The car drove into an abandoned warehouse. Several people got out, closed the warehouse door, and hid there for the time being.
Mo Yu asked, "Can you get in touch with the Young Miss?"
The three vampires shook their heads. They were only Elite Vampires, unable to reach Elise.
Mo Yu spread his hands. "Let's wait and see."
The three vampires agreed.
After a moment, once they'd calmed down, one vampire asked in confusion, "Wait, how did you find us? Lord Number 12 didn't ask you to come along, did he?"
Mo Yu said, "Because I'm the Mole."
The three vampires: "???"
The cards were on the table.
No more pretending.
The warehouse now had three extra piles of ash.
These Elite Vampires were about the same in daylight as ordinary vampires were at night. In front of Mo Yu, who had 5.3 physical quality, they were like baby chicks. He didn't even need to rewind for a sneak attack—one strike per little one.
Choosing to act in broad daylight was the most fatal mistake these vampires ever made.
In this hunt, the Sun was the MVP.
If the sun set, Mo Yu's plan would fall apart entirely—these vampires would enter their boosted state, their strength surging, and being able to handle a few Elite Vampires would already be doing well.
Once he'd dealt with the vampires, he laid Mary in the middle of the warehouse, checked the surroundings, and began arranging his own script.
A bucket of cold water came down.
Mary snapped awake instantly. She looked around in terror and found herself tied up, surrounded by the abandoned warehouse, with the man who'd choked her unconscious standing before her. He now wore an expression of fury, a belt in his hand.
"Talk. Where is it?"
"Mmph?"
Smack!
"Speak!"
"Mmph!!"
Smack! Smack!
"Are you going to talk or not!? Talk or not!?"
"Mmph mmph!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The crisp crack of the belt against flesh rang through the warehouse. With every strike, Mary flinched in pain. She wanted badly to curse him out, but her mouth was gagged, and all that came out were muffled sounds.
"Fine, fine, fine. Stubborn, huh? Let's see how long you can keep that up."
"Mmph mmph!"
Mary cried, feeling deeply wronged. Just as she sank into despair, she saw someone walk in through the door. At the sight of him, she felt a flicker of confusion.
The two men looked exactly alike.
The difference lay in their hairstyle, clothes, and demeanor.
The one who'd slipped in quietly looked like a good person.
Mary witnessed a scene that shocked her.
The man who'd snuck in stabbed the one who'd been whipping her, without hesitation.
One thrust, straight through, chillingly clean.
"My... dear... brother... just you wait... I'll... be back..."
"Stop this, brother. You can't keep going down the wrong path."
The bad man died with an unwilling look on his face.
The good man wore an expression of grief and reluctance.
Mary's face was frozen in shock.
The corpse vanished, leaving only the belt behind, and the good man, radiating a faint sorrow, his eyes full of untold stories.
The good man stepped forward.
Mary flinched back, a little afraid.
The good man froze, then gave a bitter, apologetic smile. "Sorry. My brother wasn't always like this, he just... sigh. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."
The good man seemed to want to say more but held back. His voice was gentle, his movements slow and careful. Sensing his goodwill, Mary stopped shrinking away and let him undo her bindings. Though her body still ached, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked:
"Is your brother dead?"
"No. My brother is an Awakener, his ability is Clone. What died was just one of his False Bodies."
"Is your relationship really that bad?"
"We're twins. He... he joined a vampire Organization. I've been trying to stop him this whole time... sigh..."
The good man's phone suddenly rang. His expression changed, and he stood up. "Sorry, I have to go. I've already called the police, it's safe here, the Security Team will arrive soon. Stay here, don't leave."
The two of them got up and left.
As he reached the door, Mary couldn't hold back and called out:
"Wait! What's your name?"
"My name is Mo Xin Chou."
"I'll remember it!"
Mary shouted back.
The good man left.
Mary stood there in a daze.
A moment later, the Security Team arrived, along with people from the Moon Tear Organization.
The kidnapping came to an end before it had even properly begun.
……
10:30.
Mo Yu sat sprawled out on a bench, limbs stretched out, fully relaxed.
The Timeline was fixed.
From here, he could take it easy. Once the Mirror Images finished everything, all he needed to do was, after a Mirror Image delivered Mary to the Volcano Castle, go find Elise to establish his presence and secure an alibi.
As for his final performance—
He hadn't been confident he could fool Mary; he'd just been giving it a try.
That woman was a hunter disguising herself as prey. She had a sharp mind—trying to deceive her outright, a carefully woven lie would only be more likely to unravel. Better to plant a hint and let her fill in the blanks herself.
People always believe what they've worked out on their own.
If it worked, he'd have gotten a free lesson from a Demon Hunter.
If not, he'd just play the villain to the end.
This was merely a Derivative Timeline. As long as he generated enough Perturbation Value, he'd have a chance to move on to other timelines.
There were plenty of chances to learn from a Demon Hunter.
One more or less made no difference.
Mo Yu was quite confident.
Elise and Alice were both legendary figures who shaped the course of history—bending the trajectory of their fates was practically guaranteed Perturbation Value.
Mo Yu decided that was enough for today.
Time to enjoy the Amusement Park.
As for the Conceptual Pollutants wandering around—
he'd let them be for now.
This was their home turf.
They could dodge it today, but not forever.
Fighting a Knight-level Vampire had been exhausting. The Panel already showed a fatigue prompt, and a full-attribute debuff would kick in soon.
When it's time to rest, rest.
Grinding is life's fallacy; lying flat is the real truth.
Mo Yu tried out every ride in the Amusement Park, and whenever he hadn't gotten enough, he rewound and rode again, until he'd had his fill.
Timing it just right, he arrived at the spot where the two girls were taking photos and waited.
Soon the two of them appeared.
Just like last time, Alice pulled a little trick, tricking Elise into missing a step, then moved in to catch her with a Princess Carry.
Mo Yu intercepted at lightspeed, shoving Alice aside and catching Elise in his arms.
Alice spun around twice and fell.
Mo Yu held Elise close, his voice gentle:
"Not hurt, are you?"
"N-no..."
Elise was dazed just like before, her reactions slow—her mind caught in a tangle of conflicting thoughts.
Alice bristled, scrambling up from the ground, eyes practically shooting fire. "Bastard! What do you think you're doing?!"
Mo Yu said with a half-smile, "You're really careless, aren't you? You could clearly see the step, yet you let her fall. Was that on purpose? Or an accident?"
"The camera was on her upper body just now, I didn't notice her feet." Alice hastily made up an excuse, then continued, "Babe, are you okay? Hey! How long are you planning to hold her!? Let her go!"
Mo Yu didn't let go. He gave Elise in his arms a gentle little bounce. "She's light, it's no trouble holding her like this all day, I don't mind."
Alice shrieked, "I mind!!!"
A Panel Prompt appeared, Alice's wariness shifting back into Hatred.
Mo Yu wasn't the least bit afraid.
Alice jumped up, ready to strike. "Let go! Bastard!"
Mo Yu spun and blocked her with his shoulder. "She hasn't even said anything, why are you in such a rush?"
Only then did Elise murmur softly, "Please put me down."
✦✦✦