Evil Emperor Zun

Chapter 2019 Distinguishing Loyalty from Treachery (Part 2)
Rewinding the clock slightly, Ye Yunyan, who was still barely managing to appease the Red-Eyed Demon, saw Chen Shiyu suddenly abandon his plan, quickly emerge from the restroom, politely bid farewell to the Red-Eyed Demon, and then beckon her to leave. Ye Yunyan didn't understand why he had changed so drastically, but this wasn't the place to talk, so she could only play along, pretending nothing had happened, retrieve the cloning machine, and end her visit.

Next, instead of returning to Chen Shiyu's room, they went together to Ye Yunyan's room. As soon as they reached the corridor, Chen Shiyu telepathically informed her of his mirror image transformation. Ye Yunyan was greatly shocked, and quickly realized that Hei Shiyu was still in Chen Shiyu's room. It was difficult to distinguish friend from foe; if it discovered Shiyu's current state, who knew what it might do? If Ye Yunyan was looking for a relatively safe place, her own room was the only one she could think of.

Thanks to Baili Ji's special treatment, her room had several layers of reinforcement compared to ordinary player rooms, making it much harder for enemies to break in. They could rest there temporarily and discuss their next move.

Continuing to move around outside in his mirror form was far too dangerous. Given the urgency, Chen Shiyu decided against being coy. Besides, he really needed to find a place with a mirror.

After settling in, Ye Yunyan carefully checked the room again to prevent any enemy ambushes. Chen Shiyu, on the other hand, made a call to Feng Wutong to inquire about Hei Shiyu's performance.

When planning this offensive, Chen Shiyu borrowed several communication devices from Qin Jia's treasure bag to facilitate communication, equipping himself and Ye Yunyan with them. He also left one for Su and Ye, whom he had previously asked to keep an eye on Hei Shiyu.

Feng Wutong said that Hei Shiyu was quite well-behaved and had just cooked a big feast for them. The three of them were now eating and chatting together, and everything was going well.

Following the communicator, you could hear Su Ye burping as she ate.

Feng Wutong even spoke highly of Hei Shiyu, guaranteeing its absolute trustworthiness. Chen Shiyu thought to himself that this was truly a case of "whoever feeds you will be your mother." If Hei Shiyu agreed to cook for them whenever they were called, those two guys whose heads were stuffed with food would most likely be happy to let it replace them.

After coaxing them to eat and drink their fill and fall asleep peacefully, Hei Shiyu quietly slipped out of the room in the dead of night and went to the cage of the Gnawing Clan to act out that scene with Lan Shiyu.

It turns out that it unlocked its cooking ability early on not for fun, but because it learned from Chen Shiyu's memories that this ability could sometimes be even more convenient than money in winning people's hearts.

Returning to the present moment, Chen Shiyu had given up hope on these two, and he didn't want them to pry into his situation and then relay the information back to Hei Shiyu. He simply gave a few brief replies and hung up.

Silence enveloped him from all sides, the air heavy with the weight of lead, bending his back. From the moment he realized he had been mirrored, his mind had been on edge. And what he was about to do was anything but easy…

The indoor light fell on him, then passed right through him, making his skin appear almost transparent. This scene, witnessed by Ye Yunyan, made her realize for the first time that he was now a mirror image, existing between reality and illusion, and could disappear at any moment. It was remarkable that he could withstand such immense pressure without being detected by the red-eyed demons.

"Yunyan, I want to discuss something with you." It was Chen Shiyu who broke the awkward silence. "I plan to try to enter the Mirror Space."

"This...is too dangerous, isn't it?" Ye Yunyan's first reaction was that something was amiss. "We have no idea what the mirror space is like, or if we can even get out once we're inside. And that black clone is still inside the mirror; what if it turns against you..."

Chen Shiyu smiled reassuringly: "We won't meet in the mirror because we're not in the same space. It's like," he was still in the mood to joke even now, "we entered the same map in an online game, but were assigned to different servers. This is new knowledge I gained after becoming a mirror image."

"As for the previous question, it's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you..." Chen Shiyu's words were interrupted by the sudden vibration of the communicator.

The caller was Chu Tianyao. He and Ye Yunyan had been communicating frequently recently because of their discussions about the Devouring Clan, and Ye Yunyan had given him one after she got her hands on a communicator.

"Yunyan, has something happened to Shiyu?"

Judging from the timeline, this was shortly after Chu Tianyao first met Lan Shiyu. Lan Shiyu claimed it would come to see him again that night to prove that Chen Shiyu had sided with the Gnawing Clan. Then it left first, and Chu Tianyao pondered its words alone in the room for a while before deciding to make a call to Ye Yunyan to ask.

How could he—? Ye Yunyan felt the air in her chest cavity being rapidly sucked away, causing her heart to clench sharply. She subconsciously exchanged a glance with Chen Shiyu, both understanding that asking this question at this moment was no coincidence. Would his intervention bring them a turning point, or a trap?
Chen Shiyu suggested that she talk to him first, but not reveal any information proactively, while also testing how much he knew and how deeply involved he was. Ye Yunyan read this meaning in his eyes, and coincidentally, she had the same idea. She immediately nodded slightly to him, trying to calm herself down, and cautiously asked into the communicator, "Why do you ask that?"

Chu Tianyao explained, "A person who claims to be 'Future Ten Feathers' approached me and said some very strange things." He briefly recounted Lan Shiyu's purpose in coming.

It's a clone! Ye Yunyan immediately realized the other party's identity. Besides Jing Shiyu and Hei Shiyu, there was actually a third clone who could move freely! It seemed that Chen Shiyu's inexplicable mirroring was also related to the existence of this clone. Thinking of this, she hurriedly asked, "Where is that person now?" Chu Tianyao heard the sudden anxiety in her voice, paused slightly, and replied apologetically, "It's gone. I told it I needed time to think about it, and it said it was okay, it would come back."

As if to make up for the disappointment he had caused her, Chu Tianyao spoke again, with his usual gentleness and understanding: "Anyway, I know what I'm doing now that I've confirmed with you. Yunyan, take good care of Shiyu first, don't worry. When it arrives, I will try to gain its trust and find out what its purpose is."

Ye Yunyan blurted out, "I don't recommend it."

"The clones controlled by the Devourer Clan are extremely cunning. It's impossible to tell which of their words are true and which are false. If we rashly make contact with them, we will only end up being played for fools."

Chu Tianyao smiled, his voice calm and composed: "I know what I'm doing."

Having finished their conversation, Ye Yunyan decided to tell him the whole story of the clones.

The mirror body lacks the authority to reclaim other mirror bodies and must find an ally to operate the replication machine. If an enemy contacts him, it means they intend to choose him as an ally. In that case, the enemy will reveal things even if the mirror body itself doesn't, and who knows how many lies will be mixed in.

"Here's what we'll do: if you see it again, just say something to stall it, then let me know. We need to put it away as soon as possible." Ye Yunyan added this as a final instruction.

There was an unusually long silence on the other side. Ye Yunyan could understand; anyone would need time to process so many extraordinary and illogical stories.

“Okay, wait for my news.” Chu Tianyao finally agreed, then added after thinking for a moment, “However, I can’t guarantee that it will reappear. When I said I needed to think about it, it might have taken it as a rejection and gone to find someone else to cooperate with. So all I can say is that I will keep an eye on its whereabouts for you, but don’t have too high expectations and don’t let it interfere with your rest.”

"You also mentioned that there is another cloning machine that is missing, right? I think that is the most direct threat to Touyu right now, and the most urgent task should be to find this machine. As for dealing with the clones, we can postpone that, because this one may not be the only one. Even if we can take it away tonight, Touyu will still not be able to get rid of his mirror image identity."

"If I were the mastermind, when releasing the clones, I would always keep one with me to prevent them from being wiped out. It's like holding the seed in your hand and releasing the fruit. As long as the seed is there, new fruit can keep growing."

"What we need to do is to take control of both cloning machines, so we won't have to fear clones anymore. Of course, it's not enough for me to do it alone. Let's schedule a time to discuss this in detail when it's convenient for you."

Ye Yunyan thanked him and said some polite things like not to worry too much and to get some rest. Until the call ended, Chu Tianyao didn't ask to borrow the copying machine. Clearly, he knew the topic was too sensitive—a request that would put the other person in a difficult position—so he simply didn't bring it up, subtly making her accept the favor. He was indeed a very shrewd and diplomatic person.

Chen Shiyu stood beside her, quietly listening to their conversation and watching the indicator light on the communicator go out. Then he spoke softly, "Is he trustworthy?"

Although Chu Tianyao could be considered neither strong enough nor close to Qin Jia, making him relatively unlikely to be copied, not being a copy does not mean he cannot be bribed by the Devouring Clan.

As soon as he raised this question, the comments section was flooded with "unbelievable," as if everyone wanted to jump into the screen to warn them. Many netizens who didn't know much about Chu Tianyao before, and only had a good impression of his appearance, were also given a lecture by the Dingtian Sect members about how he had colluded with outsiders and betrayed his sect.

However, amidst a barrage of comments, Ye Yunyan's response was: "He often helps me analyze the suspicious points of the Devouring Clan, and I trust him."

Chen Shiyu's brows remained furrowed: "Being interested in the Devouring Clan doesn't necessarily mean wanting to defeat them; it could simply mean wanting to obtain their power."

His various calculations were not due to any prejudice against Chu Tianyao. On the contrary, their relationship had always been quite good.

Chu Tianyao was a kind and intelligent friend, always thoughtful in his actions, easily winning the favor of those around him. However, seeing his smile so often, this characteristic of "hiding one's true feelings beneath a mask," felt strangely familiar to him, like looking in a mirror—as the saying goes, those of the same kind understand each other best. Furthermore, as a friend, he knew how much he craved power—it was precisely this understanding that led Lan Shiyu to seek him out, and why Chen Shiyu now found it difficult to trust him.

Because they were all convinced that, among all the players in the mysterious space, he was the most likely to abandon his conscience for profit!