Helen, Why the Bubble Teapot Are You Blushing?

"The police also knew Helen disappeared while heading toward the harbor, so they must have searched this area thoroughly. In other words, we don't need to look anywhere too ordinary. We need to find somewhere the police missed..."

Li Mo finished speaking.

Wayne analyzed the situation. "A highly cautious killer would never dare take Helen into town. He'd have to hide her somewhere nearby. Obviously, the police would have searched the cabins inside and out, so what he needed was an underground space... somewhere like a cellar, a dry well, or a naturally formed, concealed cave. If I were him, I'd also use leaves or something similar to camouflage it."

Wayne did know a thing or two about criminal psychology.

Li Mo nodded in agreement, then instantly activated Sage Mode... uh, Focus mode.

He observed the details and searched for traces.

"Found them. There are footprints here."

"They're a little faint, but you can still make them out. They're deeper than those of a person walking normally, and the right footprint is noticeably deeper than the left."

After Li Mo spoke, Anna looked down for a moment and found she couldn't see a thing. What footprints?

When faced with something she couldn't understand, she chose to stop thinking about it.

Li Mo really was worthy of being her master. Even without Mysticism Perception, he was still insanely overpowered...

The three followed the trail deeper into the woods.

After about ten-odd minutes, the trail disappeared.

Li Mo came out of his focused state. "The trail ends here."

"Leave it to me."

Anna stepped forward, tossed out some powder, and started the ritual!

"I see it..."

"There's a cellar hidden underneath here..."

By the time the ritual ended, Anna was exhausted. Li Mo held her in his arms like a delicate little wife.

Wayne stepped forward and used his sword cane to push aside the layer of fallen leaves concealing the ground. Sure enough, a hatch was revealed.

He put away his sword cane, gripped the iron ring with both hands, and gave a low grunt as he pulled upward with all his strength.

The hatch lifted open. Li Mo struck a match and warned in a low voice:

"Stay alert."

Holding Anna, he slowly descended the steps.

The cellar was small enough to see from one end to the other at a glance.

There were beads of water on the walls, and by the moonlight, they saw Helen curled up in a corner.

Helen's hands were tied behind her back, a rag was stuffed in her mouth, and she was still unconscious.

"Helen!"

Anna roused herself and hurried over. She removed the rag from Helen's mouth and checked her breathing.

"She's still breathing!"

Wayne used his sword cane to cut the hemp rope binding Helen's wrists.

Then he put his sword away, turned around, and lifted Helen onto his back.

Li Mo said, "Retreat!"

The three had just stepped out of the cellar.

Then they heard footsteps behind them.

The person approaching seemed a little surprised. "How did you find this place?"

Without hesitation, Li Mo lit a flashbang. "Turn away from the flash!"

The man was puzzled. Turn away from the flash? What does that mean?

Anna and Wayne closed their eyes in perfect sync, turned around, and covered their ears with both hands.

Boom-!

A deafening blast erupted.

The mixture containing high concentrations of magnesium powder and potassium chlorate was released in an instant.

The man had no time to react. He covered his eyes and staggered backward, cursing inwardly:

A Mystical Artifact! You're using it on me? Was that really necessary?!

The instant the white light faded, Anna spun around and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang!

It was dark, and the revolver's accuracy was very limited. Anna wasn't sure whether she'd hit him and could only say, "Go!"

The three got their bearings and sprinted through the woods.

Li Mo wasn't in good physical condition. He had only just recovered from a serious illness, and after maintaining his focused state for too long, every step he ran was agonizing.

Anna wasn't doing much better. She had already used three Mystical Rituals that day and was gritting her teeth to keep going.

Wayne went without saying. He was carrying Helen on his back! He couldn't pick up speed at all!

Worse still, the man behind them seemed to have gotten back up.

He seemed to have been shot, but not in a vital spot. After recovering from the intense light, he began chasing them.

Was he trying to collect their souls or what?!

Li Mo said, "Throw a flashbang!"

Wayne said, "Okay!"

He freed a hand, struck a match, and flung it back over his shoulder!

But this time it wasn't as effective as the first. The man was clearly on guard and already knew to close his eyes and cover his ears.

Anna didn't forget to seize the opportunity. She turned and fired a blind shot.

Bang!

The shot was meant to suppress him. Although it missed, it succeeded in making him pause for a moment.

"Don't stop. Keep running."

Anna caught up with the others and calmly reported how much ammunition she had left. "Three rounds."

Bang! Bang!

Flashbang!

Bang-!

The man following them was having a hell of a time. What happened to a real man-to-man fight? Why the fuck were they playing with props?

With all their bullets and equipment used up, Li Mo and the others finally stumbled out of the woods.

There was no one on the main road.

Wayne panted heavily and said in a low voice, "No, we can't run back along the main road. He'll definitely catch us."

True. Li Mo thought, The town center is still at least two miles from here. There's no time to go to the police station for help.

Where's the nearest evacuation point?

A thought flashed through Li Mo's mind-

The docks!

They were close to the docks.

And Professor Bryce had said that the docks were currently under full military control, and that the military wouldn't harm civilians.

Li Mo made his decision. "Go! To the docks!"

The three immediately changed direction and headed toward the docks at full speed.

Behind them, the tall figure stumbled out of the woods, spotted the direction they'd taken, and pursued them again.

He was relentlessly chasing them!

The distance between them was closing bit by bit...

Seeing that this couldn't go on, Li Mo turned, pulled out the metal coil, and roared, "Goddess of the Moon! Deploy!"

With that, he threw the coil.

The man was indeed startled. He backed away three steps, eager to get as far away from it as possible!

Li Mo seized the opportunity to widen the gap again.

This time, a tall iron fence finally appeared ahead.

"Halt! Who goes there!"

Two fully armed soldiers raised their guns.

Li Mo held both hands high and shouted, "Civilians! We're residents of the town! Someone's chasing us and trying to kill us! My friend's injured and needs help!"

The soldiers got a clear look at them and, after confirming there was no further threat behind them, came forward.

One of them looked over Li Mo and the other two, a hint of surprise appearing on his face.

"Students?"

Li Mo nodded. "I'm a student at Wellington Academy. The three of them attend Puxiu Academy in town."

The soldier was taken aback. Wellington! Every student at that academy is a genius in mysticism, not someone to mess with.

He waved, signaling the soldiers to stand down.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. This is a military-controlled area. No matter who's chasing you, he won't dare cause trouble here."

Li Mo looked back. Sure enough, there was no sign of the man.

He marveled inwardly, Soldier boys really do make you feel safe!

The soldier turned, beckoned over a communications soldier, and quietly gave him a few instructions.

The communications soldier acknowledged his orders and quickly ran deeper into the docks.

"Come with me. Things are unusual tonight, so I can't let you run around outside the perimeter. Wait in that room for now. I'll send someone to notify the local police station in a bit and have them send a carriage to pick you up. Remember, stay in the room. Don't wander off or look around. Understood?"

Li Mo and the other two nodded repeatedly.

Guided by a soldier, they entered the brick building.

The room was piled full of documents and a few wooden crates, with two benches in the corner.

Wayne carefully laid Helen flat on a bench, then collapsed onto the floor, gulping down the fresh air.

"We made it..." Wayne said, still shaken.

Anna leaned against Li Mo to rest, while Li Mo pulled over a wooden crate and sat down.

They had succeeded.

Fucking awesome!!

We not only escaped, but also rescued Helen safe and sound!

Li Mo thought that was incredibly cool.

On a personal level, they had saved their friend.

From a more practical perspective, Helen's rescue meant Mr. Green would become his loyal dog.

The next time he went to Mr. Green's house, he could sit down on the sofa and say, "Oi, Green, if you don't pour me some water, is the cup going to fly into your Brother Li's hand by itself?"

Besides, the Greens were quite wealthy. The Victoria Town redevelopment plan could start with their family.

Aside from that foreseeable gain, there was an unexpected bonus.

By a twist of fate, he had actually made it inside the docks.

There was known to be a powerful Mystical Artifact stored inside the docks. Who wouldn't be desperate to get their hands on it and study it?

But Lu Xun had once said: curiosity killed the cat.

He'd better not mess around for now. If he were mistaken for a spy from the Northern Kingdom...

The soldier boys would be like, Shoot you dead~

Li Mo sighed.

Damn it, if I could just study it for one day, I'd even be willing to marry Anna!

He wondered if he could discuss it with the empress.

Wasn't the empress quite interested in him? They could have a chat, then.

There was still some time before the autumn equinox, enough for him to do a lot of things.

He would perfect his pure mathematics paper and submit it to the Kingdom Mathematical Association; he would also send the plans and paper for the self-excited direct-current generator directly to the Royal Academy of Sciences through Professor Bryce.

Not only that, he also needed to produce a scientific achievement with greater visual impact.

For example, he could make the world's first true incandescent light bulb.

He could use a stable electric light source to illuminate the academy's entire square.

As long as these achievements rocked the kingdom's academic circles before the autumn equinox, they would surely attract the empress's attention.

When the time came, as the creator of epoch-making technology, he could request to conduct an academic observation and study of the Mystical Artifact before the surprise attack. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

"Water..."

Just then, Helen murmured.

Anna reacted immediately. She found a military tin water flask, unscrewed the cap, and sniffed it. After confirming it was clean water, she went over to the bench.

She carefully supported the back of Helen's neck and brought the rim of the flask to her dry, cracked lips.

The water moistened Helen's throat.

Helen's eyelashes fluttered a few times.

The anesthetic was beginning to wear off.

She murmured a few times, then slowly opened her eyes.

Her vision gradually cleared.

The first thing she saw was Anna's face.

Helen froze for two seconds.

Memories flashed through her mind.

Running alone, the attack in the dark, the suffocating rag, the endless fear...

And now.

She saw a familiar face.

Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

Helen threw herself into Anna's arms. "Anna... Anna!"

Anna gently patted Helen's back. "Don't cry, don't cry. It's all right now. You're safe."

Helen sobbed in Anna's arms. "...W-where are we now?"

Anna answered, "We're at the docks. There are soldiers stationed here, and we're waiting for someone to come take us home."

Helen choked out, "Thank you, Anna... Thank you for coming to save me... Boohoo..."

Anna said, "You should thank Li Mo. He was the one who arranged most of it. He found the clues you left behind, planned the route to track you down, and made the weapons we used to escape."

At the mention of Li Mo, Helen slowly raised her head and finally noticed him.

Their eyes met, and Helen was instantly overcome with social anxiety. She immediately lowered her head and said, "Thank you... Thank you, Young Master Li Mo..."

By the time she said those words, Helen's face had turned red.

Anna tilted her head slightly and thought, Helen, what the bubble teapot are you blushing for?

Helen seemed to notice the strange look beside her.

She quietly turned her head and met Anna's gaze. Her whole body shuddered, and she quickly burrowed into Anna's arms, not daring to say another word.

A moment later, Helen suddenly raised her head and said, "The murderer!"

Li Mo, Anna, and Wayne all turned to look at her.

"What murderer?" Wayne tightened his grip on his sword cane, thinking Helen meant the murderer had caught up with them.

Helen shook her head repeatedly. "No... The person who kidnapped me-I remember now! I think I've seen what that murderer looks like in the newspaper."

"The newspaper?"

Wayne froze for a moment.

As Li Mo's morning paperboy, he was in the habit of carrying a few recent newspapers whenever he went out.

"I have some newspapers here. Want to take a look and see if you remember?"

Helen looked at the newspaper.

She had only reached the first page when she immediately pointed and said, "That's him!"

Wayne looked where she was pointing and was dumbfounded. It read:

[Morris Clinic: Professional eradication of hysteria, authoritative practitioner of bloodletting therapy.]

Wasn't that fucking Dr. Morris?

He was the quack who had gone to Li Mo's house not long ago and tried to treat him with bloodletting!