“I will apply to management to send people down to assist you. Please make thorough preparations and leave no loose ends. I’m begging you—this is a personal request, and I will pay you according to organization task rates.
I’m sorry for making a fool of myself in front of you. It’s just that I’m overly anxious about my mother, and I’ve had a bad feeling recently. I hope you can understand.”
Wudong replied, “Understood.”
...
【It’s time to wash away the disgrace! Are these two finally facing off again? I’ve been looking forward to this for so long, just waiting for Udon Noodle to win back her face!】
【Yeah, after all, she was defeated because the enemy played tricks, so people often say she’s inferior to the new character and has become a nobody by the roadside. She’s been mocked for a long time, which really frustrates Wudong’s fans!
Besides, following typical manga tropes, letting the tiger back into the mountain always leads to a huge loss. Wudong can’t possibly lose every single fight; after such a tragic defeat, she must have gained experience and deeply reflected.】
【Fight for your dignity! As the face of the Action Team, Udon Noodle, think about your recent grueling training and enduring hardship! If you lose again, I’ll completely change my view on the Covenant of the Scales—it would be way too trash.】
【Are you guys... serious? I can’t even tell if you’re trolling. You mean to tell me a human is supposed to fight a monster who kicks through two layers of wooden boards and punches through tempered glass, and actually win?】
【The female ghost’s feats are definitely top-tier in this manga. A well-fed tiger might be able to trade a couple of moves with her.】
【I feel like before the next chapter comes out, power-scaling breakdown videos from online bloggers are going to be everywhere.】
【Wow, then we’re in for a good show! I can already imagine how grand it’ll be. Honestly, Udon Noodle’s fans are super fierce in debates. After all, she’s a popular character, so the discussion will definitely be off the charts.】
【You think the female ghost’s popularity is low? Her fan art is extremely viral! Even with limited screen time, the speed at which fan creations gain followers is like a tornado. Never underestimate the attack power of artists willing to create content for their favorite characters—unless you want to see cursed art of your bias.】
【Pfft, is there even any suspense? It’s just the difference between a human and an ant. When walking, the female ghost just needs to lift her foot to see if anything stuck to her sole.】
【See, what did I say (yellow emoji shrug)? Here comes the toxic solo stan.】
【Can you actually read the manga before commenting? If you haven't read it, stop talking nonsense!】
【Speaking of ghost art, is there any female ghost cursed art? I wanna see! Just let the fan artists and manga artist battle it out at the peak of cursed art! See who draws scarier stuff.】
【That’s not what "ghost" means here!】
【Stop arguing, everyone makes valid points. You’ll understand if you read more of the manga. This is normal; sometimes the author boosts a character’s feats for specific plot needs to break a stalemate, but the character isn’t actually that high up on the power pyramid.】
【Can’t hide your bias anymore, huh? One look and I can tell which side you’re on. Let me tell you! Last time it was a 1v1, our female ghost won!】
【But before the explosion, Lin Mo was clearly at a disadvantage. The winner this time is truly up in the air!】
【Didn’t everyone say to go check online? Why are you analyzing it right now? So anxious, I really want to read the next chapter!】
【Alright, bets are open as usual. Anyone wanna come play on my personal forum?】
【Gamblers, get lost.】
...
Compared to the suspense set up by the manga—whether the organization’s assassination would succeed and the back-and-forth debate over who was stronger—the discussion surrounding the mother-daughter conversation was noticeably lower. Even if there were comments, they were swallowed up by the overwhelming wave of discussions above.
【I originally thought Night Heron was mature enough—calm, highly skilled, and though she occasionally shifts blame and presses her teammates, she’s still very reliable. She holds the position of the team’s brain and acts as the backbone during critical moments. Why does she suddenly lose IQ whenever she’s around her grandmother and mother? It makes her look so childish.】
【Hey, our Night Heron is just a young girl to begin with. She joined the organization at age 8 and is only 19 now. How mature do you expect her to be?】
【It’s natural to show vulnerability in front of family. Plus, her grandmother’s life is threatened, so normally anyone would be hesitant and cautious.】
【Only 19? Is that from her profile? I have no memory of that at all?】
【She’s so harsh! Is the relationship between this mother and daughter not good?】
【It seems fine? Didn't she go to her mother when she couldn't decide? From that perspective, at most, her mother is an important family figure to her.】
【Her mom actually works for the Covenant of the Scales too, and as a researcher no less? Talk about inherited servitude! The Covenant of the Scales, this evil illegal organization, even controls people’s family members! How despicable!】
【Sigh, this personality makes me dislike her a bit. I still prefer high-IQ, charismatic big sisters.】
【Whatever.】
【By the way, does really no one want to watch the power-scaling breakdown mentioned above?】
...
Because she had offended the caregiver on the second day, when she went to work on the third day, the supervisor assigned someone else to guide her.
This caregiver had worked there for a long time and earned a high salary. Her assigned area was extremely large, overlapping with that of other caregivers, so Lin Mo was frequently ordered around to deliver things throughout the day.
While passing Room 412, muffled voices came from inside. “Drink one bottle of this every morning and evening. It’s good for sleep and boosts immunity. Your daughter specifically ordered it.”
Lin Mo paused in her tracks. Looking at the fruit platter in her hands, she thought about it and decided to eavesdrop.
“I’ve never taken this before.” The old lady seemed weak today, muttering after a long silence, “I take enough medicine as it is. I’ll listen to the doctor.”
The other voice sounded like yesterday’s caregiver, speaking persuasively, “This isn’t medicine. It’s an oral liquid that tastes sweet. I say, isn’t your daughter a doctor? Don’t you trust her?”
A light clatter came from inside the room, as if the caregiver had set something down on the nightstand, instructing her, “I don’t know about that. If you don’t drink it, I’ll tell your daughter. Ah, remember to take it!”
“There’s a meeting in the courtyard later, so I’ll be off.” The caregiver sat for a little while longer, chatted idly for a bit, repeatedly urged her to drink the nutritional supplement so her child wouldn't worry, and then left in a hurry.
Only after watching her leave did Lin Mo step out from the corner. The old lady didn't pay any attention to her today, lying quietly on the bed with half-closed eyes, looking in poor spirits.
Since no one was supervising her, she casually walked over to the nightstand, bent down, pulled open the drawer, and found the so-called nutritional supplement.
The box was printed with foreign text and high-tech blue curved lines, while a small silver label was stuck onto the outer film.
Taking out a vial, she turned it toward the light and noticed that some areas were darker in color. Lightly scraping below the box lid with her fingertip, she indeed felt leftover glue residue.
She peeled back the label, revealing a corner. Below it was printed text in an unfamiliar language, and in the middle, a logo was faintly visible—a semi-circular leaf embedding an abstract chemical formula.
She stared at it for a moment, pressed the label back down, and placed the box back where it had been in the drawer.
A9: 【Oh my goodness, could this caregiver really be evil? It seems she was bought off a long time ago! That pill you saw yesterday wasn't brought in by mistake after all—it was intentional to harm the old lady! Having failed once, she's now using a drug with unknown ingredients to kill her!】
It spoke awkwardly, its voice holding a subtle hint of expectation: 【Are you going to tell “#1 Genius” today? He seems really noisy.】
Lin Mo picked up her phone and sent a brief description of the logo she had just seen. A9 finally came to terms with reality... anyone could be noisy except it.
Blackheart Agency's #1 Genius: 【Hold on a sec.】
Before long, a message popped up on the phone.
【Aha, found it! It’s the old logo for 'Yuanshengtai', a pharmaceutical company whose predecessor did biological extractions, mainly dealing in botanical components and active pharmaceutical ingredients. A few years back, it was almost acquired, and later pivoted to manufacturing generic drugs, though it never officially went public. Anyway, they definitely don't sell health supplements.】
【Interesting, very interesting! I thought it was just an ordinary property power of attorney case, but now the pool of suspects has expanded again. Find a way to mail me one vial so I can analyze it. Thanks!】
【I’ve told you before, but in case you forgot again: No. 309, Shuimen Street, Ruochao Bay, New Urban District, Beiyu City! Don’t send it to the wrong address.】
Rate on N.U.
