Chapter 19 : Chapter 19
Chapter 19: The Top Scorer Is Mine—Not Even Jesus Can Stop Me!
【“Fireball” is listless: Hungry... so hungry... I feel completely drained...】
【“Fireball” protests: That “Explosive Flame Spiral Dragon Shot” just now took way too much out of me. Hurry! Find me some dragon meat to tide me over first!】
Little Fireball’s originally overbearing voice had now become weak and feeble.
Lin Mo rubbed his stomach.
Grrrr—
He was hungry too. It felt as though he could eat an entire cow right now.
He turned to look at his mother, Su Wan.
“Mom... we can do the emotional part after we get home. I’m about to pass out from hunger.”
“Can we get something to eat first? Preferably something high-calorie and rich in fire element. I need to replenish myself.”
The moment Su Wan heard that, she immediately switched into full whirlwind mode.
“Eat! Of course you’re eating! Mom will have the five-star chef team at home start cooking right now!”
“What do you want? Fire dragon meat? Qilin foreleg? Or Deep-Sea Flame Marrow Soup? Whatever you want, Mom will get it for you!”
At that moment, Lin Tianhao, standing to the side, turned his head and looked toward the direction where Zhao Lei’s convoy had disappeared.
The night wind stirred the overcoat draped over his shoulders.
Hmph! That old bastard Zhao Lei...
Just looking at that expression of his from earlier made Lin Tianhao furious.
Before there had even been any news of Mo’er, Zhao Lei had already brought his team over, as though he had already decided that Mo’er was as good as dead.
Who would have thought Mo’er would be this incredible?
They had fought each other for half a lifetime, and Zhao Lei really thought he could win one round through their sons?
Lin Tianhao snorted coldly, then turned to Lin Mo.
“Mo’er! Since you’ve got talent this good and you’re willing to work this hard, then we absolutely cannot waste it!”
With a grand wave of his hand, Lin Tianhao declared heroically,
“I’ve made up my mind! Tonight, I’m directly mobilizing the Third Special Operations Battalion of the city defense force!”
“This entire stretch of Rocky Flats, plus the nearby leveling zones, will all be locked down tonight! They’ll help lure the monsters over, weaken them, and let you finish them off!”
“We’re not going home tonight. We’re power-leveling through the night! Before the grand exam, we have to stomp that Zhao Yu into the ground and grind down the arrogance of that Zhao father and son!”
...
Lin Mo had still been thinking about the dragon meat feast waiting for him.
The moment he heard that, his whole body froze.
No way.
An all-night leveling session?
They had just finished an Abyssalized dungeon. Even a work mule was not driven this hard.
Lin Mo had just opened his mouth to refuse, ready to express his basic human need for sleep.
“No!”
Before Lin Mo could say a word, Su Wan slapped Lin Tianhao’s hand away and glared at him as she scolded,
“Lin Tianhao! Have you lost your mind? Mo’er just escaped from an Abyssalized dungeon with his life, and his mental energy has been so heavily drained. And you still want him to level all night?”
“Are you trying to work my son to death?! Huh?”
“What matters more, leveling or his health? No! Absolutely not! Mo’er is going home to sleep right now!”
Lin Mo nodded wildly in his heart and gave his mother a mental thumbs-up.
Exactly!
Did people not need sleep?
【“Fireball”: Sleep? Only the weak need sleep!】
【“Fireball”: Eat the feast, then keep going! I am a fireball destined to become a Forbidden Spell! And you’re tired already from just this much? Get up and party!】
...
Looking at the Little Fireball icon bouncing madly in his skill bar, Lin Mo felt only exhaustion in his heart.
That rebellious little menace might actually be capable of pulling it off.
If he really went home to sleep, only to wake up having leveled again, how was he supposed to explain that?
Haha, fooled you, I snuck out in the middle of the night to level some more!
Wouldn’t people think he was insane?
While Lin Mo was still thinking, Lin Tianhao chuckled and said gently to Su Wan,
“Come on, honey, don’t get worked up. Hear me out first.”
“I care about our son too. I know Mo’er’s tired.”
“So what I mean is... we move the big bed from home over here and set up a temporary base.”
“The special operations battalion will lure monsters over, beat them down until they only have a sliver of HP left, and then deliver them right in front of Mo’er.”
“And Mo’er only needs to lie there comfortably in bed and move his finger to land the finishing blow.”
...
Su Wan froze for a moment.
Move the bed out into the wilderness? Level while lying down?
“Th-That’s completely improper!”
Su Wan still looked hesitant.
“The wilderness environment is so poor. Exposed to the wind and open air like that, how could Mo’er possibly sleep well?”
At that point, Lin Mo knew he had to speak up.
Since he could not escape it, he might as well enjoy it.
After all, if there was a bed to lie on, Little Fireball could fight on its own while he slept. There was no conflict there.
Lin Mo took a deep breath and instantly adjusted his expression.
He stepped forward. His gaze became incomparably resolute, and his voice rang out with force and conviction.
“Mom, Dad is right!”
“Even though I’m tired, and even though I really want to go home and sleep.”
“But!”
Lin Mo clenched his fist.
“I, Lin Mo, may not have any grand ambitions, but I absolutely cannot let Mom and Dad lose face!”
“Isn’t it just an all-nighter? Isn’t it just one less night of sleep? For the grand exam, for the honor of the Lin family, I’ll do it!”
“Th-This...”
Those words, paired with that determined gaze, instantly stunned Su Wan.
She looked at her son, and her eyes turned red on the spot.
What a sensible child!
He was already this exhausted, yet for the sake of winning honor for his parents, he still insisted on special training!
“G-Good child...”
Su Wan was so moved that her voice choked.
Then she took out a skill book glowing with a yellowish-brown light.
“Since you have that kind of determination, I won’t stop you.”
“This is something I specially prepared for you before leaving home this morning. I was originally going to give it to you after you got back tonight...”
Su Wan placed the skill book into Lin Mo’s hands and said softly,
“This is the basic earth-element skill I mentioned this morning—【Earth Shield】. You might be able to use it very soon, so I’m giving it to you now.”
Lin Mo accepted the skill book.
【Skill Book: Earth Shield (Basic)】
【Effect: Summons an earth-element shield that blocks a certain amount of physical and magical damage.】
A new basic skill could be learned at level 10.
He was already level 7 and nearly halfway to the next level. If an entire special operations battalion came to help him level, then by the time he woke up, he would probably be able to learn it.
Once he learned 【Earth Shield】...
Hopefully this one would be a steadier sort of... skill. Not another hot-blooded little lunatic.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Lin Mo put the skill book away.
Seeing this, Lin Tianhao turned to the adjutant beside him.
“Go. Bring the entire Third Special Operations Battalion over. Also, go home and dismantle the bed from Mo’er’s bedroom and transport it here. The silk quilt, the latex pillows, the aromatherapy diffuser... bring all of it.”
“And notify the kitchen team to bring every ingredient and cooking utensil. They must set out within ten minutes!”
The adjutant standing nearby was completely dumbfounded.
He straightened to attention and answered at full volume,
“Yes, Commander!”
But after turning around, the adjutant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
So this was what the life of a wealthy family looked like...
Moving an entire bedroom into the wilderness, and even mobilizing a whole special operations battalion to lure monsters over...
It was wealth without mercy.
After arranging everything, Lin Tianhao turned around and instructed Ye Hongyu,
“Hongyu, I’m leaving Mo’er in your hands.”
“Yes, Commander!”
Ye Hongyu snapped to attention and saluted, her eyes sharp.
Lin Tianhao nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Lin Mo.
“Your mother and I are heading back first. Remember, if you’re really too tired, then get some rest.”
Su Wan also held Lin Mo’s hand and gave him several more reluctant reminders before finally getting into the car, turning back every few steps.
Just before getting in, Lin Tianhao suddenly turned around and shouted at Lin Mo,
“Son! Give it your all!”
Lin Mo thumped his chest with a fist, then pointed at Lin Tianhao and shouted back,
“Dad, this year’s top scorer is mine! Not even Jesus can stop me—I said so!”
Looking at the confidence and youthful vigor radiating from their son, Lin Tianhao and Su Wan exchanged a smile, their faces filled with relief and pride.
“Looks like our son’s build hasn’t gone to waste after all.”
“Looks that way.”
“Hey, honey, who’s Jesus?”
“No idea. Probably one of Mo’er’s classmates.”
“Oh, oh.”