Darkness.
Absolute darkness.
No lights.
No rain.
Even the feeling of air moving had completely vanished.
The entire street felt as though it had been violently cut out of reality itself.
—
Lin Wan stood frozen in place.
Afraid to move.
Because she could feel it.
Something—
was standing directly behind her.
Very close.
So close it was almost pressed against her back.
Yet she heard no breathing.
Felt no warmth.
Only a freezing coldness crawling slowly up her spine.
—
"Don't turn around."
Captain Zhang's voice came from somewhere deep within the darkness.
Low.
Shaking slightly.
"It's… identifying you right now."
—
Identifying.
The word instantly sent numbness through Lin Wan's scalp.
Then suddenly—
she realized something horrifying.
Her shadow was gone.
But on the ground—
another person's shadow had appeared.
—
The shadow was long and stiff.
Standing silently beside her feet.
But it did not belong to her.
Because that shadow—
was slowly raising its hand.
While Lin Wan herself had not moved at all.
—
An icy terror exploded through her body.
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself not to turn around.
But human instinct could never truly be suppressed.
The more forbidden something became—
the stronger the urge to look.
—
"Who is it?"
Lin Wan's voice was barely audible.
In the darkness,
Captain Zhang fell silent for several seconds.
Then he spoke words that froze the air itself.
"It's not a 'who.'"
"It's the version of you that comes after replacement."
—
BOOM.
Lin Wan's mind went completely blank.
Then—
the shadow at her feet slowly lifted its "head."
It had no face.
No features.
Yet she could clearly feel—
it was staring directly at her.
—
"The system has already started generating your replacement in advance," Captain Zhang said quietly.
"When someone is fully locked onto, the shadow version is created first."
"And when the time comes…"
"the real you gets reclaimed."
—
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps suddenly echoed through the darkness.
Not one pair.
Many.
Countless slow, stiff, synchronized footsteps approaching from every direction.
—
Lin Wan slowly raised her head.
And instantly—
her breathing stopped.
People.
Shapes were emerging from the darkness.
One.
Ten.
Hundreds.
Standing silently across the street.
At the convenience store entrance.
In the middle of the road.
Under bus stops.
Behind rain shelters.
All of them lowered their heads.
Soaking wet.
As though they had just crawled out of deep water.
—
And worst of all—
every single one of them had no face.
—
Smooth pale skin covered their entire heads.
No eyes.
No nose.
No mouth.
Like unfinished human mannequins.
—
But beneath them—
their shadows were perfectly normal.
Those shadows twitched slightly.
Like living creatures.
—
"Don't let them touch you!"
Captain Zhang suddenly shouted hoarsely.
"They're not substitutes!"
"They're—"
—
Before he could finish—
every faceless figure raised its head at the exact same time.
Though they had no eyes,
Lin Wan could still feel it—
hundreds of freezing, invisible gazes locking onto her instantly.
—
The next second—
every shadow detached from the ground.
—
BOOM!!
The entire street erupted into chaos!
Black shadows surged forward like a tidal wave!
Crawling rapidly across the pavement,
they twisted like countless grotesque creatures,
swallowing the street whole!
—
Lin Wan staggered backward.
But suddenly—
she realized her feet would not move.
—
The moment she looked down,
every drop of blood in her body turned to ice.
A pale hand—
was slowly resting on her shoulder
from the darkness behind her.
—
The thing standing behind her—
had finally touched her.
—
An icy breath drifted close to her ear.
And then—
a voice identical to her own whispered softly:
"My turn now."