“Lin Mo! Are you trying to die?”
Chu You’s voice trembled slightly with a mix of embarrassment and irritation.
Lin Mo propped himself up from the floor, his movements lazy as if just waking up, with a faint stiffness barely noticeable.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, as if wanting to show his usual teasing smile, but when his gaze landed on her flushed cheeks and the defensive way she clutched the blanket, the smile faded.
“Senior Sister really is cold…” His voice still hoarse from sleep, he leisurely straightened the crumpled collar of his shirt.
“But last night, who was the one holding onto me, biting me, and wrapping their tail around me to stop me from leaving?”
Chu You was momentarily stunned by his words.
Blurry, blush-inducing memories surged uncontrollably into her mind—she seemed to have… actually bitten him… and even leaned into him on her own accord… the tail…
The realization made the blush spread instantly from her cheeks to her ears, her heart pounding like a drum.
What was even harder to ignore was the lingering heat on her chest beneath the blanket, as if Lin Mo’s palm had left a scorching warmth through her thin nightgown.
That heat carried tiny electric currents, prickling her heart so intensely she could barely breathe.
She was both embarrassed and angry, yet unable to justify herself with confidence, she could only glare at him fiercely, as if trying to tear him apart with her eyes.
Lin Mo looked at her all bluff and no strength, a faint smile flashing deep in his eyes—one even he hadn’t noticed—but his face remained calm, even innocent.
He raised a hand and lightly touched the scabbed, clear bite mark on his collarbone.
“Looks like Senior Sister has forgotten?”
His tone was flat but carried an inexplicable meaning that made Chu You even more ashamed.
“Really… used and discarded, huh.”
Those words were like the last straw, completely igniting Chu You’s embarrassment and fury.
She suddenly grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him with all her strength.
“Get lost, pervert!”
Lin Mo easily caught the flying pillow, a teasing smile playing at the corner of his lips that made her teeth itch with irritation.
He calmly retorted, “Compared to me, the one randomly sucking blood is the real pervert, isn’t it?”
“…” Chu You was at a loss for words, unable to find a rebuttal.
Watching Lin Mo theatrically raise his hands in surrender and slowly retreat out of the room, Chu You sat dumbfounded on the bed, her breathing a little rushed from lingering anger.
Once she calmed down, an even deeper sense of helplessness swept over her.
She realized she was trapped in an unsolvable loop—if she wanted to break free from Lin Mo’s control, she had to surpass him in strength; but now her divine oracle was dormant, and the only power she could wield was the Fox Demon’s primordial force; yet without the harmonizing effect of her divine oracle, forcing that power would lead to uncontrollable rampages; but if she did nothing, she would forever be trapped in his palm, at his mercy…
What irritated her even more was the vague awareness that Lin Mo’s blood seemed to effectively soothe the restless primordial force within her.
Did that mean every time her power went out of control, she’d have to swallow her pride and beg that bastard for a little “feeding”?
The absurd thought left Chu You thoroughly annoyed.
In her chaotic thoughts, her fingertips unconsciously brushed the still-warm skin on her chest, and those blush-worthy scenes flashed uncontrollably in her mind.
The faint redness that had just faded quickly returned to cover her cheeks again.
“Damn it…”
Chu You bit her teeth, got up to change clothes, and quietly resolved to find a way to seize a weakness of Lin Mo’s.
Otherwise, trapped like this with no means of counterattack, she would sooner or later be completely drained by that bastard.
After washing up and stepping out of her room, Lin Mo was sitting at the dining table eating—one had to admit, the bastard’s cooking was indeed top-notch; at least all his dishes suited Chu You’s taste.
“After breakfast, I’ll take you to school…” Lin Mo handed her a pair of chopsticks, as if he had forgotten what happened in Chu You’s room earlier, his face serious.
“Lu Ran didn’t go to the hospital yesterday, didn’t ask for leave from school, and I found out… he’s been classmates with Chen Xinyu, Xia Ji, and a boy named Xu Yuanzhou since kindergarten.”
“Hm?”
Chu You took the chopsticks, a bit surprised as she looked at Lin Mo.
“What a coincidence? But I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Xu Yuanzhou.”
Lin Mo nodded. “Yeah, he’s dead.”
Seeing Chu You’s expression grow even more shocked, Lin Mo continued, “Records show… Xu Yuanzhou died during a mutant invasion incident in the second year of middle school. At the time, he sacrificed himself to protect Xia Ji and Chen Xinyu by leading the mutants away.”
Mutant invasion, died protecting Xia Ji and Chen Xinyu…
Chu You fell silent, pondering deeply, vaguely beginning to piece the whole thing together.
“Ding—”
Lin Mo’s phone rang, breaking Chu You’s train of thought.
He glanced at the caller ID, then set down his chopsticks, answering calmly, “Hello?”
The voice on the other end mumbled something Chu You couldn’t catch, but Lin Mo’s expression shifted slightly.
“When did this happen? Where exactly?”
Chu You also put down her chopsticks, eyes full of curiosity as she looked at Lin Mo on the phone.
“Okay, got it…” Lin Mo glanced at Chu You, “I’ll head there later. Secure the scene and wait for me.”
He ended the call.
Chu You was about to ask questions but was cut off by Lin Mo’s abrupt words.
Just five short words that hit her like a hammer, freezing her curiosity, her pupils shrinking in shock.
“Initial judgment: it happened last night. Her backpack was left at the scene, inside was a student ID.”
Lin Mo’s fingers tapped unconsciously on the table as his brows furrowed.
“More importantly, a small amount of mutant residue was extracted at the scene… a kind of bodily fluid. Preliminary analysis shows it’s extremely violent and unstable. Senior Sister, do you understand what this means?”
Chu You’s face turned pale, her mind blank as she nodded.
Violent and unstable mutant bodily fluid was very likely a product of mutant experiments.
And Xia Ji’s disappearance almost directly linked her to that secret experiment.
“You go check the scene,” Chu You stood up immediately, quickly suppressing the turmoil inside to regain her usual composure.
Walking toward the entrance, she instructed, “I’ll go to school to find Chen Xinyu and Lu Ran.
Xia Ji’s disappearance can’t be separated from them.”
“Got it.” Lin Mo also stood, hesitated for a moment, then spoke as she gripped the doorknob, “Senior Sister…”
“Hm?” Chu You stopped and looked back at him.
Lin Mo masked his emotions, slightly turning his head to lower his voice, “Be careful.”
Startled by his words, Chu You paused, then quietly replied, “I know.”
Ten minutes later, at the east gate of Binhai Experimental Middle School.
A bright red banner hung over the school gate, reading 【Warm Congratulations on the 100th Anniversary of Binhai Experimental School on November 3rd】.
Chu You glanced up after stepping out of the car, then hurried into the campus.
Lu Ran and Chen Xinyu were both in the Oracle Class, their classroom located in the new teaching building on the second floor, in the best-lit spot.
With a clear goal, Chu You headed straight to the second floor.
At the classroom door, she only saw Chen Xinyu leaning against the railing alone, looking somewhat listless.
Without hesitation, Chu You grabbed Chen Xinyu’s wrist and dragged her into an empty corner of the hallway.
“Where is Xia Ji?” Chu You lowered her voice, her gaze sharp as a knife.
Startled by Chu You’s sudden appearance, Chen Xinyu’s eyes darted nervously as she stammered, “I… I don’t know…”
Chu You immediately noticed Lu Ran wasn’t beside her, lowering her voice to press, “Where’s Lu Ran? Where did he go?”
Intimidated by Chu You’s fierce aura, Chen Xinyu panicked and blurted out, “Old… No, I don’t know. I haven’t seen Lu Ran all day!”
Old?
Chu You’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Could that mean… the old teaching building?
Why would Lu Ran go there?
She loosened her grip on Chen Xinyu’s wrist a little, suspicion growing.
She sensed something was off, but with Xia Ji missing and no other leads, the old teaching building was the only place left to check.
Having thought it through, Chu You released Chen Xinyu and quickly headed in the direction of the old teaching building, a faint unease gnawing at her heart.
As she rushed, she pulled out her phone and dialed Lin Mo.
“I found something at school. Heading to the old teaching building now. Don’t hang up. If anything happens…”
Her voice faltered, then she reluctantly added, “You better not abandon me, you bastard.”
Ignoring whether Lin Mo heard her clearly, Chu You shoved the phone back into her pocket.
However, completely focused on hurrying forward, Chu You was unaware…
Not far behind her, from behind a high window in the teaching building, a pair of bloodshot eyes, filled with madness and hatred, fixedly watched her retreating figure.