Chapter 590: Doppelganger

    As he stewed in his own thoughts, Gu Luoxin selected option 1, and as expected, the floating screen vanished as soon as he did.

    In the next moment, he sensed an invisible force pressing down on him, keeping him in place and sealing his mouth shut, preventing him to change his mind and climb out after he had made a choice.

    Gu Luoxin took note of the new discovery: once you make a choice, you can no longer back down.

    He waited inside the cupboard until the voices approached before eventually reaching where he was. The servants seemed to step into the room he was hiding in. "Young Master, are you here? Please stop playing around and come out, or Master will get angry at you again..."

    Gu Luoxin knew he wouldn’t be able to make a sound under the invisible restraint, but he still held his breath sharply and stared at the cupboard door with his vigilance raised to the maximum, his heart pounding hard and fast inside his chest.

    What should he do? Sooner or later, they would find him here if they kept searching!

    Or was he supposed to let them discover him on their own??

    "Young Master..."

    One of the voices suddenly sounded extremely close, almost as if the other person was standing right outside the cupboard! If they pulled it open, they would find Gu Luoxin inside at a glance! Gu Luoxin’s body tensed, and he felt so nervous he was becoming lightheaded. His mind was blank, unable to think of what to do after he was discovered. He watched as the cupboard door was pulled open bit by bit—

    "What are you all doing here?"

    A youthful, displeased voice rang out. "Haven’t I told you that my room is off-limits?"

    "Young Master!" The servants exclaimed in unison, and the cupboard was left forgotten as they scrambled toward the figure who had just shown up. Meanwhile, Gu Luoxin instantly slumped against the wall, taking in huge gulps of air as an overwhelming relief washed over him.

    Goodness, that was so... nerve-wracking!

    Thank God, the real Young Master appeared in the nick of time and saved him from the predicament!

    Wait a minute, if he wasn’t the Young Master, then who was he? And... why would he be hiding inside the cupboard of the Young Master’s room?!

    The new revelation struck Gu Luoxin frozen, his mind reeling in mild horror. He didn’t even notice when the servants left the room, nor did he register the soft click of the door being locked. Only when light, deliberate footsteps approached did he snap back to the present.

    Through the narrow gap, Gu Luoxin could only see the corner of the other person’s clothes, but it was unmistakable that the Young Master was standing right outside.

    "Come out," he commanded in a low voice.

    In the next second, the floating screen appeared once more. This time, however, there was no option, just a single instruction:

    [Exit the cupboard.]

    A wave of relief washed over Gu Luoxin. As a veteran in simulation games, he knew very well that if a single option popped up, it meant that the next part included a crucial storyline the players must not miss.

    Therefore, he picked that option without hesitation and sensed the invisible restraint on his body dissipating. He could finally move his body again.

    Clumsily, Gu Luoxin pushed open the cupboard and climbed out, his legs having gone a little numb from the awkward position he had been in. But when he raised his head and took in the other person’s appearance, he instantly froze in place, his jaws falling open in shock.

    Holy fuck, the Young Master... had the same face as him!

    Flabbergasted, Gu Luoxin rubbed his eyes just to make sure his eyes were not playing a trick on him, but the scene in front of him remained unchanged. The Young Master did not seem to perceive his shock, however. He simply assumed that Gu Luoxin was staying on the ground because he had been frightened.

    Feeling a little distressed and frustrated, he crouched down and took one of Gu Luoxin’s hand, squeezing it in reassurance.

    "I’m sorry," he expressed with a solemn expression. "I will make sure this will never happen again. It must be scary for you to be in the Garuda’s territory, right? But you don’t have to worry. I’m not the same as my father. I won’t treat you as a slave. After all, you’re my precious body double." He flashed a smile, revealing a small dimple on his left cheek.

    Gu Luoxin was so engrossed in staring at the Young Master’s face, dumbfounded, that he nearly missed what the other person had said.

    Wait— what? A Garuda, a slave, and a body double??

    Gu Luoxin was nearly paralyzed by the sheer amount of information he had just received. It was also then that he noticed, much too belatedly, the wings folded behind the Young Master’s back— similar to the bus officer’s wings, just two sizes smaller and lighter in color.

    Upon closer scrutiny, although the Young Master’s features resembled Gu Luoxin’s almost ninety five percent, the only difference was his sharper brows and the solemn curve of his lips. Even when smiling, he gave off an aura of nobility and elegance befitting of a wealthy family’s son, which Gu Luoxin had never seen on himself. It made him feel a little weirded out, like he was staring at his doppelganger.

    With the Young Master’s help, he tentatively rose to his feet and answered in a slight stammer, "I-It’s alright, Young Master."

    "Hush," the other person shot him a glare without much heat. "Why are you being so formal again? I told you to just call me by my own name."

    Gu Luoxin’s heart skipped a beat— he had no idea what the Young Master’s name was!

    But fortunately, the floating screen popped up once more, giving him a much-needed hint. He also confirmed that it was something only he could see, or else the Young Master would have given some kind of reaction.

    [Congratulations, you have discovered your identity!

    Name: Xinxin (outsider)

    Race: Human

    Degree of mechanization: 1.3%

    Identity: Young Master Ares’ body double

    Current Location: The main residence of the Master of the Sky, Mond

    Mission: Survive for three days.

    The novice tutorial and protection is on. Effective time: seven hours and forty two minutes.]

    Feeling a little dizzy, Gu Luoxin subconsciously called out, "A-Ares."

    Young Master Ares showed a satisfied smile. He then grabbed a garuda mask on top of the table, fixing it on Gu Luoxin’s head to conceal the upper half of his face.

    "Remember," he cautioned solemnly. "You must never take off this mask no matter what."

    Gu Luoxin gave a serious nod, while inwardly he was shrieking like a chicken on the verge of being slaughtered while running all over the place.

    Oh God, just what had he gotten himself into? He was the body double of Young Master Ares, the son of the Master of the Sky. Yet at the same time, he was also a human, the race which the garudas looked down upon and treated as slaves?! He didn’t even have wings, so how was he supposed to go undercover in the Garuda’s territory for three days?!

    Help me, Xiao Shen, Da Shen—!!!