A Good Person?

Clearly, Zhu Youqing had seen it too. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel of the police car.

Just then, the mother who had lost her daughter spotted the police car parked by the roadside. She rushed over and pleaded through the window. "Officer, please save my daughter! She's only six, she's only six..."

Zhu Youqing's body trembled slightly. Was he afraid, or ashamed? As a police officer, he couldn't protect the public's safety. Worse, he had been threatened by criminals and had chosen to save his own skin.

"Ah~~~~~~~!" Zhu Youqing roared, then suddenly flung open the car door and ran toward the nearby shopping mall. That Black Feather Condor was on the roof of that building.

Hong Mo had watched the whole thing, wanting to see what the young police officer would do. When Zhu Youqing charged out of the car and headed for the mall, a smile tugged at the corner of Hong Mo's mouth.

Looks like he's still a good cop. The fire in his heart hasn't completely gone out. He's just a little out of his depth.

"Daddy."

"Come on, let's go have a look too." Hong Mo led his daughter out of the police car, then jogged toward the mall. His superpower field had already spread out, quietly keeping an eye on Zhu Youqing. The man knew too much, so Hong Mo couldn't just let him go; otherwise, his and Lingyin's secrets wouldn't be very safe. Besides, Hong Mo wanted to see whether the young police officer really meant to charge in like that, or whether he was just putting on an act before hiding inside the mall.

The first three floors of the building were underground shopping levels. Hong Mo had no idea what the seven floors above them were used for. Zhu Youqing stood at the bottom waiting for the elevator, but it never came down. The young officer gritted his teeth and started running up the stairs as fast as he could.

Hong Mo followed behind, holding Lingyin's hand and taking his time.

At last, Zhu Youqing reached the top floor and kicked the door open with a bang. A huge black bird was crouched on the floor, feeding. The little girl was already reduced to a head. Zhu Youqing's entrance startled the Black Feather Condor. It raised its head and stared coldly at him.

W-what am I doing? Can I even beat this Black Feather Condor? There's no way. I'm such an... Under the creature's cold gaze, Zhu Youqing finally came to his senses. Fear welled up from deep inside him. Slowly, he began edging backward.

I just need to get into the stairwell. Because of its size, the Black Feather Condor might be able to get in, but it won't be able to move around properly. Then I can escape.

As Zhu Youqing thought this and continued backing away, he glanced in that direction again. The Black Feather Condor shifted, its claw brushing the little girl's head. The head rolled toward Zhu Youqing like a bowling ball, wobbling along before coming to a stop right in front of him.

What kind of look was that?

Zhu Youqing couldn't help staring down at the tiny head on the floor. The little girl's pure eyes still held fear and confusion. Her unclosed eyes seemed to accuse the whole world.

"Ah~~~~!" Zhu Youqing roared and drew his service pistol, firing several shots at the Black Feather Condor. "I'll kill you, you beast! You damn beast!" He fired wildly, as if he'd gone mad. But the bullets only left a few sparks on the condor's feathers and did nothing else.

The gun clicked several times as Zhu Youqing frantically pulled the trigger, but no more bullets came out. The Black Feather Condor spread its wings and suddenly swooped at him.

Back into the corridor? No, I'm not fast enough. It'll catch me at the door. Zhu Youqing's mind was working with startling clarity now, and he reached his conclusion in an instant. He dove forward and rolled across the floor, narrowly escaping the Black Feather Condor's attack.

With a thunderous crash, the Black Feather Condor's heavy body slammed into the rooftop wall, knocking loose chunks of debris. Slowly, it turned and fixed its gaze on Zhu Youqing again.

This is bad!

Zhu Youqing's heart sank, and he let out a despondent sigh. The Black Feather Condor was blocking the stairwell door now. It would be difficult to escape. Did he regret it? The thought flashed through his mind. Do I regret it?

The Black Feather Condor seemed to possess some intelligence. It didn't kill Zhu Youqing right away, but toyed with him instead, raking one long wound after another across his body.

Another vicious swipe of its claws tore into Zhu Youqing, spraying blood through the air. He collapsed to the floor, barely alive.

Do I regret it now, or am I ashamed? Zhu Youqing looked up at the sky, then at the little head beside him. The little girl's eyes were fixed on him.

So this is it. I'm going to die.

"I didn't know you had it in you, Little Pig." A voice came from the stairwell. Hong Mo walked out slowly, holding Lingyin's hand.

"You came? Are you here to kill the Black Feather Condor?" Hope filled Zhu Youqing's eyes.

"Huh? Haha, sorry to disappoint you. I'm here to kill you. You know some of our secrets, after all. It'd be bad if they got out." Hong Mo laughed sheepishly, scratching his head.

Zhu Youqing's face went cold. He glanced at Hong Mo, then spat out a single word. "Scum."

Hong Mo stopped laughing and lowered the hand that had been scratching his head. "You're putting me in an awkward spot. And besides..." He paused noticeably, his eyes on the Black Feather Condor nearby. "You probably haven't seen a real scumbag."

Zhu Youqing wasn't stupid. He could tell Hong Mo's words had another meaning, but he didn't seriously question him.

After Hong Mo appeared, the Black Feather Condor's feathers stood on end, as if it had suddenly come face-to-face with its natural enemy. It was instinct, an instinctive response to danger. As Hong Mo spoke, the condor suddenly spread its wings, trying to flee.

"Stop right there!" Hong Mo said coldly, spreading his right hand.

A huge net of electricity burst from his palm and trapped the Black Feather Condor. The crackle of electricity rang across the rooftop as the condor let out a pained cry.

Hong Mo held the electric net in place and slowly approached the Black Feather Condor.

"I'm certainly no good person, but at least I still have a little conscience." Hong Mo spoke softly, though it wasn't clear who he was talking to. Then he raised his left hand and swung down with the razor-sharp Electromagnetic Blade, its vibrations intense.

A burst of sparks flew from the point where Hong Mo's Electromagnetic Blade met the Black Feather Condor. The creature's cries grew even more piercing.

Its feathers are tough, Hong Mo thought, putting more strength into his strike. With a swish, the enormous bird's head fell to the floor. Hong Mo dispelled the electric net, and the Black Feather Condor's body crashed heavily to the ground.

"Daddy, Little Bat wants to eat it." Lingyin came over and spoke softly.

"What? You want to eat again already? How often does Little Bat eat?" Hong Mo asked in surprise.

Lingyin closed her eyes, seeming to communicate with Little Bat. "No, it isn't hungry this time. It just has a strong urge to feed on this Black Feather Condor."

Is that so? Hong Mo looked at Lingyin in confusion.

A mass of dark bats flew out from around Lingyin's body. Hong Mo had no idea how the little creatures appeared. The Soul Space? Looks like I'd better get online and learn about how the world has changed over the past ten years.

Thousands of bats swarmed the Black Feather Condor. Before long, its body had withered away. Then the satisfied Little Bats were recalled into Lingyin's Soul Space.

"Let's go." Hong Mo patted Lingyin's head.

"Aren't you going to kill him?" Lingyin pointed at Zhu Youqing on the floor.

"No. Whether he survives is up to fate. Besides, he was a good person, in his own way." Hong Mo glanced at Zhu Youqing, feeling a little wistful.

They made their way down the stairs, and Hong Mo led Lingyin back into the mall.

A fat man, with one arm around a petite, pretty woman, walked past Hong Mo. "Baby, what do you want? Pick anything you like; I'll buy it." As he spoke, his pudgy hand kept wandering over the woman's bottom.

Clothes. Hong Mo looked at what he and Lingyin were wearing. The styles were too plain, and they looked completely out of place with their surroundings. Well, they were clothes they'd found at the research institute. Expecting them to be fashionable would've been a joke.

Maybe buying a couple of outfits wouldn't be a bad idea. Hong Mo glanced at the clothes in the window. 8888. That price... All right, he admitted it. He had no money. He'd never worn clothes that expensive before; usually, he wore cheap street-market stuff that cost a hundred or so yuan apiece.

Hong Mo glanced at the fat man, who was already walking away. That guy's probably got money, right? "Lingyin, call out two bats. Then do this..." Hong Mo quietly gave her instructions.

"Okay, Daddy."

Hong Mo led Lingyin after them and tapped the fat man on the shoulder.

"Who are you? What do you want?" It was a busy shopping mall, with people coming and going. Though the fat man was puzzled, he wasn't especially afraid, so he asked right away.

At that moment, two Little Bats flew out from beside Lingyin and settled gently on the necks of the fat man and the woman.

"Ah—!" The woman had barely begun to scream when she fell silent. Hong Mo had paralyzed her with an electric current. The Little Bat perched on her neck sank its fangs into her tender skin. Her eyes slowly closed. Little Bat's saliva contained a sedative, preventing its prey from struggling.

"Hold your girl steady," Hong Mo told the fat man.

"What are you going to do? Please don't kill me." The fat man was scared now, but he didn't dare disobey Hong Mo. To everyone else, the four of them looked like old acquaintances who had just bumped into each other, attracting no one's attention.

"Don't worry. I just want a little money from you. That shouldn't be a problem for you, right?" Hong Mo reassured him.

"No problem, no problem. How much do you want?" The fat man nodded repeatedly, terrified that the little creature on his neck would sink its teeth into him.

Three million. The fat man gave Hong Mo a bank card with three million yuan in it, and Hong Mo let him go.

But Hong Mo didn't withdraw that much. First, he bought a shoulder bag, then took out just over a hundred thousand yuan before tossing the bank card into a sewer. How could he keep something like that on him? Hong Mo would never take such an unsafe risk.

At a smaller mall, Hong Mo bought two outfits for himself and Lingyin. His clothes were quite ordinary, while Lingyin got a Gothic Lolita dress.

It fit her perfectly. Wearing the outfit, Lingyin really did look like a delicate doll.

"Daddy, where are we going now?" Lingyin asked, ignoring the stares of the people around them.

"Home. We're going home." Hong Mo gazed into the distance, a hint of confusion in his eyes.