The voice faded, and the person vanished.
Seeing this, the copies that had been following her quickly fled, leaving Zhan Ying utterly bewildered.
She looked at the place where her "companions" had disappeared, then at the people opposite her. After a moment's hesitation, she walked over.
"Zhan Ying," Shen Yu exclaimed in surprise, "You're alright!"
"What's wrong with me?" Zhan Ying asked, utterly confused. "I should be asking what's wrong with you. Earlier, in the corridor, you all just disappeared as we were walking. I couldn't find anyone and wandered around for ages before running into Miss Jiang. What in the world is going on?"
Shen Yu didn't answer. Instead, he cupped her face in his hands and examined it intently. "So it's true."
"What's true or false?"
"Your mole is on the left side."
Zhan Ying instinctively touched the mole by her outer eye and smiled. "It's always been on the left. You didn't know that after all this time?"
Shen Yu then began to explain what had happened.
Zhan Ying immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "You're saying someone exactly like me took my place?"
"Not a person. Miss Jiang said they have no souls, just copies created by the mirror."
Whether they had souls or not, whether they were real people or not, the thought of an identical copy taking her place beside her friends terrified Zhan Ying.
If they hadn't had Zhu Zhen in their group, would that imposter have completely replaced her, even trying to kill her?
She would die alone in obscurity, while her friends and companions, unaware, would treat the fake as her...
"Hiss!"
"Scared?"
Zhan Ying shot him a glare. "If it were you, wouldn't you be scared?"
Shen Yu hugged his arms tightly. "You know, before, when we went out to dispose of that fake's body, we were knocked out by our own copies. If Miss Jiang hadn't been so capable, we'd really be finished this time."
Zhan Ying looked relieved as well.
"By the way, Miss Jiang, her copy, why does it feel different from ours?"
The copies of them possessed all their consciousness and ways of thinking, aiming to imitate and replace them.
But Zhu Zhen's copy had no intention of hiding and causing trouble; it went head-on.
"How is it different? Isn't it the same as her?" Shen Yu asked, unsure if he was comforting himself or teasing. "She's also fearless, and that fake copied her perfectly."
Zhan Ying: "..."
After the person ran off, Jian Yan quickly went to check on Zhu Zhen.
He kept fussing over her, "Let me see, are you alright? Why did you fight her? And why didn't you use your weapon? You almost got killed by her."
Zhu Zhen held his hand and reached up to ruffle his hair. "I wouldn't."
They were one entity. She could only return, and it was impossible for either to kill the other.
"Stop pulling my hair," Jian Yan said, relaxing now that he was sure she was unharmed. He looked at the sword stuck in the distance. "I'll go get it for you."
"No need," Zhu Zhen pulled him and turned to leave, showing no intention of retrieving the sword.
"Hey, don't pull me! That sword is so powerful, why don't you want it? Stop pulling me, stop pulling me..."
Zhu Zhen pushed him backward into the wall. As expected, they once again fell into it, entering another space.
She pressed him against the wall, pulled down his neck, and kissed him, instantly silencing the incessantly chattering man, who could only stare at her with wide eyes.
"Mmm..."
The last instance had ended, and the game instance had even collapsed due to her actions. Jian Yan had no memory of what happened before and forgot about needing to breathe.
His heart beat uncontrollably, even though he shouldn't have a heartbeat at all.
The overwhelming emotions made him lose control. Maintaining the last shred of lucidity, he pushed her away, his large eyes wide with shock.
"Forgot?"
Jian Yan looked at her, his eyes misty and confused. "Forgot what?"
Zhu Zhen looked at his fair, tender face and his pair of watery eyes. Their appearances might be different, but their souls and gazes were too familiar.
So familiar that with just one glance, she could confirm it was him.
"It's nothing." It seemed he had forgotten.
Seeing her look disappointed that she didn't want to answer, Jian Yan immediately remembered her kissing him and became very unhappy. "Who let you kiss me?"
She didn't answer, just looked at him.
"Say something, why are you looking at me?"
"I want to ask you something."
Her gaze softened, filled with affection, making Jian Yan's face blush.
"What?"
"Where are you?"
Jian Yan was startled.
But he dared not tell the truth, so he vaguely retorted, "Aren't I right here? What nonsense are you talking about?"
"No, you know what I'm talking about," Zhu Zhen's voice held a hint of seduction. "Be good, tell me, let me find you, and we can be together forever."
"...Blood Moon, City... I don't know what you're talking about?"
Jian Yan suddenly pushed her away and ran out. When Zhu Zhen chased after him, she only saw a few people standing aimlessly in the corridor.
"Where did he go?"