Abyssal Wanderer

"Urban legend of fake people? Are you trying to say that Kurosawa's family was replaced by some supernatural being?"

Regarding what "Hanel" said, "Jim" didn't pay too much attention to it, but joked in a funny way:

"Is it because you went to see the simulator movie "Doppelgänger" yesterday?"

Seeing "Jim's" indifferent attitude, "Hanel's" response was very direct - she pinched the other person's arm hard.

"How dare you mention this to me? Who drank too much and couldn't go to the premiere with me yesterday?"

After the other person was in so much pain that he kept saying "I'm sorry", "Hanel" let go of his hand and said seriously:

"I'm saying this very seriously...don't you think their family is suspicious at all?"

In response to this, "Jim" grinned and rubbed the red mark on his arm while replying:

"Suspicious? What's suspicious?"

"Hanel" sighed helplessly, and then said:

"You work in the Public Security Bureau, don't you even have this kind of sensitivity... When I called their names earlier, except for Kurosawa Gen, everyone else had no conditioned reflexes such as turning around or moving their eyes. Even Kurosawa Gen who reacted, his subconscious reaction was very strange...it seemed as if he was deliberately showing it off, and his attitude was too enthusiastic."

Before "Jim" could speak to refute her, "Hanel" continued without pause:

"There is also that child who has never spoken, but the way he looks at people is completely different from that of a four or five-year-old child. His eyes are full of vigilance. And the most suspicious thing is that when making tea, the boy named Kurosawa It doesn’t matter that Kyoko’s mistress searched the cabinet for a long time and couldn’t find the tea. Even the SR-4...can you imagine, a housekeeping robot also searched for a long time before finding where the tea was.”

As she spoke, she couldn't help but bite the knuckle of her index finger - this was her subconscious habit when recalling.

"Lastly, Kyoko Kurosawa looked at me very strangely... as if she was afraid that I would discover something..."

Although these are some small details, "Hanel" still feels very weird when he recalls it now.

"I have also noticed what you said."

Hearing the other party's voice gradually getting quieter, "Jim" seized this opportunity and said:

"They are indeed suspicious places, but we have to follow the rules when handling cases, right? The current situation is that their family is alive and well. After a strict inspection of their home, no abnormalities were found."

The two of them had already reached the side of the road. "Jim" opened the car door for each other and continued:

"What you just said is just your 'feeling' at best... But there are many reasons that can explain things like 'can't find tea leaves'. And no matter which reason is better than them It makes more sense for a family to be replaced by a 'fake person'."

"I didn't say that their family had been replaced by 'pseudo-humans' or 'doppelgangers'. This was just an example of how weird it all is."

"Hanel" heard this and couldn't help waving his little fist in protest.

"Jim" shrugged, half-coaxing, half-pushing her into the driver's seat of the car while she was in high spirits. During this period, the latter continued to say seriously:

"What I mean is that their neighbors called the police and complained that they heard the screams of women and children, as well as the sound of sharpening knives and chopping chopping boards... Maybe there was a murder, just like we suspected before we came here. .And the family we saw just now may have been taken over by something terrible."

Hearing this, "Jim" stared at her seriously for a while, and then gave his final evaluation:

"I watched "Doppelgänger"."

"Doppelgänger" is a fully immersive horror-simulation film independently produced by "Paris Films", a subsidiary of Apollo Biotech, and is exclusively released in the Eden Resettlement Area.

The story of "Double" takes place in an unknown and cold city. The viewer will play the role of an ordinary clerk from a first-person perspective. During my uneventful daily commute to and from get off work, and during work breaks, I accidentally encountered a "doppelgänger" who was exactly like me. Then he watched helplessly as his other self turned his original career, life, love, and dreams into a mess.

In the simulation, the protagonist will regain his will after being disappointed and sinking. Accompanied by his companions and friends, he will defeat his doppelgänger who tries to replace him step by step, regain his own identity, and gradually discover the truth behind the doppelgänger...

"Jim" himself did not make it to the premiere due to some reasons, but according to "Hanel" - this simulator film is simply the supreme masterpiece of the simulator art, perfectly balancing the commerciality and artistry of the work. , making the simulator's stream-of-consciousness emotional experience and sensory storytelling seamlessly blend together.

This work marks "Parris Films", completely breaking Venus Digital Media's monopoly on pseudo-sensory art, and producing great works that can compete with "Adonis Films".

But to be honest, in "Jim's" perception. The aesthetic level of "Hanel" in terms of simulation can only be described as tragic. She has been drinking water at her place all day today, and it’s okay to list the many classics she likes that are not as good as "Doppelgänger".

But when she encountered such a case, she was still as stunned as a demon, insisting that the identity of the Kurosawa family had been replaced by some strange existence... He finally couldn't bear it anymore.

So, he spoke out what he had been holding back for a long time.

"I watched "Doppelgänger"."

"Jim" commented - not only as a sarcasm, but as a reminder.

Mimetic film is an art form that records other people's perceptions and emotions, experiences other people's lives from a first-person perspective, and implants it into the brains of the viewer through a brain-computer interface. After fully immersive viewing, it will indeed bring considerable side effects to the body and mind - even cyberpsychosis such as "Identity Anchoring Disintegration Syndrome" is closely related to overindulgence in simulator movies. .

After experiencing the simulation, it is not uncommon to be unable to leave for a while because of "too much stamina" - it is said that many mercenaries will give themselves a war or massacre-themed simulation before going to the battlefield. Reduce your own empathy on the battlefield. Regardless of whether they are old or new, many religious organizations also use simulacra as an important part of their sermons.

And as "Jim" expected, the other party's reaction was extremely violent.

To be honest, as a girlfriend, Hanel is good at everything. Even when it comes to simulating movies, I really don’t have the slightest appreciation...

In the car, "Jim" was scolded and pinched again. During this period, he was thinking with great helplessness.

As a hardcore enthusiast who watches hundreds of simulator movies a year, I can't bring out the other person's aesthetics even if I try to guide them.

Not to mention those records from the bottom of the resettlement area or the mercenary battlefield, which are just cult simulations that have been crudely edited. She couldn't understand the top-notch stream-of-consciousness mirrors of the Eastern European "post-revolutionary movement" simulacra masters; she felt dizzy with the absurdist editing of "Neo-Dadaism" by Moon Man; even Japan's "Full Metal Jacket Sensation" When it was connected, she felt tingling all over her body...

Like most ordinary people, she can appreciate the cultural feed industrialized and mass-produced by Venus Digital Media - she believes that Venus's "Adonis Pictures" is the best simulator in the world. The film and television companies have not even heard of the "Sensory/Immersion" studio, and they don't know about the truly great works such as "Running in the Dark" and "Blind Flight".

Thinking of this, "Jim" couldn't help but sigh again. Just like he usually faced this kind of situation, he hugged the angry "Hanel" and took her into his arms without saying a word. .

With the other person in his arms, the struggle gradually changed from strong to weak, and he understood that this time the matter was over.

"Okay, okay~ I'll accompany you to the second brush today. Just don't be angry."

Feeling that the other person's breathing had become steady, he gently stroked the other person's hair to comfort him.

"Um……"

"Hanel" whispered in his arms.

So the two of them hugged each other in the car like teddy bears. The car's autonomous driving was activated and took them to the nearest theater.

But when he was about to get off the car, "Hanel" returned to the previous topic:

"But I still think there is something wrong with Kurosawa and his family."

"Jim" couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this - is he still angry?

"what is the problem?"

He asked tentatively:

"Do you really think they were replaced by some supernatural being?"

Then, he added:

"Just like in "Doppelgänger"?"

In response, "Hanel" looked at "Jim" seriously, and then nodded solemnly.

Come on, I still want to quarrel...

Jim thought.

But before he planned to say anything, "Hanel" continued:

"Don't rush to refute. I thought about it carefully along the way. Haven't I experienced similar things before?

"The identity of a person in basic reality is replaced by an 'evil spirit'."

When he heard the word "basic reality", "Jim" immediately reacted.

"You mean... Kurosawa and his family may have been treated as 'steeds' by malicious programs in the Abyss Dark Web?"

…………

Meanwhile, in that apartment building. Everyone was following Fanny's words, trying to find any possible clues in various parts of the room.

In addition to the two police officers, the "secret keeper" who designed the game script for them must have left other clues in the family's home that could be decrypted.

The person who was finally found was Black Falcon-136 - among everyone, his search efficiency was the highest.

"What clues did Brother 136 find?"

When Jiang Zhou saw everyone gathering in front of the coffee table, he couldn't help but walk over.

The moment he saw the so-called "clue", he was stunned.

It was a holographic movie ticket, and the promotional background reflected on it was a tired man whose movements in the mirror were different from those outside the mirror.

[With the dedication of Paris Pictures, and the Muse Award-winning director's ten years of hard work, the perfect experience of the new synaptic connection technology, the modern urban ghost story "Doppelgänger" will be released exclusively in Eden Resettlement Area]

The tired man in the promotional background is exactly what Jiang Zhou looks like in reality. (End of chapter)