The Opposite

The first ten minutes.

Long Tianqi sat in the car feeling a bit anxious.

But half an hour passed.

Long Tianqi grew more and more relaxed.

It seemed the outcome would be fine no matter what.

Then, she saw Lin Mo walk out leisurely.

From this person's expression, it was clear he was very satisfied with the conversation.

Or rather, he was also very satisfied with the leader.

This made Long Tianqi breathe a sigh of relief. At least she hadn't judged the situation wrong.

Lin Mo casually opened the car door and sat down directly.

"Alright, let's go, my chauffeur," he said.

"It looks like you're really pleased with the leader," Long Tianqi said, looking at Lin Mo.

"Very much so. He's someone worth trusting with your back. In my eyes, his loyalty ranks second only to yours."

Hearing this, Long Tianqi felt a surge of encouragement.

"Is that so? Good, that's good!"

This news was actually very important to Long Tianqi as well.

After learning that Xu Wendong had issues, she hadn't been sure who else she could trust.

The reason she had allowed Lin Mo to meet the leader was partly to confirm certain information.

Now that the information was confirmed, she was completely at ease.

"So what did you and the leader talk about?"

"We discussed the country's development prospects. I think high-tech industries are very important, along with new energy development. Industries like pan-entertainment, such as Douyin and Tomato Novel, are also great."

Long Tianqi stared at Lin Mo, completely baffled.

Dude, seriously? You...

Long Tianqi never expected Lin Mo to discuss these things with the leader.

Lin Mo himself hadn't expected the leader to be willing to spend time talking about them.

Of course, he had also offered some reminders.

In the end, Lin Mo still hoped this country would become better.

Soon, Long Tianqi dropped Lin Mo back at the training base.

As soon as he entered the doorway, Lin Mo saw Dongfang Shuye and Qin Suishou sitting off to the side.

Although the two seemed at odds, Dongfang Shuye would still help persuade others whenever Qin Suishou had a problem.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you sleeping?"

Lin Mo walked straight up to Dongfang Shuye.

Qin Suishou looked up at Lin Mo, his eyes filled with fear.

"He said his abilities have been sealed by you. How did that happen?"

"Sealed instead of extracted. It'll unlock on its own in a few hours."

Lin Mo waved his hand and headed for the elevator.

Hearing this, Dongfang Shuye also breathed a sigh of relief. He lightly patted Qin Suishou's shoulder.

"See? I told you it'd be fine. Just a few hours, no need to worry. Without your abilities, you've turned into a timid quail."

Facing his opponent's behavior, Dongfang Shuye couldn't help but mock him harshly.

Still, he was actually relieved, since he and Qin Suishou had known each other for so many years, and he didn't want to see him lose his powers.

But Lin Mo's move reminded him of how the North Profound True Man could extract others' abilities.

And now Lin Mo could seal others' abilities.

After careful thought, he still said to Qin Suishou, "You shouldn't report this."

"Why?! My abilities were sealed! That alone must be recorded. What if Lin Mo ends up on the opposing side someday?!"

Hearing this, Dongfang Shuye's expression turned serious.

He shoved Qin Suishou hard, sending him tumbling onto the sofa.

"Don't you get it? It's because of attitudes like yours that people end up opposing you!"

"Where he stands depends entirely on where we choose to stand, understand?"

With that, Dongfang Shuye left the training base with a cold face.

He had hoped Qin Suishou would learn something from this experience.

But from the looks of it, he hadn't.

Pushed down on the sofa, Qin Suishou seethed with resentment. He truly didn't understand. Lin Mo was already acting so recklessly, yet Flame Huang Awakening let him come and go as he pleased.

It even ignored the rules that Flame Huang Awakening had set for itself.

Thinking this, Qin Suishou sat up angrily.

Still, he didn't leave, since his task was to stay there, and his abilities were temporarily sealed.

It wasn't until around four in the morning that he felt the seal lift.

An hour earlier, he had already been relieved from his shift, but he hadn't told anyone about what had happened to him.

He didn't want to lose face over it.

As for the report on Lin Mo's ability to seal others...

"For Dongfang Shuye's sake, I'll skip it," he muttered.

After changing into dry, casual clothes, Qin Suishou headed to the parking lot.

The Qin family's old estate wasn't within the Third Ring Road of Sky Capital, so getting back would take some time.

He happened to have two days off, enough to submit a request to completely withdraw from this damned and tedious mission.

He wanted nothing more to do with that guy Lin Mo.

The car drove steadily onto the elevated highway.

A strange feeling struck without warning.

It was too quiet.

At this hour, the elevated highway, though not heavy with traffic, shouldn't have been as empty as an abandoned runway. There wasn't a single car in front, behind, or to either side.

Qin Suishou tightened his grip on the steering wheel, maintaining his speed while dialing the emergency hotline without hesitation.

Beep, beep, beep!

A busy signal.

Continuous busy signals.

A call that wouldn't go through was more hair-raising than getting bad news.

His heart sank. His foot didn't let up on the gas, but as he scanned the odometer and surroundings, the reference points outside the window began repeating in a strange, looped pattern.

A ghost wall? Or something else?

He didn't hesitate. He yanked open the glove compartment, retrieved a capsule the size of a fingernail from the hidden compartment, tossed it back, and swallowed it without a second look.

Only then did he step on the brake and stop the car steadily in the middle of the road.

Click.

The trunk popped open, and he pulled out a heavy black metal case.

Lifting the lid revealed the cold glint of firearms.

Two modified rifles, with fully loaded magazines.

"Who's there!"

The sharp sound of the guns being chambered echoed eerily across the empty highway. Qin Suishou held a gun in each hand, crisscrossing their aim as he warily scanned the area.

Just then, the scene before him warped without warning.

It was as if someone had grabbed a painting and crumpled it roughly.

When his vision cleared again, the once-straight expressway had transformed into a complex interchange with spiraling ramps.

Still, no one was around—only him and his car, isolated on the bridge in the center.

The sky had darkened without notice.

Cold raindrops fell without warning, quickly turning into sheets of rain, hammering the ground and the car roof. Visibility was soon swallowed by a gray curtain of water.

This feeling was a bit like the dark torrent of rain.

Damn it.

This weather was practically tailor-made for an ambush.

Who would want to make a move against him here?

A name instantly jumped into his mind.

"Lin Mo! Is that you?! Get out here!"