S District.

After stepping off the starship, Li Po walked ahead, lost in thought, his expression unreadable. Just then, a voice called from behind, “Li Po, wait a moment.”

Li Po turned around at the sound, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes, but he remained silent, waiting for the person to speak.

Kuang Feng glanced at him awkwardly, his fingers twitching nervously at his sides. After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally mustered up the courage to say, “Thank you… for saving me back there.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Kuang Feng felt embarrassed and looked away, pretending to be busy by gazing elsewhere.

Li Po raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, glancing up and down at Kuang Feng.

In his experience, the alphas of S District were typically arrogant and full of themselves. They wouldn’t even think of apologizing, let alone thanking someone. Other than Yu San, Kuang Feng was the only other person who had ever thanked him.

“You’re welcome,” Li Po replied lightly, his voice sounding weightless to Kuang Feng’s ears, yet it still made his heart tremble.

Did the omega not care at all about their past grudges? Even though most of the bad things had been done by Di Kai, and Kuang Feng had rarely been involved, he was still considered one of Di Kai’s people. Was it possible that the omega didn’t hold any resentment toward him?

As if reading Kuang Feng’s thoughts, Li Po raised his gaze and spoke flatly, “That’s between me and him, not you.”

Kuang Feng was momentarily stunned. He looked at the omega in disbelief, unable to fathom how someone could be so magnanimous.

Compared to Di Kai, it was like night and day.

Kuang Feng’s face showed some emotion, and after a moment’s thought, he spoke again, “Is there anything I can do to help you? I’d be happy to repay the favor.”

Honestly, before offering, Kuang Feng had mentally prepared himself for the omega to make an outrageous demand. After all, as an alpha, he could do a lot more than an omega.

Even if Li Po did ask for something big, Kuang Feng was ready to accept it—after all, he would have paid off the debt.

While he wondered what unreasonable request the omega might make, a cool and calm voice responded, “No need, I don’t require anything.”

Startled, Kuang Feng looked up in surprise. The omega was really passing up such a good opportunity? He was an alpha, after all, and even though he wasn’t in the best position, he could still do a lot!

Just as he stared at Li Po, trying to figure out what he was thinking, the omega suddenly spoke again.

He knew it—no way the omega would pass up such a chance!

As he eagerly listened for what the omega would ask, Li Po unexpectedly smiled and said, “If I had to ask for something… it would be for you to stay away from Di Kai. He’s a bully who only picks on the weak. If you stand up to him, he won’t dare do anything to you.”

At that moment, there was no trace of mockery in Li Po’s eyes. He simply offered the advice in the most casual tone, as if they were two friends chatting. His suggestion was so relaxed that it didn’t make Kuang Feng feel embarrassed, nor did it come across as forced.

After speaking, Li Po didn’t bother waiting for Kuang Feng’s reaction. He waved casually and said, “See you.”

Kuang Feng, left standing there, fell into a long silence.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know Di Kai was a bully—he did. He just never had the courage to stand up to him, afraid of the consequences of angering Di Kai. His fear and cowardice had allowed Di Kai to ride roughshod over him, time and time again.

He had become accustomed to Di Kai’s bullying, but Li Po’s offhand comment had stirred something deep inside him.

Yes, he was an alpha. Why should he allow himself to be bullied? He had his dignity, his status, his pride. Why should Di Kai get to trample all over him, and why couldn’t he fight back?

Even an omega had saved him in such a dangerous situation. Why should he, an alpha, cower before someone who couldn’t even harm him? Especially since he was an alpha!

In that moment, something clicked in Kuang Feng’s mind. He raised his head sharply, his eyes brighter than ever before.

Just as Li Po was about to walk away, Kuang Feng took a few steps forward, calling out loudly, “Alright, I’ll listen to you!”

Li Po heard him.

He didn’t turn around, but his eyelids lowered slightly, and a faint, meaningful smile tugged at his lips.

—

Back at his dorm, Li Po hadn’t even had time to take off his combat gear when his communicator let out a sharp beep.

With his pants halfway down, he sighed in exasperation, yanking them back up. Bending over, he fished the communicator out of his pocket.

A video call?

Li Po, one hand holding up his pants, quickly tapped the screen.

The next moment, realization hit him, and his expression changed drastically.

—But it was already too late.

Meanwhile, in the Black Tower.

Two pale, bare legs suddenly appeared in Jiang Yu’s field of view, the hologram projecting a full, unobstructed image of the omega onto the screen, every inch visible.

The omega’s upper body was still fully dressed in his black combat uniform, but from the waist down, he was only wearing underwear, leaving two glowing white legs exposed.

Those legs were long and straight, not frail like most omegas, but covered with a thin layer of muscle, giving them a slender yet powerful appearance. They were, undeniably, a pair of beautiful legs.

At that moment, the owner of those legs was standing frozen in place, clutching his pants, utterly dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Suddenly, the omega, face flushed with shame and anger, threw the communicator aside, then scrambled up onto the bed, hiding himself under the covers.

“What are you doing?!” he demanded in a mortified voice.

“…”

Faced with the omega’s question, Jiang Yu was momentarily speechless. After glimpsing what he wasn’t supposed to see, he should have immediately looked away or cut off the call—but, unexpectedly, he did neither.

He simply stared at the image, his eyes gradually darkening.

It wasn’t until the omega buried himself under the blankets, furiously asking him what he was doing, that Jiang Yu snapped back to his senses, pushing down the emotions in his eyes.

His expression returned to its usual cold indifference as he coolly asked in return, “What about you?”

…

Li Po wanted to die of embarrassment.

He had only been trying to change clothes, that’s all!

But then Jiang Yu had suddenly called him. Not only had he called, but it was a video call! Li Po rarely used his communicator, so he hadn’t even known it could receive video calls. On top of that, the projection made it look like Jiang Yu was right in front of him, like a 4D movie. It was as real as having him physically present.

Thinking about it made Li Po want to die even more.

If Jiang Yu had just brushed it off casually, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but instead, he had asked a question in return. Now what was Li Po supposed to do?

At this point, Li Po had buried his face so deep under the blankets that even his ears had turned red.

Perhaps noticing the awkwardness, Jiang Yu abruptly changed the topic. “What happened with your mission?”

As soon as the mission was brought up, Li Po’s expression turned serious. He poked his head out from under the blanket, a thoughtful look on his face.

He wondered whether he should tell Jiang Yu everything.

The strange spider breeding in the crates, the boxes in the remote corners, the large number of contaminated creatures that had emerged, the clean beams in the abandoned factory, and the bizarre mercenaries who had no clear origin…

All of these signs pointed to something suspicious about the factory.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Li Po looked up and asked, “Sir, what’s the background of this factory?”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yu didn’t answer right away. Instead, he averted his gaze and coldly said, “Sit properly.”

“?” Li Po was confused.

Slowly, he sat up and covered his legs tightly with the blanket, smoothing down his hair that had become messy in the process. “Is this better?”

Only then did Jiang Yu finally look at him directly.

He avoided discussing the factory and instead stated matter-of-factly, “Two of them haven’t returned yet.”

Li Po pouted, thinking, Why should I care if they haven’t come back? I don’t know where they are. But he didn’t dare say that out loud, so he vaguely explained what had happened.

Jiang Yu nodded slightly. “Anything else?”

Li Po hesitated for a moment, then recounted the events in full detail, including the strange things he had observed in the factory and how Hou Ming and Kingsley had abandoned them and fled.

After listening, Jiang Yu furrowed his brows slightly, as if deep in thought.

“Sir, why was an E-level mission so dangerous that it cost the lives of two alphas?” Seeing Jiang Yu remain silent, Li Po grew anxious and tried to probe for more information.

As expected, Jiang Yu denied it immediately: “It wasn’t.”

Li Po seized the opportunity. “Wasn’t what?”

But Jiang Yu showed no interest in continuing. He glanced at the omega without much emotion on his face and said, “It’s dangerous out there. Don’t go wandering around anymore.”

Huh? What did that mean? No more wandering around?

Li Po’s mental alarms went off.

What did Jiang Yu mean? Was he planning to keep him from going on future missions? That wouldn’t do! Li Po had fought hard for this chance and had barely been out on his first mission. He hadn’t even had enough fun yet.

“No way, I’m going out again,” Li Po protested.

Jiang Yu calmly repeated, “It’s dangerous outside.”

“Dangerous? It wasn’t so bad; I’m still in one piece.”

“…”

“If I’m not mistaken, the mercenaries were unexpected on this mission, right? It’s not like every mission comes with surprises. Maybe next time I’ll be lucky,” Li Po said confidently.

Though deep down, only Li Po knew that he had never won the lottery in his life. Luck wasn’t exactly his strong suit.

By this point, Jiang Yu realized that Li Po wasn’t just being impulsive. He lowered his gaze and stared at the omega sitting on the bed.

“Are you sure?”

“Sure about what?” Li Po asked, still confused.

“About becoming an operative.”

Li Po was even more puzzled. “Aren’t I already one?”

Jiang Yu shook his head. “Not completely.”

“Then yes, I’m sure,” Li Po replied firmly. “I won’t change my mind, sir, don’t worry.”

“Alright, come find me tomorrow afternoon.”

Li Po immediately frowned in protest. “Why do I need to see you?”

Jiang Yu noticed the omega’s reluctance and gave him a cold, piercing look. “For your official certification.”

“!”

The moment those words left his mouth, Li Po’s eyes lit up with excitement. The reluctance vanished instantly, replaced by a happy smile as his eyes curved. “Alright, sir, I’ll be sure to come see you on time.”

“…”

This omega’s ability to switch emotions was faster than flipping pages in a book.