In a crossover anime, do you believe that a machine spirit can defeat a fake human?

I... damn it.

He looked outside; the security door to the apartment building was open, but no one was coming in. The lobby was empty, and the security room's glass was shattered.

So... the worst-case scenario is that this apartment is being invaded.

He put down the violin case, quickly took out the rifle, and at the same time took out his phone to send a short text message to Professor Hiratsuka.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm staying out tonight. Something came up and I won't be going back yet."

"Hoo..." Chen Yi adjusted his breathing.

P.S.: I'm so sorry, dear readers! There's only one chapter today QwQ

I had a bit of a headache after driving practice in the morning. I cooked lunch for myself when I got home, ate around 2 p.m., and then took a short nap. When I woke up, it was already past 6 p.m.!

So I can only write one chapter tonight, I'm really, really sorry!

Oh right, tomorrow is the long-awaited battle segment, everyone can look forward to Desuwa!

New Life: Chapter Nineteen - Return

With lightning speed, Chen Yi sent a text message to Aoyama Nanami saying, "Take care of yourself and don't go out." He then pressed the floor button to try and return to Aoyama Nanami's floor, but there was no response.

The elevator malfunctioned and lost power right after the doors opened on the first floor? The timing seems a bit too coincidental...

Gripping the rifle that was his only lifeline, Chen Yi quickly stepped out to check the blind spots at the elevator entrance.

He was safe for now; he hadn't seen any living creatures yet.

The security room's glass was shattered all over the floor. Looking from the isolation room into the security room, you could see that the emergency button had been activated. It's estimated that the police had received the news and were on their way.

In other words, if we just need to hold on for this period of time, everything should be fine.

...I hope so.

He had already spoken with Aoyama Nanami; as long as he didn't open the door for anyone, he would most likely wait for rescue for the rest of the time.

Standing in the security room, Chen Yi thought to himself, but something still felt off.

The apartment building has been hacked... Why didn't the apartment residents hear any notifications or alarms?

He glanced at the emergency light; it wasn't on.

For some inexplicable reason, his eyelids twitched.

He reached out and pressed the emergency button, but nothing happened.

...It was as if this was just a decoration.

So, is the police aware of the situation... or unaware?

Chen Yi opened his phone, quickly dialed a number, placed it on the table and turned on speakerphone, while simultaneously memorizing the apartment map posted in the security room.

The apartment's interior layout wasn't particularly complex, but the security room had an exit that led directly to the escape route. If the security guard wasn't dead, he probably escaped from there.

Should we escape? Especially now, with it pouring rain outside?

Thinking of this, Chen Yi glanced at the wide-open isolation door and looked at the asphalt road outside the apartment, which was covered in water droplets.

He hadn't forgotten how he almost delivered the fake man's performance report when he rushed out in the heavy rain last time; the safety outside was nowhere near as good as indoors.

After glancing at the two closed doors, Chen Yi tried to open the left door handle, but couldn't.

"Bang—" He raised his left hand, shot the door lock, and then kicked it.

The door to the security room was kicked open with ease, and Chen Yi entered the space behind the security room.

This is a corridor, the lights are off, it's pitch black like a gaping maw.

The escape route is behind the door at the end of this corridor.

Chen Yi multitasked, quickly reporting some basic information over the phone.

"Let's go back to the floor where Aoyama Nanami lives first," Chen Yi said, frowning as he weighed the pros and cons.

First of all, it would be too dangerous for him to wait for the police to arrive in the security room. The condition of the apartment, the information about the fake person... everything is unknown. It would be better to return to Aoyama Nanami's side as soon as possible, so that the two of them can look after each other.

Moreover, he was also somewhat worried about Aoyama Nanami.

As I stepped into the corridor, a sharp, needle-like pain suddenly shot through my left hand, which was gripping the gun.

"boom--!"

Chen Yi instinctively pulled the trigger, and the gun went off accidentally.

The bullet struck the door, and black liquid began to seep out before the door slowly collapsed to the ground.

—It reveals the white wall behind it, stained with a pool of black blood.

That's not a door at all.

The impactful image was imprinted in Chen Yi's mind, and he was so frightened that he took a few steps back.

"Heh...heh..." The monster disguised as a door emitted a distorted sound, then fell silent.

Chen Yi fired a few more shots, hitting it, and only after seeing that it was truly motionless did he carefully take a breath.

What's this groove? Tell me what it is.

Chen Yi wanted to curse, but his trembling lips couldn't utter a single word.

This damn sense of déjà vu instantly reminded him of a "hide-and-seek" game mode he used to play in a shooting game.

"......calm."

It was as if someone was calling him, and his mind suddenly became clear.

Chen Yi looked closely at the humanoid monster lying on the ground and noticed something amiss.

Isn't it shaped like a door? Chen Yi blinked, and a key word instantly popped into his mind.

—Psychological interference.

The mental interference was subtle and imperceptible; no one knew when it started affecting him.

It can simulate a false memory and scene in your mind, and you might even take it for granted that there's nothing wrong with it.

So, the moment I kicked the door, the fake person in the hallway used mental interference to make me think it was a door and then walk over to it...

Chen Yi shivered.

If it weren't for this sudden realization, I probably would have been finished right here.

......wrong.

Chen Yi thought about it again and noticed something strange.

If I didn't spot the other person in the first place, then why did I fire the gun?

Memories from a minute ago vanished as if erased by an eraser.

He glanced at the rifle in his hand, a hint of doubt rising in his mind.

"Leave it alone." He couldn't care less about that now. If it really was a cheat code, then they'd test it in the upcoming real battles.

Much time has passed, and Aoyama Nanami may still be in unknown danger.

He didn't believe there was only one fake human in the building, and he certainly didn't think that someone who could so skillfully turn a secure apartment building into a hunting ground would be someone who only knew a little bit of mental interference.

He should go up through the emergency exit.

......

The voice-activated lights in the emergency exits are quite amazing.

They seem unable to sense footsteps, and can only keep the lights on by occasionally having pedestrians making other noises while using the safety passage.

"It's like a design straight out of a horror movie, completely inhumane," Chen Yi said, his voice filled with dissatisfaction. The stairwell was then illuminated once more.

Thanks to this damn design, he now not only has to guard against encountering love at the corner when he reaches the stairwell, but he also has to guard against the fake man attacking him the moment the lights go out. The psychological pressure is really immense.

"—"

At that moment, his phone suddenly started vibrating in his pocket, but Chen Yi had no time to pay attention to it and could only wait for it to turn off by itself.

Who could be calling at this hour?

Perhaps only Hiratsuka-sensei could do that.

Aoyama Nanami's condition is still uncertain, but she probably won't have time to call.

Only someone like Hiratsuka-sensei, who tends to worry excessively, would still care about him at this time.

I'm sorry, Hiratsuka-sensei, I broke my promise, but I will try my best to get back alive.

Hehe, I must survive!

He used his right hand, which was in a cast, to hook the phone out of his pocket and casually toss it onto the mezzanine floor.

...Hopefully, the phone's vibration will fool the fake person. I'm about to speed up.

Summoning his courage, Chen Yi stopped checking whether there were any imposters lurking in the stairwell and tried to ambush him. Instead, he strode up the stairs at lightning speed.

Only two floors remain.

New Students: Chapter Twenty - The Stairwell

"That brat Chen Yi..." Hiratsuka Shizuka gritted her teeth in anger as she looked at the unanswered phone.

What did you say at the beginning? That if I caught you, I'd give you a good beating.

"Hey, Uncle Zechuan, could you get me a file from the police station about the fake human attack a few days ago? There were two survivors, one of whom was a woman. Could you find out exactly where she lives? The area is roughly around Anshan Apartments..." After thinking for a moment, Hiratsuka Shizuka dialed a number, quickly gave a few instructions, and waited in the car.

"Boom—"

"This rain is really heavy. Chen Yi's probably off out fooling around with some pretty girls..."

Looking at the tall figure holding an umbrella at the intersection, Hiratsuka Shizuka calmly loaded bullets into the Garand.

"—"

"Young Miss, we've found out. The survivor's name is Aoyama Nanami, and he lives in Hemu Apartments, right across from Anshan Apartments..."

"Received, thank you Uncle Zechuan."

As soon as the car door opened, the swirling wind and rain outside rushed in, and Hiratsuka Shizuka frowned slightly.

Washing the car is going to be a lot of trouble now.

Hiratsuka Shizuka pushed open the car door, half-squatted behind it, and mounted Garand on the window frame.

The cold rain lashed against her body, but Hiratsuka Shizuka paid no attention, aiming her crosshair at the guy with the umbrella.

"boom--"

......

Just one floor away from where Aoyama Nanami lived, an accident occurred.

He met someone he never expected.

"Chen Yi?" Aoyama Nanami's voice rang out from above the stairs, and Chen Yi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Is this the real person or a fake? This can't be the real person, right?

"Didn't I tell you not to come out? What are you doing out here?"

Chen Yi slightly raised the muzzle of his gun and asked, feigning composure.

"Chen, I came out to find you. Why don't you stay tonight..." Aoyama Nanami's somewhat crisp voice rang out, carrying a lingering fear.

"The power went out at home, I'm scared..."

Hearing this, Chen Yi was certain that the other party's product was not genuine.

"You're fake, aren't you?" He raised the muzzle of his gun, his cold eyes fixed on the other man.

"Senior Aoyama is someone who doesn't like to trouble others, and if it's just a power outage at home, Senior Aoyama wouldn't panic to the point of running out of the safety of his house."

"So, your disguise wasn't quite there yet. Goodbye, fake..."

"Chen, behind you!" the other person suddenly called out, and Chen Yi subconsciously turned around.

A large, bluish face was almost pressed against Chen Yi's back, startling him so much that he fired several shots in quick succession.