“…Sir?”

Li Po’s throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire. His voice, weak and hoarse, sounded as though it had been brutally crushed. He wasn’t sure if Jiang Yu had heard him, but he didn’t have the energy to call out again. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and rested on the hospital bed.

Jiang Yu did hear him. He shut off his star-brain and walked over to Li Po, stopping at a safe distance. “What is it?”

Hearing the voice, Li Po opened his eyes and weakly shook his wrists, looking at Jiang Yu with a pleading gaze, his expression fragile and pitiful.

Jiang Yu knew exactly what he wanted. He gave Li Po a calm glance, as if weighing the feasibility of untying his restraints.

Finally, Jiang Yu bent down, placing two fingers on the buckle of the restraint. With a light press, the tight straps around Li Po’s wrists clicked open. However, the straps still clung to Li Po’s wrists, leaving red marks from where they had rubbed against his skin.

Jiang Yu lowered his eyes, expressionless, and pulled the straps off without touching a single inch of the Omega’s skin. His movements were cold and distant.

As Jiang Yu leaned in, Li Po caught a familiar cold scent—it was exactly the same as the one from last time.

“Do you want the other side undone too?” A cool, indifferent voice suddenly came from above.

Li Po didn’t have the strength to speak, so he just tilted his face up, meeting Jiang Yu’s emotionless gaze.

Li Po’s fox-like eyes were naturally beautiful, and at this moment, those light tea-colored irises were locked on him as if speaking without words.

During the surgery, Li Po had struggled so violently that his eyes were filled with tears from the pain. Even though the pain had now faded, a mist still lingered in his eyes, making him look incredibly pitiful.

Just by looking at this scene, it was hard for any Alpha to resist.

But, as expected, Jiang Yu had no reaction. He merely glanced at Li Po briefly before looking away.

With the restraints finally removed from his sore wrists, Li Po let out a sigh of relief. His mind was still in a fog, but he felt much more alert than when he first woke up. His back was sticky with sweat, and he furrowed his brow, trying to prop himself up with his arms.

“Hiss…”

It was all for nothing. He collapsed back onto the bed.

Jiang Yu stood calmly to the side, watching with an unmoved expression.

Sweat beaded on Li Po’s forehead again as he lay there exhausted. His eyes dropped, and with just one glance, he froze completely.

The once pristine white sheets were crumpled from his struggles, and his clothes were a mess, soaked in cold sweat. His wrinkled shirt clung tightly to his body, and while his lower half wasn’t too bad, his upper half was a disaster.

Li Po, thick-skinned as he was, still knew how to feel ashamed. After just one glance, his ears turned completely red.

If he had known it would come to this, he would’ve preferred to play dead rather than let Jiang Yu help him undo the restraints!

If the one standing beside him had been Bian Lu, he might not have reacted so strongly, but it was Jiang Yu. Li Po felt like he had never been so embarrassed in his life. He buried his face in the snow-white bedding, struggling to sit up.

After his third attempt, Jiang Yu finally moved. He took a few steps forward and pressed a button on the side of the bed. The next moment, the upper half of the single bed slowly lifted, propping the Omega up from a lying position to a sitting one.

“…”

Damn, this was even more humiliating.

Li Po coughed awkwardly, but his body hadn’t fully recovered, and he overexerted himself. What started as a light cough quickly spiraled out of control.

“Cough, cough… cough, cough, cough…”

Hoarse coughs burst out uncontrollably from his throat. Li Po’s right hand clutched the bed sheet tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, standing out starkly against the white fabric. His knuckles were white from the strain, as if he might tear the sheet apart.

Jiang Yu furrowed his brow, his gaze unintentionally falling on the back of Li Po’s neck. He looked like he was in a lot of discomfort; his black hair was matted with sweat, sticking to his nape, and Jiang Yu could even catch a glimpse of the Omega’s damp gland.

Suddenly, the scent of roses in the air grew even stronger. The fragrance surged toward Jiang Yu, making him feel slightly dizzy. Realizing this, he immediately stepped back, putting a noticeable distance between himself and Li Po.

Li Po: …

Thanks, that really hurt.

The next moment, the operating room door suddenly swung open from the outside.

Bian Lu walked in, looking exhausted, only to be hit by the overwhelming scent of pheromones in the air, forcing him to take a few steps back.

What the hell happened here?!

Li Po was still coughing, even more violently than before.

Jiang Yu, on the other hand, had a slight frown on his face, looking cold.

Bian Lu paused, could it be…

But he didn’t have time to think about it. Moving quickly, he filled a paper cup with warm water and handed it to Li Po.

Li Po’s arms were still too weak to function properly, but his throat was parched, so he shakily reached out for the cup. He spilled quite a bit, and the water soaked into his pants. Luckily, he was wearing black pants, so it didn’t show.

After taking small sips of the water, Li Po finally stopped coughing. His throat felt much better, and he had enough strength to speak. “Thank you, Doctor Bian.”

“It’s nothing.” Bian Lu always maintained a gentle demeanor around patients. He pulled up the equipment to check Li Po’s vitals again.

Everything was normal.

“Is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?” Bian Lu handed Li Po a fresh, warm towel, gesturing for him to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

Li Po forced a faint smile. “No, I’m fine now.”

Bian Lu finally relaxed. He let out a breath of relief and turned his head. “Jiang Yu, you…”

His voice abruptly cut off as he realized—Jiang Yu was nowhere to be seen.

Li Po chimed in at the right moment, “The officer left when you came in.”

“…”

Bian Lu clenched his teeth. Great. Then, with a sigh, he turned back to Li Po, his tone gentle again. “You haven’t fully recovered yet, so you need to rest here for a few more days. Someone will come to ask you some questions later, but until then, you can’t leave.”

After hearing that, Li Po’s gaze darkened. After a long pause, he smiled harmlessly at Bian Lu. “Alright, I’ll trouble Doctor Bian, then.”

…

As soon as Bian Lu left the operating room, he pulled out his communicator and sent a message to Jiang Yu:

[What were you two doing just now? Why was the room full of pheromones?]

No reply.

[Li Po just recovered from a serious illness. His body hasn’t healed yet. How could you make a move on him?]

Still no reply.

Suddenly, Bian Lu thought of something and asked:

[By the way, at the parasite infestation scene, was Li Po there too? Did you get any information from him? I feel like there’s something more to this. Also, Li Po’s body is pretty strange. I’ve never seen an Omega recover this quickly.]

Just as he sent the message, a reply popped up on his communicator.

He knew Jiang Yu didn’t like wasting time on small talk and only responded to what was necessary.

So, without sensing any danger, Bian Lu tapped open the new message while handling his tasks.

The next second, he was dumbfounded.

[You have been blocked by the recipient. Please do not disturb.]

“…”

Two days later, an Alpha in a deep green military uniform came to the White Tower to visit Li Po.

By that time, Li Po had mostly recovered and was sitting on the hospital bed, ready to be questioned by the Alpha.

“Your father asked us to look out for you,” the Alpha said in a low voice, getting straight to the point. “But that doesn’t include you bringing trouble upon yourself.”

Li Po lowered his eyes at the Alpha’s warning, his voice soft. “Why would you think I’m looking for trouble?”

Seeing the Omega’s frail appearance, the Alpha snorted coldly. “If you hadn’t voluntarily participated in the drill, the holographic simulation program wouldn’t have started. Isn’t that proof enough?”

“What if I had no choice but to participate?”

The Alpha scrutinized Li Po and scoffed. “What reason could you possibly have to be forced into it?”

“I do,” Li Po lifted his gaze, speaking lightly, “Like if I didn’t go, I’d get bitten in the neck or something.”

“Impossible!” The Alpha’s face instantly turned icy. “Alphas in the S District have undergone rigorous training and are highly resistant to Omega pheromones. They’re not like those other Alphas outside who only think with their lower halves. If you hadn’t actively released your pheromones to seduce them, why would they ever bother with you?”

“…” At that moment, Li Po finally understood—the Alpha had no intention of listening to his explanation.

He gathered his emotions, his face going blank as he asked, “So, why are you here?”

“What else? To warn you not to cause any more trouble. You’ve already created a lot of issues for S District, and they’ve made many exceptions for you. If you keep causing problems, don’t blame us for taking other measures to make you behave.”

“Like what?” Li Po raised his eyes, intrigued.

It seemed the Alpha had been waiting for this question. As soon as he finished speaking, the Alpha pulled out his star-brain, opened a video, and played it.

In the video, an Alpha was being brutally whipped, his body a bloody mess, barely recognizable as human. His hands were suspended from a high iron frame, his feet hanging off the ground, his head limp as if life had left him. His body was so torn up it was impossible to tell who he was—but he had a striking head of red hair.

The flamboyant red hair mixed with the blood, making the crimson color appear even more vivid and grotesque. The pale face was streaked with red marks—it was hard to tell if it was hair stuck to his face or blood trickling down.

By the end of the video, a pool of blood had gathered beneath the iron frame, with fresh droplets still falling, the room filled with nothing but the sound of dripping blood.

“Remember him?” The Alpha stared at Li Po’s face and grinned.

Li Po had never seen such a horrifying scene, something akin to torture. A chill crept up his spine, but he kept his face calm. “Does the S District has punishments like this?”

The Alpha put away his star-brain and casually replied, “There’s a lot you don’t know. Just behave from now on and don’t stir up trouble.”

After saying that, he didn’t waste any more time and strode out.

Outside the hospital room, he dialed a number, his tone respectful.

“I’ve investigated it. He admitted that he was the one who instigated the Alpha.”

“No, the Alpha didn’t threaten him.”

“Yes, he participated completely voluntarily, without coercion.”