novelraw Chapter 307: Chaotic Scene
Chapter 307: Chaotic Scene
With a crisp slap, the young gang member was instantly dazed by Alexander’s audacity. In rival gang territory, shouldn’t he expect bullets rather than a slap? What was this man trying to do?
"Bastard!" Alexander’s slap carried its own air of authority, his face flushed with haughty rage.
"Lei? You think whoever Lei’s got can compare to what I bring? Back in the day, when Dominic and I were taking shots at our professor, you were probably still pissing your pants and playing in the mud!"
The young gangster glanced at Zoe and swallowed hard. It was true; Zoe was breathtakingly beautiful. Moreover, this man claimed to have gone to school with Dominic? Doubts began to swirl in the young gangster’s mind.
"Are you forty years old?" he asked cautiously.
"Right, you do know how to speak. What’s your name?" Alexander stroked his chin, oozing arrogance.
Had Alexander seemed nonchalant, the young gangster would have been suspicious. But Alexander’s arrogance, combined with his apparent desire to mentor him, instantly endeared him to the young gangster.
Of course, his suspicions weren’t entirely assuaged. With an air of reverence, he said, "My apologies for my ignorance. I’ve never seen you before, but I’ve long heard about the legendary exploits you and Dominic had, shooting at your professor in college."
"You’ve heard? Impossible," Alexander feigned surprise, then recognition spread across his face. "Makes sense, I guess. I’ve been abroad for years; no point in keeping it a secret anymore. Dominic, my dearest brother!"
Filled with emotion, Alexander choked up. "When Dominic and I became sworn brothers, we stormed the principal’s office with handguns in a fit of impulse. I had good grades and a chance to study in Europe. Dominic took the fall for everything, thinking of my future.
That’s the kind of friendship that you’d die for. Now that I’ve established a small business overseas, the first thing I wanted to do was repay Dominic. This," he said, gesturing to Zoe, "is my gift to him."
As he spoke, Alexander feigned shedding a couple of crocodile tears, his arms still around Zoe.
"Ah, so that’s why we’ve never seen you before!"The young gang members suddenly understood.
"I’ve already called; Dominic is busy. If you’re not convinced, you can come up with me," Alexander said, about to walk up the stairs with Zoe in tow.
"Don’t worry, of course we trust you, boss! What are you talking about?" The young gang member, a sly one, said he trusted Alexander but then ran ahead, saying, "There are plenty of rooms upstairs; let me show you the way."
Once they were upstairs, a knock and a shout that Dominic’s classmate had arrived would settle any doubts. Alexander didn’t stop him; he feared that if he walked up alone, these two would immediately make calls to inquire. Having just one gang member with him would make it easier to act, even killing him would be a simple task.
They walked, one ahead, one behind. Zoe feigned dizziness, but inside, she was almost laughing at how easily Alexander’s web of lies had entangled them.
As they climbed the stairs and reached a blind spot out of sight from the gang members guarding the rooms above, Alexander was about to make his move. Suddenly, footsteps approached.
Pausing for a moment, Lei, covered in tattoos, appeared in their line of sight.
"Lei, what brings you down here?" The young gang member quickly paid his respects.
"Just came out for a smoke, heard some commotion; what’s going on?" Lei asked, frowning.
"Lei, Dominic’s old classmate is here, and he’s brought a gift—quite the prime selection!" The young gang member grinned, stepping aside to let them pass.
"Dominic’s classmate? Why does he look so young?"
Lei was taken aback as his gaze fell on Alexander and then quickly shifted to Zoe, his pupils narrowing sharply.
"Just came out for a smoke, heard some commotion; what’s going on?"Just then, a voice echoed from around the corner.
It was... Lei’s voice!
Sure enough, to Alexander’s utter astonishment, another man with tattoos on his arm emerged from around the corner of the staircase.
Duplicating had begun?
Alexander was puzzled; this shouldn’t be happening. It was not even 10 PM yet, almost ten hours before he was supposed to enter the cycle. He had entered the cycle the next morning, and upon doing so, had immediately discovered the duplicate.
According to the rules about duplicates, there were many ways they could be generated, and it was impossible to pinpoint the exact time duplication began.
Maybe Zoe got up in the night to use the restroom and sleepily glimpsed herself in the mirror. Perhaps she woke up, checked her phone, and saw her own reflection in its screen. Or maybe she simply turned over in bed and saw her own silhouette reflected in the window.
The appearance of a duplicate should be triggered by seeing one’s own reflection, but it didn’t require conscious acknowledgment. A mere accidental glance would suffice to initiate the duplication process.
Uncertain timing didn’t mean it could happen all night. Massive confusion started after Alexander woke up in the morning. Initially, upon discovering a duplicate, people wouldn’t immediately think it was a prank, hoax, or part of some reality show. Many might not even recognize their duplicates at first glance, finding them merely familiar.
And once duplicates were discovered, it wouldn’t immediately lead to a fight; there would be a process. However, that process wouldn’t last long, especially with so many desperados around.
Within an hour, maybe half an hour, or even just ten to fifteen minutes, disputes would escalate into physical fights. If duplication started at 11 PM and large-scale conflicts only broke out the next morning, what would people be doing in those intervening ten hours?
"Lei! Something’s wrong!"
Just then, a frantic voice from one of the gang members guarding the place echoed from behind. Two gang members, who were previously guarding the staircase, hastily ran up from below. The issue was that one of these gang members was just guiding Alexander upstairs moments ago.
Another duplication!
Alexander instinctively glanced at the smooth ceramic wall next to him, puzzled. The neat tiles, under bright lighting, could indeed reflect human figures, but did the gang member who was leading the way look at the wall?
"It’s happening again?"Zoe couldn’t pretend to be dazed anymore and quickly lifted her head. Both Leis looked at her, eyes widening in surprise.
"Oops," Zoe realized she had said too much and was about to explain.
"Ghost! It’s haunted!"
The scream of the gang member came from below.
Again?
Sure enough, two more gang members, another Alexander, another Zoe, and another Lei rushed up from below. Things were accelerating now; this time, the duplications were happening fast.
"Who the hell are you two? Why are you impersonating me?" The Lei upstairs glared at the two Leis below.
"That should be my line! What’s your purpose? Playing pranks on me? You asking for trouble?"
"Damn! This is spooky, really fucking spooky!" The Lei from downstairs drew a handgun from his pocket, angrily exclaiming:
"Who are you people? We were just talking here, heard some noise downstairs, went to look, and there are one or even multiple identical people everywhere! If this is some sort of prank show, it’s gone too far! I’ll chop the one responsible into pieces!"
Suddenly, all three Leis seemed to have the same thought and simultaneously turned their gaze toward Alexander and Zoe:"It must be you two causing all this!"
"Don’t you dare imitate me!" bellowed the middle Lei.
"It’s you two who are imitating me!" The upstairs Lei gripped his handgun tightly.
"Damn it! You two just wait. Let me figure out what’s going on first, then I’ll deal with you two imposters!" The Lei downstairs spoke, but his eyes were fixed intently on Alexander and Zoe.