The gate of the Core Area slowly rose.
Lin Mo put down the tablet in his hand and saw the girl carrying luggage, looking dejected.
“A little late, but at least you made it in time.”
He looked at the luggage in her hand, frowned, and pointed at her.
“Is that all you have?”
“Yeah? Just some clothes and valuables. I didn’t have much to begin with.”
Su Yu lifted her bag as she spoke, looking relaxed, which proved it wasn’t heavy.
“I didn’t plan to take anything too heavy. It’s not like I’m living here forever. Packing and unpacking would be too much trouble.”
Since Lin Mo had everything she needed, she could just use his stuff without feeling guilty.
Lin Mo didn’t say anything else.
He slowly stood up and waved at her.
“Leave your luggage here for now. We’ll set up your room later. First, let’s have dinner. It’ll be time to sleep soon.”
“Leave it here? But…”
Su Yu looked around but didn’t see a good place to put it.
Just as she looked up, Lin Mo was already walking away.
“Hey, wait for me!”
She let go of her bag, dropped it on the floor, and hurried after him.
Soon, a small robot came in, grabbed the luggage bag, and left.
…
Before Su Yu arrived, Lin Mo had already started preparing dinner.
His timing was perfect—she arrived just in time to enjoy hot food.
“Wow, you made all this? I didn’t know you had this skill…”
As soon as Su Yu entered the kitchen, she saw a table full of dishes.
More than half were ingredients she’d never seen before or only in movies.
The delicious smell filled the room and hit her nose.
Her stomach started growling.
“I thought a science guy like you would be lacking in daily life… but you’re actually an all-rounder.”
“Compared to you, I’m pretty useless, aren’t I?”
Su Yu put on a disappointed expression.
Even though it was true, she didn’t really mind.
“No one is an all-rounder. Everyone has flaws. Actually, I can’t cook either. We’re only eating hot food tonight thanks to it.”
Lin Mo smiled and pointed at the chef robot waiting in the corner, a hint of pride in his eyes.
He might not be able to learn every skill in the world, but he could use them freely through science—that was why he was obsessed with it.
“Anyway, try its cooking first. I built this model a long time ago but never tested it. It’s been stored away until today.”
“Your evaluation will determine whether I make further improvements.”
Su Yu shifted her gaze from the robot and sat directly across from him as he invited.
“What an honor… Are you planning to dismantle it if I say it’s bad?”
The girl blinked her big eyes at Lin Mo, as if she really wanted to know the answer.
Lin Mo shook his head and just poured himself a glass of milk.
“Not that. But I might consider updating its system and database to make it more practical, so it doesn’t fall behind and get phased out.”
“After all, learning never ends. Old machines need to be replaced with new ones. The same goes for people—you have to keep learning and improving to keep up with the times.”
…
Su Yu was silent for a moment, then pulled her thoughts back to reality and pouted.
“You always talk so philosophically. Is that a required course for becoming a scientist?”
“Of course not… I just spend too much time dealing with data. I’ve gotten used to it.”
After a long day, Lin Mo was exhausted.
He rubbed his temples, took off his glasses, and set them on the table.
He looked up at Su Yu.
“The new base still needs some time to get running. You can ask me anything you don’t understand. I also have a lot of things I need your help with.”
“By the way, how was work today? Did it go smoothly?”
As soon as Su Yu heard the word “work,” her smile instantly dropped, replaced by a bitter face.
“Don’t even mention it… Today was one problem after another. I couldn’t keep up.”
“You have no idea… that reporter just wouldn’t stop asking questions… it was endless…”
…
The girl opened up like a floodgate and started venting to him.
Lin Mo didn’t interrupt her complaints.
He just listened silently, nodding in sympathy while jotting down useful information.
Su Yu talked nonstop for a long time, pouring out everything she’d encountered that day and all her inner complaints, until her mouth went dry.
She paused to drink some water.
“This is an unavoidable part of being a professional hero. Commercial organizations work like this. Get used to it for now. Once you’re promoted to S-Class, you won’t have to worry about these trivial matters anymore.”
Seeing that she’d stopped talking, Lin Mo added that at the right moment, setting down his chopsticks.
“For now, stay in the base and train, and cooperate with my experiments. Don’t go out on your own except for necessary assignments.”
“These days might not be peaceful…”
Su Yu’s expression turned serious.
A flicker of worry passed through her eyes.
She bit her chopsticks and finally couldn’t help asking.
“Is it because of that monster we met on the subway today? He seemed to have a grudge against you…”
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head.
“Not because of that… Honestly, I don’t even remember that monster. Before the incident, I didn’t know it was targeting me. Luckily, you were on the train, or it would have been tricky.”
“No need to thank me for doing my job. But that monster was such a clown—planning for so long, saying all those awkward lines, and in the end, you didn’t even remember it. I wonder if it’ll explode when it finds out.”
Su Yu joked, her beautiful peach blossom eyes curving into crescents.
Lin Mo was silent for a moment.
“Hmm… that’s actually a problem. I still have to watch out for unknown old grudges like that. Who knows when the next mess will pop up.”
He muttered to himself, then realized there was someone sitting across from him.
He snapped back to reality and sighed as he explained.
“Actually, our move isn’t because of that either… Forget it. Just do as I say.”
Lin Mo hesitated but ultimately decided not to tell Su Yu about his family issues.
After all, it wasn’t a pleasant topic.
Seeing that he seemed reluctant to talk, Su Yu tactfully nodded.
She felt a little disappointed but quickly let it go.
She tried to change the subject, because the atmosphere was getting a bit heavy.
“Oh, I forgot to mention. When I was being interviewed at the Hero Association today, I ran into that S-Class hero again.”
“You mean Fu Le?”
Lin Mo’s brow instantly furrowed.
Clearly, he had no good feelings toward that woman, who was also an S-Class hero.
“What did she want from you?”
Su Yu hesitated, but finally decided not to hide it from Lin Mo.
More importantly, she hoped he could give her some advice.
“She… wanted me to pledge allegiance to a deity. Said I could gain divine power. But she was being all mysterious and I didn’t really believe her, so I turned her down…”
Lin Mo picked up his glasses from the table, put them back on, and his sharp gaze made Su Yu feel a little creeped out.
“Mei Shen?”
He paused for two seconds, then spat out those two words.
“Has ‘It’ ‘gazed’ upon you?”
“What do you mean by ‘gazed’?”
Su Yu shrank back involuntarily, not understanding why Lin Mo had such a strong reaction.
“Then it hasn’t.”
Lin Mo leaned back against the sofa cushion.
His eyes flickered, then settled on Su Yu.
“It’s literal. If you had truly been ‘gazed’ upon, you’d understand what I mean.”
Su Yu scratched her head, feeling more confused than ever.
Lin Mo continued.
“My opinion is that a deity’s favor is precious and hard to come by. If you encounter it, grab hold of it. But there’s one thing…”
“You can’t trust the words of an apostle. You can’t believe anything that woman Fu Le promises. Compared to the deity, her motives are unclear. So you’d better stay away from her.”
By this point, Su Yu understood some things and felt a chill of fear.
“So I almost got led astray? Good thing I kept my wits…”
She shook her head and sighed.
“There are really too many bad people out there… hard to guard against…”
“That’s why it’s good to consult me when you’re unsure.”
Lin Mo was actually pleased with how dependent she was on him now.
At least he didn’t have to worry about her as much.
“I know you’re craving power, but ‘divine power’ is a rare thing. You don’t need to chase it deliberately. The magic we commonly use is also powerful enough to change the world.”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll give you another enhancement potion. Then you can begin more advanced magic training.”
Even though he was already exhausted, Lin Mo cared so much about her growth that she had to show matching enthusiasm.
“I’ll keep working hard!”