Chapter 22 - Shadow

Cassius had some money, but not much. He had taken most of these yellowish large denomination federal bills from William the antique specialist. Obtaining the cash did admittedly solve some immediate problems for him like food, lodging, and transportation.

After a busy morning and afternoon, he finally managed to find and settle in a remote inn that didn’t require identification.

Cassius stood by the second floor window and glanced down at the wet street below. Two to three men in cheap shirts were chatting and joking while holding umbrellas. On the left side of the avenue, he could vaguely make out a girl in a white dress. She lifted the hem of her long lace skirt as she walked in small leather shoes. Her slender, fair legs, wrapped in the latest trendy stockings, were especially eye-catching. Some green moss piled up in the corners, and climbing ivy, covered in dew, occupied a small part of the wall.

Cassius felt the breeze brush against him as he took a bite of his sandwich. It was his first meal of the day despite it almost being evening.

Cassius had spent the entire afternoon getting a fake ID in the form of a small brown paper booklet. Given the era he was currently in, it wasn't too difficult to obtain a fake identity. This was especially the case if one had a pocket full of money. If they ordered it by noon, it would usually arrive by the evening. Every city had people who specialized in things like that.

Cassius polished off his sandwich in two bites and glanced at the brown wooden box on the bed, which contained some daily necessities he had bought.

After a night in the inn, he would use his fake ID to purchase a train ticket to Baichuan City the next day. Baichuan City was over 600 kilometers from Fengnan City, crossing about two-thirds into Beiliu County. Even by train, his journey would take a day and a half.

The Jersey University had organized a trip to Baichuan City before so Cassius had been there and even stayed for more than two weeks so he was relatively familiar with the city. Regardless, the first step was to leave Fengnan City.

He walked over to the bed and poured himself a glass of water, glancing at the cheap secondhand watch on his wrist. It was twenty-one minutes past five. Nine minutes until 5:30 p.m. It was almost time.

He walked to the coat rack, shrugged on a black coat, and donned a hat. Just as he was about to open the door, he paused and grabbed the umbrella next to it. Now ready, he headed downstairs.

A bald old man was dozing off at the front desk. Cassius glanced at him, opened his umbrella, then walked out.

The rain outside wasn't heavy, but it fell like sticky silver-gray spider webs. The sky was also dark like old, peeling roof tiles, giving a strangely oppressive feeling.

The rain pelting off the umbrella made almost no sound. Cassius turned four or five corners down the street and finally stopped in a remote alley, where a man holding an umbrella was already waiting for him.

"You're here?" The man lifted the edge of his umbrella slightly, revealing a stubbled face with thick glasses perched on his nose.

"Yes, did you bring the stuff?" Cassius got straight to the point.

"Yeah. Where's the money?" The man reached into his coat and quickly pulled out a new brown fake ID.

"This is the other half." Cassius took out some large bills from his pocket, and they swiftly made the exchange.

"Take a look and see if it meets your requirements." The stubbled man flicked through the bills, checking for any counterfeit marks.

A few minutes later, Cassius nodded in satisfaction. "Pleasure doing business."

"Likewise."

The two shook hands and left.

Indeed, professionals work quickly. As Cassius walked through the alley, he took out the ID again. The brown leather cover was embossed with large letters with five pages of durable yellow paper inside. It smelled faintly of fresh ink.

The first page bore a familiar name. Li Wei...

Cassius closed the ID and tucked it back in. The street was full of water puddles, so he quickly moved onto the sidewalk. The black street lamps on his right were already doing their job as they emitted a gentle yellow light.

There were no pedestrians on the road, only a few wet stray cats shivering and meowing under the eaves.

"It’s so quiet." Cassius's heavy heart felt a bit lighter.

He didn't notice that, at some point, the shadow that had been cast on the wall to his left began to squirm. Black whirlpools resembling blinking eyes materialized.

A strange, eerie atmosphere gradually filled the space around them.

The shadow had been moving in sync with Cassius up until then, but it started twitching haltingly, as if it couldn't keep up. When he walked past a corner with no street lamp, his shadow vanished and a figure took its place. It followed closely behind him.

When the figure lifted its head, it revealed a face identical to Cassius's. It wore the same clothes and held the same umbrella.

The shadow had come to life! It was a clone of Cassius!

In the dim light, two identical figures walked at the same pace, one after the other, on the dark road. Neither of them cast shadows under the light from the street lamps.

The figure at the back trembled, as if it was trying to break free from mimicking the original body, and hurtled forward. Its face, which was a carbon copy to Cassius's, twisted into a ghostly snarl.

"!!" It was only then that the real Cassius noticed someone charging at him from behind. Using an Explosive Technique, he spun around and punched hard.

Thump!

The punch smashed into the shadow man's face, severely crushing his mouth and his cheek rippled from the impact. He spat out a mix of saliva and blood along with three or four teeth.

The shadow man was sent flying, spinning in the air, eventually landing in a puddle and splashing water everywhere.

"

Ah!

"

He howled in pain on the ground. "How are you so much stronger?! We're supposed to be the same!"

"What?" Cassius threw his umbrella aside and rushed over. He seized the person on the ground and lifted him up. With the two standing upright, they finally got a good look at each other.

"Impossible!" they spoke in unison, both in disbelief.

Cassius's heart skipped a beat. The thing in front of him was identical to him in appearance, expression, and even build! It was an exact copy of his old self!

On the other side, the shadow man felt his heart skip a beat as well. That was because he realized a serious problem! The owner of the body in front of him was half a head taller, much more muscular, if the bulging trapezius muscles near his neck were any indicator. His clothes hid a lean, well-trained body, typical of someone who worked out regularly.

"Did I not copy him completely?!" The shrunken version swallowed the blood in his mouth, subconsciously backing up under the real Cassius's glare.