Chapter 47

Xu Mo said, "I can't figure out why they did this, but when they dealt with your sister, they used the same method. Perhaps it's easier to expose themselves if they act in the city."

Luo Ci fell silent for a moment, accepting this explanation, but then raised a question, "Sometimes, especially in the first few days, every time I heard my sister talking to me after I fell asleep, I would wake up immediately. I thought it was really my sister talking to me, but when I searched the room, I found nothing. If someone really climbed in through the window and impersonated my sister to talk to me, how could they leave so quickly?"

"That's exactly it," Xu Mo nodded in response. "The reason you woke up immediately when you heard the voice at first is that someone was really talking to you, not in a dream. Later, when you heard the voice and couldn't wake up, it was due to the influence of your subconscious. I think after several such incidents, you must have started to treat the voices you heard as part of a dream, right?"

Luo Ci nodded, "Yes, not finding my sister, I naturally thought I was dreaming."

After speaking so much, Xu Mo felt his throat dry. He took a sip of water and continued, "The problem lies here. Your subconscious assumes the voice is from a dream, so when you hear it again, you tell yourself, 'This is a dream,' making it hard to wake up."

"But why, every time I woke up in the beginning, I found nothing in the room?" Luo Ci seemed to understand but also found it reasonable.

She loved to sleep in, though she didn't set an alarm. When she had to go to work, she always kept it in mind, so even if she went to bed late, she could wake up on time. On weekends, knowing she didn't have to work, she would always wake up after ten o'clock.

Xu Mo sighed, "I don't know exactly how they did it, but it's not hard to achieve. There are many methods, such as using electronic devices to transmit sound, so they don't need to enter your room to talk to you while you're asleep. I think they must have been monitoring you for a long time and might have installed hidden cameras or something in your room."

"Cameras?" Luo Ci was startled and became restless, saying angrily, "There are cameras in my room, I... I have to find them."

Thinking that if there were cameras, her privacy would be exposed to them.

Xu Mo said, "That's just my guess. It might not necessarily be cameras, but something else. Those people are powerful, wealthy, and meticulous, and their methods are beyond my imagination."

Luo Ci firmly said, "No matter what, I have to find it. Otherwise, how can I feel at ease?"

Xu Mo sighed inwardly, thinking, "Finding it won't help. Our conversation here might already be seen by them. Those people are hard to guard against, and if one plan fails, they will come up with another."

But seeing Luo Ci's determination, he had to help. The two of them searched the entire room, even the corners, including inside the quilt, shoes, bed, and furniture gaps, wall corners, and the layers of the water bottle, but found no cameras or strange electronic devices.

Luo Ci was somewhat obsessive about this. Not finding the cameras made her restless. Xu Mo, helpless, suggested that she sort out her belongings, keeping what she recognized and needed, and discarding the rest.

Xu Mo knew that with their methods, this might not be effective, but he suggested it to make Luo Ci feel better.

Luo Ci followed his advice and threw away what she didn't need, which indeed made her feel more at ease.

The two sat down again, both becoming silent. Luo Ci lowered her head, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, she suddenly said to Xu Mo, "Brother Xu, do you think the Dongshan Shrine is real or fake? Since they impersonated my sister to tell me this, the location should be fake, right?"

Xu Mo shook his head, "I don't think they would lie about this. Your sister once mentioned 'deep mountains' to me. It might really be the Dongshan Shrine."

Luo Ci, hearing this, fell silent again. After a long time, she bit her lip and seemed to make a decision, "Brother Xu, I think I still need to go to the Dongshan Shrine. Since I have news about my sister, how can I leave her behind?"

As she spoke, her eyes suddenly reddened, and she started to cry, "My mother passed away early, and my sister took care of me from a young age. Now she has been kidnapped, and who knows how much she has suffered in these five months. I... I, as her sister, must find a way to save her."

Xu Mo, moved by her sincerity, pondered for a moment and said softly, "I'm not stopping you, but you need a plan before you go. It's best to find a few more people to go with you. If they see you in a group, they might be wary and not act. Otherwise, going there recklessly would be like your sister, never coming back."

"Plan?" Luo Ci stopped crying and muttered, not quite understanding what a plan was. After a moment of thought, she said to Xu Mo, "I have an uncle, my mother's distant cousin, who practices martial arts and teaches kickboxing at a martial arts school in Wan City. Maybe I can ask him for help and have him bring a few students."

Xu Mo nodded and continued, "Then, when you get to the Dongshan Shrine, what do you plan to do?"

"Then?" Luo Ci looked at Xu Mo blankly, not knowing how to answer. Her idea was for her uncle to bring a few people, rush into the Dongshan Shrine, fight the bad guys, and bring her sister back, without much complexity. Hearing Xu Mo's question, she realized her idea seemed naive.

Xu Mo, seeing her expression, understood and didn't push her further. He continued, "Here's what we can do. When your uncle arrives, we'll go during the day to look for clues. At night, we'll leave the Dongshan Shrine and return to the city. If we find any clues, we'll immediately report to the police and let them handle it. We won't act rashly."

Thinking: Those people definitely have guns. No matter how good your uncle's kickboxing is, it's useless against guns.

"Us?" Luo Ci picked up on the hidden meaning in Xu Mo's words and asked, "Brother Xu, you... you're going too?"

Her tone was both surprised and delighted. She had wanted Xu Mo to go with her but didn't know how to ask.

Xu Mo nodded, thinking, "I'm not doing this for you and your sister. Xiao Man's father is also missing. She helped me when I was in my toughest times, so how can I remain indifferent when I hear news about her father? Besides, my parents' disappearance might be related to these people." But he didn't want to tell Luo Ci these thoughts.

Thinking of his parents, he felt a pang of sadness. But thinking of Xiao Man, he felt a warmth he couldn't describe, and a smile appeared on his face.

This little girl seemed to be the only one in the world who truly cared about him, even if her concern was because she mistook him for her father. But the result was real.

What's a little risk for her? Besides, with his mastery of static breathing, he could control his breathing, blood circulation, and energy consumption. Even if he were captured, he could pretend to be dead and escape, so it would be a scary but safe adventure.

Luo Ci, not knowing his thoughts, was overjoyed to see him nod and said, "Thank you, thank you, Brother Xu."

Thinking: Although my uncle knows martial arts, his mind is far less sharp than Brother Xu's. Having him go with me will make me feel much more at ease.

Xu Mo smiled faintly but didn't show any extra enthusiasm.

Luo Ci, delighted, then said, "Brother Xu, please wait a moment. I'll call my uncle now."

Xu Mo waved his hand, letting her do as she pleased.

Luo Ci took her phone and went to the corridor to make the call. After a while, she returned with a smile, indicating that the call to her uncle went well.

Sure enough, after sitting down, she said before Xu Mo could ask, "My uncle agreed. He said he will prepare and bring a few students."

Xu Mo sat for a moment, discussing some details with her, and then got up to leave. Before leaving, he said to Luo Ci, "When your uncle arrives and you're ready to go to the Dongshan Shrine, call me. But for the next few days, it's best to move out and not sleep in your room."

Luo Ci understood immediately and nodded, "I have a colleague who is close to me. I'll stay at her place for a few nights."

Pausing, she added, "Brother Xu, let me treat you to dinner?"

"No need!" Xu Mo waved his hand, refusing.

Luo Ci was taken aback, not understanding his refusal, and tried to persuade him, "How about I buy some food, and we eat at home? My cooking is really good, you'll see."

Xu Mo refused again, thinking, "This trip to the Dongshan Shrine will be dangerous. With my static breathing, I can pretend to be dead and escape, but I might not save others. If I stay for dinner today and can't save you, I'll feel guilty."

His personality made him reluctant to accept favors easily. This mindset had been with him for a long time and seemed to have worsened after the most painful experience five months ago.

He didn't realize that his inability to find a job was largely due to this aloof personality.

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