?Chapter 319:


    The old woman ced her hand over her chest and coughed violently, pretending to weaken once again. “What are you saying? I don’t understand.”


    “Enough with the act,” Katelyn said, her voice sharp. “If you don’t stop, I’ll expose you.”


    With fiery determination in her eyes, Katelyn saw right through the woman’s tricks.


    There was a medical technique known as face-changing. Simply put, it involved affixing a highly realistic human skin mask to someone’s face, with fine details like intricate wrinkles. If the wearer could convincingly act their age, the disguise would be wless and fool almost anyone.


    Crafting such a mask was no simple task. If one was made in just two days, the creator would have to be both a skilled doctor and an expert artist. This uniquebination instantly made Katelyn think of Sophia. Sophia was the only one who could pull something like this off.


    The human skin mask was an assassin’s secret weapon. Once it was revealed, the old woman dropped her act.


    She straightened her back, no longer pretending to alter her voice. Though her face stayed aged, her voice suddenly sounded youthful.


    She gave Katelyn a mocking look and pped her hands.


    “Miss Bailey, well done. You’ve figured it out.”


    The old woman’s sudden shift to a youthful voice and her drastic change in demeanor stunned the onlookers. Some reporters froze, missing their opportunity to snap photos.


    It was true—human skin masks were real and not just something from fiction. Even Vincent was taken aback.


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    He had heard of these masks but had never witnessed one in real life. Since Katelyn had figured it out so quickly, it was clear she was familiar with, or had encountered, such methods before. Vincent’s gaze grew deeper. He had always suspected there was more to Katelyn than met the eye.


    Katelyn’s hands balled into fists, ready to strike at any moment.


    “Cut the crap,” she said. “Where is she? What do you want?”


    The only logical exnation was that after Marlon and his mother had been captured by the organization, this woman had disguised herself as the old woman to attend the press conference. And there was only one reason she would do that.


    At that moment, Marlon, who had been hidden in the shadows, suddenly stood up, pointing at the woman impersonating his mother and crying out loudly.


    “They murdered my mother! They forced me here to participate in this press conference!”


    Instinctively, Katelyn’s hands clenched into fists once again. She had already suspected as much.


    The woman spun around in fury and shouted, “Be quiet, you fool!”


    “You murdered my mother. I’ll never let you get away with this, even if it costs me my life!” Marlon shouted, his voice thick with bitterness and pain, as if triggered by something deep inside him.


    The woman stood motionless, regarding him with scorn and mockery. With a casual flick of her wrist, something flew out of her sleeve.


    Before Marlon could reach her, he froze in ce and copsed without a sound.


    In an instant, he hit the floor, and everyone saw a ck dart embedded in his neck. The dart was lodged halfway through his neck. His eyes wide open, Marlon twitched for a moment, theny still.


    The woman waved her hand dismissively, as if she hadn’t just taken a life—or perhaps, to her, taking a life meant nothing.


    “It’s a waste of resources for someone like him to exist in this world. He should have died sooner,” she said nonchntly.


    The room fell into an eerie silence, as if someone had hit the mute button. After a brief pause, a scream echoed through the hall.


    “Murder! Someone’s been killed!”


    Suddenly, chaos erupted in the room. Everyone scrambled to flee, the air filled with screams and cries, creating a deafening cacophony.<fn7a71> ?????? ???? </fn7a71>


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