Friday, early morning.
Lin Mo carried a trash bag downstairs.
Inside were snack wrappers, miscellaneous tissues, and other bits of trash.
Xie Yuling was also heading down at the same time, holding a trash bag of her own.
"Let's go."
As they walked, Lin Mo casually asked, "What event did you sign up for in the school sports meet?"
"The 400-meter."
Lin Mo was a little surprised.
"Just one?"
"Yeah, I'm not great at running... but we had to pick at least one."
Lin Mo recalled the day Xie Yuling had called the police.
"Really? That day, I thought you ran pretty fast."
Xie Yuling immediately remembered.
"That was pushing my limits. At the time, I kept thinking, 'I have to run faster—I can’t let anything happen to you.' So I ran with everything I had."
Lin Mo froze for a moment. Her words struck him like an arrow to the soul.
He couldn’t help but say, "Thank you... little landlord."
Xie Yuling looked up at him, puzzled. "I didn’t really help you with anything."
"How could you say that? At the very least, your heart helped me."
Back at school, everything remained unchanged.
In the P.E. teachers’ office, Jiang Daming glanced at Coach Long’s empty seat.
During P.E. class, the students of Class Five lounged casually on the field. Li Yan, holding a class inspection form, watched them from the upper floor with a frown before heading down.
"Which class are you from?"
The students answered in unison.
Li Yan checked the schedule—this was supposed to be Coach Long’s class.
"Wait here!"
With that, he marched toward the P.E. teachers’ office.
The office was closer to the sports complex. Li Yan pulled the door open and saw all the P.E. teachers present—except Coach Long.
"Where’s Coach Long?"
The others shook their heads.
Jiang Daming spoke up, "Haven’t seen him since this morning."
Li Yan frowned, but the students still needed supervision. "In that case, Class Five is still on the field. Can someone cover Coach Long’s class?"
Jiang Daming checked the schedule. "I’ll do it, but I have another class after this. If Coach Long still isn’t back, someone else will have to take over."
Li Yan nodded and sent Jiang Daming to supervise. Meanwhile, he picked up the office phone and dialed Coach Long’s number.
The call went through, but no one answered.
"What’s with this guy? Not even picking up..."
Li Yan sighed, but there was nothing he could do except arrange for another teacher to cover Coach Long’s classes temporarily. As the dean, he was responsible for both students and faculty.
It was rare for a teacher to skip work without notice—let alone ignore calls.
That afternoon, Lin Mo was working on problems when Fang Jun rushed in through the front door.
"Hey, hey, Lin Mo! I heard Coach Long didn’t show up for class today!"
Lin Mo didn’t look up. "So what? He resigned. Isn’t it normal for him to leave?"
Jiang Yunlu, however, frowned. "Teachers with formal appointments can’t just quit on the spot. If he still wants to work in this field, he has to go through the proper resignation process."
"Maybe he took some time off to clear his head," Lin Mo said, still writing.
That made sense, but Fang Jun pressed on. "No way. The Class Five kids told me they waited half the period before Jiang Daming showed up to cover."
("Jiang Daming" was nicknamed "Xiao Ming" by the students.)
The discussion about Coach Long was eventually cut short by the class bell.
Meanwhile, Li Yan had tried calling multiple times with no response.
"These teachers are such a hassle. Even if he resigned, he can’t just vanish without a word."
He checked the faculty directory for Coach Long’s address.
Before evening self-study, he decided to check on him.
After informing another supervising teacher, Li Yan drove off.
When he knocked on Coach Long’s door, there was no answer.
Li Yan tried calling again—this time, the ringtone sounded from inside the apartment.
But still, no one picked up.
Li Yan muttered, "Could something have happened?"
He immediately dialed the police.
Officers arrived quickly with a locksmith.
The moment the door opened, a thick metallic stench spilled out.
The locksmith recoiled in shock, while the officers froze before calling for backup.
As the one who reported it, Li Yan was taken to the station for questioning.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Li. You’re free to go, but please avoid spreading details about the deceased."
"Understood. I’ll only report to the school administration. Since Coach Long was still teaching, we’ll need to make arrangements."
After Li Yan left, the officers approached the coroner.
"What’s the situation?"
"The victim had extreme alcohol levels—clearly drank himself into a stupor. Based on the scene, he likely smashed a bottle, slipped while drunk, and fell onto the shards. One pierced his artery. A textbook accidental death."
The coroner reviewed the report. The body and the glass fragments matched perfectly.
But the officer pressed further. "Time of death?"
"Between 4 and 5 AM. If you’re skeptical, check the surveillance."
The officer sighed.
"Bad luck—that complex’s cameras have been broken for ages."
"Doesn’t matter. There’s zero evidence of a second person present."
"True. Just a lonely man’s messy apartment."
......
News of Coach Long’s death spread through the school like wildfire.
Su Mingzhao was ecstatic, eagerly confirming the rumors.
With Coach Long gone, he could stay on the basketball team.
Not getting kicked off was a stroke of luck.
"Guess that’s how unpredictable life is," Jiang Yunlu remarked.
"Exactly. That’s why you’ve got to be careful. One wrong move, and you’re done," Lin Mo said flatly, as if such a fate could never touch him.
Technically, this was his second kill.
But it felt no different than setting an alarm. Lin Mo had simply used his Geass to make Coach Long die at a predetermined time.
There was no real weight to it.
No one would ever know. Lin Mo had even erased all traces of the girl involved.
Well, except for one thing—if the police dug into phone records, they might find her number.
That was the only loose end.
But she’d be fine. At worst, she’d be questioned—assuming the investigation went that far.
Either way, nothing would lead back to Lin Mo.
And with that, the thread was cut.