radicalducati Chapter 105, codenamed "Prince Lanling," caused an entire group to kneel upon hearing his
Chapter 105, codenamed "Prince Lanling," caused an entire group to kneel upon hearing his
The studio lights suddenly dimmed, leaving only a pale spotlight shining on the center of the stage.
Before this, Lu Ming, dressed in a tuxedo studded with Swarovski crystals, hopped around on stage for five minutes like a peacock courting a mate, singing an electronic version of "Learn to Meow." Although the sound engineer had done his best, his voice, as sharp as fingernails scraping a blackboard, still made the four judges on the panel look troubled.
Especially the female judge sitting in the very center wearing a fox mask, who kept her arms crossed the whole time, exuding a low-pressure atmosphere of "Where am I? Who am I? Why am I suffering like this?"
"Next up, a mysterious challenger—codenamed 'Lanling King'."
The host's voice sounded tired, clearly indicating that he had little hope for these "just there" dads.
In the shadows of the backstage corridor, Lin Zhou straightened his collar.
The brim of his black hoodie was pulled low, and the pure black Lanling King mask, devoid of any facial features, gleamed with a cold, matte sheen in the darkness. He didn't wave to the camera like the others, nor did he make any small gestures to please the audience.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked step by step from darkness into light.
Every step was perfectly timed, steady and cold, carrying an aura of chilling dread that seemed to flow from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
The noise at the scene inexplicably subsided.
The audience members exchanged bewildered glances, all sharing the same thought:
This guy...did he wander onto the wrong set? He doesn't look like he's here to sing, he looks like a killer coming to take lives.
"Tongzi, exchange for the song 'Wukong'."
Lin Zhou silently recited the mantra, his gaze piercing through the two narrow holes in the mask as he coldly stared into the void of darkness ahead.
[Ding! Redemption successful! God-level live rendering module loaded!]
Accompanied by the system notification sound, a melodious yet desolate sound of a flute suddenly pierced the air in the studio.
Then came the heavy bass of the piano, each note like a blow to the heart.
Lin Zhou gripped the microphone but didn't rush to speak. He tilted his head back slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down beneath the mask. The resentment, anger, and arrogance that had been suppressed for seven years—the resentment belonging to "Seventh Brother"—found an outlet at this moment.
"The moon shines on the Milky Way, the road ahead is long and winding."
"The smoke and dust have cleared, leaving only a solitary shadow..."
The moment he opened his mouth, everyone in the audience felt a chill run down their spines.
That voice was no longer Lin Zhou's usual lazy, slightly roguish tone.
It became deep and hoarse, yet possessed a metallic, penetrating quality. Like a rusty ancient sword being rubbed hard on a rough whetstone, sparks flying, its sharpness fully revealed.
On the judges' panel, Su Qingge, the female judge wearing a fox mask who had been playing with her pen with her head down, suddenly raised her head.
That sound...
It's not just pleasant to listen to, it's also full of stories.
That kind of vicissitude, that kind of loneliness, that kind of desolation as if standing at the end of the world looking back on half a lifetime, cannot be imitated by skills. It is built with experience and blood and tears!
"Who told me to be so skilled? Who told me to be torn between love and hate?"
"In the end, I was heartbroken."
Lin Zhou closed his eyes.
What flashed through my mind was no longer the smoke from the chimneys of Peach Blossom Village, nor the luxury cars of Cloud Top Manor.
It was the gunshots on that rainy night, the eyes of the brother lying in a pool of blood, the traitor whose identity remains unknown, and the SIM card that was broken and thrown into the toilet.
He is the exceptionally skilled "Seventh Brother," a ghost that strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies.
But for that promise, for that family, he willingly confined himself, donned the mask of a "gold digger," and lived as a useless person for seven years in this bustling city.
A dilemma of love and hate.
My liver and intestines are breaking.
This isn't singing about Sun Wukong; it's clearly singing about himself!
As the melody progresses, the song builds up before the chorus.
Lin Zhou suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze behind the mask flashing with a chilling light. He took a step forward, placing one foot on the monitor speaker, leaning forward, and the power that had been suppressed to the extreme erupted like a volcanic eruption!
"Calling out to Buddha once, there is no turning back!"
"Kneeling before one person as a teacher is irrelevant, even if it means death!"
Peking Opera style!
It's actually Peking Opera singing!
Moreover, it's the kind of Peking Opera old male role singing style that's extremely penetrating, carrying a sense of tragedy and madness!
The audience was stunned by his shout, their mouths agape, as if they had been frozen in place.
Lu Ming, who was backstage holding a thermos, trembled when he heard the sound, spilling hot water all over his crotch. He screamed in pain, but couldn't bear to look away from the monitor.
Is that Lin Zhou?!
Is this really the same stay-at-home dad who only knows how to cook?!
On stage, Lin Zhou's aura was fully unleashed.
Under the spotlight, his black hoodie seemed to transform into a battle robe. Gripping the microphone tightly, veins bulging, he roared out the cry he had suppressed for seven years:
"In this floating world of good and evil, truth and falsehood, the coming together and parting of worldly ties are indistinct."
"Difficult to determine!"
"What use is this iron bar to me!"
"So what if I've changed!"
boom--!
This roar was like a thunderclap exploding on the top of everyone's head.
That resentment, that anger, that helplessness and struggle of someone who clearly possesses extraordinary abilities but is trapped under the Five Finger Mountain and confined by worldly prejudices, was unleashed upon the world through the song.
The air at the scene seemed to be ignited.
Countless viewers felt goosebumps all over their bodies, their hearts pounding wildly to the beat of the drums, and an urge to scream along with him and break free of this cage surged through their veins.
"Still uneasy, still melancholy."
"With the golden headband on his head, he hesitates to speak."
The song faded, but the lingering sorrow pierced everyone's hearts like a thorn.
Lin Zhou slowly put down the microphone, his chest heaving violently.
Beneath the mask, his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and the ferocity in his eyes had dissipated, leaving only a deathly calm.
Plan B?
Didn't you want to see me make a move?
That's my answer.
The music stopped.
The entire studio fell into an eerie, suffocating silence.
No one applauded, no one screamed.
Everyone was still reeling from the immense emotional impact and couldn't recover for a long time.
until--
"Clatter".
A crisp sound broke the silence.
The judges' panel is in the very center.
The "Fox Lady," who had always been as aloof as an iceberg, had her pen slip from her hand at some point, smashing onto the table in front of her and rolling to the floor.
She was completely unaware.
Su Qingge was wearing a mask, but her exposed eyes were fixed on the black figure on the stage.
His pupils dilated, filled with shock, confusion, and a hint of...
An overwhelming sense of familiarity.