Zong Mao’s pupils gradually dilated as he realised what was happening. In the end, even his gaze became unfocused. He stumbled back a step, his face pale as he looked at the dark crack of the door.

Through the narrow gap, Zong Mao could even see the cold, lifeless bed. The white bedding was messily thrown on the bed, the pillow tossed at the foot, and dried, crusted blood stuck to it, bright and eye-catching.

The dark red color was too glaring. Zong Mao felt an invisible chill swirling around him, forcing him to shiver. He snapped back to reality, quickly letting go of the doorknob and slamming the door shut. He turned to leave.

But just as he was about to take a step, he suddenly stopped—

Wait, how exactly did Hong Mao die?

A huge question swirled in his mind, like a net enveloping his limited curiosity. Hong Mao only had some flesh wounds. Based on past experience, even if the system assigned him a mission, it wouldn’t have been too difficult—certainly not enough to get him killed.

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. He turned back, placed his hand on the doorknob again, and with a creak, pushed open the door.

The dorm was eerily quiet, with no sound at all. Zong Mao took a deep breath and tiptoed toward the bed.

A faint smell of blood drifted from the bed, sharply invading his nostrils. The scent was murky and thick, and Zong Mao’s face instantly twisted. His throat tightened, and he almost threw up.

Fortunately, he held his breath in time, avoiding the actual vomit. Suppressing his nausea, he glanced at the bed—and suddenly noticed something.

Something was off. Something was definitely off.

S District placed extreme importance on the conduct and discipline of combatants. If they were not in the dorm, their bedding had to be neatly folded. It was impossible for it to be left in such a messy state, unless—

Someone else had searched the room.

Zong Mao froze in place. No Alpha would dare enter another’s room without permission, let alone rummage through their things. Unless… they had orders from someone higher up in S District.

Sudden death, the secretive expressions of the neighboring Alpha, the ransacked bed… in an instant, Zong Mao’s whole body stiffened as he suddenly recalled a “rumor” he hadn’t taken seriously.

—An Alpha had been parasitized by pollutants.

In S District, with the right connections, it wasn’t hard to find out information. Cold sweat dripping, Zong Mao hurriedly left Hong Mao’s dorm and rushed in a specific direction.

…

“What? An Omega?!” Zong Mao froze, instinctively rubbing his ears.

“What’s wrong?”

A gruff voice came from the other side, and Zong Mao looked up reflexively, immediately meeting a pair of squinty eyes filled with malice.

He paused involuntarily. “…Something happened between us before.”

“Something happened?” Di Kai suddenly grinned, and with that grin, the fat on his face squished together, gleaming with oil. “Go on, tell me. What happened?”

Zong Mao frowned instinctively.

Truthfully, he didn’t have a great impression of Di Kai. He sought him out only because Di Kai was well-connected and had access to information. Other than that, they had no interactions. Plus, he had heard many negative rumors about Di Kai, so he didn’t want to get too involved with him.

“Nothing much,” Zong Mao muttered.

“Nothing much?” Di Kai squinted, a flicker of slyness in his eyes. He propped up his arm, rubbing his stubbled chin with his rough hand, and confidently asked, “If I’m not wrong, you guys must’ve messed with him before, right?”

As expected, Zong Mao immediately lifted his head, staring straight at him.

“Why do you say that?” Zong Mao asked warily, the warmth in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a sharpness that seemed almost tangible.

Just as I thought. Di Kai’s eyes glinted as he suddenly let out a laugh and changed the subject. “Did you know? That Omega isn’t simple.”

Di Kai squinted, his thoughts drifting back to the day he led the Omega to the armory. The rumored “E-level” Omega had successfully wielded an A-level psychic weapon, which had shocked Di Kai to his core. Although Jin Mu had disrupted his thoughts at the time, that scene had lingered in Di Kai’s mind, haunting him.

He had almost forgotten, but recent rumors had brought the Omega back into his sight, stirring up those unpleasant memories.

Damn it, Jin Mu’s kick was so heavy, almost destroyed my manhood!

As his thoughts returned, a dark shadow crossed Di Kai’s face. The grin on his face dropped, his fat hanging lower, making his expression look fiercer. He stared at Zong Mao with ill intent.

Zong Mao, too preoccupied with replaying Di Kai’s words, failed to notice his expression.

What does it mean, “the Omega isn’t simple”? He’s just an E-level Omega. What’s so special about him? Sure, he has a powerful backer, but that’s it. His support only steps in after something happens; most of the time, it’s like they don’t even exist. There’s nothing to fear.

With that thought, Zong Mao calmed down a bit. He relaxed his brows and spoke in a lighthearted tone, “Isn’t it just his connections? We weren’t going to do anything serious, just scare him a bit.”

“Pfft.”

Suddenly, a sharp laugh echoed in his ear.

Zong Mao’s face darkened. “What are you laughing at?”

Di Kai couldn’t stop laughing. He opened his almost-shut eyes to give Zong Mao a once-over, his gaze openly mocking. “I didn’t realize you were this dumb.”

“You…!”

Zong Mao, unprepared for the insult, turned red with anger. The scent of his aggressive pheromones started to seep out, but he suppressed them with reason, leaving only a smoky smell in the air.

Di Kai almost choked on the smoke and quickly stepped back, covering his nose in disgust. “Everyone in S District knows the Omega has connections. Do you think I’d be stupid enough to repeat that? I’m talking about something else.”

He paused for a moment, hesitating slightly. When he spoke again, his voice lowered to a whisper, “If I’m not wrong, he was sent by the outside…”

Di Kai trailed off, as if wary of something, not continuing further.

Zong Mao, now hanging on every word, grew anxious. “Sent by who from outside?”

Di Kai said nothing, only giving him a meaningful look, his eyes filled with hidden depths.

Unwittingly, Zong Mao met those beady eyes, and the answer slipped out of his mouth without thinking:

“Could he be… a spy?!”

As the words left his mouth, even Zong Mao was startled, stepping back in shock.

Before he could deny it, Di Kai gave him a faint smile, and there was a hint of approval in his eyes.

“?!”

Zong Mao’s heart skipped a beat, and a cold chill shot up from his feet to his entire body. He stood frozen for a long time, and when he finally came to his senses, he raised his voice sharply, “Don’t talk nonsense! You know how serious the crime of espionage is. Besides, where’s your proof? Anyone can see he’s just a weak Omega. If you hate him so much, why not just teach him a lesson? Why accuse him of such a heavy crime?”

“Oh? Feeling protective already?” Di Kai sneered, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Proof? Of course, I have it.”

He paused for a moment, enjoying Zong Mao’s colorful expressions, then continued, “You remember that Omega’s psychic level, right?”

Zong Mao’s face was grim, but he nodded.

“E-level,” Di Kai snorted. “Bullshit E-level!”

His expression darkened, and his face grew vicious, his eyes filled with simmering anger.

His rough hand pressed down hard on the chair—

A loud crack echoed through the room. Zong Mao instinctively glanced down, and the next moment, his face filled with shock.

The wooden chair had been crushed by that one hand!

“We were all fooled. That Omega’s psychic level is definitely not E-level!”

That one sentence hit Zong Mao like a bolt of lightning. He stood there in a daze, slowly shifting his gaze from the chair back to Di Kai’s fleshy face. “…What did you say?”

“…Not E-level?”

Di Kai coldly laughed twice and nodded.

“That’s impossible!” Zong Mao exclaimed, clearly not believing it. “White Tower’s testing equipment is so advanced. No matter how skilled that Omega is, he couldn’t have tricked the machines, right?”

Di Kai rolled his eyes impatiently, and the fat on his cheeks jiggled with the movement. “Why would I lie to you? He’s just an Omega. What threat could he possibly pose to me? Why would I bother making this up?”

Zong Mao froze at his words. He studied Di Kai’s expression closely, finding no trace of a lie. Realizing this, Zong Mao’s face turned pale, and the fear in his heart grew stronger.

Everyone in S District knew what psychic power represented. It symbolized strength, and the higher the level, the stronger the combat power. And in combat, strength determined life and death.

Hiding one’s psychic power and misleading others was a dangerous tactic. It wasn’t about being too strong; it was about being hidden. An enemy pretending to be weak could be far more dangerous.

But even if that Omega had hidden his psychic level, how high could it really be? At most, C-level, which was hardly worth worrying about.

A C-level Omega spy? That’s ridiculous.

Suddenly, Zong Mao thought of something and said, “Maybe he’s been sent by the higher-ups to monitor us. He could’ve bypassed White Tower’s machines with their help. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

Di Kai gave a mysterious smile. “And what would the higher-ups gain from that?”

“…” Zong Mao was speechless, clearly stumped.

“If he really was sent by them, would they send such a pretty Omega? Wouldn’t that just draw too much attention? Who in their right mind would put a lamb in a den of wolves? S District hates it when Alphas get distracted by lust. It’s a recipe for trouble!”

“That…” Zong Mao was at a loss for words.

“Since that Omega arrived, haven’t you seen how many times he’s been bullied? Has anyone stepped in? And this time, with the parasite, how come none of the other Alphas were affected, but he was? Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”

Finally, Di Kai gave a sinister smile, revealing a set of crooked yellow teeth. “There’s never been anything as bizarre as a parasite in S District. Yet right after he arrived, it happens. What do you think? Surely you’re not suggesting the higher-ups are behind that too?”

“But even if he’s hiding his psychic power, how strong could he be? We could crush him like an ant…”

“Give me a break,” Di Kai interrupted impatiently. “Have you forgotten how Hong You died?”

That last sentence chilled Zong Mao to the core.

Right. Even if the Omega’s psychic level wasn’t high, he didn’t rely on just one weapon or one card up his sleeve. And he had backing. S District was protecting him, not questioning him.

The thought of how close he had been to letting his guard down made Zong Mao break out in cold sweat.

He was completely convinced now. After all, he had always been easily swayed. When Hong Mao had egged him on to mess with the Omega, he hadn’t stopped him, which led to the disaster they were in now.

And this time, he was falling into the same trap.

Seeing Zong Mao’s expression, Di Kai knew he had convinced him about 70-80%. He casually brushed the dust off his pants and said in a relaxed tone, “If you still don’t believe me, just run a little experiment. Test whether his psychic level is really E-level.”

At this point, Zong Mao was unaware that he was being used as a pawn. He was too consumed by the shock of a spy infiltrating S District to even think about the logical gaps. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly before he finally spoke with difficulty, “Alright, I’ll test him.”

Di Kai snickered. “Good luck. Oh, and by the way, we never had this conversation. Have a nice day.” He waved dismissively, signaling for Zong Mao to leave.

Zong Mao nodded absentmindedly, then staggered out of the room.

Once he was gone, Di Kai glanced at the closed door, a sneer on his face as a cold laugh escaped his nose.

“What a brainless fool.”

“A spy? Why doesn’t he just believe I’m his dad?”