Chapter 125: You Will Never Truly Become Lance

Ji Laili froze, his smile fading slightly as he looked at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu remained silent for a moment, his eyelashes trembling lightly. “Killing them is the best option.”

It would quickly cripple the experiment’s progress.

Seeing Ji Laili nod, Shen Yu’s expression grew complicated. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Ji Laili’s hand but then heard him say, “But I want to save them.”

Ji Laili held his hand firmly. “Killing them is indeed an effective method, but Shen Yu, can you do it?”

The hand beneath his palm stiffened.

Ji Laili couldn’t help but mutter, “Come on, you can’t even bring yourself to do it, can you? That’s why you’re hesitating. Are you saying this to convince yourself, or did you already predict that I’d refuse?”

Something clicked in his mind, and he suddenly understood. “So, that’s why you were acting strange today?”

Shen Yu: “…Was it that obvious?”

“Not really, but who told me to know you so well?”

To anyone who didn’t understand Shen Yu, it might seem like he truly intended to go through with it. After all, his hatred for Alphas was well-known.

Choosing the most optimal solution seemed logical as well.

Ji Laili curved his lips into a lighthearted smile. “Or maybe it’s just that Senior is too cold. Most people judge a person by their appearance, so when you say something about killing, it sounds quite convincing.”

“There’s no need to dwell on it. If the fierce Instructor Aiger had said the same thing, it’d be just as believable. He looks like the type to go on a rampage if he’s in a bad mood.”

“But Instructor Aiger wouldn’t do that. And neither would you.”

Shen Yu said flatly, “I’m not the same as Instructor Aiger.”

“How are you different?” Ji Laili raised an eyebrow, his radiant smile reaching his eyes.

Meeting his gaze head-on felt like being seen through completely.

“You’re still in the Federation.”

“You’ve even taken on the identity of Shen Yu, become Lance, and are now standing in the base on Nagano Star.”

“You’re doing the same thing as Instructor Aiger.”

In his past life, Shen Yu defected from the Federation. The Federation purged traitors, the Empire applied relentless pressure, and in a single night, he was surrounded on all sides.

But in this lifetime, at most, he merely disliked Alphas. Aside from those who harbored ill intentions toward him, he had never actually harmed anyone.

Seriously… sometimes, the way he said he “hated” something was honestly heartbreaking.

Ji Laili declared with certainty, “Shen Yu, you will never truly become Lance.”

Shen Yu avoided his gaze awkwardly, neither refuting nor admitting it. Even he wasn’t sure how he felt about this.

His lowered eyes landed on his right shoulder, where a patch of white caught his attention—it was the laboratory coat.

He rarely paid attention to this place.

So every time he did, he was reminded of the dazzling golden triangular epaulet.

A pair of hands suddenly pressed down on his shoulders, covering the white fabric. Before the mood could shift further, Ji Laili casually said, “So, Senior, shall we act together next?”

“You’re the main force here.”

“Are you in? Are you in?”

He blinked expectantly at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Alright.”

As if something crossed his mind, he hesitated briefly before asking, “What about them?”

Ji Laili’s eyes lit up with a deeper smile. Clearly pleased, he raised their joined hands playfully. “Of course, teammates stick together!”

—

“So you two didn’t even have a plan and just dragged us into this?”

Lei Po tugged at his night-ops outfit, visibly displeased with how uncool it looked. “And what’s with this outfit?”

“It’s our tactical combat uniform!” Ji Laili grinned mischievously, lowering his voice with a smug expression. “I used the Empire’s funds to buy them.”

“Fully reimbursed.”

Lei Po, who had been skeptical about the outfit, immediately looked satisfied.

“Well done, Laili.”

They had to take advantage of such perks!

Ji Laili shot him a thumbs-up. “Of course.”

Seeing how easily Lei Po got roped in by Ji Laili, Zhai Yifei pinched the bridge of his nose. His gaze swept over the all-black outfit, and after a brief sigh, he resigned himself to it.

Forget it. It’s not like they had to wear it forever.

Eugene, however, was more direct. He frowned and asked, “Do we really have to wear this? What does this even have to do with our mission? Tactical combat uniform, my ass.”

Because in the shows he used to watch, people sneaking around at night always wore all-black outfits—it looked cool!

When Ji Laili gave this reason, Eugene mercilessly ridiculed him. But despite his complaints, he didn’t insist on changing, instead lowering his head to examine himself in the darkness.

Muttering quietly, he admitted, “It actually looks kind of cool after a while… but this color doesn’t really suit me.”

“Not bad.”

“Hmm?” Eugene hadn’t expected Shen Yu to hear him and frowned. “Are you mocking me?”

Shen Yu’s tone remained indifferent. “Is there a need for that?”

Eugene furrowed his brows, about to fire back, when Shen Yu’s voice rang out again in the darkness.

“Wearing black…” He paused slightly before continuing in a neutral tone, “makes it easier to move undetected at night.”

Eugene’s retort caught in his throat. He blinked in surprise, briefly stunned. By the time he snapped out of it, Ji Laili had already pulled him forward, signaling for him to keep up.

The others were already heading toward the laboratory, and only he had fallen behind.

Eugene quickly caught up. Moving through the darkness required extra concentration—any misstep could cause an unintended noise, and they couldn’t afford that now.

This kind of low-level mistake—if it happened to him, Eugene wouldn’t be able to accept it.

However, as his peripheral vision swept past Shen Yu, perhaps due to the heightened activity of his brain at night, a sudden thought struck him.

—Was Shen Yu explaining things to him just now?

Eugene’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again, his brows furrowing in contemplation. His unusual reaction caught Zhai Yifei’s attention.

Under that questioning gaze, Eugene awkwardly looked away, only to realize that Zhai Yifei had no intention of shifting his focus elsewhere.

…Tch, what a hassle.

In the darkness, Eugene seriously gestured at him, signaling that it was nothing.

Only after seeing the signal did Zhai Yifei withdraw his gaze, quickening his pace to move ahead.

Among them, Shen Yu and Ji Laili were the most familiar with the route to the laboratory—the former had infiltrated it before, and the latter often wandered over.

So they took positions at the front and rear, leading the squad forward.

The laboratory inside the base was a heavily guarded area. Even at night, patrol squads were on duty, and hidden surveillance cameras and alarms were scattered throughout the route.

Shen Yu’s keen instincts were no less sharp than Ji Laili’s. Judging by his stealth, he was clearly more familiar with the terrain. Ji Laili, on the other hand, covered the rear.

Once they entered the restricted zone, the entire team moved in complete silence. Even their footsteps were so light that they barely made a sound. The only communication came from Shen Yu at the front—he made hand signals, which were then copied and relayed down the line.

A seamless, silent coordination.

After bypassing a section of the route, they were closing in on the laboratory when Shen Yu sent a signal: The patrol squad would pass by in sixty seconds, and the fingerprint access would only be valid for forty seconds.

A single fingerprint scan would leave the door open for just forty seconds. Once that time elapsed, the entrance would automatically seal shut.

If anyone failed to enter in time, the Alphas left outside would encounter the heavily armed patrol squad just twenty seconds later.