2026-02-15 14:48:47
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
22
Ashley’s breathing hitched slightly as she asked, “What’s your plan?”Michael’s lips curled into a cold, crooked smile. “It’s simple,” he said. “He prepared a fake… so I’ll prepare another one.”Ashley frowned. “Another fake?”“A fake of a fake,” Michael replied calmly. “The one he made is meant to expose the truth. Mine has only one purpose.blur the line between what’s real and what isn’t.”He stepped closer, voice lowering.“I’ll use a perfect replica to replace the one he planted ahead of time. When he proudly plays his ‘reveal’ video and the experts come up to authenticate the painting… they’ll find that the evidence.” he paused, the smile deepening, "...is genuine.”Ashley’s eyes widened.His carefully staged trial would collapse into a farce. He would accuse Ivan of forgery, only for the physical evidence to prove otherwise. In an instant, he’d go from a righteous judge to a sensationalist slanderer in front of everyone.The plan was bold. Reckless. Borderline illegal.Ashley’s
21
The ballroom of one of Los Angeles’ most exclusive luxury hotels glittered like a jewel box.Crystal chandeliers hung overhead like miniature galaxies, scattering light across the polished marble floor and the carefully composed faces of the city’s elite, faces painted with polite smiles and social niceties.Tonight was the annual “Heart of White” Charity Gala.And the event had reached its emotional peak.Liam White, the city’s most celebrated philanthropist, stood at the center of a red velvet stage, microphone in hand.His voice was rich, warm, and perfectly controlled as he recounted one heartbreaking poverty-relief story after another.Every pause was deliberate. Every emotional beat calculated.The audience listened, deeply moved. Some dabbed at the corners of their eyes.Applause swelled again and again. No one in the room knew that the “rescued children” he spoke of were nothing more than statistics, fabricated symbols used to launder vast sums of money.Hidden in plain sight,
20
Lorenzo’s words landed like a bucket of ice water dumped over everyone’s head.The room fell quiet. They were no longer dealing with criminals like William, people whose motives could still be explained through ordinary psychology or greed.The actions of the so-called “Audience” had escalated into something else entirely, something that threatened the symbolic foundations of the entire city.And Michael’s response, tt sounded just as unhinged. Ashley didn’t answer right away. She kept staring at her phone screen.Those three names sat there like weights pressing against her chest.Logic told her Lorenzo was right. This was reckless, a gamble with their careers, their reputations, and the credibility of the whole department.But her instincts, the instincts that made her one of the best detectives in the city, were screaming.She couldn’t forget the way Michael had controlled the situation on the subway platform.She couldn’t forget the kind of dangerous “weapon” she herself had autho
19
Michael’s body trembled slightly in the chair. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and slid down his pale cheeks.His teeth were clenched so tightly that his gums began to bleed, the metallic taste of rust filling his mouth.He was using physical pain to fight the mental corrosion.Trying to hold on to the last piece of territory that still belonged to Michael, to the part of himself that was still human.But he failed. In the face of absolute faith, emotions and mortal resistance were unbearably fragile.He felt his final line of defense being swallowed whole by an overwhelming tide.Darkness came.He didn’t know how long it lasted.Maybe a century.Maybe only a second.The silence in the study was eventually broken by the slow, steady sound of breathing.Michael opened his eyes.The calm detachment he once had was gone.So were the emotional fluctuations that made him human.What remained was frozen stillness, Dead ice.When he looked at people… at objects… it was the same gaze o
18
The cold electronic alert echoed through the LAPD command center, striking everyone’s nerves again and again.Lorenzo’s face had gone ashen. He slammed his fist onto the console so hard the monitors rattled, his roar breaking under the strain of pure rage.Ashley’s body stiffened beside him.Her eyes were fixed on the screen, on the half-lit, half-shadowed promotional photo of Michael in the judge’s robe.A chill crawled up her spine.This was no longer just a crime.It was a public declaration of war, against Michael… and against the entire police department.In his apartment, Michael watched the provocative video feed calmly, his expression unreadable.His opponent had made the first move.The other party was playing the role of a supreme Grand Judge, using religious fanaticism and airtight logic to condemn the “sinners” he believed deserved punishment.Michael understood something clearly:His current abilities, psychological profiling and empathic resonance, allowed him to underst
17
The command center of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Major Crimes Division was thick with a suffocating gloom, heavy enough to feel almost physical.On the massive digital wall, high-resolution images from the crime scene played on a continuous loop, captured from every possible angle. The statue, executed, stared back at every officer in the room, its damaged eyes an unspoken accusation.“Check it again!” Lorenzo’s voice thundered across the room. “Citywide surveillance. From ten last night to six this morning. Every intersection leading in and out of Central Plaza, nothing gets missed!”His eyes were bloodshot. Cigarettes burned one after another between his fingers, and the ashtrays on the table had overflowed into small gray mounds.But his fury was met only with helpless headshakes.“Captain Wang… it’s no use,” said the head of the Technical Analysis Unit, his voice strained. “The suspect completely avoided all standard surveillance routes. We’ve been combining footage for t
You may also like
From Rock Bottom to Riches: The Wealth Tap System
Abysalyounglord31.2K viewsThe Legendary System
KazuhiroSeijuro43.4K viewsMartial God Gamer
CrazeNovel136.4K viewsThe Golem Mage
Destiny Foromeh140.9K viewsI Reincarnated as an extra in my Novel
Nukezurro277 viewsThe Devil Undercover system
Yona Birdy1.4K viewsThe Assassin King Reincarnated in a Weak Student
Syael33 viewsThe System Lordships Son-Inlaw
Waveno5.5K views