It wasn’t normal rapid eye movement but some kind of... scanning motion.
As if checking every corner of the room.
Edmond forced himself to stop trembling and continued to observe.
At three in the morning, Lillian suddenly sat up.
Her movements showed no sign of weariness or confusion, as if following ordered instructions to the letter.
She stood up, walked to the window, and just stood there, staring into the darkness outside.
Ten minutes later, she returned to bed, lay down again, and resumed the mechanical breathing.
Throughout the process, she didn’t make a sound.
......
In the ensuing days, Edmond discovered even more horrifying details.
Thomas and Emily’s behavior also began to turn strange.
They were no longer boisterous or unruly like normal children but became excessively well-behaved.
Every movement was precisely executed, every word impeccably flawless.
Once, Edmond deliberately fell in front of Thomas to test the child’s reaction.
Normally, a five-year-old would immediately run over to help or at least show concern.
But Thomas just stood there, tilted his head and observed for three seconds, then said:
"Dad, did you do this to test me?"
This sentence made Edmond’s heart almost stop.
How could a five-year-old have such insight?
"No... it’s not, Dad just accidentally fell."
"Oh." Thomas nodded, then came over and helped Edmond up with a standard motion: "Dad should be more careful."
That concern was so standard, so perfect, so... emotionless.
......
Fear and doubt coiled like snakes in Edmond’s heart.
He began seeking answers in Master Victor’s laboratory.
As one of Victor’s most trusted students, he had access to some advanced research materials.
In a thick experimental notebook, he found shocking content:
"Perfect Artificial Life Project Record of the 47th Experiment:
Test subject A-23 (codename: Lillian) has successfully passed a three-month deep infiltration test.
The target individual (Edmond Matthew) remains unaware of the replacement, emotional responses steady.
The behavior patterns of the test subject have reached 99.7% of realism, only requiring further optimization in micro-expression control."
Edmond’s hands began trembling violently.
The handwriting on the notebook was that of his all-too-familiar master.
"B-17 (codename: Thomas) and C-09 (codename: Emily) replacements were implemented last week.
According to previous experimental data, the difficulty of manufacturing child-type test subjects is lower, but the emotional simulation system requires more precise tuning."
Reality shattered like glass.
Edmond realized that his wife... had already been replaced.
Moreover, his children were also...
"No... impossible..."
He leafed through more pages, hoping to find some evidence of denial.
But what met his eyes was only more brutal truth:
"Soul extraction experiment success rate has reached 78%.
Through special soul separation technology, we can obtain the target’s complete memory and emotional patterns without damaging physical structure.
These data will be used to manufacture even more realistic artificial substitutes."
"Original body processing issues have been resolved.
After precise calculations, the soul of the original body will completely dissipate on the third day post-replacement.
This avoids the hassle of corpse disposal and eliminates the risk of discovery."
Edmond’s vision blurred.
He realized the real Lillian... had died.
Died months ago, on that night he thought his wife was just "catching a cold," and his children too...
......
Edmond didn’t go home that night.
He sat in the laboratory all night, his mind constantly replaying every detail of interactions with his family.
Those words that once warmed him, those smiles that intoxicated him, those kisses from his wife that made his heart race...
All were false.
All were performances by a finely crafted puppet.
He had to do something.
But... what?
Who could he turn to?
Victor was the mastermind behind it all.
As the only Dark Sun Level Wizard and Alchemy Master in the school, Victor held unchallengeable authority.
No one would believe a student’s accusations against a master.
Moreover, the "imitation" manufacturing techniques were so perfect that outsiders could not detect any abnormalities.
Despair engulfed Edmond like a tide.
He began considering whether he should flee.
But he soon realized this was impossible too.
Given Victor’s abilities, finding them would be effortless.
And how would those "imitations" react?
If they left their environment of observation, would they reveal their true colors?
......
The next evening, Edmond returned home with a heavy heart.
"Welcome home, dear."
"Lillian" stood at the door with a perfect smile on her face.
But now, this smile seemed terrifying in Edmond’s eyes.
"Dinner’s ready, it’s your favorite beef stew."
Your favorite beef stew...
Edmond remembered that real Lillian would never make beef stew.
She always joked that the dish was too complicated and her culinary skills hadn’t reached that level.
But this "Lillian" could perfectly make any dish.
"Thank you..." Edmond managed to squeeze out a smile.
At the table, "Thomas" and "Emily" sat waiting.