Bait

At night, Bai Mo returned to the garage and found the trunk of the car open. Looking inside, he saw that the supplies he had prepared were empty, and there was only Qin Liangyu, who seemed to be asleep with her arms wrapped around her knees.

Knock, knock, knock. Bai Mo knocked on the door and window. She jumped up with lightning speed. After seeing Bai Mo, she first breathed a sigh of relief, and then her expression became a little awkward.

"You'll be staying here. Han Xin has arranged a room for you. Here, is your room key?"

Bai Mo handed over the room key, but Qin Liangyu didn't take it. Her eyes dimmed slightly, then she lowered her head and called out in a loud voice:

"I'm sorry, I volunteered to stay and guard the vehicle. Not long after you left, someone came to steal things. I chased after them, but someone else... the supplies were taken."

I volunteered for the task, but failed to do so; this is my dereliction of duty.

Bai Mo thought the woman was making a fuss over nothing, but after looking around, he found that Ritsuka's Magecraft tools were still there; what was missing were only some food supplies.

"That thief has terrible eyesight, always picking the cheapest ones. Besides, it's worth 550,000 horses, there's no way he couldn't catch it."

Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Qin Liangyu's gaze dimmed.

"Those people... seemed to be starving, which is why they hurriedly took the food. When I caught up with them, I saw them huddled in the cardboard box, gnawing on the dry rations like rats."

I should have dealt with these thieves, but I had never seen them so ravenously hungry in the Great Qin, so I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Qin Liangyu braced herself for Bai Mo's reprimand, but then noticed that his gaze seemed to brighten.

"That's not a dereliction of duty. Killing someone who has to steal food to survive is less honorable than killing an opponent in chains. Giving alms to a starving person is a commendable act."

Losing this little bit of stuff isn't a big deal, but that's not what's making you upset, is it?

Bai Mo simply sat in the back seat of the car. The air in the garage was a bit chilly. Bai Mo put down a packaged item and started chatting with Qin Liangyu with great interest.

"Yes, I am a soldier of the Great Qin. Every one of you here could become an enemy who plunders the people of the Great Qin. But I showed mercy to the enemy; it was a dereliction of duty."

I... am somewhat worried that if we spare someone's life today, tomorrow that person might indirectly cause the deaths of other innocent citizens of Qin."

Do you think you did something wrong today?

"... Yes."

"So what do you want? Since we've lost our food, how about we make up for it by turning that poor guy into jerky? I reckon the Servant Reines possesses is quite familiar with this, since his colleague did it before."

"How is this possible? This is absurd, I..."

Just as she was about to retort, Bai Mo raised his hand to stop her. His gaze fell on the garage passageway, where a man's footsteps stumbled and staggered. It was a man dressed in tattered clothes, with some sesame seed crusts stuck to the corner of his mouth.

The man, speaking with a somewhat weak Qin accent, shouted at the two of them:

"Hey, what are you still doing here? Hurry, hurry, the machines from the Blue Country are coming to get you!"

Qin Liangyu's gaze sharpened; it was the person who had stolen the rations earlier. As she finished speaking, a massive machine landed at the garage entrance, and several others rushed in, emitting piercing alarms.

"Illegal force, target confirmed, 550,000 horses, under investigation... The target did not go to Blue Country for service. Target, you have violated Article 99 of Blue Country's Magnetic Field Law, the crime of desertion. You must work for Blue Dream Company for 150 years to atone for your sin."

The sirens blared in the distance, clearly indicating that Qin Liangyu's movements outside had been noticed, otherwise they wouldn't have targeted her alone.

Qin Liangyu's heart sank. Although these machines weren't too dangerous, their sheer number would still cause trouble. Moreover, she knew very well how difficult the subsequent operations would be if she were wanted.

"It seems they've only targeted me. They want me to lure these away. You all leave first, and we'll find a chance to meet up later."

"There was no need for that; rather, it came at just the right time."

Bai Mo's words startled Qin Liangyu. Countless large machines pointed their four-fingered iron claws at Qin Liangyu, but Bai Mo stood directly in front of her, looking at the machines and an idea forming in his mind.

Before their eyes, the machine behind the homeless man thrust out a sharp blade with one hand, while raising the other hand high, aiming straight at the homeless man.

"Disrupting the capture operation, identity verification complete, savings zero. You're worthless consumable; kill immediately!"

Just as the man was about to be turned into a pile of minced meat, Bai Mo's figure appeared like a ghost and blocked the attack.

"What are you looking at? Run!"

Bai Mo turned back to the man and said something. Upon seeing this, the homeless man scrambled away. Then, Bai Mo gave what he considered a gentle smile and said to the machine's camera:

"Hello, is this Mr. Qin Hong? I'm quite familiar with Landao Tianwu. He encountered some trouble in Northern Europe, and I've come to find you to see him. If it's convenient for you, could we meet?"

"Hello, are you there? If you are, could you please answer me?"

"This kid has really learned his lesson." In the Strongman Space, Tiandao and Electric Eye shook their heads helplessly as they watched Bai Mo's actions. Qin Hong obeyed his Tianwu without question, while Landao Tianwu disappeared in Northern Europe.

Generally speaking, Qin Hong would definitely take the bait.

However, the machine in front of them emitted a piercing low groan.

"Enemy, what are you saying? This unit only accepts your surrender. Now, surrender immediately along with the power user behind you, or else..."

With a bang, Bai Mo reached into the machine's interior with one hand, and the steel, forged with Magnetic Field Power, instantly melted. Bai Mo's hand sliced it in two as easily as cutting butter.

"Alright, the signal you just sent should have gone through. You don't need to release your signals again."

Bai Mo took a step forward, Magnetic Field Power beneath his feet was like silk threads on a spinning machine, following the signals emitted by the other machines and tracing them to the receiving signal towers.

At the same instant, ten signal towers, hundreds of miles apart, exploded in succession, their memory completely destroyed. Only the text message Bai Mo sent to Qin Hong remained. He casually threw out the molten machinery in his hand, and the molten iron instantly transformed into countless sharp blades.

Avici Hell Blade - Eighteen Levels of Hell.

Like autumn leaves swept away by the wind, the remaining machinery instantly turned into pieces of iron. Having accomplished all this, Bai Mo clapped his hands, as if he had only completed a trivial task.

At this moment, Qin Liangyu truly realized why the Qin Shi Huang had ordered everyone to obey Bai Mo's commands.

This power is the power to decide everything.

"What a farce. Hopefully, Qin Hong will take the bait. Well, the matter is resolved, and judging from the outcome, your kindness has helped you. Even a starving homeless man knows to repay kindness; it seems this city hasn't completely devoured the conscience of every single person."

Qin Liangyu stared into the direction where the man had disappeared, clenching her fist secretly. That man was a Qin person, a Qin person who still retained a conscience; she couldn't be mistaken about his accent.

"You're right, that person deserves this ration."

Is this all it's worth?

Bai Mo's words left Qin Liangyu somewhat bewildered. He waved his hand, turned around, and headed towards the mall's elevator.

"Civilizations are incredibly complex. If you only look at one side, you'll inevitably fall into a one-sided view. Perhaps on this trip, you should take a closer look around and you'll understand why your world is defined as Lostbelt."

And... why does this Blue Country exist?

Bai Mo left, leaving behind only a room key for Qin Liangyu's room and a small box that she had taken down. Qin Liangyu opened it with some confusion, and inside was a box full of roasted meat, emitting a rich aroma of meat.

"Didn't I say I didn't need it...?"

Qin Liangyu shook her head helplessly, but the sesame seed cake she had taken a bite of earlier was gone. Coming from a rural background, she had long been accustomed to eating three meals a day, and she couldn't sleep soundly if she didn't eat.

Smelling the aroma, she curiously untied the chopsticks in her hand and put one piece into her mouth.