Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I spent the entire morning holed up in my study, trying to design a flaw for the Humanoids.

Since they were physically indistinguishable on the outside, I had to approach it from a different angle.

“The origin of the Humanoids… maybe they’re aliens? No, that doesn’t work; it feels a bit out of place.”

“The internal structure of a Humanoid is different from a human’s? But Ape-man doesn’t have X-ray vision-how would he be able to tell? No, that won’t work either.”

I drafted several scenarios in a row, only to reject each one in turn.

Just as I was agonizing over it, a flash of inspiration hit me. I realized that sitting here mulling it over in my notes was useless; I couldn’t learn anything by staring at two lifeless dolls.

I might as well head out and observe real humans on the streets. Perhaps I would find some inspiration there.

I put on my coat, headed out, and took a taxi to the amusement park. It was the largest entertainment hub in the city, encompassing a park, a zoo, and several science and exhibition halls. In short, it covered a vast area and saw heavy foot traffic.

Since it was a Sunday afternoon, there were even more tourists than usual. A massive Ferris Wheel stood in the center of the grounds. Beneath the Ferris Wheel, hundreds of people-both tourists and vendors-created a bustling, lively scene.

“This really is a good place for people-watching.”

I managed to find a bench and sat down, my eyes scanning the crowd.

To my front left, a man dressed as a Clown was selling balloons. His makeup was exaggerated, but the children around him weren’t afraid at all, giggling as they jumped around and batted at the balloons.

I shook my head. The Clown’s appearance was too theatrical; there was no way it could have anything to do with the Humanoids.

To my front right, a middle-aged woman looked cold and numb. Her neck seemed somewhat stiff, and she appeared to have difficulty turning it.

My gaze was drawn to her. I thought to myself, “Now that’s interesting.” Then I mocked my own overactive imagination; she probably was just in a bad mood and happened to have a stiff neck from sleeping wrong.

As I watched, a voice came from beside the bench:

“Hello, would you like a divination?”

I looked toward the sound and saw a young woman with her hair tied in twin buns and wearing a long black dress. She was quite cute.

She had a table set up in front of her with several cards laid out that I didn’t recognize. She was looking at me expectantly.

I gave a wry smile. “Thanks, but I don’t need one.”

I had come here today to find inspiration for the Humanoids. Divination wasn’t going to help with that.

The girl in the black dress didn’t give up. “Give it a try! I’m very accurate. Whether it’s romance, career, or even supernatural phenomena, I can divine it all.”

I looked at her and said, “I’m looking for someone.”

“What kind of person?”

“Someone who is exactly like a human, yet different.”

I thought she would think I was crazy after saying that, but to my surprise, she actually began to think about it seriously.

Then, looking puzzled, she asked me, “Exactly like a human? In what way?”

I replied, “In appearance.”

She covered her mouth and giggled. “How is that possible? Even twins aren’t exactly the same.”

Rustle!

Just then, a gust of wind blew through the willow tree above, and two leaves fell, drifting right before my eyes.

My heart skipped a beat! I snatched the two leaves out of the air instantly.

“What did you just say?”

“I said, it’s impossible for there to be two people in the world who are exactly the same.”

That was it!

In that hazy moment, I felt like I had grasped onto a vital clue!