Taoyuan Island.
As the New Year approached, red lanterns were hung in the windows of the shops along the street, and speakers played cheerful songs on a loop.
There were many pedestrians, all with smiles on their faces. Occasionally, they would stop to exchange a few pleasantries when they encountered an acquaintance.
But if one observed closely, they would find that the smiles of the passersby were a bit fake, not at all like people truly welcoming the New Year.
Their conversations also revolved around a few safe topics.
In truth, they were all actors from the special services department of the headquarters. At this moment, they were merely performing for their sole audience member, Mr. A.
Only when Mr. A finished his walk and stopped going out did the work for these bitter working stiffs end for the day.
A few hours later.
In an ordinary-looking row house, Mr. A, who had returned home from shopping, sat cross-legged on the living room carpet in front of a giant curved gaming monitor.
In the chat channel at the corner of the screen, teammates discussed equipment attributes and dungeon strategies.
Mr. A was very focused, looking like an ordinary man immersed in holiday entertainment.
All the information he could access was strictly filtered.
Suddenly, the light seemed to brighten slightly.
Mr. A paused his movements and turned his head to look at the window.
He felt that it seemed brighter outside than it had been a moment ago.
Did the smog suddenly clear?
Just as he was about to get up and go to the window to see what was happening...
His phone rang.
It was a call from his secretary.
Mr. A picked up the phone and answered it.
"What is it?"
The secretary's voice came from the other end, as steady as ever. "Mr. A, I'm sorry to disturb your rest."
"It's nothing urgent. I just saw a reminder from the meteorological station saying there might be short-term strong winds this afternoon. Should I come over and help you bring in those pots of devil's ivy on your balcony? Or perhaps you could take care of it yourself?"
Mr. A glanced again at the abnormally bright light outside the window.
"Strong winds? It was fine just a moment ago."
"But the sky does look a bit strange. Fine, I've got it. I'll go check in a bit."
"As you should. Oh, by the way, regarding that new game you mentioned last time, I looked into it. They say the first-run limited edition might be hard to get; it won't arrive until after the New Year," the secretary continued to drag out the conversation with trivial matters.
He was stalling for time.
While the two were talking, the alarm lights at the headquarters were already flashing in a frenzy.
Because at this very moment, a crystal-clear full moon hung in the sky, standing side-by-side with the afternoon sun!
The sun and moon shone together, their light intertwining.
No one knew what was going on with this moon.
But the department responsible for the Taoyuan Island project immediately activated their contingency plan; they could not let Mr. A notice the anomaly.
Soon, a thick cloud appeared directly above Taoyuan Island, blocking both the sun and the moon.
The clear sky turned cloudy, and the light dimmed again.
Every move Mr. A made was under surveillance. Distracted by the secretary's topics, he temporarily abandoned his plan to go to the window.
About three minutes later.
"Alright, that's all for now. I won't keep you from your game. Happy New Year in advance, Mr. A."
"Happy New Year."
The call ended.
Mr. A put down his phone but still got up and walked to the window.
He pulled back the curtain and looked up at the sky.
There was only a single cloud.
"What's the deal? It suddenly got so gloomy," he muttered before turning back to the carpet to continue playing his game.
The people monitoring him all breathed a sigh of relief.
However, while Mr. A was focused on his game, there was a fleeting moment where his eyes suddenly lost focus completely, as if his consciousness had been entirely withdrawn.
Yet his hands continued to play the game, even completing a complex combo.
...
Begonia Alley.
A long time had passed.
Bai Wanyang was tied up and kneeling in the middle of the alley.
Having maintained one position for so long, his entire body was stiff, and his knees were nearly ruined.
A silent atmosphere permeated the air.
The headquarters felt as awkward as if they were performing a one-man show.
Occasionally, someone would adjust their position, their equipment making soft rubbing sounds.
The muzzles of the team members' guns remained steadily pointed at Bai Wanyang, their gazes unfocused.
Every second seemed to be stretched out, and the wait was agonizing for everyone.
The captains lying in ambush were gradually becoming restless.
Only the high-level executives at the headquarters remained composed, even finding time to guide public opinion online.
Jiang Cifei and Dr. Luo looked at each other, communicating with their eyes.
Today's events were too strange; Begonia Alley was likely caught up in major trouble.
Bai Wanyang had become completely numb—not from fear, but from the desperate need to use the bathroom.
In the midst of this suffocating wait...
The sky suddenly grew brighter.
It was as if someone had turned up the world's brightness contrast.
The midday sun was already present, but now, another kind of cold light joined in, mixing with the sunlight.
Everyone instinctively raised their heads.
Then they saw the moon hanging right next to the sun.
The two were not far apart; their light neither merged nor conflicted, but simply shone down together.
An indescribable chill crawled up the spines of everyone present.
The moon looked so real, yet so out of place.
Before the people from the headquarters could react, the anomaly manifested.
Without any warning, under the radiance of the sun and moon, subtle ripples spread around every member of the headquarters.
Immediately after, a figure emerged from the center of each ripple.
They were identical to themselves.
The same headquarters combat uniforms, the same standard-issue equipment, and even the exact same expressions.
Everyone had gained their own duplicate.
"What the hell is this?"
"Enemy attack!"
Exclamations and roars rang out simultaneously.
But the actions of those duplicates were even faster.
The moment they took shape, the duplicates launched attacks on their respective originals!
Their movements were swift, perfectly replicating the combat techniques of the originals.
Gunshots and shouts rose and fell in succession.
The originals and duplicates clashed in a chaotic brawl. The identical uniforms made it dizzying, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe for a moment.
Begonia Alley fell into complete chaos.
No one knew where these duplicates came from or how they were formed.
The duplicates seemed incapable of communication; they possessed only combat instincts, and their goal was clear: eliminate the original!
"Could they be illusions?" someone shouted.
"No, they have physical forms! The attacks are effective!" another investigator, who had already been wounded by a duplicate, countered loudly.
In the chaotic slaughter, no one had any strength left to pay attention to Bai Wanyang.
Bai Wanyang was dumbstruck.
With a soft click...
The chains binding Bai Wanyang's wrists and ankles inexplicably snapped.
He froze for a second, then was overcome with ecstasy. He immediately threw off the chains and scrambled to his feet.
All around him was a chaotic battle where everyone was struggling to save themselves; no one cared if he lived or died.
Escape!
He had to escape now.
But before he fled, he had to find a bathroom first.
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