novelraw Chapter 304: Boss, business must be booming!
Chapter 304: Boss, business must be booming!
Alexander’s duplicates didn’t actually go far; they simply walked out of the bar. Over a thousand people streamed from the establishment, causing quite a stir. Ghosts from nearby shops popped their heads out, curious about what was happening.
"We shouldn’t return to the Mist Instance just yet," one duplicate suggested as they exited the bar.
"Kevin is uniting the Third Ghost Realm and amassing an army. Although he won’t complete this quickly, it’s better to leave some people here on defense, just in case." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"For prudence’s sake, let’s have those numbered 100 and above stay behind. The rest of us will return to the Mist Instance and try to break a few more cycles," said Alexander’s first duplicate, scanning a hardware store Instance they had once frequented.
With a jovial wave, he greeted, "Boss, good to see you again! Business must be booming!"
Alexander was a remarkably polite person, a quality his duplicates inherited flawlessly. Instantly, all one thousand duplicates turned their heads in unison, waving at the hardware store’s ghostly owner. "Boss, business must be booming!"
The owner’s eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Doors and windows of hundreds of storefronts along the street promptly shut, the swiftness of the action taking everyone aback.
"Being too popular has its downsides, it seems," the first duplicate shook his head and announced to his brethren, "Fellows, back to the Mist Instance. Let’s go make some money!"
In the Mist Instance, specifically in Cangshan City at the Aphrodisia Nightclub, the private rooms were once again filled with duplicates. However, their numbers had expanded from single digits to four digits.
Nearly fourteen hours had passed since Alexander entered the Instance.
The clamor of battle outside had ceased.
"Judging by the sounds outside, the cycle is probably about to end. Let’s go check it out. If something happens to your original self, we’ll all cease to exist," said the 1103rd duplicate, listening to the activity beyond the door.
This understanding wasn’t merely speculative; it was based on prior experience.
Two ghosts had broken into their location earlier—one a duplicate, the other the original. Since both had only general-level strength, Alexander didn’t engage immediately. Instead, he subdued them and extracted some information about the Nightclub.
When they refused to cooperate, he killed one to make a point. Unfortunately, the one he killed turned out to be the original, causing the duplicate to instantly disintegrate into Ghost Energy.
Luckily, Alexander later captured another intruder, more timid in disposition, and interrogated him.
Two days earlier, the fifth floor of Aphrodisia Nightclub had been reserved for the birthday party of a local gang leader named Dominic. Trouble started soon after the celebration began, with the sudden appearance of numerous duplicates.
Being a gang, Dominic and his crew naturally had enemies and rival factions. Assuming the duplicates were the work of adversaries, they took up arms and retaliated. The situation escalated as duplicates multiplied, making everything increasingly chaotic.
Given these complex external circumstances, stepping out now was undeniably risky for Alexander. If the original dies, the duplicates vanish.
Therefore, the duplicates were understandably unwilling to let him take such a risk; if he dies, all is lost. The original absolutely must not come to harm!
However, faced with the duplicates’ well-meant caution, Alexander shook his head, "A new cycle could start at any moment. It’s fine for you all to protect me, but I must be there.
If a new cycle starts and you’re sacrificed, it’ll be in vain! Don’t worry, there aren’t many people left outside. With only one or two Ghost Emperors around, I’m pretty safe with you guys protecting me."
"Alright then," the duplicates conceded, seeing Alexander’s determination. They opened the door, encircled him, and together stepped out.
"Big brother! Don’t leave me behind!"
From behind, four Zoes grew anxious. Though Alexander had a demonic aura about him, at least being with him didn’t pose a threat to their lives.
More importantly, the Nightclub was exceedingly eerie. Although she was aware of the cycle’s existence, Zoe was, after all, just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. Faced with such uncanny events, she was naturally scared.
Aside from Alexander, who rather uniquely employed his duplicates like minions, anyone would be terrified if confronted with self-duplicating instances of themselves. In this light, sticking with the ’demon’ seemed better than grappling with endlessly replicating selves. So, upon seeing Alexander about to leave, all four Zoes lunged at him simultaneously.
Now, this was getting exciting!
Especially considering that, upon arrival, Alexander had already enjoyed Zoe’s physical companionship. Now there were four Zoes, all of them rushing at him.
"Alright, alright, get off me first, then I’ll take you with me," Alexander finally compromised, seeing no other option.
"What the heck! You were trying out all sorts of positions with me last night, and now you won’t even let me hug you?" Zoe pouted, reluctantly releasing her grip and stepping away from Alexander.
Alexander watched as four identical, strikingly attractive young women pouted at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
He was certainly no Thaddeus!
Zoe’s girlish whimsy, which had swung from fear to clinginess so rapidly, seemed oddly endearing to him at this moment.
Of course, this had nothing to do with her beauty or allure; it was just pure, innocent appreciation.
Leading the four Zoes, Alexander followed his legion of duplicates out of the room. As they stepped through the doorway, they were immediately engulfed in a world drenched in blood.
The once lavishly decorated Nightclub now had floors stained crimson, littered with severed limbs and dismembered bodies as if a battleground from hell.
"So... so many dead people!"
All four Zoes were visibly shaken. They clung to Alexander once again—some grabbing his hand, others wrapping their arms around him. Alexander couldn’t help but feel amused.
With hundreds of duplicates walking together, anyone else would be hard-pressed to identify the original among them. But Zoe, somehow, unerringly latched onto him—the genuine article.
Resigned, Alexander allowed the four ’koalas’ to cling to him.
"We’re heading upstairs. This cycle is definitely connected to the gang on the fifth floor and that Dominic guy. Perhaps, disrupting the cycle may be as simple as removing Dominic’s body."
Alexander voiced his thoughts, to which his duplicates nodded in agreement. Unfazed by the women clinging to him, they proceeded towards the stairs.
The journey was a gruesome one. Mangled corpses littered the ground, staircases, and railings, each bearing a horrifying visage of death. Some bodies had been brutally hacked to pieces, indicative of a frenzied killer.
Alexander chose not to disturb these bodies, wary of potential survivors who might be triggered into a Rampage State.
Although he was confident that his hundreds of duplicates would provide adequate protection—even against a Ghost Emperor—the immediate priority was to locate Dominic and confirm his theories.
However, Alexander was a step too late. As they reached the stairwell leading to the fourth floor, a thin mist began to fill the air, gradually growing thicker.
A new cycle had begun.
With no time to waste on regret, Alexander swiftly activated the Forbidden Ring, tearing open a rift in space to send his duplicates away, preserving them from being consumed by the onset of the new cycle. After all, these were duplicates he had laboriously created, one by one, through a mirror.
A flash of white light later, Alexander found himself back in the private room. He immediately pulled out the smartphone belonging to the Thaddeus he was impersonating to check the time.
Saturday, 8 PM!
According to Zoe, they had entered the Nightclub around noon, spent the afternoon singing, and later danced on the outdoor dance floor. They had entered the private room around seven o’clock and not long after, had make love.
As for when the duplicates started appearing, it was likely after they had fallen asleep and Zoe had woken up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.
Eight o’clock—by this time, the two of them should be...