Inside Information and Traps

Inside Information and Traps

The taste of smoke in his mouth made Hong Mo choke. He sighed, realizing that when he smoked, he really only needed to casually hold the cigarette between his lips. Then he remembered that this was no time to act cool—getting away was what mattered.

Fortunately, because of the railgun just now, the armed police surrounding Hong Mo were all stunned. Though they were usually well-trained, Hong Mo and Mou Gang were clearly beyond the scope of human understanding.

Using the speed of Instant Activation, Hong Mo easily broke through the gap created by the railgun. After a few flashes, he vanished into the distance.

Leaving aside the chaos that followed, less than ten minutes after Hong Mo left, a video appeared online. As time passed, more detailed videos and commentary appeared one after another.

This battle was nothing compared to Mu Siyu's accidental rampage. A huge crowd had already gathered because of Mu Siyu's rampage, and two TV stations happened to still have personnel at the scene.

For professionals, this was a perfect chance to become famous. No one knew how the TV station staff had filmed the battle while surrounded by armed police. But the videos online captured the fight between Hong Mo and Mou Gang in astonishing intensity. Especially the instant after the battle when Hong Mo put a cigarette in his mouth—it was unbelievably cool.

Hong Mo still had no idea that because of this battle, he had gained a group of fans who enthusiastically gave him a nickname: Cannon Bro!

Of course, Hong Mo knew nothing about that. He was worrying about how to explain things to Mu Siyu. After causing such a huge commotion, it seemed he had no chance to go to the hospital and ask Tang Tiantian anything.

For one thing, he had sensed three activated superpower fields at the school yesterday. That meant that aside from himself and Mu Siyu, there were three other superpowered people. It was hard to say they would not cause trouble at the hospital again. At that thought, an idea occurred to Hong Mo—should he track down those people?

If there were more people drawing society's attention, perhaps the pressure on him and Mu Siyu would be lessened?

Hong Mo shook his head and pushed the idea aside.

Taking out his phone, Hong Mo prepared to call Mu Siyu and tell her the news. But when he looked at it, he froze. He had never experienced such an intense battle before, so he had no awareness of protecting the things on his person.

His phone had long since become a lump of scrap metal from the violent current.

Will I have another extra expense from now on? A flock of crows flew through Hong Mo's mind.

Come to think of it, Mu Siyu's phone should have been ruined too, considering how violently she had erupted yesterday. From the start of Mu Siyu's rampage until now, Hong Mo and Mu Siyu had not called each other, so neither had noticed. But now they were in trouble—he had no idea how to contact Mu Siyu.

He would take things one step at a time. Hong Mo helplessly tapped his forehead with a finger.

After buying a new phone, Hong Mo called home. Everything was fine. His ordinary, simple parents had not noticed any of this. Naturally—they were just ordinary farmers who only watched TV after work every day. How could they know so much?

After speaking with his parents, Hong Mo hesitated for a long while before dialing another number.

"Who is this?" A mild, unhurried voice came from the phone.

"Hong Mo!"

"How rare. You actually called me. So you only think of your friends when you run into trouble?"

"I thought you would have changed your number. I didn't expect you to keep it."

"I did change it. The people who know this number are all old friends. No matter what, I don't want to seem too special. All right, enough small talk. I'll tell you what I know."

"Mm."

"Don't accept the state's recruitment. Someone wants you dead."

"What do you mean?"

"Wang Aoyun's mother is surnamed Mao!"

"Mao?"

"Who founded this country?"

Huh? Hong Mo did not understand at first. It took him a while before the implication hit him. The instant he understood, Hong Mo sucked in a cold breath. He had not expected Wang Aoyun to have such an enormous background.

"Thanks. Give my regards to Xiang Yi and Zhao Qingyu."

"No need. I've noticed that my sister seems to be developing feelings for you. The farther she stays from a lunatic like you, the better. As for Zhao Qingyu, I heard he went to Africa to look for meteorite fragments..."

Speechless, Hong Mo hung up.

Three days had passed since Hong Mo's battle with Mou Gang. Since the day Mu Siyu went on her rampage, professionals had investigated all the inside details. Logically, all of it should have been highly classified, but the people of this country were powerful. For some reason, the information had appeared online.

Only then did those who had been following the incident realize what had happened. So all these events had been caused by that second-generation official named Wang Aoyun.

Though the cause of the matter was clear, the consequences it had triggered were far from over. Or perhaps they had only just begun.

Never mind Wang Aoyun. Second-generation officials and rich kids throwing their weight around had long been a common sight in this society.

The people who truly gave it thought were all considering what the power Mu Siyu, Hong Mo, and Mou Gang had displayed in the videos represented. Beneath the seemingly tranquil surface of society, undercurrents surged endlessly.

Over the past few days, Hong Mo had searched everywhere he thought Mu Siyu might appear, but found nothing. On the contrary, he increasingly felt that something seemed to be brewing beneath this apparently peaceful daily life.

Entering the small internet café he frequented, Hong Mo turned on a computer. The internet truly was the fastest place for information to spread. Hong Mo had also been closely following the development of the incident these past few days.

Suddenly, a piece of news caught Hong Mo's attention.

Cries for help heard in Golden Capital Garden, South Bank District. After someone called the police, several young women were rescued. Suspected to be the place where Wang Aoyun kept his mistresses before his death.

Hong Mo looked through the photos one by one. Then he suddenly froze. Among the several rescued girls, one of them looked incredibly familiar.

Mu Siyu!

No, that was not right. She was not as mature as Mu Siyu. Especially after Mu Siyu awakened her superpower, she possessed an especially captivating aura. This girl, however, looked ashen and lifeless.

This was Mu Siyue!

Mu Siyue... If nothing unexpected happened, Mu Siyu would definitely go see her sister after seeing this news. And if someone told Mu Siyu that they would not pursue the incident caused by her previous rampage, then with Mu Siyu's temperament, she would certainly join the state.

Hong Mo lightly tapped the mouse with his fingers as he sorted through the information in his mind.

If he had not received that information from Fatty, Hong Mo would have thought this outcome was better too. No matter what, Mu Siyu had killed more than a thousand people because of her rampage. Could they really keep living as fugitives like this? What about their parents? And their friends?

Thinking of the rumors circulating online, Hong Mo suddenly understood. So the higher-ups had deliberately spread these messages. Their purpose was probably to lure Mu Siyu there.

A trap, huh!

He had to intercept Mu Siyu on the way. Otherwise, she would be walking straight into a trap, and it would be too late for anything.

Heh!

Without realizing it, Hong Mo grinned. Even he had not noticed that the restless impulses within him had already been stirred awake.

Meanwhile, in another similarly modest internet café some distance away, an ordinary-looking girl quietly sipped from a bottle of yogurt. Seven or eight empty bottles already sat on the computer desk beside her.

"Attendant, get me another bottle of yogurt."

"Okay, just a moment."

After draining the last drop of yogurt, the girl closed the webpage. The last thing she saw was the very message Hong Mo had just read. Taking the yogurt handed over by a young internet café attendant, she inserted the straw, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

To onlookers, it seemed as though she were savoring the taste of the yogurt with great concentration.

"Is that yogurt really that good?" the young attendant wondered as she walked back. The girl had not been in the café long, yet she had already drunk nearly ten bottles.

After finishing the yogurt in one gulp, an inexplicable smile appeared on the girl's plain face. She set the empty bottle down heavily on the computer desk, rose to her feet, and headed for the internet café entrance.

"Attendant, bill for number seven."

Not long after the girl left, the same young attendant came over to clear away the empty bottles left on the desk. The first few were fine, but when she picked up one of them, she could not help shuddering.

It was an ordinary yogurt bottle, yet holding it felt as though she had suddenly grasped a piece of ice that chilled her to the bone.

She stared at the bottle in confusion, then looked up toward the internet café entrance, in the direction the girl had gone.