Hong Mao’s body was covered with a white sheet.

The small white particles on his forehead, no longer nourished by blood, shriveled almost instantly, with a faint blackness visible beneath the surface. They clung tightly to the mangled flesh, so stubborn that even sharp tweezers couldn’t pry them apart.

The doctors from White Tower had no choice but to cut off that piece of flesh with a scalpel, carefully scraping it into a sealed container. It was then sent to the lab under special protection for contamination source testing.

“Hiss—”

Li Po accidentally glanced up and, unfortunately, witnessed the gruesome scene, making him jump in shock. He quickly averted his gaze, frowning slightly, his stomach churning uncomfortably.

Suddenly, a crisp, refreshing scent wafted past his nose.

He sniffed, and that scent immediately filled his senses, even easing the discomfort in his stomach. Li Po’s eyes lit up as he glanced toward the source of the scent and subtly moved closer.

He thought he was being discreet, but little did he know that every tiny movement had been noticed by someone.

Jiang Yu didn’t like others getting too close to him, especially when the person was an omega. The faint scent of roses drifted in the air, making him furrow his brows instinctively as he glanced down at Li Po.

Li Po was feeling much better now, lowering his gaze, deep in thought. But the cold stare that landed on him felt tangible, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up, his face showing a hint of confusion. “What’s wrong, sir?”

The sunlight was too glaring, making his light brown pupils appear faint. He squinted uncomfortably, causing the corners of his eyes to curve slightly. Li Po had an extreme appearance, sometimes pure, sometimes stunning. But at this moment, paired with the clarity in his eyes, the latter was significantly toned down, making him seem like nothing more than a fragile, innocent omega.

“Nothing,” Jiang Yu replied indifferently, shifting his gaze away, no longer looking at him.

Li Po felt baffled, responding with a low “oh” before lowering his gaze and looking elsewhere.

Training Ground No. 2 had been completely sealed off, and all the alphas present at the time of the incident had been isolated to undergo contamination source screening by White Tower.

“Why are we being locked up here? We weren’t contaminated!”

“Exactly! We didn’t even touch that alpha! Why are we being detained?”

“We’ve got missions to complete! If we’re delayed and someone dies, are you going to take responsibility?”

They angrily questioned the doctors from White Tower, trying to cover up the fear in their hearts.

The truth was, they were more afraid than anyone of being contaminated. If they ended up like Hong Mao, parasitized by contaminants… they didn’t even want to think about it.

The soldiers from S District were the elite, chosen from the best. They were proud and extremely confident, viewing contaminants as their sworn enemies, unable to imagine the revolting scene of being parasitized.

To be honest, they’d rather die at the hands of contaminants than be used as their vessels. So the more terrified they were, the more stubborn their words became, their attitudes growing harsher.

“I’ll take responsibility.”

Suddenly, a steady voice came from the side.

The alphas who had been questioning stiffened immediately, quickly lowering their heads in respect. “Sir.”

Jing Lun swept a stern glance over the alphas, his tone leaving no room for argument, “If it happens again, you’ll face punishment yourself.”

“Yes, sir.”

After that, he nodded at the doctors from White Tower before turning to walk towards Jiang Yu.

–

At that moment, Li Po was undergoing the contamination source screening.

At the end of a thin tube was a short needle, which was inserted into a pale blue vein, slowly drawing out a tube of bright red blood.

As the needle was removed, a drop of blood surfaced, standing out starkly against his fair skin.

Li Po took a cotton swab and pressed it against the small puncture, looking up at the tube of red blood.

He had been the closest to Hong Mao, which meant that the chances of him being parasitized by contaminants were the highest.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t afraid. Although his body felt fine now, that didn’t guarantee he wasn’t infected.

If it had been any other omega, they might have broken down in tears from the anxiety. But Li Po was different. He simply watched the doctor’s actions quietly, with no trace of urgency in his eyes.

Suddenly, a shadow fell beside him.

He glanced sideways but didn’t recognize the person.

However, this individual had a strong presence, unlike the ordinary soldiers of S District. He seemed more like a higher-up.

Sure enough, the doctor beside him paused in his actions, bowing his head respectfully, “Sir, you’re here.”

Jing Lun nodded slightly. His gaze landed on the blood sample. “When will the test be done?”

The doctor quickly replied, “Very soon.”

As his words fell, the doctor skillfully took a container and directed the blood from the tube into it, giving it a gentle shake.

At the bottom of the container was a layer of pale yellow liquid, with the bright red blood floating on top, sharply contrasting each other.

Seeing this, the doctor let out a sigh of relief. “It hasn’t been decomposed, no contamination.”

After announcing the result, he quickly packed up the container and moved on to the next person.

At this moment, Li Po finally relaxed his tightly clenched fists. It was only then that he realized his palms were slightly damp with sweat.

“Is this him, Li Po?”

Li Po froze for a moment, looking up at the alpha in front of him, not understanding why he would suddenly mention him.

“Hmm,” Jiang Yu responded.

It was only then that Jing Lun turned his gaze to him. “I’m Jing Lun. I knew your father.”

Li Po didn’t know how to respond.

He had crossed over to this world. He didn’t know the original person, didn’t know the original’s adoptive father, and certainly didn’t know the original’s adoptive father’s friend. And now this alpha was emphasizing his connection to his family. How was he supposed to respond?

Should he say: “Hello, Uncle Jing?”

No, that would be wrong. Everything about that felt off.

For one, this alpha looked like he was only in his thirties. And that term of address just sounded like he was trying to cozy up to him.

If word got out, people would start accusing him of using connections.

Ugh.

While Li Po was silent, Jing Lun seemed to sense his discomfort and decided to help him out, saying, “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come to me. I promised your father I’d look after you.”

Upon hearing this, Li Po nodded obediently.

In that case, it was best to just keep quiet.

Jing Lun gave him a look before turning his attention to Jiang Yu. “There’s something I need to discuss with you. When are you available?”

“In two hours.”

“Alright, I’ll contact you then.”

After Jing Lun left, Li Po stared at his departing figure, unable to resist asking out of curiosity, “Sir, who was that?”

“S District’s administrator,” Jiang Yu replied concisely.

“Administrator…” Li Po glanced thoughtfully in the direction Jing Lun had gone. “So he’s the one who handles all the missions and stuff?”

Jiang Yu glanced expressionlessly at the omega in front of him, ignoring the question. Instead, he said, “The screening is over. Let’s go.”

Seeing this, Li Po could only awkwardly rub his nose. “Alright then…”