I watched their contorted, twisted faces in the firelight, their cackling laughter, the dim moonlight, the pervasive darkness, the encroaching touch of death, the sense of lonely helplessness spreading around me. A cold wind, perhaps, stirred nearby, and I heard a strange bell-like sound echoing from the vicinity of Zhenshui City, like a bell struck with a wooden muffling, as if some medium was absorbing the impact, followed by the repeated blows of a massive hammer. Then came the sound of skulls being crushed. Did this scene replay in Zhenshui City every night?
Amidst those terrifying echoes, a suffocating pressure built within me, my stomach churning. Seeing my distress, Cang Xuesong grabbed several bottles of Courvoisier XO and poured them over my head, saying, "Good to drink? This costs tens of thousands, not something you can buy for a few hundred on Taobao. I killed the owner of this winery and took it. Ahahaha! Doesn't it smell great? It's the smell of money, isn't it?"
I couldn't speak then, my limbs still numb. I didn't know what drug Cang Xuesong had used, leaving me unable to move. My face felt incredibly hot. I remembered distinctly that I hadn't had plastic surgery, yet everyone who looked at me seemed to mistake me for Cao Xiangyang.
Had I truly become a shapeshifter?
Could I assume anyone's appearance just by thinking about it?
Noticing my contemplative state, Cang Xuesong suddenly grabbed my chin, squeezing it tightly. "Cao Xiangyang, cooperate with me. Don't wear that long face. Let me tell you, there was a guy named Cao Ping, one of my subordinates. He was brothers with Cao Xiangyang. His real name was Cao Leping; I gave him that name. You remember that drug case, right? The one involving Xiao Yuande's brother, Xiao Yuanba... Well, today is our big day, you understand? Tomorrow, you're going back to Guangming City. Cherish it. I'm giving you a biotechnology company and making you its CEO. Don't worry, it's not your father Cao Xiangchen's company. Otherwise, the police would have found you long ago, and that wouldn't be fun. I want you to play along with me slowly, until you..."
At that moment, I desperately wanted to retort. Simultaneously, I realized that some past events, like the incident with Xiao Yuanba, had already been orchestrated by Cang Xuesong from behind the scenes. I never imagined so many years had passed...
What was Cang Xuesong's ultimate goal? I speculated that if I truly became a CEO, it would be dangerous. While the police might not immediately investigate me, Cao Xiangyang's real body was still with the provincial authorities. Knowing Liu Yuning's personality, she would undoubtedly continue her investigation, and they would eventually trace it back to me, believing I was the real Cao Xiangyang.
This was likely Cang Xuesong's plan. Although I had figured it out, I felt she hadn't revealed everything. I still couldn't speak. Cang Xuesong released my chin and stroked my hair, saying, "Mr. Cao, after tomorrow, work hard for me. I'll ensure you live a life of luxury!"
Suddenly, I understood something else. This was her ploy to force me to join the Polaris. My identity had been altered. If I told anyone I was He Sheng, no one would believe me. Thus, I would have no choice but to compromise, and over time, I would be gradually consumed by the darkness within the organization. Then, would I become like them?
I didn't know what to do. Cang Xuesong was unlike any criminal lord we had encountered before. This person was cunning and treacherous, perverse and insane, reckless yet exceptionally skilled.
It would be difficult to overcome someone like this through any means. And so, I watched them revel all night. During the day, I was clubbed unconscious, then shoved into the trunk of a car. I endured the jolting ride back to Guangming City.
Later, someone pulled me out of the trunk, changed my clothes, and a woman carried me towards an elevator, saying, "Boss, you're finally back! *sniffle* I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Boss, why aren't you speaking? Did those people harm you!"
"Really, why were you kidnapped? Luckily, I paid the ransom, or you'd be dead! Your wife didn't care about you at all!"
"Boss, wake up!"
The woman led me to the eighth floor of the company's office building. She swiped a magnetic card near a machine, and the president's office door soon opened.
She threw me into a boss's chair and then began to cry, holding me. "Boss, don't die! Wake up! Were you tortured to death by those people? Didn't I already pay ten million in ransom?"
"I know the company is failing, but I can't do anything. For you, I can't... *sob* everyone from the company has run away. Only I... only I am left..."
Suddenly, I regained some clarity. The drug Cang Xuesong had injected must have worn off. However, the first thing I did upon opening my eyes was say, "A mirror! I need a mirror!"
The woman looked at me with surprise and quickly took out her compact mirror, holding it in front of me. I saw my reflection in horror. My face had indeed transformed into Cao Xiangyang's. I tried to tear at it several times but couldn't remove it. Damn it! Had I really had plastic surgery? But I hadn't felt anything before, and there were no surgical scars on my face. I squinted and examined it closely. Although I didn't know how it happened, I knew this face was just a mask. I just didn't know why I couldn't take it off.
Noticing me staring at my face in astonishment, the woman curiously asked, "Boss Cao, are you alright?"
Hearing a clear, bell-like question in my ear, I realized a woman in professional attire was leaning into my arms. I immediately stood up and pushed her away. "What are you doing?"
"Boss, what's wrong? I'm Xiaoxia!"
"Get lost! I don't know you!" I wanted to escape, but then I remembered something and calmed myself.
"Boss Cao, did they do something to you? Why is your temperament so strange now?"
I coughed a few times. "I'm sorry, Xiaoxia? I was just feeling a bit unwell. It's fine now. Since we're back, that's good. But how is the company operating..."
"Boohoo, it's good that you're alright, Boss. All the shareholders have fled, the managers have left, everyone is gone. The company is probably..."
"What happened here? What's wrong with the company?"