Chapter 47 Second Brother Gao: I Won’t Take It Off!

Lisa hid at the edge of the skylight, watching Gao Ning standing on the rooftop with an expression of inscrutable complexity, her mind a whirlwind of questions.

What on earth is he doing? He’s been standing there, dumb as a statue, for three whole minutes! Could it be some kind of post-murder trauma?

While Lisa’s imagination ran wild, Gao Ning found himself awkwardly staring at his own doppelgänger—a second self dressed in a dapper light purple tailcoat, a cigarette dangling nonchalantly between his lips, exuding a world-weary air.

Gao Ning stood just over six feet tall and weighed a little over two hundred pounds. Though his face was a touch sharp, he was, by any measure, on the hefty side. Yet, clad in that tailcoat, he seemed transformed into someone else entirely.

He even looked more dashing than the People’s Liberation Army soldier standing nearby, who maintained a proud, resolute bearing.

“Is it really impossible to take off the tailcoat?”

The second Gao Ning didn’t even glance over. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I’m your boss!” Gao Ning gritted his teeth.

“Boss or not, it’s non-negotiable. This is my gear!”

The soldier spoke up, “Reporting for duty, Commander. Serial number GFJ001, awaiting your orders.”

Gao Ning shot a resentful look at his double, but the man remained unmoved. After weighing his options, he gave up and nodded to the soldier. “No need to be so formal. Give me a status report.”

“Yes, sir. Army standard-issue biochemical combat unit. Standard equipment. Combat effectiveness is one and a half times that of a U.S. soldier. Specializes in behind-enemy-lines operations. Capable of seventy-two hours of continuous combat. Multiple energy sources. Equipped with human disguise protocols.”

Gao Ning waved a dismissive hand. “No need for covert operations right now. Just guard this rooftop and don’t let anyone come up.”

“Yes, sir!”

With that, the soldier instantly moved to a corner of the rooftop, bracing his rifle at the edge and shifting into a defensive stance.

“As for you…” Gao Ning felt a twinge of frustration. This guy flatly refused to remove the tailcoat, ruining his earlier plans.

“…Once the ghost hour passes, stand guard on the rooftop for now. If anyone approaches, take them out immediately—no need for restraint.”

Gao Ning Two exhaled a plume of smoke, lazily replying, “Sure, leave it to me.”

“Can you handle it? You should have the basic intel by now—this world is utter chaos.”

A sly smile played at the corner of the double’s mouth. “Don’t underestimate a hero unit. I’m much stronger than your average soldier.”

Gao Ning was taken aback. “Seriously? Weren’t you created using me as a template? Are you one of the talkers too?”

“Half-biochemical, half-cybernetic. Suffice it to say, I’m formidable.”

Watching his own face wear a faintly smug expression, Gao Ning couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

He rolled his eyes, turned, and headed back into the skylight, pushing Lisa down as she craned her neck to peek, ignoring her indignant protests as he climbed down the ladder.

“By the way, from now on, if anyone asks, you’re my twin brother—just call yourself Gao the Second.”

Bang!

Gao the Second shut the alloy panel behind him, sat down with one leg crossed over the other, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and exhaled smoke.

“What were you doing up there? Monologuing for an audience of none? Where are the others? Didn’t you say you were picking up two people?” Lisa trailed after him, chattering with curiosity overflowing.

Gao Ning glanced at her. “You seem to have recovered quickly. Not scared anymore?”

Lisa’s face twitched, but she feigned indifference, stubbornly replying, “So what if people died? It’s not a big deal. In the slums, someone dies every day.”

He didn’t bother arguing, heading straight to his room, picking the cleanest bed he could find, and collapsing into sleep.

At last, he could finally rest easy.

Lisa didn’t seem to mind either; she appeared to have put her faith in Gao Ning, convinced that as long as she stayed close, she’d make it through the night.

Once the slaughter night was over, she planned to crack open the pimp’s safe, grab the pile of cash, and move to the reservation for a comfortable life.

As for the Bliss Sphere, she had no intention of going there.

At least not now.

Gunshots echoed sporadically through the night, but eventually, dawn crept in and sunlight streamed through the vent, waking Gao Ning to Lisa’s jubilant shouts.

He blinked in confusion before sitting up, rubbing his face until he was truly awake.

Lisa bounded over, one hand clutching a bag stuffed with money, the other holding a small alarm clock.

“Gao Ning, get up! We struck gold. The slaughter night’s over and we survived!”

“Look at all this cash! There’s over a million in the safe— we’re rich! Oh, and I remember Eric bought some nice clothes last time. I’m going to look for them!”

With that, she darted off in a whirlwind.

Gao Ning stared blankly after her, then stretched his shoulders, fished the cracked remote off the floor, and turned on the TV mounted on the wall.

The news was reporting the experiment’s success.

“According to the relevant authorities, all one hundred experimental zones showed positive results last night. Data is still being compiled, but currently, it has been confirmed that thirty-five zones suffered casualty rates above ninety percent, while only one zone had losses below thirty percent.

Given that each zone averaged one hundred thousand people, the death toll has reached a staggering six million. Cleanup and statistics are ongoing, and we will continue to provide updates.

Now, let’s hear the experts’ perspectives on this experiment…”

The screen cut to a refined old man, who began to deliver a carefully reasoned, flattering commentary.

But Gao Ning was stunned by the number—six million dead. That many?

Suddenly, he remembered the two stationed on the rooftop and checked the map—safe and sound.

Relieved, he got up, stretched, and made his way to the skylight.

After a night, the stench of blood had faded, but his nostrils still felt sticky and uncomfortable.

Climbing onto the roof, what he saw made his heart jolt.

“Where did all these guns come from?”

Around the skylight, a jumble of firearms—long guns, short guns, even chainsaws and fire axes—were piled in a haphazard ring. There must have been hundreds, most of them stained with blood, now dried and caked after a night in the wind.

The crimson flecks looked almost glaring in the sunlight.

Gao the Second was still smoking, lounging idly as before.

Hearing Gao Ning’s question, he didn’t even turn around. “Gifts from others.”

“Like hell they are!”

For some reason, Gao Ning found himself short-tempered with his own double. He rolled his eyes, stepped through the heap of weapons, and went to question the soldier.

But as soon as he reached the edge of the rooftop, he was shocked to see that the area around the hotel was littered with bodies, strewn in every direction.

In that moment, he thought of the trench in Resident Evil filled with Alice’s corpses.

Though this scene was messier, its impact was no less horrifying.

A lit cigarette was handed to him. Gao Ning took it, inhaled deeply, and asked, “How many did you take down?”

Gao the Second replied coolly, “A little over a hundred. At first, just a couple dozen was enough to keep people at bay. But then a fully armed squad of soldiers showed up. After taking them out, no one dared come near again.”

Gao Ning exhaled a cloud of smoke, his expression unreadable.