I checked myself in the mirror and realized, damn it, that was *’s face! The dark, sallow cheeks, the pronounced masseter muscles, and that iconic little mustache—it was the * I knew so well.

I even touched the beard on my face; it felt distinctly prickly, clearly growing right there. “But this doesn’t make sense,” I thought.

“Did something go wrong when I traveled back from that bronze alchemy furnace, turning me into *? That’s too high-tech.” But that still didn't explain why there was another me standing right in front of me.

I couldn't figure out what was happening, but I knew that no matter how turbulent my inner world was right now, I couldn’t show it. Because if this version of me before my eyes was an enemy infiltrating the group, exposing myself now would benefit neither me nor anyone around me.

I handed the makeup kit back to Liang Qian and forced a smile. Liang Qian took the kit from me and finally spoke, “What’s wrong with you?

Old… Hu.” The pause when she called my name, carrying some implied meaning, startled me. “Could it be that Liang Qian knows the truth?

Or has she judged from my words and actions that I am not *?” I thought, but kept my expression neutral, simply saying, “Oh, nothing, I was just fighting with the monsters on the island, I don’t know if my face got hurt.” I knew that was a weak lie, and sure enough, the fake me laughed and asked, “What’s with you, *? I’ve never seen you so vain before.” I gave an awkward chuckle and looked around.

We were standing in the square we encountered first when ascending from the beach at Durban Village—a regular quadrilateral plaza surrounded by ancient-looking shops. This meant that their group hadn't penetrated deep into the island yet; they hadn't encountered the bizarre disappearing phenomena.

Seeing how clean their clothes were confirmed this for me. At the same time, I wasn't particularly resistant to being *’s identity anymore, because * was the first among us to venture deep into the ruins island.

If I told them now that the island was fraught with danger, and going deeper meant certain death, I could save the lives of Andre, Liang Qian, Da Xiong, and the others. So I lied again, saying, “There are terrifying monsters on this island, oh, the ones like half-human, half-fish mermaids.

There are hundreds of thousands of them, and they are incredibly drawn to the scent of blood. I was just checking if my face was injured; if I were bleeding, it would instantly trigger their frenzied pursuit.” “Hundreds of thousands?” Everyone exchanged glances, looking utterly incredulous.

I knew I had exaggerated a bit. While the ruins island wasn't small, having that many mermaids was impossible.

Fortunately, they knew about the vast subterranean city beneath the island, otherwise my lie wouldn't have held up at all. “I think we should go back and wait until the thick fog clears before coming again.

Andre was right; I was too eager and nearly lost my life. I don’t want you all to take such a risk,” I told the group.

I looked at Andre then, and he rolled his eyes with a look of blame toward the fake me. “I wondered why this guy, *, disappeared a few days ago.

So he made it to the island. Nie Chuan, you’ve got quite a few schemes up your sleeve.” The fake me laughed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head with ’s signature gesture.

“Well, I’m truly sorry, Mr. Andre.” “So what do we do now?

Do we listen to * and go back, or continue deeper?” Liang Qian interjected. Da Xiong stroked his chin and looked at me.

After a moment, he said, “, you’ve explored almost this entire island, right?” I nodded. “I’ve been to most places, except for the lighthouse.

But there’s probably nothing worth seeing there; it’s just a place for the Wu Cult to perform sacrifices. Many people died there; it’s extremely sinister.

I can tell you all the other information and data you want, so there’s no immediate need to land.” Da Xiong froze, then looked at me again, very seriously. I assumed he was about to ask some constructive question that I wouldn't be able to answer, which made me feel a bit guilty.

To my surprise, Da Xiong finally asked, “Then, are there any treasures?” I was so angry I almost spat blood and rolled my eyes. I thought for a moment.

For an island this large, if I told Da Xiong there were no treasures, he certainly wouldn't believe it. So I said, “Yes!

Plenty of treasures. On the first basement level of this island, there’s a hall cast in gold.

Every single column is made of gold, and you could chip off one gem and trade it for a Bugatti Veyron. But now is not the time to grab treasure.

When the fog clears, I’ll take you down to chip off a few pieces. We can lie around and eat for the rest of our lives, sleeping on piles of cash.” I figured * was the least likely among us to lie, so Da Xiong, predictably, believed me.

Although Da Xiong was greedy, he also understood the principle of not having money if you didn't have your life, so he wasn't anxious. He told the others, “Fine, I believe * for now.

We’ll come back next time. I’ve felt the atmosphere here is weird and inexplicably sinister; we won’t have a good time if we go up now.” I knew Da Xiong was the hardest one to convince.

As for the fake me, if he wanted to imitate me well, he would naturally mimic my caution, so he would certainly agree to turn back. Andre had already advocated for waiting until the fog cleared; this landing was forced upon him by us, so he would also be easy to persuade.

And Liang Qian always deferred to my judgment; if the fake me went back, she would go back too. Only Long Jia and Laurent would be trickier.

I personally witnessed Long Jia chanting and casting spells on the ship to thin the fog. At the time, I was eager to land, so I turned a blind eye.

But thinking about it now, she was also desperate to get onto the island, which is why she cast the spell. Plus, Xie Yuting, behind her, must have some plan too.

Laurent was here searching for his master. I knew Zoya was alive, so Laurent could probably smell her.

However, dealing with this person and this dog wouldn't be too difficult. As long as everyone left, I figured they would follow.

At that moment, the fake me spoke up, “Alright then. Actually, we were anxious to land mostly because we were worried about *’s safety.

Since * is safe and sound now, it’s fine to wait a while longer before going onto the island.” Hearing him say that, I finally relaxed and said, “Good. Since it’s not dark yet, let’s hurry back now; it will be more dangerous once the sky darkens.” As I spoke, I kept watching Long Jia.

After understanding her disposition, I no longer harbored the same level of wariness toward her. Unexpectedly, after listening to me, Long Jia turned away without saying anything.

The group started walking back. While answering various questions from Da Xiong and the others, I kept an eye on Laurent’s direction.

Actually, I wouldn’t have minded if he stayed on the island, because Zoya was still alive, and maybe he could find her if he stayed. I figured those 'true gods' and similar beings probably wouldn’t bother a dog.

Otherwise, Zoya's dog wouldn't have survived this long. But I was wrong again this time.

Laurent just stood there barking a few times after watching us all turn back, and then immediately followed us. On the way down, I recounted everything I had seen.

Of course, I did so in *’s identity, so I omitted my own experiences entirely, including the time travel and meeting the Atlanteans. Most of the group looked astonished, except for Long Jia, who showed no expression.

However, after I finished speaking, Long Jia hurriedly asked, “Then, did you bring back anything that records the Wu language script?” I shrugged. “My backpack was lost midway, so I didn’t bring anything out.” I actually wanted to say that if my backpack hadn't been lost, I would have brought out that charred piece of his corpse for you to see.

Thinking of this, I shook my head in frustration. As I was thinking, Long Jia looked at my face with a strange expression.

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