Chapter 122: Nowhere to Belong but the Empire

Was he looking for death?

He was definitely looking for death! His work assistant wasn’t even officially on duty yet, and he was already about to meet his demise?!

Laurie’s eyes widened in shock. He almost didn’t dare to look at Ji Laili—this guy was dead for sure!

Shen Yu’s entire body tensed, his cold and dark gaze locked onto Garna, ready to make a move.

Even if it meant drawing suspicion, Shen Yu could not let Ji Laili face Garna alone. They simply didn’t have enough time, and their resources were limited.

If they clashed with Garna now, they would lose a huge portion of their strength—no, it was very likely that the mission would fail entirely.

The tension in the air thickened. The scent of tobacco and Baileys that had filled the room gradually faded, leaving only a trace of lingering smoke as proof of what had transpired.

With a heavy thud, Garna’s long boots struck the ground as he stood up. His sweat-dampened face was shrouded in a sinister expression, the oppressive aura around him making the atmosphere even more suffocating.

“You truly have some skill,” he said.

Ji Laili curled his lips into a half-hearted smile. “Well, I was specially recruited, after all. I had to have something worthwhile.”

“The Federation will just let you go?”

“I’m not a wanted criminal. I’m a law-abiding, honest citizen. Why wouldn’t they let me go?” Ji Laili’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “But if they found out I betrayed the Federation, I suppose they really wouldn’t let me off.”

“Is that so?” A sinister grin crept onto Garna’s face. “The Federation is doomed to be discarded by time.”

“They suppressed the Empire for thirty years—so what? In the end, they’re just stepping stones for us to reach the top. That day isn’t far off.”

“…?” Ji Laili looked at him, bewildered. What was this guy even talking about? Had the smoke messed with his brain?

Garna’s smirk deepened, his gaze ice-cold and murderous. “A stray with nowhere to go. Even if your pheromones can suppress mine, so what? Other than the Empire, no one will take you in.”

Ji Laili: “……” Bro, you actually believe that?

He wanted to laugh but had to hold it in.

“Remember this—other than the Empire, you have nowhere to belong.”

Ji Laili nodded obediently. “Got it, got it.”

Garna’s expression darkened. “You don’t look convinced. Too bad you don’t have a choice. I won’t kill you. Instead, I’ll make you serve the Empire for the rest of your life.”

Ji Laili ruffled his curly hair, hesitating. “But…”

“You regret it now?” Garna let out a bloodthirsty smile, as if waiting for Ji Laili to nod so he could immediately discard him and start a massacre.

Surprisingly, despite his insanity, Garna seemed to genuinely care about the Empire. He was even willing to let a potential talent like Ji Laili live for its sake.

But Ji Laili reminded himself not to overthink it. Their positions were simply different. He was just a temporary Alpha infiltrator for the Federation, after all.

That didn’t stop him from looking sincere as he finished his sentence. “But didn’t I come here to serve the Empire?”

Even if it was fake.

Laurie was moved. “That’s right, Lord Garna! Ji Laili is working really hard!”

A vein bulged on Garna’s forehead. “…Shut up, idiot!”

Ji Laili grinned. “Thank you for recognizing my abilities, Lord Garna. Finding a place to belong is enough for me—nothing else matters.”

Garna sneered. “Trying to slack off?”

“Let me tell you now—you won’t get the chance. Starting today, you’ll work under Laurie and pull your weight.”

“Keep an eye on him,” he ordered Laurie.

What was supposed to be an incredibly dangerous situation… had actually just been resolved like that?

Ji Laili fell silent, exchanging a glance with Shen Yu. Neither of them spoke.

This was practically a freebie. Ji Laili almost felt embarrassed accepting it.

He replied seriously, “I’ll definitely work hard.”

And steal all of your intelligence while I’m at it!

Garna was satisfied. He believed he had won this battle. Pheromones weren’t everything—his status and power were far beyond Ji Laili’s. The other Alpha could never hope to catch up.

In a way, wasn’t this also a form of humiliation?

When he looked at Shen Yu again, his interest had already waned. He no longer felt the urge to crush him.

As for Lance’s request to enter the lab? Garna couldn’t care less, let alone offer assistance.

He had only used the opportunity earlier to put that annoying bastard in his place.

Shen Yu could see right through Garna’s thoughts. But that wasn’t his goal at all.

Boldly, he declared, “Since I’ve returned, everything here belongs to me as well.”

His Alpha eyes were filled with unbridled ambition and greed, making Garna look at him with distaste.

Realizing that Garna wouldn’t cede control, Shen Yu took a step back and said, “The lab shouldn’t be left without our people. That would be too much of a failure.”

“We can only feel secure when we hold it in our own hands, isn’t that right, Garna?”

Garna glanced at him indifferently. “I won’t help you.”

He had indeed considered taking full control of the facility. Sharing power with an Omega was laughable, even if that Omega had developed useful technology.

If it weren’t for orders from above, Garna wouldn’t have tolerated Wen Qiushui speaking to him that way.

An Omega was just an Omega.

Garna’s contempt was evident.

Shen Yu caught that look and lowered his gaze, concealing his killing intent.

In his past life, after differentiating into an Omega, he had fought Garna to a draw.

Garna had hunted him for a while, and in the end, Shen Yu’s only flaw—his greatest vulnerability—was laid bare for all to see: He was an Omega.

By nature, Omegas were more susceptible to pheromones, their biological weakness hardwired into their genetic chains.

Perhaps the more powerful the Omega, the stronger the sense of conquest it evoked.

The way Garna had looked at him back then had only made Shen Yu despise Alphas even more.

Now, he could easily imagine how Garna would treat another Omega.

But on the surface, he gave nothing away.

Ji Laili was reminded of Shen Yu’s situation through Garna’s attitude. He didn’t know much about Garna, but he did know all about his little butterfly!

With just one look, he could tell that Shen Yu harbored a deep killing intent toward this Alpha. It even felt like his normally steady “blackening value” had fluctuated.

While Laurie went to fetch the Omega researchers, Ji Laili took the chance to open up the blindingly explicit triple-H original storyline.

The descriptions inside were overwhelmingly vivid—too much like the color of the sun. Even though the protagonist wasn’t Shen Yu, he always appeared alongside that sun-like hue. It was as if, without him, none of the plays in the story would have any meaning.

Too intense. Not suitable for a young pup who had only recently reached adulthood.

Back then, Ji Laili had skimmed through it in a hurry, summarized the key points as if writing a report, then shoved it into a mental corner to collect dust.

Never in a million years did he expect to dig it up again.

Maintaining his serious and upright expression, Ji Laili started searching for Garna’s presence in the story.

Sure enough, he found a description of Garna in the latter half, causing his brows to furrow slightly.

He shot a wary glance at Garna—this despicable Imperial Alpha actually wanted to humiliate his little butterfly?!

Sensing something, Garna looked over.

Ji Laili responded with a beaming smile while secretly thinking, I really need to find an opportunity to beat him up!