“Get used to it?” As soon as Li Po heard that, he immediately felt displeased. Could this be a curse against him? It definitely was!

He turned around with a face full of discontent, “Officer, what do you mean by that? I don’t understand.”

The look on the Omega’s face clearly showed he was playing dumb. Jiang Yu glanced at him indifferently, not intending to explain. Instead, he lowered his eyes and asked, “You went to see Jing Lun.”

Li Po nodded, “Yeah, you told me to.”

Then, suddenly something clicked in his mind. “Wait, how did you know?”

Jiang Yu didn’t answer, just calmly looked at him.

Li Po gazed into Jiang Yu’s eyes, trying to figure out what was going on inside his head. But for some reason, the more he stared into those dark, deep eyes, the more it felt like he was sinking into a vortex. The longer he looked, the deeper he fell, almost suffocating.

No, this wasn’t right.

The Omega’s light tea-colored pupils trembled slightly, with a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes. Jiang Yu’s face showed no expression, so why were his eyes so hard to read?

Li Po found it baffling. He had encountered so many people in his life that he could usually tell what someone was thinking with just a glance, or at least come close. But Jiang Yu was different from the others.

He didn’t seem particularly deep or calculating, not like Jing Lun who wore his seriousness on his face, but in truth, Jiang Yu was just as complicated, maybe even more so.

Tsk, they’re all just a bunch of sly old foxes!

Thinking of this, Li Po sighed lightly. He had thought Jiang Yu was just an icy person, but he hadn’t expected there was a whole tangled mess beneath that cold exterior. Trying to unravel it would only leave his hands frostbitten… not worth it.

Li Po made up his mind and quickly hid his emotions, replacing them with a well-behaved mask. “So, did the governor approve?”

Jiang Yu didn’t answer directly and instead asked, “Didn’t you want to leave? Why are you applying to become a combatant now?”

Li Po’s eyes curved with a smile, “Because I want to be as impressive as you, Officer.”

To his surprise, Jiang Yu didn’t buy into it. Ignoring the Omega’s sweet talk, he coldly warned, “Tell the truth.”

“…” Li Po hadn’t expected his flattery to backfire. Awkwardly rubbing his nose, he finally gave in and spoke honestly, “My adoptive father doesn’t allow me to leave S District. So if I want to leave openly, the only way is to become a combatant.”

“Missions are dangerous,” Jiang Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, showing faint disapproval.

Hearing this, Li Po blinked, “Officer, are you worried about me?”

“….”

Seeing Jiang Yu’s expression gradually turn icy, Li Po quickly realized he was pushing his luck and coughed lightly before speaking seriously, “Don’t worry, I can take responsibility for my own choices.”

“Or… do you also look down on Omegas, Officer?” As he said this, Li Po’s eyes drooped in an exaggerated show of being wronged. However, he secretly squinted, carefully observing Jiang Yu’s reaction.

The result was satisfying. Jiang Yu didn’t say anything further, just gave him a cold glance before turning to leave.

But Li Po wasn’t ready to let him go without getting the answer he wanted. He quickly stepped forward, intending to grab him, but he miscalculated the distance. With too much force, he ended up crashing his nose right into Jiang Yu’s back.

“Shit…”

Li Po accidentally cursed, but he couldn’t be bothered. Reflexively, he raised a hand to cover his nose. Though he couldn’t see it, he was certain his nose was now definitely red from the impact. A sharp pain surged up, stinging his eyes, and a thin layer of tears welled up in them.

Damn, did his ancestral grave get dug up? Why else would he keep crashing into people like this?

Last time wasn’t so bad, he’d just bumped his forehead and after some rubbing, it was fine. But this time, it was his nose!

Even when he’d accidentally dropped his phone on his nose while lying down, it had hurt for half a day. This time, crashing into Jiang Yu’s back, the pain was even worse. Damn, why was Jiang Yu’s back so hard?!

With a face full of accusation, Li Po held his nose, frowning as he tried to endure the pain. He stood there, his eyes reddening.

This was clearly unexpected for Jiang Yu as well. His expression paused slightly, finding the situation unexpectedly tricky.

Unlike the Omega, whose face showed clear pain, Jiang Yu didn’t seem affected at all. In fact, when the Omega bumped into him, he hadn’t even reacted much. If not for noticing the Omega stopping suddenly, Jiang Yu probably wouldn’t have turned around at all.

“Does it still hurt?” After a long moment of consideration, he finally asked.

The Omega didn’t answer, just stood there, red-eyed, glaring at him, still holding his nose.

“… Go to Bai Lou.”

Seeing Jiang Yu’s calm demeanor, Li Po was almost driven to madness. He suddenly thought that biting him in the weapons room was far too lenient. He should have taken a bigger chunk out, so Jiang Yu could know what real pain felt like.

At this moment, Li Po had no interest in talking to Jiang Yu. In fact, he was determined not to. After shooting Jiang Yu a sharp glare, he angrily turned and stormed off.

Jiang Yu: “….”

No one in S District would believe that, at this very moment, their highly respected Officer Jiang had just been left standing there by an Omega. And there wasn’t even a trace of anger on his face from being snubbed, only a faint hint of confusion in his eyes:

Did I say something wrong?

Why was the Omega so mad?

–

Li Po walked all the way back to the dorm, still holding his nose.

Afraid he might get a nosebleed, he walked cautiously, taking small steps.

With every step, he cursed Jiang Yu in his heart, but after a while, even he started feeling guilty—after all, it seemed like he was the one who accidentally bumped into Jiang Yu, not the other way around.

Still, Li Po wasn’t the type to admit fault. If Jiang Yu hadn’t turned away and left, he wouldn’t have chased after him. And why did Jiang Yu have to take such big steps, was he being chased by a ghost or something?

Actually, if there was a ghost, it’d probably be a really scary one, Li Po thought angrily.

After returning to the dorm, he grabbed a towel from the bathroom, soaked it in cold water, and pressed it against his nose. He didn’t know if it was broken, but it was definitely swollen.

Thinking of this, he punched the pillow beside him with a blank expression.

Damn, just thinking about it made him angry.

Li Po’s anger flared up quickly but died down just as fast. Soon, he forgot about Jiang Yu and reached under his pillow for his communicator.

Jing Lun said he’d give him an answer within three days, and today was the second day. Li Po wondered if he had made up his mind yet. As he thought about it, he pressed the communication button, but then suddenly froze when he saw the screen.

Wait, why did his communicator look different?

Li Po’s eyes widened in surprise before quickly realizing what had happened. He looked at the top left corner of the communicator.

There, his user information had changed from [Li Po] to [Combatant E001].

Combatant E001?

This number was interesting. Li Po studied it with interest before suddenly noticing something off.

E? 001?

Li Po’s face instantly darkened.

Damn, it’s like they wanted to make sure everyone knew he was the only E-ranked spiritual power user in S District.

But whatever, Li Po didn’t care. He forced himself to look away from the number and focused on the newly added mission tab.

To his disappointment, there was no mission listed. The tab was empty. Li Po frowned and tapped on it, and the next moment, the screen lit up with a notification—[Mission Dispatch Notice].

Immediately, Li Po’s eyes lit up as well. He pulled the towel off his face and casually tossed it onto the bedframe, then focused intently on the screen.

[E-Ranked Mission]
[Time: 48 hours later]
[Team Members: Hou Ming, Kingsley, Kuang Feng, Li Po]
[Location: Abandoned Factory on the Outskirts of the City]
[Mission Details: Eliminate nearby pollutants]

“!”

Li Po finally got what he wanted, and a genuine smile appeared on his face. He picked up the pillow he had just punched and gently placed it under his chin, completely forgetting what he had just done to it.

Even though it was only an E-ranked mission, Li Po was still extremely happy. He squinted his eyes, already starting to plan his next steps.

–

Meanwhile, Kuang Feng was completely baffled.

What the hell? An E-ranked mission? Was the system glitching?

After all his time in S District, Kuang Feng had never seen an E-ranked mission before. The lowest rank he’d seen was D, and since he was no longer a rookie, the system shouldn’t have assigned him to such a low-level mission.

And what’s even more ridiculous is that an E-ranked mission needs four people? Even the B-ranked missions he’d done only required three at most, so why was this team bigger?

Kuang Feng couldn’t figure it out, but he didn’t dare ask. His fingers scrolled down to the teammate list, taking a careful look.

Wait, Li Po? Why does that name sound so familiar?

Just as he was wracking his brain trying to remember, his tray was suddenly smacked with a pair of chopsticks. Startled, Kuang Feng flinched in his seat. The next moment, he quickly straightened up and quietly said, “Brother Di.”

Di Kai, with his broad, fleshy face, grinned menacingly, the fat on his cheeks wobbling with each word, “I was talking to you, didn’t you hear?”

Kuang Feng shrank his neck, “Brother Di, the system just assigned me a mission. I was too focused on the communicator and didn’t notice.”

“Hmph, always about the mission.” Di Kai waved his chopsticks dismissively. Suddenly, his gaze fell on the tray in front of Kuang Feng. The next second, he jerked his chin toward it.

Kuang Feng knew exactly what Di Kai wanted. With a grin plastered on his face, he grabbed his chopsticks in one hand and his tray in the other, ready to scoop food into Di Kai’s plate.

But Di Kai was displeased. Narrowing his eyes, he brought his chopsticks down with a sharp “thwack” onto Kuang Feng’s hand.

Almost instantly, a red mark formed on Kuang Feng’s hand. Even though Di Kai was an A-ranked Alpha and had held back his strength, his chopstick strike was still hard enough to almost break Kuang Feng’s skin.

But Kuang Feng didn’t show a hint of concern. Without a word, he handed his entire tray over to Di Kai, who dumped the contents into his own plate.

“That’s more like it.”

Satisfied, Di Kai threw Kuang Feng’s now empty tray back in front of him.

Kuang Feng, who had barely touched his meal, was now left with nothing but a few grains of rice. Starving, he felt a wave of anger surge inside him as he stared at the tray.

But he dared not say a word. His hands balled into fists under the table as he gritted his teeth in silence.

Di Kai, oblivious to his actions, raised an eyebrow, “Why aren’t you eating?”

Kuang Feng clenched his jaw tighter and remained silent.

Finally, Di Kai seemed to notice something off. He paused, his gaze turning dark and menacing. He sneered, looking down at Kuang Feng, “Not hungry, huh? Well, how about from now on, I help you finish all your meals too?”

“No, please, Brother Di,” Kuang Feng finally spoke. His clenched teeth were starting to ache, but he forced himself to pick up his chopsticks, trembling as he scraped the few remaining grains of rice into his mouth.

It didn’t take long. Once finished, Di Kai, still munching on Kuang Feng’s food, laughed, “Wow, you’ve never cleaned your plate like this before.”

Kuang Feng said nothing.

Now full, Di Kai was in a good mood. He ignored Kuang Feng’s silence and asked, “So, what mission did the system assign you?”

According to S District’s rules, combatants were supposed to keep their missions confidential. Whether before or after the mission, revealing details to others was strictly forbidden, with serious consequences if caught. But Kuang Feng didn’t dare disobey, so despite his seething anger, he recited the mission details word for word to Di Kai.

Di Kai had only been curious at first, but when he heard the name Li Po, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Li Po?” He repeated the name, a dangerous gleam in his eye.

“What’s wrong?” Kuang Feng was puzzled. He had only found the name familiar but hadn’t expected Di Kai to recognize it too.

“Do you remember that Omega I took you to meet at Training Ground No. 1?” Di Kai sneered, clearly amused by some memory.

With that reminder, Kuang Feng finally remembered. His eyes widened in shock, “That’s the same Omega? But didn’t he get in through connections? How could he be sent on a mission?”

“Who knows.” Di Kai swallowed the last of the rice and threw his chopsticks into the empty tray before standing up to leave.

Kuang Feng quickly followed suit, gathering Di Kai’s plate along with his own and clearing the table.

Di Kai walked ahead, his expression dark and brooding. Kuang Feng, sensing his foul mood, didn’t dare disturb him, fearing he’d get himself into trouble.

Suddenly, Di Kai placed a hand on Kuang Feng’s shoulder.

Kuang Feng flinched instinctively, expecting a slap to the back of his head, his whole body tensing up. His thin neck shrank as he braced himself. But instead, Di Kai just chuckled, “What are you so scared of?”

With that, he ruffled Kuang Feng’s hair and spoke in a low, sinister tone, “By the way, you know that Omega and I have some unfinished business, right?”

Kuang Feng’s eyes closed tightly, and he nodded, trembling.

“Good. Then you know what to do during this mission.” Di Kai flashed a vicious smile, his face creasing with lines of fat. After patting Kuang Feng’s shoulder again, he strode off.

Left standing there, Kuang Feng hunched his shoulders, his eyes filled with panic. Was Di Kai really planning to…?

But he had heard about what happened with that Omega before. An Alpha who merely tricked him into training had been severely punished by S District. If something serious happened to the Omega on this mission, the upper ranks of S District would never let it slide.

Yet if the Omega returned unscathed, Di Kai certainly wouldn’t let him off…

The more Kuang Feng thought about it, the more anxious he became.

–

Time waits for no one. Before long, two days had passed.

Since it was Li Po’s first mission, he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

Opening his wardrobe, he pulled out a set of combat gear and swiftly changed into it.

Ordinary combatants had two uniforms, one black and one camo. Since this mission was in an abandoned factory, Li Po figured the camo wouldn’t be of much use, so he chose the black one.

Honestly, what he liked best was the military uniform Jiang Yu often wore, but sadly, he didn’t have one.

Just thinking about Jiang Yu made Li Po’s teeth itch again. Shaking off the thoughts, he quickly tied his combat boots.

To avoid any incidents, he opened his bedside drawer, tore open a new suppressant patch, and stuck it securely on the back of his neck. After all, outside S District, who knew what the Alphas might try.

Once fully geared up, Li Po suddenly felt like he was missing something.

What was it? He fell into thought.

He couldn’t figure it out immediately, so he tried recalling the last time he’d done a simulation in the training room. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization.

A weapon!

But… where was he supposed to get one? Just as he was feeling stumped, a lightbulb went off in his head, and he remembered a place.

—The Armory.

But the few times he had been to the armory, he had always been accompanied by someone. The only time he went alone, he was turned away.

He still remembered the words:

[Sorry, you are not on the current request list. Access denied. Please leave promptly.]

Wait… the request list?

Could the request list be the same as the mission list? Li Po suddenly had a bold guess.

Never one to waste time, he immediately grabbed his communicator and headed out to the armory.

At the armory entrance.

Li Po had his fingerprint scanned and his iris recognized.

[Recognition complete. Scanning…]
[Access granted. Best of luck on your mission!]

Just as he thought.

The armory doors automatically opened, and a smile appeared in Li Po’s eyes. The next moment, he stepped in confidently.

Inside the armory, there were not only firearms but also melee weapons. Li Po stared at the rows of gleaming weapons, falling into deep thought.

After Bai Lou had measured Jiang Yu’s spiritual fluctuation threshold, Li Po had secretly checked his own. Even though Jiang Yu had ripped off the auxiliary band, Li Po believed the equipment hadn’t been damaged.

Assuming the device wasn’t faulty, Li Po’s own spiritual fluctuation threshold was somewhere between E and A. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the fact was his spiritual power was highly unstable, sometimes strong, other times almost nonexistent.

Given that, he finally understood why during the simulation training, he hadn’t been able to fire those first two shots—it was because of his unstable spiritual power.

But… why was it unstable? Li Po had a vague theory.

Could it be because the original owner of this body was already close to a mental breakdown, and now, with an ordinary person who had no supernatural abilities taking over, his spiritual power became chaotic?

It wasn’t impossible.

Lost in thought, Li Po stared at the floor before suddenly coming to a decision. Without hesitation, he grabbed a B-ranked handgun from the wall and moved to the melee weapons section, picking up a knife and a few packs of poison.

Time was running short. He glanced at his communicator and, following the system’s directions, headed toward the starship launch pad in S District.

The launch pad was located in the southeast corner of S District, a place Li Po had never been before. He couldn’t help but find it fascinating, and this was also where the mission team would be gathering.

Li Po didn’t quite understand—was the team selection process completely random? If it was, how would they fight side by side effectively when they’d barely gotten to know each other’s strengths and combat styles? Wouldn’t that end up being more of a hindrance?

He didn’t get it, but there wasn’t time to think further because he spotted his teammates—

In that moment, Li Po’s world turned gray.

Damn, did the system have a grudge against him?

Why else would two out of the three teammates it assigned him be people he didn’t get along with?

The three of them noticed him at the same time. In that instant, aside from Kuang Feng, the other two showed strange looks.

Kingsley had never met Li Po before, so when he spotted the Omega, a gleam appeared in his eyes. No wonder the system sent four people on this E-ranked mission—it was to protect the Omega.

Though Kingsley had never seen the Omega in person, he had heard rumors about him.

Apparently, not only had this Omega gotten into S District through connections, but he also used his looks to attract Alphas, making them willingly do his bidding. Whenever Kingsley heard other Alphas talk about him, he would just scoff.

How good-looking could he be? Kingsley didn’t believe this Omega could be any more attractive than the Betas he’d hired at brothels in the lower district. It’s just that he had a reproductive cavity, and all those Alphas were so blinded by lust they couldn’t think straight. What a joke.

Even though S District strictly forbade Alphas from messing around on missions, there were always those who found ways around the rules. Kingsley was one of them. Whenever there was a mission in the lower district, he’d find a way to ditch the other Alphas and spend the night at a brothel. He considered himself picky when it came to looks, and he figured this Omega wouldn’t catch his eye at all.

But the moment he caught a glimpse of the Omega out of the corner of his eye, his expression froze.

In that instant, he was like a weasel spotting a chicken, a wolf seeing meat, or a sleazy merchant eyeing a fat lamb. His eyes lit up with excitement.

Damn, how could this Omega look so pure!

That face, that waist, those legs… Kingsley almost started drooling.

Even though he had slept with plenty of Betas and marked a few Omegas temporarily, none of them had given him the same rush as just one glance at this Omega. Just one look, and his heart raced with excitement.

—He must taste amazing.

Grinning to himself, Kingsley’s eyes narrowed with anticipation. Sure, the mission was to protect the Omega, but who said protecting him couldn’t involve keeping him safe in bed?

Unlike Kingsley’s predatory desires, Hou Ming was filled with jealousy and resentment.

The first time he met the Omega, he had made a mutually beneficial offer to bite his neck—one bite and he’d offer him protection. It was a win-win situation, but for some reason, the Omega had turned him down.

The second time, in Training Ground No. 2, he ran into the Omega again and made the same offer, thinking that after seeing the brutality of the training ground, the Omega would eagerly agree. But instead, he mocked him, even insinuating that he was incompetent!

—“So, Alpha, what exactly are you trying to prove here?”

—“Are you trying to prove… that you’re useless?”

Those words had haunted Hou Ming in his nightmares ever since. No Alpha could stand being told they were useless by an Omega, and Hou Ming was no exception. Especially since the Omega had somehow managed to resist his aggressive pheromones during the encounter. The thought of it kept him awake at night, seething with anger.

He had tried to console himself, reasoning that the overwhelming scent of blood in the training ground must have masked his pheromones, not that there was anything wrong with him. But even so, the Omega’s humiliation still lingered in his mind like a shadow.

Hou Ming had been waiting for a chance to get even, and now, it had finally come.

Suppressing the malicious gleam in his eyes, he glared at the bold and beautiful Omega not far away.

Of the three, only Kuang Feng acted normally. He strictly followed S District’s rules and didn’t dare harbor any inappropriate thoughts toward the Omega. But he was still in a bind—how could he explain things to Di Kai if he didn’t make things difficult for the Omega?

What should he do? Kuang Feng stood there, looking torn.

Among the three, Li Po only knew Hou Ming and Kuang Feng. Hou Ming still had that weaselly look, and just one glance made Li Po feel nauseated. He averted his gaze and looked at Kingsley, but when he caught a glimpse of the look in his eyes, he froze.

… He recognized that kind of look all too well, full of lust.

Kingsley didn’t realize he had already been seen through. He continued to wear his fake friendly smile and extended a hand to the Omega, “Kingsley. If you need anything, feel free to ask.”

Li Po didn’t take his hand, merely glancing down with a faint smile. “Li Po.”

Kingsley wasn’t bothered by the cold reception. In fact, the Omega’s indifference only made him more intrigued.

So this is a game of hard to get, huh? That didn’t match up with the rumors at all. Why the sudden act of modesty?

This Omega named Li Po was quite interesting indeed.

The other two didn’t bother greeting Li Po since they both had past grievances with him. But Li Po didn’t care, his mind more focused on the upcoming mission—three against one, it didn’t look good for him.

He replayed the looks the three had given him: Kingsley’s eyes were filled with desire, Hou Ming’s face was all about revenge, and Kuang Feng’s gaze was clear but dumb.

Still, Li Po didn’t drop his guard around Kuang Feng—he was tied to Di Kai. Although Li Po hadn’t had much interaction with Di Kai, he could tell the guy was narrow-minded and liked to bully the weak, a petty, cunning character. Definitely someone troublesome to deal with.

So, could Kuang Feng also be one of the people Di Kai bullied? If that were the case, then…

Li Po mulled it over as he followed the other three onto the starship.

He intentionally lagged behind, waiting for the others to pick their seats before choosing one for himself. Sure enough, after sitting down, Kingsley kept glancing his way as if expecting something.

Li Po ignored his gaze and chose a seat in the farthest corner. If he hadn’t, Kingsley would’ve undoubtedly found a way to sit beside him, and by then, who knows what trouble he might cause.

Before long, the starship departed along its track.

The interior of the starship was spacious, with walls made of high-tech metals that gleamed with a silver-gray metallic sheen. Looking up, Li Po could even see a projection of the entire starry sky above the ship. Countless planets dotted the deep blue galaxy, forming a dazzling belt of stars, magnificent and vast. Among the many planets orbiting the sun, Li Po spotted the one they were currently on.

Despite its scars and wounds, it still shone brightly and brilliantly, standing at the boundary between light and darkness, a testament to the mysteries and grandeur of the universe. As Li Po stared at it, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: Were they saving the world?

He quickly laughed at himself for the silly thought. How cringey.

Just as he lowered his gaze, his eyes caught sight of the view beyond the bulletproof windows.

Outside, a dense forest stretched endlessly.

The forest spanned thousands of miles, covering every bit of land within sight. In the center of the forest, a section had been cleared, filled with high-tech buildings, exuding a strong sense of modernity and technology—that was S District.

Seeing this, Li Po understood. No wonder the Alphas called S District a “secret military base.” Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to find it, let alone enter.

At the same time, he realized why the only way in and out of S District was by starship—because there weren’t any doors. Once you stepped out of S District, you’d be lost in the forest forever, never able to find your way out, eventually turning into bones in the wilderness.

Suddenly, a chill ran down Li Po’s spine. If he hadn’t insisted on leaving S District, would he have been trapped there forever, living a dull life surrounded by nothing but bland nutrient liquids?

If that were the case, he really would’ve gone insane.

The starship was fast, and before Li Po’s thoughts could drift any further, it had already passed through the forest and reached the outskirts of the human base.

Finally, the starship landed steadily, and Li Po disembarked along with the other three.

His handgun was tucked at his waist, the poison in his combat suit pocket, and his right hand tightly gripped his knife as his calm eyes scanned the city outskirts.

The outskirts of the human base were vast, and despite being called the outskirts, they were actually quite far from the base. In recent years, pollutants had become more rampant, encroaching on and reducing human territory. The factory they were heading toward was one of the remnants from before the pollution had spread.

According to the system’s information, the factory used to produce chemical products and had been marked as a polluted zone. However, the level of pollution here wasn’t severe, classified as E-rank.

Yes, this was the E-rank mission Li Po had been assigned.

Unlike Li Po, the other three showed no signs of tension. After getting off the starship, they went their separate ways, not bothering to interact.

Hou Ming was walking just fine, but as he moved, his beady eyes started darting around shadily.

He had been itching to get back at the Omega for a long time. He didn’t want to kill him, but he definitely wanted to teach him a painful lesson he wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

At the same time, Hou Ming worried that the other two Alphas might interfere. Kingsley, for one, clearly had a strong interest in the Omega, and while Kuang Feng wasn’t someone he knew well, he looked a bit dimwitted.

So, after some thought, Hou Ming slowly made his way over to Kingsley.

“Hey, buddy, have you ever done an E-rank mission before?”

Kingsley easily saw through Hou Ming’s intentions, but he didn’t expose him. Instead, he smiled and said, “Nope, this is my first time.”

“Me too.” Hou Ming half-jokingly complained, “I was hoping to do a few more A-rank missions and impress the higher-ups, maybe even get promoted to the Special Ops Team. But instead of an A-rank, I got stuck with this lousy E-rank. What bad luck!”

Special Ops Team? Li Po’s ears perked up.

“Tell me about it,” Kingsley responded with a smile, playing along.

“I swear, after all these missions, I was hoping to one day team up with an S-rank spiritual power user. I mean, I don’t dare dream of teaming with an SS-rank, but at least an S-rank would be nice, right? But no, instead of getting an S-rank, I got stuck with a useless E-rank.”

“…” Li Po fell silent.

In his mind, he rolled his eyes, muttering to himself, You’re the useless one. Your whole family is useless. I’m at least an A-rank!

Of course, he couldn’t say that out loud, only in his head.

“By the way, do you think that guy back there will drag us down?” Hou Ming tried to stir the pot.

But Kingsley didn’t seem fazed. After all, it was just an E-rank mission. How much trouble could the Omega cause? Even if there were pollutants, they’d be easy to deal with. The mission wasn’t the challenge—winning over the Omega was.

Kingsley didn’t know what history Hou Ming had with the Omega, but his words provided a perfect opportunity to play the hero. Not one to waste a chance, he glanced back at the Omega and smiled, “It’s no big deal. With my abilities, I can handle whatever he throws at me.”

Ugh, Hou Ming was disgusted. He didn’t show it, but inwardly he was repulsed, immediately putting some distance between himself and Kingsley.

Damn creep!

Li Po was also feeling a bit creeped out, but he kept his expression neutral, merely giving Kingsley a polite nod in response.

Once Kingsley turned back around, Li Po’s face returned to its usual indifferent look as he gazed at the factory in the distance, devoid of any emotion.

Kuang Feng, who had seen it all: ….

He didn’t dare say anything. He didn’t dare say anything at all.

Soon, they reached the factory.

The factory was in a state of disrepair, with its painted signage barely visible through layers of sand and dust. Only a single word, seemingly a large “three,” could still be made out.

Since they were in the outskirts, there wasn’t a single plant in sight, leaving the exposed rocks weathered into fine sand. With each step, the wind kicked up clouds of yellow dust, filling the air.

A layer of sand had piled up around the factory, and as Li Po’s boots sank into the ground, the fine grains of sand immediately filled the prints he left behind, erasing any trace of his passage.

Soon, the group entered the factory.

The interior was spacious, with a pile of scrapped chemical equipment taking up the most prominent spot. Judging by the thick layer of dust, it had clearly been abandoned for a long time. A simple swipe could fill your fingernails with dust.

Li Po didn’t bother touching it, but Hou Ming did. After wiping his hand, he rubbed it against his black combat pants, which instantly turned gray, looking as if he’d just rolled around in the mud.

Li Po, thoroughly disgusted, averted his gaze. He looked around at the factory layout, sensing that something was off.

What was it?

Just as Li Po was lost in thought, Kingsley suddenly spoke up, “So… where are the pollutants?”

At his words, everyone paused. Yeah, where were the pollutants?

Looking around the factory, there were no signs of any pollutants. In fact, aside from the dusty chemical equipment, the place was surprisingly clean, with…

Wait!

In a sudden flash of realization, Li Po looked up at the factory ceiling, finally understanding what felt wrong—there were no spider webs.

If this were a truly abandoned factory, how could there be no dust in the corners or cobwebs in the rafters?

That was the strangeness of this place—it was too clean.

Li Po’s eyes darkened, and just as he was about to investigate further, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black shadow dart across the rafters and shoot straight toward Kingsley!

Despite being an A-rank Alpha, Kingsley’s combat instincts kicked in, and he quickly drew his handgun, firing at the shadow without hesitation.

Bang!

At the sound of the gunshot, the shadow froze in mid-air before plummeting to the ground.

Kingsley walked over and glanced at it with disdain, “It’s just a polluted spider.”

“That’s it?” Hou Ming sneered, “What a joke.”

Even Kuang Feng thought it was too easy. It was just a spider. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it, taking a starship and all?

Besides, this place was so far from the human base. Even if there were pollutants, it wouldn’t pose a threat to the residential areas anytime soon. Leaving it be for now wouldn’t hurt.

Since when did S District lose its sense of priority?

Or… were they just here to chaperone the Omega on a little outing?

If even Kuang Feng could figure this out, it was no surprise Hou Ming had the same thought. He spat on the ground in frustration, his face darkening.

Just as Kuang Feng looked up to check if there were any more pollutants, his eyes caught another shadow.

It was identical to the one before.

The shadow dove straight for the back of the Omega’s head, its black pincers poised to strike at Li Po’s skull.

Kuang Feng’s expression tensed, and he nearly shouted a warning, but just as the words were about to leave his mouth, Di Kai’s voice echoed in his mind.

“…” Kuang Feng swallowed the words, watching in tense silence as the shadow closed in on the Omega, his face torn with hesitation.

In truth, Li Po had already noticed.

As the pollutant lunged at him, he swiftly tilted his head, his knife flashing with a cold gleam. In an instant, the pollutant was sliced clean in half, falling to the ground.

“You…” Kuang Feng was dumbfounded.

Wasn’t this Omega supposed to be useless? How had he reacted so quickly? While such a move wouldn’t be difficult for a seasoned combatant, they had honed these instincts through countless life-and-death battles. Could this Omega have…

No, it had to be luck, Kuang Feng reasoned.

Li Po caught Kuang Feng’s stunned look, but he merely lowered his eyes, saying nothing.

Sticky black liquid clung to the once-clean blade of the knife, filthy and repulsive. Li Po frowned in disgust and looked around for something to wipe it with. In the corner of the room, he spotted a tattered wooden crate.

The crate was falling apart, its edges worn and soft, and covered in dirt.

Li Po was disgusted, but he still walked over, crouched down, and rubbed his knife against the corner of the crate.

The crate, already on its last legs, creaked and shed splinters at the lightest touch, pieces falling around Li Po’s feet.

Li Po pulled his foot back, intending to leave, when suddenly he heard a strange noise. Without hesitation, he slid his knife into the cracks of the crate and pried the lid open.

The next moment, a rustling sound filled the air from inside the crate.