Chapter 3: Who is Real and Who is Fake

Indeed, you all are already prepared to go for a walk

Hong Bin stood unsteadily, leaning backward and falling over. His body collided with the workbench, causing the half-length statue placed on the table to sway slightly. Immediately, this heavy wooden sculpture fell straight down from the workbench, striking Hong Bin squarely on the forehead

Uncle Hong, please eat quickly. By the time you finish the wontons, Hong Anjie may have arrived.

A glance at the bust revealed that the wooden carved face bore at least a ninety percent resemblance to Hong Bin, who was sitting outside. With some further refinement, the similarity could be enhanced even more

Upon witnessing this scene, Shen Xing was momentarily taken aback, but quickly recalled that Hong Anjie had mentioned this scenario, stating that his father would similarly emit such strange sounds when no one was around.

Shen Xing's rental apartment is not large, consisting of one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom, totaling just over 50 square meters. Except for the bedroom, which is slightly larger, the areas of the other rooms are pitifully small

While he was eating wontons, Hong Bin, who was sitting beside him, also began to use his spoon, slowly placing one wonton after another into his mouth, chewing silently.

As the sun sets in the west, the room has begun to darken. Shen Xing rises to turn on the living room lights, returns to sit in front of the sofa, and continues eating.

Shen Xing picked up her phone, stood up, wrapped her dishes, and tossed them into the trash bin. She then grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth and walked into her bedroom

In his line of sight, Hong Bin had unknowingly stood behind him at some point.

After the dull sound of the impact echoed, the room was instantly enveloped in silence

Lin Wanru has long wavy hair, stands at a height of 1.7 meters, and has a curvaceous figure. Having encountered her and her mother frequently in the building, Shen Xing has become quite familiar with the two of them.

There was no time to think further; at that moment, the opponent's strength rapidly increased, and their lips parted to reveal a row of neatly aligned teeth, their appearance fierce, resembling that of a wild beast, as they viciously lunged towards Shen Xing's neck

Shen Xingxin, still feeling a lingering fear, patted his chest and pointed at the wooden carving, saying: "Uncle Hong, this is a bust made for you. I will deliver it to you in a few days once it is completed"

On the front of the workbench, there is a wooden sculpture that Shen Xing has recently been working on, which is a bust of Hong Bin

Splash!

Upon arriving on the third floor, I happened to encounter my neighbor from the third floor who had just finished dinner and was preparing to go downstairs

A sinister thought suddenly arose: perhaps the Hong Bin before me is also a fake

Let Hong Bin sit on the sofa, while Shen Xing turned around to close the living room door properly, habitually checking it once, and then went to the kitchen to fetch a spoon for eating wontons. She opened the bowl containing the wrapped wontons for Hong Bin, placed the spoon inside, and gently pushed it in front of him

This is a mother and daughter. The mother, named Lin Wanru, is a single mother who takes care of her seven-year-old daughter all by herself

The furnishings in the bedroom are equally simple, consisting of a large bed, a sculpting workbench, and a wardrobe. In front of the workbench, there is just enough space for a wooden chair, which can be said to have maximized the utilization of the room's space

Shen Xing smiled and said something, then glanced at Hong Bin, and cast an apologetic look towards Lin Wanru.

What? Shen Xing was taken aback and hurried into the bedroom, lowering his head to look at the spot where Hong Bin had just been lying.

Arriving at the door of the living room, he twisted the doorknob open. Outside stood Hong Anjie, who was taken aback. Upon seeing Shen Xing in this state, he exclaimed, "What happened?"

"Feifei, call him uncle," Lin Wanru reminded her daughter, who was holding her hand

The old residential complex where Shen Xing lives is called Ivy, which was rented a long time ago and has a history of seventy years in Yungu City

Without waiting for her mother to remind her, she also inquired about Hong Bin.

With his right hand holding two bowls of takeout wontons and his left hand continuously pulling the silent Hong Bin, the two entered the community

At this moment, Shen Xing's heart was pounding like a drum, drenched in sweat. Looking at Hong Bin, who lay on the ground with his head already split open, it seemed that blood had not yet begun to flow out. In those lifeless eyes, the gaze once again became vacant.

As soon as the words fell, Hong Bin expressionlessly extended his hand, but instead of touching his own statue, he grasped Shen Xing's shoulder with great force, compelling Shen Xing's body to face him directly

In this world after the transition, there is no concept of nations; everything is referred to as "states." For example, the current location of Yungu City is called "Kua State," which governs twenty major cities and has over one hundred small and medium-sized cities, with Yungu City being considered a mid-level city

There is no elevator in the building, and the highest floor is only five stories, while Shen Xing's rental apartment is on the fourth floor

Feifei is obedient

Lin Wanru is often not at home, and sometimes Shen Xing will help her daughter buy some delicious food

The current bust is nearing completion, and once the final intricate carving is perfected, it will be ready for waxing

Uncle Hong, take your time eating

Her level of acquaintance with Shen Xing was not even comparable to that of her own daughter. Glancing at Hong Bin, who was walking behind, she mistakenly thought he was some relative of Shen Xing

At this moment, the phone was almost out of battery. Shen Xing approached the workbench, took the charging cable that was placed nearby, and plugged it into the phone. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, his body suddenly jolted violently, startling him.

The ground is empty, with only a half-figure sculpture lying tilted to one side

The living room is furnished with a fabric sofa, a small coffee table, and a water dispenser, leaving little extra space. He rarely watches television, so he has not considered purchasing one; as long as there is internet at home, that is sufficient

"I am almost there, which floor do you live on?" Hong Anjie asked

This bust was not created in a one-to-one scale, but rather reduced to one-third of its size, giving it a very exquisite appearance

The old residential building appears to be dilapidated everywhere, yet the quality of the structure is quite good. It has only undergone a few renovations and has not yet reached a level of uninhabitability.

Shen Xing was taken aback and quickly grabbed Hong Bin's arm, exclaiming: "Uncle Hong, what are you doing!"

Lin Wanru seemed to understand, glancing at the somewhat dull Hong Bin, sensing that he might not be quite right in the head. She then took Feifei's hand and stood aside, waiting for Shen Xing and Hong Bin to go upstairs, before the mother and daughter finally descended.

Moments later, the phone placed on the coffee table suddenly rang. Upon picking it up to answer, it was indeed a call from Hong Anjie.

Shen Xing immediately knelt down and forcefully thrust his knee into Hong Bin's abdomen, creating a distance that prevented the latter from getting too close, and then he exerted a strong force with his legs forward

Before returning home, Shen Xing bought two bowls of wontons to take away from a street-side wonton shop. Firstly, he was hungry himself, and secondly, he noticed that Hong Bin's mental state was quite poor, perhaps due to physical hunger, although he himself was not aware of it

Feifei has fair skin, a small braid tied at the back of her head, and a cartoon character hairpin clipped in her hair. She is wearing a red and white dress, looking quite well-behaved

Holding Hong Bin's hand, the two slowly climbed the stairs. Concerned that Hong Bin's body might not be able to handle it, Shen Xing deliberately slowed down their pace.

Shen Xing slowly straightened up, responding to Hong Anjie while quickly rushing towards the living room

If there is no strangeness, then let us explain it from a scientific perspective; this is his current thought

Hello, Uncle Shen! Hello, Grandpa!

Moreover, whether or not ghosts exist in this world remains unknown. Shen Xing has suddenly come up with an idea, considering whether this might be similar to the overlap of parallel spaces. Perhaps, it is also possible that both Uncle Hongs are indeed real!

Just now, when I held Hong Bin's hand, he deliberately felt it; the other party's body temperature was completely normal, just like an ordinary person. Coupled with previous speculations, this further reduced the possibility of him being anything unusual.

Fourth floor, come up from the first unit's stairway, don't go the wrong way. Shen Xing said: Uncle Hong and I are eating.

Hanging up the phone, the screen of the mobile phone displays the photo that Shen Xing had just opened, which shows another Hong Bin sitting at home.

Unless the houses are demolished, many of the elderly residents who have lived here for a long time are reluctant to move away

Could it be that I guessed wrong? The Hong Bin from Hong Anjie’s family is the real one!

Haven't you eaten yet?" Lin Wanru said with a smile after glancing at the wontons that Shen Xing was holding.

At that moment, a knock was heard at the door of the living room, and Hong Anjie called out: "Shen Xing, Shen Xing? Open the door..."

The old man's expression remained as blank as ever, his gaze fixed on the half-length statue that belonged to him on the workbench, without uttering a word

The old town located in Yungu City was once the most prosperous area of the city. Even though urban renovation has taken place and it is no longer the city center, the atmosphere of local life remains very vibrant, with a relatively high population density.

Shen Xing pointed towards the direction of the bedroom and said, "That... that person seems... not Uncle Hong."

Hong Anjie did not know what he was saying, and quickly walked inside. Soon, a voice came from within the room: "Who are you talking about? There is... no one here?"

Shen Xing did not notice that at this moment, Hong Bin, who was eating wontons, had already stopped, his gaze fixed on that photograph

At this moment, Hong Bin's cheeks were no more than two fists away from him, his eyes wide open as if his eyeballs were about to pop out, his mouth agape, yet he remained silent, instead emitting a gurgling sound from his throat that resembled the noise made when a person is choked by water after drowning