"Bang!"
A gunshot exploded, tearing through the night sky.
"Aaaah!!!"
Lin Jie howled in agony and collapsed.
The black suitcase in his hand slammed into the ground.
The thick bundles of cash inside scattered into the air like flowers strewn by a celestial maiden, then cascaded to the ground like a red waterfall.
There had to be several million, at least.
Lying on the ground, Lin Jie had no strength left. Blood gushed unchecked from his abdomen.
The bright red blood slowly spread, soaking the hundred-yuan notes scattered across the ground.
A stranger stood silently before Lin Jie.
In his hand, the man gripped a pistol.
The excruciating pain blurred Lin Jie's vision.
The stranger crouched, staring straight at him.
The dark muzzle pressed against Lin Jie's forehead.
The heavy smells of gun oil and gunpowder rushed into his nostrils.
Lin Jie's voice was barely a thread. "Stranger, are you after money?"
The man did not so much as glance at the piles of cash beside them.
"No, I'm here to kill you-"
"Lin Jie."
Another gunshot exploded.
"So he's Lin Jie?"
"He looks pretty young."
"Does this guy really have the ability the boss said he does?"
"Heh, watch me set a trap for him."
"Shut up. He's about to wake up."
Unconscious, Lin Jie vaguely heard people talking.
But he could barely make out what they were saying.
Lin Jie struggled to open his eyes.
Darkness surrounded him.
"You're awake."
A figure suddenly appeared before him.
The man had a straight posture and a gentle voice, but he wore an eerie black mask and was dressed entirely in black.
"Welcome to Heaven. I'm the Angel here to receive you."
Angel waved, signaling for Lin Jie to follow him.
Heaven?
Lin Jie remembered.
Someone he knew nothing about had blown his head apart with a single shot.
I'm already dead.
So...
Is this the world after death?
Suddenly remembering something, Lin Jie reached out to check his abdomen and head.
They were smooth, without a single wound.
Seeing Lin Jie's reaction, Angel said gently, "Don't worry. Souls don't have scars, and they can't feel pain."
"Just do as I say. I'll take you to be reincarnated."
"Once you're reincarnated, you'll become someone new and begin a new life."
Reincarnate? What kind of joke is that?
After finally making it through the hardships of this life, I have to start over?
Lin Jie was a transmigrator. He had arrived in this world by chance, without family, friends, or a penny to his name.
He had spent the first eighteen years of his life in poverty.
And today, Lin Jie had finally been about to "strike it rich."
But before he could enjoy life, he had been unexpectedly killed.
And now I'm supposed to reincarnate?!
My money is still scattered on the ground! I haven't even picked it up!
That was a full ten million yuan!!
So many people can't earn that much in their entire lives!
Lin Jie shook his head helplessly.
But I'm already dead. What can I do?
Lin Jie had no way of finding out which damned bastard had fired the shots, either.
He shook his head and could only follow Angel forward.
Light gradually appeared in the surrounding darkness.
A row of dark red torches hung on the walls.
They allowed Lin Jie to see his surroundings.
This was a corridor-a corridor of masks.
Countless masks hung on the walls around him.
The masks came in all kinds of styles and designs, but they shared one feature.
Every mask had a blue face, bared fangs, and a hideous expression. They were deeply sinister.
The sight made Lin Jie very uncomfortable.
"Angel, what are these...?" Lin Jie asked, pointing at the masks around them.
"Oh, these are the 'Faces of All Living Beings.'"
"Each mask corresponds to the soul of a living person in the mortal world."
"The more handsome and well-proportioned a mask's face, the kinder its owner's soul."
"And the uglier and more hideous a mask, the more evil its owner's soul."
Angel offered an explanation.
"But aren't all these masks hideous?" Angel's explanation had not dispelled Lin Jie's doubts.
"Exactly. In today's society, evil people run rampant. Good people barely exist anymore." Angel still provided an answer.
Lin Jie lowered his head in thought. His own soul should have a mask, too.
Would the mask of my soul be well-proportioned or hideous?
Ever since transmigrating to this world, Lin Jie had had no family or friends.
He had done hard labor since childhood, barely earning enough to feed and clothe himself.
But Lin Jie was diligent and eager to learn. Through his own efforts, he had gained admission to Qingbei University.
Qingbei University was the most prestigious university in the country.
In that respect, Lin Jie could be called "outstanding."
But Lin Jie could not be considered a good person.
The ten million yuan was illicit "dirty money" that Lin Jie had obtained through special means.
That money would not only have covered his tuition, but also let him live comfortably for the next few years.
But it would leave certain people penniless.
In that respect, Lin Jie was undoubtedly an evil person.
In this society, the strong preyed on the weak. If he did not devour others, they would devour him first.
Lin Jie had no regrets.
"We're here." Angel stopped.
An enormous black door stood before them.
"Walk through this door, and you'll be reincarnated."
Lin Jie hesitated without moving. "What's behind this door?"
Angel did not answer directly. "You'll know once you go inside. Oh, right..."
"Before you go in, please hand over your ticket."
Ticket?
"Your ticket is the ring on your hand."
Ring?
Lin Jie looked down at his hand.
At some point, a ring had appeared on a finger of his left hand.
"That's right, that one. Take it off and give it to me."
Angel held out his hand.
Lin Jie kept feeling that something was odd.
Everything he had seen along the way, that row of dark red torches, that corridor of hideous masks...
This black door, and even this "Angel" dressed entirely in black, all struck Lin Jie as a little eerie.
Was this place really Heaven?
Was this person really an Angel?
Without betraying anything, Lin Jie said, "All right, I'll take it off now. Open the door for me first."
As he spoke, Lin Jie reached for the ring.
Angel turned around as well, facing forward and preparing to push the door open.
Looking at the masks on the wall, Lin Jie vaguely formed an idea.
While Angel was not paying attention, Lin Jie quickly took a sinister, vicious ghost mask off the wall and put it on his face.
"Hey, Angel!" Lin Jie patted Angel's shoulder.
"Hm? What... Holy shit!!"
The moment Angel turned around, he saw a vicious ghost standing behind him, staring straight at him!!
He shuddered in fright and nearly lost his footing.
Lin Jie slowly took off the mask.
"What are you playing pranks for? Have you got nothing better to do?!" Seeing that it was Lin Jie, Angel scolded him.
"All right, hurry up and give me the ring." Recovering from his loss of composure, Angel began demanding the ring again.
Lin Jie did not move, and his expression became unreadable.
He slowly raised his head. "I felt something was wrong from the beginning."
"In a place this eerie, someone suddenly appears and immediately claims to be an angel."
"And he's dressed entirely in black."
"You call this wretched place Heaven."
"I'm not religious, and I don't know what Heaven is supposed to look like."
"But this place is full of darkness, dark red flames, and hideous ghost masks."
"It doesn't look anything like Heaven. Quite the opposite..."
"It looks more like Hell!"
"And the biggest problem is,"
"Fear should be an emotion only humans have."
"You say you're an angel. Since you're an angel,"
"You shouldn't have human emotions."
"Why were you frightened by a human like me?"
"You're not an angel at all,"
"Nor are you a demon."
"You're a human in disguise!"
Lin Jie spoke harshly, pointing at him.
"Angel" fell silent for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Ha ha! Hahaha!!"
Then he suddenly removed his mask!
Seeing the "face" beneath the mask, Lin Jie could not help crying out.
"How is that possible?!"