The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 1023 - 1022: Humble Mr. Mo: I Was Wrong! I Really Was Wrong!

Chapter 1023: Chapter 1022: Humble Mr. Mo: I Was Wrong! I Really Was Wrong!

Lu Mian, still in shock, slowly retracted the steel wire. With a swift "whoosh," it slid through the mechanism and returned beneath the dial of the electronic watch on her wrist.

Xiao Qimo’s expression grew darker and more inscrutable.

So that electronic watch... it actually was *that* one from the IEG exhibition wall!

Lu Mian glanced down at the item around her waist, flicked her cold eyelids indifferently, then looked up at him, seemingly hinting at something.

Xiao Qimo, realizing belatedly, quickly retrieved the damned gun, treating it like some burning hot potato, and hurled it aside forcefully.

Audience below: ???

The man opened his mouth, countless words stuck in his throat, unsure of where to even begin.

He might as well die right now.

Lu Mian looked at him, then glanced at Yun Zhijuan, who was hiding in the corner, and let out a low, cold laugh before turning to leave.

She’s angry!

This was Xiao Qimo’s first instinct—Lu Mian was absolutely angry at him!

Right now, he couldn’t care less about any ceremony or propriety, immediately rushing after Lu Mian.

???

The audience below was utterly baffled. Hey, hey, hey, why are they leaving? Is this intermission?

Or maybe the two of them got tired of fighting on stage and decided to move elsewhere to continue the duel?

Who won and who lost, anyway?!

No one had a clue about what just happened. They looked at each other in confusion before eventually setting their sights on the leader on stage.

Yun Zhijuan: ...Could you just pretend I’m dead and not drag me into this, alright?

With an exhausted expression, he glanced in the direction where the two had disappeared, then waved dismissively to the spectators below. "You’re worn out from watching, just treat it like an intermission!"

*What the hell kind of ’worn out’ is this?*

Team Four, observing the situation, seemed to muster some boldness. Standing up from the seat, he asked, "Leader, how do you plan to deal with this? Team One and Team Two are both excellent, sure, but at the end of the day, everyone’s part of the same organization. Isn’t it a bit excessive to go for the kill against comrades? If this results in casualties, who would still dare to support such a leader in the future? How would you guarantee our safety?"

Team Four suddenly stepping up and accusing Teams One and Two was something nobody had anticipated.

Having worked together for so long, everyone knew Team Four was a staunch supporter of Team One. Time and time again, Team Four had even boasted that he’d do anything to help Team One rise to power!

Why now was he suddenly criticizing Team One?

Yun Zhijuan squinted his eyes slightly to signal him to continue.

Team Four hesitated for a moment, as if struggling to speak, but eventually spilled the truth: "Leader, I won’t hide it from you—Team One gave me an order to find someone to kill Team Two..."

"What?" Yun Zhijuan was utterly incredulous.

Teams Three, Five, and Nine exchanged varied glances.

Since their expressions were hard to discern clearly, only their eye movements could offer clues.

Team Four’s revelation was like another bombshell, stirring massive waves of doubt and unease in their hearts.

Team One had always exuded that high-and-mighty, aloof boss persona. But now, with Team Four spilling this, that domineering image of Team One crumbled in an instant.

If Team One really did such a thing, it would cause devastating blows to his reputation, his leadership standing, and even his bid for the Chief Leader position.

Team Three glared at Team Four and berated him, "Team Four, some things aren’t meant to be said lightly. Don’t take advantage of the absence of the two Commanders to spread baseless rumors wherever you like!"

"What benefit would spreading such rumors give me?" Team Four retorted. "It’s not like I’d end up as the Leader anyway, right?"

With those words, he dragged Team Three squarely into the treacherous whirlpool of power struggle.

If both Team One and Team Two lost their chances to vie for leadership, then Team Three would end up as the lone contender...

Team Three: ...*Are you kidding me?! You’re trying to pull me down with you!*

Team One and Team Two, just where the hell are you?

Get back here and save me, damn it!

——

Inside the headquarters building.

Lu Mian randomly found the nearest restroom, charged in, shut the door, and locked herself inside.

She suddenly ripped off the ridiculous mask, revealing her true face in the mirror, then splashed a handful of cold water onto herself.

Beads of water rolled down her flawless facial curves, one by one. Her hands propped up on the sink, and her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the turbulence in her heart.

The scenes of the duel earlier kept flashing through her mind, over and over again.

She even replayed and analyzed every killing move she made, one after another.

Until the sound of knocking outside yanked her out of those memories of life-and-death combat.

"Bang, bang, bang."

The knocks were urgent and frantic. Lu Mian stayed put; she knew exactly who was outside. But given everything that had unfolded, she was caught off guard, and needed time to process this on her own, away from the scene.

She truly needed time to digest everything and had no intention of opening the door for the time being.

That door felt like it separated worlds, as if a thousand mountains and rivers lay between it.

Xiao Qimo didn’t intend to give her that time to process. Worried she’d stew alone inside, he waited for only half a minute before lifting his foot and kicking the door wide open, barging in.

What he saw was a carefree teenage girl sprawled lazily against the wall of the restroom.

Without her mask, her chillingly stunning face was fully revealed, still adorned with droplets of water. Her slightly damp hair added a touch of beguiling disarray.

Xiao Qimo was stunned, utterly captivated. She was his little troublemaker—no doubt about it.

His gaze slowly lowered, landing on the girl’s form wrapped in a black robe, exuding an air of lethal ferocity. It was identical in material to his own.

It suddenly hit him; she was a Commander of Team Two.

The very rival he had suppressed, mocked, and ostracized.

With this pairing, Xiao Qimo felt like all the blood in his body rushed to his head, leaving him dazed and dizzy.

He told himself he was strong enough to handle any revelation about her identity. He *thought* nothing could be more intimidating than her previous identities as Ya Qiao or the Big Boss. But the reality...

There was something worse.

Something that crushed him.

So overwhelmingly that he felt like kneeling and slapping himself as many times as he could.

The man stared at the cold smile curling up on the girl’s lips, the indifferent gaze she gave him. Xiao Qimo’s knees gave out.

"I was wrong! I really was wrong!"

Other than apologizing, he had no idea what else to say.

Just look at what he had done himself. Over the past year or two, he couldn’t even remember how many times he’d clashed with Team Two.

The words he’d uttered and the actions he’d taken—everything over the past two days was coming back to haunt him vividly.

Not to mention earlier—he even pointed a gun at his own wife. Even worse, during the duel just moments ago, he harbored *multiple* thoughts about killing her.

Xiao Qimo felt like he should just go jump off a cliff.

Lu Mian casually eyed him, picked up the mask resting on the sink, and began fiddling with it absent-mindedly. She pressed her lips together before raising her head slightly, her tone sharp and frosty.

"I’m a lunatic? A connected opportunist? A ’talentless loser who’s great at framing others’ clown?"

"..."

Xiao Qimo watched her lips move, the cool disdain in her voice like daggers piercing through his nerves, jolting every fiber of his being.

Each word that Lu Mian spoke made his knees sink lower and lower.