Another Me in the World?!
Lu Yan lay on the outside of the bed; his thin pajamas didn't offer much physical warmth at this temperature.
But because Little Aemeath was clinging to him like a small stove, his body, which was made up of Frequency, felt an unprecedented sense of fullness.
Listening to the little girl's breathing gradually becoming even in his arms, Lu Yan's tense nerves slowly relaxed.
Previously, I was under a lot of mental stress, and seeing Aemeath from when she was a child made me feel so heartache and anxiety that it overwhelmed all my fatigue.
When everything settled down, drowsiness surged up like an unstoppable tide.
Lu Yan's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
He clung to his last shred of consciousness, tucking the hem of her dress, which was being tightly gripped by Little Aemeath, inside to make sure she wouldn't lose that sense of security as she tossed and turned in her sleep.
Then, he gently placed a kiss on Little Aemeath's forehead.
Goodnight, my little pink cat. Lu Yan murmured to himself.
Then he closed his eyes completely, letting his consciousness sink into a deep darkness.
Downstairs lobby.
The fireplace was still burning quietly, releasing a steady, dry heat that bathed the entire room in a warm, yellowish glow.
The Rover sat alone in front of the sofa.
She held the cup of tea, which had long since gone cold, but didn't drink it. Her eyes were fixed quietly on the flames, as if she were deep in thought.
After a long while, she placed the teacup on the table and slowly opened her right hand.
Above her palm, a faint, golden Frequency floated silently like a small flame.
This was a sliver of Frequency she had casually captured from Lu Yan when he rushed into the blizzard.
Each person's Frequency is unique, like the fingerprint of their soul.
The Rover has seen countless Frequency: Tacet Discord, Lament, resonances, and ordinary people.
But this particular golden Frequency gave her an extremely eerie, even somewhat absurd, feeling.
The Frequency wasn't strong; in fact, it could be described as weak and diffuse. Yet, its waveband evoked in her an indescribable... familiarity? Could it be someone from her hometown?
What exactly is he...?
The Rover frowned slightly, gently grasped, and put away that golden Frequency again.
She wasn't the type of person to keep her questions to herself.
Since you can't see through it yourself, then find someone who can.
The Rover stood up, walked to the workbench in the cabin, and skillfully entered a series of complex encrypted commands on the panel.
Accompanied by a slight crackling sound, a pale blue holographic projection appeared on the map of the Black Shores ahead.
The holographic projection flickered a few times, and then the Shorekeeper's projection appeared.
"At your service, Rover." The voice was clear and melodious, yet carried a rational, mechanical quality; it belonged to the Shorekeeper controlled the Tethys System on the Black Shores.
"Shorekeeper, can you help me check something?"
The Rover spoke calmly, as if he were giving an order for something utterly mundane.
She raised her hand and transmitted the Frequency data about Lu Yan that she had just analyzed directly to the Shorekeeper via the terminal.
"I found a strange Frequency on the Royan Frostlands today."
"Run this data through the Tethys System and see what it actually is."
The Rover added, "This Frequency makes me feel very uncomfortable... no, it feels very strange."
A brief silence fell over the Shorekeeper.
Only a soft beeping sound indicated that the Tethys System's massive computing power was conducting massive data comparisons.
The Tethys database encompasses almost all the Frequency records of Solaris from ancient times to the present.
After about half a minute, the data stream on the screen gradually subsided.
"Comparison complete."
The Shorekeeper's voice rang out again, still in that calm and collected tone, but what she said next stunned the Rover who was used to seeing great storms.
"Through in-depth logical analysis and tracing of the Tethys System, no completely matching entity record was found in the current Solaris database for the target Frequency's acoustic signature structure, energy conduction path, and core resonance frequency band."
"But..." The Shorekeeper's voice, which had been completely flat, seemed to falter slightly at this moment due to the results calculated by the Tethys System.
"Based on comparison and deviation calculation, the target Frequency overlaps with your frequency band by a rate of 99.99%."
The Rover's pupils contracted sharply.
"What did you say?!"
The Shorekeeper faithfully fulfilled his reporting duties, translating that shocking conclusion into a way that even Snowy Fluff Leopard could understand, using the most precise, rational, and straightforward language:
"To make it easier for you to understand, Rover, the other person's Frequency almost exactly the same as yours."
"You could say he is you in another gender. That is, you as a man."
"Huh?!" For the first time ever, the Rover's usually aloof and unflappable face showed a look of astonishment, even a hint of comicality.
She stood up abruptly from the sofa.
"Me, the other gender? The Shorekeeper, is there a bug in the Tethys System?"
The Rover thought this was the most absurd thing she had ever heard since arriving on the planet Solaris.
Today, a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wearing pajamas and barefoot, shivering in the snow. Then the Tethys System told her: Hey, that's the male version of you.
Who could stand this!
"The Tethys System is functioning perfectly, and the data comparison results are absolutely accurate."
The Shorekeeper's voice remained calm and composed, unmoved by the Rover's questions. She simply continued to supplement her analysis report as an absolutely rational observer:
"However, you don't need to be too bothered by this. Judging from the data, although the underlying strength is the same, the opponent's level of strength is far inferior to yours."
"Or rather, he is currently in a very weak state."
Several complex three-dimensional coordinate diagrams were projected holographically, and the Shorekeeper continued his report:
More importantly, the system detected strong spatial perturbations and dimensional repulsion responses at the target Frequency.
"He doesn't belong here, nor does he belong to this world. He's like a soul forcibly pulled here by some intense resonance."
"This state is unstable. He may disappear and return to his original place at any time due to the exhaustion of his Frequency."
Hearing this, the Rover's turbulent emotions gradually calmed down.
She sat back down on the sofa, squinting her eyes slightly as she recalled Lu Yan's heartfelt tenderness towards Little Aemeath, and his resolute determination to rush into the lake to save her, regardless of his own safety.
"It really does look like me." The Rover rubbed his temples and let out a long breath.
Regardless of whether this Lu Yan is her from a parallel world or a creation from another world, since he has no ill intentions, she can't be bothered to delve into it further.
Anyway, she'll send the little girl away after dawn, and this male version of herself will probably go back to where she came from.
"Understood. This analysis result is classified as top secret and cannot be opened without my authorization," the Rover instructed the Shorekeeper.
"Yes, sir. The file has been encrypted," the Shorekeeper replied.
"Thank you for your hard work, Shorekeeper."
The Rover prepared to cut off the communication, but just a second before hanging up, she seemed to remember something, and a look of headache flashed across her face.
"Also, keep a close eye on Tsubaki over the Black Shores."
Mentioning that name, the Rover's tone held a hint of helplessness, "Tell her to rest well and not to secretly run away to find me."
The Shorekeeper remained silent for a moment.
"Okay, sure."
"Whatever you need, I will do for you. The entire Black Shores will steadfastly carry out your will."
Communication cut off.
The pale blue holographic projection dissipated into specks of fluorescence in the air, Glimmering Lakeside Lodge was once again filled only with the sounds of wind, snow, and burning outside.
The Rover looked up towards the second floor.
"Another me...?"
She murmured something softly, then shook her head, returned to her bed in the corner of the first floor, slowly closed her eyes, and waited for the blizzard to subside.