Flashbang!

After leaving the school with Anna and Wayne, Li Mo said, "We know Helen most likely disappeared on her way to the docks. In a little while, we'll search along the road to the docks and see if there are any clues."

As long as they found the scene of the crime, Anna could use Ember Rewind.

By following the trail, they might be able to track down the killer's hiding place.

But that also meant they could come face-to-face with the killer at any point during their search.

When they reached an intersection, Wayne hailed a carriage.

After the three climbed aboard one by one, Anna asked, "When you say 'in a little while,' do you mean we're going somewhere else first?"

Li Mo said, "Yes. We'll make some equipment first. There's some risk involved this time, so we need to prepare a few more contingencies to keep ourselves safe."

Wayne asked curiously, "What kind of contingencies? Mystical Artifacts?"

Li Mo gave the driver the name of the largest chemical supplier in town, then said, "Products of science."

After buying the materials, Li Mo returned home.

His father had gone out again to deal with the cotton supply crisis at the spinning mill, and the old butler came to greet them.

Li Mo gave a few brief instructions, then led Anna and Wayne into his temporary workshop.

Time to get started.

He tossed a magnesium strip to Wayne and said, "Use a file to grind this magnesium strip into powder and collect it in that glass dish."

Wayne asked, puzzled, "What can this do?"

"Blind the bastards."

Li Mo put on a pair of gloves, took out a ceramic mortar, and poured in an appropriate amount of potassium chlorate crystals.

Potassium chlorate was highly explosive when subjected to intense friction or impact.

He could only use a wooden tool to grind it gently in circles...

Anna watched what Li Mo was doing and asked, "Are you going to mix those two things together?"

"Yep. Magnesium powder releases heat when it burns, but under normal conditions, it doesn't burn fast enough. Adding potassium chlorate, a strong oxidizer, can provide it with plenty of oxygen."

"We call this mixture flash powder. Pack it up, add a delay fuse, light it and throw it, and it's enough to leave any unprepared adult completely blind for a short time."

Anna imagined the scene and said, "What about us? Won't we be affected?"

Li Mo said, "Anna, we can turn away from the flash."

Anna looked thoughtful.

A few hours later, they were finished.

Li Mo took the other two outside to test it.

He lit the fuse with a match-

Bang! Bang!

Wayne instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, and several seconds passed before he could recover.

"That was a weaker version," Li Mo said. "The ones we have here actually contain dozens of times as much powder."

Wayne was very interested!

He didn't dare open his eyes, but he still said excitedly, "Li, I want to learn how to make this!"

Li Mo packed the flashbangs into separate shockproof leather pouches and handed one each to Wayne and Anna.

"Sure. This is science at its core. Study hard from now on, and you'll be able to figure these things out yourself. You could even make more powerful ones."

"I see..." Wayne murmured.

It suddenly occurred to him that Mysticism Perception was inborn, and he had no hope of ever having it.

But science was just as Li Mo had said: as long as he studied it, he could master it.

A seed took root and sprouted in his heart. Why did he suddenly want to study hard? He felt a bit of an urge to blind some bastards...

Once the three were ready, they hailed another carriage and headed toward the docks.

The carriage rattled along the cobblestone road.

Sitting inside, Wayne couldn't help asking, "Li, since science is so amazing, if I get good at it, will I have a chance to make something like an invisibility cloak someday?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Wayne, please stop saying things that make you sound like a pervert."

Wayne said earnestly, "I'm defining my role! Isn't my role on the team the scout? Scouting ahead and gathering information! It's perfectly normal for a scout to need flashbangs, right? And perfectly normal for a scout to need an invisibility cloak, right?"

Looking at Wayne's earnest expression, Li Mo thought, So you're the one leading the charge.

Anna sneered. "You'd better be. You'd better not use an invisibility cloak to do something as filthy as peeping on people."

Wayne said, "Don't say that."

Outwardly, he remained unmoved, maintaining the stern expression of a misunderstood gentleman, but inwardly he clicked his tongue. Damn, she really sees right through me.

The carriage stopped three blocks from the docks.

"We'll have to walk from here."

This was the last place Helen had been seen.

Li Mo took a deep breath and entered a state of focus.

He walked forward along the edge of the street.

If Helen had been kidnapped...

According to Locard's exchange principle, every contact leaves a trace.

He walked very slowly.

He observed carriage tracks on the ground, paw prints left by a stray dog on a stone ledge, and broken weed stems in the cracks between the bricks.

He continued looking, and no one spoke along the way.

Half an hour later.

Li Mo stopped beside an extinguished gas lamp.

In a corner that most people would have had trouble noticing, there seemed to be a dark blue enamel button.

He brushed aside the fallen leaves and took it out.

Anna recognized it at a glance:

"That's a button from the cuff of Helen's coat. Helen's been wearing that dark blue coat these past few days. I remember the style; it's a replacement button she sewed on herself."

"Mm, I'd guess this is where it happened."

Li Mo guessed that Helen had been attacked here and that the button had come off during the struggle and rolled into the crack.

He stepped back to give Anna room. "Anna, it's up to you."

Anna immediately scattered black carbon powder into the air.

She traced a pattern with one hand, and the ritual began!

"I see it..."

Anna's voice was faint:

"Helen ran here. It seems she was trying to leave."

"Suddenly, a man grabbed her from behind."

"Helen was terrified and struggled hard."

"But a cloth was pressed over Helen's face."

"Helen gradually lost consciousness."

"The man picked Helen up and carried her over his shoulder. Damn it... I still can't see his face clearly..."

Anna's eyelids twitched violently as she tried to track where the man went.

"It looks like he headed toward the woods, the birch woods to the west."

The image faded.

The carbon powder in the air lost its support and rustled to the ground.

Anna was even weaker after performing the ritual this time, and her strength gave out completely.

Li Mo caught her and held her firmly.

Beside them, Wayne marveled, "This Mystical Ritual is way too useful..."

He looked at Li Mo and asked, "Boss, can I learn it? Is there still a chance for me?"

Li Mo was still in focus mode.

Hearing Wayne's question, his perfunctory personality came online, and he casually gave an affirmative response.

He was mainly looking in the direction Anna had indicated.

The birch woods to the west were dense, and few people usually went in.

If the killer wanted to hide an unconscious person, this was indeed the best choice.

After thinking it over, Li Mo exited his state of focus and said, "Anna needs time to recover. We'll use that time to prepare, then slip in under cover of darkness as soon as night falls."

He turned to Anna and Wayne, his expression serious:

"Remember, our main objective is to make sure Helen is safe and sneak her out if possible. Once we have her, we retreat immediately. Try to avoid a direct confrontation with the killer. Our own safety comes first."

"What if we're discovered?" Wayne asked.

"We throw a flashbang in his face, Anna shoots, and then we run."

The two nodded.

They waited and rested quietly.

Time passed, and night fell.

Two bright moons, one red and one white, rose into the sky, casting their bewitching, cold light over Mondel Town.

The wind blew through the streets, carrying a few distant barks.

The darkness provided cover for their operation.

Anna reached inside her clothes and pulled out a revolver.

She moved the hammer and checked the cylinder.

Wayne turned his wrist and drew his cane sword with a metallic ring.

Li Mo made sure the flashbang was still in its leather pouch and said:

"Let's go!"