I started with a portal, then turned around and handed it over to the nation.

Old Zhang's kind, professional smile froze for a second the moment Lin Mo asked his question.

He picked up the teacup, blew off non-existent dust, and glanced at Xiao Li, who was sitting upright next to him, out of the corner of his eye.

Xiao Li understood, cleared his throat, turned to a new page in his sketchbook, and adopted a businesslike demeanor.

"Mr. Lin, please continue. We need a more detailed description of...the goblins."

The rage of feeling abandoned by the whole world surged within Lin Mo's chest, but he forcefully suppressed it the moment he sat down.

He knew this was his last chance.

He closed his eyes, and the stench of the swamp from last night, the sticky breathing of the monster, and the cold countdown from the system rushed into his mind once again.

His body began to tremble slightly involuntarily.

"At first I didn't believe it either, I thought it was a hallucination."

Lin Mo's voice was hoarse, but much clearer than before:

"But then a countdown appeared in front of me: one minute. The system told me that if I didn't actively enter the portal within one minute, I would be forcibly teleported."

He paused, seemingly choosing his words.

"I actually went in, and everything went black and light flashed. I ended up in a black forest, full of swamps and mud."

"The system's mission is to rescue the kidnapped girl. I accidentally broke a tree branch, and those seven... no, eight goblins all swarmed around me..."

Lin Mo's gaze wandered, finally settling on the corner of the reception room, his pupils contracting slightly.

"I couldn't tell if they were male or female; they were all staring at me lecherously. Three of them were drooling so much it was practically a waterfall!"

In the reception room, Officer Li's pen, which was recording notes, suddenly stopped.

His fingers tightened around the pen, and his shoulders began to tremble slightly.

He quickly lowered his head, covered his face with his sketchbook, and pretended to be writing furiously, only the trembling pen tip gave him away.

Unaware that he was completely engulfed in terrifying memories, Lin Mo was oblivious.

"I had nothing in my hands at the time, so I just picked up a stick and fought them for my life... Their bones were very brittle and broke easily, but they were incredibly strong, and their fangs were bigger than those of a mad dog!"

"I almost had my neck bitten off by a guy who pounced on me from behind..."

"Pfft—"

A short, strange sound broke Lin Mo's narration.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Lin Mo abruptly stopped speaking. He turned his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the young policeman who was engrossed in writing.

"What are you laughing at!?"

Xiao Li's body stiffened, and he slowly raised his head, his face flushed red and his lips tightly pursed.

He tried to put on a serious expression, but the uncontrollable upward twitching of his lips completely betrayed him.

"I...I remembered something happy!" Xiao Li tried to explain, his voice distorted as he tried to suppress a laugh.

Lin Mo's eyes were sharp as knives: "What's so happy about it!"

"I skipped school to go to internet cafes back in high school."

Xiao Li's expression became incredibly sincere, even tinged with a hint of nostalgia: "Just to play Graves, a BBQ was so cool!"

"Ha ha..."

Old Zhang, who had been trying his best to maintain a serious demeanor, could no longer hold back. He leaned back in his chair and let out a low laugh, his whole body trembling.

Lin Mo's gaze instantly shifted to Old Zhang: "What are you laughing at now!"

Old Zhang quickly waved his hand, trying to cover it up with a cough: "Cough cough... I... I skipped classes in high school too!"

Lin Mo looked at the two policemen laughing so hard they were doubled over, his face drained of color, and his lips began to tremble.

He stared at the two of them in disbelief, forcing out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"You two...were classmates in high school, right?"

The two officers' laughter stopped abruptly. They exchanged a glance and nodded vigorously in unison.

"Yes, yes!"

"Yes, yes!"

Lin Mo's patience ran out completely at this moment.

"Bang!"

He slammed his hand on the table, the metal surface making a dull, loud thud.

"I'll say it again! I'm not joking!"

Lin Mo's chest heaved violently, and he almost roared, "You're all clearly laughing at me! You haven't stopped since I came in!"

Startled by his sudden action, Xiao Li immediately stopped smiling, sat up straight, and became more serious than ever before.

He looked at Lin Mo and spoke slowly and deliberately, each word ringing with conviction.

"Mr. Lin, we have undergone rigorous training; no matter how funny something is, we will not laugh!"

He paused, his expression incredibly sincere.

"Unless you can't help it!"

Old Zhang spat out the mouthful of tea he had just taken a sip of. He quickly turned his head away, his shoulders shaking like a leaf.

Lin Mo stared intently at Xiao Li, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't utter a single word. He felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger.

Seeing this, Old Zhang quickly stepped in to smooth things over, wiping his mouth and forcefully steer the conversation back on track:

"Ahem, Mr. Lin, let's get back to the main topic. That girl you mentioned who was kidnapped... is she... is she pretty?"

The air was deathly silent.

"pretty!"

"Oh dear~ What does this have to do with that girl? I mean, I have a system! And it's forcing me to travel to another world!"

Lin Mo slowly took a deep breath.

He stopped speaking and simply stared at the two people in front of him with his cold, numb eyes.

He reached into his muddy pocket and pulled out a glass bottle about the size of a thumb.

The bottle contained a pale green liquid that shimmered faintly under the incandescent light.

"Smack."

He slammed the small bottle on the table.

"This is what I got after saving that girl—consider it a reward from the system! A magic potion!"

Lin Mo's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried a sense of exhaustion and determination, as if all his strength had been drained.

"Please, you must report this! The next mission is to kill minotaurs! In a place called 'Misty Canyon'! I'm going to die... I'm really going to die!"

Old Zhang and Little Li both focused their attention on the small bottle.

Old Zhang reached out and picked up the bottle, then shook it in the light. The stopper was made of simple wood, and it looked no different from the cheap perfume bottles sold at roadside stalls.

He put down the bottle, and his face returned to that reassuring professional smile.

"Okay, Mr. Lin, please go back and wait for our news. We'll send this... uh, 'magic potion' to the bureau's laboratory for testing, as per regulations!"

"I'll let you know as soon as I have the results!"

Lin Mo stared at them intently for a few seconds, a look that made Old Zhang's smile stiffen.

Finally, Lin Mo stood up and pulled out a chair without saying a word.

"Okay." He forced out a single word: "Hurry up! Send more men to protect me!"

After saying that, he turned around, opened the door to the reception room, and walked out.

The door clicked shut.

Inside the door, there was a deathly silence for three seconds.

immediately--

"Hahahahahahahaha!!"

"Ouch, I can't take it anymore... Hahaha... Give me a magic potion!!"

"And...and killing minotaurs! Hahahaha...Old Zhang, you just asked that girl if she was pretty...hahahaha..."

The roar of laughter that seemed to lift the roof off, mixed with the sounds of slapping the table and stomping feet, came through the crack in the door without any restraint.

Lin Mo, who had just taken a step outside the door, froze instantly.

He had his back to the door, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, his nails digging deep into his palms, his face ashen, and his body trembling violently with rage.

The next second, he turned around abruptly and pushed open the door that had just been closed.

"Bang!"

The laughter inside the door stopped abruptly.

In the blink of an eye, Lao Zhang and Xiao Li had already sat up straight, their expressions serious and their eyes fixed straight ahead, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Mo remained silent, only glancing at the two with his crimson eyes before slamming the door shut again and striding away without looking back.

This time, he didn't stop.

Behind them came even more unrestrained laughter, almost enough to lift the roof off.

Lin Mo walked on the street outside the police station. The summer sun was dazzling, but he felt cold all over.

He glanced back at the solemn police badge on the police station sign and muttered to himself:

"I really will thank you."

Then he walked away into the distance without looking back.