Volume One, Chapter 107: Twins?

“His outfit was just like this, right? Black clothes, no hat?” Jiang Chen pressed.

Li Changsheng immediately grew serious. “No, he’s always dressed like this. I remember it clearly; there’s no way I’m mistaken.”

Anyone who could enter Institute 509 was surely a genius—someone like Li Changsheng would have a keen sense of observation. Since he said it, it must be true. There was no reason to doubt him.

“Did you see anything else on him just now? Like some other clothes?” Jiang Chen was unconvinced that the person who entered the restroom and the one who bumped into Li Changsheng with the cola were two different people.

He was more inclined to believe they were one and the same.

Li Changsheng glanced at Jiang Chen suspiciously. “How could that be? The weather’s cold now. Wouldn’t extra clothes be kept in a suitcase? Who just carries clothes in their hands?”

Jiang Chen thought for a moment and realized it made sense. The person who went to the restroom had empty hands—not carrying anything—so it wasn’t possible to change clothes and come out.

Two people, identical in appearance, but one wore a black coat and the other a gray padded jacket with a hood.

Could they be twins?

But… That didn’t seem quite right.

Jiang Chen felt something was off, but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. The unease gnawed at him.

Li Changsheng noticed his discomfort. “What’s wrong? Is there something suspicious about that person?”

Jiang Chen shook his head and shared his suspicions with Li Changsheng.

After hearing him out, Li Changsheng immediately said, “Could it be some supernatural mischief?”

But all speculation paled in comparison to simply asking.

“Go ask him, see what you can find out,” Jiang Chen said.

Li Changsheng got up and left, while Jiang Chen remained, analyzing where the problem lay.

The man was odd—he seemed to linger at the doorway as if avoiding something. But when he saw Jiang Chen, he didn’t appear rushed, his demeanor was natural, fitting for a polite person.

Yet, that’s where the oddity lay. On the surface, he seemed perfectly fine, but when paired with the presence of the other lookalike, the problem became apparent.

Two nearly identical people in the same carriage.

There was only one possibility—twins. Otherwise, it had to be something extraordinary.

Jiang Chen hoped it wasn’t anything major. If nothing was truly amiss, perhaps it was just his imagination.

Soon, Li Changsheng returned, but his expression was grim.

“Something’s happened. Your guess was right…” Li Changsheng whispered.

“There’s only one person on this train—the one in the gray jacket. His name is Wu Gang. He got off at the previous station.”

Upon hearing Li Changsheng’s report, Jiang Chen sighed heavily.

“So, the guy we saw earlier, limping in the black coat, might actually be something supernatural in disguise?” Li Changsheng analyzed.

“That’s plausible, but not entirely certain.” Jiang Chen thought for a moment and decided, “Let’s get off at the next station, observe, and see what unfolds. If something happens, we’ll deal with it. If not, we can leave by train tonight.”

Li Changsheng agreed—it made sense. After all, his main purpose in coming here was to break through his bottleneck. He didn’t care where they went. If it weren’t for the director calling him before he left, saying Jiang Chen had a great opportunity, he’d still be cultivating slowly back in Qing City.

At the next station, they disembarked. Li Changsheng immediately used his Institute 509 connections to locate Wu Gang.

They hailed a cab and headed straight to Wu Gang’s home.

They arrived near Wu Gang’s residence—a small county town, not very large, located in Jicheng, Eastern Mountain Province.

“This place seems lively. I’ve heard their stir-fried chicken is famous. Shall we give it a try?” Li Changsheng navigated with his phone.

“What are we here for?” Jiang Chen asked.

“To subdue evil spirits,” Li Changsheng replied.

“And you still want to eat?”

“You can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

Jiang Chen halted, “You’re right. Let’s try it—and ask around while we’re at it.”

Li Changsheng was speechless.

When out with Li Changsheng, Jiang Chen never sought clues himself, afraid to tip off the target, so he sent Li Changsheng instead.

Of course, Li Changsheng resisted, but it was futile. Jiang Chen simply said, “If you don’t help investigate, I won’t take you along.”

He had no choice but to comply.

Li Changsheng searched for clues on his phone while Jiang Chen enjoyed Jicheng’s specialty stir-fried chicken.

“My source says: Wu Gang, male, fifty-one, owns a repair shop here in Jicheng. His elderly parents are both alive, in their eighties. Aside from being a lifelong bachelor, his family is quite happy.” Li Changsheng paused, realizing half the chicken had disappeared from the table.

Annoyed, he quickly grabbed his chopsticks and devoured what remained.

Jiang Chen nodded, “Good work. We’ll go take a look later—maybe we’ll find something.”

Nothing was more effective than visiting in person—ten minutes was enough to size someone up.

And through conversation, they might learn more.

Of course, the information from Li Changsheng’s network wasn’t guaranteed to be accurate. Jiang Chen and Li Changsheng had indeed seen someone fitting the description, but the issue was there wasn’t just one—there was another “Wu Gang,” and that was their real target. Only when the truth came out could they leave.

After Li Changsheng finished eating, they paid the bill. As they were about to leave, the proprietress of the chicken restaurant suddenly spoke up, “Children, you must be tourists, right?”

Li Changsheng replied, “That’s right, we heard the stir-fried chicken here was delicious, so we came to try it. It truly lives up to its reputation.”

He was quick-witted, spinning a story almost instantly—his talent for improvisation was remarkable.

The proprietress lowered her voice, “Once you’re done eating, hurry and leave. There have been murders here recently—it’s not safe. Wait until things settle down before coming again, so you don’t have to worry.”

At once, both men sensed a clue.

“Auntie, could you tell us what’s happened? We’re quite curious,” Li Changsheng said, rubbing his hands.

The proprietress, seeing they looked like college students and not schemers, explained, “Lately, every night, there’s a black shadow leaping across the walls of different houses. Chickens and dogs have been found bitten to death. Most recently, a few middle-aged men went missing after drinking—they simply never came home!”

“The next day, their bodies were found on the ground. It’s dangerous. Now, every evening, the police keep watch—probably waiting for that thing to appear. That’s why I advise you to come back later.”

Jiang Chen stroked his chin. Fortunately, he’d noticed the signs—otherwise, there would have been many unnecessary casualties.