Chapter 211: 【I’m Here.】

Chapter 211: "I'm here."

"If I were to be caught by another version of myself, I have no idea what would happen."

"54L: Hiss, that's a bit eerie..."

"55L: It seems these figures are seeking a name. Could they gradually replace the owners of those names?"

"56L: In short, don't talk to strange people when you encounter them; quickly move away!"

"57L ^_^: Speaking of which, I've also encountered something similar recently. Turns out it's called a doppelgänger online."

"58L: Great, a new guest has arrived! Looking forward to the story they'll bring."

"59L: The account is verified as male, so let's pass the mic to Mr. Smile."

"60L ^_^: My story takes place in the evening, on the small road from the school gate to my rental apartment. The road is quite narrow, winding through residential buildings, with many turns."

"A few days ago, while walking alone, I could see a figure at the intersection ahead—always crouched at the corner, leaning out with its upper body, as if watching me. But as I got closer, it would retreat and reappear at the next corner."

"The old neighborhood nearby is a mix of all sorts, so at first, I didn't pay much attention to the figure, thinking it was just an odd person I happened to encounter. But the next day, the day after, and every day since, that person would appear at the corners on my way home, always watching me..."

"This evening, I couldn't take it anymore. I pretended to tie my shoelaces halfway through my walk, then, when it lowered its guard, I suddenly sprinted, determined to see who it was! Unfortunately, it ran too fast, occasionally looking back at me, and eventually disappeared into the residential area. The roads there are quite complex, and I couldn't catch up."

"Next time it appears, I'll definitely catch it ^_^"

"68L: Mr. Smile is awesome!"

"69L: No, something about this story feels off, but I can't put my finger on it."

"70L Wen: The oddity might lie in... the Smiler, who seems more like the actual stalker."

"71L: ???"

"72L Wen: Think about it carefully, the Smiler is not actually an honest narrator. He's different from the OP; he might be hiding or lying!"

"73L: What do you mean?"

"74L: 72L means, a narrative trick?"

"75L: Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, I also noticed something was off!"

"76L: I read it several times, and I thought it felt strange too!"

[If we change the narrator to the "figure" in the Smiler's story, the story could be rewritten as follows—]

"In recent days, whenever I walk home, there's always someone following me. I'm so scared that I only dare to hide around the corner, observing him from a distance with great caution. Today, he suddenly ran towards me, which startled me. I ran while looking back, and in my panic, I ended up running into a residential area, using the terrain to lose him..."

"77L: Looking at it this way, doesn't this version of the story make sense? Even more so?"

"78L: Wow, the roles of the perpetrator and the victim have completely reversed... [Shocked]"

"79L: For some reason, the Smiler's version feels off, but the rewritten story seems much more normal."

"80L: It's because of the logic; there's something wrong with the Smiler's story."

"81L: Right, I went over his account again and found several inconsistencies!"

[82L: The inconsistencies are quite obvious, but when reading, people subconsciously trust the narrator and don't doubt the "I" telling the story.]

"Post 83: Wen: I just sorted out the inconsistencies in Smile Guy's story. Everyone can take a look."

"[1, Smile Guy describes the figure as 'occasionally looking back,' which isn't necessarily a stalking action; it could also be an instinctive alertness when someone feels afraid.]"

"And yet, the figure, who appears as a malevolent perpetrator in the story, is actually afraid of the seemingly innocent Smile Guy. Why is that?"

"[2, If the other party really intended to stalk or spy on Smile Guy, why would they repeatedly choose to appear in front of him? With university class times varying daily, how could they know exactly when Smile Guy would appear and always walk alone on that path?]"

"['Stalking ahead of the target'] is itself counterintuitive."

"A more logical hypothesis—Smile Guy has been following the other person for several days, trailing them home..."

"[3, The 'stalker' can skillfully navigate residential areas and shake off Smile Guy. Logically, Smile Guy should be familiar with the area since he lives there, but why does the 'stalker' seem even more knowledgeable about the terrain?]"

"So, one possibility: the one who originally lived nearby and frequently moved around here is not Smile Guy—rather, it is the figure described by Smile Guy as the stalker."

"Smile Guy is the intruder."

"[4, and a crucial point, in the accounts of the OP and the neighboring OP, the figure never chooses to appear in densely populated areas, which aligns with the common logic of ghost stories—why would a monster easily show itself in front of people?]"

"[Then why does the 'figure' in Smile Guy's story instinctively run into a densely populated residential area when fleeing? If the other party were truly a ghost, wouldn't it simply vanish?]"

"[In summary, Smile Guy is more likely the 'ghost' who is actually stalking and chasing someone else—he is the true figure.]"

"[Post 84: Help, so when Smile Guy said, 'Next time it shows up, I will definitely catch it'...]"

"[Post 85: To clarify, Smile Guy's real meaning is—next time, I won't let the victim go, right?]"

"[Post 86: ...Help me, my hair is standing on end, everyone.]"

"87L: Since ancient times, the plot twists in stories within stories have been divine."

"88L: So where's Mr. Smile? Come out and explain, this should just be a story, right?"

"89L: Brother, don't stay silent, I'm scared..."

"90L: What kind of murderer disguises himself and sneaks into a horror story sharing session, narrating his crimes with relish?"

"91L: Others tell stories, he lives them."

"92L: Stop it, you two upstairs, I feel like I'm about to be silenced."

"93L ^_^: ^_^"

"94L: Mr. Smile lives up to his smiley ID, smiling without a word."

"95L: The more I think about it, the more terrifying it gets. Is this really a made-up story? Could Mr. Smile be a real stalker planning his next move?"

"96L: Should we call the police? But would they take action based on forum posts..."

"97L Eee: Interesting, let me check it out."

"98L Eee: @^_^ Are you at An Kang Jia Yuan Building 3 right now?"

"99L: ? What do you mean?"

"100L: No way, even hackers don't work that fast..."

"101L: I can't help but feel that 97L's 'check it out' really means he just glanced and knew Mr. Smile's information?"

"102L: How is that possible? This isn't a fantasy novel."

"103L Eee: @^_^ I'm here."

At this moment, in apartment 601 of Building 3 at An Kang Jia Yuan.

The entire apartment was pitch black, with only the steady breathing of the sleeping owner audible in the bedroom.

But at this very moment, the phone on the table less than a meter from the bed suddenly lit up on its own.

The phone notification sounded:

"Fingerprint unlock failed, please try again later."

"Fingerprint unlock failed, non-biological entity detected..."

"Fingerprint unlock failed..."

One alert after another echoed in the silent room, the AI's voice tinged with a smile, adding an eerie atmosphere.

The screen flickered on and off, as if an invisible, night-blended "person" stood by the bedside, repeatedly tapping the phone, trying to unlock the fingerprint lock.

After several attempts, the mechanical AI voice finally announced:

"Fingerprint unlock successful."

A dark figure picked up the phone, remaining pitch black even under the light, with a flat, featureless face like a blob of indelible ink.

This shadow was none other than "^_^" from the forum, whose intrusion into the real world had become quite deep through multiple interactions with its host, even capable of briefly simulating human body temperature to bypass the fingerprint lock.

When the host is not paying attention, the dark shadow would move items around the apartment, rummage through clothes in the wardrobe, and use his phone...

Once, the owner of the shadow woke up to find a chair placed at the foot of the bed, directly facing him—apparently, someone had moved the chair there during the night and sat on it, staring straight at him.

The anomalies in daily life gradually accumulated, building up into a mountain of pressure and unease, but ordinary people were helpless against them.

Perhaps it wouldn't be long before the dark shadow could truly take over the host's identity... After all, the host had once answered its questions from behind a door.

It was the host who personally gave the shadow an "invitation," leading it step by step into the material world!

But now, as the shadow stared at the message "I'm here" sent by the unfamiliar account 103L, it felt an inexplicable chill.

It stood still for a moment, seeing no abnormalities, and thus breathed a sigh of relief.

Surely it was just a low-level scare.

The forum was filled with ordinary students, who, in the eyes of the shadow, were like ignorant, weak lambs, posing no threat to it.

Relaxing, it turned off the phone and looked out the window, only to realize that the window seemed to be covered with thick grime, obscuring the view outside.

...Huh?

The shadow instinctively reached out and touched the window, but the layer of black grime appeared to be on the outside, unreachable from inside.

Upon closer inspection, this large patch of grime was slowly flowing down the glass, like a living, breathing black fungal mat, or a heavy curtain blocking the outside world... It gave the shadow an indescribable sense of familiarity.

A growing sense of unease spread within it, and the shadow floated out of the bedroom and into the living room.

The living room featured a wide frosted sliding door leading to a small outdoor balcony, but now this frosted door was also covered with the same sticky, flowing black substance, completely blocking the view outside.

Dazed for a few seconds, the dark figure finally realized in disbelief:

It was a shadow.

It was an enormous shadow, perhaps large enough to envelop the entire apartment.

—What kind of monstrous creature could cast such a shadow?

The overwhelming presence of the colossal beast made the dark figure tremble, and it quickly retreated and sank, trying to escape from the dangerous, incomprehensible entity before it.

But in a confrontation between two shadows, the dark figure's attempts to flee offered no advantage.

One after another, pitch-black, supple limbs seeped through the frosted door, probing into the room, writhing and undulating on the floor, their movements almost maddeningly intricate.

Buzz...

Buzz—

Though the movement of shadows should be silent, as those intricate limbs approached, the dark figure vaguely heard a buzzing in its mind.

As if countless blades had been inserted into its brain, whirring rapidly, blurring its consciousness, evaporating its reason, causing the shadow that formed its body to waver and disintegrate.

Ah, ah ah...

The dark figure let out a scream that no one could hear.

It was... it was melting...

Before being tightly ensnared, the dark figure heard layers of whispers and laughter, those cold, soft limbs repeating a single phrase over and over—

"I am here."

After a while, the shadows receded like ebbing tides, and moonlight once again illuminated the quiet apartment.

Having dealt with that abnormally arrogant black shadow with a smile, Yi Fengchu’s shadow left the apartment and came to the street.

In the outside world, to avoid drawing too much attention, the massive black shadow gradually condensed and shrank, eventually forming the outline of a boy.

The innocent-looking shadow walked along the street toward A University campus.

As it passed, an invisible, chilling pressure swept through like a gust of wind, causing the street lamps to sizzle and flicker, casting chaotic shadows.

The shadows at the feet of people in nearby households trembled and distorted for a moment, as if they were wild grass swaying helplessly in a strong wind.

Moments later, all things fell silent under the cover of night, restoring tranquility.

...

While Yi Fengchu’s shadow lurked in the darkness, silently wandering, Meng Siyou stood atop the tallest clock tower in the center of the campus, overlooking A University.

Beside him, a girl’s shadow appeared.

This was one of the shadow avatars of a fifth-stage Ability user from a certain branch, known as “Number One.”

“There’s nothing I can do; the timing is unfortunate, and the original is currently in a dungeon, leaving only me to guard the bureau.”

The girl’s shadow shrugged as she spoke, “But as a true shadow, I am more closely connected to and familiar with the world of shadows than the original. In this aspect, I don’t fall short of the original!”

Number One’s voice was high and sharp, reminiscent of the clear call of a bird, and indeed, she possessed bird-like features—

On her generally flat face, she had a sharp bird's beak, and when she spread her arms, the clear outline of dense feathers could be seen hanging down, as if she were ready to take flight at any moment, resembling a fantastical creature that was half-human, half-bird.

"Really, things have been so busy at the Bureau lately," No. One shook her head, complaining like a true capricious child, "I'm so swamped, I've even lost a few feathers!"

So even shadow creatures have the trouble of shedding hair and feathers?

Meng Siyou touched his head, sighing in deep empathy.

Joining in with a few curses about the heavy workload, Meng Siyou politely said, "Thank you for coming all this way."

No. One shook her head, "It's no trouble. The space and matter in the Shadow World are different from the material world; the rules are discontinuous, so for me, it's just a few steps from City B to here."

"But your City A is quite different from what I imagined..."

Her voice trailing off, No. One propped her cheek, gazing into the distance thoughtfully.

"—More dangerous than I imagined."

"Hmm?" Meng Siyou looked at her in surprise.

As the headquarters of the Anomalous Affairs Bureau, City A has several mid-to-high-level Ability users stationed there, and even hides a divine offspring... It can be said that this place has always been recognized as the safest area in the mysterious world.

Even when anomalies occasionally occur, they are usually resolved perfectly.

But now, No. One felt that City A was abnormally dangerous?

"You don't know, but I can sense it—there's a very terrifying, vast shadow nearby, its aura so powerful it makes me think of the Great Mother of Shadows," No. One smoothed out the trembling feathers on her arm, "See, my feathers keep standing up."

"Where did such a terrifying high-level existence come from in your City A?"

"If it weren't for the mission, I wouldn't want to stay here for a moment..."

Meng Siyou fell silent.

He thought, the existence that One sensed... could it be Yi Fengchu?

Just as he was about to reassure One, thinking that City A wasn't that dangerous, his gaze suddenly froze on a point.

On the surface of a certain teaching building, a vast expanse of pitch-black color suddenly spread out.

It was as if a massive curtain had risen from the earth, or an endless tide of deep blackness had surged from a fissure in the ground, slowly flowing over the building's surface before merging into the night and moving elsewhere.

Viewing from the clock tower, it was like an intangible monster swallowing one building after another, using darkness as its habitat, wandering freely.

"..."

Meng Siyou silently closed his mouth.

Alright, City A indeed harbored some formidable "monsters."

"Look!"

Only when the massive shadow moved away did One dare to let out a small scream, "See? City A is too dangerous! It's not a suitable place for shadows and other non-human beings to live!"

She acted like a noisy child, and Meng Siyou instinctively wanted to pat her head, but remembering that she was just a shadow cast on the wall, he helplessly dropped his hand.

"We'll speed up the mission so you can go back sooner," Meng Siyou said, "What can you see from the perspective of the shadows?"

"Everywhere are newly activated, very weak ordinary shadows. Their strength is negligible, but the source of the power that activated them looks quite troublesome..."

As he spoke, No.1 pointed to the sky: "It's right there."

"What?"

"Hovering above the campus is an ethereal shadow forest—it hangs upside down in the sky, taking root and growing from the crevices of shadows and dreams, becoming more complete and powerful, like a vortex that grants self-awareness to any shadow that approaches it."

In the night breeze, No.1's voice gradually became ethereal, sketching out a bizarre world from another perspective.

"You physical beings cannot see it..."

"The forest continues to sprout, growing lush and dense, its black leaves rustling, long vines hanging from the sky, entwining around the buildings."

"People walk through the invisible inverted forest, just as fish swim unknowingly in increasingly murky and deadly waters."

Meng Siyou was stunned, then suddenly realized something.

The "forest" in No.1's eyes had the illusory characteristics of a dream, a dream—a dream—

The source of pollution must be related to Li Yin's dream!