Chapter 139: The Astonishing True Face

All eyes were on him.

Billions of gazes from across the globe were locked, transfixed, upon that pure white smiling mask. Everyone held their breath instinctively. They were desperate to know what kind of ugly, twisted face lay hidden beneath that grotesque, perverted facade.

However, the moment the mask was finally removed, the entire world fell silent.

There were no scars as imagined, no hideous distortion as expected, and certainly no demonic ugliness. Beneath the mask was a handsome, refined face. He appeared to be in his early forties, yet his skin was so well-maintained, so fair and smooth, that it was nearly devoid of wrinkles. With deep-set eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips, he was the archetype of a dashing middle-aged man. Had one not witnessed the monstrous crimes he had committed, this face alone would have been enough to drive countless women to madness.

Even though Chen Yu had already anticipated the answer in his heart, his pulse skipped a beat when he finally saw that face.

*Damn it.*
*It really is you, you old bastard.*

He knew this face all too well. When he had first obtained the system and initiated his first "Recall," he had seen this very man in that dim, secret chamber, obsessively staring at a picture frame, his eyes fixed on the woman in the photograph with a near-pathological intensity. It was also this man who, in his final moments while trapped in that chamber, had used every ounce of his strength to kick frantically at the iron door, howling the word "Wind" in desperation.

Visions, memories, and reality merged perfectly at this moment.

...

Meanwhile, on the sea, hundreds of kilometers away from the isolated island, a white speedboat was cutting through the water like a loose arrow, racing madly toward a destination.

A torrential downpour hammered down from the sky. Su Qingzhu stood at the bow, letting the rain soak her police uniform, which clung to her body and accentuated her breathtaking curves. She was drenched from head to toe, her hair plastered against her pretty face, looking utterly disheveled. Yet, in her beautiful eyes burned a sense of urgency like never before.

"Report, Captain Su! The waves are too high! We are at least an hour and a half away from the target coordinates!" an agent shouted behind her, bracing against the gale.

"Go faster! Push the speed to the limit!" Su Qingzhu ordered, gritting her teeth.

Her eyes were fixed on the horizon where the sea and sky met, shrouded in dark clouds and rain. Her heart ached with agonizing tension.

*Chen Yu...*
*You bastard, you’d better hold on!*

...

In an upscale residential complex in Jiangcheng City.

"Ah—!"

A shrill, piercing scream shattered the silence of the room.

Liu Hong stared blankly at the familiar face on the television screen, her body trembling like a leaf in an autumn gale. She covered her mouth, fighting to hold back a sob, but tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.

*It’s... it’s him...*
*It’s really him!*

The man who had haunted her dreams for eleven years! The man she had assumed had long since turned into a pile of bones!

*He’s not dead...*
*He’s actually not dead!*

Following the massive shock came an even more overwhelming wave of fear and confusion. If he was still alive... then whose remains had they found back then? Why would he do this? What on earth was going on?

Liu Hong’s mind went blank. She collapsed onto the sofa, left only with silent weeping and uncontrollable trembling.

...

"Holy crap! Am I seeing things? Isn't that Luo Xiangdong?!"

"What the hell! The plot twist of the century! The dead have come back to life?"

"Wait, wait, my brain can't process this! Didn't Luo Xiangdong go missing eleven years ago? And didn't they find his remains a year ago? The police even did DNA testing!"

"Right! How could the DNA test be wrong? What the hell is going on here?!"

"Could it be... the remains were fake? But how is that possible!"

"My god, the information density in this broadcast is so high, I feel like my CPU is about to melt!"

After a dozen seconds of silence, the global live chat was instantly flooded with a tsunami of messages. Billions of viewers had their worldviews shattered in that instant. Everyone felt as if their brains were failing them.

A man officially declared dead, a soul whose remains had been unearthed, was now standing before them in the flesh. Moreover, he was the mastermind behind this death broadcast that had shocked the entire world. This was ten thousand times more absurd than the finest suspense film in Hollywood.

The atmosphere in the dining room was suffocating. Chen Yu stared at the face across from him, feeling the suppressed rage in his chest threatening to burn through his ribs. The fire of vengeance for Li Qing, the humiliation of being toyed with by this pervert—all these emotions converged into a sky-high murderous intent.

He spoke, enunciating every word clearly.

"Sometimes, I don't know whether I should call you Shen Feng..."

"Or if I should call you..."

"Luo. Xiang. Dong!"

The last three words landed like three heavy hammers on the hearts of every viewer.

In an instant, the live stream erupted once more! If everyone had only been guessing when they saw his face earlier, Chen Yu’s words were now the final nail in the coffin! It had definitively confirmed the man's identity!

Facing Chen Yu’s accusation and the global outcry, there was not a hint of panic on Luo Xiangdong’s face. He even shrugged nonchalantly. Then, the corners of his mouth curled upward, revealing a mature smile that could have captivated thousands of young women.

"Clap, clap, clap."

He applauded softly.

"As expected of the person I chose; you didn't let me down."

He looked at Chen Yu, his eyes filled with the look of someone admiring a work of art.

"So then..."

"The next part belongs to you."

Shen Feng leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs elegantly, and gestured for Chen Yu to proceed.

"You shall reveal all the answers."

"This is the final reward for winning this game!"

"I am..."

"All ears!"

After saying this, he fell silent, sitting there quietly like the most loyal audience member waiting for the protagonist to take the stage.

*Damn it.*
*Look at him putting on a show!*

Chen Yu cursed inwardly. He knew exactly what this old pervert wanted. This guy wanted to watch him, in front of the entire world, reconstruct this earth-shattering scheme he had spent over a decade laying out, step by step, perfectly.

He didn't want a simple death. He wanted a magnificent finale! He wanted a piece of performance art so insane it would be recorded in the history books!

Chen Yu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to smash that handsome face with his fist.

*Fine.*
*You want to play, right?*
*You want to listen, right?*
*I'll give you exactly what you want!*
*Today, I’m not just going to kill you—I’m going to make sure you die knowing exactly why!*

Chen Yu adjusted his posture, leaning slightly forward, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. His gaze cut across the long dining table, piercing the man opposite him like two sharp blades.

The entire restaurant, save for the patter of rain outside, fell into absolute silence. Billions of viewers around the world seemed as if they had been hit with a pause button, and even the live chat slowed to a trickle.

Everyone knew.

The core, most mind-bending mystery of this entire incident was about to be revealed!