Zhang Heng looked at the college student in front of him. The latter was like the inspirational protagonists in the movies who had overcome many difficulties, overcome mental illness, and finally regained a new life.
He stood there, talking about how he got out of the lowest point of his life, how he let his parents and friends down, and how he let others worry about him.
Whether it was his emotions, actions, or expressions, they were impeccable. From the reaction of the cashier lady on the other side, Zhang Heng could tell that the story of a prodigal son turning over a new leaf was very popular.
However, everything had to go through a process. Mental illness was also a kind of disease. Even if a very small number of people could recover on their own, it would still take time.
The college student usually lived in seclusion and rarely left his bedroom. Others might not know him well, but Zhang Heng, who had just met him yesterday afternoon and the night before yesterday, knew very well that the former's "condition" showed no signs of improvement. Zhang Heng still remembered that the college student even took off his pants in front of him to pretend to be a fool.
When the key was inserted into the keyhole, the horror on the college student's face was definitely not faked.
However, in less than a day, the college student suddenly recovered and reappeared after a night of disappearance. What's more, he appeared directly in front of everyone. No matter how one looked at it, there was a hint of trying to cover up something.
But now was not the time for a showdown. Zhang Heng then pointed to the side of the college student's head, "Where did your hair go?"
"Oh, I accidentally fell and knocked my head on the coffee table. I had to shave some of my hair when I stitched the wound," the college student explained. The university student explained. As he spoke, he pushed aside the remaining hair. There was indeed a sutured wound there.
"Oh, does it hurt?" The cashier lady immediately felt distressed when she saw the college student's condition. "I heard that your house was robbed. Did you get your injury when you fought with the thief?"
"No, when we woke up, the thief had already run away," the college student shook his head. "I fell when I was packing my things."
Zhang Heng knew that the college student was lying because the latter's hair was pulled off by force. It was still in Zhang Heng's schoolbag, stored in a fresh-keeping bag, and some blood and scalp tissue could still be seen at the end. His family was not at home last night, so how could anything have happened after he woke up?
However, what really piqued Zhang Heng's curiosity was how the college student had changed from a cowardly person who begged for mercy to someone who could lie without batting an eyelid. Even Zhang Heng, who had experienced the Deduction Deductive Reasoning quest, couldn't see any flaws in his lie.
The college student now was like a completely different person.
Thinking of this, Zhang Heng had an idea. He picked up a Cutie Doritos from the freezer and handed it to the cashier. At the same time, he said to the college student, "I don't have enough change in my phone wallet. Can you help me pay for it first?"
"No problem." The college student replied readily and took out his wallet at the same time. "We are neighbors in the same yard, and I've caused you a lot of trouble before."
Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows and didn't say anything. He was almost certain that the college student in front of him wasn't just lying. He was afraid that someone else had replaced him because he didn't remember taking a dollar from him when he bought cigarettes two days ago. Otherwise, the college student would have mentioned it when he asked him to pay for his ice cream.
Was this the thing that he had to deal with in this quest?
It could quietly replace one person with another without anyone noticing. Judging from the cashier lady's reaction, she obviously did not realize that the college student she was familiar with had been replaced.
But in this case, some things made sense. The reason why the college student was so afraid of his parents was because he found out that his parents were no longer his parents. It had nothing to do with the so-called emotional entanglements. This was probably the real reason why he suffered from mental illness.
It was just that no one believed him. After all, if Zhang Heng did not see it with his own eyes, it would be hard for him to believe that such a bizarre thing could happen.
Zhang Heng could not even imagine how the college student lived with his fake parents after he was released from the mental hospital. Under such psychological pressure, it was a miracle that he did not go crazy.
But now it seemed that his luck had come to an end.
Just last night, the same thing that happened to his parents finally happened to him.
However, Zhang Heng did not attack immediately.
Because now, he was also facing the same problem that the college student once faced. All of this was just his speculation. He could not prove to others that the college student was no longer a college student. From the outside, there was no difference between the two. Zhang Heng did not even know what kind of alien enemy he was facing. What method did they use to replace the college student? Was it similar to cloning technology, parasitism like the Xenomorphs, or some kind of mind control?
And before he attacked, he also had to consider the consequences. Although the duration of this quest was much shorter than before, it was still 140 days. This wasn't the vast Western United States in the 19th century. After killing a family, it would be very difficult to find them by simply finding a place to hide.
Zhang Heng did not know how many enemies there were. Other than the college student's family, who else was being controlled. So, at this stage, it was not the best choice for him to go against them directly. It was wiser to keep a low profile and continue to collect evidence.
Of course, Zhang Heng also became vigilant. Although the fake college student did not seem to know what happened before, Zhang Heng was not entirely sure if the college student would tell his fake parents about Zhang Heng's visit in order to survive.
In the worst case scenario, he might have already been exposed. So, he needed to be prepared.
Zhang Heng took his ice cream from the cashier, thanked the college student, then turned around and left the convenience store with his school bag.
Although Zhang Heng did not look back, he was sure that the fake college student had been watching him from behind.
This was not a good feeling, and more importantly, after discovering that the college student had been quietly replaced, Zhang Heng suddenly realized that he might have to rely on himself in this quest. He did not know who else he could trust.
It had been a long time since he encountered a situation where he did not know who his enemies were, where they came from, and how many there were.
Danger was not scary. Ignorance and suspicion were the scary ones.
Zhang Heng opened the door and looked at his grandfather who was practicing calligraphy at the table. Suddenly, he felt that the man looked a little unfamiliar.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
