When Are We Leaving Here?

But Joanna thought it over, then said as realization dawned on her.

"Then I won't say it."

"That's right." Lin Mo sounded relieved.

"Should we just do it?"

"..."

The room suddenly fell silent.

Lin Mo slowly turned his head. Joanna looked back at him with an innocent expression.

They stared at each other.

A full three seconds passed.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and forced down the urge to give her a lecture.

"Joanna."

"Hmm?"

"You'd better not say anything like that again today."

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from finding the researcher who showed you that video yesterday."

"And then?"

"Ask him if his life's been too comfortable lately."

Joanna blinked, then the corners of her mouth slowly rose.

"So it's not that you don't like me?"

"Whether I like you has nothing to do with it."

"Then what is it?"

"Your age."

"I'll be an adult soon."

"Soon isn't already." Lin Mo was getting a headache. There was no explaining this to her.

"It's only a little while longer." Joanna shook his arm, pleading with him.

"Not even if it's just one day."

"What about a few hours?"

"Still no." Lin Mo's tone was firm. He couldn't let this go wrong.

Joanna narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Yes."

Lin Mo answered without hesitation.

"I'm doing it on purpose."

"Anyway, until you're actually an adult, don't even think about it."

Joanna watched him for a while but didn't keep arguing.

After all, she had waited more than ten years.

Waiting a little longer really was nothing to her.

But the next moment, as if she had thought of something, she moved closer to Lin Mo again and slipped straight into his arms.

"So once I'm an adult, we can?"

Lin Mo stiffened instinctively.

It wasn't for any other reason.

Joanna had simply moved too fast. One moment she had been sitting quietly at the edge of the bed; the next, she was pressed against him, without giving him any time to react.

Soft blond hair brushed his chin, carrying the faint, fresh scent of her recent wash. Through her loose pajamas, Lin Mo could clearly feel the warmth of her body.

Warm and real. She really was as soft and sweet-smelling as he'd thought.

Joanna rested her head against his chest and wrapped both arms naturally around his waist, as though she had found the place where she belonged. Within seconds, she had gone completely still.

This was a different kind of contact. It put his self-control to the test. But he was a Kryptonian, and his Super Brain could perfectly control his entire body, so...

Lin Mo looked down. All he could see was the tousled crown of her blond head.

"We'll discuss that later."

"Why later again?"

"Because I'm going to sleep now."

"You want to sleep every day."

Joanna rubbed her cheek against his chest and took a deep breath, her slightly messy blond hair falling over her shoulder.

"The researchers said sleeping too long over an extended period reduces brain activity."

"Those people who need coffee to survive every day think they're qualified to tell me how to sleep?"

Lin Mo scoffed.

"If their brains were really that active, why would they still spend every day thinking about how to control us?"

Joanna raised her head and blinked at him.

The next moment, as if it had clicked, she nodded seriously.

"You're right."

"They really are stupid."

With that, she lowered her head and settled back into Lin Mo's arms with practiced ease.

Lin Mo turned to look at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Didn't you want to sleep?"

Joanna's muffled voice came from against his chest as she replied matter-of-factly:

"I'll keep you company."

"I don't need you to."

"I'm the one who needs it now." Joanna had started being unreasonable again.

"Weren't you wide awake?"

"I'm sleepy now."

After saying that, Joanna closed her eyes and lay on top of him to sleep.

She moved with practiced ease. Clearly, this wasn't her first time doing it.

Lin Mo looked down at her.

"That was before."

"This is now."

"..."

Fine.

For a moment, Lin Mo couldn't find an argument against that.

In his arms, Joanna's lips curved slightly upward. She was clearly pleased with her victory.

But less than half a minute later, she opened her eyes again.

"Lin Mo."

"Hmm."

"When are we leaving this place?"

The faintly relaxed look in Lin Mo's eyes changed.

It seemed Joanna had never forgotten about it.

A year ago, after she killed the researcher who had tried to stop her from entering Lin Mo's room, no one in the Bunker had dared restrict her daily movements again.

At the time, she had mistakenly believed Vought had agreed to let them leave. She had rushed to Lin Mo and told him she would take him straight out of the Bunker.

Anyone who stood in their way would be burned to ash.

It was a simple, direct plan, entirely in keeping with Joanna's usual way of solving problems.

Lin Mo had refused. It wasn't that he doubted they could get out. With their current abilities, the Bunker could no longer hold them.

The real trouble would come afterward. Vought had a vast political and business network, with ties to the military and the government.

If the two of them escaped without preparing, Joanna would most likely kill every pursuer sent after them.

Then the conflict would keep escalating: pursuit, retaliation, slaughter.

Until one side was gone for good.

Lin Mo wouldn't have minded seeing Vought disappear, but he didn't want Joanna to grow used to solving every problem by killing.

Put simply, he wanted to avoid trouble. But if trouble came for him, that was another matter.

"Soon."

That was all Lin Mo could say.

"How soon is soon?"

"Sooner than before."

Joanna lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him intently.

"You said that before."

"Before, I was trying to comfort you."

Lin Mo admitted it readily.

"And now?"

"Now it's true."

It was true. He was no longer the undernourished little Superman who hadn't gotten enough sun. Besides, the system was back. With energy points to earn, he wouldn't stay here much longer anyway.

Joanna stared into his eyes.

She could hear Lin Mo's steady heartbeat and detect every change in his breathing.

Over the years, she had learned how to tell when someone was lying.

But Lin Mo was the exception. His control over his body was stronger than anyone else's. If he didn't want her to, Joanna couldn't tell a thing from his heartbeat or breathing.

"Did something happen?"

She asked the question sharply.

"Nothing."

Lin Mo placed a hand on her head and guided it back onto his shoulder.

"When the time comes, I can take you somewhere else for a bit of fun."

"When?"

"I can't tell you yet."

Joanna stiffened slightly.

The next moment, she sat up again.

The faint smile on her face vanished, her expression turning cold.

"Why can't you tell me?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

What she hated most was being kept in the dark, especially by Lin Mo.

Vought had lied to her countless times.

They had told her Lin Mo was only away for a while, that the experiments wouldn't hurt, and that if she cooperated with training, she could spend more time with him.

But every time, those promises had concealed new experiments and schemes.

She could accept being lied to by the whole world. She could not accept Lin Mo doing the same.