The working hours at the Tao Family Research Institute were a standard nine to five, with a two-hour lunch break after noon.

Although the institute was located on the central axis of Jingpu, its position was slightly off the beaten path. There weren’t any nearby restaurants, and food delivery wasn’t an option, so most researchers opted to eat in the cafeteria. The canteen offered good food at low prices, and with the institute’s meal subsidy, a few bucks could get you a very filling meal.

Wu Xuan was usually one of the people queuing in the cafeteria with his meal card, but that day he declined his colleagues’ invitation, vaguely mentioning that he had some things to take care of, and hurriedly left the laboratory.

“Where is he going?” someone asked, puzzled.

“Why do you care where a beta is going? He’s not a delicate omega needing extra attention,” said an alpha researcher. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

“You go ahead. I still have some data to record,” a colleague replied casually.

No one paid much attention to Wu Xuan’s unusual behavior.

When Wu Xuan reached the institute’s main entrance, he was still wearing his work uniform. The system automatically recognized his iris and opened the door. He stepped outside and suddenly turned back to look at the sign reading “Tao Pharmaceuticals Research Institute.”

A visible struggle appeared on his face, but he eventually turned around and instinctively touched a USB drive in his pocket. It was small and delicate but had a large storage capacity and had been warmed by his nervous body temperature.

No turning back now. He had come this far…

Resolute, Wu Xuan headed towards the surveillance blind spot designated by his contacts, who said someone would be there to meet him.

A few hundred meters from the institute, Wu Xuan walked under the scorching sun when he noticed a black SUV in the corner of his eye, parked under a tree’s shade.

The vehicle looked ordinary and was a brand he didn’t recognize. It seemed spacious, but that didn’t matter. From tomorrow on, he would never have to worry about money again. He was about to acquire a fortune that would last several lifetimes. After buying a house, he might even get a car for fun.

Excited by this thought, Wu Xuan turned to look at the car’s logo, but the next second, darkness overwhelmed him, and he fell to the ground.

···

Wu Xuan awoke in excruciating pain.

He had completely lost feeling in his left foot. Just by seeing it twisted unnaturally inward like a noodle, he knew it was broken. But he had no time to worry about his foot—he was in a small dark room.

Literally a “small dark room,” with black walls and floors, no windows, illuminated only by a single incandescent lamp. There was a narrow, closed door and a solitary, empty chair in front of him, making the room feel oppressively cramped.

Being confined here for long would surely cause severe psychological issues.

His first instinct was to run, but his hands were tightly cuffed together, and his right ankle was chained with a thick iron chain, cutting off any chance of escape.

But that wasn’t the most terrifying part.

When Wu Xuan looked up in horror, he saw a young man sitting in the chair before him. White shirt, black trousers, smooth light gray hair draped over his shoulders, paired with an extraordinarily delicate face, looking like a nobleman who had strayed into the wrong place.

If not for his extremely relaxed demeanor and the Desert Eagle gun in his hand, Wu Xuan would have suspected the man had been kidnapped just like him.

With hair and eyes so different from the typical black-haired, black-eyed people of Jingpu, his identity was unmistakable—

“Sui… Sui Yuesheng,” Wu Xuan stammered, trembling as he said the man’s name.

“You recognize me?” Sui Yuesheng raised an eyebrow.

He had slightly upturned eyes that shimmered like an icy lake, sending a chill through Wu Xuan with just a glance: “That makes things easier.”

Sui Yuesheng snapped his fingers.

The small door opened, and Assistant Zhou walked in with a wooden tray, followed by a bodyguard. Sui Yuesheng reached out and picked something up from the tray.

“This is yours, isn’t it?”

Wu Xuan’s eyes widened instantly—it was his USB drive!

Give me back my stuff!

Before Wu Xuan could speak, Sui Yuesheng nodded, “Judging by your reaction, it’s indeed yours. The Tao family’s research data and inhibitor formula… you have more guts than I imagined.”

Sui Yuesheng didn’t even bother to maintain a facial expression. He somberly twirled the Desert Eagle in his hand.

Wu Xuan’s eyes followed the gun’s barrel. Noticing his terrified gaze, Sui Yuesheng suddenly found something amusing and laughed: “So, you do know fear?”

“Do you know what the Tao family used to do?” He suddenly adopted a chatty tone.

The topic changed so quickly that Wu Xuan couldn’t keep up. Sui Yuesheng frowned slightly, and the bodyguard behind him stepped forward, dislocating Wu Xuan’s jaw.

“Ah!”

The intense pain widened his eyes. The bodyguard then reset his jawbone back into place.

Wu Xuan was now like a soft worm wriggling on the floor, his clothes soaked with cold sweat. He remembered the difficulty in breathing just now, panting on the ground incessantly. Sui Yuesheng suddenly extended his index finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.

“Shh, quiet.”

His voice was steady, but Wu Xuan believed completely that disobeying him would have severe consequences. Initially misled by the man’s appearance, he now had no heart to appreciate Sui Yuesheng’s beauty. This was no beauty but a devil draped in a human skin from hell!

Terror made Wu Xuan clamp his mouth shut. Assistant Zhou spoke up, “Mr. Sui asks a question, you answer. Understand?”

“I understand, I understand!” Wu Xuan hurriedly responded through the pain. “I-I-I didn’t know what the Tao family was doing. I was tempted momentarily. They promised money if I handed over the documents. I’m sorry, I really didn’t know—”

His voice abruptly stopped.

The bodyguard swiftly dislocated his jaw again.

“Too noisy,” Sui Yuesheng brushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “Wait until I finish talking before you put it back.”

He directed this to the bodyguard, who nodded quickly.

“You should know about ‘Three Cuts and Six Holes,’ right? It’s not stabbing legs, but the stomach. But… that was the Tao family’s old way.” Facing Wu Xuan’s fearful gaze, Sui Yuesheng kindly explained, “You know, it’s the era of firearms now. Using cold weapons is a bit outdated. Don’t worry, it won’t be so bloody.”

He selected several syringes from the tray held by Assistant Zhou, each filled with colorful liquids. Wu Xuan looked even more frightened, as if these things were more terrifying than ‘Three Cuts and Six Holes’ and bullets.

“It seems you’re familiar with it. Director Jing asked me to test a new drug for him. None of your other companions made it to the third shot. I hope you last a bit longer.” Sui Yuesheng glanced at Assistant Zhou. “Remember to note down the clinical reactions and report to Director Jing later.”

“Yes, Mr. Sui.”

Companions? What companions? Did those people contact others? Wu Xuan was puzzled, but when he heard that name, his eyes suddenly filled with resentment.

It was indeed him. Jing Ning! Just wait until I get out, as long as I can get out…

In agonizing pain, he struggled and rolled on the ground, trembling, and trembling, revealing everything he knew, finally weeping bitterly, begging Sui Yuesheng to spare him. But the demon in front of him continued to inject the drug without any hesitation.

Sui Yuesheng calmly took out his phone and, amid Wu Xuan’s screams, concentrated on playing Sudoku.

He wasn’t worried at all that Wu Xuan would lie. Ten years ago, the Tao family’s research institute secretly developed not only a special neurotoxin, but also a drug that could make anyone confess cleanly with just one injection. The raw materials were extremely rare, and the extraction and synthesis process were highly demanding. However, over the years, they had accumulated quite a bit.

He filled in a number on the form.

“Mr. Sui, he’s almost finished confessing.”

When Sui Yuesheng reached the fourth level, Assistant Zhou finally put down his pen. Wu Xuan, sprawled on the ground like minced meat, Sui Yuesheng lifted his head slightly, gesturing for Assistant Zhou to administer the antidote.

As the injected drug gradually took effect, Wu Xuan’s uncontrollable shivering gradually ceased. Trembling, he spoke, “I-I’ve told you everything. Can you let me go now?”

He had completely abandoned his plans for revenge against Jing Ning, let alone against Sui Yuesheng. He didn’t even have the luxury of considering how the Red Gang would treat him afterward. Right now, he just wanted to get out of this place alive. Just to survive…

Sui Yuesheng nodded, “Of course.”

Wu Xuan was overjoyed, but before he could struggle to get up from the ground, he saw Sui Yuesheng suddenly reach out and take… a hair tie from the man who had injected him with the drug?

Sui Yuesheng leisurely tied up his hair, even tidying up the stray strands falling around his temples.

The hairstyle seemed tailor-made for him. His pale skin, faint lips, and sharp chin looked even more delicate after tying up his hair, giving him an ethereal fragility, like someone untouched by earthly troubles.

He even appeared somewhat fragile now.

Wu Xuan stared dumbfounded at everything before him, even absurdly feeling an impulse to embrace and protect this precious beauty.

But soon, he realized he was wrong.

Because Sui Yuesheng then extended his right hand, fingers curling around the silver Desert Eagle, pointing it straight at him.