bookcurios Chapter 40 My Husband Died
Chapter 40 My Husband Died
There is a computer in the bedroom.
Like the other rooms, this computer couldn't connect to the internet, but it contained some remaining data.
There are also some old photos in the computer's photo album.
The photo shows an ordinary-looking young man who you wouldn't notice if he walked down the street. He's not a big fan of taking photos, so most of his photos are group photos with family, friends, or his partner.
Aside from some photos of eating or reading, the album is mostly filled with screenshots.
Yan Xun bent down and scrolled through the screenshots—
[Question: Have you ever seen a stranger who looks exactly like you?]
When I got home today, my girlfriend asked me why I went out and came back. Didn't I say I had to work overtime?
I thought she was joking... but when I checked the security camera we had installed at home to take care of the pets, I did see someone who looked a lot like me.
【...Am I seeing things?】
【…? ??? Look up! This is a question-and-answer forum, not a place for making up stories! Anyone making up stories, get out!】
[Dude, you could have made this up, could you? You didn't even post screenshots, how are we supposed to believe you?]
Soon, this person also released their own photos and screenshots.
The somewhat blurry surveillance footage did indeed show an ordinary-looking man talking to a woman in the room, who looked almost identical to the person in the questioner's photo.
But this proves nothing.
[How do you prove that? Show me a photo of yourself, and a screenshot of yourself standing at the door, and claim a clone has appeared?]
Are you filming a sci-fi movie?
[You might have encountered a doppelganger. Be careful; if he's accepted by your friends and family, you're in danger.]
When Yan Xun saw the "doppelganger," he zoomed in on the screenshot again.
Perhaps because the surveillance footage was already blurry, and the image quality was further reduced after the screenshot was uploaded... When Yan Xun zoomed in on the photo with her finger, she always felt that the man in the surveillance footage was staring straight at the camera, as if he was certain that someone would come to check the surveillance footage again.
Yan Xun then opened the notes app on his computer.
Today, Lao Gao praised me for working really hard. He said I was going to take a day off yesterday, but I still came to the company... But I was clearly in the hospital yesterday.
She said I was very thoughtful and loved the anniversary gift I gave her last week, but I was working overtime that day.
I went back to my hometown, and my parents said, "Why are you here again? Didn't you just come back last week?"
I saw him.
The memos were posted six months apart, the screenshot was taken in January, and the last message, "I saw him," was posted in August.
There haven't been any new photos in my phone's album since August.
There is no photo of the owner of room 405 on the roster; he died before the players entered the instance.
Yan Xun looked at the evidence on the computer screen... then turned to look at the large characters in the bedroom.
It seems that, like the previous green-haired rich kid, he encountered another version of himself.
"Have all the people in the Meimei Building encountered doppelgangers?" Yan Xun leaned against the table in his bedroom.
He had heard stories of doppelgangers, who looked almost identical to the original body, would steal everything from the original body, and eventually kill it.
But he clearly remembered that the doppelganger should look exactly like the original body. The green-haired rich kid, not to mention anything else, had a different hair color than the doppelganger.
Yan Xun left the bedroom and went to check the other rooms in 405.
Unlike other rooms, this room has no mirrors.
Most of the reflective objects that could show the owner's image were covered with masking tape, while the faucets in the bathroom and kitchen were wrapped with yellow insulating tape.
Yan Xun saw an overturned plastic bucket in the toilet.
He went back to the bedroom, squatted down and looked at the glass door of the balcony. The glass door was frosted, and Yan Xun bent down to look at the part that he hadn't broken yet—it was indeed impossible to see his face clearly through the reflection.
"Why do you think that is?" Yan Xun asked the system.
"Are you testing me?" the system wondered.
"I was talking to myself." Yan Xun knew the system definitely wouldn't answer his question.
"Apart from this room, neither our players' nor 508's and the green-haired man's rooms have covered up their mirrors."
"The owner of this room covered up everything that reflected his image... as if he was worried that the reflection in the mirror would steal his soul."
Yan Xun stopped there, to prevent the NPCs from discovering that he left room 405 through the surveillance cameras.
He returned the way he came.
Fortunately, this time I was familiar with the area and had Gui Yuchong's help, so I got back to 404 without much trouble.
Gui Yuchong was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that Yan Xun was safe and sound, when he noticed the bloodstains on the back of Yan Xun's hand—
The wound, which was almost stopped bleeding, started to bleed again after he climbed back through the window.
Gui Yuchong stared at the back of Yan Xun's hand. "You're injured."
He held Yan Xun's hands in his own, "Does it hurt?"
Yan Xun had taken a hammer from the toolbox and was still tucked into his waistband. He looked down at Gui Yuchong, who was very close to him, and said, "It's alright."
"It doesn't hurt too much."
"That's a lie."
Gui Yuchong looked at the wound on the back of Yan Xun's hand with heartache—he didn't know whether he was heartbroken for Yan Xun's injury or heartbroken that the seeping blood was being wasted—Yan Xun always felt it was the latter.
"I'll go find the first-aid kit." Gui Yuchong said, turning to leave, but found his arm being grabbed by Yan Xun.
"No need for all that trouble." Yan Xun looked at him, then looked down at the bloodstains on the back of his hand. "This little wound, a little licking will do."
As Yan Xun spoke, he lowered his head and flicked the tip of his tongue to pick up the blood droplets on the back of his hand.
Because of his pale face, Yan Xun's lips were also bloodless... and when he licked his wound, blood inevitably smeared onto his lips. Yan Xun probably noticed this, and he wiped away the bloodstains on his lips with his thumb.
Then she looked up at Gui Yuchong, who was standing there staring at her without moving, and said, "Look."
He held up the back of his hand. "I said just lick it."
Gui Yuchong's expression was a bit strange, as if he was having trouble handling such a complicated situation. He looked at Yan Xun, then at the back of Yan Xun's hand, and finally slowly approached Yan Xun.
He lowered his head, rolled up the hem of his clothes, and carefully wiped away the tiny bit of blood that had gotten on Yan Xun's thumb.
It was just a tiny bit of blood on his lips, which was almost gone after being wiped away with his thumb. When Gui Yuchong wiped it clean with the corner of his clothes, only a tiny bit of red remained—others would probably think he had just killed a mosquito.
Yan Xun stood there, letting Gui Yuchong wipe away the pitiful little bit of blood for him.
Only after confirming that Yan Xun's wounds were no longer bleeding did the other party show a slight smile.
"Alright," Gui Yuchong said.
Yan Xun did not understand Gui Yuchong.
He had expected the man to unleash his beastly nature and reveal his inhuman side, but to his surprise, the man simply wiped the blood off his thumb with a force lighter than pinching a butterfly's wing.
—Could it be that Gui Yuchong is really a good "person"?
An outrageous idea suddenly popped into Yan Xun's head.
"Did you find any clues next door?" Gui Yuchong asked curiously.
“The owner of the next room seems to be very afraid of anything that reflects light.” Yan Xun picked out a few things to tell Gui Yuchong, “There are many words written in his room.”
"He seemed to be afraid of someone, afraid that person would kill him."
"The man who killed him said he was an imposter."
Yan Xun said something trivial; he had an idea that needed to be verified, but he couldn't tell Gui Yuchong about it.
"A fake?" Gui Yuchong looked puzzled, seemingly not quite understanding Yan Xun's meaning.
But then he remembered the newspaper Yan Xun had found in the green-haired man's room, and he looked at Yan Xun uncertainly, "Could there really be two people in the world who look exactly alike?"
“Who knows?” Yan Xun said, glancing at Gui Yuchong. “What if there really are two people who look exactly alike…”
Unless they are twins, they are just imposters pretending to be gods, Yan Xun thought, recalling the young Gui Yuchong in his backpack space.
Isn't this guy in front of me just a fake, pretending to be a shaman?
Of course, it was something that couldn't be said aloud, so Yan Xun didn't plan to say it.
He took out his phone, ready to contact an acquaintance.
……
"You said you found a clue?" Chi Yuan stood in front of the completely dilapidated door of 404, looking at Yan Xun.
Half an hour ago, Yan Xun called him, saying that she had found some clues and wanted to exchange them with him.
To be honest, Chi Yuan was somewhat hesitant.
He still remembered his experience in room 404 last night, especially after he confirmed that Yan Xun's roommate was not human. At this moment, Chi Yuan felt that Yan Xun's invitation was somewhat like a trap.
He didn't know if Yan Xun already knew Gui Yuchong's identity.
Before arriving at 404, he was still wondering whether to tell Yan Xun about this and warn him to be careful. Just then, the door opened, and Yan Xun and Gui Yuchong stood together by the door.
Gui Yuchong stood behind Yan Xun. He was originally a bit taller than Yan Xun, but he always habitually lowered his head and hunched his back slightly. Coupled with his somewhat deceptive face, he didn't appear tall.
But when he stood behind Yan Xun, Chi Yuan sensed a subtle difference in their physiques.
Yan Xun was not short, but perhaps because he was too thin, he always gave people the impression that he could be easily broken.
When Gui Yuchong stopped hunching over and followed closely behind Yan Xun, Chi Yuan realized that Gui Yuchong's shoulders were even wider than Yan Xun's. The other man had a large frame, as if he could easily wrap his arms around Yan Xun.
Noticing his gaze, Gui Yuchong smiled at him.
"Hello."
Gui Yuchong said that he nodded to Chi Yuan as he spoke, appearing very polite.
Chi Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. He still remembered the two large pots he saw when he came to 404 at night. He wanted to hint at Yan Xun, but he was also worried that Gui Yuchong would find out. He was in great distress.
Yan Xun was completely unaware of Chi Yuan's torment.
He sought out Chi Yuan for one thing—
"Does your security room have internet access?"
"Go online?" Chi Yuan remembered that there was a computer in the security room, but he was too old, and the other people in the security room didn't use it much. Most of the time, the computer was used for simple record-keeping.
"Maybe," Chi Yuan said after thinking for a moment.
He remembered that when he returned to the security room, some of his colleagues were watching movies on their computers.
“I’d like to find some information,” Yan Xun said directly.
Chi Yuan guessed that he must have found some clues... He didn't ask any more questions, just nodded, "Okay."
"Come with me."
“I want to go too,” Gui Yuchong said.
Yan Xun turned to look at him, "I'll be back soon."
Gui Yuchong looked at Yan Xun, "How long?"
"Half an hour?" Yan Xun said uncertainly, "Maybe an hour."
Gui Yuchong stared at Yan Xun, seemingly assessing the credibility of his words—but perhaps he also felt that Yan Xun wouldn't find the truth so quickly, so in the end he just nodded, "Okay."
"Then hurry back."
"I'm waiting for you."
……
“You know…” Chi Yuan was about to speak in the emergency exit when Yan Xun made a “shh” gesture.
He walked down the steps, turned back to Chi Yuan, and said, "I know."
"I know what you want to say, but don't say it."
Yan Xun said.
Although they were in the safety passage, and theoretically they could say something, Gui Yuchong certainly wouldn't know, but Yan Xun knew it was impossible.
Last night, Gui Yuchong could pretend he didn't know what he and Su Yumin talked about.
But it's daytime now, and the instance is urging them to find out the truth quickly and stop dawdling—the broken door is the best clue.
Each night the monsters are stronger than the previous night, until they are all killed and forced out of the instance.
Yan Xun could sense Gui Yuchong's subtle probing, so it was not appropriate for Chi Yuan to say what he wanted to say now.
The floors in the Mei Mei Building change frequently.
Fortunately, this time the fourth floor was finally in the place they should be.
Before long, Yan Xun and Chi Yuan arrived at the security room on the first floor—a place some distance from the management office, located at a corner.
As Yan Xun entered the security room, the security guards inside immediately looked at him.
"I asked him to help me find something," Chi Yuan said, giving Yan Xun's arrival an excuse.
Those people, whether they believed it or not, just sat in the corner, silently watching Yan Xun and Chi Yuan.
They went to the computer, which was practically buried in the ground. The computer was on, and Yan Xun tried to open a webpage—
It's a bit slow, but it can still be opened.
He directly searched for the name of the "504 Green-haired Man" on the webpage.
Information about this "great director" quickly appeared on the page.
The latest and most attention-grabbing topic is a discussion about the famous director's new hairstyle.
The usually composed and elegant director, a true winner in life, suddenly dyed his hair green yesterday! If it weren't for the paparazzi who were following him, no one would have guessed that the young man with green hair was that famous director!
Perhaps she realized that her new hairstyle had been exposed.
Soon after, the director posted photos of his new hair color on his social media.
The man in the photo has green hair, is dressed casually, and smiles at the camera.
Yan Xun stared at the mole on the man's neck, which matched the director's position in the newspaper Yan Xun had seen before.
When Yan Xun noticed the security guard in the corner getting up and trying to move closer to the computer, he immediately clicked on another news item trending on the hot search list.
[The husband next to me is a stranger?! My husband is dead!]