Awesome

The Worcestershire sauce was quickly brought over. It had a deep color and emitted a unique, tart aroma.

Before Lin Mo could even start eating, Liu Zheng and the others finally arrived.

"Layman Lin, long time no see." The little Daoist priest Shouzhen peeked his head over, still maintaining his polite and refined demeanor.

Lin Mo put down his chopsticks and looked at him with a half-smile. "It has been a while, little Daoist. Have you decided to leave the Quanzhen Sect yet?"

Shouzhen's handsome face instantly flushed red. He lowered his head, quickly walked over to the table to sit down, and muttered something under his breath, not daring to reply.

This Layman Lin, every time they met, he would try to persuade him to leave Quanzhen.

Following closely behind was Liu Zheng, who looked much more relaxed than the last time they met.

After coming over, he first looked Lin Mo up and down, then slowly and methodically adjusted the bucket hat on his head, letting out a long breath.

"Finally back in Yangcheng. It really is more comfortable here."

Before he even finished speaking, a loud, blustering complaint came from behind.

Old Bai was even more relaxed.

"Ugh, this damn place is so hard to park in."

Old Bai grumbled as he walked over, then plopped down heavily into a seat, grabbed the kettle, poured himself some water, and chugged it.

Xia Zhi, who arrived last, seemed much quieter. She walked straight to Lin Mo's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Her eyes were bright and clear, but her expression carried a hint of solemnity.

"Lin Mo, thank you and Master Beixuan for the Five Thunders Talisman."

"It was nothing."

Lin Mo waved his hand casually. His gaze swept over the four of them, and seeing that they were all intact, he couldn't help but smile.

"You all look good, arms and legs still attached. When Mister told me you used the Five Thunders Talisman, it gave me quite a scare. I thought you guys had stirred up some huge mess and ran into major trouble."

Hearing this, Liu Zheng and Old Bai subconsciously looked toward Xia Zhi.

Xia Zhi's hands, resting under the table, quietly clenched into fists. She took a deep breath and said softly, "It wasn't a big deal. We just used it to clean out a parasite in the Pengcheng branch."

"A parasite?" Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

Xia Zhi's eyes dimmed, and her voice carried a long-suppressed chill.

"I used to have a sister-in-arms, we were very close. She was assigned to Tang Hao's team."

"During a mission later on, Tang Hao issued a flawed order to lure the enemy just so he could steal the credit. It directly led to my friend being surrounded and attacked. When her body was found, her limbs... had all been severed."

Even though it wasn't his first time hearing this, Liu Zheng still took a deep breath.

Old Bai's motion to pour water froze in mid-air, and even Shouzhen sat up straight, forming a Daoist hand seal.

"But Tang Hao refused to admit his mistake."

Xia Zhi's voice trembled slightly, yet it was exceptionally clear. "He reported to the higher-ups that my friend was too eager for success and disobeyed orders, which was why she ended up like that."

"At the time, Tang Hao was already recognized as the top expert in the Pengcheng field operations team, so..."

She didn't continue, but the implication was self-evident.

"So the people above you just accepted his version of the story. How damn dark."

The smile on Lin Mo's face had long vanished completely. He looked quietly at Xia Zhi, his eyes perfectly calm—so calm it was somewhat terrifying.

"At least Mister wasn't wrong about you all; you have your reasons for doing things."

Lin Mo held his teacup, the temperature against his fingertips just right.

He glanced around. These few people gathered together truly made for a peculiar sight.

Liu Zheng, harboring righteousness in his heart but acting utterly shameless, a typical guy who would use any means necessary for the sake of justice.

Old Bai was even more pure; he was basically Liu Zheng's shadow, corrupted by him yet thoroughly enjoying it.

Xia Zhi could be considered a breath of fresh air, a righteous girl who still had light in her eyes and kindness in her heart, though her brow carried a trace of worry about the current atmosphere.

As for Shouzhen, he served as the moral paragon among them.

"Alright, it's in the past now." Lin Mo waved his hand, breaking the momentary silence. "Drink your tea, eat some dim sum. The sky isn't falling."

Liu Zheng rinsed his bowl and chopsticks before saying seriously, "Let me state this first: whatever you hear me say next, please don't get angry."

Lin Mo didn't even bother to lift his eyelids. He picked up a piece of chicken feet and gnawed on it with relish. "What, did that old geezer Wen Tonghai go to Director Long to file a malicious complaint against me?"

"Not exactly."

Liu Zheng picked up a shrimp dumpling, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice.

"It's just that people from other families at the general headquarters told Dongfang Shuye to have me monitor you, to ensure you don't act recklessly anymore."

"Dongfang Shuye told you that, didn't he? And he even told you to take the initiative to inform me." Lin Mo quickly finished a chicken foot, then skewered a steamed beef meatball.

He dipped it in the Worcestershire sauce and popped it into his mouth.

Lin Mo chewed unhurriedly, not speaking, just watching Liu Zheng.

That gaze seemed to say: Go on.

Liu Zheng sighed. "It's just talk. What it means is that our system has already flagged you as a person of high interest, just like last night..."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, then looked up. "I was purely acting in self-defense. If I had really gotten serious, I could have smashed him into meat paste."

Liu Zheng nodded repeatedly. "We know. I'm just reminding you that there are many eyes watching you."

"So what?" Lin Mo sneered, interrupting him. "Are those eyes more formidable than Wen Tonghai?"

These words actually made Liu Zheng freeze for a moment.

Indeed, a figure of Wen Tonghai's caliber was like paper in front of Lin Mo. How capable could those pen-pushers sitting in the headquarters' offices really be?

Not to mention that the Ning family had also been overthrown in an instant.

"When you put it that way... I suppose that makes sense." Liu Zheng scratched his head, trying awkwardly to save face. "But once they catch you slipping and you give them leverage, they can use the rules to deal with you..."

"Then I just won't let them find out, problem solved." Lin Mo said nonchalantly.

He paused and looked around, his gaze carrying a trace of coldness.

"Besides, who would dare to slander me?"

Lin Mo sneered.

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Bai immediately understood. He slapped his thigh and excitedly chimed in, "Exactly! If anyone dares to slander you, we won't say a word, we'll just drop a Five Thunders Talisman straight onto the crown of their head! Guaranteed to cure the problem instantly, with outstanding results!"

"Don't forget," Lin Mo added faintly, his voice not loud, but it sent a chill down Liu Zheng's spine.

"I have more than just the Five Thunders Talisman in my hands."

Lin Mo added.

"In this life, who hasn't done a few dirty deeds? If they provoke me, they better be prepared to spit out every single detail of those deeds, right down to the punctuation marks."

Hearing this, Liu Zheng's expression became extremely colorful.

A wicked thought even rose in his heart, he actually wished that those arrogant snobs at headquarters would take the initiative to provoke Lin Mo.

That scene, just thinking about it, was thrilling enough!