably not."
This round, they hadn’t left the rest area to gather evidence. There was no point—they wouldn’t find anything useful. The real challenge now was determining who was from the parallel world and who was from reality.
Moreover, the two worlds faced different situations. There was no telling what those taken away would experience.
Most importantly, Tong Yang didn’t know what to do. How could they change this situation? Even if they identified and killed all the parallel-world intruders to escape the spatial chaos, the group was already split. Except when choosing the killer at the end of each discussion round, they would keep shifting between the two spaces.
"Ding dong—"
"Time: 9:40 PM. Progress: Fourth discussion concluded."
The lights in the investigation zone abruptly went out, plunging everything into suffocating darkness.
"Please select your suspect."
Just like the previous two rounds, over a dozen shadowy figures appeared around them.
Tong Yang studied them closely. In the last selection, there were only ten. After Xu Junyue was taken away in the second round, the number had increased to fourteen.
As expected, the players who left would join others in another space to make their choices.
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes. Before these figures approached, she hadn’t heard any footsteps. From the moment the lights went out to their appearance, barely a minute had passed—as if they had instantly crossed over from another space.
"Please make your selection."
Shadows loomed behind her as Tong Yang fell deep into thought.
During the "Elevator Game," Dr. Wu had instructed them to wear blindfolds and proceed in darkness.
After moving back and forth, once others appeared beside them, they had already made contact with the parallel world. Yet Dr. Wu didn’t stop them—they continued until they fully crossed the glass corridor.
If that were the case, then in the glass corridor, his space had already begun to distort, and the two worlds had started to overlap. However, because the transformation was still incomplete, he needed to keep moving until his surroundings fully shifted into the parallel world’s space.
In other words, his current situation was one of chaotic space—caught between the real world and the parallel world, in the seam where the two worlds intersected.
As the sound of footsteps gradually faded, Tong Yang was surprised to find that only two people stood behind him, while almost everyone else had gathered behind Tong Yang.
"Player One, one vote."
"Player Two, one vote."
"Player Three, eliminated."
"Player Four, eleven votes."
"Player Five, one vote."
"Player Six, eliminated."
"Player Seven, deceased."
"Player Eight, no votes."
"Player Four is eliminated. The game will resume in five minutes."
At the same time, a warm hand rested on Tong Yang’s shoulder, and a voice whispered in her ear, "Tong Yang, come with me."
Tong Yang’s breath hitched slightly—the voice belonged to none other than Chu Shiyu, who had come here with her.
She had guessed right! In the other space, another version of them had already appeared!
Tong Yang pushed back her chair and followed Chu Shiyu into the group.
"Damn!"
"No matter how many times I see it, something that looks exactly like me is terrifying."
"I’ve got goosebumps all over!"
"Let’s go, let’s go!"
Gradually, Tong Yang heard curses from those around her.
Almost as soon as they stepped out of the rest area, the darkness ahead was abruptly overtaken by bright lights from behind.
"Ah! You scared me to death!"
"Damn! Tong Yang, you’re ruthless—just stabbing someone to death without warning!"
Tong Yang turned back in shock. The rest area was now brightly lit, the table cluttered with half-eaten snacks and drinks. Over a dozen people stood behind her, their faces filled with fear and lingering panic.
Among them were even a few with identical faces.
Tong Yang silently observed them. While everyone in the other space had been tense, the atmosphere here seemed strangely harmonious.
"Tong Yang, sit down first," Chu Shiyu said, pulling her to the round table.
Tong Yang took a seat, her gaze sweeping over the group—Chu Shiyu, Hu Shuo, Zhou Jingyun, one of the twin sisters, and two Tao Bais, two Xu Junyues. In addition, there were six NPCs draped in white sheets with simple makeup.
"Where’s He Jingjing’s body?" Tong Yang asked.
Chu Shiyu replied, "I moved it into the shop."
One of the Tao Bais spoke up, "Let’s explain the situation to Tong Yang first."
Tong Yang immediately looked at the twin sister—whether she was the elder or younger, she wasn’t sure—and asked, "Are you He Jingjing?"
The girl froze. "Wow! You can tell me and Jingjing apart?"
Hearing her answer, Tong Yang’s expression darkened.
In this space, there was only He Jingjing—no He Jingjing (Sister).
Apart from Tong Yang and He Jingjing, who had killed her parallel-world counterpart, there was only one He Jingjing (Sister) across both spaces.
This meant that before they even entered Xili Mall, He Jingjing (Sister) had already been replaced by someone from the parallel world.
Chu Shiyu briefly explained the current situation, which aligned with Tong Yang’s earlier deductions.
After splitting up to enter the shops, they—like Tong Yang—had received identities and scripts, unlocking supernatural stories related to the shops. Eventually, they found clues to open the doors and escape.
But after waiting in the rest area for a long time with no sign of Tong Yang or He Jingjing (Sister), around nine o’clock, the broadcast suddenly instructed them to leave the rest area and play a game similar to the "advance and retreat" one from the night of the college entrance exams. Then, they saw Tong Yang and the others materialize in the rest area.
"I was terrified! I thought I’d left my body."
"Tong Yang, you can’t imagine how horrifying it was."
Chu Shiyu continued, "I heard you presenting your case, so in the first and second rounds, I voted for the person I suspected."
"The broadcast said that among the eight of you, there really is a killer—not just a murderer, but also the mastermind behind this whole situation."
He Jingjing added, "In the third round, I heard your thoughts. It was exactly as you said, and I had no leads at all. Xu Junyue suggested that bringing you over might help."
Tong Yang nodded. "Then, can you tell them apart now?"
Everyone’s eyes turned to the two Tao Bais and two Xu Junyues.
From their appearance, they were like mirror images—identical from head to toe, inside and out, from expressions to gazes.
Hu Shuo muttered, "I’m starting to think one of them is a clone made by the boss."
Tong Yang gave him a faintly amused look. "So, it was you outside Room 7-20?"
Hu Shuo nodded. "Yeah. Honestly, the guy on your side didn’t resemble me at all."
Chu Shiyu asked worriedly, "Tong Yang, is that what you think too?"
Tong Yang remained silent, studying her. Even after spending time together, she still couldn’t tell who the real Chu Shiyu was.
"I think the only thing we can confirm is that He Jingjing and I are from the real world. As for the rest of you—your identities are all questionable."
Zhou Jingyun frowned. "You don’t trust me?"
"If you heard what I said, you’d know everyone is a suspect right now."
He Jingjing interjected, "Jingjing (Sister) shouldn’t be a suspect, right? There’s only one of her across both worlds."
Tong Yang glanced at her. "He Jingjing (Sister) is the mastermind you’re looking for."
He Jingjing froze. "What?"
"Why would it be Jingjing?"
Tong Yang replied, "Because there’s only one He Jingjing (Sister) across both worlds."
He Jingjing frowned. "But there’s only one of you too. Why isn’t it you, but Jingjing?"
"Jingjing, calm down."
Tong Yang said, "Because the parallel-world version of me wouldn’t be here."
"Then the parallel-world version of Jingjing wouldn’t be here either! Why do you think it’s her?"
"Jingjing, now isn’t the time to argue," Tao Bai said with a frown.
Zhou Jingyun added, "If the only reason to suspect someone is that they’re the sole version across both worlds, then Tong Yang, you can’t be ruled out either. I’ve known Jingjing much longer than you. If we’re pointing fingers, it should be at you, who we’ve known for less than a day."
Hu Shuo’s eyes darted between them. "I… I also choose to believe Jingjing."
The two Xu Junyues raised their hands simultaneously, speaking in unison:
"I believe Tong Yang."
"I believe Jingjing."
"Hey! If you’re the parallel-world version of me, you should believe Tong Yang too!"
"Why should I? You’re the one who should believe Jingjing—I’ve known her way longer than Tong Yang!"
"What does how long you’ve known someone have to do with anything?"
"How doesn’t it? The longer you know someone, the better you understand them!"
"What does understanding have to do with this?"
"How doesn’t it?"
As the two Xu Junyues bickered, the others fell silent.
One of the Tao Bais finally spoke. "Tong Yang, can you explain why the parallel-world version of you wouldn’t be here?"
Tong Yang had no interest in the argument between them, nor did she care whom he believed.
"The parallel version of me probably wouldn’t stay in the old district."
It wasn’t that "Tong Yang" lacked the ability to leave the old district—she simply had no desire to.
"Tong Yang" had already made up her mind to resist, which was why she had revealed those things to Tong Yang in the first place.
"Tong Yang, I know what you’re implying. You’re saying Jingjing is from a parallel world, that she was replaced before even entering Xili Mall, right?" He Jingjing said coldly.
"Exactly," Tong Yang admitted without hesitation.
"Then if you know so much—and it sounds like you’ve even interacted with your parallel self—does that mean you’ve also been replaced by someone from a parallel world? Are you the one causing all this chaos?"
Tong Yang lifted her gaze. "Think whatever you want. But if killing He Jingjing (Sister) is what it takes for me to return to the real world, I won’t let her go."
"Tong Yang," He Jingjing glared at her, eyes red, "if you dare hurt Jingjing, I swear I won’t let you off!"
"Then try me," Tong Yang replied, unshaken.
She had no intention of wasting time on pointless arguments. It was already clear that He Jingjing (Sister) was the first one who had been replaced.
According to the broadcast, all she needed to do was find the root cause of the chaos in the other space, and the turmoil would end.
"Who are you choosing this round?" Tong Yang asked.
He Jingjing was too emotionally charged. If Tong Yang suggested selecting He Jingjing (Sister), she’d likely refuse, and neither would Zhou Jingyun.
"I’m taking Jingjing with me," He Jingjing declared firmly.
"Then I’ll choose Jingjing too."
Tong Yang glanced at him—perfect.
But to avoid provoking He Jingjing’s defiance, Tong Yang kept her expression indifferent and casually picked up a snack. "Do whatever you want."
While waiting for the fourth round of selections, He Jingjing remained hostile toward Tong Yang, creating a tense atmosphere. The others exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to break the silence.
Unlike He Jingjing’s wariness, Tong Yang’s focus was entirely on her.
If they chose He Jingjing (Sister) this round, the chaos would likely vanish. They would finally cross the world barrier, returning to reality—or entering a parallel world.
But then, aside from her and the twin sisters, the other players would come face-to-face with their parallel selves. What then?
Returning to one space didn’t mean the end. They’d still have to identify and eliminate the parallel versions.
As for He Jingjing (Sister)...
Tong Yang frowned unconsciously. She hadn’t sensed any hostility from her, nor had she acted strangely since entering Xili Mall.
But if she killed her outright, He Jingjing and the others who were close to her would never let it go.
"The fourth round of selections will begin shortly. All players and NPCs, please leave the rest area."
Chu Shiyu nudged Tong Yang. "Let’s go."
"Mm," Tong Yang nodded.
They stepped out of the rest area, forming a semicircle around it.
With a loud boom, the lights in the rest area went dark.
"All players and NPCs, please close your eyes."
"Move two steps forward or backward."
"Turn around."
"Move two steps forward or backward."
With her eyes closed, Tong Yang felt the rest area’s lights flickering—alternating between darkness and faint glimmers.
After what felt like an eternity of shifting shadows, the broadcast instructed them to open their eyes.
Tong Yang slowly did so, only to see the illuminated rest area—now occupied by the four remaining people from the other space.
"What do we do? I still have no leads," Zhou Jingyun muttered, frowning.
"Even if we go elsewhere, there’s no trail."
He Jingjing (Sister) sat quietly, her gaze lowered. "Just wait a little longer."
Chu Shiyu nodded. "Tong Yang will find a way to save us."
"Why do you trust her so much? She’s weird too—not like other girls. Too calm, don’t you think?"
Chu Shiyu frowned. "Does she have to panic to be normal? She’s just been through more than you."
"She’s only seventeen, but she acts like she’s at least thirty," Hu Shuo shrugged.
He Jingjing (Sister) shook her head. "Don’t say that. Tong Yang is just smarter than me. She means no harm."
"But she killed Jingjing. What if that wasn’t the parallel version...?"
He Jingjing (Sister) insisted, "Tong Yang made the right call. That Jingjing wasn’t like my sister. She couldn’t have been the real He Jingjing."
Ding dong—
"Time: 10:00 PM. Progress: Fourth round of discussions concluded."
"Select your suspect."
The rest area plunged into total darkness.
Yet above Tong Yang, the light from the other space faintly outlined the rest area’s shape.
Holding her breath, she stepped inside and saw the four figures at the table, heads bowed.
Tong Yang and the NPCs spread out behind the remaining players—most had chosen He Jingjing (Sister).
"Player One: One vote."
"Player Two: One vote."
"Player Three: Eliminated."
"Player Four: Eliminated."
"Player Five: Twelve votes."
"Player Six: Eliminated."
"Player Seven: Deceased."
"Player Eight: One vote."
"Player Five eliminated. Game over."
"What?!"
"The game’s over?"
"How?"
"So Jingjing really was...?"
[Ahhh, finally! It’s over!]
[I was about to lose it! I knew it was He Jingjing (Sister)!]
[Honestly, from Tong Yang’s perspective, knowing she wasn’t lying—but the others? Understandable.]
[Whatever! It’s done!]
[Can we go back to the real world now?]
[Damn, that whole mess nearly fried my brain.]
[Finally made it out.]
[Bet none of them will ever touch live-action roleplay again after this.]
[Not just them—I don’t want to either.]
The four at the table froze in shock.
"The game’s over?"
"What just happened?"
"Jingjing, was your role to kill Tan Wanqi?"
He Jingjing (Sister) whispered, "It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill her."
"Then why...?"
"All players, remain where you are. NPCs, return to your starting points. In ten minutes, players will proceed alone."
The broadcast crackled again.
As everyone stood stunned, the rest area lights suddenly blazed back on.
"Damn it!" Hu Shuo jolted in his seat. "Scared the hell out of me!"
Chu Shiyu gaped at the crowd around the table. "Why are you all...?"
Then she spotted an identical face in the crowd—her own. Her voice died in her throat.
"Tong Yang was telling the truth?" Chu Shiyu murmured, paling.
"What’s going on?"
Another Hu Shuo walked up to his own self, slung an arm over his shoulder, and teased, "Dude, how come you’re so much uglier than me?"
Hu Shuo kept a straight face. "Piss off."
The two Chu Shiyus stared at each other. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, the sight of an identical face still left her speechless with shock.
"The situation matches Tong Yang’s analysis. After splitting up and entering the store, I was separated into two spaces, and everything got chaotic. Except in my case, there were only six people—Tong Yang and He Jingjing(Sister)."
"Jingjing(Sister)…" He Jingjing paled as she looked at her. "How…? You can’t be…"
Zhou Jingyun also wore an expression of disbelief. "No way! How could it be you?"
The two Xu Junyues stood at the back of the group. One of them pulled a butterfly knife from her pocket and said to Tong Yang, "So we can confirm she’s not human, right?"
With that, Xu Junyue flicked open the knife and strode toward He Jingjing(Sister).
"Xu Junyue! What are you doing?!" He Jingjing’s face drained of color as she rushed forward to stop her.
"Move! She’s not your sister." Xu Junyue shoved He Jingjing aside and raised the gleaming blade.
Yet He Jingjing(Sister) simply sat there calmly, as if she had already accepted whatever fate awaited her.
"Xu Junyue, wait." Tong Yang called out to stop her.
"What now? If I don’t kill her now, she’ll kill me later." Xu Junyue glared at her impatiently.
Tong Yang felt a surge of exasperation. Now she understood why some people, despite knowing the risks, still insisted on sticking with the group. This girl was missing a few screws—she genuinely didn’t care.
"Get away! Don’t you dare hurt Jingjing(Sister)!" He Jingjing threw herself between them, shielding He Jingjing(Sister) tightly in her arms.
"Her being here in the first place is suspicious. Do you really trust Tong Yang and that voice on the broadcast? What if he’s the real culprit, trying to make us turn on each other?"
"Jingjing(Sister) and I have lived together our whole lives. She’s always been herself—no one’s ever replaced her! No one gets to lay a finger on her!"
"Xu Junyue, I’ve known you for four years. And now you’re going to kill Jingjing(Sister) because of Tong Yang, who you’ve known for less than a month? I misjudged you!"
Xu Junyue twirled the butterfly knife and shrugged. "I’m just eliminating anyone who might be a threat. How long I’ve known them doesn’t matter."
The other Xu Junyue stepped up beside the twins, frowning in disapproval. "Are you insane? Why would you attack Jingjing(Sister)? She’s my friend. Back off."
He Jingjing sneered and pointed at the knife-wielding Xu Junyue. "You’re the one from the parallel world! Tong Yang, aren’t you ruthless enough? Kill her!"
Xu Junyue looked stunned. "He Jingjing, you don’t believe me?"
"You’re the one trying to murder Jingjing(Sister)! Why would I believe you?"
Xu Junyue sighed. "He Jingjing, you really don’t know me at all."
"Tong Yang—"
Just as Xu Junyue turned to complain to Tong Yang, she realized he had already slipped behind the other Xu Junyue—one hand clamping over her mouth, the other slashing her throat with the butterfly knife.
"Holy shit!"
"Holy shit!!!"
Xu Junyue clapped excitedly. "That’s my girl! Nice work!"
Tong Yang shot her a disgusted look before tossing the lifeless body aside. When his cold gaze met He Jingjing’s horrified stare, she instinctively tightened her grip on He Jingjing(Sister), as if fearing he’d strike again.
"You—you—you—"
"That was brutal!"
"Way too smooth. Definitely not your first time."
"Oh my god, what if you killed the wrong one?"
Tong Yang wiped the blood off the knife. "I didn’t."
He had suspected Xu Junyue might be the imposter—her behavior and thought process were far from normal. But now that he knew He Jingjing(Sister) was the original replacement, it meant Xu Junyue’s abnormality was just… her being herself.
So, the crazier she acted, the more authentic she was.
One of the Hu Shuos nodded. "Yeah, this one feels fake."
"Xu Junyue’s always been an idiot. She never cares what her friends think."
"Makes sense."
Xu Junyue grinned shamelessly. "I am pretty cool, huh?"
"Piss off!"
"Piss off!"
[LOL she’s savage]
[Not the first time Tong Yang’s thought Xu Junyue’s brain’s broken]
[Yeah, Xu Junyue’s definitely not right in the head]
Tong Yang studied the corpse on the ground. As time passed, it showed no signs of vanishing. He looked up at the group. "Might disappoint you all, but we’ve fully crossed into the parallel world now."
"..."
"Then where was I just now?"
Tong Yang replied, "Somewhere between the real world and this one."
"Damn it!"
"If things were bad before, now that we’re fully in the parallel world, we’re screwed."
"Help! I’d rather die than stay here."
"I can’t take this anymore! I want to go home!"
Tong Yang surveyed the eerie scene. The parallel versions of He Jingjing and Xu Junyue were already dead. That left the duplicates of Chu Shiyu, Hu Shuo, Zhou Jingyun, and Tao Bai. Whatever came next, if he didn’t identify them, the hidden threats would multiply.
And then there was…
Tong Yang lowered his eyes to He Jingjing(Sister), still cradled protectively in her sister’s arms.
She remained silent, offering no defense or explanation, as if resigned to her fate.
Perhaps having witnessed Tong Yang’s speed firsthand, He Jingjing flinched at the sight of the knife but still twisted her body to block his view of He Jingjing(Sister).
After a moment’s thought, Tong Yang decided He Jingjing(Sister) posed less of a threat than the other four—at least she hadn’t done anything hostile yet.
With that settled, he turned his attention to the remaining four… or rather, eight.
The instant they met Tong Yang’s icy stare—Chu Shiyu included—they all shuddered.
Because that was the exact same look he’d had while slitting throats.
