You Are Not Worthy

Lin Mo was practically developing a path dependence on the police station.

This was already his umpteenth trip here.

Lin Mo, Xie Yuling, and that unlucky locksmith finished recording their statements separately. The process went very smoothly.

Before arriving, Lin Mo had used his divine sense to communicate with Xie Yuling, aligning their stories: the two of them were strolling nearby and happened to bump into those three picking the lock when they returned home.

Simple, clear, and flawless.

Just as Lin Mo came out of the interrogation room and was about to head to the mediation room, a few people walked in through the main doors of the police station.

Oh, they were all familiar faces.

The man in the lead locked onto Lin Mo at a glance. He strode over aggressively, his voice loud enough to blow the roof off.

"What's going on! Lin Mo! Why are you here?! The police said your aunt was arrested."

The newcomer was Lin Mo's eldest uncle, Lin Yucheng.

Back then, he was the one who single-handedly managed the funeral of Lin Mo's parents.

Naturally, the funeral money received from the guests was also safekept by him as a matter of course.

The reason?

Did he need a reason to bully a half-grown kid?

If this uncle hadn't cared somewhat about his own reputation and hadn't gone as far as Lin Shulan, who directly whipped out an IOU to force him to sign it, Lin Mo probably would have been sleeping under a bridge a long time ago.

Therefore, facing this uncle in name only, Lin Mo didn't offer a single extra expression. His eyes were as cold as ice.

"I was the one who sent her in."

Lin Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "She hired someone to pick the lock of my house, trying to steal the gold jewelry my mom left behind. As the victim, is it strange for me to call the police?"

With one sentence, he choked back the whole speech Lin Yucheng had prepared, even though they didn't believe Lin Mo's words.

The people following him, including Liu Feng, the husband of Lin Mo's aunt, were all dumbfounded.

The scene became extremely awkward for a moment.

Liu Feng had always been a spineless man with no opinions of his own, listening to his wife, Lin Shulan, for everything at home.

But right now, with his wife locked inside, he couldn't just act like a coward as a husband.

He rubbed his hands together, bit the bullet, and took a step forward, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying.

But even at a time like this, he still took the initiative to step forward.

"Xiao Mo, look... it won't look good if this blows up. She is your aunt, after all. Just be magnanimous and let her off this once."

Lin Mo's gaze swept across his face, as if looking at a joke.

"I let her off?"

He asked in return, his tone suddenly rising, carrying a long-suppressed hostility.

"If I let her off, when did she ever let me off? Hmm? When she brought out that IOU at the funeral, did she let me off? Now, when picking my lock and trying to steal my mom's relics, did she ever think about letting me off?"

The barrage of questions was like rapid gunfire, every word smashing into the faces of Liu Feng and Lin Yucheng.

"You all think I'm just a kid and easy to bully, is that it?"

"Lin Mo! Shut up! We are your elders!" Lin Yucheng's old face flushed the color of pig liver. He had finally found an angle to retort, trying to use his seniority to suppress him.

"Elders?"

Lin Mo laughed, the sound full of mockery.

"I don't have such elders! After my parents passed away, every single one of you—who has ever fulfilled their duties as an elder? I have no such elders. As far as I'm concerned, none of you deserve to be called my elders! You don't deserve it!"

The last few words were practically roared out.

Lin Mo uncharacteristically lost control of his emotions.

The grievances and anger that had been pent up in his heart for years completely burst forth at this moment.

The people before him didn't deserve death, but the pain they had caused was deeply engraved in his bones.

But asking Lin Mo to let go of this grudge was pure bullshit.

Xie Yuling quickly walked to his side. Without saying much, she simply reached out and gently held his arm, which was trembling slightly from exerting too much force.

Her hand was very warm, like a gentle trickle of water silently flowing into Lin Mo's cold heart.

"It's okay now."

She leaned in close to his ear, her voice very soft but carrying a reassuring strength. "It's all in the past. They can never hurt you again."

Lin Mo's shoulders imperceptibly relaxed for a moment.

She had almost never seen such a vulnerable side of Lin Mo, and her heart ached for him.

Her heart ached for this youth before her, who was the same age as her but had suffered so much more pain.

Opposite them, Lin Yucheng was trembling with anger, the flesh on his cheeks quivering.

His calloused hands were clenched tightly. If they weren't in a police station, he probably would have already slapped Lin Mo across the face.

Just at this tense, explosive moment, a uniformed police officer walked over, his brows furrowed tightly.

"What are you arguing about! Do you think this is a wet market?"

His gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on Lin Mo, his expression softening a bit.

"You're Lin Mo, right? Come with me to the mediation room."

After saying that, he pointed at Lin Yucheng's group, his tone instantly turning cold. "As for you lot, wait outside and behave yourselves! One more word, and you'll be dealt with for obstructing official duties!"

He had heard Lin Mo's words loud and clear just a moment ago.

A half-grown child being cornered and bullied by a group of so-called relatives at a funeral—any normal person would feel a sense of pity upon hearing that.

Therefore, he really couldn't bring himself to show Lin Yucheng and his group any courtesy.

Intimidated by the police officer's aura, Lin Yucheng and the others instantly kept quiet out of fear, watching helplessly as Lin Mo followed the officer into the mediation room.

Subsequently, the officer led Lin Mo into the mediation room.

The atmosphere inside the mediation room was oppressive.

Lin Shulan and Liu Zihao sat side by side. Opposite them were the police officer who had visited earlier and Old Bai.

Seeing Lin Mo enter, a venomous glint flashed in Lin Shulan's eyes, but she quickly lowered her gaze, sitting there without a word, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.

The officer who brought Lin Mo in pulled out a chair for him, signaling him to sit down, before standing beside the officer seated at the head position.

After seeing Lin Mo come in, Lin Shulan wasn't as aggressively charged as before.

The police officer at the head seat cleared his throat, his stern gaze sweeping over Lin Shulan and Liu Zihao.

"Before the mediation begins, let me first clarify the situation for you from a legal perspective."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word struck at Lin Shulan's heart.

"Picking a lock to enter a house is in itself an illegal act. Combined with the statements of the others, you had the intent to illegally occupy someone else's property. This constitutes the crime of burglary, which falls under the category of criminal offenses."

He paused and emphasized his tone: "According to Article 264 of the Criminal Law, for burglary, even if unsuccessful, the statutory penalty is up to three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or public surveillance."

The words "up to three years" exploded in Lin Shulan's ears like a clap of thunder.

She snapped her head up, her face deathly pale, her lips trembling. "Comrade Police, how can this count as theft? I am the homeowner's sister. I... I just wanted to go in and take a look!"