To Die for the Country

Receiving Lin Mo's message, Long Tianqi's first reaction was to flip Lin Mo's mattress off with a single hand.

With a loud crash, the mattress smashed against the wall, revealing the bedboards underneath.

The special materials capable of isolating her perception were all military-grade, and the Chai family just so happened to be in charge of that sector.

It made perfect logical sense that Chai Tianyi could get his hands on it and then have that organization deliver a bomb.

However, there were currently no clues regarding this bomb-delivering organization.

The trail had gone completely cold.

The important figures of the Chai family had all been chopped down by Lin Mo, which was the real trouble. If Long Tianqi didn't have her own considerations, she would have suspected Lin Mo of killing them to silence them and destroying the corpses to hide the evidence.

Under the bed, in the wardrobe, and even inside the toilet tank after lifting the lid, she checked everywhere, but they were all completely empty.

This made even Long Tianqi breathe a sigh of relief.

There was nothing at all.

Long Tianqi's tense nerves relaxed slightly. Just as she straightened her back, the soft click of a keycard unlocking the door came from behind her.

Beep.

Lin Mo strolled in unhurriedly, still wearing that infuriatingly casual smile on his face.

He had long been using his divine sense to watch the entire process of Long Tianqi jumping up and down searching the room.

To be honest, it was quite amusing.

How is it? Did you find a bomb?

Long Tianqi's eyelids twitched. She had a feeling that the faint smile on this guy's face was purely him making fun of her.

In reality, there was no bomb in the room.

She didn't answer this boring question. Instead, she used her piercing eyes to scrutinize Lin Mo inch by inch, as if she wanted to see through him completely from the inside out.

Lin Mo let her observe him. His gaze also fell upon Long Tianqi, but he was looking at something ordinary people couldn't see.

In the vision brought by the Ancestral Dragon buff, Long Tianqi's entire body was enveloped in a layer of red light so dense it was almost tangible.

This red light was blazing and majestic, the most intense one he had ever seen.

Lin Mo guessed that this might be some sort of merit closely connected to this land, or perhaps a great deed of extraordinary significance to the Ancestral Dragon itself, which was why it manifested so directly on a person's body.

The air was quiet for a few seconds.

Eventually, it was Long Tianqi who spoke first, her voice devoid of emotion.

You really can see it.

Hmm?

Lin Mo's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained impassive. He merely tilted his head in curiosity.

See what?

The red light on my body. Long Tianqi's tone was very flat, as if stating an established fact.

Since things had reached this point, there was no point in playing dumb anymore.

Lin Mo simply nodded. Indeed. You have the most intense red light I have ever seen.

But the night before last, you couldn't see it yet.

Long Tianqi's eyes sharpened like two scalpels, trying to dissect Lin Mo's secrets. In just two short days, what happened to you?

This question pointed straight to the core.

But Lin Mo didn't take the bait. He leisurely pulled over a chair and sat down, reversing their roles of host and guest.

You know some things I don't, so you speak first.

Long Tianqi stared at him. That unhurried face made her inexplicably grit her teeth.

After a moment of silence, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Her eyes, which always carried a scrutinizing look, were now astonishingly clear, as if they wanted to see through Lin Mo's soul.

Did you receive the recognition of the Ancestral Dragon?

The Ancestral Dragon's recognition... that should be the Ancestral Dragon's blessing.

So Lin Mo nodded. Yeah, I felt something that day when I went to watch the flag-raising ceremony at Tianmen.

Hearing this, Long Tianqi's breath caught, stifled in her chest.

She gently let out that breath, as if trying to exhale some unwillingness along with it.

I've been there too, more than once.

Her voice was very soft, carrying a loneliness that even she hadn't noticed.

Why didn't the Ancestral Dragon recognize me?

Lin Mo stroked his chin and spouted nonsense with a straight face, Maybe it's because I'm more handsome and possess a pure, childlike heart?

Or perhaps, it was some sort of ordinary mind free from desires?

Lin Mo wasn't entirely sure either; it could also be something the system had suddenly borrowed.

After all, the system's borrowing technique was very powerful.

It was just that the system had been a bit reticent lately.

He tried poking it in his mind, but there was no response.

Forget it, day one of missing it.

However, Lin Mo quickly gathered his thoughts.

Lin Mo quickly pulled his thoughts back to reality and looked at Long Tianqi: So, what exactly is the Ancestral Dragon? And what specifically is its recognition? It can't just be letting me see a cloud of black energy and a cloud of red light, right?

Long Tianqi nodded. The Ancestral Dragon's recognition doesn't really have any special manifestations. The black energy can be understood as rotten flowers, while the red is the fruit that can nourish the Ancestral Dragon.

Lin Mo's eyebrows twitched.

Of course, he wouldn't be stupid enough to say that the Ancestral Dragon buff allowed his divine sense to cover the entire city of Tianjing in an instant.

What did this mean? It meant that Long Tianqi actually didn't know much about the Ancestral Dragon.

However, he didn't show it at all. Instead, he feigned disappointment and asked, That's it? Nothing else? The Ancestral Dragon's recognition only does this?

Long Tianqi frowned. She didn't like Lin Mo's flippant tone, as if he were discussing a worthless trinket.

Is that not enough? The Ancestral Dragon's recognition is of extraordinary significance to the entire country. The mere ability to distinguish the loyal from the treacherous makes you an invaluable asset to the nation.

Her tone grew heavier, but quickly calmed down again.

After careful consideration, Long Tianqi still emphasized, But the fact that you have received the Ancestral Dragon's recognition must absolutely not be spread to outsiders.

Oh? Why is that?

Lin Mo's curiosity was piqued.

Long Tianqi sat down on the edge of his bed, her hands resting on her knees, but she fell into a long silence.

That silence carried a heaviness that did not match her youthful appearance.

Lin Mo didn't rush her.

Long Tianqi looked very young, only in her twenties. As for her bone age, it couldn't be determined either; after all, an ability user's foundation and bones would change according to their own strength.

It wasn't like you could tell how old a Nascent Soul patriarch was just by looking at their bones.

Judging by the level of respect Dongfang Shuye showed her, she might be as old as Chu Lintian and just looked young. Just like Lin Mo, as long as he was willing, he could even revert his age and become a child again.

Alright, if you don't want to say it, then forget it. Anyway, even if I don't say anything about this, there's already a line of people wanting to kill me. But it doesn't matter...

He paused, turned around, and wore a lazy yet incredibly dangerous smile on his face.

There are quite a few people on my end that I want to kill, too.

Have you ever heard of Yama's roll call?

The air instantly fell silent.

Long Tianqi suddenly looked up, staring at him blankly.

What are you...?

Lin Mo handed a notebook to Long Tianqi.

Dongfang Shuye should have told you that I can search other people's memories. You guys handle these people yourselves; as for some of the others, I'll deal with them personally.

Long Tianqi took the notebook and looked at the names and evidence of their crimes written inside.

She couldn't help but frown.

If we do this, Yanhuang Awakening will lose a lot of its vital forces.

Then send them out to sacrifice themselves for the country and let them put their remaining value to good use.