The Hand of Confession – Chapter 371

Volume 11: The Days of Traversing Through the Mirror

Real or Fake

Who is real? Who is fake?

Shen Maomao was numb.¹

She looked at that rope and asked, “How can you prove the rope is yours?”

Peng Xiaorui surprisingly did have a way to prove it: “There’s a simple drawing of a cherry blossom on the thicker end; you’ll see it once you get down. Plus, the moment she took it out, the ‘Retrieve’ option in my item inventory lit up.”

Shen Maomao: “Uh…”

She was starting to panic.²

Could this Lou Jingmo really be a fake?

She remembered the figure who had shielded her from danger at the first opportunity, and the hand that had rested on her head. It was hard to believe.

Could the creatures from the mirror really fake even affection so perfectly?

“Maybe… she got the rope from the security guard? Can the impostors from the mirror use system items?”

“I know you might find this hard to believe,” Peng Xiaorui said understandingly. “Let’s go down first. We don’t want to beat the grass and startle the snake³; I’ll find a chance to test her again. If all else fails, we’ll knock her out and see if she bleeds.”

Shen Maomao: “…I’d advise you to drop that dangerous idea.” Given Lou Jingmo’s combat prowess, if she turned out to be the real one, I’m afraid I’d never see Peng Xiaorui again.

Peng Xiaorui clearly wasn’t listening. She urged, “Let’s go. You go down first, I’ll cover our rear.”

Shen Maomao didn’t waste time with pleasantries either. She climbed onto the windowsill, kicked off the wall, and slid down. The rope scraped her palms, making them burn.

Lou Jingmo had been waiting below for some time. When Shen Maomao landed steadily, she gave her an unreadable smile. “What took you so long? What were you two talking about?”

Feeling quite guilty, Shen Maomao didn’t dare to meet her eyes. “Oh, nothing. The rope was a little loose, so we retied it.”

As she spoke, she ran her hand to the end of the rope. There was a small metal cap, and on its base, there was indeed a rough, uneven indentation. To the touch—it felt like a cherry blossom.

Shen Maomao’s heart went cold.

Once the seed of doubt was planted, everything this Lou Jingmo did seemed suspicious.

Come to think of it, compared to shielding me, that dog bitch⁴ Lou Jingmo was more inclined to shove me out in front, right?

But couldn’t Lou Jingmo have had a change of heart?! Besides, Lou Jingmo used to do that because she didn’t like me and I had a second life. Why would the current Lou Jingmo treat me like that?!

Even as she said it, Shen Maomao didn’t believe it herself.

That dog bitch Lou Jingmo, once she confirmed she was strong enough to handle the danger, would absolutely drag me out for a good scare. Who knew what kind of sick sense of humor she had…

The situation just now wasn’t even that dangerous; I could have dodged it on my own. And Lou Jingmo had said she wouldn’t intervene in this instance unless my life was in danger—thinking about it that way, the person in front of me seems even more suspicious.

But Peng Xiaorui might not be real either. Everything I know about the impostors comes from Peng Xiaorui. If Peng Xiaorui is lying to me, what am I supposed to do?

If Lou Jingmo is the fake, why would she expose such an obvious giveaway like the rope?

Between these two, who is real? Or are they both fake? Am I even real??

Shen Maomao started to doubt herself.

A night breeze blew past, sending willow catkins flying right into her nostrils and making her sneeze uncontrollably.

Lou Jingmo asked with concern, “Cold?”

Shen Maomao shook her head. “No, it’s the catkins.”

Could a Lou Jingmo who is this concerned about me be a fake?

Peng Xiaorui slid all the way down the rope and asked, “What about this rope?”

Lou Jingmo: “It’s fine. I can retrieve it directly.”

Shen Maomao’s heart skipped a beat. She shot Peng Xiaorui a look.

Peng Xiaorui caught her meaning, her expression turning grave.

If the impostors can also use items, it will be even harder to tell them apart.

Shen Maomao glanced at her own item inventory and figured she must be the real one. As for whether Lou Jingmo and Peng Xiaorui were real or fake, as long as neither of them threatened her life, she decided to be an ostrich. She’d just lay low for as long as possible.

Lou Jingmo said, “Let’s find a place to wait for dawn and exchange information.”

Shen Maomao remembered the key she had buried by the entrance. “I’ll go get the key first. It’s right over there, wait for me.” With that, she ran to the entrance, crouched down, and started digging for the key.

Peng Xiaorui and Lou Jingmo both stood still, separated by at least a few meters. Lou Jingmo watched Shen Maomao, while Peng Xiaorui watched Lou Jingmo. No one spoke. The only sounds were the various howls and moans from Building 18, which at first listen sounded like a living hell, utterly terrifying.

A moment later, Shen Maomao ran back with the key, breaking the suffocating silence. “Let’s go. Do you guys know anywhere safer?”

Neither of the other two spoke.

Shen Maomao added, “We can’t just stand here in the cold wind. Why don’t we check the buildings next to us? Building 18 is so noisy, but there’s no sound at all from next door. They’re probably empty.”

Lou Jingmo nodded. “Okay.”

Peng Xiaorui followed up, “Building 17, then?”

Shen Maomao: “Sure.”

The three of them turned and walked toward Building 17. Like Building 18, its lights were off and the main door was unlocked, as if waiting to lure them into a trap.

No surprises awaited them inside. Building 17 was truly empty. There wasn’t a single sound or a shadow of a person. They walked around the first floor a few times and found that every dorm room door was unlocked. Each room was completely bare, without any furniture or decorations—just a simple, square box, as if the creators couldn’t be bothered to model it properly.

After checking the entire first floor, the three of them chose a dorm room near the middle to rest.

It was already past three in the morning, and they finally had a moment to rest. The enclosed room felt much safer than the open outdoors. As soon as she relaxed, Shen Maomao felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her, making her want to sleep.

But now was obviously not the time for sleeping, because Peng Xiaorui was already rubbing her hands together, ready for a debrief. “So, should we talk about what we each encountered?”

Lou Jingmo said, “Before that, don’t you want to take care of the wound on your head?”

Shen Maomao: “?!” What wound?!

She and Peng Xiaorui had been on the run for so long, and I hadn’t even noticed she had a wound on her head!

Hearing this, Peng Xiaorui touched her head. When she brought her hand back to look, it was covered in a startling splash of red.

She said nonchalantly, “It’s nothing, just a scratch. I won’t die. More importantly, how did you find us?”

Lou Jingmo said impassively, “It seems we entered at slightly different times and in different locations. When I opened my eyes, I was already in front of the building and happened to see your two suspicious-looking backs.” She glanced at Peng Xiaorui. “What about you?”

Peng Xiaorui: “We spawned in the academic building. We managed to snatch the security guard’s key, ran into some monsters along the way, and fled back here.”

Lou Jingmo asked, “Do you have any thoughts on the plot?”

Shen Maomao propped her chin on her hand and looked at her. “Nope. I’m getting a little sleepy.”

Lou Jingmo patted the empty space beside her. “Come lean on me and sleep?”

Shen Maomao: “Forget it, I’m heavy. You guys talk. I’ll just close my eyes and rest for a bit.” With that, she wrapped her clothes tightly around herself and prepared to lie down on the floor.

Peng Xiaorui, hating that iron could not become steel⁵, gave her a light kick on the shin. With Lou Jingmo there, she couldn’t say much more, so she could only continue to probe Lou Jingmo, waiting to see who would slip up first.

Shen Maomao closed her eyes, listening to them spar verbally, her mind never stopping its work.

If Peng Xiaorui is real, then what she said should also be true: players bleed, the impostors from the mirror don’t. By that logic, the current Peng Xiaorui must be real.

If Peng Xiaorui is fake, then the blood is just a cover. It would mean the mirror impostors can bleed too, but none of that can prove whether Lou Jingmo is real or fake.

The situation now is that I have no reliable way to judge and can only rely on a vague feeling. Normally, my intuition is a very useful tool, but when it comes to someone I’m close to, my concern clouds my judgment, making it difficult to be certain.

Shen Maomao asked herself: You can’t even tell the real Lou Jingmo apart? Are you even worthy of her?

Lost in thought, she suddenly felt a weight settle on her as someone draped their clothes over her.

The clothes carried a familiar scent, which made her nose tingle inexplicably. She fought back the urge to cry.

This was why she hated these guessing-game instances the most. They were enough to make you go bald.⁶

She stopped thinking about these hair-pulling problems and turned her thoughts to other things:

Why did Wu Mei’s body appear in the mirror world? She and the newbie always stick together, so where is the newbie now?

Zhan Xin was ostracized by her classmates for stealing. At first, I thought she had been framed, but judging by the direction of her mutation, that doesn’t seem to be the case—after all, doesn’t “three hands”⁷ just mean a thief?

And Wu Huiling, did what happened to her occur before or after her HIV test? And what scared her to death?

In a daze, she actually fell asleep. When she was shaken awake again, the sky was already bright. Sunlight streamed through the window, warming her skin. She stood up and stretched, her bones cracking loudly—proof of just how uncomfortable last night’s sleep had been.

The person who woke her was Lou Jingmo. Peng Xiaorui was lying next to her, head tilted, sleeping soundly and even drooling a little.

Shen Maomao asked, “What time is it?”

Lou Jingmo: “Eight in the morning.”

Shen Maomao glanced at her, then stuck out her leg and nudged Peng Xiaorui with her foot. “Hey, wake up, the sun’s on your butt⁸.”

Peng Xiaorui groggily opened her eyes, then shot up. “HOLY CRAP! HOW DID I FALL ASLEEP?!”

Shen Maomao: “Beats me.”

Peng Xiaorui stretched. “It’s morning. We should go get something to eat.”

Shen Maomao was speechless. “Are you serious? You’re still in the mood to eat at a time like this?”

Peng Xiaorui: “Aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m hungry, sure… but who knows if eating the food here will get us stuck here forever?”

Peng Xiaorui realized she had a point and rubbed her stomach mournfully. “So we’re not going to eat or drink all day? I’m so hungry…”

Shen Maomao: “Just bear with it. We can go back after dark.”

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The author has something to say:

It’s over. Writing 3k a day is a struggle now. Can I really manage 6k a day? I’m starting to doubt myself.

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