The moment the cold, sharp mechanical voice sounded, all the alphas showed expressions of shock, as if in unison.

“Invasion? How could S District be invaded?”

“Is the system malfunctioning?”

“Stop wasting time! Hurry up and contact the higher-ups, report this to the officer!”

–

Hong Mao felt an intense pain in his chest, so much so that when his skin was pierced, he didn’t even feel the pain. A strange numbing sensation spread from his forehead, and he was startled—could the pustule have burst?

But in the next second, he couldn’t focus on that anymore. The system’s sharp warning blared in his ears, making Hong Mao freeze as a chill ran from his head to his feet.

What did it mean by an invasion? Where was the contaminant?

From the moment the system issued the warning, all training was immediately suspended. The misleading contamination values were all removed, and Hong Mao reverted to his original appearance. The negative buffs from the virtual modification were lifted, and the pain in his chest lessened significantly. Although Li Po hadn’t been gentle, this kind of pain was nothing to an alpha like Hong Mao.

The knife was easily pulled out. Hong Mao’s face twisted for a moment before returning to normal. He raised his eyes with a vicious glare, only to meet the pale face of the omega unexpectedly.

He froze, and the desire for revenge within him swelled to its peak. The other’s weakness was the strongest stimulant—at least Hong Mao found it extremely gratifying. “What? Now you’re scared?”

His eyes gleamed with excitement and malice, but he hadn’t forgotten the potential danger lurking. He cautiously glanced around the platform.

The alphas below were like headless chickens, frantically searching for the source of the contamination. But after making a full sweep, they found nothing, their faces all showing confusion.

Seeing this, Hong Mao instantly let out a sigh of relief. He knew it—there was no way the S District could have been invaded by contaminants; the system must have made a mistake.

With the interference gone, Hong Mao’s gaze returned to the omega. This time, his stare was even more unrestrained, like a snake flicking its tongue, inching over every part of the omega’s face.

Hong Mao was the type who bullied the weak and held grudges—he couldn’t stand taking a loss. Since Li Po had made him suffer so much before, he had to pay him back to feel satisfied.

His logic was simple: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Li Po had stabbed him, so now he would return the favor exactly the same way, at the exact same spot, with the exact same depth. Whether the omega could handle it or not, well, that was another story.

“Didn’t you enjoy stabbing me earlier? Isn’t it my turn now?” Hong Mao spun the dagger in his palm, its sharp tip aiming directly at the omega’s chest. He smiled leisurely, enjoying the look on Li Po’s face. Suddenly, he didn’t feel like ending things so quickly anymore.

Tsk tsk tsk, with such a pretty face and such an enticing expression, what alpha could resist?

Maybe he could savor this for a bit longer.

…

But Li Po wasn’t listening to a word he said.

He fought down the nausea rising in his stomach and lifted his eyes to look at Hong Mao’s forehead. Shock and disgust filled him, causing even his eyelashes to tremble slightly.

The sight was just too disgusting.

The pustule had already burst, revealing the slimy red flesh inside. The surrounding skin was split open, and something had wriggled its way inside, forcing a massive black lump to bulge on his forehead.

The black lump was slowly writhing, and no one could clearly see its true form.

Sharp pincers were secreting an anesthetic fluid, injecting it into Hong Mao’s bloodstream. It greedily absorbed fresh blood, like a blender grinding up flesh and blood, swallowing it whole until its belly was full.

Its belly gradually swelled, and like it was sated, it settled in the bloody cavity, completely still.

Suddenly, its belly twitched, secreting a sticky fluid. As soon as the fluid touched fresh blood, it hardened and turned white, eventually forming small white granules.

The white granules kept multiplying until they could no longer fit, forcing their way out through the cracks and sticking to Hong Mao’s forehead.

No matter how much he shook his head, they wouldn’t come off.

Li Po’s face grew paler and paler, and he involuntarily took several steps back, trembling as he looked at Hong Mao.

“You…”

He wanted to warn him, but as soon as he uttered a sound, Hong Mao interrupted him with a casual, dismissive attitude, “Trying to beg me?”

“…” Li Po immediately shut his mouth.

“It’s not too late,” Hong Mao grinned, but at this moment, his smile was eerie and terrifying, softening even his usual sharp malice.

He stared leisurely at the omega, as if ready to enjoy watching him beg for mercy. But to his confusion, the omega didn’t speak at all; instead, he kept staring at his forehead.

Did he have something on his forehead?

Even Hong Mao, who usually had a thick skin, started to sense something was wrong. He suddenly remembered the bump on his forehead.

The numbing sensation that he had been ignoring came flooding back, and Hong Mao was startled. He quickly raised his hand and touched the spot where he remembered the pustule being.

The next second, he felt a massive, writhing lump and a handful of grainy texture.

The wriggling sensation was so clear that it left him frozen in place. His mind went blank, and he unconsciously rubbed his fingers together. Then, out of nowhere, his forehead was suddenly pierced.

The sharp pain jolted him awake, and a terrifying thought flashed through his mind like lightning. A dreadful suspicion began to form in his head, and Hong Mao’s body stiffened. His entire frame wobbled.

…No, that’s impossible!

The sheer panic made his eyes bloodshot, his head spinning so much he could barely stand. Hong Mao staggered and grabbed the railing next to him just to steady himself.

Suddenly, he remembered the omega standing beside him.

“What happened to me? Did you do something behind my back?!” His tone was urgent, almost accusatory, as he practically barked at Li Po. Afraid Li Po wouldn’t answer, he reached out to grab his shoulder.

Li Po dodged without hesitation.

His eyelashes drooped slightly, trying his best not to look at the disgusting thing, only focusing on Hong Mao’s eyes. “You’re asking me? Shouldn’t you know better than I do?”

Hong Mao became even more frantic, flashes of every scene from his missions running through his mind like a reel. He muttered to himself, “It can’t be… I just went on a mission and killed a few contaminants… How could this happen! They were only C-class contaminants, they couldn’t possibly threaten me… Wait!”

As if something clicked in his mind, his eyes widened in terror. “Before I left, I think I got bitten by a mosquito. Was that when it happened?!”

Li Po looked at him calmly without saying a word.

“It was then!!!”

Hong Mao grew more and more agitated, his blood boiling as the wound on his forehead gushed blood, soaking the cluster of white granules completely. “What should I do now?”

“What do I do!!”

For the first time, he faced the terror of death, uncontrollably scratching his head, his face twitching uncontrollably, distorting into an almost grotesque shape.

Li Po couldn’t help but frown. “If you don’t want to die, stop touching it.”

“!”

It was as if Hong Mao had grabbed onto a lifeline, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes. “Aren’t you the one with connections? You must have a way to save me, right? You won’t just watch me die, will you?”

He was losing his mind, his words growing more frantic, like a crazed man. “Save me, please, save me! Help me…”

Li Po stared at him coldly, his face unmoved.

Seeing no response from Li Po, Hong Mao’s expression turned dark instantly. A malicious thought began to form in his mind. He suddenly thought of something and turned his gaze to the crowd below the platform:

“Someone, save me…”

The alphas below had already noticed the commotion up here and were terrified. They backed away as fast as they could, afraid to get close to him.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted:

“The Administrator is here!”

“The Combat Officer is here too!!!”

The chaotic alphas immediately fell into order, quickly clearing a path for the two people who strode directly toward the center of the platform.

Hearing this, Li Po glanced over, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Finally, he’s here.