The Middle-Aged Man who came out of Wen Shilin's door, the background actor performing a one-man show in the abandoned factory, the reporter Lin Yan, the unfamiliar face gorge-eating broiler chicken, the extra in the Ancient Vault of the Military Path, Fire-Stealer No. 13...
Dozens of faces were torn off by Chen Ling. Looking at the ever-changing identities, Chen Ling became somewhat numb. Without realizing it, he had already played so many roles... There was a moment when he even doubted who he really was, what was he?
A clown constantly playing others, or a desperate person in the play trapped on a confusing Stage?
Finally, when that face belonging to himself, belonging to Chen Ling, appeared in the wall clock's reflection, Chen Ling's heart relaxed slightly...
That was his incredibly familiar face, and also his most authentic appearance. His [Formless] could only revert back to here; underneath this face, there were no other faces.
'Sure enough, I am me... I am Chen Ling.'
Chen Ling took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to exhale all the doubts and fears lingering in his mind just now... The farce was over, and it was time to leave.
Chen Ling was just about to turn around and leave, only to discover that after he reverted to his original face, the brown coat on his body had also turned into that Great Crimson Theatrical Robe.
"Did I accidentally change it all back... Better change back into Yan Xishou's appearance, and leave first before doing anything else."
He looked at himself draped in the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe in the wall clock's reflection, and a question he had forgotten for a long time suddenly surged into his mind...
'Why,'
'Was I wearing this Theatrical Robe?'
'This Theatrical Robe should belong to A-Yan... When A-Yan died, our parents used this Theatrical Robe as a burial shroud and buried it with him... But, but why would it appear on me?'
'From the moment I first regained my memory in that rainy night, this Theatrical Robe was already draped over me... But before that, A-Yan and I were both buried in the ground. When did I put on this Theatrical Robe?'
'Also... this Theatrical Robe is clearly not mine, why does it reappear with me every time I die??'
The moment this question arose, Chen Ling only felt the fine hairs all over his body stand on end. He turned his head stiffly and looked at himself in the wall clock's reflection, his pupils shrinking slightly uncontrollably...
As if possessed by a ghost, he extended his fingertips and felt for his chin again...
His [Formless] could only revert back to here. Underneath this facial skin, there shouldn't be another face... But Chen Ling still did it.
His fingertips rubbed gently against his slightly rough chin, as if searching for something. Suddenly, at the very tip of his finger, he seemed to touch an imperceptible bump... Just like a wrinkle appearing on a perfectly applied facial mask.
Chen Ling's body jolted violently as if electrocuted!
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. His fingertips pinched that bump bit by bit, then forcefully tore it...
An extremely thin piece of facial skin slipped from Chen Ling's fingertips.
The humming of the pendulum ticked in the dead silent room. On the smooth glass, an elegant youth's face had somehow appeared... That was a face Chen Ling would absolutely never forget. Upon seeing this face, Chen Ling's breathing stopped.
That was Chen Yan's face.
Seeing himself in the mirror surface, Chen Ling's mind went blank, and his entire person stood motionless in place like a sculpture... At the same time, the scene before his eyes seemingly twisted abruptly. The original study had vanished without a trace, replaced by a crooked, Twisted Divine Path leading from the abyss to the heavens.
Chen Ling seemed to recall something and stiffly turned his head back. He only saw that on the very first step at the beginning of this divine path, a line of small text he had previously ignored was reflected in his pupils again:
——[Lose the person who loves you the most, and become him]
His pupils shrank abruptly!
[Audience Expectation Value +10]
[Current Expectation Value: 64%]
Following that, he seemed to have thought of something, his eyes involuntarily widening as he burst into laughter as if seeing through everything:
"I know... It's you guys! Are you playing me again?! It's finally been quiet for so long, so you were actually waiting for me here?!"
"You guys were the ones who tampered with the names on the transaction records, tampered with these photographs above! And even changed my face! Right?!"
"You guys saw that Yan Xishou misremembered, and temporarily came up with this idea! You wanted to drive me crazy using this method... Not everything can be tampered with by you! I definitely have a way to prove who I am, definitely!!"
The figure draped in the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe frantically grabbed his hair and paced back and forth in the room, as if trying hard to think of something.
A buzzing alarm sounded outside the window, and numerous figures ran around outside. Outside the tightly shut door, there seemed to be a large number of footsteps approaching this place...
The Red-Clad Figure's gaze fell on the dungeon in the distance, and an idea instantly flashed through his mind. His dim, struggling eyes lit up slightly as if finding hope.
"I know... Soul-Shattering Evidence Retrieval! Soul-Shattering Evidence Retrieval!!"
"You can tamper with things in reality, but you can't change the memories carved into my soul... As long as I perform Soul-Shattering Evidence Retrieval on myself! I'll be able to see with my own eyes exactly what happened that night!"
The Red-Clad Figure was like a drowning person who had finally grasped a lifesaving straw. Without hesitation, he shattered the window with a punch. His light and graceful figure fluttered like a dancing red butterfly, leaping down from the fourth floor, and drifting straight toward the interrogation room next to the dungeon.
At the same time, the study's door shook twice and exploded with a bang!
The Old Butler stood outside the door with over a dozen people, his face exceedingly ugly. Behind him, the Paper Puppet Master carrying a paper puppet on his back and a man wearing black clothes stood on either side respectively.
If the Red-Clad Figure were to turn his head back at this moment, he would discover that the man in black clothes was the very [Path of the Scholar God] powerhouse who had wanted to forcefully take him into Aurora City after he bluffed his way out of the Ancient Vault of the Military Path back then, only to be forcefully stopped by Han Meng on the train.
At this moment, the two stood beside the Old Butler. Upon seeing the red-clad figure leaping from the window just now, their faces were both as gloomy as water.
"He actually dared to disguise himself as me... He's really courting death."
The Paper Puppet Master snorted coldly. The paper puppet lying on his back immediately drifted out, flying past that shattered window like a ghost, and chased in the direction the Red-Clad Figure left.
The black-clothed man to the side similarly glanced in that direction and coldly snorted. His figure transformed into countless 'horizontal, vertical, left-falling, and right-falling brushstrokes' like ink, rapidly vanishing on the spot.
The Old Butler hurriedly walked into the study, searched around, and soon discovered Yan Xishou, who had been knocked out in the bookshelf cabinet. After tremblingly confirming that he was still breathing, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Immediately after, anger and menacing killing intent surfaced on his face.
"After breaking out of prison, he actually dared to circle back to attack the Eldest Young Master... If he doesn't die today, the face of the Stars Chamber of Commerce will be completely lost!!"
"Don't worry." The Paper Puppet Master stood beside him and spoke indifferently,
"This time, he won't be able to escape."