Just as Li Po’s irritation reached its peak, he suddenly froze, remembering something important.

Wait a second… he seemed to have forgotten something.

It wasn’t until this moment that Li Po finally remembered what he had originally set out to do—deliver the eye drops to Bian Lu. But ever since he took the eye drops from Bian Lu, several hours had passed. The incident with Yu San getting infected had completely derailed his plan, and he hadn’t even thought about reporting back to Bian Lu or letting him know what had happened.

Oh no, would Bian Lu fire him? Not that he was getting paid anyway…

Annoyed, Li Po scratched his head, momentarily setting aside his frustration with Jiang Yu, and rushed back towards White Tower.

Soon, he arrived on the third floor of White Tower, standing at the door of the consultation room.

Even though Li Po wasn’t exactly being negligent, leaving Bian Lu waiting for several hours still made him feel guilty. With that in mind, he hesitated even more about knocking on the door.

Just as he was thinking about how to explain himself, the door suddenly opened, and an Alpha walked out. Li Po quickly stepped aside, trying to hide in a spot where Bian Lu couldn’t see him. But when he accidentally glanced up, he saw Bian Lu looking right at him through the slightly ajar door.

“…”

Crap, he’d been caught.

Unable to escape, Li Po forced a smile. After the Alpha walked away, he slowly shuffled his feet and hesitantly entered the consultation room, closing the door behind him.

“Dr. Bian, I’m back,” Li Po greeted, feeling a chill down his spine under Bian Lu’s warm gaze. He didn’t dare look into Bian Lu’s eyes, instead lowering his gaze to the pen in Bian Lu’s hand.

The next second, the pen spun in Bian Lu’s hand, and the tip sharply stabbed into the wooden desk.

Bian Lu then pulled out the pen with a warm smile, asking, “Finally back, huh?”

Li Po stared at the hole the pen had made in the desk, not daring to say a word.

“One bottle of eye drops took you three hours to deliver. Li Po, you’ve really outdone yourself.”

“It’s not—” Li Po tried to explain, but Bian Lu cut him off.

At this point, Bian Lu’s warm facade faded, and his face turned serious. “Li Po, I told you before, White Tower is not a safe place.”

“Especially the fourth floor. There are dangerous experimental items everywhere. One wrong move could cause trouble, even put your life at risk. Did you ever think about how worried I’d be when you disappeared without a word for so long?”

Seeing the Omega standing there obediently, not daring to make a sound, Bian Lu couldn’t bring himself to scold him too harshly. He had been genuinely worried when Li Po hadn’t returned. If he hadn’t messaged Jiang Yu to ask, he would’ve already gone up to the fourth floor to look for him by now.

This Omega really knows how to worry people.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Bian. I was wrong,” Li Po lowered his head, apologizing with a hint of embarrassment.

“Forget it,” Bian Lu sighed, rubbing his temples. “Even though Jiang Yu didn’t tell me what you were up to, I can guess it wasn’t something small. Just don’t do this again.”

Li Po’s eyes widened in surprise. “You contacted the Officer?”

Bian Lu responded with a hum from his nose and looked at Li Po. “I didn’t expect Jiang Yu to actually know where you were.”

As he said this, he gave a subtle, meaningful smile, with a hint of something unspoken.

Li Po could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice. Feeling awkward, he scratched his face, trying to make amends. “Next time, I’ll definitely let you know first.”

“At least you’ve got a conscience,” Bian Lu’s anger finally subsided. He ran a hand over the hole in the desk with a sigh of regret.

Seeing Bian Lu’s expression soften, Li Po gathered his courage and took a few tentative steps forward. “By the way, do you know how I can contact the Administrator?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Bian Lu immediately looked up at him. “What do you need from him?”

Li Po hadn’t planned on telling Bian Lu, but if he didn’t explain, Bian Lu probably wouldn’t help him. After some hesitation, he spoke up, “I want to ask him how I can leave.”

Bian Lu’s expression suddenly darkened. He frowned, his gaze now sharp and cold. “You want to leave?”

“Yes, I want to leave S District.”

Unlike Jiang Yu, Bian Lu didn’t immediately reject the idea but instead asked, “Why?”

Li Po couldn’t think of a good reason on the spot, so he made one up. “I don’t like… certain people in S District.”

Seeing Bian Lu’s face grow colder, Li Po quickly added the second half of his sentence.

“They’ve been bullying you?” Bian Lu’s expression finally softened a little as he stared into the Omega’s eyes, as if trying to read his true thoughts.

But how could Li Po let him see through him so easily? He lowered his gaze, allowing a mix of fear and faint disgust to appear in his eyes. “Yes, even though you’ve been very kind to me, not everyone here is like you. When I went into heat by accident at the armory, if the Officer hadn’t come, I could have been…”

At this, Li Po abruptly fell silent. His once-bright eyes dimmed, and his voice carried a trace of sadness. “Things didn’t used to be this way. People I met before were much kinder than the ones here.”

Then he lifted his gaze again, a pitiful glint of grievance flashing in his eyes. “Dr. Bian, even becoming a regular soldier would be better than putting up with all this senseless malice. I’ve really had enough.”

After finishing, Li Po pursed his lips, watching Bian Lu’s reaction closely.

Yes, he was putting on an act. Although he knew Bian Lu didn’t have the final say on whether he could leave S District, he still needed to get something out of him, like Jing Lun’s contact information.

To avoid arousing suspicion, he deliberately mixed truth with lies. There were indeed Alphas who didn’t like him and often bullied him, but it wasn’t anything Li Po couldn’t handle. He wasn’t about to let them push him around for real.

Besides, from what he’d observed, Bian Lu was much easier to talk to than Jiang Yu. Just because Jiang Yu couldn’t be swayed didn’t mean Bian Lu couldn’t.

Sure enough, after hearing Li Po’s words, Bian Lu fell into silence.

Sitting in his chair, Bian Lu stared at the pen on the desk for a long time before asking, “Do you know how much effort your adoptive father put into getting you in here?”

Of course, Li Po had no idea. He had never even met this so-called adoptive father. But he couldn’t let that show, so he nodded, “I know.”

“Dr. Bian, I understand. You don’t have to worry about me,” Li Po added, as if sensing Bian Lu’s concern.

Since the Omega said that, Bian Lu couldn’t persuade him further. He glanced at the Omega with a complex expression before speaking, “At the top of your personal communicator, there’s a hidden search bar. If you want to find someone, just search for their name.”

Li Po froze.

Wait, what? It’s that simple?

Seeing Li Po’s confused expression, Bian Lu chuckled. “You’ve been here this long and still don’t know how to use the communicator.”

“I…”

Li Po was speechless. Was this what people meant by taking a loss in silence? No wonder so many people had added him last time—he didn’t even need their number, just their name!

Then why did Lan Deng ask for his number? That was completely unnecessary!

Feeling like he had been played, Li Po pursed his lips, clearly unhappy.

Seeing the Omega looking so perplexed, Bian Lu found himself unable to stay mad. He chuckled and asked in a gentle voice, “What, are you mad at me?”

Li Po finally responded, albeit reluctantly, “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Your face says otherwise,” Bian Lu pointed out without mercy.

With that, Li Po stopped pretending. He lifted his head and straightforwardly complained, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Hearing this, Bian Lu’s smile faded, and he spoke seriously, “Li Po, I want you to understand that while S District may not be a safe haven for soldiers, it is for you.”

“I didn’t let you deal with injured personnel when you first arrived at White Tower because I didn’t want to scare you. But now I’m wondering if that was a mistake.”

“It wasn’t…”

Just as Li Po was about to defend himself, there was a knock at the door, interrupting him.

“All right,” Bian Lu waved his hand dismissively. “There’s nothing more for you to do today. You can go back.”

Li Po thought the Omega would find an excuse to stick around, but to his surprise, Li Po smiled, albeit perfunctorily, and said, “Got it, I’ll let you get back to work.”

With that, he quickly turned and left without a moment’s hesitation.

“…”

What a spoiled and willful little brat, Bian Lu thought helplessly.

–

After leaving White Tower, Li Po wasted no time heading straight back to his dorm. Even though he hadn’t eaten yet, it didn’t matter. He could just gulp down a quick nutrition drink to get by.

He downed the milky liquid in one go, but there wasn’t much flavor. Not wanting to waste any time, he tossed the empty packet aside and jumped onto his bed, grabbing his communicator.

Since he hadn’t realized how useful the communicator was before, he didn’t carry it with him often. Now that he understood its functions, he knew he should start keeping it with him at all times.

The sleek, black communicator fit perfectly in his hand, not too big or too small. Satisfied, Li Po pressed the power button and eagerly searched for the hidden search bar Bian Lu had mentioned.

Sure enough, a rectangular search box appeared on the screen. After thinking for a moment, Li Po slowly typed in the characters for “Jiang Yu.”

The next second, Jiang Yu’s name appeared in his contacts, right below Jin Mu and Lan Deng.

Li Po frowned slightly. He held down the contact and dragged Jiang Yu’s name to the top of the list, smiling contentedly when he was done.

Huh, he didn’t even need to send a friend request for Jiang Yu’s contact info. Could anyone just add him like this?

Curious, Li Po tried searching for Jing Lun, and sure enough, it worked the same way.

If his guess was correct, these two were different from regular soldiers. Ordinary soldiers needed to send friend requests to add each other, but not them.

As he was thinking, Li Po accidentally opened the chat window with Jiang Yu.

The screen was completely blank, not a single message in sight. Annoyed by the emptiness, Li Po casually typed “Hello” and hit send.

After that, he closed the chat window with Jiang Yu and opened the one with Jing Lun.

After a moment of thought, he typed out a message:

[Administrator, when would it be convenient for you? I’d like to meet with you.]

After sending it, Li Po rubbed his temples tiredly and flopped onto his bed. To be honest, he didn’t want to meet with the Administrator, but there were some things that needed to be discussed in person. It would be harder to bring up later.

After resting for a while, he picked up his communicator again and noticed a red notification dot in the chat window.

Li Po’s eyes lit up. Could it be that Jing Lun had replied?

Excited, he opened the chat, only to find that the message wasn’t from Jing Lun, but from Jin Mu.

[I just got back from a mission.]

Seeing this, Li Po frowned. What was Jin Mu trying to show off for? That he could go on missions?

A second later, another message popped up:

[It’s been a few days, and you still haven’t replied to me. Did you not see it?]

“…Okay, maybe I was being unfair.”

Finally, Li Po scrolled up and noticed Jin Mu’s previous explanation:

[The star network connects to the interstellar internet, but S District is a secret military zone. To prevent leaks of classified information, regular soldiers aren’t allowed to access it.]

As expected, it wasn’t far off from what Li Po had imagined.

Li Po wasn’t particularly interested in replying to Jin Mu, but since he had taken the time to explain things patiently, Li Po figured he should respond. [Got it. Thanks.]

Jin Mu’s reply came almost immediately: [No need to be so polite. By the way, do you know someone named Zong Tai?]

Zong Tai? Li Po frowned. Why was Jin Mu bringing him up?

Instead of answering directly, Li Po asked: [Why?]

Jin Mu responded quickly: [It’s nothing serious. We were on the same mission, and he kept asking me about you. It was… unsettling.]

Reading that, Li Po couldn’t help but find it amusing. He replied nonchalantly, deliberately twisting the meaning: [Unsettling? Me?]

…

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Jin Mu stared at his communicator screen, looking as if he were facing a dire crisis. He knew he wasn’t good with words or charming gestures, but he never expected to cause such a misunderstanding with the Omega.

What should he do?

Feeling uncharacteristically nervous, Jin Mu tapped the screen repeatedly, but in the end, he didn’t type a single word.

But he couldn’t just leave the Omega’s message unanswered. Even though he wasn’t well-versed in social etiquette, he knew he couldn’t remain silent. After thinking for a long time, he finally mustered the courage to type:

[No, it’s not you. It’s the fact that he keeps asking about you that bothers me, not you.]

This time, there was no immediate reply.

Holding his communicator nervously, Jin Mu didn’t know what to do next. Should he send another message to clarify? Maybe something like “You’re fine” or “It’s not you I’m bothered by”?

Just as his brow furrowed into a knot, Li Po finally replied: [Oh, I see.]

Seeing that the Omega didn’t misunderstand, Jin Mu felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. After carefully deliberating, he added:

[Make sure to drink plenty of water.]

…

On the other end, Li Po stared at the message with an indescribable expression.

He had just been messing around out of boredom, thinking Jin Mu would pick up on the joke. But to his surprise, Jin Mu had taken it seriously.

When Li Po saw the “Drink plenty of water” message, his expression became even more complicated.

Help, this Alpha is so straightforward.

He didn’t want to reply anymore, so he tossed aside his communicator and went to sleep.

–

Human Base, Lower City District, the Ruins on the Outskirts.

A massive pollutant collapsed with a thunderous crash, its enormous body falling into the rubble, kicking up thick clouds of dust. Blood oozed from its body, soaking the ground in foul-smelling pools of tainted liquid, killing every blade of grass in its path.

Standing atop the ruins, Jiang Yu looked down coldly at the pollutant’s massive corpse, his eyes full of indifference and murderous intent.

Slowly, he peeled off his bloodstained black gloves, breaking the pristine white gauze and wiping away the blood that had splattered on his wrist.

There wasn’t a shred of human emotion in his eyes, not even the pain of his body being pushed to its limits could stir any reaction. He simply stood in the thick smoke, mechanically wiping the blood from his wrist.

Suddenly, a faint itch pricked at his wrist.

His cold gaze followed the curve of his wrist down to his hand, where a pale scar stood out on his skin. He paused, seemingly puzzled as to why it was still there.

Jiang Yu wasn’t the type to scar easily. Even when he’d bled profusely during past missions, no scar had lasted more than seven days. Although he’d never been bitten before, he didn’t think an Omega’s teeth could be more lethal than a pollutant’s claws.

Especially considering that when he was bitten, he hadn’t felt much pain. The sensation of the Omega’s canines piercing his skin wasn’t even as intense as the feeling of the Omega licking his wound afterward.

Jiang Yu couldn’t figure it out.

He didn’t dwell on it for long. Tossing aside the bloodstained gauze, he turned his cold eyes back to the desolate ruins.

He held his communicator in his hand, standing still for a moment before lowering his gaze and pressing the “Mission Complete” button.

As he considered whether to continue on or return to S District, his peripheral vision caught a red dot in the chat window.

It was rare for anyone to message him. The only person who used to bother him frequently was now on his blacklist, so whoever was contacting him now must have a serious problem—like someone being parasitized by a pollutant.

With that thought, Jiang Yu didn’t hesitate to open the message.

The next second, a short message appeared on the screen—just two characters:

[Hello]

“…”

Jiang Yu’s eyes flashed with impatience. He glanced coldly at the contact name, but then he froze.

[Contact—Li Po]

For a moment, his expression became unusually complicated.

The coldness in his eyes slowly faded as he put away the communicator and pressed another button.

Return to S District.

–

Five days later, Li Po finally received a reply from Jing Lun:

[Today.]

He didn’t understand why it took someone five days to check their messages, but then he remembered the other person who still hadn’t replied to him and suddenly thought Jing Lun wasn’t so bad after all.

As Li Po was changing his clothes and getting ready to leave, a troubling thought occurred to him—where exactly was he supposed to find Jing Lun?

With this in mind, he sent another message:

[Where are you?]

The response came quickly this time:

[S District Administration Office.]

…Thanks, that still didn’t help.

But fortunately, every building in S District had a holographic map. After another trip to Training Ground No. 1, Li Po finally figured out where the administration office was—right next to the tower where Jiang Yu worked.

From there, it was easy. Li Po followed the map in his memory, walking step by step until he arrived at the approximate location.

He had expected it to be as quiet as Jiang Yu’s place, but as soon as he stepped inside, he ran into a group of Alphas. The Alphas, clearly surprised to see him there, began whispering amongst themselves.

“It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the Omega. What’s he doing here all of a sudden?”

“Who knows? I don’t know what kind of spell he put on Dr. Bian to get himself into White Tower, but it seems like no one wants to cross him.”

“You’re brave, gossiping about Dr. Bian behind his back. Watch out, or he’ll give you a paralyzing shot next time!”

“Hey, I’m just telling it like it is. What’s the point of bringing an Omega into White Tower? Is he supposed to save people? That’s laughable.”

“Still, maybe he’s not entirely useless. Just look at him. Standing there looking pretty must be some kind of… therapeutic technique, right?”

“Oh, shut up. You’re just thinking with your lower half.”

“Ahem…”

Their voices weren’t quiet, partly because they naturally spoke loudly, and partly because they wanted to mock him. As they spoke, they stared at the Omega approaching, clearly hoping to see some sort of embarrassed reaction on his face.

But the reality was far from what they expected. Li Po’s face remained clean and composed, showing no sign of emotion.

He walked past them without even glancing their way, as if they were mere statues, unworthy of notice.

At that moment, the two Alphas exchanged glances, suddenly feeling a surge of absurdity—it was as if they were the ones being laughed at.

…

Li Po walked calmly to a door marked [Administration Office], and knocked.

“Come in.”

The door opened slowly, and Li Po stepped inside.

He didn’t let his eyes wander, but from his peripheral vision, he took in the room’s layout. Just one glance, and he could feel the weight of authority in the air, matching Jing Lun’s imposing demeanor.

“What brings you to me all of a sudden?”

As the voice fell, Li Po collected his thoughts, raised his eyes to meet Jing Lun’s, and got straight to the point. “Administrator, I want to leave S District.”

Jing Lun’s expression didn’t change upon hearing this. He looked at the Omega steadily and asked, “Why?”

Li Po repeated the same reason he had given Bian Lu.

Jing Lun was silent for a long time, turning the jade ring on his thumb as if deep in thought.

Finally, he shook his head. “No. Your father would never agree.”

Li Po had expected this. He blinked, then suggested, “I can talk to my adoptive father myself.”

Hearing this, Jing Lun raised an eyebrow at Li Po, his eyes deep and unreadable, his gaze piercing. He stared at Li Po for a long time before speaking. “I don’t think your father has the time.”

Li Po frowned. “Why not?”

Jing Lun didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “Do you know what’s going on outside?”

Li Po shook his head.

“The Lower City District of the human base has already fallen by 40%. The Upper City District is facing food shortages and insufficient energy supplies, barely maintaining a semblance of normalcy. S District once had enough energy reserves to last fifty years, but with the large-scale invasion of pollutants over the past three years, those reserves are now down to less than ten years.”

“And your father is desperately working to save enough energy to ensure both your safety and the safety of S District.”

Hearing this, Li Po was taken aback.

The scenes from the holographic simulation training flashed through his mind again. The streets were dirty and chaotic, polluted creatures lurking just beyond a wall, death constantly threatening them, while the once-bustling city now lay in ruins, desolate and full of danger.

But precisely because of this, Li Po’s determination to leave grew even stronger. He couldn’t sit back and enjoy the peace bought by others’ blood, nor could he ignore the deaths and sacrifices happening around him.

“I can be a soldier in S District.”

Hearing this, a complicated look flashed in Jing Lun’s eyes. He looked at Li Po and said softly, “Even A-level mental strength users can die in an instant when facing pollutants. You’re an E-level Omega. I can’t gamble with your life.”

“Better to kill a few pollutants than to stay here and be humiliated by those Alphas,” Li Po said, his tone unwavering. “Administrator, you may not understand, but sometimes, mental humiliation can be just as deadly as physical harm.”

The original owner of this body was a perfect example of that. Before Li Po had taken over, the original Omega had been mentally on the verge of collapse. Jin Mu’s push had been the final straw, leading to his downfall and Li Po’s takeover.

Because of this, Li Po had always held complicated feelings towards Jin Mu. While Jin Mu had helped him and treated him kindly since then, that kindness was limited to the current Li Po. His past behavior towards the original owner remained as unforgivable as ever, and Li Po couldn’t forgive him on the original’s behalf.

Sure enough, Jing Lun fell silent.

Sensing an opportunity, Li Po pressed on. “Administrator, when I first arrived at S District, someone tricked me into going to the third basement level of White Tower. You know who’s kept down there. Do you want me to end up like one of them?”

“…I can deal with those people for you,” Jing Lun finally said.

Li Po wasn’t easily swayed. “The root of their malice towards me is S District’s unequal treatment. If you step in again, you’ll only make me more of a target. Outwardly, they wouldn’t dare do anything, but behind the scenes, I’d suffer even more. You must understand that.”

“…”

“Administrator, I can take responsibility for my own choices. I just hope you’ll give me a chance.”

Li Po’s throat felt dry from all the talking. He knew that if this didn’t change Jing Lun’s mind, then nothing would, so he didn’t waste any more words, leaving the conversation at that.

Jing Lun was silent for a long time, slowly turning the large jade ring on his finger. His face was hidden in the shadows, making it hard to read his expression. Finally, he raised his head and nodded slightly. “Go for now. I’ll think it over.”

Sensing a glimmer of hope, Li Po’s eyes lit up. “When can I expect your answer?”

“Within three days.”

…

After leaving the administration office, Li Po stopped by White Tower.

Inside the consultation room, Bian Lu was alone, busy with his work. Li Po pushed the door open and walked in. “Dr. Bian.”

Bian Lu acknowledged him with a brief “Hmm,” without stopping what he was doing.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Li Po asked, trying to sound helpful.

“No.” Bian Lu rejected him without hesitation, not even bothering to look up. It was obvious that the Omega had ulterior motives for being so eager to help.

As he continued working, something seemed to cross Bian Lu’s mind, and he spoke again. “Oh, by the way, Sen De said he needs to see you on the fourth floor. Same spot as before.”

“He’s looking for me?” Li Po was briefly surprised. “What for?”

Bian Lu looked up at him with a meaningful glance. “Who knows?”

Li Po awkwardly cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. “I’ll go check it out now. Thanks for the heads-up.”

With that, he left in a hurry.

Inside, Bian Lu sighed, feeling like he was losing his precious cabbage to another field.

–

White Tower, Fourth Floor, Temporary Resting Room.

Li Po pushed the door open and saw Sen De standing inside.

“Dr. Sen, you were looking for me?”

Sen De turned around, smiling at the Omega. “Yu San’s surgery is finished.”

Li Po’s eyes widened. “And…?”

Sen De understood what he was asking. “He’s alive, just without his eyes. Your suggestion was correct. After the removal, he passed the pollution screening.”

“That’s good.” Li Po let out a small sigh of relief. “But wasn’t it a bit fast?”

“Fast?” Sen De chuckled bitterly and shook his head. “Anything involving pollutants is a top priority in S District. The Administrator has been personally overseeing this case. There was no room for delays. And honestly, the sooner we dealt with Yu San’s condition, the better. Any delay could’ve caused big problems.”

Li Po nodded in agreement.

No wonder Jing Lun hadn’t responded to him earlier; he had been busy with this.

“Oh, and the Administrator knows you were involved in this. He specifically asked me to remind you not to talk about it to anyone,” Sen De said.

Li Po nodded. “I understand.”

“There’s one more thing…” Sen De hesitated for a moment, as if unsure whether to speak.

“What is it?” Li Po asked, sensing something was off.

“Yu San is being sent out of S District tomorrow. Do you… want to see him before he goes?” After a brief struggle, Sen De continued, “He didn’t ask for this himself; it was my idea. He’s been feeling pretty down since the surgery and probably doesn’t want to bother you. But I figured he cares about you and might want to see you.”

“Being sent out tomorrow?” Li Po asked, confused. “Why is he being sent away?”

Sen De sighed, as if anticipating the Omega’s question. “Yu San was a researcher in S District, but now that he’s blind, he can’t stay. S District only keeps those who can contribute, and we don’t keep idle people.” Actually, there was another half of the sentence Sen De left unsaid: Except for you.

Li Po frowned. “Will S District at least make proper arrangements for him?”

Sen De seemed caught off guard by the question. He thought for a moment before replying cautiously, “They’ll give him a place to live, but beyond that, it’ll be up to him.”

“But Yu San was blinded because of S District…”

Hearing this, Sen De quickly raised a finger to his lips, “Shh!” he warned. “Don’t say that. Sacrificing for S District is an honor. Besides, it’s just his eyes. He’s still got all his limbs. It’s not the end of the world.”

“…” Li Po frowned, feeling uncomfortable with that logic.

But he didn’t argue further. Instead, he looked up at Sen De and said, “All right.”

Unlike Yu San, Sen De immediately understood what Li Po meant. He smiled and said, “Can you meet him tomorrow at noon? He’ll be leaving on a starship, but he’ll have some free time before then.”

Li Po blinked. “Can’t I see him now?”

Sen De gave him a knowing look. “No, he’s under supervision right now. Yu San is one of S District’s core researchers, and he’s been exposed to a lot of classified information. They need to perform a memory wipe before he can leave.”

“…” Li Po was momentarily at a loss for words. “After the procedure, will he still remember everything?”

Sen De grinned. “Don’t worry. He won’t remember anything classified about S District, but he’ll definitely remember you.”

Wait, was Sen De implying that he wasn’t important enough to forget?

Li Po suspected that Sen De was subtly teasing him, but he had no proof, so he let it slide.

Sen De chuckled. “So, tomorrow at noon, meet at White Tower’s north gate. Yu San will be waiting for you.”

“Okay.”

–

The next day at noon.

Under the scorching sun, Li Po arrived at White Tower’s north gate.

He leaned against the familiar railing, gazing at the empty space in front of him with a calm expression.

He still remembered that the Alpha self-detonation incident had taken place here. That was the moment when a strange seed was planted in his heart—a seed of wanting to protect others using his own abilities.

It sounded crazy, even arrogant, but the thought had firmly taken root in his mind.

While Li Po was lost in thought, he suddenly heard footsteps nearby. He turned toward the sound and saw Yu San, with Sen De helping him walk.

Yu San’s eyes were covered with a thick layer of white bandages, obscuring most of his face. Even though the bandages were thick, Li Po could still see that where Yu San’s eyes should have been, there was now an empty, sunken space.

Unlike before, the healthy flush that had once colored Yu San’s face was gone, replaced by a heavy, gloomy air. Although he tried to suppress it, the depression that radiated from within him was undeniable.

“I’ll leave you two to chat. I’ll be nearby,” Sen De said, tactfully stepping away.

Once Sen De had left, Yu San finally spoke, his voice carrying a faint smile. “I didn’t expect you to come.”

Li Po didn’t know what to say, so he responded with a simple, “Mm.”

“Can you tell me your name?” Yu San tilted his head toward where he thought the Omega was, trying to face him directly. But since he couldn’t see, his head was slightly off, and his gaze fell on Li Po’s right shoulder instead.

Seeing this, Li Po moved a bit to the right. “Li Po, as in the ‘po’ from amber.”

“Such a nice name,” Yu San smiled softly. “My name is Yu San, ‘yu’ as in fish, and ‘san’ as in three.”

Li Po chuckled. “Your introduction is amusing.”

“Thanks.”

After that, the two fell into silence.

Li Po wasn’t sure what to say or how to comfort him, while Yu San seemed to have a lot on his mind but didn’t know how to express it.

After a long pause, Yu San finally spoke slowly. “I’ve forgotten a lot of things, but I haven’t forgotten you. I think, even though I don’t fully understand everything, you must be very important to me.”

Li Po was silent for a moment before asking, “Do you blame me?”

Hearing that, Yu San let out a soft laugh. “Why would I? Somewhere deep down, I feel like I wouldn’t be alive without you. I’m grateful to you, so how could I blame you?”

After saying that, Yu San sighed lightly. “But I have to leave now. I probably won’t get a chance to repay you. Still, thank you. I hope you’ll be happy here.”

“And I hope you’ll be happy too,” Li Po replied sincerely.

Yu San still had a lot he wanted to say, but in this moment, he felt that anything he said might spoil the atmosphere. So, he stood there quietly, imagining what the Omega standing in front of him might look like, and silently thanked him in his heart.

Their time together was limited, and the more Yu San cherished it, the faster it seemed to pass. Before he knew it, Sen De returned. “The starship is ready. It’s time to go.”

Although his eyes were bandaged, Yu San’s expression still conveyed a deep sense of dejection. Reluctantly, he turned toward the Omega, unwilling to leave.

At last, when there was no choice but to go, Yu San spoke his final words. “Li Po, you’re the smartest and kindest person I’ve ever met. I hope you have a wonderful future.”

With that, he turned and left, supported by Sen De.

Behind him, a soft voice drifted in the wind. “You too.”

In that moment, even though he no longer had eyes, Yu San still felt the urge to cry. Holding back his emotions, he didn’t look back as he followed Sen De’s steps, walking further away.

Behind him, Li Po stood silently, his expression touched.

Since arriving at S District, he had been labeled as “pretty,” “useless,” or “Omega.” Nearly everyone defined him using those three words—either he was a pretty Omega, a useless Omega, or a pretty useless Omega. He had grown numb to it.

Now, for the first time, someone had described him as “smart” and “kind,” without emphasizing his looks or his Omega identity. To say he wasn’t moved would be a lie.

Taking a deep breath, Li Po tried to suppress the emotions welling up inside him.

But before he could fully compose himself, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him. “Feeling sad?”

Startled, Li Po quickly turned around, only to be even more shocked by what he saw—Jiang Yu?! When had he arrived, and how had Li Po not noticed?

Jiang Yu didn’t bother explaining why he was there. He just glanced at the Omega indifferently, his expression unreadable.

“If I said I was sad, would you comfort me?” Li Po asked, looking up at him.

“No,” Jiang Yu replied bluntly.

“Well, there you go,” Li Po huffed, turning his back on him, refusing to engage further.

“You’ll get used to it,” Jiang Yu added.