Inside the armored personnel carrier, the atmosphere became eerily still after Ling Chen (Lin Chen) introduced himself.
The members of Dawn Squad, whose relief at surviving the ordeal had not yet fully surfaced, were replaced by a deeper, bone-chilling astonishment.
Lin Chen?
That name, that voice, and even... that face?!
Although the combat uniform was different, and his demeanor seemed more composed and stern, carrying the authority of the Central Special Operations Bureau, those eyes and facial contours, that physique... In an instant, Li Fan, Li Mingyu, Lin Wei, Chen Xue, and Zhou Yunguang felt as if pierced by invisible ice shards, their breaths collectively catching!
Countless fragmented and bloody memories flooded their minds uncontrollably!
That young man with the beast-taming ability, who was frail and sickly... that spiritual pillar who always gave them hope when they were losing it... that severely injured survivor who was lucky enough to live through the beast tide... that... demon-like Variant — Ling Chen — who finally shed all pretense, revealed his sinister true colors, manipulated blood, slaughtered all around him, mercilessly took the lives of their close friends, heavily damaged Panshi Fortress, and then walked away!
The "Lin Chen" before them was at least seventy percent similar in appearance to the "Ling Chen" in their memories! Especially the shape of his eyes and the slightly gaunt lines of his face!
In this world... could there really be two people so alike?! Ling... Lin?!
Immense shock, an unbelievable sense of absurdity, and the fear and hatred buried deep in their hearts churned in their chests like a volcano!
Li Fan's pupils suddenly contracted into the most dangerous needle-like points!
The muscles in his arms, covered in dark red dragon scales, instantly tensed, and a terrifying dragon's might uncontrollably emanated, making the air in the cabin thick and heavy!
He stared intently at Ling Chen, as if wanting to dissect him from the inside out with his gaze! He had lost his brother, Xiong Yan, with whom he had shared life and death!
His hatred for Ling Chen was the purest and most fervent! Any clue related to that demon would instantly put him into an extreme state of alert!
Li Mingyu's facial scars twitched violently, his huge fists cracked as they clenched, and his heavy breathing sounded like bellows!
He gritted his teeth, forcing down the urge to immediately pounce and tear the other party to shreds! Sun Qiang's tragic death was still vivid in his mind!
Lin Wei's Bianwei (Discern Micro) ability almost instinctively surged to its maximum!
Her clear eyes were filled with shock and extremely sharp scrutiny, frantically scanning every inch of "Lin Chen's" appearance, every subtle expression, every rhythm of his breathing, and even every ripple of his surrounding energy field! She tried to find any trace of disguise or familiarity!
Her heart pounded astonishingly fast; her reason told her this was impossible, but her intuition sounded the highest alarm!
Chen Xue's reaction was the most intense!
Her face instantly turned ashen, devoid of color! Her delicate body trembled violently, and the healing aura in her hands instantly dissipated!
Like a startled deer, she suddenly recoiled, hitting the cold wall of the vehicle, her eyes filled with extreme fear, pain, and... a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of hope that she was desperately trying to suppress?
Ling Chen's betrayal had caused her devastating psychological trauma! This similar face before her almost tore apart her barely mended emotional defenses again!
Zhou Yunguang was even more thunderstruck!
The mental stabilizer in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter"!
He pointed at Ling Chen, his lips trembling, wanting to say something, but unable to make a sound due to extreme fear and the backlash of the spiritual energy within him!
The hidden injury Ling Chen had left in his body now flared with agonizing pain as if ignited! His fear of Ling Chen far outweighed his hatred!
A deathly silence filled the vehicle, leaving only heavy gasps and the frantic thumping of hearts.
Ling Chen (Lin Chen) took all of this in, the cold will of the Soul Jade Physique completely unperturbed, even feeling a hint of playful mockery.
However, he timely displayed a perfectly appropriate expression of doubt and confusion, frowning slightly, his gaze sweeping over the abnormally reacting crowd, his tone carrying a hint of concern and the composure befitting a "Central Special Operations Bureau officer":
"Everyone... what's wrong? Is there a problem with my identity? Or are your injuries flaring up?"
His performance was flawless, as if he completely didn't understand why the other party was so shocked.
His voice, though deliberately lowered in pitch, with a few less traces of his former cheerfulness and a few more of cold sternness, but that unique texture... it was too similar! Truly too similar!
Li Fan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the almost uncontrollable urge to dragonize, his voice becoming unusually hoarse and low due to extreme suppression, carrying undisguised scrutiny:
"Nothing... nothing. It's just... Captain Lin, you look very much like someone we knew in the past."
He stared intently into Ling Chen's eyes, trying to catch any hint of panic.
"Oh?"
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, showing a perfectly appropriate surprise and a hint of curiosity.
"Is that so? That's quite a coincidence. May I ask who that person is?" He acted like a stranger who had accidentally heard an interesting anecdote.
"A traitor! A damned scoundrel!" Li Mingyu couldn't help but roar, his eyes bloodshot.
Dawn Squad instantly became tense, the atmosphere reaching its breaking point! Intense hostility and chaotic energy fluctuations filled the entire armored vehicle compartment!
Facing this sudden, almost out-of-control hostility and accusation, Ling Chen (Lin Chen)'s reaction was impeccable.
His brows furrowed slightly, a perfectly appropriate expression of confusion and displeasure on his face, his gaze sharply sweeping over the emotional crowd, finally settling on Li Fan and Zhou Yunguang, who reacted most intensely, his voice calm and carrying a hint of cold questioning:
"Everyone? What is the meaning of this? Ling Chen? Who is that?"
His tone was full of unfamiliarity, as if he had heard the name for the first time.
"I am Lin Chen, acting captain of Ash Squad, Hunter Guild, Shengjing City. Military registration number CNT-S07-LC3907. Can I interpret your actions as a provocation against Shengjing?"
His words were clear and logical, carrying the coldness of official business, while also stating his identity and the authority behind him, creating an invisible pressure.
Just then, urgent footsteps and the clicking sound of weapons being cocked came from outside the armored vehicle!
"Captain! What's going on?!"
"Put down your weapons!"
"Who dares to touch our captain!"
Several sharp shouts came! Only to see the other members of Ash Squad—
Su Qing (Liu Feng), Chen Mo (Gray Shield), Wang Yuan (Hui Xiu), Zhang Hou (The Boulder), and Li Xun (Shadow Rat)—had already arrived at the sound, instantly half-surrounding Dawn Squad!
Although their strength was far inferior to Dawn Squad, they stood in front of their captain without hesitation, their eyes filled with vigilance and hostility!
Su Qing's pupils coldly swept over Li Fan and the others, wind elements quietly gathering around her.
Chen Mo immediately raised his heavy psionic shield, blocking Ling Chen's front-left side.
Wang Yuan's nostrils flared, trying to discern the other party's aura.
Even Zhang Hou and Li Xun, the two rookies, nervously clutched their weapons.
"Brothers of The Boulder! What do you want to do?!"
Leimeng's rough voice also came from another vehicle; he strode over with several members of the Berserker Squad, and seeing the standoff in the vehicle, his bell-like eyes immediately widened.
"Damn it! You want to turn hostile right after we saved you?! Do you think our Hunter Guild is easy to bully?!"
The Central Army soldiers also quickly gathered, their muzzles slightly raised, and the atmosphere instantly became even more tense!
Gao Zhan's figure appeared like a phantom at the vehicle door, his cold gaze sweeping across the interior, finally resting on Ling Chen:
"Captain Lin, what's going on?"
Ling Chen (Lin Chen), facing the protection and standoff of the crowd, showed a look of "helplessness" and "being misunderstood" on his face. He shook his head slightly at Gao Zhan, indicating that it was nothing, then looked again at Li Fan, who was almost about to lose control, his tone softening a little, but still maintaining a sense of distance:
"Captain Li, I understand that you have just experienced a fierce battle, and your emotions may not be very stable. But I must reiterate, I am Lin Chen, and the 'Ling Chen' you speak of has nothing to do with me."
"If you have any questions, you can verify them with my superiors through proper channels. But right now, we are allies, and I do not wish for unnecessary conflicts to arise due to some inexplicable misunderstanding."
His performance was flawless.
His calm demeanor, clear logic, impeccable identity statement, and the genuine protective stance of the surrounding Central Army soldiers and Ash Squad members all constituted powerful persuasion.
Li Fan stared intently into Ling Chen's eyes, trying to find even a trace of falseness or evasion. But all he saw was an icy calm and a hint of offended displeasure.
His killing intent cooled slightly, and reason gradually returned.
Yes... Ling Chen was a Variant, a mortal enemy of Panshi Fortress. How could he transform into an officer of the Central Special Operations Bureau? And with a complete squad?
This was too absurd! Could it be... that they really just looked alike? Could there truly be two people so similar in the world?
Li Mingyu also panted heavily, his fists cracking as they clenched, but looking at the watchful Central Army soldiers and Ash Squad around him, he finally forced down the urge to act.
Lin Wei took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Her Bianwei (Discern Micro) told her that the energy aura, mental fluctuations, and even subtle micro-expressions of the person before her were fundamentally different from Ling Chen.
But... that outline... She spoke with difficulty, her voice a little dry:
"I'm... I'm sorry, Captain Lin. You... you look very much like an... an old acquaintance of ours. We... were momentarily emotional, please excuse our rudeness."
Chen Xue lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, silently shedding tears, no longer looking at Ling Chen.
Zhou Yunguang, meanwhile, curled up in a corner, clutching his head, trembling all over, muttering repeatedly:
"It's not him... it's not him... the energy is different... but why... why is it so similar..." His mind seemed to have been greatly stimulated.
Upon hearing this, Ling Chen (Lin Chen) showed a perfectly appropriate expression of "realization" and a faint "sympathy." He nodded, his tone softening considerably:
Ling Chen timely showed a hint of "understanding" and "regret" on his face:
"I see. My condolences. It seems that person caused you a great deal of pain."
His tone was calm, with a businesslike detachment, perfectly avoiding any emotional resonance that might invite association.