Chapter 132: Tsk, That Annoying Second Place

A long, piercing alarm suddenly echoed throughout the base, the sharp beeping sounds inducing panic.

It shattered the previous order, plunging everything into chaos.

“What’s happening over there?”

“It sounds like the smoke alarm!”

“The noise is too loud—something must be on fire! Hurry, send people to extinguish it!”

“Damn it! Why isn’t the sprinkler system working?! Have those idiots even done proper maintenance?!”

The nearest security team immediately rushed toward the source of the alarm, only to be met with thick smoke billowing out as they approached.

Dense black smoke obscured their vision, shrouding everything in a hazy fog. The moment they inhaled, their chests tightened, triggering violent coughing fits.

They collided head-on with Wen Qiushui, who had also rushed over. Wen Qiushui coughed twice, waving away the smoke in front of him, his brows furrowed with urgency.

“What’s going on?”

“Why is the lab on fire?!”

The security team snapped in frustration, “Lord Wen, we were about to ask you the same thing!”

“This is your lab! Shouldn’t you be the one who knows best about what’s happening?!”

Wen Qiushui’s face turned cold. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he replied, “I just returned from outside. I have no idea what happened in the lab.”

“And you all better show me some respect! Get to work and put out the fire instead of trying to shove the blame onto me! If the lab is destroyed, do you really think you’ll all walk away unscathed?”

Everyone in the base knew how important this lab was. Even if they combined all their lives, they wouldn’t measure up to its value.

If anything truly irreversible happened, Wen Qiushui might still get by, but the security team would be in deep trouble.

That was exactly why they lashed out at Wen Qiushui in anger, ignoring his status.

But no matter how frustrated they were, they knew he was right. The squad captain immediately turned and barked out orders.

“Get the fire extinguishers and sprinklers, now!”

“Alert the other security teams—tell them to get here immediately!”

“Yes, Captain!”

With orders given, part of the team ran to fetch firefighting equipment while the rest, led by the captain, resorted to the most primitive method—buckets of water.

One bucket after another was carried over and dumped onto the flames, sending thick smoke billowing upward, making everyone choke and cough. Their vision was filled with nothing but dark fumes.

Where was all this smoke coming from? Even if the smoke alarm had malfunctioned, the lab had top-tier ventilation systems. How could it not clear out the smoke?

Had everyone inside… already died?

The captain cursed under his breath. The long period of idleness had made him unused to such exhausting labor. Even the smoke filling his lungs was unbearable. Frustrated, he gritted his teeth.

“Where the hell is everyone else?! Why are they taking so long?!”

—

The moment the alarm rang out, all the security teams knew something was wrong and rushed toward the source of the emergency.

Lei Po and his two companions were among them, running at the back of the squad, following the crowd.

But while the security members closest to the scene knew exactly where to go, those like Lei Po—who were usually overlooked and assigned to patrol the base’s outskirts—were completely clueless.

Halfway there, the security team abruptly came to a stop, looking around in confusion as they encountered three other teams coming from different directions.

“Where did you guys come from?”

“The bathrooms… What about you?”

“We were in the back kitchen. We heard the alarm and ran here, then ran into you all halfway.”

All eyes turned toward the last team, hoping for more information.

“Don’t look at me.” Their squad leader scoffed. “I got punished two days ago and had to clean the courtyard—that’s the only reason I even know about this mess.”

For a moment, the security teams stood in bewilderment. Then, a calm voice spoke up.

“I remember Lord Garna’s scent marker is tobacco.”

The teams still hadn’t quite caught on when another voice chimed in.

“So, that means something might have happened to Lord Garna?”

“Exactly.”

They turned to look at an Alpha with sharply arched brows. Eugene tilted his chin up confidently, his expression full of certainty.

“It must be that damn—cough, that impressive guy Garna releasing his scent. Someone must’ve pissed him off.”

Lei Po muttered, “For the smoke to be this strong, he must be really angry.”

Zhai Yifei spoke in a calm, even tone—his composed demeanor made him especially convincing.

“I think… there’s probably a mole.”

“Then what the hell are we waiting for?!” Eugene’s brow furrowed, his expression turning fierce. “We can’t let them escape!”

“Damn right! I’ll kill them myself!” Lei Po growled.

The Alphas’ presence was overwhelming, and their anger made them even more terrifying. Their rage spread like wildfire, igniting the security teams’ bloodlust.

“Let’s go! Kill them!”

“Fuck, I’ve had enough of guarding bathrooms and smelling shit all day! This time, I’m making a real name for myself!”

Eugene raised a brow, encouraging him, “That’s the spirit, brother. I’m sick of this too. Time for those moles to get what’s coming to them.”

“Hell yeah!” His teammate’s eyes blazed with determination. “Let’s do this!”

The other two squads refused to let the so-called “Toilet Team” steal all the credit, especially the squad that had recently been forced to clean courtyards.

“You think you can take all the glory? Not on our watch!”

“This is our chance to redeem ourselves! Promotions! Raises! Maybe even an omega wife!”

Eugene’s expression darkened. His competitive nature flared up.

“You lot?” He sneered.

“With me, Eugene-37, here, this victory is ours!”

“Brothers, let’s go! Grab your weapons and take them down!”

Zhai Yifei watched as Eugene seamlessly blended into the crowd, rallying them into a roaring battle group, nearly pumping his fist and yelling, “Charge!”

Looking at the now battle-ready security teams, burning with excitement, Zhai fell into silence.

As the heated chaos raged on, someone swaggered up beside him. Zhai Yifei turned and saw an Alpha with a smirk, drawing out his words in a cocky drawl.

“With that guy hogging all the attention, this just got a whole lot easier.”

“Did I say that?”

Zhai Yifei shot him a cold look, uninterested in his antics.

Lei Po snorted. “Fine, fine. You did the most work.” His expression turned serious. “I’m heading out. Cover me—don’t let me die out there.”

Zhai Yifei nodded. “If you die, I’ll carry your corpse back.”

…Damn it. This bastard always had a sharp tongue.

Lei Po waved him off, slipping away unnoticed while Eugene continued to stir up the crowd. As he reached a corner, he hesitated, glancing back as if he had something else to say.

Through the throng of people, he met Zhai Yifei’s gaze.

The dark-haired Alpha lifted his eyes, his face unfamiliar—

Yet within those sharp features, Lei Po could still see traces of the Zhai Yifei he knew.

Their eyes locked.

Zhai Yifei raised a hand and made a simple gesture—

Goodbye.

Lei Po arched a brow, then looked away. He took a firm step forward, leaving behind the boisterous crowd.

Whatever he’d wanted to say had already been stolen from his mouth.

This guy just had to compete with him over everything.

Tsk. That annoying second place.