Chapter 296: Dropping the Mask

Seeing this scene, Wen Shilin’s expression shifted slightly.

Even though he was a veteran reporter who had seen his share of storms, seeing a head explode before his eyes was a visual shock that still made him feel uncomfortable... His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he tried his best to look away.

"Lin Yan..." Seeing the young man beside him, Wen Shilin was startled, and then his expression became somewhat complex.

"Long time no see, Mr. Wen." Chen Ling put away the gun and smiled slightly.

When Chen Ling came over and saw Wen Shilin here, he had already changed back into Lin Yan’s appearance. Although it didn't matter whether his identity was exposed now, he knew Wen Shilin was a good reporter, and if it wasn't necessary, he didn't want to scare the other man... Maintaining their previous relationship was the best choice.

"Why are you here? Did you get a ticket too?"

"A ticket?" Chen Ling shook his head. "I don't have anything like that... I just chased him here."

At this moment, Chen Ling was prepared to be questioned by Wen Shilin: Why chase Yan Shang? Why was Yan Shang tortured to this state? Why did the gun turn into coal just now?

But unexpectedly, Wen Shilin didn't ask. Instead, he blinked and looked at him for a long time... as if waiting for something.

"What's wrong?" Sensing that Wen Shilin’s gaze was a bit strange, Chen Ling asked.

"This time, you're not taking away my doubts?"

Chen Ling froze in place.

"You..."

"Surprised?" Wen Shilin’s mouth curled up slightly.

"I've been a reporter for so many years, after all. Although I occasionally make mistakes in reading people, I'm not a fool... You still have a lot to learn in this regard, rookie."

Chen Ling never expected that Wen Shilin could see through his [Heart Python]. Until now, he hadn't felt there was any problem with his disguise...

He couldn't help but ask in confusion: "How did you find out?"

Wen Shilin waved the notebook in his hand.

"I have a habit of keeping a diary every day. As long as I go home and review what happened today, I'll notice something is wrong. The first time, I was just a bit strange, thinking I was too tired at the time... But the second time, I realized what was going on.

This loophole is quite critical. Next time you use it on someone else, remember to be more careful."

Chen Ling finally realized where the problem lay.

His [Heart Python] could only temporarily steal a certain emotion. Even if he could steal the doubt at the time, preventing Wen Shilin from feeling that something was wrong, as long as the other person thought back slightly after going home, they could recall the points of doubt... He had no way to rely on this ability to make someone trust him consistently, unless he stayed with them all the time.

This was a loophole Chen Ling had never imagined. Most importantly... in Chen Ling’s era, hardly anyone liked keeping a diary, right?

"Since that's the case, why didn't you expose me?"

"At first, I was indeed a bit afraid. Why would you go to such lengths to approach me... But actually, if you think about it carefully, you’ve never done anything harmful to me, and everything you’ve done is indeed righteous. Most importantly, it’s your eyes..." Wen Shilin pointed at Chen Ling.

"I’ve been a reporter for so many years and have seen too many victims. The sadness and anger in your eyes when you mourned your brother couldn't be faked."

Chen Ling looked at Wen Shilin with complex eyes. After a long time, he smiled helplessly.

"So, you know who I am?"

Wen Shilin shook his head. "I don't want to know."

With Wen Shilin’s investigative ability, it wouldn't be difficult to track down Chen Ling’s true identity if he wanted to... But he didn't want to check at all. In his eyes, Chen Ling was just a junior who wanted to avenge his brother, it was that simple.

"...Thank you," Chen Ling said sincerely.

"By the way," Wen Shilin turned to look at him. "You said just now that you don't have a ticket?"

He reached into his coat, took out a ticket, and handed it to Chen Ling.

"Take this."

"This is... a ticket for the Inter-Realm Train?"

"Yes, this is the last train, and the last hope for escape. Ordinary people don't even know this train exists... Sit on it, and you can safely reach the south." Wen Shilin’s gaze swept over the frozen, dead city, and he spoke bitterly.

"It won't be this cold there."

Chen Ling looked at the ticket before him, feeling a bit confused. Logically, for this kind of inter-realm train, every seat was prepared in advance, and those who could sit on this train were dignitaries... Wen Shilin was just a reporter, and the kind who offended the most people at that. Where did he get this ticket?

"Tan Xin gave me this ticket," Wen Shilin seemed to see Chen Ling’s thoughts and explained. "He asked me to send some things out, and in exchange, he told me all about the plan."

"You’ve met Tan Xin?"

"Yeah."

Wen Shilin nodded. "To be honest, I admit I had some prejudices against him before... But now it seems he really is worthy of the position of Deputy Chief Arbiter."

"I won't be needing the ticket. I still have things to finish in this city." Chen Ling paused for a moment and pointed to the notebook in Wen Shilin’s hand. "However... can I take a look at that?"

The other members of the Twilight Society were still in Aurora City, so Chen Ling naturally couldn't leave alone by train. Relatively speaking, he was still more interested in what would happen next in Aurora City.

"...Are you sure?" Wen Shilin’s brows were locked tight. "If you don't leave now, it'll be too late."

"Yeah."

Seeing this, Wen Shilin didn't try to persuade him anymore. After a long sigh, he handed the notebook to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling opened the notebook. The thick first half was all Wen Shilin’s diary. He quickly flipped to the last few pages...

"This is..." Chen Ling muttered to himself.

……

Century Avenue.

The cold wind swept across the empty road, the chill carrying a rich scent of blood.

At this moment, Century Avenue was basically empty. The coal on the trucks had all been taken by the residents, and only scarlet corpses and silver banknotes stained with human blood remained on the ground.

Two figures stood quietly in the center of the deathly silent road, a black trench coat and a gray cotton coat fluttering in the wind.

Zhao Yi stepped on the Squinting Man’s head, crushing it. His eyes, flickering with incantations, seemed to have sensed something and looked toward the other end of the road.

"Someone is coming." His overlapping voice rang out. "Is it an enemy?"

Han Meng looked at the car gradually approaching, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"...No, they’re here for me."