“Officer, there has been a sudden mutation at the human base recently. The energy station was suddenly attacked by pollutants en masse, and it’s suspected that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes.”

The man leaned back in his dark gray chair and chuckled softly with a cryptic expression, “After all this time, the rats are finally coming out of their holes.”

“So, should we-” The subordinate was unsure of the man’s intentions.

After pondering for a few seconds, the man finally spoke, “Prepare for combat at any moment.”

“Oh, and has Jiang Yu returned yet?”

Upon hearing the name, the subordinate straightened his back unconsciously, “The commander has just finished his mission and is on his way back.”

“Let him come see me once he’s back.”

“Understood.”

Ever since the power outage at Training Ground No. 3, the entire S District had fallen into an oppressive atmosphere.

Even someone like Li Po, who had never been close to the core of the military district, could sense the heavy and tense mood that permeated all of S District.

Alphas were frequenting the training grounds more and more, with some training nonstop for an entire day. Every time Li Po entered the training grounds, he would see several sweat-drenched, muscular Alphas walking out, their bodies emitting a sharp scent of pheromones.

Normally, when those Alphas saw him, their eyes would linger on him for a few seconds, but the current situation had improved significantly. They only glanced at him briefly before turning back to their own business, and even Jin Mu hadn’t come to bother him in quite a while.

Li Po was very pleased with this development, though he wasn’t sure what had happened. After thinking about it, he decided to head to the cafeteria again, as that was the place where he could overhear the most information.

In just a few days, the quality of the cafeteria food had dropped yet another level. The meat was gone this time, and there were only a few wilted vegetables. The plate was left with a pitiful mound of rice, and even that seemed less than before.

Li Po’s lips pressed into a thin line as he carried his tray to a secluded corner. From his vantage point, he could see the group of Alphas, but they couldn’t see him.

After setting down his tray, he started poking at the rice with his chopsticks while discreetly listening to the conversation not far away.

There weren’t many topics to discuss in S District, so it wasn’t long before Li Po heard something interesting.

“Have you noticed? The pollutants are getting harder to deal with lately.”

“Of course. Harder to deal with? It’s like they’ve evolved. Damn it, I almost didn’t make it back from my last mission.”

“I was assigned a B-level mission last time, and I didn’t think it would be difficult. But guess what? It was tougher than dealing with A-level pollutants! In the end, I had to blast my way out with a cannon, barely escaped, and nearly had all my mental energy drained.”

“Yeah, and the number of missions has doubled recently. We can’t even refuse them; it’s overwhelming.”

“Sigh, what can we do? The pollutants are becoming more rampant. Several administrative districts in the human base have fallen. I heard the pollutants are so savage they’re tearing into people’s heads, it’s bloody as hell.”

“Damn, what’s really going on?!”

“If I’m not mistaken, this is classified information. Only the top commanders know the full details. For now, we just have to train hard and try to stay alive. S District is still the safest place to be.”

Suddenly, one of the Alphas chuckled, “Well, no wonder some Omegas are so desperate to get into S District-”

The conversation shifted to Omegas, and the tired Alphas instantly perked up. After working hard all morning, they finally had a moment to relax, so they weren’t about to let the topic of Omegas go.

One Alpha sneered, “I wonder if I’ll get a taste of an Omega before I die.”

“Right? Who wouldn’t want that? Honestly, that Omega is top-tier. Once you leave S District, good luck finding one as beautiful as him.”

“Yeah, I wonder who’ll be the first to mark him.”

“It’s probably going to be his ‘adoptive father,’ right? I don’t believe any Alpha could resist for long. And from what I’ve heard, that adoptive father isn’t exactly an upright guy. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s been doing some unsavory things under the guise of taking care of him.”

“Careful what you say. Someone might overhear and use it against you.”

The Alpha glanced around nervously at this, and after confirming no one was nearby, he sighed in relief, “Damn it, don’t scare me like that. Almost gave me a heart attack.”

–

The pillar concealed Li Po’s presence, and he listened to every word without showing any emotion.

He absentmindedly bit the tip of his chopstick, deep in thought.

The human base being invaded by pollutants was clearly the reason behind the tense atmosphere in S District. The sudden power outage at Training Ground No. 3 was likely related to this as well. As for the deeper reasons, even regular combatants were kept in the dark.

There was something else that concerned Li Po—his “adoptive father.” Honestly, from the memories of the original owner, the “adoptive father” had always been gentle and kind, very much like a doting father from an ordinary family. There was no sign of the imposing authority of a high-ranking official from the human base, and he even pampered the original owner. That’s why the adoptive father went so far as to pull strings to get him into S District, ensuring his safety.

But the question was, why would a father who doted on his son so much completely cut off all contact after sending him to S District? He hadn’t even reached out once.

It didn’t make sense.

After the group of Alphas left the cafeteria, Li Po finally strolled out from behind the pillar. He returned his tray and suddenly felt like heading to the north gate of White Tower.

With so many pollutants appearing, there must have been an increase in injured soldiers too.

–

At the North Gate of White Tower.

Li Po leaned against the railing, staring at the large empty space in front of him, his expression complicated.

He hadn’t forgotten how someone had been parasitized by a pollutant here, or the moment when that Alpha had self-destructed at the last second. Even now, recalling the scene made Li Po feel a wave of nausea, leaving him uncomfortable.

His face turned a little pale as he looked away, focusing on the North Gate instead.

Sure enough, after just a few minutes, a snow-white stretcher was urgently carried over by the medical team.

The Alpha on the stretcher was pale as a sheet, without a trace of blood, not even in his lips. Li Po glanced down and his pupils contracted instantly.

That Alpha was missing both legs!

He was lying weakly on the stretcher, his injuries already receiving preliminary treatment. The stumps were wrapped in layers of gauze, but even so, blood was still seeping through, soaking the white stretcher.

If any other Omega had been here, they would have been scared by the sight, but Li Po wasn’t like the others. He just stared steadily, his lips pressed into a tight line, his mood visibly darkened.

Every time he saw scenes like this, he couldn’t help but wonder why Omegas weren’t allowed to go on missions. Why couldn’t Omegas protect others?

He didn’t want to be the one always being protected.

Hiding behind others like a quail, relying on the people who mocked him for survival—it was a terrible feeling.

Li Po’s thoughts wandered far away, and by the time he snapped back to reality, the legless Alpha had already been carried inside.

He looked up, his mood still low, and suddenly caught sight of someone he hadn’t seen in a long time.

The man, tall and long-legged, was slowly walking over from a distance. His slender fingers were stained with a bit of crimson as he casually wiped them with a tissue, every movement exuding an air of elegance.

Li Po stared at that red stain, unable to look away. He watched as the blood was slowly wiped clean, calmly waiting as the man approached step by step.

When the distance between them was as short as it could be, Li Po stepped forward and stopped him.

His gaze moved from the man’s fingers to his collar, then slowly upward, passing his lips, until he finally met the man’s indifferent eyes—

Without revealing his emotions, Li Po asked the man, “Officer, are you injured?”