Even though they had already gone through it once, everyone still trembled, too afraid to look up.
Tong Yang watched the people around her. She could hear the faint sound of footsteps drawing closer, and suddenly, she noticed something.
— There were more people.
When the first round of selections had taken place, there had been only twelve people, but now, there were thirteen.
Why had one more person appeared? Who was this person?
Tong Yang turned her head to look behind her, and as a figure passed by, their fingers subtly tapped lightly on the back of her chair, as if signaling something.
“Please make your choice.”
The figures gradually came to a halt, standing behind the people they suspected.
Tong Yang realized that there was someone standing behind her as well.
She couldn’t tell who it was, but their fingers continued to tap rhythmically on the chair back. There was no sound, yet Tong Yang could feel a distinct vibration.
Tong Yang leaned back in her chair. A shadow pressed down on her, and a faint voice whispered, “Tong Yang, be careful.”
Tong Yang froze for a moment. The voice sounded very 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, three votes.”
“Player Eight, no votes.”
“Player Six is eliminated. The game will continue in five minutes.”
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor echoed, and Xu Junyue silently left her seat, following the others.
“Xu Junyue is eliminated?”
“The second round of discussion is over, so why is the game still continuing?”
“This means that Tao Bai and Xu Junyue aren’t the killers.”
“But if we follow Tong Yang’s theory, the killer should be the cleaning lady.”
“So, does this mean the game will keep going? Until everyone is taken away?”
[Damn, this is getting stranger.]
[Did anyone hear anything just now? It sounded like someone was talking to Tong Jie.]
[I think I heard a little…]
[I didn’t hear anything.]
Tong Yang remained silent, her fingers brushing over the photo of He Jingjing and Tan Wanqi. She had a vague sense that something wasn’t right.
Just now, Tao Bai, who had been taken in the previous round, had stood behind her and warned her to be careful. And now, Xu Junyue—who usually acted impulsively—had been taken away without a word. Did this mean that Tao Bai’s situation was safer than theirs, and Xu Junyue had received some sort of safety signal, so she followed along quietly?
If that was the case, it meant that she and the others were in even more danger.
The chaotic room numbers, the disordered plot, the random voting system, the two spaces and two scripts—what was really going wrong?
“He Jingjing.” Tong Yang suddenly called out.
“Huh?” In the darkness, He Jingjing asked, confused.
Tong Yang remained silent for a moment, her finger brushing over the surface of the photo. “Are you sure the person in the photo is you?”
“Yes.”
Tong Yang pulled the butterfly knife from her waist, flicked the blade open, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she pushed her chair back and walked toward He Jingjing.
“Tong Yang, what’s wrong—”
Suddenly, He Jingjing’s voice was cut off.
Tong Yang pressed her hand over her mouth, the blade hovering near her neck, and warm blood soaked into her palm.
“Tong Yang, what’s wrong?” Chu Shiyu asked.
“Sis?” He Jingjing called out quietly.
“It’s nothing.” Tong Yang’s voice remained calm.
He Jingjing, her carotid artery severed, quickly lost all vital signs, and Tong Yang released her, letting her slide off the chair.
“What’s going on…”
“I suddenly smelled a strong blood odor.”
Chu Shiyu hesitated and called out, “Tong Yang?”
“It’s nothing.”
Tong Yang returned to her seat, quietly waiting for time to pass.
“Sis? Sis! Are you still there?” He Jingjing called out in worry.
Tong Yang said, “Don’t worry, she’s fine.”
Five minutes passed, and the lights in the distance suddenly blazed to life, casting light across the office area.
“Sis…” He Jingjing stared at the empty spot, her expression dazed.
“What the hell? 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 photo in front of everyone. “Can’t you tell?”
Hu Shuo, suspicious, took the photo and asked, “Can’t tell what?”
“Isn’t this just He Jingjing and Tan Wanqi?”
“Yeah!”
Chu Shiyu took the photo and looked at the picture, comparing it with He Jingjing and her sister, whose faces were nearly identical. Her expression gradually became serious. “This is wrong.”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
Chu Shiyu raised her head to look at He Jingjing and said, “What about the torn-up photo you found in the trash?”
“It’s here.” He Jingjing placed the reconstructed photo on the table and slowly pushed it to the center.
Chu Shiyu said, “In this photo, besides Tan Wanqi, both I and Zhou Jingyun have our identities replaced, so we look different. But the photo with He Jingjing and Tan Wanqi doesn’t have identity information, only He Jingjing’s face. That’s why Tong Yang initially thought it was Jingjing, not the identities they represented.”
Zhou Jingyun furrowed his brow as he took the photo. “If they’re just ordinary players, they couldn’t have taken a photo like this with Tan Wanqi, and there are no signs of Photoshop.”
“What?”
“Why is this happening?”
“If the person in the photo isn’t He Jingjing, then who could it be?”
“The Jingjing who has been with us all night…”
Tong Yang said, “She’s not He Jingjing.”
“Huh? If she’s not He Jingjing, then who is she?”
“I can’t take it anymore! What the hell is going on?”
“This is insane. This isn’t normal.”
“What the hell is going on? I’m really done with this.”
He Jingjing bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Maybe she really isn’t my sister.”
“Why do you say that?” Tong Yang looked at her.
He Jingjing said, “My sister never likes to be separated from me, but after we went to the shop, since she came back from 7-29, she never chose to be with me during the first and second rounds of evidence gathering. Even when I followed her, she didn’t really talk to me.”
Hu Shuo nodded in agreement. “That’s true. You two always stuck together before, and tonight I thought you had a fight.”
Chu Shiyu glanced at Tong Yang and asked, “Tong Yang, what do you think?”
Tong Yang said, “The room numbers on the seventh floor are all messed up. The plot I understand is different from the one in your script, so the final narrative that we pieced together isn’t complete—it’s missing a part.”
Also, the method Dr. Wu used to bring them into the parallel world was to use chaos to break the order.
“I suspect that the seventh floor of Xili Mall has been divided by the parallel world. It’s like the disordered room numbers—some are still in the real world, and some have become part of the parallel world, creating a chaotic space. The eight of us are the same—some of us are from the real world, and some are from the parallel world, resulting in complete chaos.”
“So, the killer that we should have chosen has been chosen by others. Perhaps, in another space, another group of us is playing a game to confirm identities—not to confirm the killer’s identity, but to determine who among us is from the parallel world and who is from the real world.”
“Sss…”
“What parallel world? What are you talking about?”
Chu Shiyu said, “So, you mean that after everyone went to different shops, we got split into two spaces?”
Tong Yang nodded. “Remember I told you? Back in 7-20, Hu Shuo and I met.”
Hu Shuo shook his head, pale. “But I never left 7-32.”
“Right, the person who appeared at that time wasn’t you—it was another version of you. As for who the real you is in this world, I don’t know.”
In the midst of the chaos, Tong Yang realized something.
The news report only mentioned seven bodies, which meant that among the original eight people, one must have been from the parallel world, and they must have been replaced before entering Xili Mall.
But the appearance of the parallel world Hu Shuo meant that after they entered the mall, other people from the parallel world had appeared. After everyone entered the shops, some stayed in the real world, and some had already entered the parallel world.
Furthermore, the people from the parallel world had filled the vacancy in numbers, meaning they were still eight people, but two of them were from different worlds.
More importantly, the two worlds weren’t fully separated—some places were in the real world, and some were in the parallel world.
“The real-world He Jingjing couldn’t have taken a photo with the deceased before she died, so there’s only one possibility: the deceased Tan Wanqi and the He Jingjing who was sitting here earlier are both from the parallel world. The script you have is from the parallel world. But the resting area we are in now is in the real world, so when I killed her, her body returned to the parallel world.”
Chu Shiyu pondered. “The body of Tan Wanqi didn’t disappear, which means the ballet studio is a space in the parallel world.”
“Exactly.”
He Jingjing said, “Then why is your script different from ours?”
Tong Yang said, “My script connects to the story in another space, but there is only one me in Xili Mall, so now I’m sitting here with you.”
This was why Tao Bai had warned her to be careful.
Because “Tong Yang” likely wouldn’t appear here, so there was only one Tong Yang, and Tao Bai could confirm her real identity.
[No, no… I’m just not thinking straight…]
[Tong Jie, how can you make sense of such a complicated situation so clearly?]
[Wait a second, let me think this through.]
[So, the general idea is that after they took the number tags from the elevator, they were assigned to different places to study the scripts. During this process, they were already split into two spaces. This caused other people from the parallel world to appear in Xili Mall, except for Tong Jie, and they filled the gaps between the two worlds. But there is only one Tong Jie, so she’s actually experiencing the real-world plot, but she’s with the seven people studying the parallel world’s script, which formed the group of eight. The other space is missing Tong Jie, so there are only seven people there.]
[The real-world He Jingjing couldn’t have a photo with the deceased, so both of them must be from the parallel world.]
Tong Yang said, “Not only that, but before we entered the mall, one person had already been replaced by the parallel world. Originally, there were eight of us, meaning the parallel world only had six people at the start.”
[There were only six people there?]
[Ahh?!]
[I get it now! Before we entered, one person was replaced, so the parallel world’s Tong Jie wouldn’t show up, meaning there would only be six people from the parallel world! There are eight of us here, so of course, there are only six on the other side!]
Hu Shuo looked completely confused, “What? Are some of us from the parallel world??”
Tong Yang continued, “I killed the He Jingjing from the parallel world, so now there’s only one He Jingjing in Xili Mall, and just one of me.”
“Aside from me and her identities, all of you are suspicious.”
This included Tao Bai, who had actively warned Tong Yang—he couldn’t be ruled out either.
The group fell into silence, exchanging uncertain glances.
“But the other world had twelve people when they made their choices,” someone said.
Tong Yang replied, “There are NPCs as well.”
“What should we do now?” After a long pause, Chu Shiyu finally asked.
After Tao Bai and Xu Junyue were taken, Tong Yang had killed the He Jingjing from the parallel world. Now only five people remained.
Including someone who had already been replaced.
Tong Yang glanced at Chu Shiyu. Before entering Xili Mall, she could at least be sure that Chu Shiyu was from the real world, but now she wasn’t sure and couldn’t be certain.
He Jingjing spoke up, “Can we determine anything based on odd or even numbers?”
When they first entered the shops, each of them had a room number spaced by three digits. Chu Shiyu’s was 7-11, Zhou Jingyun’s was 7-14, Tao Bai’s was 7-17, Tong Yang’s was 7-20, He Jingjing’s was 7-23, Xu Junyue’s was 7-26, He Jingjing’s was 7-29, and Hu Shuo’s was 7-32.
Tong Yang shook her head. “I’m afraid that won’t work.”
They hadn’t left the rest area to search for evidence this round; there was no need since they hadn’t found anything useful. The challenge now was determining who was from the parallel world and who was from the real world.
Moreover, the two worlds were facing different situations, and they didn’t know what the people taken would experience.
More importantly, Tong Yang wasn’t sure what they should do, or how they could change this situation. Even if they identified and killed all the people from the parallel world, they would still be in the chaotic space. They were split into two groups, and besides when they discussed the killer during the rounds, they would always be in different spaces.
Ding dong—
“Time: 9:40 PM; Progress: Fourth round of discussion completed.”
The lights in the evidence-gathering area went out suddenly, and the surroundings were engulfed in suffocating darkness.
“Please choose your suspect.”
Just like the previous two times, dozens of shadowy figures appeared around them.
Tong Yang observed carefully. In the previous round of voting, there were thirteen people. After Xu Junyue was chosen to leave, the number increased by one more, making fourteen people.
Sure enough, players who were eliminated appeared in another space to make their own choices.
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes. Before they approached, she hadn’t heard any footsteps. Moreover, from the time the lights went out to when they appeared, it seemed like no more than a minute had passed. It was as though they had been in another space, and as soon as the lights went out, they immediately entered the current space.
“Please make your selection.”
The figures behind her grew closer, and Tong Yang fell into thought.
During the “elevator game,” Dr. Wu had asked them to wear blindfolds and move through the darkness. After they had moved around, once they were near other people, they had already come into contact with the parallel world. But Dr. Wu hadn’t asked them to stop; they continued moving until they had passed through the glass corridor.
If that was the case, during the glass corridor, their space must have already been chaotic, and the two worlds intersected. However, since the change wasn’t complete, they had to keep moving until they were fully immersed in the space of the parallel world.
In other words, their current situation was a chaotic space between the real world and the parallel world—like a crack between the two intersecting worlds.
As the footsteps gradually stopped, Tong Yang was surprised to find that only two or three people were behind them. The rest of the figures had almost all 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 continue in five minutes.”
At the same time, a warm hand rested on Tong Yang’s shoulder, and a voice leaned down close to her ear, saying, “Tong Yang, come with us.”
Tong Yang’s breath caught slightly. That voice… it wasn’t anyone else but Chu Shiyu, who had come with her.
She hadn’t been wrong! In another space, their group had already appeared!
Tong Yang pushed her chair back and followed Chu Shiyu into their group.
“Damn!”
“No matter how many times I see it, seeing someone who looks just like me is so terrifying.”
“I’ve got goosebumps all over!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
…
Gradually, Tong Yang began hearing muttered curses from around her.
They had barely left the rest area when the darkness in front of them was suddenly replaced by the bright lights behind them.
“Ah! You scared me!”
“Damn! Tong Yang, you really went all out, killing one person just like that!”
Tong Yang froze and turned around. The lights in the rest area blazed brightly. On the table, snacks and drinks from earlier were scattered around. Dozens of people stood behind her, their faces filled with terror and disbelief.
Among them were even a few identical faces.
Tong Yang silently observed them. In the other space, everyone had been nervous, but here, the atmosphere was oddly calm.
“Tong Yang, sit down for now,” Chu Shiyu said, pulling her to the round table.
Tong Yang sat down, scanning the crowd. Among them were Chu Shiyu, Hu Shuo, Zhou Jingyun, one of the twin sisters, and two Tao Bais, two Xu Junyues, along with six NPCs dressed in white sheets and simple makeup.
“Where’s He Jingjing’s body?” Tong Yang asked.
Chu Shiyu said, “We carried it into the shop.”
One of the Tao Bais said, “We should explain the situation to Tong Yang first.”
Tong Yang turned to one of the twins, unsure whether it was the sister or the other, and asked, “Are you He Jingjing?”
The girl froze. “Wow! You can tell the difference between me and Jingjing?”
Hearing her answer, Tong Yang’s expression darkened.
This space only had He Jingjing, no He Jingjing’s twin sister.
Aside from herself and the He Jingjing from the parallel world she had killed, there was only one He Jingjing in both spaces.
This meant that before they entered Xili Mall, He Jingjing’s twin had already been replaced by someone from the parallel world.
Chu Shiyu roughly explained the current situation to Tong Yang, and it was similar to what she had suspected before.
After they had separated to enter the shops, they hadn’t received an identity or script like Tong Yang. Instead, they unlocked a supernatural story related to the shops, and eventually found clues to open the door and leave the shop.
But they had waited for a long time in the rest area, and when Tong Yang and He Jingjing didn’t show up, around nine o’clock, an announcement asked them to leave the rest area. They played a game similar to what they experienced the night of the college entrance exam, with advances and retreats. Then, Tong Yang and the others suddenly appeared in the rest area.
“I was so scared back then! I thought my soul had left my body.”
“Tong Yang, you can’t imagine how terrifying it was.”
Chu Shiyu continued, “We heard you all discussing evidence, so in the first and second rounds, we chose the people we suspected.”
“The announcement said that one of the eight of you is indeed the killer—not just the murderer, but the mastermind behind the entire situation.”
He Jingjing said, “In the third round, we heard your thoughts, and it was just like what you said. We didn’t have any clues here, so Xu Junyue suggested we bring you over. Maybe things would be better.”
Tong Yang nodded. “So, can you tell who’s who now?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to the two Tao Bais and Xu Junyue.
From their appearance, they seemed like mirrored images of each other—there was almost no difference in their expressions, their eyes, or even their mannerisms.
Hu Shuo said, “I’m starting to suspect that one of them is a clone made by the boss.”
Tong Yang gave him a half-smile and asked, “Was it you outside 7-20 back then?”
Hu Shuo nodded, “Yeah, honestly, I don’t think that guy over there looks anything like me.”
Chu Shiyu asked with concern, “Tong Yang, do you have any thoughts now?”
Tong Yang remained silent, looking at her. She wasn’t sure who the real Chu Shiyu was anymore. Even after spending time with her, she still couldn’t tell them apart.
“I don’t have any thoughts. The only thing I can be sure of is that both I and He Jingjing are from the real world, including the other NPCs. All of your identities are in doubt.”
Zhou Jingyun asked, “You don’t trust us?”
“Since you heard what I said, you should understand that everyone here is suspicious now.”
He Jingjing said, “Jingjing shouldn’t be suspicious. There’s only one Jingjing in both worlds.”
Tong Yang glanced at her and said, “He Jingjing is the culprit you’re looking for.”
He Jingjing was stunned, “What?”
“Why would it be Jingjing?”
Tong Yang said, “Because there’s only one Jingjing in both worlds.”
He Jingjing furrowed her brow. “But there’s only one of you in both worlds. Why isn’t it you, but Jingjing?”
“Jingjing, calm down.”
Tong Yang said, “Because the version of me from the parallel world wouldn’t be here.”
“Then the version of Jingjing from the parallel world might not be here either! Why do you think it’s Jingjing?”
“Jingjing, this isn’t the time to argue.” Tao Bai furrowed his brow.
Zhou Jingyun said, “If the rule is that someone from each world should be suspected, then Tong Yang, you can’t rule yourself out either. We’ve known Jingjing much longer than you. If anyone should be suspected, it’s probably you, who we’ve known for less than a day.”
Hu Shuo’s eyes shifted between the two, “I… I also choose to trust Jingjing.”
The two Xu Junyues raised their hands at the same time, speaking in unison:
“I believe Tong Yang.”
“I believe Jingjing.”
“Hey! Since you’re the version of me from the parallel world, you should trust Tong Yang just like me!”
“Why? You should trust Jingjing like I do. I’ve known Jingjing way longer than I’ve known Tong Yang!”
“Does it really matter how long we’ve known each other?”
“Of course it does! The longer you know someone, the more you understand them, right?”
“How does that relate to understanding or not?”
“Of course it does!”
Listening to the argument between the two Xu Junyues, everyone fell into silence.
One of the Tao Bais spoke up, “Tong Yang, can I ask why the version of you from the parallel world wouldn’t appear here?”
Tong Yang wasn’t interested in their argument, and she didn’t care who they believed in.
“The version of me from the parallel world probably wouldn’t leave the old district,” she replied.
It wasn’t that “Tong Yang” couldn’t leave the old district—it was just unnecessary, and she wasn’t interested.
“Tong Yang” no longer had any intention of resisting, which was why she had shared these things with Tong Yang.
“Tong Yang, I know what you mean. You’re trying to say that Jingjing is from the parallel world, and she was replaced before we entered Xili Mall, right?” He Jingjing said coldly.
“Yes,” Tong Yang nodded without hesitation.
“Then, since you know so much, and it sounds like you’ve even interacted with your parallel world self, does that mean you were also replaced by someone from the parallel world? Are you the one who made everything so chaotic?”
Tong Yang looked up at her. “Think whatever you want. But if killing He Jingjing is what it takes to return to the real world, I won’t let her go.”
“Tong Yang,” He Jingjing’s eyes reddened as she glared at her, “If you hurt Jingjing, I’ll never forgive you!”
“Then you can try,” Tong Yang replied calmly.
Tong Yang didn’t want to waste time on pointless arguments. She had already confirmed that He Jingjing was the first to be replaced.
According to the broadcast, they only needed to find the culprit who caused the chaos in another space to end the confusion.
“So, who are you going to choose next?” Tong Yang asked.
He Jingjing was very emotional, and if Tong Yang suggested choosing He Jingjing next, she probably wouldn’t agree, and Zhou Jingyun and the others wouldn’t choose her either.
“I’m taking Jingjing with me,” He Jingjing said firmly.
“Then we’ll choose Jingjing too.”
Tong Yang glanced at them, feeling it was exactly what she wanted.
But she didn’t want to provoke He Jingjing’s rebellious mindset, so she kept her expression neutral and casually picked up a pack of snacks. “It’s up to you guys.”
As they waited for the fourth round of voting, He Jingjing kept an aggressive stance toward Tong Yang, which made the atmosphere tense. Everyone exchanged uncertain glances, unsure how to break the stalemate.
Compared to He Jingjing’s vigilance and caution, Tong Yang’s thoughts weren’t on her at all.
If they chose He Jingjing in the next round, this chaotic situation should disappear. They would either return to the real world or enter the parallel world.
However, what would happen when they faced their parallel world selves?
Returning to one space didn’t mean the end. They would need to distinguish between the two groups and eliminate the people from the parallel world.
As for He Jingjing…
Tong Yang frowned slightly. She didn’t feel hostility from her. After entering Xili Mall, He Jingjing hadn’t shown any odd behavior.
If she killed her directly, He Jingjing and the others who were familiar with her wouldn’t let it go easily.
“The fourth round of voting is about to begin. Please, players and NPCs, leave the rest area.”
Chu Shiyu nudged Tong Yang. “Let’s go.”
“Mm,” Tong Yang nodded.
They left the rest area and stood around, forming a semi-circle.
With a loud “boom,” the lights in the rest area went out.
“Please, players and NPCs, close your eyes.”
“Please move forward or take two steps back.”
“Please turn around.”
“Please move forward or take two steps back.”
Tong Yang closed her eyes, feeling the lights in the rest area flicker, sometimes plunging her into darkness, other times giving off a faint glow.
After several instances of alternating between darkness and light, the broadcast told them to open their eyes.
Tong Yang slowly opened her eyes, and saw the lit rest area with the remaining four people from the other space seated.
“What do we do? We still don’t have any clues,” Zhou Jingyun frowned.
“Even if we go to other places, there are still no clues.”
He Jingjing sat quietly, her head lowered, and said, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Chu Shiyu nodded as well. “Tong Yang will find a way to help us.”
“Why do you trust Tong Yang so much? I think she’s strange too, different from the other girls. She’s too calm.”
Chu Shiyu furrowed her brow. “Do you think it’s strange not to panic? She’s just been through more than you guys.”
“She’s only seventeen, but her mental age seems at least thirty,” Hu Shuo shrugged.
He Jingjing shook her head. “Don’t say that. Tong Yang is just a bit smarter than us. She doesn’t mean any harm.”
“But she killed Jingjing. If that wasn’t the Jingjing from the parallel world…”
He Jingjing said, “Tong Yang made the right judgment. I also think that Jingjing wasn’t the real He Jingjing.”
Ding dong—
“Time: 10:00 PM; Progress: Fourth round of discussion completed.”
“Please choose your suspect.”
The lights in the rest area went out completely, and everything was engulfed in darkness.
But above Tong Yang, the lights from the other space illuminated the outline of the rest area.
They held their breath as they entered the rest area, seeing the four people at the table with their heads down.
Tong Yang and a few NPCs spread out behind the other three people, and the remaining ones all chose He Jingjing.
“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 is eliminated. The game is over.”
“What?!”
“The game is over?”
“How could this happen?”
“He Jingjing really is…”
[Ahh, finally!]
[I almost couldn’t breathe! I thought it was He Jingjing, and they still didn’t believe it!]
[Honestly, from Tong Jie’s perspective, we know she didn’t lie, but the others don’t know. I get it.]
[Forget it! It’s over!]
[Can we go back to the real world now?]
[Damn, that whole roundabout thing almost fried my brain.]
[Finally, we made it through!]
[I bet after this, they’ll never want to play a real-life script murder game again.]
[Forget them, I don’t want to play either.]
The four people sitting at the table were stunned, shocked beyond words.
“The game is over?”
“What’s going on?”
“He Jingjing, was your script to kill Tan Wanqi?”
He Jingjing lowered her voice, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill her.”
“But why…”
“Please, all players stay in place. NPCs, return to the starting point. In ten minutes, players will enter the game alone.”
The broadcast voice echoed again.
The group stood frozen in the empty room, and the lights in the rest area suddenly flashed on.
“Damn!” Hu Shuo, who was sitting, jumped in shock, “You scared me!”
Chu Shiyu stared at the people at the round table, “How is it that you’re… here?”
Suddenly, seeing someone who looked exactly like herself in the crowd, her voice caught in her throat.
“Tong Yang was right?” Chu Shiyu’s face turned pale, murmuring.
“What’s going on?”
Another Hu Shuo walked up to him, hooked his arm around his shoulder, and teased, “Buddy, how come you’re not as handsome as me?”
Hu Shuo stiffened. “Get lost.”
The two Chu Shiyus stared at each other. Even though they had mentally prepared, they were still shocked into silence by the identical faces in front of them.
“Everything is just like what Tong Yang analyzed. After we entered the shops separately, we were split into two spaces, and things got really mixed up. However, there were only six of us on our side. There was no Tong Yang or He Jingjing.”
“Jingjing…” He Jingjing looked pale as she stared at her, “How did this happen? Could it be…?”
Zhou Jingyun also couldn’t believe it. “This can’t be! How could it be you?”
The two Xu Junyues stood at the back of the crowd. One of them pulled out a butterfly knife from her pocket and said to Tong Yang, “This should confirm it, right? She’s not human anymore.”
With that, Xu Junyue flicked the butterfly knife open and walked toward He Jingjing.
“Xu Junyue! What are you doing?” He Jingjing’s face turned pale, and she hurriedly stepped forward to stop her.
“Move aside! She’s not your sister.” Xu Junyue shoved He Jingjing away and revealed the blade that had turned white.
But He Jingjing just calmly sat there, as if accepting the outcome of everything.
“Xu Junyue, wait,” Tong Yang called out to stop her.
“What’s the matter? If we don’t kill her now, she’ll kill us later,” Xu Junyue glared at her in frustration.
Tong Yang was speechless. She finally understood why Xu Junyue, knowing there might be danger, still insisted on coming here with the others—her mind probably wasn’t working properly, and she didn’t care about the risks.
“Get away! You’re not allowed to hurt Jingjing!” He Jingjing suddenly lunged between the two, wrapping her arms tightly around He Jingjing, shielding her.
“You already seem so out of place here. Do you really trust Tong Yang and the person in the broadcast so much? Maybe they’re the true masterminds, trying to make us kill each other!”
“He Jingjing has lived with me since we were little. She’s always been herself, and has never been replaced by anyone! None of you can hurt her!”
“Xu Junyue, we’ve known each other for four years. And now, just because of someone you’ve known for less than a month, you’re going to kill Jingjing? I can’t believe I misjudged you!”
Xu Junyue, holding the butterfly knife, shrugged, “I just want to kill anyone who might hurt me. What does how long we’ve known each other matter?”
The other Xu Junyue walked over to the twins, furrowing her brow and looking displeased. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you attacking Jingjing? She’s my friend, and you’re not allowed to hurt her.”
He Jingjing sneered, pointing at the Xu Junyue holding the butterfly knife. “You’re the one from the parallel world! Tong Yang, weren’t you so ruthless? Why don’t you just kill her?”
Xu Junyue looked at her in disbelief. “He Jingjing, you don’t trust me?”
“Are you crazy? You want to kill Jingjing, and you still want me to trust you?”
Xu Junyue sighed helplessly, “He Jingjing, it seems you still don’t understand me.”
“Tong Yang…”
Just as Xu Junyue was about to turn to Tong Yang and complain, she suddenly noticed that Tong Yang had sneaked up behind the other Xu Junyue. With one hand over her mouth and nose, and the other holding the butterfly knife, Tong Yang swiftly slit her throat.
“Damn!”
“Damn!!!”
Seeing this, Xu Junyue clapped her hands in excitement. “Good job, my dear sister, nice work!”
Tong Yang shot her a disgusted look before dropping the now-lifeless body onto the ground. She met He Jingjing’s stunned gaze, and He Jingjing immediately clutched He Jingjing even tighter, fearing that Tong Yang might raise her hand to strike again.
“Y-you… you…”
“You’re too ruthless!”
“Such a skilled move! This definitely isn’t your first time!”
“Oh my god, what if you killed the wrong person?”
Tong Yang wiped the blood from the butterfly knife and said, “I won’t kill the wrong person.”
Though Tong Yang had once suspected Xu Junyue of being replaced, because many of her behaviors and thoughts didn’t seem normal, now that she knew He Jingjing was the first to be replaced, the one who was truly abnormal was Xu Junyue herself.
So, the more abnormal she was, the more like her she became.
One of the Hu Shuos nodded. “I also think this one seems fake.”
“Xu Junyue is just a fool, she doesn’t care about what her friends think.”
“That makes sense.”
Xu Junyue grinned shamelessly. “I’m not that cool, you know.”
“Get lost!”
“Get lost!”
[Hahaha, this person is toxic.]
[Tong Jie hasn’t thought Xu Junyue’s brain was normal for a while now.]
[Xu Junyue’s brain is definitely not normal.]
Tong Yang looked at the body on the ground, and as time passed, there was still no sign of it disappearing. She looked up at the others and said, “You might be disappointed, but we’ve now fully entered the parallel world.”
“……”
“Then where were we just now?”
Tong Yang replied, “In the space between the real world and the parallel world.”
“Damn!”
“It was already terrifying before, but now that we’re completely in the parallel world, aren’t we just going to die here?”
“Help! If I had known, I would never have come here!”
“I can’t take it anymore! I want to go home!”
Tong Yang looked around at the eerie scene. The parallel world versions of He Jingjing and Xu Junyue had already been killed. Now only the parallel world versions of Chu Shiyu, Hu Shuo, Zhou Jingyun, and Tao Bai were left. No matter what happened next, if they didn’t distinguish between them, there were too many potential threats.
Moreover…
Tong Yang lowered her gaze to where He Jingjing was being held by He Jingjing.
She remained silently nestled in her sister’s arms, with no intention of protesting or explaining, as if she had already accepted the reality of the situation.
Perhaps having witnessed Tong Yang’s speed earlier, He Jingjing, though a little scared, still turned her body and blocked Tong Yang’s line of sight toward He Jingjing.
Tong Yang thought for a moment, considering that He Jingjing seemed to pose less of a threat than the other four. At least, up until now, she hadn’t done anything harmful to them.
With this thought in mind, Tong Yang turned to look at the other four… or more precisely, the eight.
Seeing Tong Yang’s indifferent expression, everyone, including Chu Shiyu, shuddered.
Because when she slit the throat earlier, she had the same expression!
