Chapter Fifty-Two: Identical People

“Give it back to me... Give it back to me...”
That eerie voice echoed throughout the room, accompanied by a ghostly green light that cast Sun Xing’s silhouette in an unnerving, sinister glow. Every mirror reflected his figure, and when I suddenly looked up, Sun Xing's wicked grin stretched across every surface.
Ahao had only managed a few steps before freezing in place, dumbstruck by the revelation that the man before us bore the exact same face as his deceased younger brother!
Both Lao Liao and I had seen photos of Sun Xing before—whether the official company ID from Peaceful Life Realty or the morgue photos Ahao had shown us. The living man before us was identical in every detail.
“Lao Liao, what on earth is going on with this man?”
Lao Liao’s eyes never left the strange figure.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think he’s a ghost.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“He had physical relations with Xia Liang, and he casts a shadow. We’ll talk to him—see if he communicates normally, if he’s self-aware. Then we’ll know.”
I looked closely—the ghostly green light indeed reflected a long, narrow shadow beneath Sun Xing’s feet.
Whether or not this man truly was Sun Xing, at least he wasn’t a ghost. If he wasn’t some spirit, then things would be much easier to handle.
While Lao Liao went off to check the main breaker on the second floor, hoping to resolve why the lights weren’t working, I called Ahao out of the room. With so many strange occurrences, we needed to stay level-headed. The man was trapped inside; he wasn’t going anywhere. We’d wait until the lights came on to continue.
“The breaker tripped for this room. Hold on, I’ll switch it back on.” Lao Liao’s voice drifted from the end of the hallway, followed by the sputtering crackle of fluorescent tubes. The ghostly green faded, replaced by the harsh white of incandescence.
The man sitting on the bedside looked up, the sinister smile gone, the light in his eyes returning. He gave Xia Liang, who stood behind us, a gentle smile.
His features now clearly revealed, Ahao’s lips quivered, tears welling at the corners of his eyes. He gritted his teeth and shook his bell; the corpse-spirit behind him lurched forward, standing protectively before him. “Who are you? Why do you have my brother Sun Xing’s face?!”
Neither Lao Liao nor I had ever seen Ahao’s mysterious tricks before, but the way the corpse-spirit moved forward filled us with a sudden sense of danger.
Yet the man—Sun Xing—looked utterly bewildered. “Your brother? Excuse me, who are you? How do you know my name?”
Ahao hesitated to act; even Lao Liao and I felt lost. Here was a man named Sun Xing, with the identical face of Ahao’s younger brother, but he showed no recognition of his own kin.
“Ah, please, let’s not get carried away. If you have questions, let’s sit down and talk. Ah Xing isn’t the type to lie—there must be some misunderstanding.” Xia Liang, seeing the tension rise, quickly stepped in to mediate, sitting beside Sun Xing and grasping his hand tightly.
“Let’s move to the living room. The mirrors in this bedroom are far too unsettling,” Lao Liao said, waving the two out and stepping aside to make way.
We gathered in the bright upstairs living room. Xia Liang, ever the gracious host, poured us hot tea. I stole a glance at Sun Xing—polite, refined, his every movement brimming with quiet elegance. He was nothing like the sinister figure we’d seen moments before.

When Xia Liang handed me a cup of tea, I stood to receive it, suddenly recalling the strange swastika symbol on Sun Xing’s back. Quietly, I circled to his side, letting my hand brush his back, resting my palm through his shirt over where I remembered the mark to be, as though steadying him.
“If it’s really that symbol, my sense should see something.”
In that instant, a vision flashed before my eyes—a blood-soaked face, and a pair of frenzied, murderous eyes!
The grotesque scene vanished as quickly as it came. I trembled as I accepted the tea, unable to shake the image of that crimson face—those eyes seemed to vent their fury at me, as if intending to devour me whole.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Zhang? Are you alright?” Sun Xing turned to support me, helping me back onto the sofa. His hands were icy cold—fair, slender, yet carrying a strange quality I couldn’t name.
I glanced awkwardly around, catching Ahao’s eye. I gave him a subtle shake of my head to signal that something was amiss.
“Mr. Sun Xing, do you truly not recognize this man?” Lao Liao asked, pointing at Ahao.
“I’m sorry, I don’t. We’ve never met before.”
“Where were you born? Where did you study?”
“Right here in Southern Yue. I grew up here, went to Southern Yue University, studied business administration, and after graduating went to work in sales at Peaceful Life Realty.”
He answered fluently, without the slightest hint of hesitation.
“You truly have no memory of past events?” Ahao pressed, his tone growing desperate.
“Sir, I really think you have the wrong person. We don’t know each other.”
“Then how did you lose sight in your right eye?!” Ahao blurted out.
Sun Xing fell silent. We all turned to look—his right eye was indeed dull compared to the left—it was a prosthetic!
“I don’t know...”
Sun Xing clearly had no recollection of how he lost vision in that eye. Xia Liang confirmed that when she’d met him, he was already blind in one eye, a fact she’d only discovered one night as they lay together.
Ahao stood, hesitating, his eyes filled with sorrow as he confronted Sun Xing. “Who are you, really? What did you people do to my brother?”
Sun Xing, startled by Ahao’s intensity, staggered backward until he was pressed against the wall. I stepped beside him, pressing my hand again over the symbol on his back. Instantly, the vision changed:
A woman, arms bleeding, her hair wild and disheveled, crawled on the ground, her joints grotesquely bent backward. She dragged herself toward me, her lips muttering, “Give it back to me... Give it back to me...”
This was the third time I’d heard those words, and every vision conjured up by this swastika was different. Just how many vengeful spirits were bound to this mark?
I didn’t let go of Sun Xing’s back. The scenes continued to flicker rapidly, shifting through different visions.

Suddenly, the images stabilized. Amid darkness, faint light flickered. A figure slumped on the ground slowly rose—a hospital gown hung loosely on his frame, the chest torn open and soaked in blood, his limbs showing rope marks, his mouth emitting a low moan: “Give me back what’s mine...”
When he looked up, blood streaming from every orifice, I recognized Sun Xing’s handsome face!
“Why won’t you let me go...” Sun Xing’s body slumped against the wall, my hand recoiling from his back. Strangely, his words didn’t seem directed at Ahao at all. He lifted his arm, pointing down the corridor, his expression devoid of the earlier gentility. “Why, why do you keep haunting me? Please, just let me go! I beg you, let me go!”
He began to yell, veins bulging in his neck, his face twisting until he was unrecognizable.
I placed a steadying hand on his back, trying to calm him, but the visions persisted: I saw a hospital, four men and women—bound and blindfolded in four corners, terror in their eyes.
A deep, familiar voice echoed from the darkness: “All four are here.”
Four figures in black entered, approaching each bound victim; cries of agony reverberated as flickering light danced.
Suddenly, the vision faded, reality snapping back into focus. Seeing Ahao growing more agitated, I hurriedly interposed myself between him and Sun Xing.
“Calm down, Ahao. I just saw something strange.”
“Your sense is acting up again?” Lao Liao asked, immediately drawing closer.
“Ah! I don’t know you! Don’t look at me like that! Get out—why are you haunting me? Please, just go!”
Sun Xing was still lost in a frenzied state, on the verge of collapse, eyes darting in terror toward the end of the corridor, his back pressed against the wall, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
I gave Lao Liao a look—he quietly slipped behind Sun Xing and struck him on the neck. Sun Xing instantly went limp, slumping unconscious against the wall.
“Lao Liao, didn’t know you had that move in you.”
He looked embarrassed, glancing at his hands. “I’ve seen it done in TV dramas. Didn’t expect it to work. Maybe he was just so agitated that even a light touch knocked him out.”
I motioned for everyone to stay calm and take a seat. Xia Liang rushed to Sun Xing’s side, cradling him and glaring at us with fury. Sensing the tension, I turned to her and said,
“Miss Xia, don’t be alarmed. This boyfriend of yours—he may not even be human.”