When this “Chen Junnan” walked in, everyone’s expressions changed.
He didn’t appear injured at all—his condition was excellent. Seeing everyone staring at him, even he felt a little embarrassed.
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Why are you all staring at me? Am I that handsome?”
The injured Chen Junnan slowly widened his eyes, his face drained of color, but he quickly understood. “A… ‘transformation’?” he muttered. “Xiao Chu… You’re using such a crude trick against me?”
The Chen Junnan at the door froze slightly at the sound of his voice and turned to look at the injured one.
“Huh…?”
When their eyes met, both were clearly stunned.
“You… what…?” The one at the door pointed at the injured Chen Junnan, his expression dazed. “What the hell? Isn’t this… me?”
The injured Chen Junnan frowned, feeling his breath grow ragged. “You… still pretending?”
“Me?” The one at the door blinked. “Pretending? Who the hell are you?”
Jin Yuanxun ignored the two, placing the bundle he had brought before Chu Tianqiu, then leaned in and whispered, “Brother, this guy suddenly appeared in the basement just now…”
“Yeah, I know.” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “No need to explain.”
Jin Yuanxun also nodded and stepped back behind Chu Tianqiu.
“You ask who I am?” The injured Chen Junnan gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain as he staggered to his feet. “You really wanna play this ‘True and False Monkey King’ game with me, huh?”
The one at the door took a few steps forward. “What the hell are you talking about? Are you the Six-Eared Macaque or something?”
They stared at each other, both feeling an odd sense of unease.
“No need to argue.” Chu Tianqiu smiled, cutting off the confrontation. “Both of you are real.”
“What?”
The room fell silent. The two Chen Junnans turned to look at him.
“My apologies,” Chu Tianqiu said to the injured Chen Junnan with a grin. “Earlier, I deliberately accused you of being a fake. Don’t take it to heart.”
“You… what do you mean?” the injured Chen Junnan asked. “Where… where did you even get this thing…?”
He pointed at the “himself” in front of him, his expression twisted with complexity.
“Of course, it’s ‘Echo,'” Chu Tianqiu said with a laugh. “Everyone, I’ve temporarily mastered a way to make you all immortal.”
“Immortal…?”
“This Chen Junnan,” Chu Tianqiu gestured to the one at the door, “was created using a certain ‘Echo’ ability.”
“Xiao Chu, do you even hear yourself?” The Chen Junnan at the door scowled. “You’re saying I was created by you?”
“Don’t get worked up.” Chu Tianqiu chuckled. “This ability creates a completely new version of you—like cloning. There might be slight gaps in your memories, so I suggest you two communicate and sync up.”
“What…?” Both Chen Junnans frowned. “You’re saying… we’re both real?”
Yun Yao, Yan Zhichun, and Xu Qian scrutinized the two. Apart from their injuries and physical conditions, they looked absolutely identical—their mannerisms, speech patterns, everything. Neither seemed fake.
“What? Nothing to say?” Chu Tianqiu turned to the injured Chen Junnan. “If not, then you can die in peace now. Another Chen Junnan will take your place. You’re useless. Just die quietly.”
The injured Chen Junnan stared helplessly, his face blank with shock.
He had never felt like this before. At the brink of death, for the first time, he desperately wanted to live.
He knew, deep down, that the person who looked exactly like him wasn’t him. Even if they were identical in every way—even if their memories were the same—he just wasn’t himself.
“No… that’s not right…” Chen Junnan trembled as he reached out, grabbing Yun Yao’s arm. “Big… big star… this isn’t right, is it? I’m me… he’s him… You can’t just abandon me like this… can you?”
Yun Yao could clearly sense his despair, but there was nothing she could do.
The old Chen Junnan was destined to die. The new one was destined to live.
“Chen… Chen Junnan… you…” Her lips quivered for a long moment before she finally forced out a weak reassurance. “You’ll be fine…”
“Fine?! What the hell do you mean ‘fine’?!” Chen Junnan shouted with all his strength, then pointed at his doppelgänger. “Him… you all…”
He struggled to find the words but ultimately said nothing.
“So… I’m just dead weight now?” Chen Junnan lowered his head, gasping for breath. His body felt ice-cold, his head spinning. He had died countless times before, so why did this feel so unbearable?
“Such a tyrannical ability…” Chu Tianqiu mused with a smile. “No wonder I was so determined to make you awaken your ‘Echo’…”
Seeing Chen Junnan’s anguish, Yun Yao turned to Chu Tianqiu in fury. “What the hell have you done?”
“Like I said—I used the lives of all ‘Paradise’ members to forge a new path.” Chu Tianqiu spread his hands. “From now on, none of you need to fear death.”
“And this is how?!” Yun Yao pointed at the two Chen Junnans. “You discard a dying teammate and just create a new ‘copy’?!”
“What’s wrong with that?” Chu Tianqiu countered. “Ask that lively Chen Junnan over there—does he think he’s fake? Aside from missing today’s memories, is he not Chen Junnan in every way?”
The Chen Junnan at the door bristled again. “What the hell are you even saying…? How dare you claim you created me?”
“But this is wrong!” Yun Yao insisted. “This… it feels…”
“Unethical?” Chu Tianqiu grinned. “We’re back to the 1960s, debating whether clones are ‘tools,’ ‘animals,’ or real ‘people,’ huh?”
“It’s the exact same question…” Yun Yao murmured, dazed. “This ability is too disturbing. If we rely on it to escape…”
“That’s why I say you’re selfish.” Chu Tianqiu took out his glasses from his shirt pocket and put them on. “You revive the same way every time you die—through replication. But now that I’m replicating someone while they’re still alive, suddenly it’s unethical?”
“I…”
Old Lü and Auntie Tong, who had been silent until now, exchanged uneasy glances. This ability felt dangerous. Even if they didn’t know how Chu Tianqiu obtained it, if teammates could be copied at will, “Paradise” would descend into chaos before they ever escaped.
And even if all the copies obeyed orders—who could guarantee how many would leave? Would the ones who escaped even be the originals?
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