Chapter 108
The three people finished searching the bodies. Apart from the few props and weapons, they only found the weird note with the word 'bread' on it. Tang Mo put this piece of paper into his backpack.
Fu Wenduo soon found a can of petrol in a corner and filled up the car.
Outside the window, the rain fell down again, hitting the glass. Tang Mo went to the window and carefully observed the surroundings. He confirmed there were no more people and pulled down the curtains.
Fu Wenduo grabbed an oil pen and drew a brief map of Beijing on the whiteboard, clearly marking several landmark buildings. He drew a triangle above the Forbidden City and then a second triangle in the northwest corner. Next to this triangle, he wrote three words: The Yanqing District.
“On average, there is a black tower for every 10,000 square kilometres of land. There are two black towers in Beijing. One next to the Forbidden City and the other in the northwest of Beijing, the Yanqing District. Fu Wenduo said. "We have just arrived at Beijing's Seventh Ring Road in the southernmost Daxing District. My home is next to the Forbidden City and Xiao Sheng lives in the Dongcheng District. I went to his house five months ago but I didn't see anyone. Thus, I didn't search it carefully. This is our destination." Fu Wenduo drew a small circle in the Dongcheng District.
Before the earth went online, Tang Mo had seen the black tower above the Forbidden City on the TV. Beijing was much larger than 10,000 square kilometers so there were two black towers in the city.
Tang Mo's eyes focused on the small circle that Fu Wenduo drew.
Fu Wensheng couldn't help saying, "Since the Tian Xuan organization wants to kill Brother Tang and attack us, we don't have to go into the city. Their base is in the Chaoyang District, which is very close to the Dongcheng District. I believe that if my parents are still alive, they would've definitely actively looked for Big Brother when they heard your name. It has been so long without any news. Thus, we don't have to go to Beijing."
Fu Wenduo looked down at the child. "Don't you want to go see your house?"
Fu Wensheng shook his head. "No, it has been so long that I know my parents aren't there."
The child had followed Fu Wenduo and Tang Mo back to Beijing. Apart from following after his relative, he also wanted to go home to check. Fu Wenduo had been in a rush when he went home and hadn't checked carefully for clues. Fu Wensheng couldn't give up unless he checked himself. It was just like how Tang Mo came to Beijing, even though there was a 80~90% chance of his friend being gone.
Tian Xuan was the most powerful organization in Beijing. No matter the reason why they wanted to kill Tang Mo, Beijing was very dangerous.
The whiteboard in the gas station originally had the daily petrol price and other information. Fu Wenduo was using the whiteboard so Fu Wensheng wiped off the previous words. Now that there wasn't enough room on the whiteboard, Fu Wensheng picked up the wiper and started to clean it. Tang Mo looked at the child's quiet back and said, "We will still go to Beijing."
Fu Wensheng turned his head with surprise. "Big Brother said that the Tian Xuan organization has rapidly developed in four months. Their leader even cleared the second floor's hard mode." They were very powerful.
Tang Mo looked at Fu Wensheng seriously, "You don't just want to find relatives. You want to determine their whereabouts. I am also looking for a friend. That’s why I came to Beijing. Since they could sneak attack me, they must have a way of determining my location. They can find me wherever I go. But they don't completely have the upper hand. They don't know that Fu Wenduo is my teammate." Tang Mo paused before adding, "There is also Fu Wensheng."
Four months ago, Fu Wenduo had met the leader of the Tian Xuan organization and came to an agreement. If they knew that they would have to kill Fu Wenduo, they wouldn't have sent only four people. The four stowaways had a means of retreat (reversing time) and could leave safely, but this was based on the premise that they only wanted to kill Tang Mo. If they knew Tang Mo's teammate was Fu Wenduo, they wouldn't have acted so easily.
Since he decided not to leave Beijing and to enter the city, the trio started to discuss their route.
“The Chaoyang District is their base so we will go around it. We will enter the Dongcheng District from the west."
Fu Wenduo's magnetic voice filled the gas station.
It was becoming dark and the rain was stopping only now. They decided to leave the next day. Fu Wensheng took a few empty mineral water bottles and ran to one side. Fu Wenduo was thinking about the situations they might encounter after entering Beijing. He looked down at the ground when the light in front of him was suddenly blocked. He raised his head.
Tang Mo was standing in front of him, his right hand in his pocket and rubbing a red gem.
Fu Wenduo raised an eyebrow. "You have to go out to do something." His tone was certain and there was a hint of laughter in his voice.
Tang Mo was touching the ruby and thinking about how to talk to Fu Wenduo about the next thing. After hearing this, he was stunned. "…"
A moment later, Tang Mo spoke calmly, "Let's go outside together."
Fu Wenduo, "?"
"…I have something to tell you."
There was a brief moment of surprise before Fu Wenduo's lips curved. The two of them left the gas station together. They entered a small warehouse behind the gas station.
It seemed to be a small room to store waste clutter. It was full of debris and there was less than two square metres of space for people to stand. There was a small window high on the wall and moonlight shone through the window, illuminating a white spot on the ground.
Fu Wenduo looked at Tang Mo. "What is it?"
Tang Mo got straight to the point. "Why are you going back to Beijing?"
Fu Wenduo was silent for a moment. "I'm looking for clues about the black tower."
Tang Mo had long guessed this. Three months ago, Fu Wenduo had traveled all the way from Beijing to Shanghai. He traveled thousands of miles so it couldn't just be to see the sights. Once he arrived in Shanghai, he did only one thing. He found the Attack organization and contacted Luo Fengcheng, the two sides exchanging information.
As they had been talking, Tang Mo stood outside the door. He couldn't hear their conversation but he knew that Fu Wenduo's purpose in Shanghai had to do with the black tower's mysteries.
“Four months ago, I found an email at the Black Tower Institute in Beijing. At 10 in the evening of November 17th, the Shanghai Research Institute sent an internal mail saying that they found four strange patients. Their four people had an extremely high heartbeat, were emotionally agitated and even self-harmed themselves. Fu Wenduo looked at Tang Mo. "The Shanghai Research Institute's study on the black tower is more profound than Beijing. Many of Beijing's data were sent over from Shanghai. That's why I decided to go to Shanghai for clues."
It turned out that he went to Shanghai because of an email. Tang Mo asked, "Then why do you want to go back to Beijing now?"
"Dr. Luo told me all the information he knew. Basically, there was nothing important and you know the critical information. However, he did say something important. On the 15th, the White House sent a secret email to Beijing. Two American researchers would arrive on the 17th to exchange information with each other. The secrecy of this information was too high for even Luo Fengcheng to access. Still, he knew where these two researchers stayed after arriving in Beijing."
Tang Mo immediately understood. "Then you are looking for this information?"
Fu Wenduo didn't answer. He turned and looked through the narrow door towards the giant black tower in the distance.
"On the 17th, I attended a high level meeting. The information brought by the American researchers, I am sure that the high level government people didn't know it. At least, it wasn't reported to the country before that meeting. There are only two possibilities. One, the information was wrong and had no value, so there is no need to report it. Second, this information is very important and the institute doesn't dare report it casually. They need to verify it."
"No matter the reason… it needs to be confirmed."
Fu Wenduo calmly stated his purpose for returning to Beijing. Even standing in this crowded warehouse, his back was as straight as a pine. His eyes were firm as he stared at the black tower in the distance. He suddenly moved his gaze back and Tang Mo was caught off guard as their eyes met.
Both of them were a bit stunned.
The next moment, Tang Mo changed the topic. "The Tian Xuan organization can now be regarded as an enemy. They are very powerful and can clear the black tower's second floor in hard mode. Their strength can't be underestimated. I don't know why they want to kill me or why the black tower is giving them information. Perhaps it is a task that the black tower has given them. In the best case, these four stowaways want to assassinate me and it has nothing to do with the Tian Xuan organization. In the worst case situation, the Tian Xuan organization wants to kill me and they will always know my coordinates. No matter where I escape, it won't work."
Tang Mo wasn't saying these words to suggest that he should separate from Fu Wenduo and Fu Wensheng for their safety. Now that they were teammates, Tang Mo wouldn't give up his companions so easily. He believed Fu Wenduo was the same. It was impossible to abandon a teammate just because of the Tian Xuan organization.
Fu Wenduo understood Tang Mo's meaning and looked deeply at Tang Mo, waiting for his next words.
Tang Mo gritted his teeth as an awkward emotion filled his heart. Finally, he made up his mind. He raised his head and looked earnestly at Fu Wenduo. "From the garbage cleaning game to now, I haven't seen your ability. Fu… Major, let's formally take a look at your ability today. Knowing the functions and limitations of your ability will help deal with the Tian Xuan organization. I can also replicate the use of your ability to enhance my strength."
Fu Wenduo didn't expect Tang Mo to take him to this small warehouse because of this matter. He was surprised for a moment before smiling and holding out his hand. "Okay, it really is time to check my ability."
Who would've expected that Tang Mo wouldn't grab his hand? Only two seconds passed but Fu Wenduo became aware of something strange. He frowned and was about to open his mouth when Tang Mo reached out and… touched him on the cheek.
Fu Wenduo froze, his eyes wide open and his smile was stiff.
Tang Mo had never seen this man look so shocked. Tang Mo suddenly felt calmer when he saw this person's startled expression.
It turned out that this person's brain wasn't big enough to guess the real use of this ability.
Tang Mo smiled as he thought this. "Hrmm… I will touch your face this time."
Fu Wenduo, "…?!!"
The author has something to say:
Old Fu: Hold hands~
Tang Tang: Touch face ~ [Smile]
Old Fu: EXM!!!!!!
Added a ko-fi for the people asking for an alternative to Patreon:
You can also join my discord channel to chat with fellow readers about the novels;
Chapter 109
In the dark and narrow warehouse, Fu Wenduo looked down at the young man in front of him. His eyes were wide open as a cold hand touched his right cheek. A trace of cold evening wind blew through the crack in the door, blowing Tang Mo's hair.
Tang Mo had never seen this expression before on Fu Wenduo's face. There was shock combined with a hint of a special emotion that couldn't be expressed. Fu Wenduo stared at Tang Mo with complex eyes, causing Tang Mo to feel a bit stiff as he touched the other person. Then he calmed down.
Tang Mo explained, "The female stowaway's ability isn't just simple physical contact. The more intimately I touch a person, the easier it is to get their ability. That's why when I fought with her, she touched my face and neck. These two places are much more intimate than the hands."
Yes, touching the face would give the ability. Why shouldn't he be confident?
Fu Wenduo asked, "She touched your face and neck?" During the fight, Fu Wenduo had been fighting another stowaway and didn't notice Tang Mo's situation.
Tang Mo didn't think too much as he replied, "Yes."
Fu Wenduo's eyes narrowed.
"Touching intimate parts will shorten the time required to get the ability?"
Tang Mo said, "Yes."
Fu Wenduo didn't speak again but he looked at Tang Mo with a strange expression. 'Is there such an ability?'
Tang Mo, "…"
"It really is like this!"
Tang Mo almost showed his abilities book to the other person but his season made him hold back.
Fu Wenduo smiled and didn't say anything else.
The two of them stood quietly in the warehouse, a hand touching a face.
Tang Mo's hand was very cold, probably due to the previous rain. There was some rain on the outside and a hint of cold water vapor on his palm. Tang Mo needed a certain courage when deciding to touch Fu Wenduo's face. However, after the formal touch, it didn't seem to be a big deal.
It was just a face. There was no difference from touching Fu Wenduo's face and touching his own face.
Tang Mo thought this as his left hand was stuck to Fu Wenduo's face.
After maintaining this position for a full five minutes, Tang Mo frowned. He thought, "It doesn't seem fast enough." Then he raised his other hand and placed it on the other side of Fu Wenduo's face. As soon as he did this, he was stunned as he discovered something. Wait, this pose…
Tang Mo looked for a moment before subconsciously squeezing the face in the middle of his hands.
Fu Wenduo's mouth was forced into a pout.
Tang Mo smiled straight away.
Fu Wenduo, "…"
Tang Mo discovered his expression and quickly let go. He couldn't be blamed. Once he held Fu Wenduo's face with both hands, he couldn't help wanting to squeeze. This posture was really too suitable for squeezing the face. Fu Wenduo also bowed his head and looked at him with a 'I want to be squeezed' expression.
After laughing, Tang Mo said calmly, "Sorry."
"It's nothing."
Tang Mo coughed and didn't speak anymore. Then he heard a low voice ask, "How old are you this year?"
Tang Mo raised his head. "I'm 23 years old. Why?"
Fu Wenduo nodded. "I see, you are three years younger than me."
Tang Mo didn't understand why the other person was suddenly asking him this when he realized. It was implicating that he was childish! He looked up again and saw Fu Wenduo smiling calmly down at him. The extremely tacit understanding allowed Tang Mo to cooperate with Fu Wenduo in every game. This extremely tacit understanding was telling Tang Mo that this man was calling him childish.
Tang Mo wanted to refute it but he thought carefully. His actions just now really did seem a bit childish.
Thanks to this, the stiff atmosphere was loosened up.
Tang Mo held Fu Wenduo's face as he waited to get the ability. However, another five minutes passed and he still couldn't detect Fu Wenduo's ability.
It seemed that Fu Wenduo's ability was even stronger than he thought.
Tang Mo said, "I might have to touch you a bit longer. The female stowaway probably touched me for 10 minutes before getting my ability. However, her ability is the original version. This is a copied version so the effect and conditions will be harsher than hers, increasing the time required. In addition, your ability should be very powerful. The more powerful the ability, the harder it is to get a look."
"You can touch other places."
Tang Mo didn't react for a moment. He was speaking his thoughts, "Of course, it is good that your ability is strong…" Then his voice stopped and his eyes widened. "Touch other places?"
Fu Wenduo looked calm but the corners of his mouth were raised. "Touching more intimate parts will decrease the time required to check the ability." He analyzed it rationally. "Touching my face is more intimate than touching my hand, so the time is shortened. Then… what if you touch a part that is more intimate than my face?"
Tang Mo, "…"
“I don’t mind if you touch other places." Fu Wenduo added, "In order to check my ability."
Tang Mo agreed. "…Okay."
Fu Wenduo's eyes were fixed on Tang Mo's body when he said this. He watched with interest as Tang Mo's expressions kept changing until he managed to choke out an 'okay.' Tang Mo's reaction was interesting and a bit cute. The next moment, Fu Wenduo's smile froze and he could no longer laugh.
It was because a cold hand slowly slid down his jaw.
One of Tang Mo's hands was still on Fu Wenduo's face while the other hand hesitated before sliding down and touching Fu Wenduo's neck. The cold temperature was a shock to Fu Wenduo and a strange feeling filled his heart. He reflexively wanted to stop the other person from touching him but Tang Mo's hand had already moved down.
Tang Mo touched Fu Wenduo's face with no expression.
It was through a coat and shirt but Tang Mo could clearly feel a pure male charm from the muscles. He made up his mind and his hand continued to move down. Once he touched the abdomen, Tang Mo was stunned. He looked up strangely at Fu Wenduo.
Fu Wenduo's breathing almost stopped.
Tang Mo asked, "You actually have an eight pack?"
Fu Wenduo retorted, "Why can't I have an eight pack?"
The speechless Tang Mo who only had a one pack, "…"
Touching the chest and muscles was Tang Mo's limit. He didn't want to be more intimate because he was gay. He didn't want to touch a man like this and kept a certain distance. However, this ability didn't allow him to maintain an appropriate distance.
[Ability: Don't try to hide a dime!]
[Owner: Lin Yashu (Stowaway)]
……
[Restrictions: You must touch the other person for a long time and you need to directly touch the skin…]
Tang Mo stared calmly in front of him, Fu Wenduo's collar in front of his eyes. He didn't speak and Fu Wenduo was also silent because of his touch. No one knew how much time passed when Tang Mo suddenly looked up. "Can I put my hand in?"
Fu Wenduo, "…"
…Did he hear wrong?
Tang Mo said, "There must be direct skin contact."
"…"
After a moment, Fu Wenduo agreed. "Okay."
Fu Wenduo unbuttoned his jacket. Once the jacket was undone, he thought about it before putting his hands on his shirt buttons. His movements were very fast but they seemed to be in slow motion to Tang Mo. One button was undone by him and the sound was very loud in the quiet warehouse.
Fu Wenduo opened his shirt and Tang Mo moved his hand.
The moment his palm made contact with skin, Fu Wenduo licked his lips and looked closely at the young man in front of him.
Tang Mo's face had no expression, as if he was only doing such things to get the other person's ability. Fu Wenduo didn't know that there was one name in Tang Mo's heart at the moment: Victor.
Tang Mo might be gay but he always kept an appropriate distance from the opposite sex. He was a natural quiet person and had a love of reading. Tang Mo didn't think about falling in love before going to university. Then at university, he was drawn into the bridge game by his roommate and met Victor. Once he liked a person, he wouldn't transfer his attention and would focus on them.
However…
Tang Mo raised his head and silently looked at the man in front of him. The eyes of the two people met in the air. The next moment, Tang Mo shifted his gaze and didn't dare look again.
His heart was now beating very fast.
Obviously, he had only felt love towards Victor and it was only the other person who made his heartbeat accelerate. At this time, Fu Wenduo opened his shirt and revealed smooth and beautiful muscles, causing Tang Mo to feel a bit of transference.
His eyes initially stared at Fu Wenduo's slender fingers undoing the buttons and now he couldn't help looking at the other's body. Perhaps it was because their skins were so close that he received this strange reaction. Tang Mo forced himself not to think about it as he carefully touched Fu Wenduo's eight pack.
Tang Mo thought about whether he was fickle to casually be touching another man's abs. He hadn't come up with an answer when he felt something hard against his thighs. Tang Mo was stunned and couldn't think. 'What is this muscle?' flashed through his head and then he touched it.
Fu Wenduo, "Cough…"
Tang Mo who reacted, "…"
Tang Mo immediately looked up. Fu Wenduo stared at him calmly, as if the hard thing below had nothing to do with him.
The two who looked at each other for a moment, "…"
After a long time, Tang Mo could not help asking, "I have to ask, Major Fu… aren't you straight?" Once he spoke, Tang Mo found the answer for himself. Who said that a straight man couldn't become hard when touched by a man. It was a mere physiological reaction and he was thinking too much.
But Tang Mo didn't have a chance to apologize when Fu Wenduo said lightly, "When did I say that I don't like men?"
Tang Mo was in a daze. "…???"
EXM?! He liked men?
Fu Wenduo looked at Tang Mo's shocked face. He wanted to say a few more words but he was somewhat embarrassed by the of little Fu. The two of them maintained their position, Tang Mo touching Fu Wenduo's face and abdominal muscles while little Fu touched Tang Mo's thigh. After standing for half a minute, Tang Mo felt he really couldn't continue this way. He was about to take back his hand when he heard a frightened voice from the side.
"What are you doing?!!!"
Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo were surprised and turned to look. Tang Mo saw Fu Wensheng and a phrase inexplicably entered his mind: caught in bed. He quickly dismissed this and opened his mouth to explain, "Xiao Sheng, you are thinking too much. I am copying your brother's ability."
Fu Wensheng's eyes flicked to his brother's naked chest and then Tang Mo's hand pressed against Fu Wenduo's abdomen.
…Lying to a child!
Fu Wensheng had finished filling the mineral bottles at the gas station and was surprised to find his brother and Tang Mo missing. The child had waited patiently but they didn't come back. He was worried and finally found this small warehouse. The door wasn't closed so Fu Wensheng didn't think much about coming inside to look. Then he saw a scene he would never forget in his life.
Tang Mo was pressing his brother against a wall. Clothes were open and Tang Mo was touching him.
The scariest thing was…
Fu Wensheng looked at Fu Wenduo's pants.
His brother was hard!!!
'My brother is actually gay,' 'Is Brother Tang and my brother actually in such a relationship?', 'No wonder why they came together to Nanjing to find me' and all sorts of other thoughts flashed through his head before he said, "Sorry to bother you."
Tang Mo, "…" He wasn't bothering them at all!
Tang Mo hurriedly released his hand to explain but Fu Wenduo grabbed him, forcing him to continue to touch. At the same time, he looked coldly at his brother. "Think a bit more."
Tang Mo's explanation was completely inferior to Fu Wenduo's four words. Once he heard this, Fu Wensheng timidly raised his head and didn't dare speak again.
Tang Mo opened his mouth to carefully explain to Fu Wensheng when he suddenly stopped. Fu Wenduo and Fu Wensheng also turned their heads to look at Tang Mo's palm with surprise. They saw a white light between the gaps in Tang Mo's fingers. The white light wasn't glaring but it illuminated the small warehouse, showing its presence.
Previously, this white light hadn't appeared when Tang Mo looked at Fu Wensheng.
Tang Mo happily released his hand on Fu Wenduo's abs and quickly touched the ground.
There was a sharp sound and Tang Mo raised his hand, a light sphere emerging from it. Tang Mo grabbed it, wanting to see the contents of the light sphere. His expression froze and then Tang Mo looked at Fu Wenduo and Fu Wensheng with a complicated expression.
"This… I don't know what to say either. Major Fu, can you take a closer look? It is somewhat complicated."
[Ability: Genetic Recombination]
[Owner: Fu Wenduo (Stowaway)]
[Type: Genotype]
[Functions: Unknown]
[Level: 7]
[Restrictions: Unknown]
[Note: The last person with this ability… unknown!]
The author has something to say:
Tang Tang: You aren't straight?!
Old Fu: When did I say that I wasn't gay? [Little Fu arrogantly agrees.]
Tang Tang: MMP I don't know what to say.
Added a ko-fi for the people asking for an alternative to Patreon:
You can also join my discord channel to chat with fellow readers about the novels;