"Don't turn on the lights yet." Chen Mo quickly walked up to me and lowered his voice, "Your office might be under surveillance."
The dim light allowed me to barely make out his silhouette. Is this really the Chen Mo I know? Why is he here at this moment?
"How did you get here?" I instinctively took a step back.
"Zhang Zhen called me and said you've been acting strangely these past few days." He paused, "As the former head of security for the company, I know about some... unusual things related to the project."
I struggled to keep my voice calm, "What things?"
"Project Mirror." When he uttered that name, my heart skipped a beat, "That's the real project you’re working on, right? That so-called Biometric System is just a cover."
I tightened my grip on my phone. Project Mirror was an internal code for a top-secret project known only to core members. This at least indicated that the Chen Mo in front of me had indeed been involved with the project.
"Three months ago, a bounty appeared on the Dark Web." He continued, "They weren't looking for the Source Code; they wanted a complete digital identity replication scheme. The offer was five million dollars."
I felt as if my breath had stopped. The essence of Project Mirror is to study how to perfectly replicate a person's identity traits in the digital world. Only five people from the Project Team knew about this.
"When did you find out?"
"Two months ago." He pulled out a cigarette but didn’t light it, "I discovered that someone was secretly collecting your data. Consumption records, social relationships, behavioral habits—comprehensive information gathering. They targeted you because..."
"Because I'm the Project Leader?"
"No." His voice suddenly turned sharp. "Because you are the perfect test subject. Living alone, socially anxious, a workaholic—an ideal digital profile. Not much social interaction, easily replicable."
His words sent chills down my spine. But to some extent, he was right. I did lead an almost isolated life, following a strict routine, and my social circle was very limited.
"What is their purpose?"
"To test the limits of Project Mirror." He glanced out the window. "Using your data to train the AI until it can perfectly replicate your every move. The current ' Lin Xia' is no longer just one."
I recalled the "me" in the video and the "me" that the security guard downstairs claimed to have seen. How many " Lin Xia " had they created?
Just as I was about to ask more, my phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Zhang Zhen:
"Xiao Lin, are you still at the company? The security guard said he saw you go to the 15th floor. Is there a problem with the server room?"
I exchanged glances with Chen Mo. That "me" on the 15th floor was still there!
"We need to..."
Before I could finish my sentence, the lights in the office suddenly turned on. In the blinding white light, I noticed Chen Mo's pupils constrict sharply. In that instant, a strange metallic gleam flashed in his eyes.
It was like... a machine.
He seemed to sense my unease and smirked slightly. "What's wrong?"
That smile, why does it look so familiar?
Wait!
Suddenly, I remembered what "I" had said at the end of the video call: "Say hello to Chen Mo for me."
Could it be...
In that split second, I saw his hand quietly reaching into his pocket. There was something glowing faintly with a blue light.
Without thinking twice, I grabbed the water cup from the table and smashed it down!
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