"Ahem, okay, let's get back to the topic."
Qi Ji cleared his throat, his face slightly serious, and said in a deep voice:
"To be honest, your mother has been missing for more than a month, and there is no news at all. She is either really dead, or she is trapped somewhere for some reason and cannot escape.
"If it's the former, then everything is over. There's nothing to say. Just run.
"But if it's the latter, then it means your mother must have had a head-on confrontation with those guys, and the impact of that confrontation has remained until recently."
"Um...what do you mean?" Bernice didn't quite understand.
"It means that the power of that force right now must be far less than before your mother disappeared."
Qi Ji explained without any impatience:
"Think about it, how could a force that completely controls a powerful person with the strength of a magician allow a new vampire like you to hide in Twilight City for so long?
"I remember they almost caught you once, right? Note that the key word is 'almost' - if their strength was the same as when they fought your mother, how could they have let you escape? You should know your strength very well, right?"
"Then there is only one possibility. That force was severely damaged after the battle with your mother and is no longer as strong as before."
Listening to Qi Ji's analysis, Bernice seemed to have thought of something. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She quickly wiped away her tears and came forward excitedly to say:
"Wait, are you trying to say... this is an opportunity for me?!"
"Oh, you can actually think of this meaning, not bad."
Qi Ji smiled half-jokingly:
"Yes, they just kidnapped a 'budding' vampire. Since they made a mistake once, it means that their strength limit is definitely not up to the level of a magician.
"As for me, a 'Light Smelter', it wouldn't take even a second to destroy a transcendent who is not at the level of a mage."
At this moment, Bernice understood everything.
"I only have five points of 'Merit' now. If I exchange them, I can only get 105 and a half seconds to attack. If the opponent has a strong man above the level of a mage, it may not be enough... But now it's different."
Bernice lowered her head and thought:
"That is to say, as long as I can find a way to lure that group of people out, I can let 105 take action and catch them all in one fell swoop... The problem is, how can I lure them out..."
"No, that's not the point."
Qi Ji seemed to be able to read minds and corrected Bernice's inner thoughts.
In the other party's puzzled eyes, she smiled and said:
"That long paragraph of 'advice' I just gave you wasn't just meant to scare you.
"I've said before, 'There is a high probability that there are insiders of that group in the official organization. They will not only intercept your petition, but also inform their masters of your existence'..."
"Ah! I understand!"
Bernice reacted immediately:
"If I just go to the human government and file a complaint, I might be able to catch those bad guys?!"
"That's right!"
Qi Ji snapped his fingers in appreciation:
“Even if my guess is wrong and no one comes out to intercept your petition, that’s still a good thing. At least your predicament has been successfully brought to the table, right?
"So, the real problem with this plan is not 'how to lure out the enemy', but you: You are not willing to believe me, to believe that I can handle everything within seconds?"
As she spoke, she raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and gave Bernice a bright and brilliant smile with shining eyes and hopeful expression:
"So, are you willing to trust me? Are you willing to take the risk?"
=========================
It's Monday again, everyone, please give a thumbs up before going out!
Chapter 320 Who is the mole (Part )
Early in the morning, long before the eighth bell rang in the bell tower, before the eastern sky was just getting light and the sun had not yet appeared.
Next to the Twilight City Municipal Building.
A gray-black cement building, carrying a somewhat old-fashioned, industrial and powerful atmosphere, stands quietly on the north side of the municipal building.
Like other urban buildings in the Glorious Plantagenet Empire, it has a square appearance and small glass windows. At first glance, it looks a bit like Khrushchev's Corn Building on Earth in modern times.
Between the second and third floors hangs a huge plaque engraved with the emblem of the Plantagenet Empire government: three horizontal gorse flowers surround a vague figure in the dusk.
Below the logo, a line of serious words is written:
"Twilight City Residents Municipal Affairs Petition Office".
On the wall below this line of words, there was a less eye-catching notice with handwritten words:
"Please wear formal attire when entering - this is the announcement."
In the lobby on the first floor with glass floor-to-ceiling windows, several front desk receptionists were sitting behind the counter with tired looks, staring out the window at the gradually bustling street.
"...Cobo, your boots look really stylish."
Facing the empty reception hall, one of the receptionists was chatting with his colleagues around him.
The receptionist who was spoken to was a young man in his twenties, of medium build and ordinary appearance, wearing a neat but boring municipal clerk uniform.
On his feet, he was wearing a pair of shiny, brand new and textured leather boots, which gave people a very expensive first impression.
"Ok?"
When the man called Ke Bo heard his colleague's chat, his lazy and bored demeanor suddenly brightened up, and a proud light shone in his eyes:
"Of course, this stuff is made of cowhide and pig leather. It cost me a lot of money!"
He looked very energetic as he spoke. He crossed his legs arrogantly and raised his leather boots, looking very magical.
"And your cufflinks."
The colleague pointed to Cobo's sleeve, where a rose gold cufflink with an exquisite carving was adorned:
"It's not cheap, is it? I see you've been buying expensive things lately, but our salaries haven't increased... How come you've suddenly become rich?"
"Hum..."
Listening to his companions' flattery, Cobo couldn't help but raise his chin, humming a little tune and smiling proudly:
"No, no, it's just the money I saved. I buy some nice things to reward myself from time to time..."
"Squeak-"
The slight friction sound of the door hinges turning interrupted their chat.
They both saw out of the corner of their eyes a figure push the door open and walk straight to the counter.
"...Tsk, someone is coming."
The two of them were slightly stunned at the same time, and Cobo curled his lips indifferently, turned his head to look at the man, and said in a slightly perfunctory tone:
"Welcome to the Municipal Petition Office. May I ask what may I do for you sir... um?!"
However, after seeing the figure and appearance of the person coming, he was suddenly stunned.
What came into view was a young girl with long black hair and skin that was dazzlingly white.
She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and was extremely pretty and elegant. That face alone was enough to make countless men stop and stare.
She was wearing a brown dress with a multi-layered ruffled skirt, a sun hat on her head, and a small and luxurious women's umbrella in one hand.
She was dressed luxuriously yet youthfully and playfully, like a rich lady who had walked out of an aristocratic manor.
With a slightly nervous and awkward step, the impressive girl walked to the counter, pursed her pink lips, and whispered in a slightly trembling voice:
"I'm in some trouble, please... help me..."
As he got closer, Cobo finally saw the girl's face clearly. At this distance, any tiny flaws would be clearly visible, but he could not find any flaws in this face.
"!"
And at this moment, his eyes suddenly widened and his pupils shrank suddenly.
He saw... the girl in front of him had a pair of extremely eye-catching eyes that were as red as blood.
"Forehead……"
Seeing Cobo's stiff and unnatural expression, the colleague next to him noticed something was wrong, and hurriedly stood up, bowed slightly to the girl, and said respectfully:
"Miss, what trouble have you encountered? Please tell me. Our duty, our conscience, and the Metropolitan Governor have urged us to do our best."
"I, what I'm going to say later...don't be afraid!"
The girl said with a serious face and a bit of fear.
Upon hearing these words, the colleague immediately realized the seriousness of the matter, frowned, subconsciously leaned back slightly, and then leaned forward and said:
"You said, we are professional government employees, we are not afraid."
"My mother and I were kidnapped by a group of bad guys!"
The girl seemed to have had a psychological struggle, and spoke in a low voice while gritted her teeth.
"Who is the bad guy?"
The one who spoke was Cobo. He had just recovered from his inexplicable shock and stared at the girl's flawless face with an extremely serious expression. He looked her up and down as if to confirm something and asked in a deep voice.
"The bad guy wasn't just one person! It was a group of people! Mother suddenly disappeared, and then they suddenly appeared and wanted to take me away..."
The girl, in a voice obviously filled with fear, narrated a story that spanned more than a month, roughly describing her thrilling experiences during that time.
In her narrative, she and her mother were vampire tourists from the Moonlight Empire, but one day her mother disappeared in Twilight City without any warning, and she was soon kidnapped in an extremely vicious and direct manner.
If she did not possess certain extraordinary strength, she would have been abducted, and her life or death would have been in danger.
After hiding for nearly a month, before her remaining savings were exhausted, she finally found an opportunity. She took advantage of the National Day when the city's defenses were strengthened and the malicious evil forces dared not be as rampant as before, so she came to the city hall to petition for help.
"...This is what happened. You must help me. I miss my mother. I want to go home... wuwu..."
At the end of her speech, the girl seemed unable to contain her emotions. She lowered her head and sobbed, unable to speak any more.
That aggrieved and pitiful look is enough to move anyone and make them want to help.
"I understand, miss. Don't worry, we will report it to our superiors immediately."
After listening to the girl's description, Cobo and his colleagues looked very serious.
The colleague had a righteous look on his face, with deep sympathy and indignation in his eyes. He took out a blank paper document from the drawer under the counter and handed it to the girl:
"Please fill in your personal information truthfully. We will handle it with the highest priority. I believe that within half a day... that is, before tonight, we will get a preliminary reply."
As he spoke, he pulled out a fountain pen from his hand, placed it on the blank document, and pushed it in front of the black-haired, red-eyed girl, and continued:
"During this period, to ensure your personal safety, you can wait in the reception area upstairs. We can provide free meals during this period, and you can also relax your tense nerves by reading newspapers and books here.
"Please rest assured, this place is only separated from the municipal building by a wall. Apart from the Twilight Palace, the Academy of Sciences and the Imperial National University, there is no safer place in the entire Twilight City than here!"
Chapter 321 Who is the mole (Part )
"Please wait here, beautiful lady. If you need anything, just ring the bell. We will be here anytime before dark."
After sending the black-haired, red-eyed girl to the vacant reception room on the second floor, the front desk receptionist walked down the stairs and returned to the counter in the lobby on the first floor. She saw her companion Cobo sitting on a chair, staring down at the counter.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that he was carefully browsing the information form containing the girl's personal information, his brows were tightly furrowed, and he seemed to be thinking about something seriously.
"Hey, Kobo, you haven't come to your senses yet?"
The receptionist chuckled half-jokingly, then stepped forward and patted Cobb on the shoulder:
"Why, are you so obsessed with her?"
"Well!?"
Cobo suddenly trembled violently like a sleepwalker who was awakened, and his eyes showed obvious panic.
But after realizing that it was a colleague, his expression quickly relaxed and he smiled slightly stiffly:
"What nonsense! I am just reviewing the petitioner's information."
"Why are you still quibbling? They are all men, how can I not understand?"
The receptionist had a nasty smile on his face, fanning the flames:
