We must inform our teammates about the clone Xiao Lou as soon as possible. The easiest teammate to find right now is Long Sen.
As a fellow member of the Royal Guard, Long Sen had always been by His Majesty's side; however, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou hadn't seen him when they went to see him. According to the Royal Guard's shift system, Long Sen was likely off today.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou went to the guards' quarters and found Long Sen's room by memory.
Long Sen, dressed in casual clothes, was about to leave when he saw Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou. He paused for a moment, then hurriedly bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, General."
Yu Hanjiang lowered his voice: "Let's go inside and talk."
The guards all lived in a palace on the west side of the royal palace, in single rooms. Long Sen invited Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou into the room and carefully locked the door behind him. Before he could speak, Yu Hanjiang asked, "After entering the secret chamber, have you seen any of your other teammates? Including me and Xiao Lou?"
"?" Noticing Yu Hanjiang's serious expression, Long Sen also realized the gravity of the situation and said earnestly, "I haven't seen the others before, only His Highness the Prince, Professor Xiao. This noon, Professor Xiao was walking with His Majesty, and I couldn't greet him, but when I looked at him, he smiled at me..."
Long Sen paused, then looked at Xiao Lou: " Professor Xiao, did you have something to say to me back then?"
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance.
He shook his head, his tone serious: " Long Sen, I've never seen you before."
Long Sen looked bewildered: "Huh? Didn't we just see each other at noon?"
Yu Hanjiang said with a stern face, "That's a clone, not Xiao Lou himself."
"Clone? " Recalling the smile Xiao Lou gave him back then, Long Sen couldn't help but get goosebumps: "Just like in science fiction movies, a genetically cloned Xiao Lou, exactly the same?"
"Yes, Hanjiang saw that person just now too." Xiao Lou frowned unhappily. "This time, there is a high possibility of a clone crisis in the secret room. To prevent you from being deceived, Hanjiang and I contacted you as soon as possible to tell you about this."
Long Sen scratched the back of his head: "I really didn't realize that person looked exactly like you."
Fortunately, " Xiao Lou " didn't speak to him at the time; otherwise, given his trust in Xiao Lou, he would have done whatever the other asked without a second thought... Just thinking about it now sends chills down my spine.
Xiao Lou instructed, "In short, verify the identity of any teammate you see in the future. We've been through so many escape rooms together, while clones only exist in this world. Just ask a few questions to tell the difference between the real and the fake."
Long Sen asked, "For example, Li Qingzhao's skills?"
Xiao Lou said, "Searching and searching, who sends a letter from the clouds? I've mistakenly wandered into the depths of the lotus blossoms."
Long Sen was completely relieved and let out a soft breath: "You really are Professor Xiao."
Xiao Lou said helplessly, "The me you see now is real, but the me you see later may not be, so be careful and verify the information. If the other party can't answer, then it's a clone."
Long Sen nodded seriously: "I understand. Not only you, but other teammates may also be cloned. This secret room is also testing our teamwork. If we are deceived by the cloned person, that would be terrible."
Xiao Lou gently rubbed his temples: "Yes. At the moment, I'm not sure if the other Xiao Lou will turn against us, but given Guardian's personality, he definitely won't help us."
Yu Hanjiang looked at his casual clothes and asked, "Are you going out?"
Long Sen explained, "I happen to be on leave today and want to go home to see Wanyue. As far as I remember, my family lives in an apartment building in the Capital Star F district. Wanyue is my wife, a dance teacher at Roque University. Members of the security team only have two days off each month to go home to visit their families, so I want to go back and see her, at least to get in touch with her."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, you go home first and explain the clone thing to Qu Wanyue, and tell her to be careful. I'll find a chance to take Xiao Lou out this afternoon to meet up with Ninth Brother and the others."
Xiao Lou was a little worried: "Will I be able to leave the palace?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "How about this, you and Long Sen stay here for now, I'll go find you a suitable outfit, and you can dress up as a Royal Guard soldier and sneak out of the palace with me."
Xiao Lou also thought it was a good idea: "Okay, my clothing size is..."
Yu Hanjiang stood up: "I know."
Long Sen was taken aback, wondering how Captain Yu knew Professor Xiao's clothing size. While height was easy to determine, waist and hip measurements were important; military uniforms were always tailored to fit the body.
So Long Sen earnestly suggested, "Why don't we measure it with a ruler?"
"...No need." Yu Hanjiang, do you really need a ruler to measure Xiao Lou's waist? You've carried her so many times already.
Xiao Lou's ears turned red, and she coughed lightly: "There's no need to be so careful, as long as it's wearable, it's fine."
Long Sen scratched his head: "Oh."
He was just offering a friendly suggestion; if you don't want to measure it, then don't.
Yu Hanjiang turned and left.
Long Sen scrutinized Xiao Lou with a complex expression: "That person really looks like you. The cloning technology of the interstellar era seems very advanced. Is it possible to create a Xiao Lou by taking a single hair from you?"
Xiao Lou said, "Cloning technology, in essence, is the asexual reproduction of cells. If the technology of this era is advanced enough, it is indeed possible to use only a few of my [cells]..."
A single hair can create countless Xiao Lous.
Long Sen suddenly realized: "Oh, it's just like Sun Wukong plucking a handful of monkey hairs and turning them into countless Sun Wukongs."
Xiao Lou: "..."
With your language skills, how did you even manage to win over Qu Wanyue?
As the two were chatting, Yu Hanjiang knocked on the door and came in, carrying a large bag.
Xiao Lou was delighted to see a brand-new military uniform in the bag: "You found it so quickly?"
Yu Hanjiang: "I am the captain, and I can use my position to go directly to the inventory and get a new uniform that fits you. Just say it's for one of my subordinates."
Xiao Lou stood up and looked at Long Sen: "Then Hanjiang and I will go back first. When you get home, have a good talk with Teacher Qu and see if she knows any clues. See you in a couple of days."
Long Sen: "Yes, I will definitely be back before Your Highness's birthday banquet."
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou left Long Sen's residence and returned to Gemini Palace.
After entering the room, Yu Hanjiang had Xiao Lou change into this military uniform. The clothes he found for Xiao Lou fit him perfectly, as if they were tailor-made for him.
It was Xiao Lou's first time wearing a military uniform, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle the belt. Yu Hanjiang walked behind him and said in a deep voice, "I'll help you."
The man's hand slipped through Xiao Lou's waist and gently wrapped the belt around his waist, fastening the buttons.
Then, Yu Hanjiang asked Xiao Lou to sit on the sofa.
He walked over, knelt on one knee beside Xiao Lou, and lifted Xiao Lou's foot.
Xiao Lou's face flushed slightly—being held by Yu Hanjiang's hand made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Even through the white socks, the warmth of his hand was clearly felt on her soles.
Xiao Lou's toes twitched slightly backward.
Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Don't move." He grabbed Xiao Lou's foot, carefully put on his military boots, tucked the trouser legs into the boots and straightened them, and then put on the other foot.
The entire process was performed with great gentleness, just like a guard serving his master.
The man, dressed in military uniform and exceptionally handsome, knelt on one knee in front of her, carefully putting on her boots... Xiao Lou's heart pounded like a drum, and she was too embarrassed to look at him. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and every inch of her skin was burning.
After finally getting into the full uniform, Xiao Lou hurriedly stood up and looked in the mirror.
The white military uniform was made of very high-quality fabric, without a single wrinkle, perfectly neat, and exuded an air of asceticism.
Yu Hanjiang stood behind him, watching him. Xiao Lou usually wore casual clothes, but he looked unexpectedly good in uniform. Tall and elegant, with an upright posture, his aura was in no way inferior to that of a formal soldier. Yu Hanjiang couldn't take his eyes off him for a moment.
Xiao Lou met the man's deep gaze in the mirror, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head to carefully put her hat on, asking, "Shall we leave now?"
Yu Hanjiang snapped out of his daze: "Let's go."
Xiao Lou lowered the brim of his hat and followed closely behind Yu Hanjiang.
He walked with his eyes straight ahead, maintaining an upright posture, and kept the same pace as Yu Hanjiang, making him look like Yu Hanjiang's subordinate.
There are guards patrolling everywhere in the palace. If Xiao Lou acts timidly, it will arouse suspicion. It would be better for him to stand tall and play the role of a guard.
Yu Hanjiang was the captain of the guard team. Most of the guards would salute him respectfully when they saw him. The "soldier" following behind Yu Hanjiang did not attract much attention.
He traveled without hindrance until he arrived at the palace gates. The guards responsible for security saw Yu Hanjiang and, according to protocol, stopped him: "General, are you trying to leave?"
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "Yes, His Highness has sent me to do something."
He handed his ID card and entry/exit permit to the other party for inspection. After verifying that there were no problems, the other party immediately let him through.
Yu Hanjiang left the palace with Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou breathed a slight sigh of relief and said to Yu Hanjiang, "Your captain status is really useful. Where are we going now? Have you made plans with Ninth Brother?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Come with me, we'll go straight to his house."
In front of the Imperial Palace is a fountain plaza covering thousands of square meters. The guards patrol the plaza in three rows. Ordinary people are not allowed to approach the solemn and majestic palace. The palace is surrounded by the Royal Guard, which is similar to the "Imperial Guard" that protected the emperor in ancient times. It is almost impossible for outsiders to enter the palace.
Your Majesty previously stated that Xiao Lou was not ill as a child, but rather assassinated… How did that person infiltrate the palace? Was they an insider?
Yu Hanjiang temporarily suppressed his doubts about the matter, led Xiao Lou across the square, drove a hovercar used by the guard team to the parking lot on the northwest side, and took Xiao Lou to the outskirts of the city.
The hovercar traveled along the aerial road and soon arrived at the villa where the Lu family lived.
According to the storyline, Lu Jiuchuan's grandfather and father were both generals who died in battle many years ago, leaving only Lu Jiuchuan as the sole member of the Lu family.
Yu Hanjiang parked the hovercar on the helipad at the entrance.
After a short wait, a military hovercraft flew towards them. Lu Jiuchuan pushed his wheelchair down and met Yu Hanjiang's gaze. The two brothers said nothing. Lu Jiuchuan went to open the gate, and Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou followed him into the courtyard.
No one lives in the house, but robots clean the yard, so it's very clean.
Lu Jiuchuan led everyone into the living room, then turned around to carefully examine Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou. He noticed that both of them were wearing Royal Guard uniforms, and he couldn't help but chuckle as he patted Yu Hanjiang's shoulder: "How did you manage to lure His Highness the Prince out of the palace?"
Yu Hanjiang calmly asked, "Have you seen Hua Ying and Old Gui?"
Lu Jiuchuan shook his head: "No, I only know Tang Ci, and the two of you." He looked his younger brother and Xiao Lou up and down, who were wearing the same military uniform, and said with admiration: "You look pretty cool in your military uniform. Of course, Xiao Lou is also very handsome."
Xiao Lou was initially worried that Ninth Brother and Tang Ci were clones.
Judging from their reactions when Hua Ying and Old Gui were mentioned, it's undoubtedly the real person. Yu Hanjiang's question was actually a test; the clone certainly wouldn't know Chu Huaying and Gui Yuanzhang. Besides, Ninth Brother's ability to joke anytime, anywhere is something most people can't fake.
Tang Ci said, "Let's get down to business."
Lu Jiuchuan's smile faded: "Well, you must have something important to discuss with me. So, what did you find?"
Xiao Lou looked at Lu Jiuchuan and said seriously, "Ninth Brother, it's like this, a clone of me, Xiao Lou, has appeared in the palace."
******