### Chapter 30: Efficiency in Action
As soon as Mo Tu arrived at Lianhua’s house, he dove right into his star divination sessions.
Lianhua’s father was a corporate slave, so he was too busy working to care about his daughter going missing—especially that very night!
Now, as for the stepmother… rumor has it she was the first to notice Lianhua was gone.
In times like this, Mo Tu didn’t bother with observation or analysis; he went straight for the divination to snag most of the juicy details.
Mo Tu nodded thoughtfully, mentally sifting through the information he’d gained.
Meanwhile, the stepmother shot a glance at Night Star, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Who knows if some guy had a plan for Lianhua all along? Maybe it was a conspiracy with others to kidnap her! Perhaps they lured her out on purpose to make their move!”
At her words, Night Star’s pupils dilated slightly, feeling an overwhelming surge of malice. It pierced her brain like a dagger, connecting her to a million troubling thoughts.
Was Lianhua’s disappearance connected to her stepmother? Could it be? Why was this woman still spouting nonsense after her daughter had vanished? This was no normal mother! Her words sullied the good mother image Night Lan harbored in her heart. So disgusting! So revolting!
“Tsk.” Night Lan clenched her fist, rage bubbling up with no outlet. Her gaze toward the stepmother had transformed entirely, now only radiating hostility.
Mo Tu shot the stepmother a side-eye, his smile fading, his aura cooling down to an icily indifferent demeanor.
“Madam, I advise you to watch your words.”
“Y-you…”
Seeing Mo Tu’s frigid stare mixed with Night Star’s hostile glare made the stepmother’s heart race. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling as though Mo Tu and Night Star could see right through her.
It felt like any secret she had was like a neon sign flashing in front of them.
Just then, Lianhua’s father stepped in.
“Let’s wait for the police to update us. Mr. Mo, I’m sorry; we must ask you to leave now.”
“Alright, then. I’ll take my leave.”
Mo Tu placed a hand on Night Star’s back, gently guiding the emotionally tumultuous girl away.
Outside the door.
Night Star’s face was cast in shadows, her mood dismal.
“She slandered me.”
“I know. Don’t let her words get to you.”
“I can feel her malice. She hates me… and Lianhua too.”
Night Star’s eyes glimmered with turmoil. She ached to let her feelings out, her gut screaming that the stepmother was definitely up to no good. Every sad expression she wore was pure facade—so nauseatingly hypocritical!
But without evidence, instincts were as useless as a broken clock.
Mo Tu gently patted Night Star’s head.
“Let’s go home and get some sleep. Who knows, by the time you wake up, your friend might come back.”
“Hmm… okay.”
With a nod, Night Star sighed, dragging her downcast self away.
Once they were gone, Mo Tu attempted to use the star divination to track Lianhua’s whereabouts but hit a wall.
The success rate was too low, and resources were draining too fast.
However, from his earlier divination on that one woman, it was clear Lianhua’s disappearance was definitely linked to her. Night Lan could sense the stepmother’s oddities too; such deception wasn’t fooling anybody.
As he pondered, Mo Tu decided to contact a colleague.
“Yao Can, this is urgent. I’ve located the Extraordinary Star holder from Doll City, but she went missing yesterday without a trace. It’s tied to her family. You guys take care of it. The Star Holder is named Lianhua, around fourteen years old. I suggest a thorough investigation into her stepmother.”
Call disconnected.
Night Watcher Base.
Yao Can set down the communicator, his expression turning grave.
“Someone fetch the data archive. Look up a girl named Lianhua, approximately fourteen.”
Moments later, details about the target lit up before him.
Following Mo Tu’s lead, Yao Can focused on both the girl and her current mother.
Following that, a more extensive dataset popped up.
With almost everyone sporting identity authentication tech, state-run data agencies could dig up all sorts of information.
In the blink of an eye, the stepmother’s and Lianhua’s recent movements were laid out on the screen.
The stepmother was home almost all day, while Lianhua had an active route.
Yesterday.
Lianhua had stayed in one location for quite a while before her tracking point vanished as she moved.
Looks like the safety system got compromised.
This indeed pointed to a premeditated plan.
Next, Yao Can zeroed in on the stepmother’s info.
Yesterday, she’d contacted an unknown number, with all avenues being a complete mystery.
That one could only wait for further inquiries to reveal results.
Yao Can, with determination, issued a command.
“Contact the third squad and bring the target back!”
When it comes to efficiency, Yao Can was lightning quick; the moment Mo Tu dropped this lead, he launched into action with the speed of a caffeinated squirrel.
Scene Shift.
At Lianhua’s home.
The stepmother, lounging on the sofa with a content grin, was carefree as she scrolled through videos.
Her husband was out.
Now it was just her, basking in the glory of not needing to pretend to be worried or sad anymore. Pure bliss!
I bet that silly girl Lianhua has turned into a lamb waiting for slaughter by now!
Just thinking about it made her giddy.
But then, the doorbell rang!
The stepmother strolled over to open the door, only to find a group of stern-looking folks staring back at her.
“Who are you…?”
“Are you Ms. Yang?”
“Uh, yes, that’s me.”
“We’re the police. Please come with us for a little chat.”
The Night Watcher’s third squad whipped out their universal ID badges, exuding a pressure that dwarfed that of standard police.
At this sight, the stepmother’s eyes widened, and she immediately felt a surge of tension.
“Why are the cops looking for me? Have you found my daughter?!”
“Please, first come with us for an investigation. Cooperation is appreciated.”
“Wait, this… this isn’t right! Who’s trying to frame me?” The stepmother’s face began to betray her panic.
“Please cooperate.”
The leading Night Watcher was like a stone-cold professional, their aura radiating authority that could drown out a thunderstorm.
The stepmother didn’t dare protest and ended up being escorted away.
…
In Mo Tu’s makeshift accommodation.
He yet again attempted to use his star divination to track Lianhua, but predictably, it flopped.
Just then, a communication came in from Yao Can.
“Found something.”
“So soon?” Mo Tu was taken aback by Yao Can’s efficiency.
“The culprit is the target’s stepmother. She used electronic viruses to sabotage the safety system of the target’s devices and contacted a certain gang to kidnap her. This gang works for some deranged geneticists, often using illegal means to provide them with test subjects. The target must have been taken to some hidden location by them.”
Mo Tu frowned slightly.
“Why would she do that?”
“Because of some grudge against Lianhua’s birth mother, twisted revenge after being unable to compete with men—typical! After her mother’s d*ath, she redirected all that pent-up rage onto her daughter. A real piece of work, I’d say.”
With the functional “New Star” constellation’s assistance, that woman couldn’t hide a thing; all her secrets were dragged into the light.
Mo Tu sneered coldly.
“Hah, definitely a disgrace. I wonder what that father will think when he realized he was the one who brought chaos home.”
Perpetually working and neglecting his daughter’s feelings, blind to the evil intentions of that dreadful woman he married.
In the end, he was nothing but a subpar father.
“Enough with the small talk. While we could eventually stumble upon the truth, it’s time-consuming. We need your stars for efficiency now.”
“Okay, okay.”
Mo Tu ended the communication and began to harness the star’s power further.
The information flow surged even more.
Well then, the direction for divination was now set.
