Chapter 135: Lance, Where Are You?

After Shen Yu and the others left safely, Ji Laili casually sprayed twice in the direction of the raging fire—just for show.

The fire extinguisher in his hands was suddenly snatched away. The captain wiped his face and snapped, “Damn it, I shouldn’t have trusted you, brat!”

“I’ll do it myself!”

Ji Laili was more than happy to let someone else handle the work and let go without hesitation. “Brother, it’s my first time using this, you know?”

“There’s a first time for everything. You have to start somewhere to get better next time.”

“You still want a next time?!” The captain’s voice was thunderous.

Ji Laili raised his hands to cover his ears. His curly hair was dusted white from the extinguisher powder, making him look like a little snow-covered puppy. He blinked innocently at the captain. “My bad, my bad.”

“Just put out the fire already!”

Swallowing his anger, the captain refocused on the flames—only to realize…

“Why is there no pressure? There’s nothing left?!”

No matter how many times he pressed, not a single bit of white powder came out. His wrist ached from trying, and as he stared at the unrelenting fire, a second wave of despair set in.

Ji Laili thought to himself, I can’t let you put it out so easily. The longer it burns, the better. The more experiment data destroyed, the better. Who knows? Maybe this mission will be a one-and-done success.

With that in mind, he cast a discreet glance at Wen Qiushui, who was frowning at the burning laboratory.

Forget, forget, forget—wipe your memory clean!

Ji Laili wasn’t sure if Wen Qiushui would actually forget anything, but at least the fire situation was about to be handled.

Just as the captain was drowning in despair, Garna arrived with a group of trembling Alphas and an arsenal of fire extinguishers and sprinklers.

Garna’s gaze was ice-cold, his dark eyes burning with restrained fury.

“Put out the fire!” His voice was sharp and commanding.

“Y-yes, sir!” The captain didn’t dare say another word and immediately ordered his men to begin firefighting.

Ji Laili exchanged a glance with Zhai Yifei, knowing they had delayed things as long as possible.

But the mission was already accomplished.

Now, they just had to see how things were going on Bo’s side.

—

Once the fire was extinguished, the guards dismantled the doors and rushed in to rescue the researchers—only to freeze at the sight inside.

“Why are you stopping?”

Garna’s cold, piercing gaze swept over them. “Do I have to go in myself?”

“M-my lord…” The squad captain broke into a cold sweat, his lips dry and cracked. “Inside… inside, there are so many c-c-corpses.”

Wen Qiushui’s expression shifted, and she quickly strode to the lab’s entrance. The moment she saw the scene inside, a wave of nausea hit her throat. Her face turned pale, and she couldn’t help but retch.

The burnt bodies still emitted heat, filling the air with the stench of charred flesh. Their forms were so mangled that they no longer resembled humans. Scattered limbs remained—likely researchers who had been caught in the explosion.

But what truly made Wen Qiushui sick was the sight of those who were only half-burnt.

The exposed flesh was cooked to a deep red, looking as if one poke would make juices spill out. Some of them were still alive, letting out unconscious moans, struggling to get up.

With each movement, a nauseating smell of roasted meat filled the air.

The grotesque sight was enough to make everyone feel like vomiting out everything they had eaten the day before.

Faces turned pale, and expressions twisted in horror. No one dared move.

Ji Laili, curious about the extent of the damage, was about to step forward when Lauri grabbed him by the arm. Face green with nausea, Lauri muttered, “Don’t go.”

“Lauri-ge, how bad is it inside?” Ji Laili carefully observed Garna’s darkened expression and whispered, “Are there any survivors?”

Lauri shuddered. “They’d be better off dead.”

“After seeing that, I don’t think I can ever eat meat again.” The sheer disgust was overwhelming.

Hearing that, Ji Laili immediately abandoned the idea of taking a look. He’d just wait for the results. After all, he was following Garna now—getting the information wouldn’t be difficult.

With that in mind, Ji Laili soon got the report on their mission’s success.

Seventy percent of the laboratory was destroyed. Most of the crucial data was lost, including six months’ worth of research on the transformation agent.

Ji Laili felt a little regretful—why couldn’t all of it have been destroyed?

But when he saw the grim expressions on everyone’s faces, he decided he wasn’t at a loss at all.

More than the data, the real loss was the researchers.

Including Shen Yu, there had been 33 people in the lab. The explosion alone had taken out ten of them. That Beta who loved iced coffee was the first to be blown to pieces.

Those standing near him suffered various fates—some were left disabled, while others died outright.

Then there were the ones who had inhaled too much smoke and died—not from the fire itself, but from carbon monoxide poisoning or suffocation.

At least fifteen people had perished this way.

Another three had burned alive.

When it was all said and done, the casualties were devastating.

Of the original 33, only Wen Qiushui, Shen Yu, four others, and three severely injured survivors remained.

The data could be replaced, but the researchers were the true wealth of the lab.

This outcome was far beyond expectations.

Inside, Ji Laili silently made a victory sign, but outwardly, he feigned shock and disbelief, furrowing his brows in anger—perfectly copying Lauri’s expression.

Seriously, how is Garna not raging over this?

The incident at the base had Garna seething.

Like all Alphas, his natural instinct was to release his pheromones when enraged, pressuring everyone around him.

However, before he could do so, the thick smoke in the air triggered an alarm—his pheromones, which carried a tobacco scent, would have made the situation even worse. So, he had no choice but to suppress them.

His dark, sinister gaze swept over the scene, radiating an aura that could kill.

“Explain. What the hell happened here?”

“My lord, we had no idea this was happening,” the squad captain stammered. “We only responded to the alarm during our patrol and rushed over immediately.”

“The fire was spreading so fast, we didn’t have time to think. We focused on putting it out first.”

“This is your idea of putting out a fire?”

Garna’s chilling gaze swept over the scorched remains of the laboratory.

The squad captain broke into a nervous sweat. “My lord, I sent my men to fetch fire extinguishers as soon as possible, but who would’ve thought—”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

The captain instantly fell silent, his grievances swallowed down.

“You fool! You’re still hung up on firefighting?” Garna snapped, his frustration overflowing.

He glared at his subordinates, disgusted by their incompetence. His sharp gaze then turned cold and piercing.

“This was the work of a Federation spy.”

“Hiding right under my nose for so long—what a surprise.”

Anyone caught under Garna’s gaze, even if they weren’t a spy, couldn’t stop their fear from mounting. That bone-chilling terror seeped through their entire body.

Suddenly, a sneer curled at the corner of his lips. His expression turned violent as he spat out a single name.

“Lance.”

Ji Laili’s brow twitched.

He couldn’t help but tilt his head slightly, catching a glimpse of Garna’s expression from the corner of his eye—brutal, bloodthirsty, as if he were absolutely certain that Lance was the traitor.

With a cold and steady voice, he commanded, “Lance, where are you?”