Volume 1, Chapter 143: All Replaced.

All right... Liuli was fine, but he was not doing well at this moment, or rather, he couldn't seem to get better.

What the hell was going on?

Li Changsheng ran over to Jiang Chen with a smile, but his face turned grim. "What on earth is happening?"

Jiang Chen had been observing as well. He noticed that the girls seemed to have been replaced. "I'm not sure, but Liuli and the others are definitely not right. I suspect they have been replaced, and it likely has something to do with this train," Jiang Chen explained.

In truth, anomalies were beginning to emerge everywhere. Such incidents would only become more frequent in the future. Fortunately, they had encountered this one and could resolve it; otherwise, there was no telling what kind of chaos this high-speed train would have suffered.

Li Changsheng urged anxiously, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find them quickly. Delay leads to complications."

Liuli could not be harmed. If something happened to her, it wouldn't just be his own conscience he couldn't clear; he wouldn't be able to face Liuli’s father either.

Jiang Chen pressed down on his shoulder and said, "Don't panic, don't lose your head. Listen to me. We have no leads right now. Even though the train is still running, we are effectively flying blind. There is very little we can do, you understand?"

Li Changsheng had been acting out of urgency, but after Jiang Chen’s words, he realized that getting worked up at this stage was useless. "Then what do you suggest?" Li Changsheng’s mind was a mess; he couldn't think of anything.

Jiang Chen understood his state of mind. Li Changsheng could afford to be rattled, but he absolutely could not.

"Here is the plan: you go back first, and in a while, we'll lure Liuli out. That fake Liuli cannot perfectly replicate the real one. As soon as we find a flaw and confirm she is an imposter, we eliminate her," Jiang Chen said.

While the plan seemed viable, the most important thing was that Li Changsheng might not be able to carry it out, so he would ultimately have to be the one to do it.

Li Changsheng took a deep breath. "As long as it's confirmed she isn't the real Liuli, I will kill her. You just think through the rest and let me know."

Jiang Chen hadn't expected Li Changsheng to have truly grown. He had assumed that because it was Liuli, Li Changsheng wouldn't be able to strike easily, but looking at him now, he had truly matured.

"Right, let’s set a code word. I'm worried we might be swapped too, so it’s better to have one," Jiang Chen suggested.

Li Changsheng nodded. "The code will be: 'Chicken cartilage is fifteen yuan a jin, how much for a jin and a half?'"

The two exchanged a smile and returned to their seats. Throughout the duration, Li Changsheng kept his eyes on Liuli, occasionally striking up a conversation.

"Liuli, I remember you have a red birthmark on the back of your neck, right?" Li Changsheng asked, leaning on his chin.

'Liuli' looked at him and smiled faintly. "Haha, maybe."

Cold, incredibly cold, and not even the slightest bit of warmth. Li Changsheng nodded slightly and said nothing more.

This fake Liuli’s act was far too poor; he couldn't find a single useful trait. It was a cover, a disguise that might fool an ordinary person—because if an ordinary person suspected anything, they wouldn't dig too deep, merely thinking perhaps the person wasn't feeling well today, which explained the lack of words. But to them, the discrepancy was glaring. When he asked about the birthmark, she had dodged the question.

That meant even she wasn't sure if she had a red birthmark on her neck, which was enough to say it all—this person was definitely not Liuli. Since the real Liuli’s neck was smooth, fair, and free of any such marks, Li Changsheng felt an uncontrollable surge of anger. Had he not wanted to avoid drawing attention, he would have killed this imposter with a single sword strike.

Suppressing his rage, Li Changsheng looked at Jiang Chen, only to find him wearing an expression of utter exhaustion.

Jiang Chen was feeling overwhelmed by the two fakes beside him. He truly hadn't imagined what kind of method could silently swap the people around him.

Since things had come to this, he would follow the original plan. Jiang Chen stood up and said, "Liuli, Changsheng, follow me."

Liuli and Li Changsheng stood up. Just then, Shen Huaizhu and Ye Zhi also stood up.

Jiang Chen’s expression turned cold. "Why are you two standing up?"

"We want to see, too," Ye Zhi and Shen Huaizhu said almost in unison.

The gap between the fakes and the real people was vast; they couldn't even simulate the tone of voice of Shen Huaizhu and Ye Zhi, let alone anything else. It was riddled with holes and lacked any originality. Had they not been lacking leads, Jiang Chen would have wiped out every fake in the carriage. They were putting on such an act that it was physically nauseating.

"There's no need. Do your own things and sit down," Jiang Chen barked angrily.

One could clearly feel the temperature in the air drop significantly. 'Shen Huaizhu' and 'Ye Zhi' clenched their fists, seemingly ready to attack Jiang Chen at any moment.

Li Changsheng wanted to speak, but Jiang Chen cut him off. "I told you to sit, so you sit! Any objections?!"

"No... none."

'Shen Huaizhu' sat down, or rather, they were intimidated by the sheer power Jiang Chen had inadvertently released. The fakes must have noticed the overflow of energy, and their attempt to prevent him from taking Liuli away was likely out of fear that something would be discovered. But they had left behind too many traces.

"Let's go," Jiang Chen said. Liuli walked out, with Jiang Chen and Li Changsheng flanking her—a formation designed to prevent her from escaping. They hadn't yet obtained the necessary clues from this Liuli, so they couldn't let her run. Once the information was obtained, there would be no need to keep her alive.

Liuli kept looking back every three steps, but her line of sight was blocked; Jiang Chen gave her no time to contact her accomplices.

They soon reached the train vestibule. This was also an exit; back in the eighties and nineties, if people wanted to smoke on a train, they would come here. Fortunately, no one was around. They had the perfect timing, place, and conditions.

Liuli looked at the two and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Li Changsheng smiled. Jiang Chen pulled out a paper talisman and, out of Liuli’s sight, cast a sound-insulating barrier. Now, whatever happened inside or outside, no one would hear them.

"Tell us, who are you, and why are you impersonating Liuli?" Li Changsheng pinned the fake Liuli against the wall with a fierce gaze, his long sword appearing in his hand.

'Liuli' was still feigning surprise. "What are you talking about? Why don't I understand what you're saying? And I am Liuli herself! Why would you ask such things?"

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes. "I advise you to be sensible. While I don't want to strike you down, that doesn't mean I won't. Speak now; don't waste time."

Li Changsheng raged, "Are you going to talk or not?!"

Liuli continued to look at them with a terrifying smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. Let me go."

"Let her go. I suspect she won't talk even if we do this. Just let her keep her secret and disappear forever," Jiang Chen said nonchalantly.

The fake Liuli finally realized what was happening. "What are you..."

A flash of cold light crossed, and a bloody line appeared on the fake Liuli’s neck, which gradually widened. Blood poured out relentlessly.

Jiang Chen said coldly, "It seems at this point, they won't be saying anything anyway. You can't get answers out of them."

Watching the fake Liuli collapse and die, Li Changsheng felt no psychological distress; he just wanted to find the real Liuli as soon as possible.

"There should only be thirteen carriages on this train. Liuli and the others must be here somewhere. Perhaps they are looking for us, too. You and I should head in opposite directions to see if we can find any clues," Jiang Chen suggested.

In this grotesque train, there was no choice but to split up.

Anxious, Li Changsheng agreed without hesitation. "Fine, let's do that."

Jiang Chen returned to his original seat, while Li Changsheng walked in the other direction.

"You two, explain why you came here," Jiang Chen pulled out a cigarette, lit it casually, and took a drag.

'Shen Huaizhu' said coldly, "You figured it out?"

"Heh, it’s hard not to laugh at you lot," Jiang Chen exposed them mercilessly.

"We want to go to the human world, using these identities," 'Shen Huaizhu' said seriously.

Jiang Chen flicked the ash. "Using these current identities? Have you considered what will happen to the people whose identities you've stolen?"

"Those whose identities were replaced stay on this train, waiting for the next people to board," Ye Zhi said, her tone icy.

She stated it as if it were a mundane fact, but this was something completely unacceptable to a human being. To replace someone’s life just like that—what about the original person? Especially when these people were friends with such deep ties to Jiang Chen?

"If you want to get out, you shouldn't have targeted my friends," Jiang Chen sighed and continued, "This entire train is full of you replicas, right?"

Seeing them fall silent, Jiang Chen said, "You people—if you don't hand over my friends, you will all die soon. Before you even get off this train. Don't believe me? Feel free to try."

Whoosh!

Jiang Chen’s voice was not soft. Hearing his words, many people crowded around. The already narrow aisle was packed with these replicas.

But numerical superiority was the most useless thing in his eyes. What did it matter how many there were? They were just trash. Had he not needed information, Jiang Chen would have completely emptied the carriage, leaving no one behind.

"We will not hand them over," 'Shen Huaizhu' said.

Jiang Chen looked at her with contempt. "No matter. Many people have done things that didn't please me, and they even tried to threaten me. But they never succeeded because I am stronger than them—much stronger. So, I don't hold any hope for you lot either. Goodbye."

Jiang Chen flicked a paper talisman. It ignited in mid-air. Throughout the air, everyone except Jiang Chen began to burn from head to toe.

The carriage was filled with continuous, piercing screams.

One by one, the replicas turned into ash and dissipated into the air.

At this moment, only Jiang Chen remained in the carriage. He finished the last of his cigarette and stood up to scan the surroundings. It was clean—cleaner than clean. All the people he could observe were gone.

Jiang Chen stepped into the next carriage, but the moment he entered, the scene shifted abruptly. The decor was no longer from the eighties or nineties; it had become more archaic. It was a period of history Jiang Chen had never witnessed firsthand.

The carriage was bustling with people coming and going, and they didn't seem like replicas.

However, he knew it definitely wasn't that simple. Each carriage seemed to hold a different scene.

In an instant, Jiang Chen’s heart sank. He knew that since Li Changsheng had gone to another carriage, the scene he was in must have also changed when he moved. He didn't know which era Li Changsheng had gone to, and perhaps they would only understand the details once they reunited.

The most important thing now was to grasp the environment here. This didn't seem to be the eighties or nineties, but rather decor reminiscent of the fifties or sixties. The train seats were mostly wooden rather than iron, with only some brackets made of metal.

Furthermore, it was evident that the passengers in this carriage were relatively well-off. Most were wearing expensive clothing; their hats and accessories leaned toward a Western style, very much like the trend of the fifties and sixties. For a moment, Jiang Chen didn't know where to start looking for clues.

Or perhaps, was it possible these people were also replicas?

He had encountered replicas before, but these were different. They seemed like living, breathing human beings who didn't know they were already dead. They were going about their business, talking and laughing, and acting in such a routine way that they truly seemed human.

A thought crossed Jiang Chen’s mind: could it be that they didn't even know they were dead?

Scanning the area, Jiang Chen finally saw a girl in a black wool coat sitting in a seat by herself. If he wanted to find a clue, she might be the best place to start. After all, she was alone, and it wouldn't draw too much suspicion.

Jiang Chen was backed into a corner. He could handle whatever happened to him, but he had sworn to the Sect Master of the Qingyun Sword Sect that he would bring his daughter back safe and sound. If something happened on the return journey, the responsibility would be his.

Therefore, even if it meant trading his life for theirs, he was willing, provided it could bring a few of them back.