20: Chapter 20 The Devil's Smile, System, Are You Playing with Me?

5:00 AM.

The horizon was beginning to pale like a fish's belly.

Jianghai City's largest internet café, "Speed Zone."

This was one of the city's few blind spots—a melting pot of all sorts, where the smell of cigarettes and instant noodles intertwined.

"Ding-dong—Welcome."

The electronic greeting sounded a bit raspy.

Four figures, carrying the morning chill, filed inside one after another.

The man leading the way pulled his baseball cap down low.

He walked straight to the counter and tapped twice on the scratched surface.

"Private room. Corner. Four machines."

His voice was low, carrying a coldness that brooked no refusal.

His eyes, hidden under the brim of his hat, casually swept over the drowsy internet café attendant.

The attendant yawned and was about to ask for their IDs.

He suddenly looked up.

He met a pair of eyes that were completely devoid of emotion.

In that instant.

The attendant felt as if he were being stared at by some cold-blooded animal; the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Was he hallucinating from staying up too late?

This guy's aura... why did it feel like a hitman from a movie?

"Al... Alright, Private Room A. No one will disturb you."

The attendant scrambled to open the accounts, not even daring to look closely at their IDs.

Qin Feng took the cards and turned toward the corner.

Pei Ji followed behind with his neck tucked in, his glasses completely fogged up.

Su Tang, on the other hand, was quite excited, looking around and thinking this place felt cooler than a five-star hotel.

As for Alice.

The Interpol officer was currently observing her surroundings with vigilance.

Her gaze swept over the vents, the fire escape, and even every internet-addicted teen playing games.

"An excellent hiding spot."

Alice praised inwardly.

With high foot traffic, chaotic IP addresses, and a noisy environment, it was extremely difficult to perform a precision strike here.

As expected of Joker.

Even his choice of hideout was so seasoned.

...

Inside the private room.

The light was dim, with only the faint blue glow emitted by the computer screens.

Qin Feng flopped onto a leather sofa chair.

The chair gave a soft "creak."

He let out a long breath.

Finally... he could rest for a while.

This whole night of tossing and turning had nearly cost him half his life.

Especially after that wuling hongguang leap just now, his tailbone was still throbbing with pain.

"Bro... we're just staying here?"

Pei Ji leaned in cautiously and asked in a low voice, "This is an internet café. What if someone calls the police..."

"This is the safest place."

Qin Feng turned on the computer and skillfully entered his account and password. "Ever heard of 'the darkest place is under the candle'? Besides..."

He paused and pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Ding!"

An SMS notification popped up.

[An amount has been deposited into your account ending in 8888: 5,000.00 RMB. Remark: Advance payment for one episode from the production crew.]

Qin Feng's eyes lit up.

Five thousand bucks!

He'd got it!

This was real cold, hard cash!

The heart-stopping thrills of the night, having to endure Su Tang's fangirling and Pei Ji's wailing—it was all worth it!

The corners of Qin Feng's mouth curled up uncontrollably.

It was a heartfelt smile, pure and filled with a craving for money.

But set against the dim blue light.

And on that slightly tired yet still cold face.

This smile took on a different flavor.

...

Jianghai City Police Headquarters, Command Center.

The atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out like water.

"Found him!"

The technical chief suddenly roared, his finger trembling as he pointed at the large screen.

"The cyber-supervision department intercepted an IP signal that just went online this second! Comparison through the front camera... it's Qin Feng!"

Whoosh—

The entire command hall instantly erupted.

Everyone snapped their heads up.

On the big screen, the image jittered slightly; it was a candid shot from an internet café computer's front camera.

In the frame.

Qin Feng was looking down at his phone.

The blue screen light hit his profile, outlining his sharp features.

Then.

He smiled.

The corners of his mouth curled into an eerie arc, and his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were admiring some extremely interesting prey.

That satisfaction.

That playfulness.

That condescending composure.

Bang!

The thermos in Zhao Shanhe's hand slammed onto the floor, splashing scalding goji berry water everywhere.

"He's smiling!"

Zhao Shanhe pointed at the screen, his fingers trembling violently, and the veins on his neck bulged like winding earthworms.

"He's mocking us!"

"He's laughing at how hundreds of police officers can't catch one man!"

"He's laughing at how we forced him into an internet café, yet we still can't do anything about him!"

The entire room fell silent.

Every officer's face burned with stinging shame.

Too arrogant!

This was simply grinding the police force's dignity into the dirt!

In the corner.

Criminal psychology consultant Xie Qingshang pushed up his rimless glasses.

A cold light flashed across the lenses.

"It's more than just mockery."

Xie Qingshang's voice was cool, carrying a convincing chill.

He walked to the screen and pointed his finger at the corner of Qin Feng's mouth.

"Look at this micro-expression."

"The corner of the mouth is raised at about 15 degrees, and the orbicularis oculi muscles are contracting. This means he's enjoying a dopamine release."

"He's reminiscing."

"Reminiscing about that leap just now, savoring the thrill of playing the city's entire police force like a fiddle."

"This is the peak moment of a typical histrionic antisocial personality."

Xie Qingshang took a deep breath, his gaze becoming more solemn than ever before.

"Director Zhao, we are facing a monster that feeds on chaos."

Zhao Shanhe's chest heaved violently.

He spun around, braced his hands on the table, and roared emphatically:

"Pass down my orders!"

"City-wide search! Lock onto that IP!"

"I don't care if he's a devil or a monster. Three days! Just three days!"

"If we don't catch him in three days, I, Zhao Shanhe... will resign!"

A pledge of duty!

At this moment, everyone in the command center saw red.

This was no longer an exercise.

This was war!

...

Internet café private room.

Qin Feng had no idea that simply checking his balance had earned him the label of "devil."

He only felt one thing right now: hunger.

"Let's order takeout."

Qin Feng rubbed his stomach. "I want Braised Chicken Rice with double meat."

"Take... takeout?"

Pei Ji's eyes widened. "Bro, ordering takeout now? Won't that expose our IP?"

"It's called doing the opposite of what's expected."

Qin Feng made up some nonsense when he was actually just hungry. "The management system here uses intranet penetration, and the IP is dynamically hopping. They won't find our specific location. Besides..."

He glanced at Alice, who was staring blankly at the computer screen.

"With an Interpol officer here, do we really need to worry about our network security?"

Alice was stunned.

Looking at Qin Feng's trusting (actually just lazy) gaze, a strange feeling welled up in her heart.

Joker actually trusts my skills this much?

Is he testing me?

Or is he... accepting me?

"Leave it to me."

Alice's fingers flew across the keyboard, instantly wiping the internet café's surveillance logs and creating a triple-encrypted proxy for the takeout order.

Twenty minutes later.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door to the private room was knocked.

"Hello, Meituan delivery."

A slightly nervous male voice came from outside.

The air in the room instantly froze.

Alice's hand immediately moved to her lower back, where a fruit knife was hidden.

Her muscles tensed like a leopard ready to pounce.

If this person was a cop...

She had a hundred ways to make him lose his combat effectiveness within three seconds.

"Come in."

Qin Feng didn't even turn his head, still staring at the computer screen.

The door was pushed open.

A delivery guy in a yellow uniform walked in.

He held several greasy bags, but his eyes kept darting around the room.

This was indeed an undercover officer.

Xiao Zhang, a new intern from the SWAT Team.

He had come here to do a blind search based on that vague IP area.

Xiao Zhang was just about to confirm the target's appearance.

Suddenly.

He met a pair of deep blue eyes.

Alice stared at him intently, her eyes murderous, the fruit knife in her hand under the table turning slightly and reflecting a cold glint.

That look clearly said: Move, and you die.

Xiao Zhang's heart skipped a beat.

This woman... she's packing!

And what was with the murderous aura filling the room?

Then he looked at the man sitting in the middle.

Though he only saw his back, that presence, as steady as a mountain even if it were to crumble...

"Put... put it there."

Xiao Zhang's hand shook, and the takeout almost fell to the floor.

"Thanks."

Qin Feng still didn't turn around, simply uttering those two words.

His voice was calm.

Yet it felt like a hammer striking Xiao Zhang's heart.

"O... okay, enjoy your meal, please remember to give a five-star rating..."

Xiao Zhang practically fled the private room.

The moment he closed the door, he felt his back was completely soaked.

"Reporting to Command Center!"

Xiao Zhang hid in a corner of the hallway and whispered into the microphone on his collar, "Suspected contact with the target! But... but I didn't dare confirm!"

"Why?!" Zhao Shanhe's roar came through the earpiece.

"The aura... the aura was too strong!"

Xiao Zhang was almost in tears. "That woman's gaze could kill! And the man... he seemed to be conducting some high-intensity tactical simulation! The screen was full of gunfire and explosions!"

...

Inside the private room.

Qin Feng was indeed conducting a "tactical simulation."

To be precise.

He was playing CS:GO.

"Rush B! Rush B! Don't stop!"

Qin Feng wore his headset, shouting into the mic, his fingers clattering across the keyboard.

On the screen, the character he controlled was holding an AK47 and spraying wildly.

"Headshot! Nice!"

Qin Feng was having a blast right now.

Since he had nothing better to do, he might as well play a couple of rounds to relax his frayed nerves.

Earning those five thousand bucks wasn't easy; he had to balance work and play.

But in the eyes of the other people beside him.

This scene took on a different meaning.

Alice watched as Qin Feng precisely drew his crosshair, pre-aimed, and threw grenades on the screen.

Her pupils narrowed slightly.

"Is this... urban counter-terrorism simulation training?"

"Is he using this game to review his escape route? Or is he rehearsing the next firefight?"

"As expected of Joker, even while playing games, he's calculating trajectories and cover durability."

Su Tang was holding her face, her eyes full of little stars.

"Big brother looks so focused when he plays games! So handsome! That 'Rush B' made my legs go weak!"

Pei Ji, while gnawing on a chicken leg, said indistinctly, "Bro's aim... it's a shame he's not a pro."

Just as Qin Feng had secured a five-kill and was about to defuse the bomb.

In his mind.

That damned mechanical voice exploded once again without warning.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host! The first stage of the exercise, 'First Showing of Sharpness,' has concluded successfully!]

[Host's current performance rating: SSS-rank (Perfect).]

[Accumulated Shock Points: 500 million.]

Qin Feng's hand slipped.

He botched a grenade throw and blew himself down to low health.

"It's over already?"

Qin Feng was delighted.

Over is good!

If it's over, he could take the money and leave, go home and sleep!

However.

The system's next sentence was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing all his fantasies.

[Detected that the host has immense potential and unprecedented public attention.]

[The system has automatically triggered the second stage script: 'City-wide Wanted: Coronation of the Throne.']

[New mission issued:]

[Within 24 hours, occupy the Jianghai City Radio and TV Tower, cut off all city signals, and conduct a 'Villain's Manifesto' live broadcast for no less than three minutes.]

[Mission Reward: God-level Hacking Skills (Permanent), 10 million RMB cash, and... one mysterious gift bag.]

[Failure Penalty: Confiscation of all illegal gains (including those five thousand bucks).]

Qin Feng was dumbfounded.

The mouse in his hand fell onto the desk with a "clack."

His character on the screen was headshot by the opponent and fell into a pool of blood.

"Sys... System..."

Qin Feng roared frantically in his mind, "Are you freaking crazy?!"

"That's the TV Tower! It's in the city center! Right next to the Municipal Public Security Bureau!"

"You want me to occupy that place? And do a city-wide broadcast?"

"Do you think I've lived too long, or do you think the police officers' aim isn't good enough?!"

The most critical thing was.

The failure penalty was the confiscation of those five thousand bucks!

That was his hard-earned money!

Qin Feng's expression instantly became extremely ugly.

The relaxed look he'd had from gaming was instantly replaced by a cloud of "despair."

"What's wrong?"

Alice keenly sensed the change in Qin Feng's aura.

It shifted from "playing with the world" to a "stare into the abyss" in an instant.

Qin Feng slowly took off his headset.

He turned his head and looked at the TV Tower out the window, towering into the clouds and shimmering with neon lights.

It was the city's landmark.

And the death trap he was about to head toward.

"Nothing's wrong."

Qin Feng's voice was raspy, carrying a grit of gritted teeth.

He grabbed the half-bottle of Coke on the table and downed it in one go.

Then he crushed the empty bottle heavily.

"I just suddenly feel..."

Qin Feng stood up, the "hardened criminal" aura forced out by the system filling the room once again.

"This game has only just begun."

"Get ready."

Qin Feng looked back, his gaze sweeping over everyone like a blade.

"We're going to do something big."

Pei Ji was so scared his chicken leg fell: "How... how big?"

Qin Feng raised his hand and pointed far out the window at that tall tower.

The corner of his mouth curled into a "crazy" smile that looked worse than crying.

"Take down that tower for me."

Pei Ji's eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

Alice took a deep breath, her eyes fanatical.

Finally...

Is it coming?

This is the true Joker!

This is the man who makes the world tremble!