The reflections of the seven people flickered and cycled across the mirror, their faces marked by anxiety and a foreboding sense of dread.
After several seconds, the cycle abruptly halted, and the reflection of the hotel employee was fixed on the mirror's surface.
"What does this mean? Why me?" The employee's face was etched with panic.
As she spoke, the reflection beside her mimicked her every word, gesture, and expression with perfect accuracy.
It was impossible for anyone to discern the real from the counterfeit.
"Stop copying me!"
The employee shrieked and backed away, attempting to hide in the corner of the bathroom. Yet, no matter where she retreated, her mirror double remained within a meter's distance.
"Don't panic, stay calm!"
The young officer stepped forward to comfort the employee, but his reflection mirrored his movements in perfect unison.
"Don't come any closer!"
The employee grew even more terrified as she saw two identical officers advancing towards her.
The young officer stood his ground, observing his own reflection, unsure of what to do next.
"Everyone, stay calm. Panicking won't solve anything."
Veteran officer Zhang Zhihu, although equally alarmed, maintained a façade of composure. He approached the mirror, scrutinizing it closely, and even knocked on it, finding it indistinguishable from an ordinary mirror.
He then moved to the bathroom door, attempting to exit, but found an invisible force obstructing his path, rendering any effort futile.
"We might be trapped inside the mirror."
"Zhang, smash the mirror. It might be our way out."
The young officer suggested, to which Zhang Zhihu replied, "Give it a try."
Encouraged, the young officer quickly approached the mirror, raising his pistol and smashing it against the surface.
A deafening crash echoed!
The mirror remained unscathed, while he staggered back, shaken.
"Step aside, I'm going to shoot!"
Irritated, the young officer released the safety and prepared to fire. Zhang Zhihu considered intervening but remained silent.
Bang!
The gunshot left a bullet hole in the mirror, with spider-webbed cracks spreading across the surface.
Everyone felt a glimmer of hope, thinking they might have a chance to shatter it.
However, in the next instant, the cracks vanished, and the mirror returned to its original state.
The young officer's face fell in disappointment, but his mirror double bizarrely burst into laughter.
"Destroy the mirror space, and you die!"
It suddenly extended its right hand, darting towards the young officer with lightning speed.
Caught off guard, the young officer had no time to react before the hand plunged into his body.
To the horrified onlookers, the reflection extracted a wraith-like figure from the officer's body, then tilted its head back and devoured the phantom, savoring the taste.
"It's been so long since I had a human soul; it's delicious!"
The mirror double smacked its lips, casting a malevolent glance at the others before vanishing.
Only then did the young officer's lifeless body collapse with a thud.
"Ah!"
Cries of terror erupted, and the crowd was thrown into chaos.
No one had expected the mirror doubles to be soul-eating monsters.
As the panic-stricken group struggled to comprehend the situation, each person's side was suddenly graced by an additional mirror double.
Time had silently elapsed, adding another minute to the clock.
"Do we need to play the game to get out?"
The hotel employee huddled in the corner, trembling uncontrollably, unable to believe that people were dying.
"The rule says to find another's true self to survive to the next round. Does that mean choosing incorrectly will result in death?"
Her reflection on the mirror suggested the game might start with her.
This meant she had to identify someone's true self within the given three minutes.
But now, with each person having two identical mirror doubles, how could she make a choice?
"Don't make hasty selections. This game is bound to have hidden pitfalls; we must not be led astray."
Zhang Zhihu, observing the employee's panicked gaze towards the group, intervened.
"If we don't choose, will there be danger when time runs out?"
"This…?"
Zhang Zhihu fell silent, unable to provide a definitive answer but instinctively felt that playing this game was fraught with peril.
He suddenly turned to Summer Tianqiong, "You understand the situation here, don't you?"
The group collectively turned their attention to Summer Tianqiong, who shook his head.
"I don't know."
This response clearly failed to convince Zhang Zhihu. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Summer Tianqiong.
"When we arrived, you were here, and you've remained unnervingly calm, even in the face of death. I'm certain you know something we don't."
Others noted the calm demeanor of Summer Tianqiong and perceived him as detached, as if watching a show.
"Tell us what you know, if you want to help."
"Young man, what's really going on here?"
"With people dying, if you're hiding something, you'll be held responsible!"
The group looked at Summer Tianqiong, their gazes filled with both hope and frustration.
Summer Tianqiong, taken aback by the certainty of the police's assertions, replied, "I can only tell you that not playing by the rules will lead to death. Following the rules is also perilous!"
"Why didn't you say this earlier?"
Liu Wangcai complained, then looked at the hotel employee, "You're the first; start choosing!"
The hotel employee had other concerns, "What happens if we choose incorrectly?"
Summer Tianqiong's response was cold, "Choosing wrong means death, but not choosing also leads to death!"
Panic-stricken, the hotel employee realized that with each passing minute, the probability of choosing correctly decreased as more doubles appeared.
She had no choice but to act swiftly, pointing to the cleaning lady across the room.
"I choose her. She's the true self!"
Among the three identical cleaning ladies, there seemed to be no difference, but she was familiar with the one on the far right, having interacted with her frequently at the hotel. The familiarity guided her choice.
The mirror suddenly displayed a line of text.
"Congratulations, correct choice. Reward: a mirror double."
At almost the same instant, the two mirror doubles beside the cleaning lady revealed menacing expressions and attacked.
They tore her soul from her body, shredded it, devoured it, and then the doubles disappeared.
The entire process lasted only a few seconds, leaving the others stunned and horrified.
"Being selected as the true self also leads to death. This means that whether or not someone is chosen as the true self, one person will die."
Zhang Zhihu quietly analyzed the situation while observing the remaining survivors closely.
"I… I caused her death?"
The hotel employee stood frozen, shocked that her choice had led to the cleaning lady's demise.
At that moment, a small mirror, about the size of a palm, appeared in front of her. She gingerly picked it up and asked, "What is this for?"
To her surprise, the mirror offered an explanation.
"Reflect upon yourself. With intent, communicate and manifest a mirror double. Duration: one incense stick."
"What a useful item! Let me see."
Liu Wangcai suddenly strode over and snatched the mirror from the employee's dazed hands.
"What are you doing? Give it back!" she shouted.
"I'm just checking. Why so stingy?"
Liu Wangcai, pretending to examine the mirror, used it directly.
A beam of light emerged from the small mirror, formed into his likeness, while the mirror shattered into fragments.
Clearly, it was a one-time use item.
"Why did you use it?"
The hotel employee questioned angrily, realizing the serious issue that those with more mirror doubles were less likely to be chosen as the true self.
"It's not my fault. I just wanted to try it, didn't expect this."
Liu Wangcai's feigned innocence was obvious to everyone.
The hotel employee, enraged, was at a loss.
As their argument continued, another minute passed, and each person gained another double.
Now, each person had four doubles, with Liu Wangcai having five.
The mirror once again displayed images of several people, initiating the selection process for the next individual.
Zhang Zhihu, looking sternly at Summer Tianqiong, demanded, "What else do you know? If you don't want to endanger everyone, reveal it quickly."
He used an artful manipulation, placing the blame on Summer Tianqiong.
Liu Wangcai, Luo Ying, and the hotel employee all turned their eyes to Summer Tianqiong.
"The game rules are simple enough; what more is there to say?"
Summer Tianqiong knew he could not reveal much. In this death game, the real danger came not from the mirror doubles, but from the people themselves.
Anyone could be selected as the true self by others, triggering the death rule.
"You must know how to survive or escape, or you wouldn't be so calm."
Zhang Zhihu, a seasoned officer, was adept at reading people.
Summer Tianqiong responded with a faint smile, "If I told you, would you believe that you'd all die?"
The others turned pale at this declaration.
Only Zhang Zhihu, frowning, remained composed, "Will you die as well?"
Before Summer Tianqiong could answer, the mirror's images ceased cycling. This time, it selected Luo Ying.
"Wangcai, what should I do? How do I choose?"
Luo Ying cried out, seeking Liu Wangcai's help, but faced with five identical versions of him, she couldn't discern the real from the fake.
Before Liu Wangcai could speak
, Zhang Zhihu advised, "Don't rush to choose. We need to clarify things first. No more deaths."
Luo Ying and Liu Wangcai hesitated, weighing their options.
"Every delay increases the number of doubles, reducing the probability of choosing the true self, making me more vulnerable, while you all become safer."
Luo Ying, not foolish, understood the peril involved.
She surveyed Zhang Zhihu, Summer Tianqiong, and the hotel employee, deliberating on whom to choose.
Zhang Zhihu furrowed his brow and suddenly pointed to Summer Tianqiong, "If you must choose, I suggest picking him."
Liu Wangcai added, "Yes, choose him. He's certainly hiding something. If someone must die, let it be him."