As soon as Jiang Yu’s words fell, Li Po was engulfed in an awkward silence.

He pressed his thin lips tightly together, his gaze dropping to the metal buckle at Jiang Yu’s waist, his expression showing a hint of reluctance. After all, he wasn’t born an Omega, so how would he know how to control his pheromones?

Jiang Yu was clearly just picking on him, intentionally making things difficult.

Li Po’s eyes stayed fixed on an empty spot in the air, avoiding any inappropriate places. From above, Jiang Yu looked down at him. When he saw that Li Po was silent, he followed his gaze downward.

Just one glance, and Jiang Yu’s expression instantly darkened.

Meanwhile, Li Po hadn’t yet figured out how to respond when suddenly his face was lifted. His heart skipped a beat, and he unexpectedly met Jiang Yu’s cold gaze, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up.

His poorly hidden gaze was filled with panic, unease, and a hint of guilt from being caught red-handed. His eyes couldn’t move away, and his beautiful pupils froze in place as if frightened.

Jiang Yu lowered his gaze, locking onto Li Po’s clear, fox-like eyes. His indifferent gaze paused momentarily. A few seconds later, he loosened his grip and said faintly, “Forget it.”

Forget it? No way!

As soon as those words dropped, Li Po’s delicate brows furrowed tightly. He grabbed Jiang Yu’s hand without thinking and blurted out, “I don’t allow it.”

Jiang Yu glanced at him helplessly. “…Don’t be so unreasonable.”

Hearing this, a million question marks flew over Li Po’s head. How was he being unreasonable? He was being serious! Jiang Yu pulled his hand away forcefully, and Li Po, unable to hold on, let his hand drop, staring at Jiang Yu unblinkingly.

Upon meeting Jiang Yu’s gaze, Li Po suddenly realized something, and his expression darkened slightly—Jiang Yu never really treated him like just an ordinary combat soldier from S District.

His attitude towards Li Po was similar to how an Alpha might treat an Omega—distant, cold, but still somewhat indulgent. If it were a regular Alpha pestering Jiang Yu like this, they would’ve been shot long ago. But the only reason Li Po was still alive and well was because he was an Omega.

If he were an Alpha, Jiang Yu wouldn’t have had an ounce of patience for him, let alone wasting time listening to his nonsense like now.

Realizing this, Li Po’s eyes drooped, even his hair giving off a sense of dejection. He shifted closer to the edge of the bed, tilting his face upward to ask, “Am I bothering you?”

As if feeling his question wasn’t clear enough, he added, “Do I annoy you?”

Hearing this, Jiang Yu’s brows furrowed slightly. He looked at Li Po sitting on the bed, unsure of what game he was playing this time.

They were both adults; how could Li Po not understand such mutual understanding? He tugged at the corners of his mouth, frustration building as he pulled his legs back onto the bed and curled into the white blanket. “Officer, I won’t bother you anymore. Go do your work.”

Forget the mission, forget the calming, let whoever wants to deal with it handle it. He was done with meddling!

So annoying, such a mess.

His voice was muffled under the covers. After speaking, he pulled the blanket over his head, completely cutting off Jiang Yu’s view.

Jiang Yu: “…”

He fell silent, his gaze falling on the lump under the blanket, his expression complex. His lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something, but his gaze then landed on the pile of torn paper on the bed, and his expression turned cold again. He remained silent.

Under the covers, Li Po felt stuffy and uncomfortable. Acting out of spite, he didn’t want to deal with Jiang Yu, but he didn’t expect to trap himself. Now he was the one suffering. The outside world was sealed off by the blanket, and he couldn’t hear any sounds. He had no idea if Jiang Yu had left or not and strained his ears to listen.

But after a while of silence, a sliver of doubt crept in. Had he left?

He’s definitely gone, he thought.

So, he sneakily lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing just his eyes to take a quick peek outside.

With just one look, his body stiffened.

—The person who should have left was still standing right next to the bed, staring coldly at him.

Seeing Li Po peeking out, Jiang Yu glanced at him. “Done sulking?”

“…You’re so annoying!” Caught red-handed, Li Po’s ears flushed red, and he turned away, avoiding Jiang Yu’s gaze.

Thankfully, Jiang Yu didn’t push further. He merely asked, without much expression, “Why do you want to go on the mission with me?”

Hearing that it was about serious business, Li Po finally sat up straight and looked at him directly. “I’m worried about your health. Is that a good enough reason?”

“…”

Jiang Yu stared at him without a word, his face expressionless.

Fine, he didn’t believe it.

In reality, Li Po’s reasoning was simple: Jiang Yu held a high position, and by following him, he could learn more. That was it. S District wasn’t as calm as he had imagined. If he really stayed here obediently and became the weak Omega that all the Alphas thought he was, he wouldn’t even know how he’d die in the end.

He didn’t know much about Jing Lun, and the only person he could access at the highest level was Jiang Yu. Since that was the case, why not use the opportunity?

Thinking of this, he half-jokingly said, “Because, Officer, you have SS-level mental strength, while I’m only E-level. I’m afraid of dying, and I’m worried your pheromones might go out of control. If that happens, I’ll calm you down, and you protect me. Isn’t that a win-win?”

He had been under the blanket for too long, and his face was still flushed. At this moment, his eyes tilted upward, staring at Jiang Yu in a way that did carry a faint hint of seduction, like a mischievous fox.

Jiang Yu’s face remained calm, showing no reaction. After a brief pause, he slowly spoke, “What about your Alpha?”

His scrutinizing gaze fell on Li Po’s face, capturing every subtle expression, leaving no room for evasion. Unexpectedly, Li Po’s expression remained one of pure confusion.

“…My Alpha?” Li Po repeated softly, puzzled. He clearly understood each word, but why couldn’t he make sense of them together?

“Officer, can you explain more clearly? I don’t understand,” he asked, raising his face in genuine confusion after a long period of pondering.

Jiang Yu stared into his innocent, clear eyes, a sudden wave of frustration washing over him. When he spoke again, his voice had grown noticeably colder.

“The Alpha who went with you to get the inhibitors.”

Li Po suddenly realized. In the next moment, something clicked, and he froze for a second.

Wait, how did Jiang Yu know about that? Did he see?

Could it be that Jiang Yu had misunderstood his relationship with Jin Mu from that moment?

As he thought of this, a certain detail came back to him. Back at the black tower, when he had asked Jiang Yu how to earn star coins and mentioned that he didn’t have any money, even the candy was bought by someone else. What had Jiang Yu said in response back then?

—“Then go ask him.”

At the time, Li Po had felt that answer was a bit off, but his mind wasn’t focused on it, so he didn’t dig deeper. Now that he thought about it, could the “him” Jiang Yu mentioned have been Jin Mu?

But the candy had actually been bought by Lan Deng…

No, who bought the candy didn’t matter. What mattered was that Jiang Yu thought he had an Alpha. So, given that, what had Jiang Yu been thinking when he shoved the candy into Jiang Yu’s mouth?

Did Jiang Yu think he was some kind of promiscuous Omega, with no boundaries, letting other Alphas attach inhibitor patches, and even offering himself, biting their wrists…

Before Jiang Yu could say anything, Li Po had already spiraled into a whole series of thoughts. Suddenly, he felt furious.

Even though he had never been in a relationship, he believed he was serious about feelings. If he really had an Alpha, he would never get this close to Jiang Yu, let alone let him touch a single finger.

How ridiculous.

Li Po stayed silent for a long time, long enough that Jiang Yu’s face had darkened, a layer of frost covering his features. Just as Jiang Yu’s patience was about to run out, Li Po finally spoke.

“Do you think I’m some kind of player?”

Jiang Yu’s brows furrowed slightly, his gaze fixed on him without a word.

“If I had an Alpha, why would I even need to get inhibitors? I could just let him bite me and be done with it. Why would I suffer through that?” Li Po stared at him, so angry he was about to puff up like a pufferfish.

Hearing the words “bite me,” Jiang Yu’s frown deepened. But he didn’t say anything, merely looking at Li Po, his expression unreadable.

“Like you said, if I really had an Alpha, why wouldn’t I just go to him, go on missions with him, and let him protect me? You’re always so cold to me, never telling me anything, and you don’t even spend money on me. If I were that type of person, why would I come to you instead of going to my Alpha…wallet?” Li Po swallowed the term “ATM” and changed it to something Jiang Yu would understand.

“I’ve only matched compatibility with you, and I’ve only let you hold me. I’m not someone who doesn’t understand boundaries, so why would you think that of me?”

After that, Li Po’s anger finally subsided a bit. He casually added, “Besides, friends don’t have to be separated by gender. An Omega can be friends with an Alpha too.”

Hearing this, the furrow in Jiang Yu’s brow gradually relaxed. He responded with a quiet “mm,” no longer questioning it.

But just as the moment passed, Li Po spoke again. “Officer, aren’t we friends?”

At those words, Jiang Yu’s expression suddenly turned colder. His face, devoid of emotion, shot a frosty look at Li Po.

“…”

Did I say something wrong?

But Li Po didn’t have the time to think it over. He quickly changed the subject. “Officer, will you go on the mission with me?”

“As for controlling pheromones, I can learn. Or… could you teach me, please?” Li Po’s light brown eyes looked directly at him, his right hand gently rubbing the cold compress on his left hand.

His face looked innocent and sincere, but inside, he was thinking something else entirely. This was his last attempt at playing the pitiful card. If Jiang Yu didn’t agree this time, Li Po swore he wouldn’t bother with him ever again.

This time, Jiang Yu didn’t immediately refuse. But he didn’t agree either. He glanced at Li Po’s hand and said calmly, “We’ll see.”

“…”

Damn it, I want to hit someone.

At this point, Li Po didn’t feel like saying another word. He lowered his gaze, gathered the torn paper on the bed, and threw it into the trash can. Then, he neatly folded the blanket and finally stretched out his hand toward Jiang Yu. “Help me up.”

Jiang Yu’s cold gaze fell on his face, and after a moment of silence, he reached out, grabbing Li Po’s left wrist.

Li Po frowned. He pulled his wrist free and shoved his right hand into Jiang Yu’s palm instead, muttering quietly, “We’re both men, what’s the big deal about holding hands?”

Jiang Yu: “…”

Li Po had been lying in bed for three days, so he felt a bit dizzy as he stood up. He moved his ankles a bit before using Jiang Yu’s strength to hop off the bed. The distance from the bed to the door wasn’t far, but Li Po didn’t let go. He held Jiang Yu’s fingers and led him to the door, saying as he opened it:

“You go do your work first. I’m going to find Dr. Bian for something, probably…”

His sentence was cut short as he quickly swallowed his words.

—At this moment, the “Dr. Bian” he had just mentioned was standing 0.5 meters outside the door, staring wide-eyed at them.

Li Po: “…”

He quickly realized what was happening, immediately letting go of Jiang Yu’s hand and giving Dr. Bian an obedient smile. “Dr. Bian, I was just about to come find you.”

Dr. Bian silently retracted the hand that had been about to open the door. He didn’t dare glance at their intertwined hands, nor did he dare look at Jiang Yu’s face after Li Po let go. As both a long-time friend and a doctor, despite Li Po standing in front of him, Dr. Bian could still feel the low pressure radiating from Jiang Yu behind him.

He’s not someone you can mess with.

And yet, Li Po seemed completely unaware. He tugged on Dr. Bian’s white coat and whispered, “Dr. Bian, I have something to discuss with you. Are you free now?”

Dr. Bian quietly pulled his coat out of Li Po’s grip. “…I’m free.”

“Great.” Li Po’s eyes immediately curved into a smile.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, the smile faded, and he turned slightly toward Jiang Yu. “Officer, I have to talk to Dr. Bian now, so I won’t see you out.”

The cold, piercing gaze from behind seemed to bore into him, but Jiang Yu remained silent. Not daring to linger, Li Po quickly grabbed Dr. Bian and tried to leave.

Caught between the two of them, Dr. Bian felt awkward and conflicted. He shot a glance at Jiang Yu before finally following Li Po away.

Jiang Yu stood in place, his face expressionless. He pulled out his communicator, checked the time briefly, tapped a few buttons, and then pocketed the device before leaving with a cold demeanor.

…

“Dr. Bian, that’s the situation. The Officer still hasn’t agreed to my request.” Li Po sighed, his face full of frustration as he vented to Dr. Bian. “The Officer is so stubborn. I can’t convince him, so I guess I’ll just give up.”

“Jiang Yu is like that. At first, his heart is harder than a rock. But if you keep working at it and warm him up, he’ll come around,” Dr. Bian encouraged, unwilling to give up.

“But he doesn’t treat me well,” Li Po said, sounding a bit aggrieved.

Dr. Bian didn’t dare say anything bad about Jiang Yu. He feared that Li Po, with his loose tongue, would sell him out in a heartbeat. After weighing the situation, he cautiously said, “He probably thinks his missions are too dangerous, and he’s worried you’ll get hurt if you go with him. The tasks you’re doing now seem simple to him, so the easiest way to protect you is by not taking you along.”

“Then I really shouldn’t go,” Li Po lowered his eyes, thinking it over for a moment, before coming to a conclusion.

Dr. Bian: “…”

He immediately changed his approach. “But if you go with him, you definitely won’t get hurt. Once you’re teamed up with him, no one in S District would dare to bully you.”

Li Po wasn’t swayed by Dr. Bian’s grand promises. He simply said, “But the Officer doesn’t want me.”

Dr. Bian shook his head in disagreement. “From what I know about him, when he says ‘we’ll see,’ that means the matter is still up for discussion. If he was really against it, he would’ve rejected you outright. Try playing the pitiful card a bit more, and maybe you’ll touch his heart. You might succeed.”

Li Po sounded unconvinced. “Would he really feel pity for someone?”

Dr. Bian smiled faintly. “Of course. The reason he became a combat officer and goes on so many missions is that he feels for the people who’ve lost their lives to the contamination. His soft-heartedness has never been aimed at an individual, but if you try hard enough, you might become the exception.”

“I see…” Li Po didn’t really believe it, but he had no other choice. It was a case of grasping at straws.

As they talked, Li Po’s gaze softened with respect toward Dr. Bian. “Dr. Bian, you really care about the Officer. I feel like you’re more attentive to him than he is to himself.”

Unexpectedly, Dr. Bian didn’t respond to the compliment. Instead, he spoke seriously to Li Po. “Rest assured, I don’t have any other intentions toward him. This is just normal concern between a doctor and a patient. Besides, he’s one of the leaders of S District, and as a doctor at Bai Lou, I have a responsibility toward the entire district. I wouldn’t…”

“Okay, okay,” Li Po interrupted, laughing. “Dr. Bian, where did your mind go?”

Dr. Bian finally relaxed. “As long as there’s no misunderstanding.”

Yeah, right…

Li Po glanced at the time and decided not to linger any longer. “Dr. Bian, I’m heading back to the dormitory now. You can get back to your work.”

“Alright.”

After Li Po left, Dr. Bian let out a long sigh of relief. He pulled out his communicator, found Jiang Yu’s contact, and sent him a message:

[Li Po initiated the hand-holding. I didn’t do anything. You saw it yourself, didn’t you? I immediately pulled my coat away, didn’t even touch him.]

Recalling the scene from earlier, Dr. Bian couldn’t help but shudder. He could guarantee that not a single soldier in S District would believe that their cold and strict combat officer would obediently let an Omega hold his hand.

This wasn’t a love story; it was a horror film.

Just as Dr. Bian was lost in his thoughts, a message suddenly popped up on his communicator. Staring at the notification, his expression turned meaningful. Of course, when it came to matters involving an Omega, even the busiest person could reply instantly.

Curious, he clicked on the message, and in the next second, Dr. Bian froze in place.

On the screen, a message he knew all too well appeared:

—[You have been blocked by the recipient. Please refrain from further contact.]

Cold. So, so cold.

Damn it, how did I not notice before? Jiang Yu is seriously the jealous type!

•

Back in the dormitory in S District.

Li Po peeled off the cold compress, noticing that the bruise on his left hand had indeed faded significantly. He hadn’t finished the IV, but there was only a quarter left, so it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference. It wouldn’t interfere with his upcoming mission.

Finally free from the smell of disinfectant and alcohol, Li Po felt somewhat satisfied. He hurriedly went to the bathroom for a quick shower, being careful to avoid the spot on his hand where the needle had been.

Although the needle didn’t hurt anymore, it left a lasting impression on him—a reminder that feeling sorry for a man is a surefire way to jinx yourself.

If he ever felt sorry for another man, he’d be a fool.

And he wasn’t about to say which man he was thinking about.

As Li Po pondered which training ground he should head to the next day, his communicator suddenly chimed with a “ding.”

In that moment, he quickly ran through the possible people who might be messaging him in his mind.

Was it Jin Mu, Lan Deng, or Kuang Feng? Or… Jiang Yu?

He bit his lip as he opened the screen.

In the next second, his slightly curious expression immediately soured—it was a system mission.

[C-level Mission]

[Time: 48 hours from now]

[Team Members: 3 people: Di Kai, Yang Guang, Li Po]

[Location: The crematorium near the human base]

[Mission Details: Eliminate nearby contamination]

A crematorium?

At the sight of those words, Li Po frowned. He hadn’t forgotten about the corpse he found at La’er Jiao, and the stench from that body had been worse than a hundred dead rats. Just thinking about it made him feel sick.

And to top it off, his teammate was Di Kai…

He didn’t need to think hard to know this mission wouldn’t be simple.

What a pain.

•

Two days later.

Li Po stood at the entrance of the armory, swiping his access card to enter.

With Di Kai on this mission, he needed to arm himself. A simple dagger wouldn’t be enough. Di Kai was ruthless and clearly didn’t like him. If Di Kai had the guts to tell him to test weapons in the armory, then during the mission, he might very well aim a gun at him.

After carefully selecting his gear, Li Po chose an A-class handgun and a plain dagger. His eyes swept over the array of rifles, electromagnetic cannons, and shotguns before calmly turning away and heading out.

At the S District’s starship launch pad.

From a distance, Li Po could spot that familiar face full of excess flesh. Di Kai stood beside another person, jabbering on about something, his face jiggling with every movement. His already small eyes had narrowed even further.

When Li Po approached, the two finally stopped talking and turned to look at him.

Yang Guang, true to his name, had a sunny appearance. He had a youthful face with small dimples on both cheeks, giving him a fresh, energetic look. His lively energy made him seem very approachable. Right now, Yang Guang’s eyes were fixed on Li Po. Despite his efforts to conceal it, the curiosity and suspicion in his gaze were impossible to hide.

Li Po was very familiar with that look. It only took him a second to figure it out—Di Kai had probably already tried to turn Yang Guang against him.

Unfazed, Li Po’s gaze swept over them before he boarded the starship without saying a word.

Behind him, Di Kai kept jabbering:

“See, what did I tell you? He looks all pretty, but he’s as stuck-up as they come. Tsk, tsk, tsk. When you come through connections, it’s different. He doesn’t care about us honest military school grads.”

After the three of them boarded the starship, it took off.

Li Po sat in the front, while Di Kai and Yang Guang took seats further back. Although they were far apart, Di Kai made no effort to lower his voice, so Li Po heard every word crystal clear:

“There are so many Omegas in the upper city. Imagine being adopted by the higher-ups at the human base as a foster child. How do you think he managed to climb his way up? And he hasn’t even been permanently marked—his methods must be something else. But still, no matter how much success someone might have at the human base, in S District, they have to play by the rules. No amount of backdoor deals will help here.”

“And you know what? I had a buddy, real close to me, I practically raised him up myself. But after one mission with him, he became his man. Isn’t that a joke? If it weren’t for old times’ sake, I would’ve had him taken care of already. No way I’d let him act so recklessly.”

Li Po listened expressionlessly, finding it all a bit amusing.

“Close”? Was it that “hit them because you care, scold them because you love” kind of close?

“Hey, don’t underestimate him. Don’t let that innocent act fool you. I have a friend who saw him with two different pheromone scents on him. The smell was so strong it nearly knocked him out. Honestly, if biting the gland could give you a disease, he’d be covered in it.”

“Yeah, do you think that whole innocent act is real? It’s just a trick to hook guys. But man, that face really is something. I almost fell for it myself back in the day.”

“You want to know how I snapped out of it? …Ugh, let’s not talk about it. Just remember not to get close to him, or you won’t even realize when he’s hooked you in.”

Li Po’s expression instantly darkened.

How did Di Kai snap out of it? It must’ve been when Jin Mu kicked him in the crotch back in the armory. Li Po still remembered Di Kai rolling on the floor, clutching his manhood in agony.

Idiot.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at their destination.

According to the system information, the crematorium was a place where the lower city’s human base disposed of bodies. The body he found back at La’er Jiao had ultimately been sent to the crematorium to be incinerated.

To ensure that bodies were processed in a timely manner and didn’t become a public health hazard, the human base sent teams to burn the bodies and clean up any residual debris in the area. However, in hot weather, bodies could begin to rot, attracting not only insects but also contamination that fed on flesh and blood.

It was Li Po’s team’s job to deal with any contamination that had been drawn to the rotting bodies.

After disembarking from the starship, Yang Guang kept a good distance from Li Po. Di Kai stayed between them, occasionally sneaking glances at Li Po out of the corner of his eye.

Was it just his imagination, or was this Omega getting prettier? When Li Po first entered S District, he had been skinnier, paler, with barely any flesh on his bones. But now?

Now, his face had become more delicate, his lips a deeper shade of red, and his body had filled out. If Di Kai could just touch him…

“Eyes don’t work? Donate them,” Li Po suddenly said coldly, stopping in his tracks.

Yang Guang was startled, having no idea what was going on. He followed Li Po’s gaze and finally understood—Di Kai’s eyes were glued to Li Po’s calves!

For a moment, Yang Guang’s youthful face turned beet red, feeling both embarrassed and awkward. He quickly distanced himself from Di Kai. Just a moment ago, Di Kai had been telling him to stay away from Omegas, and now here he was practically drooling over one. How hypocritical!

Di Kai had only glanced once, and he hadn’t even gotten a good look before Li Po called him out, leaving his face flushed with anger. His jowls trembled as he spat on the ground and snapped back:

“What’s the matter? Been touched so many times, now you can’t even stand to be looked at? What’s with the act? You think you’re so pure? In my eyes, you’re filthier than this crematorium!”

Li Po curled his lips into a mocking smile. “Dirty people see dirt everywhere. Go wash up.”

With that, he turned away and walked on, not wasting any more words.

Behind him, Di Kai finally gave up his disgusting thoughts. His gaze shifted from lust to loathing as he stared at Li Po’s back, his eyes filled with malice. His hand, which had been resting at his side, slowly reached for his gun, but at the last moment, he let it go.

—It wasn’t time yet.

Beside him, Yang Guang had noticed every move Di Kai made. For a moment, his heart raced with alarm.

The rules in S District were clear. Even if combatants had personal grievances, they weren’t allowed to stab each other in the back during missions. The lightest punishment for breaking that rule was expulsion from the district. And yet, this guy was willing to pull his gun over just one insult from an Omega…

Yang Guang wasn’t an idiot. He quickly realized that Di Kai and Li Po had some kind of history.

In an instant, the balance in Yang Guang’s heart tipped slightly toward the other side.

…

The crematorium was large, surrounded by various mounds of dirt. Every 100 meters, there was a simple, temporary structure, probably for the workers to rest. The place was littered with garbage, and insects crawled all over.

As soon as Li Po got close, a foul stench hit him. He wrinkled his nose and quickly pulled a protective mask from his combat suit’s pocket, putting it on.

The crematorium used the most basic method of incinerating bodies—piling them in the center and burning them with fire, so the ground was covered with ashes. The grey-white ashes mixed with the yellow-brown dirt, creating a patchy landscape. Li Po didn’t recognize it at first, but once he did, his expression twisted slightly.

Carefully stepping forward, Li Po observed his surroundings. Most of the bodies in the crematorium had already been disposed of, but there was a mound about 100 meters ahead that was still intact. Li Po guessed that was where the unprocessed bodies were, and where the contamination needed to be dealt with.

Yang Guang and Di Kai followed closely behind.

“That should be it,” Di Kai said, kicking away a cockroach that was about to crawl onto his boot, his jowls bunching up in disgust.

Yang Guang understood the comment was directed at him, so he nodded and walked ahead without saying anything more.

The stench in the air was making even Di Kai’s head hurt. He glanced at Li Po, noticing the mask on his face, and snorted in disdain. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but then he seemed to think better of it, his expression sour as he swallowed them down.

Li Po was the first to reach the pile of bodies.

It wasn’t small, with dozens of corpses piled up. The bodies had already started to rot, and Li Po could even see patches of livor mortis on them. The bloated, blackened corpses were stacked one on top of another, and even with his mask on, Li Po couldn’t avoid the stench. His brow remained tightly furrowed.

“How are there so many bodies?” Yang Guang asked in shock.

Li Po was equally curious.

Di Kai, however, didn’t seem surprised at all. He kicked at the pile with his foot, squinting as he said, “Normal. A lot of people die in the lower city every day. These corpses look like they’ve been here for a while, definitely not just a day or two.”

As Di Kai kicked at the bodies, Li Po’s sharp eyes caught something moving in the corner of his vision. His gaze sharpened as he quickly spotted the source, and his expression changed.

Something was crawling out of the pile!