Chapter 380: 145, what a short life! Lin Mo and Chen Shanhe met in the elevator!_2
He adjusted his emotions in an extremely short period of time, nodded, and said indifferently, “Hellhound, check the entire estate for any clues worth noting.”
“Spread the word, as long as Lin Mo’s family can be found, I’ll give them ten billion… US dollars!”
Ten billion… US dollars?!
Even for Hellhound, a top-tier European mercenary, such a high amount was an irresistible temptation.
These war hounds lived day by day, licking blood off their blades; who wouldn’t want to make a fortune and then retire? With a reward of 10 billion US dollars on offer, mercenaries around the world would likely be stirred into action.
This was a feast for mercenaries across the globe.
Hellhound’s expression turned exceedingly greedy and excited, and he earnestly said, “Elder Chen, prepare your money. I will complete your commission as quickly as possible!”
“I hope so,” Chen Shanhe terminated the video call.
At that moment, Chen Shanhe was sitting in the backseat of an inconspicuous business vehicle, hurrying to the villa where Lin Mo had previously broadcasted live.
He watched the passing streetscapes through the car window, as well as the pedestrians on the road, while also contemplating his next plan.
It was now known that Lin Mo was in Northern Sea City, and it was highly likely that Lin Mo wasn’t aware that he had arrived in Northern Sea.
Under these circumstances, Chen Shanhe could think of many ways to play with Lin Mo to his heart’s content.
It was like the game of cat and mouse.
After catching the mouse, a cat typically does not swallow it whole, but rather lets the mouse see chances of escape, only to catch it again once it attempts to run.
Such cycles repeat, until the mouse is exhausted, before the cat starts to relish the tasty mouse flesh, along with its fresh and tender innards.
About 20 minutes later, the business vehicle smoothly stopped at the gate of the villa.
The driver turned his head slightly and spoke respectfully, “Elder Chen, we’ve arrived.”
Chen Shanhe looked through the car window at the villa next to him, pushed the car door open, and stepped out.
Several security personnel stood at the entrance of the villa.
The overseas operation and the villa search commenced simultaneously; the preliminary search here was now complete.
A capable and shrewd man in his 30s approached and bowed slightly, saying, “I apologize, Elder Chen, but we didn’t find any traces left by Lin Mo inside. We’re currently retrieving nearby surveillance footage and will deliver it shortly.”
Chen Shanhe didn’t speak, showing no surprise.
He stood at the villa’s main gate, scrutinizing the door that bore a Chinese-style design.
In a trance, he seemed to see Lin Mo’s family get out of their car, chatting with each other as they pushed open the door and entered the villa.
The spot where he now stood was also where Lin Mo had once stood.
The physical coordinates were the same, but the time coordinates had changed.
Chen Shanhe slowly closed his eyes, imagining himself as Lin Mo, placing his hand on the cold doorknob and, with a gentle push, opened the door.
In his imagination, Lin Mo’s family was surely excited, chatting with each other.
After all, after nearly half a year, they were finally able to broadcast live again.
They could finally take action against their enemies.
Chen Shanhe felt they must also be nervous.
Because, despite thorough preparation, they were facing an enormous adversary whose outcome they could not predict.
Anxiety, unease, excitement, agitation…
Chen Shanhe felt as if he had connected across a river of time to every nuance of Lin Mo’s heart at that moment.
He stepped forward into the room.
Many artisanal paintings decorated the long corridor on both sides.
The first was Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” the second Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise,” and further along were engravings of famous world paintings.
On the west side were Western artists, on the east were historical paintings from Grand Xia.
It was evident that the former owner of the villa was someone with an appreciation for artistic flair and possessed a certain cultural depth.
Chen Shanhe didn’t stop to admire these artworks. Although he liked calligraphy and painting in everyday life, he figured Lin Mo and his family wouldn’t have been in the mood to appreciate art before the broadcast.
Passing through the corridor led to a living room of about fifty square meters, furnished very cozily, creating a homely feel.
However, there was a thin layer of dust on both the furniture and floor, indicating it had not been cleaned in some time.
There were many footprints in the dust, most leading to the basement, and some going upstairs.
A subordinate reminded him, “Elder Chen, by comparing footprints, we confirmed that Lin Mo went upstairs before. We’ve also conducted a thorough search upstairs, but the live broadcast took place in the basement.”
Chen Shanhe didn’t hurry to the basement but instead walked around the villa like a tourist, feeling the traces on the floor, speculating on Lin Mo’s family’s psychological state.
The subordinates looked at each other, unable to decipher what Chen Shanhe was doing, and none dared to speak.
Finally, Chen Shanhe entered the basement.
Clearly, it had been cleaned; there was no dust on the floor, and black cloths hung on the walls, with a table in the center.
Standing at the doorway, Chen Shanhe could almost see Lin Mo’s family busying themselves and the confident look on Lin Mo’s face.
It was as if the scene was being reenacted.
Moreover, if one could enter Chen Shanhe’s mental world, they would realize that the scene he was envisioning was almost an exact replay of the expressions and movements of Lin Mo’s family at that time.