Chapter 7 About Urban Legends

"You pay a lot of attention to him."

Binah, who was walking forward, turned his head to look at the black-haired youth diagonally behind him.

The young man's face remained as calm as ever, and the pale gold reflected in Binah's eyes made it impossible to discern his emotions.

What was unusual was that this was the first time Binah had seen a young man proactively get involved in something other than dealing with anomalies.

“He certainly possesses the qualities that made him the one you chose,” binah said knowingly.

I was just thinking about how to get this R&D department head away from me.

X, who wished he would never appear in front of Honglu again, suddenly heard binah say something completely unrelated.

What was she mumbling about?

Riddler, get out of here... no, riddler, get out of L's nest.

"He's just an ordinary person; he looks like he's terrified of you."

Binah followed up on his words, saying, "I'm no different from ordinary people."

You are an ordinary person, so what am I? A paramecium?

The silver-blue-haired girl followed behind the two, observing the strange scene before her with a deep understanding of her supervisor's nature.

The two were chatting intermittently.

They were clearly talking past each other, yet their conversation flowed incredibly smoothly, and neither of them noticed anything amiss.

Something's not right.

X only realized what was happening after following binah out of the hotel.

It is said that a former leader wants to teach him how to ski.

She walked with such certainty that X instinctively followed her.

None of the three of them were wearing ski-friendly clothing.

X's shirt and trousers are barely acceptable, but won't those two trip over their own skirts?

Or is it...?

Urban technology is both awe-inspiring and terrifying?

A black minivan parked to the side slowly drove towards the group. The window rolled down, revealing employees from the R&D department.

Like cabbage, it's a product of the same mod.

The driver is a black mute who works for Lobotomy Corporation.

And there was the real Angelica, sitting in the passenger seat, smiling and waving at them.

Hmm... the couple went out together, and Bina came out too.

Is the R&D department now just filled with potatoes and Algarlia?

Usually, with Angelica on top of him, the blue man would be more restrained.

Now that Angelica is out, Potato might easily be fooled by her.

These two people are staying in the R&D department; we can't just blow it up, can we?

The manager, worried that the R&D department might explode on the spot, looked at the complete darkness in front of him.

How strange, the two people, both dressed in black, are driving a black car.

Angelica was also wearing a pair of black gloves, if it weren't for her long white hair that diluted the intense black...

In short, these two don't seem like good people.

Am I using too many different mods?

When I see a character I like, I just cram them all into the last save file.

The Lobotomy Corporation now has all sorts of strange and unusual people.

X sat in the back row, sandwiched between Angela and Bina on either side.

Why can't the two of them sit together? Or move Angelica to the back row.

He's not going to change his mind and jump out of the car to escape, so why put him in the middle?

Fortunately, the car was spacious enough, as Bina's fur-trimmed cape really took up a lot of space.

There's another strange thing about this save file.

The box spirits that he should have had somehow all acquired their own bodies.

Or rather, it was revived.

But this isn't the set of "Library of Ruins," so where would the light come from to bring them back to life?

Besides, Angela is sitting there, and she still looks like the Lobotomy Corporation's mascot, not the librarian.

In short, it's very strange.

In addition, there's Honglu, who inexplicably appeared in this world.

Wow, this is a huge fusion of monthly plans!

As X was internally complaining, he realized that his position allowed him to see Roland's expression at that moment.

In this peaceful world, so different from the city, I suddenly thought of the bomb incident I encountered the first time I went out.

X quietly changed his tune, saying it was a generally peaceful world.

They left the underground facility, which was filled with all sorts of bizarre creatures.

Roland, gripping the steering wheel, gave X the impression of being more like an ordinary young man…

No, that subtle sense of despondency made him seem more like a pathetic middle-aged man being forced by his wife to take his friends out for a drive.

The black van has just driven away.

Another black car filled the only empty space in this tiny parking lot.

The car door opened, and two equally dark figures stepped out.

One of them pressed down on his hat, which was being blown slightly by the wind.

His slightly curly silver hair was firmly pressed under his hat by his well-defined knuckles.

A large, dark-skinned man carrying a briefcase followed behind the silver-haired man.

The two quickly entered the hot spring hotel. Before the silver-haired man could speak, the big man stepped forward to negotiate with the staff.

He took a photograph from his briefcase; it was a picture of a man and a woman.

The men have black hair, while the women have long white hair.

The two are in close proximity, clearly a photo of a couple or spouse.

"Which room are they staying in?" the big man asked in a menacing tone.

The hotel owner was an old woman with a head full of silver hair.

She squinted and examined the group photo carefully.

Somewhat embarrassed, they replied, "We haven't served the two people in the photo at our shop."

It was the weekend, and the owner's grandson came to help out at his grandmother's hotel.

The six- or seven-year-old boy was holding several towels that he had collected from the guests' rooms and was going to send them to be changed.

As I passed the front desk, I curiously observed the two guests who were dressed like villains from a detective drama.

"Grandma, I want to see it too."

He hopped around, eager to see what was in the photo his grandmother was holding up in front of him.

The little boy, who had been immersed in detective stories, could no longer contain his curiosity.

Helpless, the boss could only let his grandson take a look as well.

"Just look at it, don't touch it."

The boss warned his overly energetic grandson.

"Ah! Aren't these my two older brothers and sisters?"

The silver-haired man's eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hat brim, narrowed slightly.

So, it's right here!

The burly man who had been looking fierce just moments before suddenly squatted down with a smile.

To avoid startling the boss's grandson, he even tightened his voice:

"Little friend, which room do the older brothers and sisters live in?"

"Second floor... Waaah..."

The old woman quickly covered her grandson's mouth.

This guy is recklessly revealing guests' private information; these two men clearly have ill intentions.

Even if she did have those two people in her shop, she couldn't tell them.

And, my silly child!

The two guests on the second floor only match in age and general appearance; they look completely different from the people in the photos.

Aren't you just causing trouble for others?!

"Don't listen to his nonsense. Those two guests are not the people in the photo; they just look a little like them."

After saying that, the boss glared fiercely at his grandson.

"Yeah?"

The man, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked the boss a question.

Contrary to his attire, which could supposedly stop a child from crying at night, his voice was very young and slightly gentle.

He didn't listen to the owner's reply, but rather left the hotel as if he had confirmed something.

Soon, the black car also drove away from the narrow parking lot.

Back in the car, the man ripped off his hat. His long, curly hair bounced slightly from static electricity, making the handsome young man look as harmless as a soft, white lamb.

"Hmph, that idiot must have been here."

The burly man sat in the driver's seat, driving silently, before finally asking after a long pause:

"Lord Algaria, where are we going?"

"Go around to the back."

The man pulled out a giant scythe that gleamed with a cold light from somewhere.

"This time, I'm going to teach this idiot a lesson..."

The big guy driving the car shuddered and silently swallowed.

The back mountain has lush vegetation, and due to the high latitude climate, the owner planted many evergreen trees when he was young.

Over the decades, the trees have grown tall and dense.

In the summer, it provided a lot of coolness for the owner's hotel.

However, the gloomy and cold atmosphere at this time of year deters many tourists who want to come here to take photos.

Even every winter, an urban legend circulates in the area.

It is said that this occurred before the snow had completely receded from the forest.

Passersby who walk by here will encounter their own doppelganger the moment they turn around.

A very common ghost story.

I don't know why it has become more and more famous after being passed down for so many years, and there are even people who specialize in holding courage tests here.

Seeing the surge in customers during the winter, the boss naturally wouldn't expose the rumor.

In the decades she'd been here, she'd passed through the woods so many times, and she'd never seen a doppelganger.

What kind of place is this? Why do we have to choose to trade here?

The burly man wearing sunglasses muttered to himself about the strange quirks of his trading partner.

What doppelganger Forest? Isn't this just something to scare children? And yet they make it sound so real.

Brother Gin drove himself here today and waited on the mountain early. The trading partner had also arrived.

All that's missing is this latest drug that he just took out of the research institute.

With that thought in mind, Vodka silently quickened his pace.

The trees behind me were rustling, as if something was moving towards the vodka. Were there other people here?

Vodka turned around and, in that instant, a strange unease flashed through his mind.

The ghost story he had just heard flashed through his mind.

Those who pass through the forest will see their own doppelganger the moment they turn around.

But his head was already turned to look behind him.

A burly man wearing sunglasses and dressed in black emerged from the woods, carrying a briefcase identical to the one in the vodka bag.

It's here!!!

It's a doppelganger!!!

There really is a doppelganger!!

Next, the one behind "oneself" is...

Big Brother? There's actually a doppelganger of Big Brother?!

The only difference between him and his older brother is...

The doppelganger's hair is a mess, not nearly as well-maintained as his older brother's.

Immediately afterwards, Vodka noticed that the "big brother" was carrying a sharp sickle.

Combined with the legend of doppelgangers, the idea of ​​being replaced by a doppelganger is unacceptable!

Vodka ran at the fastest speed he had ever been since birth, running forward with all his might.

Behind him, his own "doppelganger" was hot on his heels, the sound of his footsteps growing ever closer.

Vodka's mouth gurgled with a faint metallic taste, yet he continued running forward with all his might.

He has a gun in his pocket, but at this speed, he'll probably be killed by "himself" before he can even fire it, and then "himself" will take his place.

Just then, a branch of a tree root protruding from the ground tripped Vodka, who was moving at full speed.

Due to inertia, he flew straight out, and the briefcase in his hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

He, on the other hand, plunged headlong into the shadows on the other side.

The "doppelganger" that had been chasing him was also startled by the flying vodka.

Unfortunately, it was too late, and he fell hard to the ground.

Unlike Vodka, he didn't fly out. Instead, he picked up his briefcase from the ground and ran in the direction Algeria had left.

A note from the author:

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