As soon as Li Po finished speaking, Jiang Yu finally turned off his terminal and pulled himself away from work. He glanced at his watch, frowning slightly but saying nothing, only nodding lightly at Li Po.

Sensing the cue, Li Po quickly got to the point without further delay.

“Sir, I suggest you investigate the locations Hong You has recently been deployed to, and his teammates—they should be closely monitored as well.”

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment before nodding.

It seemed like everything had been said, and Li Po guessed he’d be dismissed any second now. So he quickly asked, “Sir, are you going to investigate this personally?”

From what Li Po had observed, both the White Tower medical staff and the S District trainers seemed quite unfamiliar with contaminant parasitism. He hadn’t forgotten the instinctive fear that the group of alphas had shown during the incident at Training Ground No. 2. Despite their battle-hardened experience, they had hesitated to approach.

If he remembered correctly, Hong Mao was a B-level alpha. The fact that even a B-level mental strength user could be parasitized so quietly spoke volumes about the strength of these contaminants’ parasitic abilities. Therefore, it was unlikely that S District would send more B-level operatives to investigate. And since this matter involved the safety of the entire district, Li Po was certain that whoever they sent would be extremely powerful.

While Li Po didn’t know the exact level of Jiang Yu’s mental strength, the fact that he could destroy a contaminant with a single bullet suggested that he was no ordinary person. Overall, Li Po felt there was a good chance that Jiang Yu would be involved personally.

But Jiang Yu clearly wasn’t going to give him a straight answer.

He merely cast a calm glance at the omega, his voice flat. “Why are you asking?”

Li Po could hear the implication and realized he wouldn’t get a proper answer. So, he averted his gaze, brushing the lint off his pants, and casually asked, “Sir, are omegas’ physiques particularly special?”

Jiang Yu looked at him with mild confusion.

“If that’s not the case, then why have I been present at two parasitism incidents?” Li Po lowered his eyes, staring at the intricate patterns on the fabric. “Once at White Tower, and again at Training Ground No. 2. The first time, at White Tower, could be chalked up to coincidence, but the second time at the training ground seems a bit too much of a coincidence.”

As he finished speaking, he lifted his gaze, looking at the man seated a short distance away. “Sir, do you also think this is just a coincidence?”

Jiang Yu’s expression remained neutral as he looked at him. “What are you trying to say?”

His tone was calm, with no hint of accusation, but Li Po couldn’t shake the subtle chill behind it—the kind of coldness that came from being scrutinized by someone in power. This was the first time Li Po had felt such an overwhelming sense of pressure from Jiang Yu, and it made him uncomfortable.

Li Po paused for a second, neither trembling in fear nor hastily denying his words. Instead, he raised his face, showing just the right amount of vulnerability. “Don’t misunderstand, I’m just guessing.”

He deliberately hesitated for a second before continuing in an uncertain tone, “I overheard someone saying I’m the only omega in S District, and that made me think. Omegas are rare, and contaminant parasitism is even rarer. Yet somehow, I was present at both incidents. Doesn’t that seem like a really low probability?”

Jiang Yu remained silent, his gaze still fixed on Li Po.

Li Po, trying to gauge Jiang Yu’s reaction, was disappointed when there was no noticeable response—just an unsettling silence that sent a chill down his spine.

Ugh… this was going to be tricky.

Li Po prided himself on his ability to read people, but when it came to Jiang Yu, all those skills seemed useless. Jiang Yu’s expression was always cold and distant, his eyes devoid of any clear emotion, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking. Not even Li Po could tell at this moment.

He furrowed his brows, considering his next move carefully. Could it be that Jiang Yu had already seen through his plan? That shouldn’t be possible.

After some thought, Li Po steeled himself and reached for his inner thigh.

“Sir, as you know, omegas are naturally sensitive and prone to fear. I’m new here, unfamiliar with everything, and I’m really worried that I’ll cause trouble for everyone. If possible, please investigate this matter further, otherwise, I—”

Suddenly, the omega fell silent.

A pair of flushed eyes unexpectedly entered Jiang Yu’s line of sight, making him pause, momentarily stunned.

At some point, Li Po’s eyes had turned red. He bit down hard on his lower lip, holding back any sound, not allowing a single whimper to escape. His red-rimmed eyes were locked onto Jiang Yu, filled with guilt and self-blame, which only intensified as their gazes met.

The room was filled with light, the golden sunlight reflecting in his eyes, highlighting the slowly gathering tears. Finally unable to hold them back any longer, Li Po quickly lowered his gaze, avoiding Jiang Yu’s eyes.

His hands, resting on his knees, instinctively clenched the black fabric of his pants, hiding the actions of his other hand. Out of sight, Li Po pinched the soft flesh of his inner thigh so hard that it made him suck in a sharp breath. The pain was excruciating, but it successfully brought tears to his eyes—after all, he refused to believe that any alpha could resist this display.

Li Po knew Jiang Yu wouldn’t believe the nonsense he’d made up about omega physiology. Sure, it was strange that he had encountered parasitism twice, but it clearly had nothing to do with his being an omega. If that were the case, human bases would have been overrun by contaminants long ago.

What Li Po needed was to create some association with contaminant parasitism, even if it wasn’t related to his physiology. Could it be related to something else? Especially considering that he’d only been here for less than a month, and S District had already experienced two unprecedented parasitism incidents—it was definitely worth investigating.

More importantly, he had essentially been “parachuted” into S District through a backdoor, arriving without any prior warning. All people knew was that he had connections, and those connections were high-ranking officials in the human base. But no one knew the exact details, which made the situation all the more intriguing.

Of course, from the original host’s memories, there was no reason for suspicion. He truly was just an ordinary omega—nothing special about him at all.

But Jiang Yu didn’t know that. And in S District, being a commanding officer meant more than just raw power. People in such positions often had strong doubts and suspicions, and Li Po intended to exploit that very tendency.

No matter what Jiang Yu thought or did, even if he threw him out of S District, Li Po’s goal would be at least halfway achieved. For Li Po, S District was nothing more than a massive cage, offering temporary protection but long-term confinement he couldn’t bear.

To someone who craved excitement and detested boredom like Li Po, this was a form of prolonged torture.

But he also understood that in this dangerous, unfamiliar world, an E-level omega was one of the weakest beings, unable to crush even a contaminant as small as an ant. So, as much as possible, he needed to extricate himself from any trouble. Even if something happened, it should never be linked to him personally.

After all, who would ever believe that an omega—weak and powerless—could pull off anything out of the ordinary?

So now, he was playing the role of a pitiable omega, aiming to keep Jiang Yu curious about him while also convincing him that an omega like him couldn’t possibly stir up any real trouble and was someone easily controlled.

That was the most important thing.

However… the price was a bit steep.

Li Po, tears blurring his vision, glanced down at his thigh, thinking with a blank expression that it was probably bruised now.

The tear hanging on his lashes hadn’t fallen yet, and when he blinked, it finally slipped down, falling directly toward the dark fabric on his knee.

“Plop—”

Unexpectedly, it was intercepted halfway, landing in a pale, strong palm instead.

Li Po froze, forgetting to wipe his tears. He simply stared up at the person in front of him, his wet lashes trembling slightly. Another tear rolled down his cheek, landing in the same spot as the first.

The hot, wet liquid seeped into the lines of the dry palm before being absorbed by the snow-white handkerchief. Jiang Yu’s outstretched hand hung in midair, and he clearly hadn’t expected this to happen.

From a distance, their posture was anything but innocent.

An omega, teary-eyed, gazed up at an alpha. The alpha looked down at the omega, his expression unmoved, yet he still extended his hand to catch the omega’s tears—handkerchief or not.

But at this moment, they were, in fact, perfectly innocent.

The bright light shone down on Jiang Yu, casting a shadow in front of him. Li Po’s face was obscured in that shadow, making his expression hard to discern.

He glanced down at the white handkerchief, only hesitating for a moment before silently curling his lips into a small smile.

Knowing that Jiang Yu disliked being touched, he carefully pulled the handkerchief away without grazing even a bit of Jiang Yu’s skin.

Once his face was dry, he finally spoke. “Sir, I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold it in.”

“I’ll let you get back to work. I won’t bother you anymore.”

It was only then that Jiang Yu gave a cold, indifferent “hmm.” He stepped aside, giving Li Po space to leave.

Li Po clenched the handkerchief tightly and hopped off the sofa. But before he could take even a step, his right leg suddenly gave way, and he almost stumbled.

“…”

Li Po stiffened immediately. His back to Jiang Yu, he discreetly touched the inside of his thigh and sucked in a sharp breath.

Damn, it hurt!!!

Not daring to linger for even a moment, he forced himself to walk toward the door, hiding the pain as he swiftly opened it.

—Like a startled rabbit.

Behind him, Jiang Yu’s scrutinizing gaze rested on the omega, his eyes darkening as if deep in thought, though his true intentions were impossible to read.

“Bang!”

Once the door was tightly shut, Li Po finally let out a long breath of relief.

He fumed internally, Damn it, Jiang Yu isn’t such a good guy after all!