Chapter 9 1/2

“Sure enough, the high-ranking officials and ordinary soldiers eating and dressing alike could discover problems and rectify them in a timely manner.

Cen Lang decided to complain to the logistics department.

The Cen family had a resident doctor who, upon hearing that Cen Lang needed to go to the hospital urgently, hurried over to assist.

Cen Lang was in the bathroom, wearing a sleeping robe, perfectly normal, and even leisurely washing his clothes.

Doctor: “Are you not feeling well?”

Cen Lang turned aside: “It’s nothing.”

The doctor, being a professional, guessed from the color of the water in the sink: “Have you been injured?”

Cen Lang remained silent.

The doctor obviously wouldn’t make absurd guesses like “the richest man’s underwear is fading.” Subconsciously, he thought Cen Lang needed medical attention because he was injured and was treating his wounds to avoid letting the old man know.

Washing his own underwear—could it be an injury to a crucial part?

Did he dye his underwear while applying medicine?

This made sense, considering privacy.

The family doctor’s expression was so easy to read, and Cen Lang generously said, “Why not just tell me what you’re thinking?”

The doctor straightforwardly said, “The ventilation in the underground city is not good, or the humidity is too high. If you have inflammation in certain areas, you can use a diluted solution of potassium permanganate for soaking and cleaning.”

“Please pay attention to the proper dilution ratio, as excessive concentration can burn the skin. Potassium permanganate solution is a faint purple-red color, and it leaves a stain after oxidation. If you want it to fade quickly, you can try adding vitamin C or lemon juice to warm water for cleaning.”

Cen Lang’s forehead veins twitched. “You can leave now.”

The doctor slowly retreated: “Alright.”

Cen Lang stared at the pool of water, an expression of puzzlement rare in his eyes.

He was certain he had no inflammation, not in the past nor in the future.

Currently, it could be inferred that the caregiver did have medical knowledge; he could accurately identify the type of sedative used.

Did the caregiver use a potassium permanganate disinfectant?

What was the motive behind it?

The forensic science department would search for evidence tonight, and a report would be available by tomorrow morning.

Cen Lang observed his own body. When he woke up, there was a restraining patch on the back of his neck—a product found everywhere, not a clue. Three red dots on his neck, not ruling out the possibility of blood drawing. There were also some faint friction marks above the hip bone on the side of his waist, as if left by violent dragging by the caregiver.

Well, influenced by the outsourcing mindset, he made a slight mistake in his judgment.

Cen Lang decided to wait for expert opinions; he wasn’t suitable for further judgment.

Without the chaos of pheromone storms, tonight’s sleep was exceptionally good.

Early the next day, the experts sent the search report.

While Cen Lang was flipping through the report, he listened to the experts answering questions through the video call.

Cen Lang’s pheromones still lingered in the underground city, and nobody dared to stay inside for too long. They went in for a minute and came out, like a relay race, to gather initial evidence.

“The suspect probably wore gloves to clean up the scene, and no fingerprints were found. Shoe size 42, estimated height around 1.8 meters.”

Cen Lang pressed his forehead: “Use different terms.”

If the other person was the suspect, who was he? The victim? Who dared to place Cen Lang in that position?

The expert: “Okay, a large amount of water was used in the bathroom, and there was the smell of disinfectant. There was a stain at the head of the bed; there must have been a spill of potassium permanganate disinfectant here.”

Cen Lang frowned. So, did half of it happen to land on his underwear?

The expert concluded: “The other party is very professional, brought disinfectants, and successfully completed the caregiver’s task. Mr. Cen may have other evidence on his body. If you’re willing to undergo testing…”

Cen Lang thought for a moment: “Not necessary.”

Cen Lang instinctively felt that the caregiver had no malice, perhaps even goodwill. He was not harmed, and treating the person as if they were a heinous criminal made no sense and could easily lead to other forces searching fervently.

In a step back, if the caregiver was a spy here to complete a task, he could let it be, making it appear as if the spy’s mission was successful on the surface, and then observe the aftermath.

He set a trap; the other party would appear when they wanted to.

Cen Lang said, “That’s enough for now.”

The expert hesitated slightly: “Perhaps after the pheromones in the underground city completely dissipate, a more detailed examination can be conducted. There might be other evidence found in the underground city. The way this person cleaned up the scene is too skilled; his identity is probably not ordinary.”

Cen Lang replied, “I’ll take responsibility for my own judgment.”

…

“I’m pregnant with your child, and you still want to shirk responsibility?”

Jiang Li woke up to the lines of a melodramatic play and saw Gu Yunkai chewing a nutritional bar while watching TV, casually commenting that this clichéd scene was outdated.

“You didn’t go to the hospital today?” Jiang Li asked.

This was the second time Gu Yunkai was startled by someone in the dormitory. It was already eleven in the morning; he had been interning since early morning, and Jiang Li was still in bed.

“Look at the time. Have you been sleeping a lot lately?”

Jiang Li took out his phone, checked the time, fell silent for a moment, and mumbled, “I stayed up all night doing experiments the past two days.”

“That makes sense.” Gu Yunkai almost forgot that Jiang Li had stayed in the lab for two nights and probably hadn’t closed his eyes.

“I met a couple at the hospital today who had been trying to conceive for fifteen years without success. The Alpha cheated on them. Yesterday afternoon, he took another Omega to another hospital for a checkup, and this morning, he accompanied his wife for infertility treatment. Unexpected, right? Your dad is wandering between two hospitals for internships, wanting to be a good man. What a dream.”

Jiang Li murmured, “Fifteen years?”

Wasn’t this suffering in vain?

Gu Yunkai said, “It’s normal! That’s why I said this melodramatic plot is outdated. Alphas nowadays are eager to take responsibility.”

Jiang Li pondered; fortunately, he had cleaned both people and the room thoroughly and was taking medication to remove marks. The medicine was mature, and it could be taken during pregnancy. Alphas wouldn’t find him.

Would being too tired afterward affect the pregnancy?

Jiang Li lowered his gaze, looking at Gu Yunkai, who was studying reproductive system textbooks. Should he consult him?

Would it be noticed?

Before success, no one could talk about it, lest they be ridiculed.

Gu Yunkai, under the gaze of the studious student, seemed to be advising on academics.

“Haha, I’m going to the bathroom.”

Jiang Li’s gaze followed him to the bathroom. In the meantime, he noticed a professional book about pregnancy on Gu Yunkai’s desk.

He quickly got out of bed, took the book, climbed back up, covered himself with the blanket, and read the professional book like a cute triangular dumpling.”