Murder in the Morning News

Anna's sandwiches were made with real ingredients and didn't give him heartburn.

Li Mo savored the food, then casually asked, "Anna, how come I haven't seen Father?"

Anna replied, "The master went out early this morning. I heard the cotton import situation has become even trickier, so he hurried off to the textile mill."

"Oh..." Li Mo nodded.

The cotton couldn't get through because of the fighting, and there was nothing he could do to help with that.

The only way he could probably help was to keep improving the machines and raise the yield of quality products.

Or...

Why not use this interruption in the cotton supply to upgrade and transform the spinning mill?

The family's textile mill was very important to Li Mo. It was, one could say, an industrial park of the highest quality.

It had ready-made steam power and skilled mechanics.

This cotton crisis might be an opportunity.

If he came up with a viable plan, the chances of his father taking his advice would increase considerably.

On the weekend, he could go to the mill and find his eldest sister, Sarah, then get her and their father together for a proper discussion about upgrading and transforming the mill.

He finished his sandwiches.

Li Mo stole a glance at Anna.

Anna looked as normal as ever. She cleared everything away and went into the washroom.

Am I imagining it? Li Mo wondered... He always felt that something had changed between him and Anna, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

His senses were quite sharp.

Anna seemed calm, but she was actually holding herself together with all her might.

What had happened that morning really had given her a fright.

When did Li Mo get so big? He's not cute anymore!

Anna quietly reflected on it.

She shouldn't treat him like a child anymore. What child looked like that?

They would still have to sleep together in the future, but it would mainly be so she could keep an eye on him.

She needed to keep a little distance and be mindful of the boundaries between men and women, or else...

An image came to Anna's mind.

If Li Mo really shamelessly pestered her, then... she didn't know what would happen.

Anna didn't want to think about it any further.

She finished washing the dishes and changed into her school uniform.

When she walked back into the hall,

Li Mo was already dressed and waiting for her in the entrance hall.

The two walked out of the house.

Wayne happened to be approaching from a short distance away.

Such was the understanding between old friends: their timing was just right.

Wayne took off his hat and held it to his chest, greeting them like a proper gentleman. "Good morning, sir and miss. The outdoor morning breeze is cool today, making it an excellent day for an outing."

Li Mo paused, nearly mishearing "outdoor morning breeze"...

He scratched his head and greeted him. "Morning, morning."

Anna also gave him a slight nod. "Good morning, Wayne."

Once the three had gathered, they walked side by side toward the academy.

Wayne took out the Mondel Morning News and assumed his usual role as newsboy.

"Let's hear what interesting things have happened in this little town."

"Hmm, let me see... Renowned physician Mr. Morris, drawing on his profound medical expertise and using his exclusively formulated herbal extracts, has successfully cured a noblewoman suffering from hysteria. Still troubled by your wife's hysteria? Contact Dr. Morris now..."

This is a damn ad! Li Mo thought.

Leaving aside Mr. Morris's medical skills, he certainly knew how to market himself.

No wonder Father had paid to bring him over...

Wayne wasn't very interested in that piece of news either, so he read on.

"Today's headline: shocking murder at a textile mill in the western district! The article says that a young man who worked at the mill was found dead late last night in a low-rent apartment on the premises. The deceased suffered a fatal slash wound to the neck, and there were clear signs of a struggle at the scene. The Mondel Town Police Department has launched a full investigation and preliminarily determined that this was a particularly heinous murder..."

When Wayne finished reading the passage, he frowned. "A murder, just a few streets away from us. That's pretty frightening."

Anna turned her head and glanced discreetly at Li Mo.

The young master had only just recovered from a serious illness and was still very weak. If he encountered any thugs on his way to or from school or while he was out, he wouldn't be able to resist at all, and something could easily happen to him.

At that thought, Anna became even more convinced that sleeping in the same room as Li Mo during this period was the right decision.

It's all about protecting him!

Wayne continued scanning the paper. After reading a few more stories, he reached the notice section at the end.

"The last item is an official notice about the port. Early this morning, the Mondel Port Authority issued an emergency notice: due to a leak of an unidentified industrial dye at Pier No. 3, the eastern port area is under complete lockdown effective immediately, in order to prevent the spread of contamination and ensure public safety. Anyone without a special pass issued by the Port Authority is prohibited from entering or leaving the area. Security officers stationed there will conduct strict identity checks."

Wayne folded the paper and put it back in his pocket.

He sighed worriedly. "A murder, a port lockdown... It feels like Mondel Town hasn't been very peaceful lately either. Living in such turbulent times, I don't know what I can do."

Li Mo said, "Don't overthink it. Just do what you're supposed to do. Our top priority right now is to study hard. Don't forget our promise to go to the Royal Academy of Sciences together."

"The Royal Academy of Sciences?" Wayne gave a wry smile. "I'll do my best."

Li Mo actually had a plan in mind.

He had never expected Wayne to get into the Royal Academy of Sciences through his own efforts.

That wasn't very realistic.

His idea was to write a paper on his invention of the self-excited DC generator.

If he sent the paper to the Royal Academy of Sciences, it would certainly achieve great results.

Once the people at the Royal Academy of Sciences took an interest in him, he could naturally bring Wayne and Anna into the academy with him as research assistants or family members.

In the kingdom, as long as you were outstanding enough, never mind bringing two people along-even five or ten was possible.

Fortunately, Wayne didn't know about Li Mo's plan yet.

Otherwise, he would definitely be so excited that he would do something crazy.

It was like having a roommate who got a guaranteed postgraduate place and insisted on taking you along. A person like that was generally called a godfather.

As they chatted, the three arrived at school.

Quite a few people were sitting in the classroom.

Matthew seemed to be in a very good mood today. He was smiling as he chatted with a few classmates around him.

From time to time, he glanced at Helen, making her lower her head awkwardly.

There was definitely a bit of harassment in that.

Li Mo couldn't be bothered to intervene. He had plenty to do today: he still needed to visit Professor Blythe and put his paper in order. He was busy.

Anna and Wayne also took their seats, one after the other.

The smile on Matthew's face grew a little brighter. He suddenly looked at Li Mo curiously and asked,

"Hey, Li Mo, didn't you go apply to be Professor Blythe's assistant yesterday? How did it go? Did you get accepted?"