Chapter 47 Care

The break room suddenly fell into silence.

The scratching sound of the pen in Xiao Zhang's hand also ceased.

For a moment, everyone looked at Qu Qiaoling with unfriendly expressions.

The fact that Brother Mo could tell when someone was lying had long been the subject of various legends within the team.

Whether to believe Brother Mo or Qu Qiaoling, whom they were meeting for the first time, was crystal clear to everyone.

Under the gaze of so many serious eyes, Qu Qiaoling, who was not a vicious person by nature, instantly lost her will to resist, and tears streamed down from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"I did lie!"

Large tears rolled down as she apologized incessantly.

It was evident that she was truly heartbroken over the lost child.

A moment later, after her emotions had stabilized slightly, Chen Mo finally asked why she had lied.

"I... I didn't mean to lie."

"I was just afraid you would take me away."

As she spoke, she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Actually, the name Liu Gang was something I made up. He only said his surname was Liu; I don't know what his actual name is."

"You didn't ask? Wasn't he there to adopt a child?"

Xiao Zhang looked at the page of notes he had written earlier, feeling somewhat angry.

So it was all written in vain.

If the name was made up, could anything else be true?

"I did ask, but he was only inquiring; he wasn't actually taking Xiao Nuan away, so I was negligent in that regard."

Qu Qiaoling explained, her voice choked with emotion.

It could be understood as going to an online store to browse products without placing an order; naturally, the system wouldn't record the buyer's information.

"And then?"

"After... after that, when he was leaving, he encountered Xiao Nuan crouching by the wall. He said that seeing Xiao Nuan reminded him of his own childhood, when no friends wanted to play with him."

As Qu Qiaoling spoke, she wanted to explain Xiao Nuan's situation at the orphanage.

She looked anxious, wanting to explain but not knowing how to start.

Should she say that the other children in the orphanage ostracized Xiao Nuan?

Was it appropriate to say that in front of the director?

"Let me say it."

The director spoke up, intending to explain for her.

But regarding such matters, everyone present was an adult.

Even without being told, they could understand how terrifying Xiao Nuan's appearance was to the other children.

Not to mention ostracization, they probably didn't even want to get close to her, which was in itself more cruel than being ostracized.

Could they blame the other children?

Even adults were afraid; one only had to look at Sun Xia, who had led the way earlier, to get the answer.

"And then, just because they both had similar experiences, you let him take the child out to play?"

"No, I've been doing this for so many years; I wouldn't be that careless."

"The adoption rate for deformed children in our orphanage is the lowest—almost non-existent. Previous adoption cases have all involved adopters who were truly altruistic, great philanthropists, but such people are few, too few!"

"Xiao Nuan hasn't been happy here, and the care Mr. Liu showed didn't seem fake. When he suggested taking Xiao Nuan out to play, I didn't refuse."

"I was afraid... that because of my refusal, she would miss an opportunity to be adopted."

"I didn't expect that I would end up harming her!"

As she spoke, Qu Qiaoling's tears flowed uncontrollably once again.

Everyone fell silent, and Xiao Zhang, who had previously blamed her, had nothing more to say.

It could only be said that Qu Qiaoling's intentions were good, but the person she encountered was the wrong one.

"There are no clues."

Xiao Zhang shook his head and put away his notebook. He had written two pages, yet not a single sentence was useful.

"Actually, there are some."

"You mean to say that the Mr. Liu you mentioned showed caring behavior or emotions toward Xiao Nuan?"

"Was it just your imagination?"

A curious voice came from Chen Mo.

If one were to speak of care, Old Tian's son, Xiao Bo, actually had a similar situation.

Even though they could have just knocked him unconscious or drugged him, the human traffickers didn't do so.

They didn't even fight back when hit.

That could also be related to the word 'care'.

"It wasn't my imagination!"

"It was genuine care, just like treating a very precious piece of jade, fearing it might chip or break."

"At that time, Xiao Nuan was by the wall watching ants move, and she sat down on the ground. I could see Mr. Liu's nervousness. I've seen many adopters; I know whether he likes this child or not."

"That is my profession!"

Seeing her firm expression, Chen Mo nodded.

This was the answer he wanted.

"We will do our best to find Xiao Nuan; this is also my profession."

After saying this, the group left the orphanage.

Getting into the police car, Chen Mo closed his eyes.

In the past, at times like this, after analyzing many clues, his brain would usually feel a bit sluggish.

At least not as fast as when he first started thinking about the problem.

But with 'Clear Mind', he only felt refreshed everywhere at this moment.

There was absolutely no fatigue from long periods of thinking or overusing brain cells.

This skill not only made him feel mentally comfortable but also saved him quite a few melon points.

"What do we do now?"

Long Hao got in the car and sat in the driver's seat, the car door making a 'bang' sound as it closed.

"Didn't Qu Qiaoling say that she followed them at first, and that the Liu person took Xiao Nuan around here, and then she went back feeling reassured after seeing him buy food and toys for Xiao Nuan?"

Chen Mo casually indicated that the next direction of the investigation should focus on their movements at that time, asking surrounding shops and passersby to try to gather information.

"It's really something, wearing a mask and sunglasses, yet she could still let her guard down."

Long Hao couldn't help but complain.

"Her intentions were good, and she did follow them as a precaution; it's useless to blame her now."

Several hours passed by in a flash, and soon it was twelve o'clock noon. Following Chen Mo's instructions, all the police officers were near the orphanage, conducting a carpet search to ask if anyone had seen Liu Gang and Xiao Nuan.

Chen Mo also had to activate the challenge card.

If he didn't activate 'Krav Maga' now, he basically wouldn't be able to get it.

He had thought about exploiting a bug, which was to wait until the case was almost over, then activate the challenge, set it directly to 10 minutes, and give the system a shock!

But it simply wouldn't work, and as the case continued to progress.

Once it exceeded twelve hours, the probability of obtaining 'Krav Maga' would drop from the original 50%.

He had to make a choice.

Should he gamble on the low probability, hoping for a lower-rated case later, and play it safe?

Or should he trust in his own strength, fight if he's not convinced! Go for it?

Go for it!

If he chickened out this time, he would likely shrink back whenever he encountered similar choices in the future.

It was just a challenge card, merely an insignificant spark in the long river of his brilliant life.

Even if he failed, he wouldn't regret this choice.

A C-level case had come too suddenly for him.

[Item]: Challenge Card.

[Task Requirements]: Solve the 'Freak Case' within 12 hours (set by the host).

[Reward]: 50% chance to unlock 'Israeli Krav Maga' (Rare).

[Krav Maga] (Coach Level): Krav Maga, every move is a lethal strike, aiming directly at vital points. Please use with caution!!!