Chapter 111: Your Usefulness Is Just About Over
"Lin Mo."
Thomas's voice turned serious once again.
"Although I do not have original compound v, I know some information about it."
Lin Mo looked at him.
"Speak."
On the other end of the phone, Thomas took a deep breath and tried to negotiate.
"As long as this information can trade for my life."
"I can tell you everything."
On the other end of the line, Thomas's tone was completely unlike the mastermind who used to control everything; he sounded more like an old man trying hard to prove his own value.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten one thing: right now, he had no qualifications to negotiate.
Lin Mo chuckled softly.
"Thomas."
"Did you get something wrong?"
Thomas was slightly stunned.
"What?"
"You are not negotiating a deal with me right now."
Lin Mo reached out and tapped the shattered outer wall of the culture tank.
Thump.
The sound was still crisp; it seemed it really was high-end merchandise.
"You are proving whether you still have any value in staying alive."
"If the information you provide is useful, naturally I will not kill you."
"But if it is useless..."
Lin Mo did not continue, but the meaning was already very clear.
Thomas fell silent. Of course he understood. This was not a deal; from beginning to end, the initiative was never with him. All he could do now was make himself as valuable as possible.
Beside them, Joanna had already walked over to Lin Mo's side. Although she did not know what the original compound v that Lin Mo mentioned actually was,
that was not important, because she knew one thing.
If Lin Mo wanted it, then she would help Lin Mo get it; it was just that simple.
Joanna crossed her arms, purposely putting on a fierce expression as she stared at the phone.
"Hey."
"Old thing."
"You had better not try any tricks."
"Whatever Lin Mo wants to know, you will honestly say it."
"Do not think about hiding anything."
"Otherwise..."
She paused for a moment, then revealed a dangerous smile.
"I am not as easy to talk to as he is."
Thomas: "..."
Straining to open his eyes wide, he looked at the girl outside the culture tank, and for a moment he actually did not know what to say.
In the past, Joanna should have been Vought's most successful creation, considered the ultimate weapon they forged.
Yet now, this weapon stood before him, completely on the side of another man, and even her tone when threatening people carried a sense of taken-for-granted righteousness.
Thomas suddenly felt a sense of emotion; after researching super humans for his entire life, the one thing he ultimately could not understand was humanity itself.
On the other side, Maeve held Marie in her arms, standing quietly to the side.
Right now, she had completely given up on thinking.
Really.
Given up.
Just now she could barely keep up; things like the Odessa Project and Compound V, she could still understand a little bit.
It was nothing more than using them to do experiments when they were kids, or things like that.
But now, they were talking about what original compound v?
Life limits? Enhancing lifespan?
Risks?
Maeve felt like she had suddenly barged into another meeting where everyone was speaking in jargon while she was the only one holding a notebook.
Then she found she could not write down a single word. She lowered her head to glance at Marie in her arms and muttered, "Little one."
"You say..."
"Why do I feel like I am becoming more and more like an ordinary person?"
Of course Marie would not answer; she just opened her eyes and looked at her.
Maeve let out a soft sigh.
Forget it.
At least there was a little one here who understood even less than she did.
Her psychological balance was restored.
After a while, Thomas finally spoke with a resigned tone.
"The greatest function of original compound v is to strengthen the essence of life."
Lin Mo's eyes flickered slightly as he continued to listen.
"Its initial research and development purpose was not to create superheroes."
Thomas said.
"Rather, it was to find a way to allow the human body to break through its limits."
"Enhancing cellular activity, raising recovery capability, delaying aging, and extending lifespan to a certain extent."
Joanna raised her eyebrows slightly.
This ability actually sounded a bit interesting.
However, she did not interrupt, because she knew
Lin Mo cared more about it.
"However."
Thomas changed the subject.
"Its problems are also very obvious."
"Namely, the failure rate is absurdly high. In the initial experimental stage, a large number of test subjects died directly."
"Their bodies simply could not withstand the enhancement."
"A series of cellular collapses, organ failures, and even situations where abilities went out of control occurred."
Listening, Lin Mo nodded slightly. This was about the same as what he understood.
original compound v.
It was indeed strong, which could be seen from the strength of those veteran superheroes, but it was unstable.
Later versions, although reducing the effects, traded for a higher success rate.
Vought needed commercial products, not a bunch of monsters that could explode at any time.
"Even if one has already become a super human,"
Thomas continued.
"accepting original compound v again still carries risks."
"Because the body has already been altered by the existing version of Compound V."
"Conflicts might arise between different systems."
"However..."
Thomas in the life-support pod turned to look at Lin Mo, locking eyes with him.
"Your situation should be different."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. Looking at Thomas's main body rolling its eyes in front of him trying hard to find a sense of presence, he asked casually,
"Why?"
Thomas said, "Because judging from your physical performance, your physical tolerance far exceeds that of ordinary test subjects."
"If it is you, the success probability should be extremely high."
Lin Mo chuckled.
This old thing really knew how to analyze. But what he said was not wrong either; purely looking at the rules of this world, his own body was indeed completely out of specification.
What Compound V? To him, it was at most a booster. You must know he had injected modern Compound V when he was a kid, and it was directly absorbed by his Kryptonian bloodline.
But the problem was, he did not want original compound vfor himself now.
"Is there any more?"
Lin Mo directly asked the most crucial words.
On the other end of the phone, Thomas replied continuously, "No more, this is all I know."
"Where the real sample of original compound v is located,"
"I do not know."
Lin Mo fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine."
"Your information has some value."
Thomas visibly let out a sigh of relief.
But the next second, Lin Mo's words instantly froze his expression.
"However."
"You are still useless."
Thomas inside the life-support pod immediately widened his eyes, and at the same time, the tone coming from the phone became increasingly excited.
"Wait."
"What do you mean?"
Lin Mo looked at him and slowly uttered words that choked him with suffocation.
"You do not have original compound v."
"You also do not know where it is, and the information you know is just for verification to me—take it or leave it."
"So..."
Lin Mo spread his hands, then pointed one finger at Thomas's main body.
"Your usefulness is just about over."
The look in Thomas's eyes inside the life-support pod instantly changed.
"No."
"Wait."
"You just said you would not kill me!"
Hearing this, Lin Mo immediately smiled. He was always a person who kept his promises; of course he would not kill him.
"Right."
"I will not."
Thomas had just breathed a sigh of relief.
The next second, Lin Mo looked toward Joanna beside him.
"But she might not."
Chapter 112: We Can Evacuate Now
The air seemed to fall silent.
Thomas: "...?! "
The next second, Joanna understood immediately.
She and Lin Mo had grown up together since childhood; most of the time, they did not even need an explanation, just a single glance to know what the other wanted to do.
The corners of Joanna's mouth slowly curled up.
"Oh."
"Is that so."
Thomas's expression finally changed.
"Wait."
"You can't—"
"Lin Mo!"
"You promised—"
Boom!
The next second.
A scarlet light instantly lit up in Joanna's eyes.
Two scorching streams of Heat Vision accurately landed inside the incubation pod.
Thomas did not even have time to finish a sentence before the terrifying high temperature instantly enveloped his body.
Immediately after, the life-support equipment blared crazy alarms, and pipelines burst one after another due to the high temperature.
His body, which was already close to its limit, turned completely charred at this moment.
A few seconds later.
The room returned to silence once again.
As for Thomas, he did not even leave behind a complete corpse; at the original location of the life-support pod, there was only a bit of charred wood, along with the pervasive smell of roasted meat and the peculiar odor emitted by the high-temperature metal.
Joanna withdrew her gaze and gently blew on non-existent smoke.
"Alright."
"Taken care of."
She blinked playfully at Lin Mo, skipping over to Lin Mo's side as if seeking credit.
Lin Mo glanced at the incubation pod that no longer existed, then patted Joanna's little head and praised her.
"Mhm, it is indeed clean, not even ashes are left."
Having gotten what she wanted, Joanna squinted her eyes comfortably, but just this was far from enough for her...
However, the intimacy between them left Maeve dumbfounded.
She stood to the side, her entire body feeling somewhat numb.
The person just now was still the mastermind behind the scenes, the founder of Godolkin University, and an old man who had controlled the entire academy for decades.
Just like that... gone?
Maeve looked down at Marie Moreau in her arms, then looked up at Lin Mo.
She suddenly realized that the shock she had received today probably already exceeded the sum of the past few years.
Compound V, the truth about superheroes, the Odessa Project. And now add one more... on-the-spot execution of the mastermind; she felt she needed a rest.
"So..."
Maeve finally spoke up, interrupting Joanna's attempt to continue making trouble.
"What now?"
She looked at Lin Mo.
"What about this child?"
"And here, this underground base."
Lin Mo snapped back to his senses and gave a warning glare at Joanna's mischievous hand. The latter acted as if she did not see it, hiding behind him, and instead pulled a ferocious expression at Maeve, evidently quite displeased that Maeve had interrupted her.
Feeling like there was no saving this, Lin Mo looked speechlessly at the interaction between the two, then glanced at Marie Moreau in Maeve's arms, looked around, and smiled.
"Simple, let us take her out first."
"As for here..."
Lin Mo looked at the equipment that was still running.
"Things left behind by Vought and Godolkin."
"Of course we cannot waste them."
Lin Mo looked at the instruments around that were still operating.
Various data screens, experimental equipment, and those intact databases—for ordinary people, these things might be a pile of dangerous secrets.
But for Lin Mo, the value was completely different.
Right at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host has changed the course of the world.]
[Destroyed the Godolkin underground control system and exposed the existence of Thomas Godolkin ahead of time.]
[World influence has increased.]
[Acquired Energy Points: 5000.]
Lin Mo's footsteps, as he was about to leave, paused slightly.
It is here, as expected.
Although the system did not actively make its presence felt usually, whenever he changed some key plot nodes, it never failed to show up.
Things having come to this, he only silently checked his panel.
[Current Energy Points: 11080]
[Daily fixed energy income: 80]
Seeing this, Lin Mo raised his eyebrows slightly.
The original daily fixed income was 70, and now it had increased by another 10 points.
Although it was not particularly much, this also represented one thing: his actions were indeed continuously influencing this world.
As for why it increased... Lin Mo's gaze subconsciously looked to the side.
Maeve, and Marie Moreau in her arms.
Especially Marie Moreau, someone who could influence the entire superhero world in the future, but now she was just a newly born baby.
It seemed that his choice had changed some parts of the future once again.
As for Maeve, perhaps because of what happened today, her future life trajectory had already begun to deviate from the original route, so the system judged that a new impact had been produced.
"Lin Mo."
Joanna's voice suddenly sounded.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lin Mo snapped back to his senses and found that Joannahad somehow gotten right in front of him, a pair of eyes staring intently at him.
"Nothing."
Lin Mo shook his head: "Just feeling that the harvest today is pretty good."
Joanna squinted her eyes, obviously somewhat disbelieving what he said.
"Is there some good thing again?"
Lin Mo looked at her, "How can you guess everything?"
Joanna took it for granted.
"Of course, ever since we were little, the moment you make this expression, I know you must be thinking of some good stuff."
Fine, fair enough, what more could he say—he just cracked a slight smile, and she could read right through him.
Maeve, standing beside them, had completely gotten used to it—that underground base which had shattered her worldview just moments ago.
Now looked even less shocking than the interaction between these two people.
"So..."
Maeve reminded again.
"What on earth should we do with this place?"
She pointed around.
"These things, and this place, we surely cannot just leave them here like this, right?"
Lin Mo glanced around.
"Of course not."
Maeve asked tentatively: "Sell it?"
"Or hand it over to Vought?"
Lin Mo shook his head.
"Neither is appropriate."
"The value of these things is too high; selling them directly will only attract more trouble."
"As for Vought..."
Lin Mo thought for a moment; it seemed there was no one more suitable than Vought.
"It can actually be handed over to Vought."
Maeve was stunned. Having experienced so much, she now knew that Vought was not anything good, but right now...
"Did you not say you do not trust them?" she could not help asking.
"I do not trust them."
Lin Mo nodded.
"But that does not mean they cannot be utilized."
Speaking of which, Lin Mo took out his phone, looked up a number, and then handed it to Maeve.
"You make this call."
Maeve looked down, and her entire body instantly froze. Looking at the name saved on it, she looked back up at Lin Mo in disbelief.
"Edgar?"
Her voice changed. She had naturally heard of this name; needless to say, as a star student preparing to enter The Seven and sign a contract in the future, she naturally understood who the top bosses of Vought were.
Chapter 113: Because He Knows How to Raise Children
Lin Mo nodded.
"Mm."
Maeve looked at that name, her expression gradually growing complicated.
"Vought's newly appointed CEO?"
"That Edgar?"
"CEO? Something like that."
Hearing this, Lin Mo tilted his head again. He remembered that this Edgar didn't seem to have such massive power before, did he? Could it be...
Whatever, it was probably related to him. He hadn't expected that old fried chicken uncle to be quite ambitious and so eager to advance.
However, Maeve's emotions were a bit off.
"Me?"
She pointed at herself.
"Call him?"
Lin Mo said it as a matter of course.
"Otherwise?"
Maeve's mouth twitched, and she spoke a bit incoherently.
"No..."
"I'm just a student."
"Though I might count as a superhero now." She thought of what she had been doing with Lin Mo recently.
"Still, that's Vought's highest authority. You want me to contact him directly?"
Lin Mo looked at her, somewhat puzzled. Anyway, she would eventually choose to go to Vought to be a superhero, and she definitely had to meet Edgar. Besides, she was his hand-picked person, so how could she not make a good first impression?
"Is there a problem?"
Maeve felt like her head was about to burst.
Wasn't this a huge problem? That was the true controller of Vought International.
Not a professor on campus, nor an ordinary executive, but someone who could determine the fates of countless superheroes with a single word.
Yet now, she was just holding the phone like this.
And casually calling him up?
Maeve held the phone helplessly with one hand while hugging Marie Moreau tightly in her arms with the other. She felt like she had experienced a bit too much today.
"You call."
Lin Mo said, "Tell him the situation here and have him come handle it."
Maeve took a deep breath. Fine, since Lin Mo had said so, what else could she do?
She could only dial.
The call connected quickly.
On the other end, a steady voice sounded.
"Lin Mo?"
"Haven't seen you in a few days. How are things at Godolkin University?"
Maeve instantly stood straight. Even across the phone, she could still feel the pressure.
Was this Vought's true person in power?
"Mr. Edgar, I'm Maeve."
She tried hard to keep her voice normal.
"Lin Mo asked me to tell you something."
The other side of the phone fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Go ahead."
Seeing this, she glanced at Lin Mo and, following what Lin Mo had briefly instructed her earlier,
began explaining the situation: the underground base at Godolkin, as well as Thomas Godolkin.
The experimental data, and Marie Moreau.
Of course, regarding the fact that Thomas had already been dealt with by Joanna, she paused slightly, but ultimately decided to mention it. After all, hiding it was meaningless.
The other side of the phone fell silent for a few seconds; Edgar was clearly digesting this information.
But his reaction was also much calmer than Maeve had imagined.
"I understand. I'll handle it."
Simple, concise, without any emotional fluctuations.
It even made Maeve wonder if this man was already used to dealing with problems of this magnitude.
After hanging up the phone, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Finished?"
Lin Mo asked. Maeve nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Then she glanced at Lin Mo again, somewhat puzzled.
"So..."
"Why didn't you call yourself?"
Lin Mo thought about it. How was he supposed to explain this? Should he say he just wanted to introduce her to people and incidentally show that she was now his chosen person? So that old man wouldn't pull any weird tricks?
Sigh, whatever, where did all these rules come from? Casting aside unnecessary distractions, Lin Mo silently swallowed his words and casually blurted out a sentence without thinking.
"Because you're more suited for it."
Maeve: "?"
"What do you mean?"
Lin Mo glanced at her.
"It's time for you to start getting in touch with these things."
Maeve fell silent for a moment, and instantly imagined a whole bunch of unmentionable secrets about Vought. And she, Maeve, was going to become a true superhero, and if possible, under Lin Mo's leadership, overthrow Vought's hegemony, rescue the public from—
Her brain cells worked at lightning speed, but soon, Maeve snapped out of this daydream, right in time to see Lin Mostaring at her with a strange gaze.
Maeve's face instantly flushed, and she immediately nodded at Lin Mo, signaling that she understood Lin Mo's meaning. Today, she had learned way too many things she didn't know before.
From now on, she probably wouldn't be able to just be a hero packaged by Vought like in the past.
On the other side, Lin Mo observed that Maeve had a constipated expression. Wasn't he just trying to tell her that Vought's hands weren't clean and she needed to watch out?
How did this manage to get the kid looking a bit excited?
However, there were still other things to handle. Lin Mowalked quickly up to Maeve and glanced at Marie Moreau in her arms.
"Little one."
"It's time for you to change places too."
Maeve lowered her head, looking at the little one in her arms.
"What about her?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh—wasn't that just-mentioned person suitable?
"Hand her over to Edgar."
Maeve was stunned. Did she hear that right? Handing her over to Vought's top tier? Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?
"Him?"
"Yes."
Lin Mo nodded with certainty.
"Most appropriate."
Maeve was somewhat puzzled.
"Why?"
Lin Mo looked at her with a deadpan serious expression.
"Because he knows how to raise children."
Maeve: "?"
This reason... wasn't it a bit too casual? Where on earth could you tell that?
Lin Mo, however, felt it was quite reasonable. After all, Maeve didn't understand Edgar as a person.
Although cold and profit-driven, when it came to raising children,
he truly had a knack for it. Take Victoria Neuman in the original work, for instance—wasn't she raised by him single-handedly?
Look at how awesome his upbringing was: she became a politician, helping Edgar secretly eliminate senators who threatened Vought.
Furthermore, the situation was different now with himself keeping an eye on things nearby.
No matter what, Edgar wouldn't be able to cultivate Marie Moreau into some dangerous entity.
Besides, a Black girl who was also the protagonist of another series being handed over to Edgar looked fitting no matter how you saw it, even carrying a sense of inexplicable destiny.
By now, it could be said that Edgar had ties to the main characters of both shows. Placed in any novel, he would at least be at the level of a wise old mentor figure.
Of course, Lin Mo wouldn't say these words out loud.
"Anyway, handing her over to him is safer than handing her over to anyone else."
Lin Mo added at the end. This was also a fact; if she were adopted by ordinary people, there might still be that dark meme scene from the original work where she accidentally killed her adoptive parents with a splash of blood, which didn't look very funny no matter how you looked at it.
Maeve lowered her head to look at Marie Moreau. The little one seemed completely oblivious to what she had just been through, and simply grabbed her finger quietly.
Maeve let out a soft sigh.
Before today, she was just an ordinary student superhero in the conventional sense.
But now, she was holding a child from a secret experiment in her arms, standing alongside two existences that completely defied common sense.
And she had just witnessed the death of a behind-the-scenes boss.
Wasn't this life transformation changing a bit too fast?
Joanna also walked over at this time. She had always been uninterested in dealing with aftermaths. Seeing Lin Mo and Maeve discussing things earlier, she simply chose not to crowd around.
Hmph!
It was purely not because Lin Mo had no time to play with her and left her hanging aside!
Chapter 114: Thomas is actually quite a nice guy.
She glanced at Marie Moreau, and then at Lin Mo.
"So."
"Is it over?"
Lin Mo nodded.
"Pretty much."
Joanna was satisfied, then quietly moved closer to Lin Mo.
"Then is it..."
Seeing her expression, Lin Mo immediately grew alert; this girl was always plotting something shady in her mind day in and day out.
"What are you up to again?"
Joanna blinked.
"Nothing."
"I just feel that..."
"I did really well today."
Lin Mo fell silent for a moment, reaching out to rub his temples. Sure enough, it came.
He took a deep breath, making sure not to bring up anything that would get suppressed.
"What do you want?"
Joanna smiled.
"You know."
Lin Mo looked at her, finally waving his hand helplessly, completely defeated.
Maeve, holding Marie Moreau beside them, also turned her head silently, suddenly feeling that perhaps that Thomasfrom earlier shouldn't have died so quickly and should have been allowed to say a few more words.
At least then she wouldn't have to keep watching these two show affection.
"Hello... is... anyone there?"
Right at this moment, for some reason, the landline phone that Lin Mo had casually placed on the table started ringing again.
The three of them cast their gazes over simultaneously, and then Maeve and Joanna exchanged a glance. Weren't these calls made by Thomas? How could it still make a sound?
Could it be that Thomas wasn't completely dead?
Maeve first glanced unsurely at Lin Mo, then tentatively said,
"Is Thomas still alive?"
Seeing this, Lin Mo turned his brain slightly and instantly understood the whole story.
He picked up the phone he had casually placed on the table, put it to his ear, and spoke indifferently.
"Doug?"
A crying voice came from the other end of the phone, "I... I am Doug, I... I."
The other person's tone was completely different from before, with huge emotional fluctuations.
But Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to argue with him much. Who told him to be so unlucky, being targeted by Thomasand used as a puppet for so many years? His soul was in his body, but because Thomas couldn't control the body, he was essentially hijacked.
"Listen."
Lin Mo raised his tone slightly, and the other person's crying voice also subsided, wondering if he was scared.
"You have two choices now. First, continue being the Godolkin headmaster and pretend nothing happened. Second, you can also choose to leave this place immediately and live a good life in a place where no one is around. Anyway, you shouldn't be short of money, but you still have to keep your mouth shut about today's events."
"Also, the Thomas who manipulated you is dead. You won't be controlled anymore from now on."
Not long after, the phone spoke again. Even Lin Mo didn't expect that the other person's tone no longer carried a crying inflection, but instead became a bit excited.
"Really? I can be the headmaster of Godolkin? I... Thank you, thank you!"
His face changed really fast. Holding the phone, Lin Modidn't know what to say for a moment.
Looking at it this way, did Thomas give Doug a speedrun plot, directly letting Doug, the owner of the body, play with a maxed-out account? It seems Thomas was actually quite a nice guy.
But for Doug, this can at least be considered compensation.
"Alright, be a good headmaster and just don't pull any weird stunts for me."
After saying that, Lin Mo hung up the phone. Looking up, he bumped into Maeve and Joanna staring at him wide-eyed.
He felt a bit sweaty. Even though the two of them didn't say it, Lin Mo knew what they wanted to know, so he simply explained the arrangement made for Doug.
Once Thomas died, Doug was naturally liberated, and the voice on the phone was spoken by his original self.
The two women suddenly understood. Maeve even breathed a sigh of relief, having previously wondered if Doug's original body would suddenly drop dead because Thomas died. Now it seemed like a good ending for him.
And speaking of which, did she gain a connection with the Godolkin headmaster...
But it still seemed not as impressive as the person right in front of her. Maeve quietly sized up Lin Mo again, and this time Joanna wasn't glaring at her.
Because Joanna had already run in front of Lin Mo. She was so bored now; she didn't understand things like Doug, but anyway Thomas was already resolved, so shouldn't they leave?
Prompted by Joanna, Lin Mo also felt it was about time to leave.
Thomas was dealt with, the underground base had been turned inside out, and they basically knew everything they needed to know. Staying here any longer seemed pointless.
As for the remaining mess, of course whoever's problem it was should clean it up.
Vought's own stuff should be moved by Vought.
No problem.
Lin Mo turned his head and looked at Maeve, who was still holding Marie Moreau.
"You stay behind first."
Maeve was stunned.
"Me?"
"Mhm."
Lin Mo nodded.
"After Vought's people arrive, you will be responsible for coordinating with them."
"The materials, equipment, and experimental records here should all be handed over to them to handle."
Speaking of this, Lin Mo pointed again at Marie Moreau in her arms.
"Don't forget to hand her over to Edgar as well."
Maeve looked down. Marie Moreau was still grabbing her finger, completely unaware that her future had already been arranged.
"Really hand her directly to him?"
"Mhm."
"He knows what to do."
Lin Mo was quite relieved about this.
Edgar was a smart man, especially since his own will had been made clear, so he wouldn't throw Marie Moreau into a research lab as an ordinary test subject.
As for how to cultivate her in the future, that was Edgar's business.
With him watching, it wouldn't turn out too badly.
Maeve thought about it and finally nodded.
"Alright."
Anyway, what happened today was already absurd enough.
She even felt now that suddenly helping Vought's upper management take over a secret experimental base wasn't that hard to accept. Habit truly was a scary thing.
Hearing Lin Mo say they were leaving, Joanna's eyes lit up instantly.
"Then are we going back to school now?"
Lin Mo lowered his head to check the time on his phone; it was almost noon. They had left school in the morning and investigated all the way until now, unknowingly letting so much time pass.
Perfect time for lunch.
Lin Mo thought for a moment.
"Not going back yet."
"Hm?"
Joanna became even more energetic.
"Not going back to school?"
She immediately leaned in.
"Then where are we going?"
Seeing that expression of hers, Lin Mo knew this girl was already starting to scheme.
"To eat."
"And stroll around along the way."
Joanna's eyes instantly lit up, looking just like when she had activated her Heat Vision earlier.
"Really?"
"Really."
Joanna was instantly satisfied.
School? What school? Nobody could think of calling her back today.
As for skipping class, that problem didn't exist at all. The two of them weren't ordinary students to begin with. If anyone really asked, the excuse was very simple: Vought arranged a commercial activity and they went out to shoot an advertisement.
You have an issue with that?
Take it up with Vought.
Anyway, Vought could make up eight hundred such excuses for superheroes in a day, let alone skipping half a day of class or even disappearing for a few days straight.
The company could write a heartwarming public service activity itinerary for you.
Chapter 115: Milk
Therefore, any psychological burden for Lin Mo and Joannawas completely nonexistent; this wasn't back home anyway.
Maeve watched the two of them just walk away like that, and still couldn't help asking.
"What about me?"
Lin Mo stopped in his tracks and looked back at her.
"You're staying behind."
"..."
Maeve fell silent. Of course she knew she was staying behind, but the problem was, weren't the two of them leaving a bit too naturally?
She was the one responsible for the cleanup, while those two went out on a date.
Was this reasonable?
At this moment, Maeve lowered her head to look at Marie in her arms, then looked up again at the two who were already preparing to leave.
She suddenly felt like a babysitter temporarily left behind to watch a kid.
Unfortunately, she didn't even have time to protest.
Joanna had already pulled Lin Mo along and left, and even deliberately looked back before leaving to wave at her.
That smile looked happy no matter how one looked at it.
Forget it.
Endure.
Who told her that she was considered a teammate now? Someone in the team had to do the work, at least that was how she comforted herself. She looked again at little Marie in her arms.
She sighed, "Well, now it really is just the two of us left."
Unfortunately, little Marie could only stare wide-eyed at Maeve; she couldn't speak after all.
...
Leaving the underground research base and coming out through the hospital, the air outside felt a lot more comfortable.
As soon as Joanna came out, her whole person visibly relaxed.
Those laboratories just now, and Thomas looking half-dead in the culture tank—
She never liked them to begin with, and now she felt she could finally go do some normal things.
Of course she was happy.
"Lin Mo."
"Where are we going to eat?"
"What do you want to eat?"
"Whatever."
Joanna answered very quickly. Now that it was her and Lin Mo's world for two, she could accept eating anything with Lin Mo.
Hearing this, Lin Mo was somewhat helpless. Whatever? Was "whatever" in a woman's mouth really like that? He gave her an indulgent look.
"What does 'whatever' mean?"
Joanna reached out to wrap her arms around Lin Mo's arm, tilting her little head to think for a moment.
"It means whatever you eat, I eat."
"Then drink coffee?"
"Sure."
"Really sure?"
"Of course."
Joanna said it with exceptional confidence.
But Lin Mo chuckled. How could he remember this girl not liking those bitter things when she was little at all?
Instead, she had a soft spot for milk, loving to drink it very much back then. Sometimes Lin Mo would get a bag of fresh milk from the researchers and give it all to her to drink.
Sometimes after finishing it, she would still pester him and refuse to leave.
Grown up now, acting mature?
Fine, then let's go see what she was really thinking.
Thus, the two first found a coffee shop, and Joanna was quite expectant when she sat down.
Mainly because she felt that things like coffee sounded very adult.
Furthermore, many students in school liked holding coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
It looked very stylish.
No matter what, she was a college student now, having a cup of coffee wasn't going too far, right?
Entering the shop, Lin Mo immediately ordered a cup for her, hoping she wouldn't just spit it out directly when the time came.
Soon, the coffee was served to the table by the waiter, and Joanna took it directly.
She sniffed it first.
Hmm.
The aroma was alright.
The taste must be very good then, right? Harboring such thoughts, Joanna then took a confident sip.
The next second, a painful expression appeared on her face, and her brows were knitted into a deep frown.
Bitter.
Too bitter.
Yet unexpectedly, Joanna didn't spit it out; instead, she swallowed the stuff in her mouth just like taking medicine.
Lin Mo watched from the side, desperately holding back his laughter.
"How is it?"
Joanna fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, as if trying to dispel the bitterness in her mouth, and gave a very serious evaluation.
"Tastes bad."
Lin Mo finally laughed out loud.
"Then who wanted to drink it just now?"
Joanna pouted her little lips somewhat displeasedly, glared at him, and mumbled disappointedly while lying flat on the table.
"How was I supposed to know it tasted like this?"
"Why do they even drink this kind of thing?" Joannacouldn't help complaining.
"To stay awake."
"Then can't they drink something else?"
"Like what?"
Without even thinking, Joanna immediately straightened her upper body and blurted out,
"Milk!"
Lin Mo was left speechless and torn between laughter and tears for a moment.
Sure enough, she really hadn't changed at all.
Lin Mo suddenly recalled her childhood; back then, Joannadidn't look as flamboyant as she was now.
One of her favorite things to do every day was to hold a cup of milk and sit beside him, and after finishing it, shove the cup into his hands.
Righteously making him help put it back, and then pestering him to play with her.
Now look at her, she had grown up, her powers were getting more and more ridiculous, and her personality was getting more and more arrogant—he had no idea who she learned that from.
Yet her palate was still that of a child.
Lin Mo shook his head and ultimately ordered her another cup of something with a heavier milky taste.
Joanna took a sip, and this time her expression was noticeably much more comfortable.
"This is alright."
"Just admit directly that you like drinking milk."
"Who likes drinking milk?"
Joanna immediately retorted, then lowered her head and took another big sip.
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to expose her.
This girl was really being stubborn.
Afterward, the two wandered around outside casually and ate a little something. Joanna was in a noticeably great mood, having thrown those matters of the underground base to the back of her mind long ago.
She wasn't someone who liked to dwell on the past anyway.
Thomas was dead and the matter was resolved, so it was over. As for any conspiracies—
Who else would dare drag her back now?
Along the way, whenever Joanna saw something novel, she would pull Lin Mo over to take a look.
Sometimes it was just ordinary shops, sometimes street snacks, or passing by a store selling plush toys.
She could stand there studying them for half a day.
Lin Mo just watched her like this, suddenly feeling that this was more fitting for her age. Usually, because of her powers and Vought,
she hadn't really experienced many of the things normal people would go through.
Entering college now made up for it in a sense, but looking at how happy Joanna was, perhaps he should take her out to play more often.
By the time the two started walking back toward the school, it was already past lunchtime.
Joanna held the newly bought drink in one hand, while her other hand naturally linked arms with Lin Mo, with no intention of letting go at all.
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to manage her either; it was useless to manage her anyway.
What he was thinking about now was another matter: the original compound v, also known as V1.
Thomas didn't have it, which wasn't surprising to him.
If going by the plot, the former superhero Popclaw should have a few copies in her hands, but finding her now would be rather troublesome. He hadn't even met Popclaw, and he couldn't even be sure if that old fellow was still in America.
But according to the current timeline, it was a lot earlier than the original work. Perhaps Vought headquarters still retained records, and might even still keep samples.
Lin Mo slowly narrowed his eyes. Now that the plot had changed, he couldn't guarantee that Joanna would get it just by following the plot. Getting a dose of original compound v for his Joanna in advance would be safer.
The most important value of the original compound v, besides strengthening power, was more crucially lifespan.
He didn't need it himself, but Joanna needed it.
Chapter 116: Good at Raising Kids
Although it was still early and she was young, there was no need to rush at all, but when it came to the people around him, Lin Mo did not like to drag things out until the very end before resolving them.
Besides, why spend system energy points to exchange for something that could be obtained for free?
Over 10,000 energy points seemed like a lot, but the truly valuable things in the system...
Which one wasn't a point-swallowing monster? Save where you can, and fleece the capitalists.
Might as well take advantage of it while it's free.
Lin Mo was already starting to calculate who at Vought was most likely to know.
Edgar?
He was also the person he was most familiar with at Vought right now, but to be honest, considering his age, Edgar was a bit young and might not necessarily know where the samples were; even if he did, he might say he didn't know.
As for the earlier experiment directors? After all these years, they might have long since died.
If they really couldn't be found, he would just have to search the whole world for that kid with bomb vision.
Anyway, Edgar probably wasn't that idle right now; just in time, a few days later after Thomas's matters were handled, he could make a trip to Vought Headquarters to talk with him, and incidentally meet the shareholders he mentioned who previously did not support him becoming a member of The Seven.
Thinking of this.
Lin Mo's lips curved up slightly, and Joanna beside him immediately noticed.
"What are you thinking about again?"
Lin Mo glanced at her and smiled.
"I want to find something for you."
Joanna paused in her steps, turned her head to look at Lin Mo, and spoke with some confusion.
"For me?"
"Mn."
"What is it?"
Lin Mo didn't answer, simply raising a hand to rub her head.
"You'll know later."
Joanna narrowed her eyes, clearly unsatisfied with this answer.
But the next second, she smiled again; since it was something Lin Mo found for her, never mind then.
She could wait. Anyway, things Lin Mo promised to give her were never things he failed to deliver.
On the other side, Thomas's underground laboratory.
Maeve hadn't left yet; she stood aside holding Marie, watching batch after batch of Vought staff enter the underground area.
She had to admit that Vought's efficiency in doing things was truly fast.
How long had it been since that phone call of hers was made?
These so-called data-receiving personnel, and even the people specifically responsible for sealing off the scene, had already arrived.
The entire underground base was quickly taken over by Vought.
The experimental data that were originally scattered in various rooms also began to be sorted and classified.
As for some equipment that could not be taken away directly, someone recorded it on the spot.
Maeve stood aside and watched for a while, suddenly feeling a strange sensation.
Clearly, this place was still an underground lair hiding countless secrets just a moment ago, but now that Vought's people had arrived, in less than a few minutes, it actually gave off the feeling of an ordinary corporate department moving offices.
One could only say that professional matters still had to be left to professional people to handle.
Moreover, the people who came this time weren't just ordinary staff.
Before long, footsteps came from outside once more.
The surrounding Vought employees who were still working obviously grew a bit quieter.
Maeve also subconsciously looked over.
Then, she saw a figure that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Stan Edgar.
Maeve immediately straightened up a bit. She had only ever seen Edgar in photos and social media headlines, but today she already knew about so many messy internal affairs of Vought.
Even knowing the truth about Compound V, habits formed over a long time still made her subconsciously feel somewhat nervous when seeing Edgar.
After all, this was a truly significant big shot at Vought.
At least for her right now, they weren't people on the same tier at all usually, and this was also the first time she had seen Edgar in person.
Edgar, however, didn't pay too much attention to his surroundings.
After walking in, his first glance was at the cultivation chamber on the ground that was completely scrapped, or rather, calling it a lump of charcoal wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Only then did he cast his gaze onto the child in Maeve's arms.
"She is Marie?"
Maeve nodded hastily.
"Yes."
Edgar walked up to her, lowering his head to look at Marie.
For some reason, he, who had always maintained a calm expression,
His gaze actually softened slightly.
This child... looked inexplicably pleasing to the eye, especially those pitch-black eyes.
Marie didn't know if she sensed something, but she wasn't afraid at all; instead, she stared straight at Edgar.
Edgar reached out a hand.
"Give her to me."
Maeve hesitated for a moment, but thinking that this was Lin Mo's arrangement, she ultimately handed Marie over.
Edgar's movements were more practiced than imagined.
At least, he didn't look like someone holding an infant for the very first time at all.
Maeve was somewhat surprised watching this. Lin Mo said he was good at raising kids.
It actually wasn't a joke?
At this moment, a staff member nearby already walked over quickly.
Holding a freshly compiled report in hand.
"Mr. Edgar."
"The information regarding this infant has been found."
Edgar took it, lowering his head to flip through it with one hand.
At first, his expression was still very calm.
But as he read further down, his brows slowly furrowed.
Blood (cell) manipulation, high adaptability, a Compound Vfusion rate far exceeding conventional test subjects, and even deductions regarding the upper limit of her abilities.
The speed at which Edgar turned the pages noticeably slowed down.
"Have these data been confirmed?"
"Preliminary confirmed."
The staff member nodded.
"The records left by Thomas are relatively complete."
"At least from the existing data, this child's potential is extremely high."
"And her ability..."
The staff member paused for a moment.
"Is very special."
Edgar naturally saw it; lowering his head to look at Marie in his arms, his gaze became even more serious.
This little girl was really not simple. Most importantly,
This type of ability happened to be similar to one he had seen recently.
Neuman.
That was a little girl he had just adopted from Red River not long ago.
Although her ability wasn't completely identical to Marie's, they shared a common point in essence.
The outward manifestation of their power was blood manipulation, which could directly inflict damage from inside the human body.
Thinking of this, Edgar suddenly found it somewhat interesting.
Perhaps Neuman would like her.
Having two children with somewhat similar abilities both adopted and raised by him actually seemed pretty good.
Furthermore, Lin Mo specifically had someone hand Marie over to him, which in itself also represented an attitude.
Edgar didn't mind raising one more; anyway, raising one was raising, and raising two was also raising.
To him, the difference didn't seem that big either.
Maeve had also been carefully observing from the side all along.
Originally she was still somewhat worried, although Lin Mo said Edgar was good at raising kids.
But who knew how this Vought higher-up would actually deal with Marie?
Continue taking her for experiments? Send her back into some secret institution?
Put a few hours ago, she perhaps wouldn't have thought much about such things, but now knowing the truth behind Vought, it was hard for her not to think about the worst.
Until she saw that trace of fondness in Edgar's eyes that looked almost entirely unfeigned.
Only then did Maeve quietly heave a sigh of relief in her heart.
At least, judging by the look of it, Marie wouldn't be in any danger for the time being.
Edgar handed the report back to the Vought personnel, and then looked at Maeve.
"You did well with today's matters."
Hearing herself being called, Maeve's little face froze slightly.
Chapter 117 What Kind of Nonsense Are You Talking About
"Me?"
It seemed she hadn't really done anything today, right? Most of the things were resolved by Lin Mo and Joanna.
The only thing she truly did seemed to be holding the baby for half a day.
However, Edgar clearly didn't see it that way. That girl, Maeve, still didn't understand that she was valued by Lin Mo. Maybe she really didn't help much, but in Edgar's eyes, even if Maeve was completely useless the whole time, she still had to look like she had been a huge help.
"You participated in discovering the underground experimental area and assisted in resolving the long-standing safety hazards at Godolkin University."
"From the results, it's already enough."
Hearing this, Maeve understood instantly. From the results, these few words already explained everything.
Without any surprise, Edgar's next sentence was:
"The school will cooperate with Vought to publicize the matters here."
"The matters of Thomas and Compound V will not appear, which means the underground experiments will also be given a different narrative to provide you and Lin Mo with a good track record."
Maeve's lips twitched; she could already guess what it would turn into.
Edgar continued, "It will be announced to the outside world."
"During an operation outside the school, the three of you accidentally discovered a criminal organization that had long been engaged in illegal human research."
"Afterwards, you successfully destroyed their stronghold, rescued the victims, and prevented more innocent people from suffering harm. I don't need to say much more, you should understand."
Maeve still remained silently silent; what else could she do?
Besides, what Edgar said sounded somewhat believable.
If she weren't an eyewitness.
She might have actually believed it.
"Lin Mo and Joanna's school rankings have been rising very fast recently. Adding this will make the effect even better. It's a pity."
Edgar's words suddenly paused.
It also attracted Maeve's attention. She waited in silence for Edgar's next sentence.
"It's a pity we didn't have time to take a few evidentiary photos of Lin Mo and Joanna before they left."
"As for you, your ranking was already very high, but it will still be raised."
Edgar calmly stated the above rewards for the achievements of Maeve, Lin Mo, and their group, and then, as if thinking of something, he added a few more sentences.
"This is a very good publicity opportunity."
"The school will cooperate, and Vought will also provide media resources."
"Without accident, the public images of the three of you will be further enhanced."
Hearing this, Maeve timely showed a bit of joy on her face.
"Thank you."
Only she knew how genuine this joy was.
If it were before, hearing that Vought was going to focus on promoting her, she would probably have been excited for a long time.
After all, this was a hard-earned opportunity for ranking improvements, popularity increases, and media exposure.
These were all important assets for entering The Seven.
But now, as she listened to Edgar say these things, she couldn't help but think of those laboratories just now.
Thinking of Thomas, Compound V, and Vought's so-called hero manufacturing.
Suddenly, she felt that these rankings, the so-called exposure, and popularity seemed to have changed their flavor.
It wasn't to say they were completely useless; of course she still wanted to be a hero and still wanted to enter The Seven.
It's just that... in the past, she would feel.
A rise in ranking would represent that she was becoming more and more outstanding and that more and more people recognized her.
But now, no matter how she listened to it, it sounded like she had turned into a commodity, and this commodity's value had increased.
Then the company came and said, "You performed well today, so the company has decided to increase your exposure, publicity, and market value."
And then sell you for a higher price.
This feeling really couldn't make one happy.
Maeve still maintained a smile on her face, but in her heart, she began to seriously think for the first time.
What kind of hero did she actually want to become in the future?
At least, she couldn't just be a commodity packaged by Vought.
Edgar glanced at her, not knowing whether he saw what she was thinking, and just said calmly, "You learned a lot of things today."
Hearing this made Maeve's heart tighten, but Edgar did not continue to press.
"Knowing the truth is not necessarily a bad thing."
"At least in the future, I think you will be clearer about what you are doing."
After saying that, he lowered his head and glanced at Marie in his arms.
"Leave the rest to us, you can return to school."
Maeve nodded.
"Understood."
She turned around to leave, but after taking a few steps, she couldn't help looking back.
Edgar was holding Marie, and several staff members were talking to him nearby. The little one was quietly leaning in his arms, looking surprisingly harmonious.
Maeve could finally rest completely assured.
Fine, at least Lin Mo didn't screw anyone over this time.
Meanwhile, at Godolkin University, Lin Mo and Joannafinally strolled back lazily.
When the two entered the school, the afternoon classes had already started.
Joanna glanced in the direction of the teaching building, and then glanced at Lin Mo.
"Are we still going to class?"
Lin Mo didn't even stop his footsteps. What kind of nonsense was this kid talking about?
Going to class now? Was he out of his mind? They had solved such a big trouble for Vought.
Did they still need to rush back eagerly for class?
"What class? Aren't you tired!" he retorted irritably.
Joanna's eyes lit up. She instantly loosened her hand holding Lin Mo's arm and walked quickly in front of him.
"Then where are we going?"
"Going home."
"Great!"
Joanna agreed so readily that she immediately turned around and wrapped her arms around Lin Mo's arm again.
Lin Mo found it a bit amusing. They had already skipped the morning, so what difference did a few classes in the afternoon make?
Did they really take him for a domestic college student?
As he said, even back in the home country, skipping half a day was skipping, and skipping a whole day was skipping.
Since that was the case, skipping a whole day directly was naturally more cost-effective.
Moreover, the two of them clearly didn't have that many restrictions, and he wouldn't be disciplined by teachers anyway.
As for the school, it probably wouldn't dare to question their affairs. Don't forget, Doug had just been saved by Lin Mo. If anyone troubled Lin Mo at school, Doug definitely wouldn't agree first, and he would definitely let the other party know Godolkin's school rules.
And according to Lin Mo's guess, Vought's side would naturally make the paperwork look pristine.
Perhaps even tomorrow morning, their rankings would rise along with it.
Joanna clearly thought of this as well, and her steps became much lighter.
"So this afternoon is completely free?"
"Mhm."
"Then what are we going to do after going back?"
Lin Mo glanced at her.
"Rest."
"Just rest?"
Joanna was obviously somewhat unsatisfied.
"What else do you want to do?"
Joanna rolled her eyes around and then quietly moved closer to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo instantly became alert.
"You'd better not think about things that will get suppressed."
Joanna: "..."
She curled her lips.
"I didn't even say anything."
"It's already written all over your face."
"Nonsense."
"I've watched you grow up since you were little, don't I know you?"
Joanna immediately stopped talking, but the hand holding Lin Mo's arm tightened a bit more.
The two walked all the way toward their residence, and today's classes had long been thrown to the back of their minds.
Anyway, they had already skipped for a day, so they might as well skip thoroughly. That's what you call starting and finishing properly.
Chapter 118: So mentally exhausted!
The two of them had not walked far before running head-on into two acquaintances.
A-Train and The Deep.
The two of them had clearly just finished class, and with nothing much scheduled for the rest of the afternoon, they were heading back to their dorms.
Coincidentally, the class they had just attended happened to be Crimefighting.
This course was considered quite important within Godolkin, especially since the vast majority of students, if they truly entered the superhero industry in the future—
Whether they eventually joined The Seven or were assigned to other cities—
Catching robbers, handling crime scenes, cooperating with the police, and facing armed criminals were basically routine business, though in reality, it taught them more about what to say in front of the camera.
However, the school and teachers had always attached great importance to this course, as it was a top-tier course at the Crimefighting College. It could be said that past members of The Seven all went to study this course.
As luck would have it, during class today, the teacher even specifically mentioned Lin Mo.
Originally, judging by the teacher's intent, it seemed he wanted Lin Mo to give a brief talk. After all, the strength Lin Mo had shown and his performance in handling those previous incidents—
Were simply unmatched by ordinary students. If he could be asked to say a few words, even just sharing some experience, it would have reference value for the other students.
Well, actually, he just wanted Lin Mo to boost some student fans, since this was also a requirement from the school and the higher-ups at Vought.
As a result, halfway through his speech, the teacher habitually glanced toward the crowd.
Then...
Where were they?
The teacher blinked and quickly took another look at the crowd of students. He was overly familiar with Lin Mo's face and couldn't possibly fail to recognize him; after all, Lin Mo stood out quite a bit in a crowd, not to mention Joannawho followed by his side.
But no matter how the teacher looked left and right, he still couldn't find that familiar face.
Looking at the crowd again, Joanna didn't seem to be there either.
The teacher was silent for less than a second, then very naturally steered the topic in another direction. He was a professional, after all; how else could he have become a teacher here, and how could he survive without quickly changing expressions?
The first lesson of becoming Vought personnel required one's acting skills to pass muster.
"Of course."
"Today we will mainly continue discussing crime scene assessment..."
That transition was so smooth it was as if Lin Mo had never been mentioned at all.
No one in the classroom found it strange either; after all, right now in the entire school, who didn't know what was going on with these two?
Would the teacher dare to discipline them?
He really didn't dare.
Students skipping class—such situations definitely required recording names.
But the problem was, could these two people be considered ordinary students?
Especially Lin Mo, who had just pulled Doug back from the gates of hell moments ago. Now you wanted the school to cause trouble for him just because he skipped a class?
Let alone the teacher, Doug would probably be the first to rush out and tell you very solemnly:
"Our Godolkin University emphasizes teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, and students should have the right to autonomously arrange their time. Especially outstanding students should possess a flexible learning system, featuring the principle that the right to interpret school rules belongs to the president."
However, just because the teacher didn't dare to ask didn't mean the students weren't curious. At least The Deep was very curious.
After class, he kept asking A-Train the entire way.
"Where do you think those two went today?"
A-Train shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Could there be some special training?"
"I don't know."
"Or did Vought arrange a mission?"
"I don't know."
"Or maybe they went out on a date?"
A-Train finally glanced at him, increasingly feeling that this good brother of his was a bit abnormal.
"Why do you have so many questions?"
The Deep looked completely earnest.
"I'm just curious."
A-Train couldn't be bothered to care about him.
In fact, he had a vague guess.
Lately, the atmosphere inside the school had become increasingly abnormal with the enrollment of Lin Mo and Joanna.
A-Train felt that these two probably went off to do something big again today.
As for what specifically, he didn't know and didn't want to ask blindly. After all, having experienced what happened before and being easily lulled to sleep by Lin Mo, A-Trainhad learned to be much smarter now.
Knowing too much about certain things wasn't necessarily a good thing.
On the contrary, The Deep completely lacked this kind of awareness.
Therefore, when the two of them turned the corner and happened to see Lin Mo and Joanna walking toward them head-on, The Deep's eyes instantly lit up.
"Lin Mo!"
Shouting out, he ran straight over.
A-Train: "..."
Wait a minute, he didn't even have time to hold him back.
The Deep had already reached Lin Mo's presence, asking impatiently.
"Where did you guys go today?"
Lin Mo stopped his footsteps, and Joanna also looked over.
But The Deep didn't sense any problem at all and continued to ask, "Why didn't you guys come to the Crimefighting class?"
"The teacher wanted you to give us a talk just now."
"As soon as he saw you weren't there, he didn't mention it."
As soon as these words came out, for some reason, even the air seemed to freeze.
A-Train stood at the back, holding his head with both hands, and slowly closed his eyes.
He suddenly felt a bit tired.
It wasn't physical fatigue.
It was mental exhaustion!
How did he ever come to know such a good brother?
If you're curious about such things in your heart, fine, but you actually went and asked directly? Where they went—what business was it of yours?
And asking it as the very first sentence without even saying hello.
A-Train now seriously suspected that the reason The Deep ended up the way he did in the past, suffering American-style bullying, probably didn't have much to do with his abilities.
It was purely a problem with this mouth of his.
Fortunately, The Deep's attitude toward Lin Mo was now completely different from before.
Ever since accepting Lin Mo's special encouragement back then, he could be said to have developed a very strange, blind trust in Lin Mo, even carrying a hint of adoration.
In The Deep's view, whatever Lin Mo said—
Was bound to make sense; whatever Lin Mo did definitely made sense. If Lin Mo didn't go to class, there must have been something more important than class.
Therefore, when he asked now, he truly didn't mean it as an interrogation; he was purely curious.
But the problem lay in his emotional intelligence being too low; saying it out loud sounded just like checking up on someone.
A-Train hurried forward, wanting to bail his brother out once more.
He first glanced at Lin Mo, then looked at Joanna.
He greeted them very normally.
"Lin Mo."
"Joanna."
"Just got back?"
Lin Mo nodded.
"Mm."
Now this was what a normal person should say.
Lin Mo glanced at The Deep again. The Deep was still standing there with a look that was waiting for an answer.
Lin Mo couldn't help laughing.
"What?"
"I only missed half a day, and you're looking forward to me going to class that much?"
The Deep was stunned. If he agreed and said yes to that, low emotional intelligence or not, he would still feel a bit strange.
"Of course not."
He quickly waved his hands, stammering a bit, "I... just wanted to ask. The teacher... originally wanted you to give a lecture, but found out you weren't there."
"I just felt it was a pity."
Joanna couldn't help letting out a chuckle nearby.
"You really love to study."
Hearing what sounded like a compliment, The Deep nodded very earnestly and even patted his own chest seriously.
"I've really been loving to study lately."
Listening from the side, A-Train really wanted to laugh, but considering Lin Mo was still right there, he forcefully held it in.
You certainly didn't say that in the past. Back then, this guy could zone out eight times in ten minutes during class, and now he was starting to pretend to be a good student.