Volume One, Chapter 11: Dawn Should Be Breaking

“Never entertain such dangerous thoughts again. From the very beginning, the nature of the Ghost Mirror destined it to be impossible to contain. If it truly allows you to wield it, that only means it has chosen to stay by your side.”

“She’s right, Xinghe. Some strange things, once touched, can never be shaken off. They will only drag you step by step into the abyss, a point of no return.”

Wei Hongying and her spectral counterpart, unusually united, flanked Chu Xinghe on either side, gripping his arms tightly, fearful that he might be bewitched by the Ghost Mirror.

Chu Xinghe felt as if his arms were sinking into quicksand, unable to move, sinking deeper. Whether he was truly bewitched by the Ghost Mirror was uncertain, but if this continued, he would soon lose his senses to temptation.

“Alright, alright, let go! I promise I won’t set my sights on that Ghost Mirror again.” Chu Xinghe had to regain his clarity before succumbing to this dangerous allure.

The two women exchanged glances, seemingly playing a silent game of “you let go first,” neither willing to release their hold.

“You two—”

“Ah—”

Just as Chu Xinghe opened his mouth to speak, a woman’s scream pierced the air outside. He suddenly remembered there was another mirror person outside.

“This is bad—it’s Li Wei.”

Chu Xinghe and Wei Hongying immediately rushed outside. The spectral Wei Hongying, however, showed no concern for Li Wei’s fate; carefully clutching the Ghost Mirror, she followed closely behind.

The original Wei Hongying may have forgotten the main task, but her ghostly self would never forget that Chu Xinghe needed this Ghost Mirror to deal with that troublesome Ghost Finger later.

Indeed, she was the one most suited for Chu Xinghe. The question now was how to quietly, without anyone noticing, eliminate that obstructive woman.

...

When Chu Xinghe and Wei Hongying reached outside, they were met with a grisly scene—Li Wei lay motionless on the ground, a shard of glass embedded in her head. Opposite her stood another Li Wei, face pale with terror, murmuring something.

“It wasn’t me! I didn’t kill her! She raised the glass shard and stabbed at me—I... I just pushed her a little...”

Li Wei was truly frightened, watching her own death unfold before her eyes; the horror was palpable.

“Is she telling the truth?” Chu Xinghe turned to Wang Defa, who had been present the entire time. Fortunately, Wang Defa was unharmed.

“Yes, pretty much. After that Li Wei was pushed down, there just happened to be a vertical shard of glass on the ground. You could say she brought about her own demise.” Wang Defa nodded; he had been startled when Li Wei suddenly turned violent.

“So, which Li Wei is the real one? The one who died or the one left standing?” Wei Hongying recalled the earlier conversation: if the mirror person kills the original, they take their place; conversely, if the mirror person dies, the original returns to normal.

“The body is fading; the one who died is the one who emerged from the mirror.” The spectral Wei Hongying arrived belatedly, glanced at the crime scene, and made this judgment.

Chu Xinghe looked closely. Indeed, the Li Wei on the ground was gradually becoming translucent, and even the pool of blood had vanished. Could it be that the only way was to kill the mirror person?

...

“Ah—”

“It hurts! My head hurts so much!”

“Blood? Why is my head bleeding?”

Li Wei’s agonized screams snapped Chu Xinghe out of his thoughts. In a blink, the once lively Li Wei was writhing in pain, blood gushing from the back of her head. Soon, she ceased breathing, dying in the same way as the previous Li Wei.

“Wei Hongying, what exactly is going on?” Chu Xinghe spun around to face the spectral Wei Hongying holding the Ghost Mirror. Clearly, she had deceived him.

Based on Li Wei’s condition, once the mirror person dies, the original dies the same way. If he had really killed the spectral Wei Hongying then, he would have been tormented by regret for life.

“I didn’t lie to you. The mirror person can only exist for one day at most. When time runs out, if the mirror person hasn’t killed the original and taken their place, they disappear—that is, they ‘die’,” spectral Wei Hongying explained, omitting how the death occurs.

“But if the mirror person dies before then, the original dies with them.”

Chu Xinghe’s face darkened. This meant forcing the mirror person to kill their original self, while the original cannot counter-kill, or they too will perish. They can only passively defend.

That wasn’t all. Given the mirror person’s hatred for the original, if they fail to kill their original within the time limit, they might end up in a mutual destruction.

He glanced uneasily at the Ghost Mirror in spectral Wei Hongying’s arms. This cursed object was far more sinister than he had imagined. How foolish he had been, thinking he could control it.

“Boss, what... what exactly is going on? Li Wei, she... big sister-in-law...” Wang Defa felt overwhelmed. Suddenly, two Li Weis were slaughtering each other, and a second Wei Hongying appeared out of nowhere.

“No time to explain. Be careful not to be reflected by that mirror.” Chu Xinghe lifted his head, his expression grave.

The nearby streetlights flickered erratically, electronic devices affected by a strange magnetic field—likely the disturbance Li Wei had caused had attracted that Ghost Finger. Or perhaps all the survivors in the hotel had been wiped out.

“Wei Hongying, let’s forget what happened before. About this Ghost Mirror, is there anything else you haven’t told me? If I use this mirror against that Ghost Finger later, will it affect you in any way?” Chu Xinghe looked at spectral Wei Hongying again. Now was not the time for petty quarrels.

“Xinghe, are you worried about me?” spectral Wei Hongying smiled even now.

“Who cares about you? I’m just... sigh, yes, yes, I care. Just tell me.” Chu Xinghe had intended to be stubborn, but facing death, there was no room for subtleties.

Spectral Wei Hongying’s smile grew bolder. She even took the time to taunt her original self with a glance, driving the real Wei Hongying to the brink of fury. Were it not a critical moment, she’d have charged at this wretched woman.

“There’s no impact. The Ghost Mirror is far more powerful than you think,” spectral Wei Hongying continued without delay. “But you must be careful. You can only imprint it at the exact moment the Ghost Finger attacks. Otherwise, it won’t be a mutual defeat but the birth of a second aberration.”

Chu Xinghe broke out in a cold sweat. This Ghost Mirror could even replicate other aberrations—one was already chasing them to the ends of the earth; a second would be a death sentence.

“I understand. Hand me the Ghost Mirror.” Chu Xinghe cautiously stepped before spectral Wei Hongying, avoiding direct contact with the mirror.

“Alright.” spectral Wei Hongying reluctantly handed it over. She had considered taking on the Ghost Finger herself, but this body was too feeble. She couldn’t guarantee keeping pace with the Ghost Finger. Her death would be one thing, but if a second aberration was created, no one present would survive.

So the best solution was to entrust it to Chu Xinghe, who had succeeded once before.

...

Once preparations were complete, Chu Xinghe nodded to Wang Defa, who would still need to lure the Ghost Finger along the planned route.

“No problem, boss!” Wang Defa forced a smile worse than crying. This was like putting a noose around his neck—one mistake and the whole village would suffer.

Yet, despite this, Wang Defa charged headlong into the night without hesitation.

Spectral Wei Hongying and the original Wei Hongying exchanged reluctant glances before following Wang Defa’s footsteps. If anything happened to him, they would take over.

This was a true death race; only when the last person was dead would it end.

As the final runner, Chu Xinghe bore the greatest psychological burden. If he failed, all the efforts and sacrifices before him would be in vain.

“I can do this... I can...” His hands trembled, his legs shook. Unlike last time, when only he died, this time everyone would die with him if he failed.

Everyone trusted him so deeply, entrusting their lives into his hands. That weight pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, hanging trembling on his brow like his restless heart. Eventually, the drops succumbed to gravity, stinging his eyes painfully.

But he couldn’t wipe them away, nor dare blink. He endured the burning sting and stared unflinchingly into the vast night.

Some crack under pressure; some go mad. Yet some, instead of breaking, grow stronger rapidly.

The burning sting slowly faded, but the light in Chu Xinghe’s eyes grew ever brighter, like steel tempered by fire, becoming ever more resilient.

At that moment, the horizon faintly brightened with the first light of dawn. Unbeknownst to him, the entire night had passed—

After all, after everything that had happened in one night, it was time for the day to break.