chapter1107

It wasn't real human skin, of course, but it was close enough to make your stomach twist. Both of them stared, eyes wide, barely breathing. Then, in the next second, their shock doubled.

"What is that?" Juna whispered, her voice trembling.

Lydia had peeled back a tiny patch of skin, and underneath, there was a black barcode. It was small, but you couldn't miss it. Lydia frowned harder, leaning in to get a better look. She ran her fingers over it. The skin felt real, but there was definitely something hidden beneath it.

Just as she'd feared. Those people had already made their move.

Lydia's face turned serious. She took out her phone and snapped a photo of the barcode, then carefully pressed the skin back into place and slipped the watch onto the wrist again. She didn't bother explaining. She just gave the others a look and motioned for them to leave right away.

Before they walked out, she took a moment to make sure the room looked exactly the way they found it.

The three of them slipped back into the private lounge. Lincoln looked completely lost, like he'd just stepped off a cliff.

He couldn't shake the thought. His grandfather... could he really...

Juna turned to Lydia, confused. "Lydia, does that mean the man we saw... Mr. Lowe... he's not real?"

Lydia nodded, her voice heavy. "He's a clone."

Juna stared at her, stunned. "A clone? Are you serious?"

Lincoln's hands were shaking. "A clone? Like the stuff from movies?"

They'd heard the word before, but it always sounded like science fiction. Now it was happening right in front of them. It felt unreal. Clones existed. They looked just like real people.

Lincoln's voice came out small. "Then where's my grandfather?"

Lydia looked away, silent.

Lincoln's eyes filled with tears. He turned to Lydia, almost pleading. "Why don't we grab that guy? Make him talk, make him tell us where my grandfather is! I'm calling the police. I have to do something!"

He lurched toward the door, but Juna grabbed his arm and pulled him back, forcing him into a chair.

"Lincoln, you need to calm down. Calling the police won't help. Not now."

He glared at her, desperate. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

Lydia's mind was racing. "If they can replace someone without anyone noticing, that means there's someone powerful behind all of this. And the barcode on his wrist... there's something under it. I think it's probably a chip."

Juna's eyes narrowed. "A chip?

Lydia nodded. "If anything happens to him, whoever's behind this will know right away. Not just your grandfather, but your whole family could be in danger."

The clone appeared out of nowhere, with no warning. They couldn't afford to act rashly. They couldn't tip their hand.

Lincoln clenched his fists. "So what, we just let him keep pretending in our house? That's not even the worst part. My grandfather... we have to find him."

He tried not to think about the worst possibility, but he couldn't help himself. He had to believe his grandfather was still out there, somewhere.

Lydia looked at Lincoln, her voice gentle but steady. It might not just be your family. There could be others."

Lincoln froze.

Juna swallowed. She's right. If there's one clone, there could be more. Who would do something like this? And why?"

Lydia met Lincoln's eyes. "This is

serious. It's not just about the Lowe family. This could be a national

issue

report everything and start

an investigation. if do everything f can to find your grandfather, but you have to promise me something.

Don't let anyone know what we found. Not a word. Not yet."