Chapter Sixty-Four

The Yu Xi murder case caused quite a stir online, firstly because Yu Xi's face appeared in the news, and secondly because the two victims had special identities. There were many people discussing the matter on social media, and Zhou Mo had to manually click "not interested" every time she saw it.

After learning what had happened, she didn't stay overnight in the courtyard, but instead booked a ticket and went straight back to school.

Gone is the bright smile she had when she left school; instead, there's a sense of melancholy and confusion that's noticeable to everyone around her.

However, this state of affairs lasted for less than three days.

There were also some changes in the dormitory. Fan Nannan changed her major and went to another department. The people in the dormitory were still complaining that Fan Nannan was really not a good friend. She didn't even tell them that she was leaving. At least she could have had a farewell dinner.

Fan Nannan probably didn't mean it that way, which is why she left so quietly.

University life seems more colorful than high school, but in reality, there is not much change. The club that Zhou Mo joined is more like a company. There are tasks to be completed every day, endless interviews, countless professional courses, endless PPTs to be made, endless library visits, and the suffocating 800-meter physical fitness test at the end of each semester.

Zhou Moguang lived her life methodically, which almost exhausted all her energy.

She no longer had the energy to recall the past.

Another autumn has arrived. The maple leaves have turned yellow and fallen, rustling as they land on the shoulders of passersby. Some brush them away, while others take them down and use them as bookmarks in their textbooks.

Zhou Mo couldn't help but look up at the sky. It was very blue, without a single cloud.

Seeing Zhou Mo looking up at the sky, her roommate followed suit, but didn't find anything interesting. She looked at Zhou Mo and asked, "Mo Mo, have you been very tired lately?"

"Hmm?" Zhou Mo snapped out of her daze, then shook her head. "No."

"But you look very tired. I've seen you leaving early and coming home late lately. Your club is so busy, how many extracurricular activity points do you get?"

Zhou Mo touched her face, the coolness of her palms making her more awake. "Maybe the teacher's lecture made me sleepy. A few days ago, some leaders came to inspect the school, and the president asked me to interview them. I definitely need to prepare well."

"You're only a sophomore, don't overwork yourself. I get so worried every time I see you run the 800 meters."

Zhou Mo hooked her arm around her roommate's and shook it gently. "I know, don't worry. I'm eating fruit, rice, and meat. I'm tired, but I eat a lot, so my body won't break down."

The two chatted and laughed as they left the maple-lined path.

"Momo, I haven't seen your friend come to hang out lately. And what about that senior, Wei Huai? Could they really be together, and then..."

"No, that's not true. Everyone has their own things to do, and we don't have to be together every day."

Hearing Zhou Mo say that, her roommate didn't ask any further questions.

I didn't realize how big the school was before, and I could run into someone I knew wherever I went. Now I realize how big the school really is, and no matter how far I walk, I only meet strangers.

Fate is a truly inexplicable thing. It doesn't give you any advance notice; it arrives suddenly, and then just when you've made up your mind and made plans, it suddenly disappears again. It's like a trial card, letting you savor the experience but never giving you the full version.

Days passed by, until Zhou Mo could hardly remember those people and those things anymore.

Recently, she's had a vague premonition that things might not stay peaceful any longer.

But things didn't go as planned, and life just continued peacefully.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Mo graduated with honors and completed her four years of study at Z University. In her senior year, her advisor talked to each student individually to discuss whether to seek employment or pursue postgraduate studies.

When the counselor spoke with Zhou Mo, he sincerely expressed his wish that Zhou Mo continue to take the postgraduate entrance examination. As long as Zhou Mo was willing to take the postgraduate entrance examination at this university, and her written test score was above the passing line, her chances of being admitted through the interview were very high.

That being said, the counselor knows Zhou Mo well; if Zhou Mo wants to do something, she will definitely do it to the best of her ability.

Zhou Mo declined her advisor's offer, as she had already secured a job offer and had been interning there for some time.

Upon hearing this, the counselor did not continue to persuade him, but only said that if he had any thoughts about taking the postgraduate entrance examination in the future, he could consult her.

Zhou Mo expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her advisor.

Zhou Mo's referrer was a big shot she met during an interview. Unlike Ning Xuzhi, this person seemed very honest and upright. However, Zhou Mo was never one to easily trust others. She spent a long time investigating this big shot and finally contacted him before graduating from her senior year.

Opportunities are found by oneself, and the ladder to climb is built by oneself.

Only when everything is created by her own hands does Zhou Mo have the boundless courage to keep moving forward and continue her life.

Although Zhou Mo was the most outstanding intern in her batch at the station, she was still just an undergraduate. If she hadn't contacted that person herself, she would probably have been completely ignored here. Connections, background, and strength are all indispensable, and the people here usually possess these three qualities.

Zhou Mo lacks many things, so she can only rely on her own efforts, working harder and harder.

Once, while out on an interview, the station's operator misjudged the situation. When Zhou Mo arrived at the scene, she realized it was a kidnapping. The kidnappers suddenly lost control when they saw a reporter and demanded a face-to-face interview with Zhou Mo, or they would blow up the five hostages in the house.

The kidnappers were very vigilant, and there were almost no sniper positions available.

As the kidnappers' voices grew louder over the walkie-talkie, Zhou Mo took out her small video recording equipment and found the captain in charge of the case. Upon meeting him, she discovered that he was an acquaintance.

"Zhou Mo".

"Officer Xingling, I request a face-to-face interview with the kidnapper."

Xing Ling frowned upon hearing this. She didn't immediately decide whether it was okay or not, because every decision at this point would affect the final outcome.

No one knows what the kidnappers really want to do. What if Zhou Mo goes to jail and he still loses control and presses the bomb?

But what if the bomb explodes because Zhou Mo didn't go in...?

“I know what I’m doing. Please trust my professional ethics as a journalist. He specifically asked me to go in, and I hope you can make the most rational judgment.”

Xing Ling remained silent for a moment, then pressed the intercom button and agreed to the kidnappers' demands.

Zhou Mo was escorted to the door by the police. The kidnappers' shouts came from inside the iron gate. The police had no choice but to retreat. Xing Ling patted Zhou Mo on the shoulder before leaving.

Zhou Mo: "Now I'm all alone."

The iron gate remained motionless for a long time, but Zhou Mo was not in a hurry and waited patiently.

Five minutes, ten minutes.

Zhou Mo didn't know how much time had passed, and she didn't check her watch. She knew that the kidnappers were definitely watching her through the peephole, and the only way she could avoid provoking them was to stand quietly.

Finally, the iron gate opened a crack.

"Come in by yourself, and don't touch anything."

Zhou Mo obeyed. After she entered the room, she closed the door behind her. Then she stood still with her hands raised. She was wearing a simple shirt and jeans. The kidnappers made her turn around to make sure she had no weapons before letting her come any closer.

"What do you want to say? I will write it down truthfully."

The kidnapper, holding a remote control for an explosion, scratched his head and suddenly looked up at Zhou Mo.

Zhou Mo then got a clear look at the kidnapper's appearance. Contrary to his voice, he had a very young face, and based on her initial assessment, he was no more than 25 years old.

"How many lives do you think my life is worth?"

Zhou Mo: "This is a difficult question to answer."

The kidnapper pointed to five people tied up in a corner of the room. Zhou Mo looked in the direction he was pointing. There were five people, three men and two women, all of whom were probably no more than forty years old. The men were wearing expensive watches on their wrists, and the women were wearing gold jewelry.

It's probably not for money, so it must be a kidnapping with a specific purpose.

This contradicts the intelligence the police had received. The person who reported the incident was the nephew of one of the hostages. He said he did not know the kidnappers, that his family and neighbors were on good terms, and that he never had any conflicts with anyone. Therefore, it should be a random incident.

But now it seems that's clearly not the case.

"You two know each other, right?"

The kidnappers were clearly unwilling to answer that question.

Zhou Mo coaxed, "You let me in, you must have something to say, right? I'm right here, it's just the two of us, go ahead and say it."

"Two?" The kidnapper glared hatefully at the five trembling men gagged in the corner. "And what about them?"

"You actually still consider them human beings?"

Zhou Mo's question once again elicited silence from the kidnappers, and at this moment she had a deeper understanding of the situation.

“My name is Wu Ke, I’m 22 years old, and I was supposed to be a freshman at Z University this year. My family lives in a small mountain village. To support my education, my whole family sold our house and everything they could sell. But I was a disappointment; I took the college entrance exam three times before finally getting in. When I first arrived in Zhengyang, I had no money and nowhere to live, so I looked for work and found the beauty salon where they worked. I worked as a security guard. They gave me money and a place to stay, but they broke their promise! They secretly drugged me, took me to a private room, and then injected me with drugs.” The kidnapper became more and more agitated as he spoke. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his arms covered in dense needle marks and festering flesh.

"I wanted to run away, I wanted to go to school. They locked me in the house, didn't give me food or water, and I couldn't see any light. I don't know how long it lasted, I was going crazy. Later, I finally managed to escape and went to Z University, only to find that they had canceled my enrollment. I went home, and my dad had broken his leg while doing manual labor, and my mom had cried herself blind. Why am I so unlucky?! Why me?!"

The kidnapper gripped the remote control tightly, his hands trembling uncontrollably, as if he were about to detonate the bomb at any moment.

Zhou Mo stepped forward and grasped the kidnapper's trembling hand, then guided his hand to his own chest. "Death is not scary. It is the living who suffer. Hold on tight and don't let go. Let them tremble every time they see you."

The kidnappers stared at Zhou Mo in disbelief, but Zhou Mo showed no fear or agitation whatsoever.

"You agree with me?"

"I just agree that the world is unfair."

"There are too many victims like you, so many that society still can't get a clear number. Thank you for telling me your story. I will write it down truthfully and expose their ugly faces to the public. Thank you for giving yourself a turning point in your life."

Before the kidnapper could understand the meaning of Zhou Mo's last words, he was thrown to the ground by Zhou Mo with an over-the-shoulder throw. The kidnapper stared at Zhou Mo in astonishment, instinctively trying to press the remote control in his hand.

Unfortunately, my hands were empty.

Zhou Mo stood in front of the kidnapper and said, "You can study the law first."

The police pushed open the iron gate that had been closed, and the kidnappers realized that Zhou Mo hadn't closed the gate at all.

"fraud!!!"

Zhou Mo responded calmly, "No, I never lie."