Chapter 31: They’re All Excuses

Mo Yu slept until he woke up naturally; the accumulated fatigue from rewinding time required more sleep to recover.

The soundproofing in the room was poor, allowing the noise of cars and shouting from outside to drift in. It was already bright out, and though the curtains were drawn, the intense light indicated a beautiful day.

He checked his phone. 11:32 AM.

His plan was to contact the trio today to hunt more monsters and join the Riven Moon, then find an opportunity to bait the Riven Moon into causing trouble for Alice, effectively turning the tables on her.

This was the blueprint of Mo Yu’s plan.

Alice had too many powerful subordinates for him to stand a chance at infiltrating her estate alone. But by muddying the waters and inciting the Riven Moon to wage war against her, he could find an opening to slip into her manor and steal the inducer. Once the inducer was in his hands, he could easily deal with Elise and then use her as a pawn to set a trap for Alice.

After mentally reviewing the plan, Mo Yu rolled out of bed, ready to begin the day’s activities.

However… he realized there was someone else in the room.

He focused his gaze and saw Elise.

The beautiful young vampire had arrived at some unknown time. She was wearing a white spaghetti-strap sundress, her snow-white legs and arms exposed. She wore round, black-rimmed glasses, her hair tied into a low ponytail with a ribbon. She was lounging comfortably on a single-seat sofa, reading a book, with her small, pale feet resting on Alpha’s back.

Alpha lay on the floor, its head turned toward Mo Yu, looking remarkably aggrieved.

"Good morning, Young Mistress."

Mo Yu reacted quickly, though he was puzzled. Didn't they agree not to interact unless necessary? How did she slip in without a sound? It was unsettling.

He glanced at Alpha, which was trying to move its mechanical limbs to stand, but it was bound by blood-thorns and unable to act.

Mo Yu probed, "Did you find what was inside the dog's head?"

"What thing?"

"The relic of the Ancient Holy Church, 'Penitence'."

"Huh? Where did you get that?!"

Judging by Elise’s stunned expression, she hadn’t discovered the Penitence. Mo Yu immediately activated "Rewind," erasing his inquiry. He beckoned to Alpha and said to Elise, "Young Mistress, please let it come over for a moment."

Elise looked suspicious, but she released the blood-thorns.

Alpha immediately scrambled over, bumping its head into Mo Yu’s stomach.

Mo Yu opened the surveillance footage to check.

Elise had appeared at 6:00 AM, manifesting suddenly in front of Alpha without warning, using blood-thorns to restrain it. In Alpha’s field of vision, the screen was filled with red warning pop-ups, its mobility restricted.

"Move again and I'll dismantle you."

At Elise’s airy command, Alpha had gone still. Text scrolled across its screen; its calculated strategy was: "Wait for an opportunity, wake the Station Master."

Mo Yu wanted to see what happened next, but Elise reacted violently. She snatched Alpha away and warned, "Do not watch that! Why does this thing have a recording? Delete it! Now!"

"Why?"

"Delete it! Immediately! Right now!"

Elise’s expression was terrifying; her voice rose, and her emotions fluctuated wildly.

Mo Yu was startled. He immediately rewound, erasing the act of watching the footage. Returning to the moment after his greeting, he continued, "Does the Young Mistress have any plans for today?"

"No."

"Then..."

"Number 1 is cleaning the rooms, so I came down to stay for a while," Elise explained.

Mo Yu fell silent. Something was wrong. His room wasn't occupied, yet it was kept spotless; there was no reason for room 411 to need cleaning. It was an excuse.

Was Elise suspicious of him? As expected of a future Empress, her intuition was truly sharp.

While Mo Yu brainstormed, Elise took the initiative to ask, "Are you not feeling well? You slept from 9:00 last night until now."

"Well... my ability causes fatigue, so I need extra sleep."

Mo Yu wasn't lying; the fatigue accumulated from rewinding did require more sleep to alleviate. He also confirmed one thing: Elise’s perception was incredibly strong. With only a wall between them, his actions were completely exposed. He couldn't create a mirror image inside the apartment; otherwise, the sudden appearance of two people would inevitably be discovered.

Elise said, "If you're tired, keep sleeping."

"No need. Young Mistress, please excuse me while I attend to some personal matters." Mo Yu stood up.

Elise murmured an acknowledgment and turned her head away, a blush creeping onto her fair cheeks.

Mo Yu felt a chill and looked down. He suddenly remembered he had been sleeping naked. The "muzzle of his gun" had been aimed directly at her face; no wonder she couldn't look him in the eye.

He quickly put on his underwear and ducked into the bathroom. While washing up, he brainstormed and calculated the time.

It was 11:30 AM; he could rewind to 5:30 AM. Elise had appeared at 6:00. She had controlled Alpha directly, meaning she had been lurking in the shadows, knowing it was on guard, and chose to ambush it. Given her perception, he couldn't use his mirror ability after rewinding.

He faced a choice: Rewind and face Elise while clear-headed, which would lose the footage and prevent him from confirming what Elise did while he was asleep. Or, pretend to be asleep—but he didn't think he could fool her; her powerful perception could easily detect his heartbeat and breathing.

He decided not to rewind.

He took his earphones from his pocket, turned on the bathroom exhaust fan, and sat on the toilet lid.

Once connected via Bluetooth, Alpha’s voice came through. "Station Master, Elise ambushed and controlled Alpha. Afterward, she sat on the sofa reading. She stood up to move twice, once approaching the bed and walking along the edge, but made no contact. A maid came by once, worked in the kitchen, and then left..."

Alpha reported quickly. Mo Yu covered his ear with one hand, listening quietly. He dared not speak, lest Elise hear him.

After the report, he was puzzled. Elise had simply stayed in his room and done nothing, so why did she react so strongly about the footage? Had he missed a detail?

Alpha hadn't taken any extreme actions, so it was likely safe. While Alpha was a bit dim-witted now, its core logic was to protect the Station Master; if Elise had done anything dangerous, it would have self-destructed to buy him time.

Mo Yu decided against rewinding.

He walked out of the bathroom. Elise was still reading, her expression focused. Perhaps sensing his gaze, she didn't even look up as she said, "Mind your own business."

Mo Yu cleaned the room, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window for ventilation. The day was sunny and clear.

After tidying up, he made an excuse: "Young Mistress, I’m going out to buy something to eat."

Elise replied, "Check the fridge yourself."

Mo Yu, confused, went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to find it packed with food, likely delivered by the maid. The excuse to leave was gone.

He had no choice but to cook. He decided to fill his stomach first, preparing four dishes and a soup. As he served the rice, he habitually asked, "Would you like to eat together?"

"Sure."

To his surprise, Elise agreed. She set aside her book, put on her slippers, and sat at the dining table, her gaze fixed on Mo Yu as if waiting to be fed.

He handed her a bowl of rice. Elise took it naturally and began to eat in small bites.

Mo Yu watched her secretly as he ate. He recalled Alice’s words: Elise was a symbiotic being of human and vampire, constantly swaying between the two.

They finished all four dishes. Elise took a tissue to wipe her mouth; judging by her expression, she was satisfied with the lunch.

Mo Yu asked, "Young Mistress, is it really okay for you to eat this? Don't you need blood?"

"I can eat, but if I only consume human food, my strength will dissipate. I need to replenish blood regularly."

"I see."

"I’m sorry to trouble you for the next few days."

"Huh?"

"Number 1 didn't prepare any blood."