001

That day, the rain fell in relentless sheets.

In the depths of a forgotten alley, a man in his early twenties lay sprawled in the mud, his face badly beaten to the point that it was unrecognizable, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Blood mixed with rainwater, seeping through the torn fabric of his clothes.

Then the steady rhythm of approaching footsteps broke through the sound of the rain.

A shadow loomed over the fallen man, and when he squinted up, he saw a young woman, her expression as unreadable as the dark clouds above. "Let me guess, you're having a bad day."

The man tried to speak but only blood came through his cough.

Mei, without a hint of urgency, crouched beside him and produced a small vial of iridescent liquid. "You know, they say saving a life is like building a thousand bridges. But who counts, right?"

She held the vial just out of his reach, her tone was almost bored. "Do you want to live, or not?"

"Figures," Mei said, handing him the vial. "Drink this, or not. Makes no difference to me."

Mei stood, already turning away. "Good luck with... whatever this is."

She walked off, leaving the man lying in the rain, his fate as uncertain as the storm above.

The young man saw the bottle and, summoning his remaining strength, crawled over to it. He picked it up, examining the clear Potion water inside.

This color...

It doesn't matter what it is.

He took a deep breath, pulled off the lid, and tilted his head back, drinking it down.

Ugh, gulp, gulp, gulp.

"Cough, cough!"

Fishy!

Bitter!

It felt like drinking mucus and bile from a fish.

"Aw... ew!"

He retched, but nothing came up. Then, his body began to tremble and contort violently.

"Ah... This is!!"

"Aaaah!!!"

The young man's screams echoed through the rain-drenched alley.

...

Across the road, beneath the shelter of an awning, Mei stood, tapping away at her cellphone screen. "Judging by its condition, it's safe to say whoever consumes it probably won't die."

"Second experiment: Deep-sea fish combined with black dog blood. The resulting potion is clear and luminous. Consumption induces scale and gill growth, along with varying degrees of spinal and rib curvature."

"Remaining properties remain unexplored. The initial test was conducted on a rainy day."

"Number 002: The Deep One."

"Remember that for future reference."

"001, take care of your pal."

Having finished speaking, Mei pocketed her cellphone and strolled away. A crow perched nearby yawned lazily before taking flight, disappearing into the alley.

"Such a hassle. I didn't come here to be a babysitter."

...

Beiling City, there is an an old house opposite the police station.

Mei pushed open the door, shedding her raincoat. "The rainy season is just perfect. Even a trip to buy cigarettes can yield a little 'experimentation'."

She took off her wet shoes and headed straight for the kitchen.

Inside, a ceramic vase with a devil's face and two ears is placed next to the stove. Besides it, fish scales littered a cutting board.

Mei pulled out her cellphone and scrolled through her note.

"About a month ago, I bought this odd vase from a street vendor. Half a month later, my pet parrot disappeared after falling into it."

"Dump out the contents of the vase, there's only a pool of blood inside."

"This blood water reveals no DNA sequence. No matter from what angle, this cannot be blood."

"Out of curiosity, I let my house hamster drink this blood water. Then the hamster magically grew long gray wings and began mimicking human speech like a parrot."

"Then, I threw the hamster into the vase. Just like the parrot before, the hamster also turned into blood."

After that, Mei had a daring idea.

First, Mei tossed a sheep brain, a chameleon, and a chrysalis into the vase. She then fed the combined liquid to the last animal in the house.

Her final pet, Raven.

After it imbibing the liquid, the Raven underwent a gradual transformation, growing significantly more intelligent.

Its feathers regained their luster, and the emotional tendency is like a crustacean.

But aside from these changes, the Raven remains completely unchanged.

After that, Mei began to intentionally teach it all kinds of knowledge.

Remarkably, the Raven proves to be a fast learner, mastering human language within a mere 1 day and can converse normally with Mei.

Five days later, something unimaginable happened.

The Raven transformed into Mei!

That's right, it has transformed into a human!

But it only lasts for a short period of time.

At first Mei still found it a bit interesting, but one morning, when she opened her eyes, she saw Raven sleeping next to her and hugging her tightly while in Mei's own appearance.

Mei wanted to escape but discovered that Raven was so strong that she couldn't help but use a trick, which was to pinch Raven's stomach.

After the pinch, Raven immediately woke up and let go of Mei. While Mei was still checking for traces of Raven hugging her all night, Raven washed her face and then sat in front of the computer to play games.

From Mei's perspective, Raven now no matter its appearance or demeanor, it is exactly the same as Mei

Raven's ability to transform was able to completely imitate Mei, and at the same time reached an indistinguishable level!

This makes Mei feel "scared" for the first time.

"If the results of this experiment spiral out of control, it's a risk I cannot afford to take."

While Raven was still playing the game, Mei took out her phone and wrote down the words:

Number 001: The Imitator.

From now on, Mei's first creation was officially born.

Mei chose to use humans for her second experiments to gauge the drug's effects on the human body. She couldn't afford to risk her own life.

"Considering the current situation, things look promising."

"At this point, Raven seems loyal, well it should be like that since I've raised her myself for three years. But if it were another creature, who knows what would happen?"

"Despite appearances are a bit disgusting, it's best to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"If I create a monster that spirals out of control, I'll be the first one to betray them."

After a moment of contemplation, she created a new document on her cellphone.

Number 000: God.

"God, until now, has not been a singular entity but a concept. It's a force so potent that it surpasses human comprehension—beyond understanding, beyond description, utterly formidable."

"With that in mind, I hope I don't end up turning myself into some deep-sea octopus."

Returning to her bedroom, she settled in front of the computer.

"But... Why do those combinations grant Raven the ability to take on a human form? What's the underlying principle?" Mei pondered aloud.

"Is it tapping into some higher concept?"

"Parrot + hamster, sheep's brain + chameleon + chrysalis."

"Speak like a parrot, transform like a chameleon, and undergo rebirth like a chrysalis. From a conceptual standpoint, could this lead to transformative effects?"

"So, hypothetically, if I were to use a bat, could I create a vampire?"

"Still awaiting experimentation..."

"Though, if my theory holds, I could use the vase to bring forth a plethora of mythical creatures."

"This hypothesis is quite intriguing. But well, in my world, there are no supernatural creatures with bodies or materials suitable for such Potion. So, I'll create them myself."

...

Outside, the rain continued to pour.

A man, covered in scales from head to toe, strode through the alley. His bulging eyes threaten to burst from their sockets.

As he gazed upon his slick, scaly skin, the incessant cries of the scales echoed in his ears.

"I... I've become a monster?!"

"This must be a dream... It's all just a dream, it's not real!"

"Fake, it's all fake!"

His palm bore the shape of a webbed, each finger now sharp, claw-like hooks. Two pairs of fish fins protruded from his back.

His body, unlike a human's, is wide at the top, narrow at the bottom, and bent over. His ribs are growing all the way aroundextended all around him, and his spine twisted in a crooked manner.

"So noisy."

A raspy voice sounded from behind, causing the Fish-Man to whirl around.

"Who?!"

He turned, but found no one there except a crow, standing on a lamppost.

"Don't be alarmed, it's me. You and me are the same," Raven reassured him.

With those words, Raven began to spread its feathers, its form growing and bones audibly shifting.

In the blink of an eye, Raven transformed into Mei in a flowing black dress.

"Ahem, let me remind you first, I'm not Mei, you can call me The Imitator, Raven or just 001."

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001 - The Imitator