Brother Quan committed suicide.
When he was discovered, his forehead was a bloody mess.
Witnessing this scene, all the police officers present felt bewildered and shocked.
How could someone just bash themselves to death like that?
What kind of resolve would that take? Or was there some unspeakable secret behind it?
The case of Brother Quan was immediately taken over by the city's criminal investigation bureau.
They went straight to Brother Quan's residence, workplace, and other locations.
Soon, they uncovered his involvement in illegal loan-sharking with a group of people.
All sorts of sordid details gradually came to light.
Because of this, Goat City launched a major crackdown on these unlawful and unregulated loans.
And the root of it all? Brother Quan had simply tried to target a student.
But what followed no longer concerned Lin Mo.
Rewinding to Sunday night...
Lin Mo returned to his rented apartment. The moment he stepped inside, a message from Xie Yuling popped up.
"You okay?"
"Still awake?" Lin Mo casually replied.
Almost instantly, his phone rang. Compared to texting, Xie Yuling—still using an old-school mobile—preferred calling.
"Hey, why aren't you asleep yet?" Lin Mo asked offhandedly.
On the other end, Xie Yuling's voice was hushed as she whispered, "Almost. Heard you come back, so I just wanted to check."
Curled up in a corner of her bed, Xie Yuling hugged a fox plushie while speaking softly into the phone.
She had wanted to accompany Lin Mo to the police station, but he refused, so she had no choice but to return alone.
After getting back, she showered and then sat waiting on her bed until Lin Mo arrived.
With his spiritual sense, Lin Mo could easily detect Xie Yuling, coiled up on her bed with the fox plushie.
"It's fine. Director Huang was there, and the school is way more powerful than you'd think. If gangsters dare cause trouble at a top-tier high school, they’ll get wiped out, no question."
Most importantly, Lin Mo and the others weren’t in the wrong.
How could a random misfortune be blamed on the students?
If that were the case, the school would be utterly useless.
Especially in a top-tier high school, where most students were academic elites—future pillars of the nation.
If they were cut down before they could grow into towering trees, did the school think they were dead?
Top-tier schools are top-tier for a reason.
At an average high school, they might not care as much, even preferring students not stir up trouble.
Hearing Lin Mo's reassurance, Xie Yuling thought it made sense.
"But... could you maybe not put yourself in such dangerous situations from now on? Today was..."
Halfway through, she realized Lin Mo’s approach had actually been the best solution.
Calling the police earlier would’ve only tipped off the criminals.
So, in the end, she just said, "I know you're strong, but please protect yourself."
"Got it. I will."
After coaxing Xie Yuling like a child, she finally went to sleep.
Xie Yuling was more like a child who had closed herself off from the world.
The main reason was likely her family situation.
He’d have to ask Xie Yufei about it sometime.
Lin Mo sat down and turned on his computer.
Tonight’s incident would undoubtedly be all over the school’s online forum.
Back in 2012, forums were at their peak, teeming with talent and wild discussions.
He opened Guangba Middle School’s forum.
Sure enough, multiple posts were already discussing what happened.
Opinions varied wildly, and someone had even sneakily snapped photos of the security guards roughing up the intruders.
This kind of boldness only happened when the forum moderators were offline.
Rumors said the moderators were school staff, often cleaning up posts—especially those criticizing or cursing the school.
But moderators weren’t online 24/7, so nighttime was when chaos reigned.
Posts were a mixed bag, but everyone recognized Lin Mo as the central figure.
Soon, all sorts of rumors about him spread.
One claimed Lin Mo was a notorious womanizer who had gotten a girl pregnant outside school, leading to the confrontation.
Another insisted he had fled back to campus, forcing the school to clean up his mess.
Accusations piled up, painting Lin Mo as a complete villain.
Many clueless users asked for the truth in the comments.
Then Lin Mo spotted a user named "I’m Not Fang Jun, Are You?" tearing into the original poster.
"Someone like you, whose brain got squeezed at birth, shouldn’t be on this forum—you belong in a mental hospital.
Spreading lies? Just wait till I find out which class you’re in. The whole Class 8 will pay your homeroom a visit."
After this, Fang Jun posted his own thread, explaining the incident with some embellishments.
He glossed over their prior knowledge of the situation, crediting the school’s security team instead.
Unfortunately, Lin Mo hadn’t yet mastered the art of doxxing, so he couldn’t track down the rumor-monger through their IP.
Otherwise, he’d have taught them a lesson.
Thankfully, he’d already enlisted his classmates and Director Huang to help. Without their support, even if he were innocent, the mudslinging would’ve stuck.
But it didn’t matter now. Director Huang had promised to handle it.
As for the remaining troublemakers? They weren’t worth his time.
At Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, Director Huang took the stage to lecture students on safety awareness.
He also addressed the previous night’s events.
With an authority figure like Director Huang clarifying things, most of the negative impressions faded.
Back in the classroom after assembly, Fang Jun grumbled, "Just wait till I find out who posted that crap. They’re gonna regret it."
Nearby, Lin Jiajun flipped a page of his newspaper and remarked calmly, "I saw it last night too. Baseless speculation can sway a lot of gullible people. But tracking down anonymous trolls? Nearly impossible."
Most students, however, believed Director Huang’s account.
The fact that Lin Mo was still attending school without punishment spoke volumes.
Besides, Fang Jun’s version of events aligned much better with reality.
The hater’s claims, on the other hand, were full of holes.
At that moment, Lin Mo received a notification from his rogue system:
[Quest Completed: Eliminate the demonic cultivator and deliver righteous judgment. Sect prestige slightly increased.]
[Reward: The Art of Talisman Crafting]
A flood of knowledge about talisman inscriptions and techniques surged into Lin Mo’s mind.
[Host, pay attention and learn well. You have no idea how many rounds of poker I had to win against the Celestial Master System to snatch this reward for you.]