If it were simply a mirror, it should be able to reflect not only the city, but also animals and people. Yet what lay before them was only a quiet city—there was not a trace of anything alive.

It was as if they were looking at an empty city.

“Can’t see any people? Then… can you see yourself?”

William Carter looked at his deskmate.

David Bolton shook his head, his expression a bit strange. “Can you?”

William Carter shook his head, denying it verbally, but inside he was utterly shocked.

Because…

He could see the reflection of life in the mirror.

But only himself.

Standing alone on the empty playground, it was as if the dense crowd around him had all turned invisible.

Even though the enormous mirror before him floated high in the sky, for some reason, his reflection seemed right in front of him, crystal clear—even the pores on his face were visible. It was extremely bizarre!

Looking around, he confirmed that indeed, no one could see “themselves,” nor could they see others. William Carter was puzzled.

Could it be related to his previous experiences?

But aside from killing “himself” 1,080 times… there was nothing special!

He looked up again, wanting to observe more closely, when suddenly, his reflection in the mirror fixed its pitch-black eyes on him, the corners of its mouth lifting in a slight smile.

In an instant, William Carter’s hair stood on end, his whole body turning cold.

Chapter 3: The Unexpected

The image in the mirror should only be a reflection, an illusion. Whatever the real body does, the reflection does the same—there should never be any difference.

But now, that rule had been broken.

The “self” in the mirror stared at him. Though it was smiling, it sent chills down his spine, coldness spreading from his feet to the top of his head.

It was exactly like every “mirror image” in his dreams that tried to kill him.

Too eerie!

Even though his mental state had long surpassed that of his peers, he still felt a chill all over.

Taking a few deep breaths, William Carter quickly calmed himself.

No matter how tense, he couldn’t panic—otherwise, he’d be the one to die.

This was a skill he’d gained after more than a thousand nightmares…

He could, for a short time, block out fear, block out all negative emotions, and enter a state of utmost clarity, most advantageous to himself.

He looked again.

This time, the reflection showed no strange behavior, mirroring him exactly. It was as if the smile he’d seen before was just an illusion.

Narrowing his eyes and observing carefully, he did notice something off.

The figure in the mirror, though identical to him, seemed to have tiny points of light flashing on its head and body, somewhat like the infrared dots from a sniper scope, only much fainter.

If you didn’t look closely, you’d never notice.

“Three hundred sixty on the head, seven hundred twenty on the torso and limbs, a total of 1,080…”

Exactly the same as the number of nightmares!

Could it be… those mirrors that had entered his body?

Instruments couldn’t detect them—only the mirror in the sky could reflect them?

And for the past three years, every “self” he’d slain was just a shadow cast by these mirrors?

If the small mirror fragments were already so terrifying, how powerful would the one in the sky be?

If they met in a dream, it probably wouldn’t stop until it killed him!

“Looks like, until I find a solution, I’d better not sleep…”

At this moment, William Carter felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.

“Quick, look at this post…”

Just then, someone shouted, and soon a link appeared in the class group chat.

William Carter stopped overthinking, pulled out his Huaqiangbei phone and clicked the link, which forcibly opened the Bihu app. An article appeared before his eyes.

“Thanks for the invite, I’m in the bathroom, just got off the toilet.”

“I’m sure everyone knows by now—a giant mirror has appeared in the sky. From what I know, it’s not just one city: the capital, Magic City, Tianfu, Yudu, all have it. Even in the beautiful country, still shrouded in night, there’s a giant mirror floating in the sky.”

“It’s as if the entire globe is surrounded by a mirror.”

“So, we can rule out the possibility of a mirage. A mirage can show a city, but you have to look straight ahead to see it, not have it floating directly above…”

He finished reading quickly.

The author ruled out mirages, but couldn’t say what it actually was.

However, a few facts were stated.

First, this mirror could be seen all over the country, even the world, with no difference anywhere.

Second, it didn’t affect planes taking off or rockets launching.

Third, it didn’t block sunlight, nor did it act like a membrane that would warm the Earth.

In short, no one knew where this thing came from or what it was for. The comments were all wild guesses.

The shock and commotion lasted for over an hour. Seeing that it hadn’t affected daily life much, teachers and students returned to their classrooms.

Of course, whether anyone was in the mood to study was another matter.

Anyway, William Carter remained restless and couldn’t calm down. Taking advantage of the break, he went to the playground a few times. He could still see his own reflection, but this time, it didn’t smile and behaved properly, never doing anything contrary to his real self.

Just as everyone was beginning to silently accept things, some unexpected events quickly shattered the calm.

The first period of evening self-study.