Chapter 56 The Spy

To be orphaned was a tragedy. Yet, if anything could eclipse that misfortune, it was to be adopted by an unsuitable family thereafter.

Such was the boy’s plight.

“Cast aside your former name and identity. From this day forward, you are but a puppet, designated 007.”

At the tender age of six, having lost his family and everything he knew, he became a ‘seed’ within an assassination organization.

“Remember this: you are to harbor no emotions, nor are you to ponder any superfluous thoughts. Your sole purpose is to obey the organization’s commands!”

His days were a relentless cycle of training, study, and drug injections.

Beyond the bare necessities of survival, these three activities consumed his entire existence.

Three years elapsed, and one by one, the other ‘seeds’ succumbed to the adverse effects of the drugs and the crushing solitude, subsequently being ‘dealt with’ by the organization.

“Number Seven, step forward. You have been chosen.”

Unlike the others, he had caught the eye of the organization’s high-ranking members.

The one who chose him was an assassin known as Thousand Faces.

His misfortunes, however, were far from over.

“As my successor, before you can formally learn my unique ability, you must first master the art of impersonating all manner of people.”

He stared blankly at Thousand Faces.

Three years of drug injections and rigorous ‘training’ had long since molded him into an emotionless puppet.

The only thought that lingered in his mind was the unwavering imperative to ‘fulfill the organization’s commands.’

“This, too, is a command,” Thousand Faces stated. “I am well aware that you ‘seeds’ possess no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, and that is precisely what I require.”

It became clear that Thousand Faces sought an heir who, while impersonating others, would never lose themselves in the role.

This ‘not losing oneself’ implied actions unswayed by emotion.

“As for how one portrays a role without emotions… it is quite simple. You will act like a program, following logic to guide your behavior,” Thousand Faces explained. “For instance, if instructed to play an assassin, you must be ruthless and cold. If you are to embody a primary school student, you should attend school, occasionally engaging in mischievous antics that cause your parents and teachers a slight headache…”

After an elaborate string of examples, Thousand Faces fixed him with a menacing gaze.

“Naturally, never forget that everything you do is merely an act of ‘impersonation’. Fundamentally, you are no one and nothing… you are but an empty vessel, a puppet devoid of a heart.”

To this pronouncement, he offered no objection.

For the ‘seeds’ who failed to become puppets… had all perished.

He began to follow Thousand Faces’ instructions, impersonating children from diverse backgrounds. Once proficient, he advanced to portraying adults of varying ages and professions…

He mastered the physical techniques required to display a full range of emotions, the ability to shed tears in under ten seconds, and the skill of simulating another’s thought process based on available information.

“Excellent. By the time you reach seventeen, you will be ready to debut,” Thousand Faces declared, profoundly satisfied.

Yet, he felt not a flicker of joy.

Nor a pang of pain.

He felt nothing at all.

Thousand Faces’ satisfaction only deepened.

However, Thousand Faces was not destined to see that day.

When he was fourteen, the organization was dismantled.

Thousand Faces was shot dead.

And he, unfortunately, was captured.

“It’s over now. You are free.”

These people were smiling.

Some even embraced him, stroking his head.

He gazed impassively at Thousand Faces’ corpse.

He understood that the man was dead.

Yet, before his death, Thousand Faces had issued no command for him to impersonate anyone.

Soon, he was taken to a world he had only ever visited during his impersonation training.

People quickly noticed his abnormality.

“Perhaps, we should also…”

A wave of fear swept through them.

“Leave this child to me!”

The woman who had shot Thousand Faces adopted him.

“What is your name?”

He uttered his designation.

“Not that. Your original… never mind. You’ll take my surname. As for a given name, let me think… it’s too much trouble. How about this: what color do you like?”

He thought of the vibrant crimson bloom that had spread across Thousand Faces’ chest as he lay fallen.

“That reason… well, fine. You shall be called Shenhong,” the woman said with a smile. “Shenhong, from now on, live as a normal child.”

He had impersonated ordinary people on countless occasions.

But the question remained: was there still a need for such an act?

The one who issued his commands was no longer in this world.

“Look at this.”

The woman produced an item.

It was the token of the organization’s leader.

Thousand Faces had taught him that to see this token was to see the leader themselves.

Just like that, he became the woman’s adopted son, and ostensibly, an ordinary person.

“Shenhong, I bought you something wonderful. Aren’t you happy?”

He displayed a happy expression.

“Shenhong, if anyone dares to bully you at school, never be afraid.”

With unwavering courage, he promptly beat someone up.

“Shenhong, come with me and apologize!”

He apologized.

However, his obedience failed to earn the woman’s approval.

“Shenhong, please don’t be like this. I want you to be a normal child…”

He understood.

What the woman truly desired was an ‘advanced form of impersonation’.

This meant going beyond superficiality and simple logic, requiring consideration for the other person’s family environment and the expectations of those around them.

“I’m sorry. I will try harder.”

Consequently, he adapted.

He assimilated into his class, into society, transforming into a ‘good child’ praised by all.

Yet, his efforts proved effective only at first.

“Shenhong, why don’t you understand? I never expected you to force yourself!”

The woman grew angry.

No matter how he apologized, he could not satisfy her.

He felt bewildered.

He no longer knew how to fulfill the woman’s command.

“It’s not a command. What I wish for is for you to live freely.”

He understood the meaning of freedom.

But he had no need for it.

However, if it were a command… he could achieve it.

Naturally, the superior approach would be to pursue freedom while simultaneously ensuring the woman’s contentment.

Therefore—

“Then, may I help you with something? Not the usual chores, but your work…”

Under his persistent badgering, the woman acquiesced to his request.

Though the woman’s work was fraught with danger, his ‘willfulness’ was, in her eyes, a manifestation of love and freedom.

The woman was delighted.

Even though he harbored no such feelings whatsoever.

For the next two years, while maintaining the facade of an ordinary high school student, he secretly assisted the woman in handling various supernatural incidents.

The woman was quite pleased.

He, too, felt a sense of relief upon successfully completing his assignments.

Yet, just as he believed his days would continue in this unchanging manner,

he forgot that misfortune had always been his constant companion—

–Shenhong, there are parachutes on the plane, aren’t there? Get out now!–

What had seemed a routine mission to investigate peripheral personnel took an unforeseen turn.

The target he located turned out to be the mastermind behind everything. Although he had employed every possible method to corner the individual, he had, in doing so, unleashed Pandora’s Box.

–Mom, that guy is researching ‘immortality’.–

–I know, Shenhong, quickly…–

–His method involves transforming people into undead creatures. Quite laughable, wouldn’t you say?–

He rarely told jokes, as he found nothing amusing about them.

However, to effectively portray the ordinary child his mother envisioned, he would occasionally recount jokes he had learned from books, television, or others.

This particular joke, however, was utterly devoid of humor.

–Mom, this is an S-class crisis. The higher-ups have issued orders to resolve this at all costs… Shoot down the plane.–

His mother’s duty was to maintain world peace.

This was what she was meant to do.

–Shenhong, don’t be absurd! How could I possibly do such a thing?!–

Regrettably, his mother was far from rational.

But it didn’t matter; he was different.

–Shenhong, wait—–

He ended the call.

Even without an attack from the ground, it was fine.

Though these undead creatures had been dubbed ‘Demons’ by the mad scientist,

the supernatural beings and entities of this world could not transcend the laws of physics.

In other words, when confronted with a thousand-degree Celsius temperature, even they would be reduced to ash.

–Recent volcanic eruptions in the Hawaiian Islands… what a tremendous help.–

Steering the plane to change course, he allowed a smile to grace his lips.

This was a moment meant for smiling.

His mother wished for him to be her family.

Yet, the concept of ‘family’ was far too broad; it encompassed everything from bitter enemies to loving kin.

After much contemplation, he could only choose to become the kind of family member who would sacrifice everything for their loved ones.

Thus, he was on the verge of fulfilling his command.

His life, he believed, held no regrets—

“Are you awake?”

But he could never have imagined.

Even in death, his misfortunes refused to cease.

Awakening once more from the darkness, he found himself in an unfamiliar world.

Gazing at the black-haired woman who bore a faint resemblance to his mother, he received a command once again.

“Who am I?”

“Is this my sister?”

“Who are you people to me?”

But it didn’t matter, just as before.

He had only one objective.

That was to perfectly impersonate the Xie Shenhong of this new world.