Clone Ascension

The files of the five missing children

were quickly handed to Wendy Lewis.

After reading them,

she passed them to Evan.

Evan went through them one by one.

Megan Chase, age 5 — albinism.

Ethan Ward, age 7 — acromegaly.

Lily Hartman, age 3 — progeria.

Logan Price, age 8 — Marfan syndrome.

Sophie Chen, age 6 — healthy.

When Evan finished reading,

Wendy finally spoke.

“We couldn’t find a motive

because we were looking in the wrong place.

A premeditated crime involving an evolver

cannot be without motive.

“What do you see in these files?”

Evan thought for a moment.

“Four of the five children

have rare congenital diseases.

So the culprit’s target

might be those four sick children.

The healthy one…

maybe she was just there by coincidence?”

Wendy shook her head.

“I also believe the culprit targeted the four sick children.

But the healthy one—Sophie Chen—

is not a coincidence.”

Evan looked at her file again.

At first glance, nothing stood out.

But among four children with rare diseases,

the only healthy one

was conspicuous.

Then Evan noticed something.

“She was admitted just before the New Year?”

The file showed her admission date:

December 28th, Year 1000.

Director Margaret Woods nodded quickly.

“Yes. She came from a private orphanage

that shut down.

She’s young, but very obedient and sensible.

She shouldn’t…

she shouldn’t have any problems, right?”

Hannah Keane leaned in,

studying the file.

She had been working part‑time recently

and hadn’t interacted with the new girl.

The more she looked at the photo,

the tighter her brows furrowed.

She opened her mouth,

hesitated,

then closed it again.

“What’s wrong?” Evan asked.

“I think…”

Hannah looked uncertain.

“I think I’ve seen her before.”

“Seen her? Where? When?”

the security officer asked.

“Twelve years ago.

At Sunrise Orphanage

in Haitang District.”

“Twelve years ago?

She wasn’t even born yet!”

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the officer shook his head.

Margaret also scolded gently,

“Hannah, don’t talk nonsense.”

But Evan and Wendy

exchanged a sharp look.

Wendy asked,

“Are you sure?”

Hannah looked flustered,

but Wendy’s encouraging gaze

gave her courage.

“Aunt Margaret,

you remember I was brought here

twelve years ago, right?”

Margaret nodded.

“Yes. You came from a private orphanage.

That orphanage…

something happened there…”

She suddenly froze,

eyes widening.

“That’s right,” Hannah said softly.

“I was at Sunrise Orphanage.

Several children went missing there too.”

She sighed.

“I was very young—just a few years old.

I remember the director treated me very well.

After the incident,

the orphanage was shut down.

Many children had nowhere to go.

I was sent here.”

“One of the missing children

was about my age.

We played together.

I still remember her face.

“When I saw Sophie Chen’s photo just now,

I immediately thought of her.

They look exactly the same.

And now she’s missing again…”

Wendy turned to the officer.

“Can you retrieve the files

from the missing‑children case

twelve years ago?”

The officer froze,

then nodded

and ran out.

Wendy’s expression grew heavy.

“This case…

is far more complicated than we thought.”

She clearly already had a theory.

…

“Professor Lewis,

here are the files.”

The officer returned,

still visibly shaken.

He had clearly read the files himself

and discovered something shocking.

The case from twelve years ago

was also unsolved.

When the photos were laid out,

everyone immediately focused

on one girl.

Different hairstyle,

but the same face.

Same features.

Same bone structure.

Twelve years ago,

she wasn’t called Sophie Chen.

She was called Lynn Dillon.

A child who disappeared twelve years ago

had reappeared—

unchanged—

and then disappeared again.

Anyone could see

something was terribly wrong.

Even if Sophie Chen and Lynn Dillon

weren’t the same person,

they were connected

in an impossible way.

Silence fell over the room.

Evan broke it first.

“Let’s assume Sophie Chen is the culprit—

an evolver—

and she abducted the other four children.

Then everything makes sense.

“She wouldn’t need burrowing skills.

With her size,

she could easily carry the others

through the ventilation window.”

The officer asked,

“If that’s true,

where did she take them?

Why didn’t the cameras catch anything?”

Wendy replied,

“Lynn Dillon and Sophie Chen

should be the same person.

Investigate her first.

“As for avoiding surveillance—

it’s simple.

If she knows Earth‑Burrow

or similar tunneling skills,

she could transport one child at a time.

Four trips.

“Tunneling consumes a lot of energy.

She couldn’t have gone far.

There should be an accomplice nearby.

Check the vehicles

passing through the area

before and after the incident.”

The officer wrote everything down.

This was the first real direction

they’d had.

“Thank you both.

Without you,

we wouldn’t even know

where to start.”

Evan smiled.

“Thank Hannah.

Her memory gave us the breakthrough.”

The Security Bureau offered

to drive them back to Dongli University,

but Wendy declined.

As they walked together,

Evan asked,

“Sis…

you already know something, don’t you?”

Wendy nodded.

“Remember what I told you?

Any living organism—

spirit plants, beasts, humans—

can mutate.”

Evan nodded.

“And among humans…

those with illnesses

mutate more easily.”