Lin Mo had previously imagined countless possibilities for the higher-ups of Yanhuang Awakening. They would either be stubborn old men like Wen Tonghai, stoic and iron-blooded soldiers, or at the very least, serious politicians.
But what was this?
This voice, so overly sweet and coquettish that it practically dripped with honey, made him seriously doubt Dongfang Shuye's sincerity.
Dongfang Shuye's face flushed red. He quickly let out two light coughs, and as he spoke into the phone, his tone instantly became incredibly respectful:
"Director-General Long, there is an urgent matter I need to discuss with you."
The voice on the other end paused. The coquettishness dialed back a bit, taking on a more profound, lingering tone. "I recall you're over in Pengcheng, right? What could have happened to make you this nervous?"
"It's about the ability transfer technology, as well as matters concerning Perfected Beixuan of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect and Lin Mo," Dongfang Shuye reported concisely.
Soon, the crisp clacking of a keyboard echoed from the other end. A few seconds later, the voice changed completely. All traces of coquettishness vanished, leaving behind only an unquestionable seriousness and icy sharpness.
"I see it. Speak, what happened? If nothing was wrong, you wouldn't have reached out to me on your own initiative."
Dongfang Shuye thought for a moment, then recounted how Wen Tonghai had rushed over right after getting off the plane.
Throughout the entire recount, he didn't add any embellishments or exaggerate a single detail.
There was a full half-minute of silence on the other end of the line, as if she was digesting the sheer volume of information.
"Bring Elder Wen back to Tianjing. I'll hand the rest of the matters over to others to handle."
Director-General Long's voice was decisive and crisp.
"As for the issues in Yangcheng and Pengcheng, I'm putting you in full charge.
Little Leaf, I trust you not because you are a member of the Dongfang family, but because you are truly working for this country, so I still think highly of you."
"Yes!" Dongfang Shuye subconsciously stood up straight.
He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the utterly bored Lin Mo beside him, and braced himself to add:
"Um... Lin Mo, who destroyed the ability transfer technology, is right here beside me. He has some things he wants to say to you."
A few more keyboard strokes came from the other side, as if she were pulling up a more detailed file.
"Alright, let me chat with him."
Dongfang Shuye covered the mouthpiece and whispered to Lin Mo, "That's the Director-General, the supreme head of Yanhuang Awakening. It's a different level."
The underlying meaning was to tell him to rein himself in.
Lin Mo, however, acted as if he didn't understand the hint and unceremoniously took the phone.
"Hello there, Director-General Long. My name is Lin Mo."
His tone was as relaxed as if he were greeting a next-door neighbor.
The silence on the other end only lasted for a split second.
The next second, that deeply seductive and somewhat languid voice rang out once more. The end of her sentence tilted up slightly, as if harboring a smile she simply couldn't hide.
"Hello there, student Lin Mo. I see your academic records are excellent. Any interest in joining our Yanhuang Awakening? We offer a comprehensive benefits package with seven insurances and a housing fund, plus meal allowances."
Lin Mo's reaction, however, was pure indifference. He didn't even bat an eyelid as he calmly replied with a question of his own.
"If I don't join, you guys probably won't hold me accountable for destroying the ability transfer technology, right?"
As soon as these words came out, Dongfang Shuye's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked at Lin Mo.
This guy had some serious nerve!
To actually dare to speak to Director Long like this!
The amusement on the other end of the line only deepened, even carrying a hint of delight.
"I never intended to let them pursue it in the first place. To be honest, that thing is a hot potato right now. Those foreign flies have probably already caught the scent and are swarming over. We were just worrying about not having anyone to destroy it for us."
Hearing this, everyone rested their gazes on Wen Tonghai.
Wen Tonghai also understood. The news had already leaked. Once this kind of technology truly appeared, there would probably be many people who would resort to any means necessary to obtain it.
Therefore, Wen Tonghai's guarantee was just a joke.
"So, I personally still highly recommend that student Lin Mo joins our Yanhuang Awakening."
Lin Mo immediately understood the underlying meaning of this last sentence upon hearing it.
It was nothing more than an undercover game. There were moles from foreign organizations within Yanhuang Awakening, and conversely, Yanhuang Awakening definitely had informants planted within foreign organizations.
The fact that he had destroyed the technology couldn't be hidden at all.
Most crucially, the name Lin Mo had probably already appeared in the files of certain transnational organizations.
No one knew when Lin Mo would become a target. Perhaps someone would think that making a move against him would be a good thing.
So Director-General Long's implication was that by joining Yanhuang Awakening, the organization would offer him their protection.
But Lin Mo stubbornly refused.
"I'll pass on joining," he refused cleanly and decisively. "My teacher said your organization is too chaotic inside. Going in would only hinder my cultivation."
Dongfang Shuye snapped his head to look at Lin Mo. He just rejected it like that?
And it would hinder his cultivation?
Lin Mo ignored his shock and carried on speaking, "But I wouldn't mind being an external contractor. I can help out if something comes up, but normally, we stay out of each other's way. How does that sound to you, Director Long?"
The other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then burst into a string of crisp, coquettish laughter.
"Heh, interesting. You truly are a clever little rascal. You're hoping that Yanhuang Awakening can provide you with information when things happen, right?"
"Alright, I'll allow this. I'll have Little Leaf make the arrangements."
Hearing the words Little Leaf, Dongfang Shuye's cheek twitched imperceptibly.
Director-General Long's amusement didn't fade, but her voice suddenly dropped a few notches. She no longer sounded like the supreme head of Yanhuang Awakening, but rather like an affectionate, fair-skinned auntie living next door.
"However, there is one question I'd like to know the answer to."
"Ask away, Director Long." Lin Mo already had a guess in his heart.
"Ning Qingcheng was taken away by you. How do you plan to handle her?"
Just as expected.
Lin Mo's tone was completely unruffled. "Nothing much. My teacher plans to take her in as a door-locking disciple."
Hearing this, even Dongfang Shuye couldn't help but turn his head to look.
"What the heck? A door-locking disciple?" Even Director Long on the phone couldn't help but let her accent slip.
"Mhm."
Lin Mo explained with a straight face, "Originally, I was my teacher's closed-door disciple, but the old man felt that Ning Qingcheng had better talent and such a tragic background, so he made an exception and took her in as a door-locking disciple."
"..."
There was another long silence on the other end of the phone, as if she were digesting this brand new vocabulary term.
After a long while, Director Long let out a long sigh, her tone full of regret: "Let's negotiate. Can you yield Ning Qingcheng to our Yanhuang Awakening? We really need talents like her. Her talent could be put to much better use..."
"Ning Qingcheng is not an object."
Before Director Long could finish speaking, Lin Mo directly interrupted her. His voice wasn't loud, but it revealed an unquestionable firmness.
This caused everyone in the room and Director Long on the phone to freeze in stunned silence.

ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!

or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?