Imitation

"Boss, one fried dough stick, two meat buns, and a bowl of tofu pudding."

Early that morning, before heading to the Sixth Mental Hospital, Xu Ye stopped at a breakfast shop not far from his apartment building.

"Coming right up, young man. Sweet or savory tofu pudding?" the owner asked.

"Spicy," Xu Ye said.

The owner said, "..."

Young people sure had strong tastes.

Xu Ye sipped his tofu pudding and munched on his fried dough stick.

The sun had yet to fully rise. Morning dew still clung to tender leaves, and a trace of coolness lingered in the air. There were few commuters on the street; most of the people out were early risers buying stock or setting up their stalls.

"Xu Ye, that creep's looking at you again. Meow, his gaze is so domineering. Why don't you just give in to him? I can dress you up as a girl," Alice suddenly said, rubbing her reddened feline eyes.

"Pah! Cut back on those romance novels."

With Alice's reminder, Xu Ye once again noticed the young man sitting across the street, also eating breakfast.

The young man had narrow features and fair, smooth skin.

When Xu Ye had first seen him, he had been refined and courteous, with a hint of nobility in his every gesture.

Now, however, the young man wore loose, casual clothes. Just like Xu Ye, he had put on a white T-shirt, black shorts, and a pair of white sneakers that day.

He rested one foot on the crossbar beneath the table as he drank his tofu pudding.

He's copying me.

The strange thought rose in Xu Ye's mind.

Xu Ye frowned, and the young man frowned.

He put down the fried dough stick in his hand, and the other man did the same.

Xu Ye picked up a meat bun, and the young man picked up a meat bun too.

"Xu Ye, this guy's imitating you. Could he be one of your stalker fans?" Alice asked, intensely curious.

Yet Xu Ye felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

It was as though he were facing a mirror.

Whatever movement he made, the other man copied it exactly. That alone was enough to send chills down his spine.

Suddenly, he stared at the man.

He stared at him unblinkingly.

The young man across the street tilted his head slightly, his narrow eyes likewise fixed on Xu Ye.

Xu Ye remained perfectly still.

He wanted to see just what the man intended to do.

People needed to blink.

Blinking was a physiological necessity. It spread the tear film evenly over the cornea and conjunctival tissue, keeping them moist, preventing the eyes from drying out, and supplying nutrients to the eye's surface.

Several minutes later, his eyes felt dry and bloodshot. Unable to outlast the other man, he had to blink.

"Fucking hell..."

He rubbed his eyes, and the man across from him rubbed his eyes too.

"Xu Ye, you're such an idiot," Alice mocked.

Just then, his heart began to writhe on its own.

[I encountered a strange man.]

[A week ago, he kept appearing on my way to work. At first, I paid him no attention.]

[Later, after running into him several days in a row, I thought my good looks had left him hopelessly smitten. I nodded at him, and he nodded back.]

[Only after a week did I realize that his earlier looks weren't admiring. More precisely, he was observing me.]

[After observing me, he began imitating me.]

[He imitated my movements, the way I ate and walked, my expressions, and even the way I picked my teeth.]

[His clothes and movements became increasingly like mine. Even his features began to bear some resemblance to mine.]

[My little heart pounded. With its reminder, I vaguely recalled that this seemed to be related to a Sequence Talent.]

[Sequence Talent 9-044: Mirror.]

[Observe you, imitate you, replace you, eliminate you.]

The string of information sent a sudden jolt of horror through Xu Ye.

He had never imagined he would encounter an Awakened here.

Who?

"A...lice, you... I... what's... going on?"

Xu Ye suddenly realized that his speech had begun to slow. Even his movements as he ate had become jerky and halting.

"I... don't... know... either..."

"Xu Ye... we... seem to... have been... caught..." Alice said at the same slow pace. "Oh... my... meowing... heavens... why... am I... like this... this is... so much fun..."

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Xu Ye's mind.

The other man was an Awakened.

And he wanted to control him.

This technique used imitation to gain control.

Perhaps next, Xu Ye would start following the young man's movements. Eventually, even his thoughts might fall under the man's control.

Danger!

"Quick... think of... something..."

"Why... did my heart... warn me... so late..."

"I'm... just... a cat... this isn't... an illusion... at all... Soul-Seizing... won't work..." Alice said anxiously.

In those few short seconds, Xu Ye felt his limbs begin to stiffen.

He looked across the street again. The young man was smiling at him with ill intent.

To break free, he had to make it impossible for the man to imitate him.

Xu Ye slowly put down his chopsticks.

With great difficulty, he placed both hands on his shorts.

The young man across from him did the same.

Then, before the man's dumbfounded eyes, Xu Ye pulled down his shorts in public.

The young man's face twitched. He was about to pull down his own shorts-he still had underwear underneath, after all.

He was only a little way from gaining control of Xu Ye.

But suddenly, he froze.

His eyes fixed on Xu Ye's lower body, because underneath, Xu Ye was wearing another pair of athletic shorts.

He was horrified.

What lunatic wears athletic shorts under athletic shorts?

What he did not know was that Xu Ye had been sweating too much during training lately. Being lazy, Xu Ye wore two pairs of athletic shorts to the team every day. He took one pair off first, then changed into the other once he was drenched in sweat.

Crack!

It sounded as though something had shattered.

The instant the man froze, Xu Ye's body rapidly returned to normal, and his limbs were no longer stiff.

He stood up at once, drew the [Final Sigh], and aimed the gun at the young man.

The young man looked briefly startled, but he did not panic. He stood and shrugged at Xu Ye. "Sorry, my friend. Just a little joke. I'm from Sky City, I..."

Bang!

Xu Ye did not listen to his excuses. He pulled the trigger.

The young man's expression stiffened.

People at the surrounding stalls and pedestrians passing by all began screaming and scattering in panic.

Crack, crack, crack!

The shot seemed to have struck a pane of glass.

The scene before Xu Ye's eyes shattered.

The next second, the young man appeared ten meters away.

He grinned at Xu Ye, narrowed his eyes, and crooked a finger at him, seemingly in provocation.

"No manners. It's rude to interrupt people."

His voice was low, yet it reached Xu Ye's ears with perfect clarity.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Xu Ye sneered and fired shot after shot. The space around the man kept shattering like a mirror, and his figure continually shifted from place to place.

"I'm off. I'll play with you again next time. Heh heh."

The young man snapped his fingers.

The air solidified, then shattered.

Each time he reappeared, he had teleported another ten meters forward.