Chapter 492

At 1:48 AM, the 24-hour "Lao Chen Ji" snack shop.

The wall clock's second hand "tick, tick" sliced through time, intertwining with Feng Ju's hoarse narration — this once-dignified father now resembled an obsessive madman, incoherently repeating words like "monster," "mask," "heart."

Feng Mu listened with feigned bewilderment, brows tightly knit.

Feng Ju looked at his son anxiously, afraid the other would think he had gone mad.

The scene before him made Feng Ju involuntarily recall the past: his good-for-nothing son bringing home martial arts report cards, looking panic-stricken when facing him.

Only now, father and son seemed to have undergone a subtle role reversal.

A long while.

"So, Dad, you mean..."

Feng Mu only then spoke slowly, his voice so dry and raspy it didn't sound like his own,

"Yu Huai is the same as that 【Mask】 monster in the sewer?"

Feng Ju's face was overcast with haze, masseter muscles bulging, as if he would grind his teeth to dust:

"Not just the same. Father now suspects Feng Yuhuai is the 【Mask】."

Feng Mu's pupils contracted slightly; he pushed up his glasses and questioned:

"Wasn't 【Mask】 caught on camera? That man on TV, Father said his name is Zheng Hang, goes to the same school as me."

Feng Ju slowly shook his head, shadows flowing across his face.

On the way here he had thought a great deal, meticulously sorting through the clues in his grasp once more.

Twenty years of criminal investigation experience were fully mobilized today; Feng Ju rallied his lifetime Divine Detective prowess, ultimately piecing together a truth that made his hair stand on end:

"【Mask】 may not be just one person."

His voice was hoarse; fingers unconsciously scored deep grooves on the tabletop,

"Zheng Hang is 【Mask】, Yu Huai is also 【Mask】. Only this way."

"Yes, everything explains itself!"

Feng Ju slammed a fist on the table; cups and plates shuddered violently, coffee splashing onto the aged raw-wood surface like dried bloodstains,

"Damn it! How did I only figure it out now!"

His voice was extraordinarily angry, yet he had to suppress it to a low tone:

"Yu Huai's strength has surged by leaps and bounds recently, even shining brilliantly at the Martial Arts Joint Examination, nearly taking top honors! And her personality change — suddenly taciturn some time ago"

The two customers at a distant table were startled by the sudden commotion, shivering and turning their heads in unison.

The shop owner also poked his head out from behind the counter, looking quite distressed over his table.

But Feng Ju's voice stayed pressed deep in his throat, like a trapped beast's low growl.

Those horrifying ravings — aside from Feng Mu sitting opposite — no one could hear clearly.

Seeing his terrifying appearance and his uniform, everyone hurriedly averted their gazes, afraid of inviting trouble.

Feng Mu hadn't expected Feng Ju could reason to this extent; he couldn't help wanting to applaud his father inwardly.

"Looks like Imoto's heart-digging wasn't all bad for Feng Ju — at least his professional skills got a forced upgrade."

Feng Mu mused gloomily inside, but on his face wore a half-believing, half-doubting expression:

"Alright, even if Dad's guess is true, then according to what you say."

He paused meaningfully: "Dad, your heart should have been dug out by your daughter, right?"

Feng Ju silently took off his coat, turned around, and revealed the shocking hole in the back of his shirt; the fabric edges still bore dark red bloodstains, and through the tear one could see pale white skin inside.

"No."

Feng Mu's voice turned exceptionally calm,

"What I want to ask is: a person without a heart dies, so how are you still alive, Dad — surely you wouldn't also..."

The air froze instantly; the oppressive atmosphere seeped with a thread of eerie mystery.

Feng Ju's expression became extremely complex — anger, hesitation, fear alternating in flashes, his heart locked in fierce internal struggle.

On the way here, this question had already circled in his mind hundreds of times.

Revival from death — this was his greatest secret; from the bottom of his heart, he was unwilling to tell anyone.

But if he didn't tell the truth, how could this rebellious son believe his sister had turned into a monster.

Yet now.

He had to deal with that "filial daughter" who had become a monster; he needed help, needed someone trustworthy.

And ironically, he ran through everyone around him and discovered, in the end, only this most disfavored "rebellious son" met the conditions.

After all, they are a family whose fates are forever tightly bound together!

As for the Patrol Bureau's forces, Feng Ju absolutely dared not use them; otherwise, once things were exposed, how would the Special Commissioner view him?

Well then~

So it wasn't Li Shang covering for 【Mask】, but a father desperate with love for his daughter.

The more Feng Ju thought, the bigger his headache; the Special Commissioner's deadline for him was one week, while the countdown on his retina gave him two weeks.

Two deadlines one after another, each tighter than the last; Feng Ju had little time left — he must seize every second, not a moment to delay.

"Enough."

Feng Ju touched his left chest, feeling that gloomy, sluggish heartbeat, hesitating no longer.

He lifted his eyes, for the first time looking at his son with a near-equal gaze, and spat out three words:

"I died!"

Feng Ju thought he would see panic on his rebellious son's face — there was none; he saw only calm and contemplation.

"This rebellious son has a big heart!" Feng Ju praised rarely in his heart.

Seeing Feng Mu not speak, he added: "But someone else brought me back to life."

Feng Mu then asked, "Who?"

"I don't know."

Feng Ju's face was as black as the bottom of a pot,

"But it's definitely someone who knows me, possibly even someone around me. No, should say it's another... monster?!!"

Feng Ju still held back; he did not tell the Rebellious One about the countdown in his eyes.

Feng Mu pondered for a moment, then summarized meaningfully:

"In other words, besides Yu Huai, Father has another monster hidden by his side, and its motives are unknown?"

Feng Ju nodded heavily, then suddenly countered, "You don't believe me?"

Feng Mu did not answer immediately; he gazed calmly at Feng Ju, the corner of his mouth slowly curving into an arc that set his heart at ease:

"Family must trust each other, so Father's words, I naturally believe."

Feng Ju's taut nerves relaxed slightly, but the creases between his brows still did not fully smooth out.

Just then, he heard his son continue:

"More importantly, the story Father tells is truly too bizarre.

But precisely because of that, it doesn't seem like a fabricated lie; after all, even a madman couldn't make up such an absurd story."

Feng Ju's expression completely relaxed, a rare trace of appreciation even flashing in his eyes.

"Before, Father misjudged you. Although you don't match Yu Huai's Martial Dao talent"

He paused, then said solemnly,

"But now it seems you have more brains than your younger sister."

Feng Mu's mouth corner pulled into a meaningless arc, then he suddenly shifted the topic:

"So, Father telling me all this, what do you want me to do?"

(End of Chapter)