Since We're Classmates

The boy walked towards his apartment.

This morning, he was woken up from his dream by his alarm clock.

Returning to reality from the 'dream'.

Recalling the scenes that unfolded around ' Jiao Shensan '.

Exciting, fun...

Sin, bloodshed...

The Metaverse, born from high technology, fully interprets human nature.

Before that.

The boy never realized that human nature is like this; it is all cloaked in harmony.

I stared at the alarm clock in front of me.

In this era, it's an old relic, square and boxy, with a large solid-state screen that needs charging every 48 hours. It has an internal electronic chip that can keep precise time... It seems to have other functions, but nobody uses them.

In the old days.

This thing seems to be called... iPhone?

That's it.

Each time, it awakens me from the thrilling and exciting Metaverse.

The boy was quite interested.

I wrote a note and stuck it on the alarm clock, "The Ultimate Terminator."

I.

He's still a proper student.

Looking back on those five hours of campus life today.

The boy smiled helplessly.

He had just entered the classroom when he saw Jiu Zhengxuan, still dressed in a white suit, standing ramrod straight at the door.

The boy squinted and looked at him.

Suddenly, Jiu Zhengxuan said, "Qin Yiguan, I apologize. It was all a misunderstanding."

The boy was inexplicably moved.

This guy isn't as unreasonable as he seems.

But then Jiu Zhengxuan forced a smile onto his otherwise upright face. "Since we're all classmates, we should trust each other. Do you mind if I look through your bag?"

"..."

The boy smiled calmly and slowly handed over his schoolbag.

I just got back to my seat.

Jiu Zhengxuan appeared behind Qin Yiguan like a ghost.

"We're all classmates, do you mind if I take a look at your e-textbook?"

The boy politely handed over his textbook.

Lunchtime.

"We're all classmates, why aren't you eating lunch?"

"I'm wearing a holographic helmet right now, so it can't capture my body's hunger data, unlike you, who have the desire to eat."

"We're all classmates, why don't you go to the bathroom?"

"I'm wearing a holographic helmet right now, so it can't collect information about needing to urinate. I'll go to the real world to pee after school."

"We're all classmates, why did you have to pee in real life?"

"Because I need to pee."

"We're all classmates, why do you need to pee?"

Because I am a person.

"We're all classmates, why are you acting like a person?"

"Jiu Zhengxuan, stop playing dumb. You want me to interact with you because there are many Verification Section personnel hiding outside the building, and you're still collecting my data."

--"goodbye."

Shangguan Xiaotao, sitting in the front row, was as usual. During class breaks, she would frequently turn around and glance at the boy for a moment before pretending to be nonchalant, gently tucking her hair back and sitting up straight.

The boy stared at the retreating figure.

She is very beautiful.

She's also very gentle.

Why does she like me?

In that instant, a figure in a white suit suddenly appeared between the boy and Shangguan Xiaotao's line of sight.

"We're all classmates, so I'm laying it all out. The second body comparison requires more dynamic information, and we're still 0.2% short. Please cooperate and raise your hand."

The boy raised his hand and simultaneously extended his middle finger.

Recalling Jiu Zhengxuan.

Several words popped into the boy's mind: this guy is straightforward, righteous, persistent, and naive, but he hides great strength.

late at night.

Inside a luxurious mansion on Core Earth the Metaverse.

Jiu Zhengxuan stood in his private study.

There were at least a hundred virtual windows lit up in mid-air.

His body was surrounded by countless virtual keyboards.

He was no longer the simple-minded man he was during the day; instead, he squinted his eyes and looked wise.

"The second dynamic comparison of Qin Yiguan failed again..."

"From a technical standpoint, it's 100% certain that he is not the masked figure from the Research Society."

"But."

Is there a way in this world to mimic others?

He made a swipe in the air, and the virtual keyboard began to slowly rotate.

Jiu Zhengxuan swung his hands, his ten fingers flying across the keyboard in front of him at an astonishing speed.

Data was rapidly refreshing across hundreds of virtual screens, appearing overwhelmingly.

Countless characters flashed through Jiu Zhengxuan's Pupil.

For an ordinary person...

This kind of data refresh can only leave you with one feeling: dizzy, your brain explodes, and you're completely bewildered.

Not to mention, the current Jiu Zhengxuan can multitask, controlling dozens of virtual keyboards simultaneously.

The data in the air was increasing rapidly, and the refresh rate was getting faster and faster. Jiu Zhengxuan was changing keyboards and typing at a speed that was almost like a blur.

"Wrong..."

"Wrong..."

"That's not it!"

"Etc!"

Suddenly, a scene froze, rapidly magnified, and appeared before Jiu Zhengxuan.

"Imitative personality?"

Jiu Zhengxuan narrowed his eyes, and in the next instant, information about mimicry personality disorder rushed through him like a waterfall. In a short moment, he had it all figured out.

"Wrong..."

'Really, 9% of people possess this kind of latent personality?'

"The 'imitative personality' trait is too weak."

"It's not enough to fool the Verification Section."

The data continued to flash in a deluge.

A highly confidential and niche document appeared before Jiu Zhengxuan.

--Shadow Syndrome?

"Mental illness..."

"The ultimate version of the mimicry personality."

"A disease that exists only in the most hypothetical scenario has a probability of...0, because there are no real cases."

"Even the number of people who know about it is less than 200?"

"Syndrome..."

"A medical term referring to a comprehensive condition where certain diseases present with multiple clinical features, including symptoms, states, phenomena, and a combination of all bodily organs such as the five senses, internal organs, and limbs."

"'Disease' is a disease."

"A 'group' means everyone working together."

"And 'shadow'... means 'other person'."

"A disease that allows one to mimic another person's entire body and all their physical state!"

Jiu Zhengxuan suddenly realized, then his eyes flashed as he continued reading other information about the Shadow Syndrome.

'Patients with this condition...'

First, you need to thoroughly understand all the information about the person being imitated.

'To begin imitation, you must first immerse yourself in the environment... For example, if you want to imitate a beggar, first in your mind, transform the surrounding environment into a cold street, with dirty newspapers slowly drifting by in the wind...'

You're barefoot, your feet are covered in dirt and wounds, they're frozen stiff and about to rot...

'Your brain's potential is activated; extreme hunger and weakness permeate your entire body...'

Jiu Zhengxuan watched quietly, his face illuminated by the blue light, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

A mansion of this caliber.

The host family is either very wealthy or of high status.

However, in some aspects, there are also settings that return to simplicity.

For example, the servants here.

They will not be stupid and dull robots; they will be true Half-Humans, possessing their own emotions, insights, and attentiveness.

They can provide more personalized and attentive service to their owners.

now.

A maid, around 50 years old and still half asleep, was awakened by the noise upstairs.

It's so late, is the young master still in the study?

No wonder, the young master has been in closed training for 18 years and has just come out, so he must be full of curiosity about this world.

The maid's Auntie Lan, and she had served the Lu Family for 35 years.

She slowly went upstairs, listened for a while through the study door, and gently knocked, saying, "Young Master, it's getting late. Studying is important, but it also needs to be done in moderation. You must rest."

"Young Master?"

Auntie Lan called out.

The Ninth Young Master is usually very polite and treats all the servants like family. The servants have never felt any distance from him.

now.

Auntie Lan didn't care about the distinction between master and servant.

The young master's health is important; he must get some rest.

Click.

Auntie Lan pushed open the door.

The room was dimly lit, with only a table lamp on.

A tall and strong figure stood with his back turned.

The figure stood with hands behind his back, exuding an imposing aura. He slowly reached out, picked up a paper book, and quietly began to read.

The next moment.

The tall figure slowly turned around.

He was wearing a Zhongshan suit. Although his face was covered with wrinkles and his temples had some gray hair, his face was sculpted like a knife and axe. Although he could not hide the marks of time, it was clear that he had experienced many storms and had a steady and imposing presence.

Auntie Lan trembled, immediately bowed, and said nervously, "I'm sorry, Master Lu, I'm so sorry... I didn't know it was you. This is the young master's study, I thought..."

"Auntie Lan?"

But it was a boy's voice that came through.

The maid, Auntie Lan, felt a little dizzy. Was that... the young master's voice?

She looked up again and rubbed her eyes.

"Ninth Young Master?"

The maid breathed a sigh of relief. "I startled Auntie Lan. I must be getting old and my eyesight is failing me. I mistook you for Grandpa, young master. Oh dear, what a joke! You two are so different in size, how could I possibly mistake you?"

Auntie Lan patted her chest, still shaken, and said, "If that really was Grandpa, I wouldn't have dared to push open the door without his permission... Oh dear, even if I had eight lives, I wouldn't have dared!"

But Jiu Zhengxuan slowly closed the book in his hands, smiling quietly, "Father isn't that scary."

Immediately.

Auntie Lan asked with concern, "Young Master, it's 3 a. m., have you finished your homework?"

Jiu Zhengxuan nodded slowly, his expression flickering. "That's about it."

Auntie Lan scolded, "Then why don't you rest and get some rest so you can face new challenges!"