Lin Mo crushing the bullet with his bare hand shocked everyone present.
It took a while before anyone reacted.
"Huh? Isn't that the kid who saved Old Xing's daughter? When did he get here?"
"He crushed a bullet with his hand? That's impossible! No normal person could do something like that!"
"That kid's terrifying… Who is he really? Even if he has the power to crush a bullet, why would he save the Snowman? Is he insane…?"
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to deal with the crowd. He turned to glance at Chopper, who was swaying unsteadily from all his injuries.
Technically, even if he didn't help, Chopper wouldn't die just from being shot a few times—at least not according to the original plotline.
But seeing Chopper's eyes filled with pain and despair, not from the wounds on his body but from being betrayed and hurt by humans…
Lin Mo couldn't help but feel a twinge of compassion.
"Run," Lin Mo said flatly.
Though his voice lacked emotion, to Chopper—who had been bullied by both reindeer and humans since childhood—those words meant everything.
This human… was different.
That was what Chopper thought in that moment.
Then a gunshot rang out again.
Someone had circled around to the side and tried to shoot Chopper.
Lin Mo raised his hand once more and caught the flying bullet, crushing it easily.
Frightened, Chopper reflexively took two steps back.
Lin Mo glanced back at him again. "Run."
Chopper didn't speak. He turned and sprinted into the pine forest.
At that moment, the system's prompt sounded in Lin Mo's mind:
"Ding! You helped Chopper escape danger and gained his favor. Sign-in progress +20%. Current total progress: 50%. Reward: Fairy Sphere skill level +1. Current Fairy Sphere level: Lv2."
In that instant, Lin Mo felt a deeper understanding of the Fairy Sphere skill.
He thought back to the last two months—how he had tried so hard to find Chopper without any luck.
Now, Chopper had practically delivered himself.
Just as he thought—some things, like this mission, are best left to fate.
So Lin Mo didn't bother chasing after Chopper. He took a detour, calmly walking past the crowd and heading back into town.
"Hey, kid, do you even know what you've just done?"
"You let the Snowman get away! Do you know how dangerous that thing is? That monster's a threat to everyone!"
"Yeah! If you're that strong, why didn't you help us kill it instead of saving it?"
The armed townspeople shouted complaints as Lin Mo walked by.
He ignored them and continued on.
But Law couldn't help yelling back, "Are you sure that guy was the Snowman? Did he ever hurt you? Has he done anything wrong?"
Law's questions stumped them.
After a brief silence, the townspeople resumed complaining.
"He hasn't done anything yet, but are we supposed to wait until he actually hurts someone?"
"Exactly! Even if he's not the Snowman, he's still some kind of monster—half-human, half-beast! Monsters don't have humanity. Even if we don't kill him, we can't let him into town!"
Law hadn't expected the townspeople's prejudice to run so deep against someone who clearly wasn't the Snowman.
He clenched his jaw and snapped, "Have you ever tried talking to him? Do you know what he wants? Do you even know if he's dangerous?"
"What's there to talk about with a monster? Kid, you're nuts…"
"We don't have time to waste on understanding a monster. If we let him get too close, he might kill us all."
"Yeah! That thing's smart enough to act pitiful just to get our sympathy. Hmph, does he think we'll fall for that? What a joke."
"You know what's really a joke? You people," Law snapped, seething. He realized no matter what he said, he couldn't change their minds.
So arguing any further would be pointless.
He turned and chased after Lin Mo.
From the moment Lin Mo blocked the bullet for Chopper, Law had figured out who he'd been searching for the past two months—it had to be that "monster" who wasn't really the Snowman.
At first, Law was confused why Lin Mo hadn't spoken up for Chopper. But now he understood.
Sometimes silence says more than words.
You can't change someone's worldview by arguing. It's better to say nothing at all.
That was Law's own interpretation.
In reality, Lin Mo just didn't feel like talking.
Soon, word of Lin Mo crushing a bullet with his bare hand spread throughout the entire town of Cocoa Weed.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo had already left Cocoa Weed Town and headed for a small town near the harbor.
It had been a long time since he last visited a tavern, and since he had time today, he figured he'd go enjoy a drink.
After walking for over half an hour, Lin Mo arrived at the only town on Drum Island with a tavern.
As soon as he stepped inside—
Just like his first visits to the taverns in Windmill Village and Shimotsuki Village, he was greeted with ridicule.
"Huh? A little kid? Did he walk into the wrong place? This is a bar, right? Kid, if you want juice, go to the convenience store next door! Hahaha…"
"Look, he's got two swords and a gourd on his belt. What's that—grape juice in the gourd? Hahaha!"
"Kid, this place ain't for you. Go home before you get hurt, hahaha!"
Lin Mo ignored them completely. He walked over to the U-shaped bar counter, climbed up onto a high stool like a seasoned regular, and before the bartender could join in the heckling, he slapped down a handful of Berries.
The bartender paused.
With a blank expression, Lin Mo said, "Give me your best drink."
"Uh… Right away!" The bartender quickly pocketed the Berries. As far as he was concerned, anyone with money was a customer—kid or not.
Soon, the bartender brought over a bubbling drink.
Just as Lin Mo took his first sip, Law caught up and walked in.
"Knew you'd come here to drink," Law said, sitting in the empty seat beside him. He gave Lin Mo a tired look. "You look even younger than me. How do you drink so much?"
Lin Mo didn't respond. He kept drinking.
After finishing his first glass, he took out another handful of Berries and ordered another.
Suddenly, the tavern doors burst open.
A man in a dark blue coat ran in, panicked.
"Bad news! Something happened in Cocoa Weed Town!"