Wuthering Waves: I'm a Big Villain, Starting with Annihilating the Astral Express Crew

Those words struck Natasha's deepest fear.

Trading in Fragmentum relics was absolutely forbidden!

Once exposed, she would not only be ruined, but would even face severe judgment, and the orphanage would be implicated and shut down!

Everything she had worked so hard to build, the children she had tried so hard to protect, would collapse in an instant!

Jiang Mo watched Natasha's face turn pale in an instant, and chuckled inwardly.

He knew he had won.

Jiang Mo could even feel Natasha's rapid breathing now.

Then, in an even lower voice, he said slyly:

"Natasha, you wouldn't want anyone else to know about that deal, would you?"

The office was eerily quiet.

Natasha looked at the six-year-old child in front of her, as if she were seeing a little fox in sheep's clothing.

Chapter 18: Heir Selection

Jiang Mo didn't give her a chance to catch her breath, continuing to speak like a machine gun:

"Oh, right, if you want to say I don't have any evidence, it's simple."

"The one you traded with was a Stray, right? Only they would do something like that..."

"The Silvermane Guards only need to check around the Stray camps, and they'll soon find out who it was."

"Then, following the clues, finding Natasha, it shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Hearing this, Natasha's face completely changed.

She never thought she would be forced into this situation by a six-year-old child.

Natasha tried to make a last-ditch effort:

"Jiang Mo, I'm doing all this for the children..."

"You can't do this..."

Jiang Mo's expression didn't soften in the slightest.

He knew that Natasha's weakness was the children in the orphanage, but that didn't change his purpose.

"I understand you're doing it for the children."

"But I also have places I want to go, and I don't want to rot here for the rest of my life."

Jiang Mo looked at Natasha, his tone softening a little.

"I won't blab, as long as you don't force me to stay, I won't tell the Silvermane Guards about your business."

Natasha knew she had no choice.

Forcing him to stay was too risky.

Letting him leave at least offered a glimmer of hope.

She sighed deeply, as if she had aged several years in an instant.

"Okay, Jiang Mo. I won't force you to stay."

Natasha finally compromised.

"But, you must promise me, you will never tell anyone about what happened today, or what you saw... ever."

Jiang Mo nodded: "I can promise you that. But..."

"Although I can keep a secret, shouldn't Natasha give me some... compensation?"

"Compensation?"

Natasha was stunned for a moment.

"A hush money."

Jiang Mo said it as a matter of course.

Natasha's brow furrowed.

She was desperately short of money.

The orphanage's expenses were huge, and she was the only one gritting her teeth to support it.

Every time she traded Fragmentum parts, she was walking on the edge of a knife, and the money she earned was just a drop in the bucket.

Now, this child actually wanted to get something from her...

"I... I don't have much money."

Natasha said with difficulty.

"No, you misunderstood, I don't want money."

Jiang Mo shook his head.

"What I mean is... if one day I need your help, or need anything at all, you have to help me, Natasha."

"No matter what I need, or what I do."

Natasha looked at Jiang Mo. This child's request made her more uneasy than if he had asked for money directly.

Money was finite; if she didn't have it, she didn't have it.

But this promise was like a bottomless pit, filling her with dread.

She didn't know what Jiang Mo would need in the future.

But Jiang Mo held her secret, and that leverage was deadly.

She weighed the pros and cons.

This child was far more dangerous and ruthless than she had imagined.

In the end, she could only agree.

"Okay..."

Her voice was weary with a hint of resignation.

"I promise... anything I can do, I will help you with."

[Villainous Behavior Detected: First Successful Threat! Gained +50 Villain Points!]

"Then it's settled, Natasha."

"Mm..."

"I'll be going now."

Jiang Mo chuckled and turned to leave, leaving Natasha trembling.

Stepping out of Natasha's office, Jiang Mo felt relaxed and exceptionally free.

The feeling of holding someone's secret was like holding a knife, ready to stab them at any moment.

He pondered how to utilize Natasha as a connection.

Natasha had certain connections and resources in the Underworld, not much, but they could be a great help at crucial moments.

Jiang Mo had just stepped out of the orphanage building when he saw Bronya still waiting for him by the swing.

Her small figure looked somewhat lonely in the yard.

Seeing him come out, Bronya immediately trotted over.

"Brother Jiang Mo!"

She ran to Jiang Mo, looking up at him with a worried expression.

"Natasha didn't do anything to you, did she?"

Jiang Mo bent down, patted her head, and said with a smile, "It's okay. Natasha just chatted with me."

"That's great, I knew she wouldn't blame you!" Bronya said happily.

"Bronya, I have to go now. I'll definitely come see you again next time, and bring you even better things to eat."

Hearing this, a happy smile appeared on Bronya's face, and she nodded vigorously.

"Okay!"

"Goodbye, Brother Jiang Mo!"

Jiang Mo thought to himself as he walked back to Boulder Town.

The Bronya connection was now established.

From now on, Natasha would definitely take better care of Bronya, or else he would come looking for trouble.

And he himself had already built a good relationship with Bronya, making her remember him.

After that, all he had to do was wait for her to be chosen by Cocolia as the Supreme Guardian's successor.

By then, even if he achieved nothing in the Underworld, as long as he was alive, he could ride her coattails and go to the Upper District.

Jiang Mo thought for a moment, it seemed there was nothing else to do for now.

His body was only six years old, and there were many things he couldn't do.

The most important thing was to survive first, grow up, and wait for opportunities.

He clenched his fist.

The burst of power he felt when he hit the freckled boy made him realize that his body might not be as weak as it looked.

Jiang Mo decided to exercise as much as possible to improve his physical attributes.

In this Underworld, strength was always the foundation for survival.

Jiang Mo returned to Boulder Town.

The following month, everything was as usual, yet everything seemed different.

Ever since Jiang Mo acquired [Silver Tongue] and continuously developed this trait, his life had improved considerably.

First, there was the snack stall owner.

Every time Jiang Mo went, he would bombard the owner with [Silver Tongue].

He praised the owner's skills as the best in the Underworld, praised his kind heart, praised how young and strong he looked... all sorts of fancy rainbow farts spewing out without cost.

Gradually, the owner's attitude completely changed.

He looked at Jiang Mo with increasing tenderness, sometimes even proactively asking if Jiang Mo was hungry.

Later, he even treated Jiang Mo like his own son.

Every time Jiang Mo came, he would give him food for free, and it was always meat, which was usually rare to come by.

The owner would even occasionally give Jiang Mo some Winter City Coins.

Just like that, Jiang Mo's food problem was completely solved, and he could even share it with Seele, allowing her to eat her fill as well.

Seele looked at the warm food Jiang Mo brought out, her eyes filled with increasing suspicion, but she didn't ask anything, just silently accepted it.

Jiang Mo also tried using [Silver Tongue] on other people.

Perhaps because his age and charm weren't high enough, it wasn't effective on everyone. Only some simple-minded people, or those with overflowing compassion, were fooled like the owner, willing to give him some food or daily necessities.

But that was enough.

Jiang Mo's life was vastly different from before.

He no longer needed to rummage through garbage heaps for food every day, no longer needed to fight with others for a shriveled piece of bread.

He even built a house for himself.

Of course, not a house in the true sense of the word.