In fact, Xiao Lou had already had doubts when Yu Hanjiang mentioned " clone. " If the purpose was simply to prevent the prince from being assassinated, to go to such lengths to create a clone and then keep it in the palace... wouldn't that be even riskier? What if the prince were actually killed, wouldn't the clone be able to take over the prince's position?
Furthermore, it's unreasonable that the prince was never allowed to leave the palace from a young age due to his poor health, and that he was forbidden from attending school or socializing. Adding to this, Xiao Lou has absolutely no memory of that "serious illness" from his childhood, making him seem more like a clone secretly hidden within the palace.
Seeing the shocked looks on his teammates' faces, Xiao Lou took a deep breath, quickly composed himself, and said, "First of all, in this world, I've never left the palace since I was a child. I have no classmates, no friends. His Majesty, to put it nicely, is worried about my health and asked a teacher to come to the palace to give me lessons... To put it bluntly, isn't this a disguised form of house arrest?"
"Secondly, I had a serious illness when I was five years old, and I was said to have almost died. But I have no memory of it at all. Every time I think about it, I get a headache. I suspect that I was deeply hypnotized and forgot some key things."
"Furthermore, Lin Yan and His Highness the Prince met at their engagement banquet, but I have never attended the engagement banquet, nor have I ever met Lin Yan, his fiancée. There is no reason to send a stand-in to such an important occasion as an engagement, is there? Moreover, His Majesty will introduce many military and government officials to the Prince at today's birthday banquet, so it would be unreasonable to send a stand-in."
"So, it's very likely that I'm a fake prince, a replica hidden in Gemini Palace, and the one attending important occasions is the real prince." Xiao Lou looked up at Yu Hanjiang. "Do you think my analysis is correct?"
"..." Meeting his calm eyes, Yu Hanjiang felt a slight pang in his heart. Being someone else's stand-in wasn't a pleasant feeling, but Xiao Lou quickly accepted it, probably because his resilience had become incredibly strong after experiencing so many secret chambers.
Since Xiao Lou didn't seem to care about his identity at all, Yu Hanjiang had no choice but to say rationally, "I agree with your reasoning. If you are the clone, the current doubts can be reasonably explained for the time being. His Majesty deliberately kept me by your side, probably to spread the word that I was protecting the real prince, which is why someone infiltrated Gemini Palace tonight to try to kill you?"
Xiao Lou smiled wryly, "Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, what exactly is His Majesty thinking?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned deeply. He thought for a moment and then analyzed in a low voice, "From His Majesty's perspective, perhaps it can be understood this way—you've lived in Gemini Palace since you were a child. Maybe His Majesty created a clone of his son when he was very young, and deliberately had you live in Gemini Palace to be the prince's substitute. Everyone knows that the prince lives in Gemini Palace. When you were five years old, you weren't sick, but assassinated."
Xiao Lou nodded, signaling him to continue.
Yu Hanjiang said, "You learned you were a clone during that accident. So, His Majesty had the doctor put you under deep hypnosis to make you forget what happened back then, and just think you had a serious illness. Then, he made you stay in Gemini Palace as a stand-in for the prince, where you could be assassinated at any time. Meanwhile, the real prince stayed by His Majesty's side and was secretly protected by him. My appearance was actually a smokescreen. His Majesty had me, the captain of the Royal Guard, personally protect you, so that the assassins would think your identity was 100% real."
After careful consideration, Xiao Lou also agreed that Yu Hanjiang's analysis made some sense. He concluded, "Instead of making a clone wholeheartedly become a substitute, why not... make him believe that he is the real one?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "His Majesty has never said that you are a clone. You have always regarded yourself as a real prince all these years. Therefore, you don't need to act at all, and it is impossible for you to betray His Majesty. You have lived in Gemini Palace since you were a child, studied hard, and occasionally wandered around the palace or sneaked out to play—everything you have shown is that of a real prince."
Actors always slip up.
Xiao Lou was made to believe he was a prince, and even he himself was unaware of this, so how could the assassin possibly tell the difference?
Gemini Palace, so that's what it means.
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down her spine.
He already had the memories of these past years in his mind. His Majesty had always treated him very well. Although he didn't allow him to leave the palace, he hired the best teachers to instruct him in all kinds of subjects and even gave him the empire's most advanced intelligent mech. Perhaps it was the memories in his mind that were at work, because he respected this Majesty very much and called him "Father" very naturally.
As a result, the other party only treated him as a tool that could be sacrificed at any time, keeping him in Gemini Palace?
Xiao Lou gently closed his eyes to calm himself down and said, "The key questions now are: where did the assassins come from, why did they want to kill the prince, and how did His Majesty create a clone of the prince?"
Shao Qingge asked, "Could it be related to the Noahs Ark Project?"
Xiao Lou turned to look at him, and Shao Qingge explained, "Our Shao family's company is called Noah Medical Technology Company. Twenty years ago, we invested a huge sum of money to launch the ' Noahs Ark Project.' I was less than ten years old at the time, and I vaguely remember my father mentioning it. The theme of this project was gene research."
He looked at the little Xiao Lou in Yu Hanjiang's palm and said thoughtfully, "When you got sick... if you were five years old, that was about twenty years ago, right?"
Xiao Lou said, "That's right, the timing does match."
Lu Jiuchuan suddenly walked over, his expression extremely serious: " Xiao Lou, you said you get a headache every time you think about when you were sick at five years old? I..."
Tang Ci gets a headache every time he thinks about the Battle of Hilt No Mans Land, and he can't remember any details at all. Our symptoms are so similar, could it be that Tang Ci and I are clones too?
Teammates: "......"
Tang Ci said expressionlessly, "Human growth takes time. It's not like a computer program where you can just Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste and instantly create a Lu Jiuchuan."
Lu Jiuchuan looked puzzled: " Isn't cloning something created directly using high-tech methods?"
Tang Ci sighed and rubbed his forehead: " Professor Xiao, you should explain gene cloning technology to the liberal arts students."
Xiao Lou also noticed some misunderstandings about " cloning," so he explained in detail: "Gene cloning technology involves allowing cells to reproduce and divide asexually, creating offspring with identical genotypes. Imagine a science fiction world where human cloning technology is advanced enough. If I wanted to create a clone of Lu Jiuchuan, I would first extract cells from him and culture them in a special nutrient solution… The resulting human after a period of cell replication would be an infant version of Lu Jiuchuan, with genes exactly the same as Lu Jiuchuan, rather than directly creating an adult version of Lu Jiuchuan."
He looked at Lu Jiuchuan earnestly and asked, "Brother Jiu, do you understand what I mean?"
Lu Jiuchuan finally understood: " Cloning, that is, using my cells to produce genetically identical 'offspring' through asexual reproduction? Producing as many as I want? Instead of directly replicating an adult version?"
Xiao Lou said, "That's right. That's what Mr. Tang meant. Humans always have to go through a process of growing from infancy to adulthood."
The teammates nodded in understanding. Cloning is like growing a baby from cells in a petri dish, without going through the normal human process of pregnancy and childbirth, rather than directly copying and pasting to create an adult.
Xiao Lou said worriedly, "If this world had a professional cloning lab, where clones could be put into a dormant state after successful cell culture and kept in a petri dish until they reached adulthood, and then released when necessary to give them commands or even implant control chips in their brains, these clones would become powerful and obedient living weapons."
After all, they had no parents or relatives when they opened their eyes, so of course they could only obey the orders of the people who created them.
Tang Ci added, "Ninth Brother and I have very clear memories of the past, except for what happened in Hilt No Mans Land some time ago, which we selectively forgot. If we were clones, we would have to have been cloned from a young age and lived with our families. If we were cloned again after the accident six months ago, there simply wouldn't have been enough time. I don't think there is any medical technology that can make a cell grow into an adult in six months."
Lu Jiuchuan suddenly realized: "So, the possibility that we are clones is probably not high? We just have selective amnesia."
Xiao Lou said, "I was probably cloned from a young age. Maybe His Majesty took his cells and added them to the Noahs Ark Project after His Highness was born, creating a clone of me. My birth time was close to his, so we're more like twins."
Ye Qi suddenly asked curiously, "If a single cell can replicate a person, how many clones does His Highness have? Could it be more than just Professor Xiao?"
Upon hearing this question, the teammates felt goosebumps rise on their backs.
It's hard to imagine the scene of countless Xiao Lous standing in a row, all smiling at everyone at the same time.
Yu Hanjiang said with a grim face, "It's still unclear how many clones there are. But we shouldn't ignore the possibility Ye Qi mentioned. Maybe this old emperor took many of his son's cells to do experiments and created many Xiao Lou clones?"
Is it possible that one day they will face the predicament of being besieged by the " Xiao Lou Army"?
Xiao Lou pressed his temples, both amused and exasperated: "Assuming this possibility holds true, and I'm just one important clone with many others lurking in the shadows, then from now on, everyone should be wary of Xiao Lou. We need to agree on a secret code."
Tang Ci's gaze swept across the entire room: "Let's first confirm that everyone present is the real person."
Long Sen said, "I can confirm that Wanyue is real. She even remembers the first time she saw me when she was in college in Jiangzhou. That day, I went to their school to play basketball, and when I was shooting, I accidentally let go of the ball and knocked her unconscious, sending her to the hospital."
Everyone: "......"
Dude, it's a miracle you managed to win over Teacher Qu!
Qu Wanyue smiled helplessly: "Yes, memories from reality shouldn't be something a clone can remember."
Ye Qi said, " CEO Shao is definitely real; we all have the bug king card."
Both Tang Ci and Lu Jiuchuan have confirmed that Lu Jiuchuan possesses the world's only Vermilion Bird Card, and Tang Ci can summon mechanical spiders—both things that clone cannot do.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou: "What code are you checking?"
Ye Qi suggested: "Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger? Pagoda suppresses the River Demon?"
Teammates: "......"
Shao Qingge helplessly pulled him behind her: "Little kid, don't cause trouble."
Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "Let's ask about [ Time Reversal ]. It's an extra reward that you get after clearing this hidden room. Currently, only our team should have entered the Q Secret Room and know what the final reward is. Time Reversal is an SS rarity card that can turn back time by up to 5 hours."
Everyone certainly remembered this card. Guardian told them that they could get this rare reward by completing the four-in-one Q Secret Room, which was the key reason why everyone decided to enter the hidden room. Clone definitely didn't know that.
After agreeing on the terms, everyone exchanged items.
Here's a clue.
Currently, Xiao Lou has deduced that he is a clone.
Yu Hanjiang believes that His Majesty's order for him to protect Xiao Lou is to solidify Xiao Lou's status as a "prince".
Tang Ci went to the hospital for a checkup, and the doctor told him that there were no signs of head injury, but his memory was hazy, which might be post-traumatic stress disorder. In other words, he didn't want to recall that painful experience and subconsciously hid that memory. Tang Ci didn't believe this explanation; he was more inclined to believe that he and Lu Jiuchuan had undergone deep hypnosis.
Lu Jiuchuan's investigation at the military headquarters yielded no results; clearly, information related to the special mission had been completely erased.
Qu Wanyue is in charge of the Lin Yan case. Miss Lin has been in love with His Highness the Prince since she was 16 and got engaged. Furthermore, Miss Lin's mother, Zhang Shaohua, is the Dean of the Imperial Central Academy of Sciences, and her research team is top-notch. Whether she participated in the Noahs Ark Project is currently unknown. Her father, Lin Zecheng, is the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Southern Military Region, Lu Jiuchuan's direct superior. There should be more clues to be found about this girl.
With Long Sen by His Majesty's side, he can also take the opportunity to investigate what secrets His Majesty may have.
After assigning tasks, Xiao Lou told everyone to disperse as soon as possible, since their prolonged absence would arouse suspicion.
Yu Hanjiang successfully returned to the palace with Xiao Lou in his pocket.
******