**Chapter 17: Echoes of the Void**
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### **1. The Mirror of Loss**
Chen Zhen froze mid-step, his spiritual sense recoiling as Mei Lin turned toward him. Her face—*Li Na's face*—stared back, etched with the same gentle curve of her smile, the same worry lines framing her eyes. Behind her, a boy clung to her leg, his wide eyes mirroring Xiao Peng's innocent gaze, while a girl clutched a singed doll, her features a perfect echo of Mei's shy curiosity.
*"No… It's impossible—"*
The clone flooded his mind with comparative analyses:
- **Facial structure**: 99.8% match to Li Na.
- **Genetic markers**: Anomalous overlap detected (82.3%).
- **Behavioral patterns**: Ling's habit of twisting her hair matched Mei's exactly.
Shanggu Feng hissed, *"Illusion! The Matriarch's trick!"*
Lou Tian countered, *"The Nexus bends reality. This is no trick—it's a *test*."*
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### **2. The Fractured Heart**
Chen's knees buckled. Mei Lin rushed forward, her touch igniting a storm of memories:
- **Li Na** laughing as they danced in their cramped apartment.
- **Xiao Peng**'s first steps, captured on a phone now lost to another world.
- **Mei**'s tears when he left for the business trip that stranded him here.
*"You're hurt,"* Mei Lin murmured, pressing a herb-soaked cloth to his burns. Her fingers brushed his wrist—Li Na's signature gesture.
*[Physiological response: Elevated heart rate, cortisol surge,] the clone reported. *[Recommend emotional detachment.]*
*"Shut up,"* Chen whispered.
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### **3. Julong's Warning**
The old cultivator cornered Chen at dusk, his gaze piercing. *"You recognize them."*
*"They're… copies. From my world."*
*"Or reflections,"* Julong said grimly. *"The Nexus mirrors deepest desires—and fears. Protect them, and you risk unraveling."*
*"I don't care."* Chen's fists glowed faintly. *"I won't lose them again."*
Julong's staff struck the earth, fracturing a boulder. *"Sentiment breeds weakness! The Matriarch *wants* you attached!"*
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### **4. The Clone's Hypothesis**
In the mindscape, the clone interfaced with Xiao Wei's Nexus energy, streams of data cascading:
*[Conclusion: Their resemblance is not random. Xiao Wei's DNA contains traces of your world's quantum signature. Probability of natural occurrence: 0.0003%.]*
*"Meaning?"* Chen demanded.
*[They may be refugees from a parallel reality—one where your family survived the plane crash. The Nexus bridged them here.]*
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### **5. Shadows of the Past**
That night, Mei Lin confessed her own loss. *"My husband… he vanished months ago. The Lou Clan burned our village searching for Xiao Wei."*
She unfolded a charcoal sketch—a man's face. *Chen Zhen's face.*
*"He looks like you,"* she said softly. *"Acts like you. Even… *smells* like you."*
Chen's clone triggered a memory: Li Na teasing him about his cedar-scented cologne. Mei Lin's hands carried the same faint hint.
*[Symbiotic resonance confirmed. Recommend vigilance.]*
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### **6. The Matriarch's Gambit**
Days later, a Lou Clan scout breached the sanctuary, her mask cracking to reveal *Li Na's face*.
*"Surrender the boy,"* she hissed, phoenix flames coiling around Mei Lin's throat. *"Or watch your *wife* burn—*again*."*
Chen's Void energy erupted uncontrollably. The clone screamed:
*[Meridian overload!]*
Shanggu Feng roared, *"Kill her!"*
Lou Tian countered, *"Strike the ground! Collapse the terrain!"*
Chen did neither. He stepped forward, eyes bleeding Void-black. *"You're not her."*
The scout's flames died as Chen's hand closed around her core. *"Li Na would never hurt children."*
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### **7. The Price of Truth**
The scout's body dissolved into ash, revealing a Nexus shard pulsing with stolen memories. Julong analyzed it, face pale.
*"The Matriarch cloned your family's likeness from your mind. This was a probe—a test of your weakness."*
Chen cradled the shard, Li Na's laughter echoing faintly. *"Then she underestimated me."*
*[Incorrect,] the clone interjected. *[She now knows your resolve. Expect escalation.]*
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### **8. The Bonds That Remain**
At dawn, Ling pressed the pinecone talisman into Chen's palm. *"You're sad. This helps me."*
Xiao Wei hugged his leg. *"Are you my new dad?"*
Chen knelt, tears blurring their faces into Mei and Xiao Peng's. *"I'm… someone who'll keep you safe."*
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### **9. Epilogue: The Storm Approaches**
Julong reforged the sanctuary's barriers, veins bulging with strain. *"The Matriarch will send her Eclipse Battalion next. Prepare."*
Chen stared at the horizon, Mei Lin's hand brushing his—a ghost of Li Na's warmth.
The clone's voice hardened. *[Weaponizing emotional attachments is illogical… but effective. Proposal: Train the children in basic evasion.]*
Chen smiled faintly. *"Start tomorrow."*
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