Chapter 84: Is Marie born?
Maeve's expression slowly changed.
"This…"
She looked up at Lin Mo.
"Is this Doug's experiment?"
Lin Mo did not answer Maeve's question; his gaze fell on the date on the document, which hadn't been long ago from the present.
And that point in time happened to correspond to a certain event, a very important character in the original plot era of V.
Marie Moreau.
Lin Mo remembered that this girl was one of the products of the Odessa Project. Just like Joanna, she was a super human born from that project.
The difference was that Joanna became Vought's most important experimental subject.
As for Marie, she was hidden away after the experiment ended. In the original plot, Doug personally participated in her birth.
To some extent, Marie's survival was also related to this guy.
Looking at the materials in his hands, Lin Mo suddenly understood a few things. No wonder Doug wasn't around today.
Perhaps it wasn't just because he discovered someone investigating him; more importantly, he might currently be focusing on another target—Marie, a person who would be very important to him in the future.
"What's wrong?"
Maeve asked again.
Lin Mo raised his head. He didn't intend to tell her everything right now; after all, he couldn't explain things regarding the future clearly.
Besides, the plot had already changed now; who knew if the future would still develop according to the original direction.
"An experimental subject with great potential."
Lin Mo said.
"And…"
He glanced at the date on the document.
"She should have just been born not long ago."
Maeve was stunned.
"Just born?"
"When did Vought start researching babies?"
There was a clear sense of discomfort in her voice.
Because she suddenly realized this was completely different from the students at the school; the students were at least adults and had their own choices.
But a newly born child didn't even know what it was yet, and judging by Lin Mo's words, its future had already been arranged.
Maeve fell silent. She suddenly felt that what she was investigating might be much more serious than she had imagined.
Lin Mo didn't continue flipping through the files, because he had already roughly guessed why this material was here.
Doug—this person's positioning in the original work was very special; when all was said and done, he was just a cripple who survived the experiments. Since he was a cripple, wouldn't it be better to just lie down obediently? Why did he have to come out and stir up trouble?
Marie was clearly one of his targets right now.
However, Lin Mo felt that this time, he might be disappointed.
Because no matter how strong Marie was, she could never become the breakthrough point for him to control Joanna.
The current Joanna was not the original Homelander; she had him by her side.
Furthermore, judging by that fellow's appearance right now, he probably didn't even know he was lying down in some underground place. If this guy really intended to reach his hands out toward Joanna, he would be asking for trouble.
"Found it?"
Joanna looked at Lin Mo.
"Was that done by that guy?"
Lin Mo casually threw the documents in his hand aside; this was of no use for their investigation into the online student public opinion.
"Not yet certain."
"However, he is indeed no simple character."
Although Joanna was puzzled, she knew to nod and how to act.
"Then should we kill him?"
Maeve: "…"
She finally understood why Lin Mo said earlier that no plan was needed, because the girl next to him truly acted according to this logic.
Identify the problem, solve the problem—there were no intermediate steps.
"Joanna."
Lin Mo gave her a helpless look.
"Not all problems need to be solved by killing."
Joanna felt a bit unconvinced. Didn't they just do that yesterday? But she didn't dare talk back; otherwise, what would happen if Lin Mo ignored her?
"But this is the fastest way."
"…"
For the first time, Maeve felt that if she were to enter The Seven in the future and face these boss-like teammates, she might get a massive headache.
Just as the three of them continued checking the materials.
In another place outside Godolkin University, inside a hidden laboratory.
Doug Brightbill—or more accurately, Thomas Godolkin—was quietly sitting in a chair.
In front of him was a huge surveillance screen, displaying the scene inside the dean's office.
The figures of Lin Mo, Joanna, and Maeve clearly appeared.
Doug looked at the screen, his facial expression unchanged, as if all this had long been within his expectations.
"Lin Mo…"
He whispered that name once.
In recent days, that name had appeared far too frequently. A few days ago, Vought superiors suddenly sent people to stuff someone into his university, and he naturally agreed gladly.
He had originally thought it was some high-ranking official's illegitimate child or something coming to his school to get gilded credentials.
And these two suddenly appearing super humans easily refreshed all test projects, and later even Edgar asked him to personally pay attention to them.
Such an existence immediately caught his attention.
However, he also had gossip regarding how a laboratory in the previous Odessa Project was destroyed, and then his school suddenly gained two trainees.
All of this seemed to happen to connect together, pointing to Joanna and Lin Mo. The simultaneous appearance of these two variables caused some deviations in his originally stable plan.
Doug looked at Joanna on the screen, his gaze gradually becoming complicated, as if remembering something.
"However, Joanna wasn't the only one who survived the Odessa Project."
Doug immediately stood up and walked toward a certain direction in the laboratory.
Various exquisite experimental instruments dazzled the eyes, and Vought's proudest product, Compound V, was just placed like that on an inconspicuous experimental workbench.
Walking to the end, Doug stopped, his gaze quietly looking down at the dark-skinned baby girl in front of him.
The baby girl looked serene and had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Soon, the testing instrument next to the baby girl let out a beep-beep sound.
Doug's expression perked up, and he immediately looked expectantly at the results popped up by the instrument.
Not long after, he discarded his usual gentle expression, and at this moment, his face was extremely distorted.
"Why! Why does the ability show as none! …This is impossible, I don't believe it!"
Doug's vicious voice echoed throughout the entire experimental area. Suddenly, that baby girl in the incubator let out a cry, obviously awakened by Doug's voice.
The crying was exceptionally loud in this experimental area, making Doug's already bad mood even worse.
Refusing to accept it, he muttered to himself, "Clearly, when she was born, the ability instrument showed that her abilities were extremely powerful, and she even displayed the ability to control blood cells right at birth. Why can't it be detected now?"
Looking dejected, Doug returned to his office area. The large screen in front was still monitoring every move of Lin Mo, Joanna, and Maeve in his office.
He raised his head and looked at Joanna. At this moment, his face was full of confusion: Why was it that Joanna, as a product of the same experiment, could display her abilities so well, and even gradually grew stronger with age?
And yet the baby girl she produced also showed potential no less than Joanna's at the very beginning, but now it was gone?
Unreconciled, Doug stared closely at Joanna, his brain spinning rapidly, trying to find some inspiration related to Joanna.
Even if Joanna used Soldier Boy's genetic cells as a carrier, the gap should still… No wait!
Chapter 85: Just like this?
He immediately recalled that Joanna's genetic makeup came from the previous superhuman powerhouse Soldier Boy, and her physical strength right at birth was already right there, whereas his Mary was derived from an ordinary person's genes.
The physical strength at birth was definitely inferior to that of Joanna, who is like Homelander, so the answer solved itself smoothly.
Her baby girl Mary's physical strength and tolerance capacity were relatively weak and not yet sufficient to carry such a powerful superpower, so the superpower manifested as invisibility—it was the superpower hiding itself proactively, which was why it naturally couldn't be detected.
This matched up perfectly with how Mary's superpower vanished immediately after she displayed it right when she was born.
After figuring it out, Doug immediately ran to the incubator where Mary was placed and examined Mary's physical condition.
By this time, little Mary had stopped crying; with no one coming to comfort her and no one to be found, crying was just a waste of effort.
However, she was already awake at this moment, opening a pair of big eyes to look at the world, even though she could only see a blank ceiling.
Upon seeing Doug appear before her eyes, she immediately smiled slightly; the very first person she saw when she was born was Doug, so she clearly regarded Doug as a family member.
Having resolved the problem that had been plaguing him, Doug was clearly in a fantastic mood and even made a funny face at Mary inside the incubator, coaxing the little one into giggling.
However...
After casually teasing little Mary, Doug returned to the office area, where Lin Mo and his group had not yet left according to the surveillance monitor.
He looked at Lin Mo and his group with a hint of curiosity on his face. What on earth were they doing?
Had the matter of him creating little Mary leaked? That was impossible; he could guarantee that no third person knew about this matter, and everyone else had vanished due to the accidents he intentionally engineered.
At this moment, Doug still did not know that his information had leaked because of a few people he had previously found at the school to smear some garbage superhumans and expel them from the school.
If he knew how it all started, he would probably beat those students he had instructed specifically to carry out the smearing to death. It would be one thing if they couldn't even handle tasks properly, but hadn't he told them before that if they were going to bully, they should bully the weak? Bullying the strong would make Vought's subsequent intervention difficult to handle.
Lin Mo in the surveillance footage seemed to have sensed something; he suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction of the camera, causing the smile on Doug's face as he stared at the screen to instantly freeze.
But he quickly returned to calmness, because he knew that through a screen, it was impossible for anyone to discover him.
"Interesting."
Doug leaned back into his chair; he clearly still didn't take Lin Mo and his group seriously.
"However, the plan needs to be adjusted. Mary still needs time to grow up, and I should perhaps consider leaving Godolkin University."
After pondering something, Doug left the office, passed through layers of restricted areas, came before a door reinforced with a special password, and opened it.
Inside, there was only a life support pod, and inside the pod was only a man with his eyes closed, on his verge of death, whose body was festering so badly that his age could not be told.
This was Thomas Godolkin himself, and upon seeing him, Doug's body exhibited an obvious tremor, though he immediately returned to normal.
...
On the other side, inside the dean's office, Maeve was still trying hard to continue searching.
But as time passed, the expression on her face gradually turned somewhat disappointed.
There was nothing more. Apart from the research data regarding Mary from earlier and some ordinary student evaluation documents, there was no evidence in the office that could directly prove Doug's involvement in those matters.
As for the lists, plans, and behind-the-scenes documents she had anticipated, even the data of the students who had been dealt with had vanished completely.
If Lin Mo hadn't discovered that special report just now, they probably wouldn't have gotten anything today.
As time ticked away, Maeve closed the last drawer, a few more traces of disappointment coloring her face.
"There's nothing left."
She said softly.
"At least there are no more clues here."
Lin Mo nodded; this result was not unexpected.
You had to know that since Doug could sit in this position at Godolkin University, he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to keep all his secrets in his own office.
Especially for this kind of matter; once discovered, his plan laying out Mary's future would definitely be affected, so it was impossible for him to leave such obvious evidence behind.
"Then let's go."
Lin Mo tilted his head, motioning for Joanna to follow, and turned around to prepare to leave.
Hearing this, Maeve was stunned for a moment.
"Go?"
She looked at Lin Mo.
"Just like this?"
"Mhm."
"But..."
Maeve hesitated somewhat.
"We finally managed to trace it here; aren't we going to continue investigating?"
She really couldn't understand it a bit.
According to her original thoughts, since it had already been confirmed that Doug had a problem, they should continue searching to find more evidence; at the very least, they shouldn't just leave so easily.
Yet Lin Mo's reaction seemed a bit different from what she had imagined?
Judging by his appearance, it seemed as though he had never taken Doug seriously from the start, and coming here seemed only to confirm whether Doug was truly the mastermind behind the scenes.
But Joanna didn't seem surprised at all; she stood up, walked with Lin Mo to the office door, and left behind a single sentence.
"There's no need."
She said.
Maeve turned to look at her instead.
"Why?"
Joanna didn't turn back and answered matter-of-factly.
"Because this is already enough."
"Enough?"
Maeve became even more puzzled; she felt that she and the two of them were never on the same wavelength.
Only then did Joanna turn around and point at Lin Mo with her finger.
"You should ask him. I listen to Lin Mo."
Maeve: "?"
She didn't react for a moment.
Looking at her puzzled expression, Lin Mo reached out and pointed toward the corner of the office.
"Over there."
Maeve also looked in the direction he pointed. At first, she didn't find any abnormalities, but after looking closely for a moment, her expression suddenly changed.
It was a very well-hidden surveillance device; if not for Lin Mo's reminder, she would never have been able to notice it.
"When did you discover it?"
Maeve couldn't help asking.
"Right when we came in, duh."
Lin Mo replied.
Maeve: "..."
Right when they came in? So from the moment they entered the office, every single move they made had already been seen?
Lin Mo leaned against the door frame.
"So continuing to rummage around is meaningless either; he already knows we saw it."
Maeve froze.
"You mean..."
Lin Mo nodded.
"If he really has a problem, the best method right now is not to keep searching, but to wait."
Maeve frowned.
"Wait for what?"
Lin Mo smiled slightly. "Wait for him to come find us on his own."
The room fell silent for a brief moment.
Looking at Lin Mo, Maeve suddenly felt a very strong sense of unreality. She felt as though she completely couldn't keep up with the thought processes of these two people.
"Are you serious?"
"Do you know what you're saying?"
Lin Mo looked at her.
"I know."
Maeve took a deep breath.
"But..."
She pointed outside.
"That's the dean of Godolkin University."
"A Vought person."
"The two of you naturally don't have to worry."
Speaking to this point, she paused, a hint of helplessness creeping into her tone.
"With the two of you standing there, even if Doug really wants to do something, he still needs to consider the consequences."
"But what about me?"
Maeve pointed at herself.
Chapter 86: Don't Bother Him For No Reason
"I'm just a student, a candidate who might enter The Sevenin the future. If he finds out that I've been investigating him all this time—" She didn't continue, but the meaning was already clear. She didn't have Lin Mo's strength or background.
If someone really wanted to deal with her, she didn't even know if she could make it through.
Lin Mo looked at her and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
"Did you forget something?"
Maeve was puzzled.
"What?"
"You're not investigating alone anymore."
Maeve was stunned for a moment.
Lin Mo continued.
"Do you think if he really dares to make a move against you—"
"Who does he need to consider first?"
Maeve fell silent. Of course she understood Lin Mo's meaning; she wasn't investigating in secret anymore.
Instead, she was doing it together with Lin Mo and Joanna. If Doug really made a move against her, it would be equivalent to directly conflicting with Lin Mo.
And as for this result, I'm afraid the entire Vought wouldn't want to see it.
Thinking of this, Maeve suddenly felt a bit conflicted. For the first time, she felt that joining Lin Mo's faction seemed even safer than she had imagined.
Beside them, upon hearing this, Joanna nodded in satisfaction.
"So you don't have to worry. If anyone bullies you, I'll help you solve it."
Maeve: "..."
She looked at Joanna.
Suddenly, she didn't know what to say. This sentence sounded overbearing, and even a bit unreasonable, but for some reason, she felt exceptionally reassured.
The three of them left the office and walked out of the administrative building.
The sunlight shone on them once again. Outside, students were still coming and going, and no one knew what had just happened.
Maeve walked at the very back, looking at Lin Mo and Joanna ahead of her.
A strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.
These two people… were truly special.
Unlike the superhumans she had seen in the past, who generally tried to attract attention for so-called clout, sparing no cost.
Some even used their powers to gain more things. But Lin Mo was different; clearly possessing the ability to change everything, he instead behaved like an ordinary person, more normal than most superhumans she had ever seen.
"Right."
Lin Mo suddenly stopped. He had almost forgotten something.
Maeve snapped back to reality.
"What?"
Lin Mo looked at her and grinned.
"Give me your contact info."
Maeve was stunned for a moment.
"Ah?"
Lin Mo smiled.
"Didn't we say we're investigating together?"
"It's not like you can run all the way to the school to find us every time something comes up."
Maeve only then reacted. Just yesterday she had felt awkward about not having Lin Mo's contact information, yet unexpectedly, she had obtained it proactively today.
She took out her phone and exchanged numbers with Lin Mo.
Joanna, standing nearby, watched this scene with her eyes slightly narrowed, but in the end, she didn't flare up.
Maeve certainly noticed. Her heart tightened, and she hurriedly shoved the phone she was holding into her pants pocket.
But the next second, Joanna simply said,
"Don't bother him for no reason."
Maeve: "..."
"Why?"
"Because he's mine."
Fine, wasn't it just contact information? Maeve suddenly felt that she might need to re-adapt to this future teammate.
Lin Mo helplessly rubbed his forehead.
"Joanna."
"Hm?"
"Be normal."
"Tsk~"
Joanna huffily tossed her hair. Honestly, Lin Mo was completely clueless about romance.
Maeve stood to the side, sensibly choosing not to linger any longer. Although she had only known the two of them for a day, she had already learned a golden rule.
When Joanna started making that expression, it was best not to interject; otherwise, it was easy to get caught in the crossfire.
"Then… I'll head back first."
Maeve raised her phone.
"Contact me if there's any news."
"Alright."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Be careful yourself, too."
"If you find anyone staring at you, contact me immediately."
A warmth bloomed in Maeve's heart.
"Mm."
After saying that, she walked toward another campus path until her figure completely vanished into the crowd.
Joanna's previously slightly sulky expression slowly subsided.
She turned to look at Lin Mo, the relaxed look on her face gone, replaced by seriousness.
"Lin Mo."
"Hm?"
"You weren't telling the truth just now."
Lin Mo looked at Joanna, not rushing to explain.
"What didn't I tell the truth about?"
"Many things."
Joanna looked at him.
"You just told Maeve that Doug only wanted to screen students."
"But your expression told me—"
"Things aren't that simple."
She knew Lin Mo too well. Having grown up together since childhood, she could easily perceive details that others couldn't.
Especially just now, after Lin Mo obtained that research material regarding Marie, he had obviously become much more serious.
That kind of expression, she had seen many times when they were little. Every single time, it meant that matters were much more serious than they appeared on the surface.
Lin Mo didn't answer immediately, instead walking slowly with Joanna toward his residence.
The campus was still bustling. Many students on both sides were discussing today's combat class, and no one noticed the two people's conversation.
After walking for a while, Lin Mo slowly spoke up.
"Joanna."
"Do you remember the underground experimental base I destroyed a week ago?"
Joanna's footsteps paused, her gaze darkening noticeably. Of course she remembered.
How could she possibly forget? That place was her childhood nightmare. If Lin Mo hadn't appeared later, she wouldn't even know what she would have ended up becoming.
Thinking of this, Joanna's hand unconsciously grabbed Lin Mo's.
Lin Mo felt it, turned his hand over to grip hers tightly, and continued.
"Doug and those people aren't actually any different."
Joanna looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment and organized his words.
"He isn't conducting experiments to create superheroes."
"To be precise, in his eyes, students are more like commodities."
"Those with value stay, those without value are eliminated."
Joanna frowned.
"Just because their abilities are weak?"
"Pretty much."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Weak abilities, low room for growth, and insufficient commercial value—in his view, these people have no need for continued cultivation."
"So those students in the campus driven away by public opinion—"
"Should just be the beginning."
Joanna's expression grew increasingly cold.
"Were those people all done by him?"
"Probably."
Lin Mo didn't speak with absolute certainty; after all, there was still no one hundred percent evidence right now.
"However, what truly concerns me isn't these things."
For those superhuman trainees who were driven away, he actually didn't care about them particularly much, aside from those few special plot characters who could make him take a few extra glances.
Joanna listened quietly. She knew the main point was coming.
Lin Mo continued.
"That document just now, that little girl named Marie."
"She's no ordinary test subject."
"She's just like you."
Joanna's pupils constricted slightly.
"Just like me?"
"Mm."
Lin Mo nodded.
"They are both products of some secret Vought project, and their potential is almost the same."
"You succeeded, and she succeeded too, except right now she's still just an infant."
Joanna fell silent. For some reason, that serial number from the document just now suddenly popped into her head. A newborn child, who couldn't even speak yet, had already begun undergoing research.
This scene was almost identical to her own childhood.
Thinking of this, the chill in Joanna's eyes grew heavier and heavier.
"That bastard."
She said in a low voice,
"To actually lay a hand on an infant."
Chapter 87: One Runs Fast, One Swims Fast
Lin Mo shook his head.
"This still isn't the most troublesome part."
Joanna turned her head, her pretty face showing a bit of shock. Could there be a second hurdle?
"There's more?"
Lin Mo let out a breath.
"That guy Doug—"
"Has huge ambitions."
"What he's truly interested in has never been ordinary superpowered individuals."
"Instead, it's the very top-tier ones."
Joanna didn't speak. Lin Mo looked at her with a calm tone.
"His superpower is very special. He can control other superpowered individuals, and it can grow through training."
"Do you think, in the end, once his ability reaches the point of successfully controlling Marie—who has the same potential as you—who will he choose to control?"
The air suddenly fell silent. Joanna wasn't a fool; she was very smart, just too lazy to think about many things. But now, the answer was almost right before her eyes. She slowly stopped walking, her voice turning somewhat icy for the first time.
"Me?"
"Mm."
Lin Mo didn't hide it.
"Barring any accidents, you will be one of his targets."
Joanna's gaze turned completely cold. She finally understood.
Why Lin Mo had just said that this person's thoughts were dangerous; he wanted to control those standing at the pinnacle of the world.
And even wanted to turn them into his own tools.
Joanna suddenly smiled, except her smile didn't have a single bit of warmth.
"Then he can give it a try."
She raised her head, looking at the administration building in the distance. In her light-colored eyes, a dangerous red glow faintly flickered.
"Let's see if he controls me, or if I crush him to death first."
Lin Mo couldn't help laughing. As expected, this was the real Joanna.
However, he still reached out and gently tapped her forehead.
"Don't be impatient."
"He doesn't have that ability yet for the time being."
"Besides, with me around, he won't ever get that chance."
Knowing that he was here, this matter naturally wouldn't be able to happen either.
Joanna was stunned for a moment, and then the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.
"That's true."
She hugged Lin Mo's arm again. That chilly killing intent from just now vanished completely, as if it had never appeared.
"Anyway, with you here, whoever dares to harbor ideas about me—"
"—I'll make him regret being born."
Lin Mo smiled and shook his head.
"Let him live for a few more days first."
"We always have to fish the person out first."
"Got it."
Joanna agreed verbally, but the danger in her eyes didn't lessen at all.
She had already sentenced Doug to death in her heart. As for when to carry it out, it depended entirely on Lin Mo.
As for how Lin Mo knew about this Doug, she couldn't be bothered to find out. In Joanna's eyes, Lin Mo was practically omnipotent.
The two of them continued walking along the direction of the tree-lined villas.
The morning sunlight was sprinkled across the campus. Quite a few students had just finished class, and sounds discussing today's practical combat course were everywhere.
"Did you hear? A-Train lasted over a dozen moves today."
"Really?"
"Real, but he still lost."
"Obviously, that's Lin Mo."
"The Deep had it even worse, beaten like a dog by Joannathe entire way."
"Hahahaha, I was right at the scene, it was truly tragic."
...
Similar voices kept drifting over. Lin Mo didn't react much, but Joanna lightly frowned.
Suddenly.
A burst of loud laughter came from ahead, and quite a few students had formed a semi-circle in front.
Holy crap, Lin Mo's eyes lit up. There was gossip to watch, so he definitely had to go join in the fun.
Bringing Joanna along, he followed into the crowd, and relying on his Super Hearing, he instantly grasped the general situation.
There were still people in the crowd holding phones, obviously preparing to record a video.
"Hahahaha!"
"Come on, let me see again."
"The Deep, show us the side of your waist."
"Really or fake? Do you really have fish gills growing?"
"From now on, won't you not need to go to the swimming pool, and just live in the sea instead?"
"Hahahaha!"
Accompanied by a burst of harsh laughter, Lin Mo and Joanna looked over in the direction of the sound.
In the center of the crowd stood two people.
A-Train, along with The Deep.
At this moment, The Deep's face was flushed red. He instinctively covered the left side of his waist, where there was an inconspicuous slit.
Under normal circumstances, it was hard to notice.
Yet coincidentally during today's practical combat class, due to strenuous exercise—or rather, after being brutally beaten by Joanna—a small portion of his clothes happened to rip open. Inside that torn part of the clothes, his fish gills briefly flared open for a second.
As a result, who knows who happened to see it.
And so, the matter spread out.
"Let me take a look."
A boy approached with a grinning smile.
"You wouldn't really be a fish, right?"
"Can you also blow bubbles?"
"Hahahaha!"
The surroundings burst into laughter once again.
The Deep's expression became uglier and uglier.
Since he was young, he knew that his ability was very special: controlling marine life, breathing underwater, and possessing fish gills. These abilities seemed quite rare.
But the problem was that this was Godolkin University, not the ocean floor. On land, the fish gills had instead become a reason for others to mock him.
Beside them, A-Train frowned and finally stepped forward.
"Enough."
He blocked in front of The Deep.
"What's so funny about abilities?"
"Everyone's ability here is different."
"Is it fun to make jokes about other people's physical traits?"
One of the boys immediately laughed.
"A-Train."
"You speaking up for him?"
"No way."
"Could it be that The Seven is planning to bring a fish in the future?"
"Hahahaha!"
Another person immediately chimed in.
"That's pretty good too."
"When going on missions in the future, you can even moonlight as a seafood market."
As those words fell, the surrounding laughter grew even louder.
A-Train's expression sank, and he was just about to speak.
Suddenly, someone else chimed in sarcastically,
"Protecting him like this—"
"—is it because the two of you have one who runs fast and one who swims fast?"
"Just right to make up land, sea, and air?"
With this sentence, even A-Train was dragged into it together. Quite a few people around immediately began to jeer.
"Hahahaha!"
"Right."
"You two should team up in the future."
"One is in charge of land, and the other is in charge of going underwater."
A-Train clenched his fists, his expression already looking very unpleasant.
However, he ultimately didn't throw a punch. This wasn't outside; this was a school. Once they threw the first punch over a matter like this, the ones getting disciplined would only be them.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming more and more oppressive,
The Deep, who had been keeping his head down all along, suddenly raised his head. Everyone thought that he was finally going to snap and explode.
But to everyone's surprise, in his eyes, there wasn't as much panic as just now; instead, there was a bit more confidence.
Although not much, it was truly there.
The Deep took a deep breath and looked at those people around him.
"Have you laughed enough?"
The crowd was stunned for a moment, and some people still couldn't help laughing.
"What?"
"Unconvinced?"
The Deep fell silent for two seconds and suddenly spoke up.
"During today's practical combat class—"
"—Lin Mo talked to me."
The scene suddenly fell silent for a split second.
Lin Mo? These two words were currently something almost no one in the freshman year dared to ignore. The few people who were still grinning and smiling just now also put away some of their smiles.
The Deep continued speaking.
"He said..."
""My ability has a lot of potential.""
""It's just that the current environment isn't suitable for it to be unleashed.""
Someone nearby sneered.
"He says it and you believe it?"
For the first time, The Deep didn't back down; instead, he looked straight at that person.
"Why wouldn't I believe it? Does he have any reason to lie to me?"
Chapter 88: Disgusted?
A single sentence left the other person momentarily at a loss for how to reply.
Indeed, what was Lin Mo's status?
After yesterday's ability test, the entire school knew that given his strength, there was no need for him to comfort anyone, let alone deliberately tell lies.
The Deep continued,
"You laugh at my gills, but this is my ability. My ability has a lot of potential, it's just that the current environment isn't suitable."
"If the environment were changed."
"I will be strong. One day, I will prove it."
"It's not a flaw, but my strongest point."
The surroundings fell silent for a few seconds.
Even Lin Mo, who was watching the drama on the side, was a bit surprised. Did this The Deep really take himself seriously?
It was just a polite courtesy, and you actually took it to heart?
Joanna beside him almost couldn't hold it together after hearing that, but her facial expression control was very strong. Noticing that Lin Mo wasn't laughing either, she forcefully stopped herself.
"What's wrong with you?"
Lin Mo saw the strange expression on Joanna's face. Could looking at The Deep give her such an expression? Was she disgusted?
"N...nothing."
Joanna's expression stiffened, but then her expression returned to normal.
Soon, someone still couldn't help laughing out loud.
"Prove it?"
"How will you prove it?"
"By talking to fish?"
"Or by having dolphins applaud for you?"
With those words, the laughter rang out once again.
Only this time, The Deep did not lower his head like before.
Instead, he stood straight, and in his mind, he kept recalling the words Lin Mo had said when pulling him up back then.
"Actually, your ability has a lot of potential."
At that time, Lin Mo didn't laugh at him or brush him off. Even though he was beaten up fiercely by Joanna, Lin Mostill encouraged him.
That was the first time since entering Godolkin Universitythat someone seriously told him his ability wasn't bad.
Thinking of this, The Deep suddenly smiled. He looked at those people with a high degree of confidence.
"You can keep laughing."
"Anyway..."
"One day."
"You will know that not all abilities can only be compared on land."
His voice wasn't loud, and he was even a bit nervous, but for some reason,
at this moment, A-Train couldn't help laughing, and he reached out to pat The Deep on the shoulder.
"That was well said."
"Let's go."
"Ignore them."
The two turned around to leave, but the laughter behind them still didn't stop, and someone even deliberately imitated fish blowing bubbles.
But this time, The Deep did not look back.
In the crowd, Joanna quietly watched this scene, not knowing what to say. With The Deep looking so confident, could his ability really not be bad?
"Like this? Do you think he really has potential?"
She tilted her head and asked Lin Mo.
Lin Mo shook his head after hearing this and smiled mysteriously.
"I was just messing with him."
Joanna didn't think there was anything wrong with that and smiled playfully at Lin Mo.
"You're so bad, but... I like it!"
Poor The Deep was destined to be nothing more than a clown playing to the gallery.
However, there was one thing those students truly didn't expect: The Deep did indeed enter The Seven in the future. It really was a case of never underestimate a young person's potential.
Lin Mo and Joanna strolled around the school for a bit. When they returned to their residence, the sky was already starting to darken. Having tossed and turned all day, the first thing Joanna did when she entered the door was kick off her shoes and hurl herself straight onto the sofa.
"I'm exhausted to death."
Lin Mo glanced at her.
"Aside from class today, where else could you possibly be tired?"
Lying flat on the sofa, Joanna said righteously,
"Beating up The Deep is also very tiring."
Fine, you make sense. He couldn't be bothered to deal with this fellow, walked into the kitchen, took two drinks out of the refrigerator, and casually tossed one to Joanna.
Joanna caught it with one hand, and just as she opened it and took a sip, Lin Mo's phone placed on the table suddenly rang.
The two of them looked over at the same time.
It was Maeve. Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
So fast? He originally thought Doug would at least endure for a night.
Now it seemed the other party couldn't sit still even more than he had imagined.
Joanna also immediately sat up from the sofa.
"It's her?"
"Mm."
Lin Mo answered the call.
"What's up?"
The other end of the phone fell silent. Maeve seemed to be in a deserted place, and the background was very quiet.
After a few seconds, she lowered her voice.
"You guessed right."
The corners of Lin Mo's mouth lifted slightly.
"Doug came looking for you?"
Hearing this, Joanna also perked up and leaned directly next to Lin Mo. With her Super Hearing, there was no need to turn on any speakerphone; she naturally heard everything crystal clear.
Maeve didn't know about this. Leaning against a wall outside the dormitory building, she subconsciously looked around to make sure there was no one there before continuing, "Just now, Dean Cypher had someone find me."
"And said they want to talk to me."
Lin Mo leaned against the sofa, not surprised at all.
"Talk about what?"
"That's the problem."
There was a hint of strangeness in Maeve's voice.
"He acted..."
She seemed to be thinking of a suitable adjective, and finally said,
"Very normal."
Lin Mo and Joanna exchanged a glance, a thought rising in both their minds: Did this Doug want to negotiate with them?
"How normal?"
Maeve fell silent for a moment, recalling in her mind what had just happened.
Half an hour ago, in the dean's office, Maeve was sitting here once again.
Only this time, she had been formally invited over.
Doug sat behind the desk with a smile no different from usual, and even personally poured a cup of coffee for Maeve when she entered the door.
"Don't be nervous."
"Just chatting casually."
His tone of voice was very gentle, just like an ordinary school teacher.
Maeve sat opposite him, but her heart was not relaxed at all.
After all, just this morning, she had gone through his office together with Lin Mo and Joanna.
Now that the other party had actively sought her out, only a ghost would believe it was just "chatting casually".
But Doug's next words left her even more baffled.
"I heard you came to my office today?"
Maeve's heart immediately tightened.
Sure enough, it came.
But she didn't show it on her face, nodding slightly.
"Yes."
"Lin Mo and Joanna were together too?"
"Mm."
Doug smiled, looking neither angry nor questioning, but rather very natural.
"Why didn't you tell me in advance? If there's anything, just contact me directly."
Maeve looked at him, feeling more and more that something was wrong. A normal person knowing their office had been inexplicably entered and searched through,
even if they didn't get angry, should at least ask why.
But Doug didn't at all, as if he really knew nothing about it.
"There were just some things I wanted to confirm."
Maeve answered very cautiously, and Doug nodded.
"About what?"
Maeve certainly couldn't directly tell him, we suspect you are secretly purging students in the school.
Chapter 89: Get to Know Each Other?
She thought about it for a moment and finally brushed the matter off at its most superficial level.
"Vought put me in charge of handling the public opinion issue regarding Lin Mo and Joanna yesterday."
"After I investigated some students, the clues eventually led back to a slight connection with the school management."
"That's why I wanted to come over and take a look."
Having said that, Maeve kept staring at Doug's expression, trying to read something from his face.
However, there was nothing.
Instead, Doug frowned, as if he were truly hearing about it for the first time.
"Public opinion?"
"What public opinion?"
Maeve was stunned for a moment.
This reaction... was simply too natural.
"It's about what happened on the school forum yesterday; someone deliberately spread news regarding Lin Mo and Joanna."
Doug was silent for a few seconds, then put on a helpless expression.
"Why didn't anyone tell me about this matter?"
When he said this sentence, he even carried a hint of dissatisfaction, and then looked back at Maeve.
"Sorry."
"I've had some personal affairs recently and haven't been at school."
"Many things inside the school are handled by the people below. If someone misused the school's administrative privileges to do such a thing, I will have people investigate it clearly."
Hearing such words made Maeve's scalp tingle a bit.
Because it was too normal. If she hadn't looked at those files today, she probably would have genuinely believed it.
Especially since Doug even took the initiative to ask her.
"Were Lin Mo and Joanna affected? If needed, I can have the school issue a public clarification. They are exceptionally outstanding students, and I don't want such matters to affect their development in Godolkin."
At that moment, Maeve even had an illusion: did she really overthink things?
But soon, she thought of those missing students and Dean Shetty, whom those people had mentioned in person.
Therefore, she didn't relent and only said:
"Not for now."
"The matter is already under control."
Doug didn't insist either, instead smiling and nodding.
"That's good."
Afterward, he asked casually as if it were an afterthought.
"Right."
"How do Lin Mo and Joanna view this matter?"
Maeve's inner alarm bells instantly started ringing wildly.
Here it comes.
After saying so much, this was probably meant to test Lin Mo's stance.
Yet on the surface, she remained calm.
"Not much of a view. They actually don't care much about what's on the forum, and I was the one who took the initiative to bring them over today."
She didn't completely lie with this answer, at least outwardly speaking.
Doug nodded thoughtfully.
"Is that so."
Then he smiled again.
"If it's convenient, I'd like to find some time to chat with them."
"After all, like you, they are star students of Godolkin. As their dean, I haven't formally met them yet up to now."
"It's somewhat unreasonable."
His tone was too affectionate, just like a dean who truly appreciated outstanding students, but the more it was like this, the less Maeve dared to lower her guard.
In the end, Maeve only said:
"I can help you pass the message along."
Then she found an excuse to leave.
...
"That's pretty much how it went."
Over the phone, Maeve finished recounting the entire process.
"The feeling he gave me was as if he truly had no idea about what was on the forum, and even said he would take the initiative to investigate."
"If I hadn't checked those students beforehand, I might have genuinely thought it was done arbitrarily by the people below."
Hearing this, Joanna couldn't help but let out a cold sneer.
"He puts on quite the act."
Maeve paused on the other end.
"Joanna is there too?"
Lin Mo glanced at Joanna, who was practically glued to him.
"Mhm."
"Right beside me."
Joanna said unceremoniously:
"You didn't actually believe him, did you?"
Maeve felt somewhat awkward instantly.
"Of course not."
"I was just saying..."
"He really sounded like he didn't know."
Joanna curled her lips.
"Bad guys don't write 'I am a bad guy' on their faces."
Lin Mo almost laughed out loud upon hearing this.
"Who taught you that phrase?"
"You did."
"When did I ever teach you that?"
"When we were kids."
Impressive, truly impressive. Using childhood words to pressure him—the boomerang really came back to hit him on the head, huh.
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to argue with her any further and shifted his attention back to the phone call.
"Did he say anything else?"
"That's it."
Maeve said, "In the end, he just wants to meet with you two."
"And judging by what he meant, it seems he genuinely just wants to get to know you."
The corners of Lin Mo's mouth curved up slightly.
Get to know each other?
Of course, he also wanted to get to know this Dean Shetty.
He wanted to see how long this guy, currently wearing Doug's identity, planned to keep up the act.
"Then let's meet."
Lin Mo said it very decisively.
Maeve was clearly stunned for a moment.
"Are you sure?"
"Why wouldn't I be sure?"
"Since he took the initiative to invite us, we can't possibly not give the dean some face, right?"
By the end of what Lin Mo said, his tone even carried a hint of a smile.
Yet the more Maeve listened, the more wrong it felt, especially recalling how Lin Mo had stood in the office earlier today, pointing at the hidden camera and telling her to wait for him to deliver himself to their door.
And now, as it turned out, the guy really was coming to them, giving her a very strange feeling.
It was as if from the moment they stepped into that office, Lin Mo hadn't regarded himself as the party conducting a secret investigation at all.
He even seemed to be deliberately telling Doug: I'm investigating you, what are you going to do about it?
Thinking of this, Maeve felt that her sneaking around to call Lin Mo was quite redundant, as if he himself wasn't afraid of Doug in the slightest.
"How come I feel..."
"...that you're quite looking forward to it?"
"Of course."
Lin Mo chuckled, "After all, I also really want to hear..."
"...what our Dean Shetty is actually preparing to chat with us about."
Beside him, Joanna's eyes also lit up slightly.
Compared to Lin Mo, her thoughts were obviously much simpler: she could finally meet that bastard in person. She wanted to see what this guy who planned to control her in the future actually looked like.
Maeve listened to the reactions of the two people on the other end of the phone.
Suddenly, she felt: shouldn't she have not called them over in the first place?
How come it sounded like the ones who truly needed to worry weren't Lin Mo and Joanna at all?
It seemed to be Dean Shetty instead?
Maeve thought about it and finally offered a reminder: "Then should I come look for you tomorrow morning? And then we can head over together."
"Sure."
Lin Mo didn't think there was any problem; anyway, since Doug had taken the initiative to come knocking.
Then they would meet. He also wanted to see what act this old fellow was planning to put on.
As for preparing any plans in advance?
There was no need. Doug hadn't grown to his later extent yet; even if they really fought, he wouldn't be able to stir up any waves in Lin Mo's hands.
You couldn't possibly throw a hydrogen bomb at his face, could you?
"Then tomorrow morning."
"Mhm."
"Contact me in advance if anything comes up."
"Alright."
The call hung up, and the room suddenly quieted down. Lin Mo casually tossed his phone onto the desk.
"Alright."
"We'll talk tomorrow."
But the next second, he noticed that Joanna was sitting right beside him.
Staring at him with sparkling eyes.
How should that expression be described? Lin Mo was too familiar with it; this gal always looked like that whenever she was about to pull something.
Chapter 90: What If He Sneaks In At Night?
"What do you want to do?"
Joanna blinked.
"Nothing."
Lin Mo: "..."
As if I'd believe you.
Sure enough, not even two seconds later, Joanna stood right up from the sofa.
"I don't think we need to wait until tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"Let's go right now."
She said with full confidence.
"Isn't that Doug back already?"
"We can rush over right now, catch him first, and then you can question him."
"If he doesn't talk..."
Joanna paused for a moment, a very bright smile blooming on her face.
"I'll help you ask."
Lin Mo's mouth twitched. Your kind of asking didn't sound like normal communication at all.
"Sit down."
"Why?"
"Because we're not going."
Joanna was clearly somewhat unsatisfied.
"But it can clearly be resolved right now, why must we wait until tomorrow?"
She truly didn't understand. Since it was already confirmed that Doug wasn't a good person, and he even planned to control her in the future,
what was the point of keeping him? Killing him early or late was still killing; handling him now meant going to bed earlier, how simple was that.
Looking at her eager-to-try expression, Lin Mo felt somewhat helpless.
"It's just a difference of one night."
"What's the rush?"
"We still need to see what he actually wants to do, and besides, we just broke into his office today."
"If he disappears tonight, what do you think Vought would think?"
Actually, he could accept Joanna's suggestion; there was only one reason why he wasn't going now—he was lazy.
Besides, he hadn't called Maeve along; when he resolved Doug, the energy point settlement might decrease.
Joanna had a serious face.
"Then just deal with the people who saw us too..."
"Stop."
Lin Mo directly interrupted, waving his hand.
"Swallow the rest of your words back down."
Joanna curled her lips. How troublesome. Clearly, as long as the source of all problems was solved, there wouldn't be any problems.
Seeing that she finally gave up the idea of rushing over to finish Doug off right now, Lin Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Anyway, we'll see him tomorrow, one night doesn't make a difference."
Joanna sat back down on the sofa.
"Fine."
She drew out her voice, clearly somewhat reluctant.
But not long after, as if she suddenly thought of something, her somewhat bored expression vanished instantly, and her eyes lit up once more.
"Then I'll sleep with you tonight."
Lin Mo: "?"
He turned to look at her, for a moment even suspecting he had heard wrong.
"What did you say?"
Joanna wore a natural expression.
"I said."
"Tonight."
"I'll sleep with you."
Lin Mo fell silent for two seconds.
"No."
The answer was extremely decisive, and the smile on Joanna's face instantly froze.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"You have your own room."
"I don't want it."
"That still won't do."
Lin Mo stood right up, preparing to return to his own room.
Sleep with him? In her dreams.
As a result, just as he took two steps, Joanna's ethereal voice came from behind him.
"Lin Mo."
"What?" Lin Mo turned back helplessly. He really surrendered to her; was there any need to be so persistent? Could it be that foreigners generally matured earlier?
"I'm scared."
Lin Mo looked at her expressionlessly. He wanted to see how she would explain this.
Joanna sat on the sofa, hugging her knees with both arms, her expression pitiful.
"Today you just told me there is a very dangerous bad guy who wants to control me in the future."
"And he's right here in the school now, yet you actually make me sleep alone."
Speaking to the end, Joanna even lowered her head.
"What if he sneaks in at night?"
Incredible. You? Scared?
Someone who could fly forward against missiles told him she was afraid of someone entering her room in the middle of the night?
Furthermore, if Doug really dared to walk in, Lin Modoubted that what he saw the next morning would be something happening to Joanna, but rather Doug being taken apart into pieces and placed in the living room.
"Can you pretend even more fake than this?"
Joanna raised her head.
"I didn't."
"Really."
She even nodded seriously.
"I feel extremely lacking in a sense of security right now."
Lin Mo raised a hand to rub his head, looking at her, while Joanna also looked at Lin Mo.
The two looked at each other for more than ten seconds.
In the end, Lin Mo still caved in. Mainly because this fellow understood him too well, and she had come up with such an outrageous reason that somehow barely connected to today's events—she really managed to think of it.
"Fine."
Lin Mo was helpless; he'd reluctantly agree for today.
"Really?"
Joanna's eyes lit up instantly. She leaped right in front of Lin Mo, eager to throw herself into his arms for affection.
"But."
Lin Mo immediately added, extending a palm to press against Joanna's small head so she couldn't get closer.
"There are conditions."
Joanna nodded like a chick pecking at rice. Right now she could do whatever Lin Mo said.
"Speak."
"Sleep obediently at night, no moving around randomly."
Joanna nodded.
"Not allowed to press against my body."
Joanna hesitated for a moment, then nodded anyway. Screw it, once on the bed she could make up a hundred reasons.
"Alright."
"No handsy behavior."
This time Joanna seemed to be silent for even longer.
Lin Mo narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
"Can't do it?"
"I can!"
Joanna answered immediately, afraid that a second later Lin Mo would go back on his word. Wasn't it just no touching around?
Get inside first, as for after falling asleep, she couldn't control herself anyway.
Right?
Looking at her suddenly extremely well-behaved appearance, for some reason Lin Mo always felt this fellow was hiding something bad in her heart.
"It's a deal."
"Mhm mhm."
Joanna nodded like a pounding pestle.
"I absolutely won't move."
"Really?"
"Really!"
She smiled exceptionally happily.
Lin Mo fell silent for a moment. Forget it, it's just one night.
There shouldn't be any problems, right?
As for Joanna, she stood at attention and left Lin Mo's side. She was going to take a fragrant bath; right now her mood was so good she was almost floating up.
As for Doug or whatever, kill him tomorrow; sleeping was more important right now.
Facts proved that Lin Mo's worries at night were not redundant at all.
When they first got into bed, Joanna was indeed very well-behaved. She lay on the other side of the bed, her hands placed neatly on the quilt.
Eyes closed, completely unmoving.
Just like a corpse lying there.
Lin Mo glanced at her, quite surprised.
Could this fellow actually have become obedient?
After he turned off the lights to sleep, he realized he was still too young.
About ten minutes later, just as Lin Mo was about to close his eyes, rustling sounds suddenly came from beside him.
He subconsciously opened his eyes and found that Joannahad shifted over toward his side by about half a body's length.
"..."
"What are you doing?"
Joanna had her eyes closed, but her mouth was moving.
"Sleeping."
"Then why are you shifting toward my side?"
"I didn't."
No, do you take me for blind?
"Go back."
"Oh."
Joanna was extremely obedient. Although from Lin Mo's perspective her eyes weren't even open, her body had indeed shifted back a little bit.
Another ten minutes passed, and a leg draped over at some unknown point.
It gave Lin Mo a jolt. Don't pull this, he was still young and full of vigor.
He silently looked down. Even with the lights off, he could still clearly see that expanse of snowy white, along with the soft touch transmitted from the leg.
Lin Mo could only look back at Joanna.
"Joanna."
"Mhm..."
"Your leg."
"What leg?"
"Your leg."
Joanna opened her eyes, looked down, and instantly a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Oh."
"How did it run over there?"