Warm, damp, sticky…

Li Po suddenly woke up, throwing off the covers and staring at the sheets, his face blank.

After a long while, he climbed out of bed. Cold water poured over his hands as he washed them, his thoughts shifting unpredictably.

Once he finished, he casually flicked off the water from his hands and walked out of the bathroom. He grabbed the communicator by the bedside.

Having not checked it all night, he found several new messages waiting for him. A quick glance showed they were from Jin Mu, which left him feeling uninterested.

He hoped Jin Mu wasn’t going to pester him about that incident again, Li Po thought.

As he opened the messages, they popped up one after another:

[Zong Tai said you hooked up with an Alpha in S District. Is that true? He said he smelled Alpha pheromones on you, as if you’d been marked.]

[I don’t really believe it. You’re always so clean, and you’re an Omega. How could you let yourself be marked so easily?]

[Is it true?]

…

Li Po didn’t bother reading the rest. He yawned, blinking away the moisture in his eyes, then suddenly let out a soft snort.

If Jin Mu didn’t believe it, why ask him in the first place?

And even if it were true, what did it matter to him?

Tossing the black communicator aside, Li Po didn’t bother replying. He rubbed his temples, picking up the clothes scattered by the bed and quickly putting them on.

He felt a bit tired, and his waist was a little sore, but that didn’t stop him. Yesterday’s plans had been completely disrupted, and he couldn’t let today fall apart too.

Before heading to training, he needed breakfast. His fingers brushed the bag of nutrient solution, but he quickly discarded the idea. Compared to that, a meal from the S District cafeteria would be much more filling and beneficial for his workout.

Soon enough, Li Po arrived at the cafeteria.

There were quite a few Alphas having breakfast, so Li Po deliberately chose a secluded spot to avoid them. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side. Two Alphas soon took seats diagonally behind him.

Li Po’s spot was well-hidden, and they didn’t notice him, continuing their quiet conversation.

“Recently, there’ve been so many injured at White Tower, even surgery has a waiting list. I heard some patients died before their surgeries even started.”

“Yeah, I heard about that too. By the way, isn’t White Tower conducting some kind of experiment? I saw them moving bodies to the fourth floor once.”

“Shh, don’t spread it around, but I heard from a researcher that they’re experimenting with pollutant samples, like they’re developing some sort of preventive vaccine. It’s almost ready.”

“A vaccine? You mean to prevent parasite infections from pollutants?”

“Exactly. Remember the incident at Training Ground 2, when there was a case of pollutant parasitism? The rumors were wild back then, and they even issued an official statement. If they can really develop this vaccine, it’d be a good thing—at least we wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore.”

“Yeah, let’s hope they figure it out soon.”

Pollutant samples? Li Po paused.

Could it be that Fish Three’s eyeball hadn’t been destroyed after removal and was instead being used for experiments by S District? But parasitism from pollutants was silent and undetectable. How could White Tower ensure that their researchers wouldn’t end up infected?

This was a dangerous game.

The food tasted bland as Li Po quickly finished his meal with a few bites. After cleaning up, he headed to Training Ground 1.

The training area was quite crowded. As soon as Li Po walked in, he spotted a familiar figure. Without even blinking, he turned around, not wanting to run into him.

But it seemed like this person had been waiting there for him. As soon as he saw Li Po, he rushed over and blocked his way.

“Check your communicator.”

Li Po didn’t even lift his head. “I’ve seen it.”

Jin Mu froze. “Then why didn’t you reply?”

“Why should I?” Li Po finally raised his eyes, replying coolly.

Jin Mu was completely taken aback, staring at Li Po in disbelief. For a moment, the person in front of him felt unfamiliar. “So… what Zong Tai said… is it true?”

Li Po looked at him and suddenly smiled faintly. “Whether it’s true or not, you’ve already decided to believe it, haven’t you?”

“No!” Jin Mu hurriedly denied it. “I don’t believe him—I didn’t even reply to him. I just wanted to ask you, that’s all. You know the Alphas in S District aren’t good people. You’re so innocent, I’m worried you might’ve been tricked.”

“Really?”

“Really!” Jin Mu insisted firmly.

Li Po chuckled softly and didn’t push further. Finally, he answered the previous question, “It’s fake.”

The moment Jin Mu heard this, a wave of relief washed over him. The tension that had been weighing on him eased instantly. “I knew it. How could you let someone else mark you?”

Li Po didn’t respond, just stared at him quietly.

Jin Mu, oblivious to the tension, finally noticed something was wrong. Feeling uneasy, he asked, “Are you… angry?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Li Po remained silent.

“Don’t look at me like that. Just tell me, and I’ll change.” Jin Mu was getting flustered, his face turning red. It was clear he was genuinely anxious.

Seeing his flustered state, Li Po finally spoke, “You believe whatever he says?”

“You know I don’t get along with him.”

Li Po’s voice was calm, not a hint of blame, just stating facts. But to Jin Mu, those words felt like a heavy blow to his chest, making it hard to breathe.

…Had he made the same mistake again?

The first time, he had blindly believed in rumors and self-righteously “taught” Li Po a lesson. And now, despite their closer relationship, he had still chosen to believe Zong Tai first, letting his anger drive him to confront Li Po.

Realizing this, Jin Mu’s heart ached—he had hurt Li Po again.

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t hesitate to apologize this time. “This won’t happen again. No matter what anyone says, I won’t believe them. I’ll only trust you.”

“……”

Li Po was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Jin Mu to apologize. He hadn’t been that bothered by the situation—it was just amusing to him. He’d always thought that Alphas in S District were too proud to apologize, and Jin Mu, with his high-and-mighty attitude, seemed the least likely to do so.

Who would’ve thought the first Alpha to apologize to him would be Jin Mu?

With newfound clarity, Jin Mu quickly and easily admitted his fault, “Back then, it was also my fault. I should’ve apologized sooner, instead of avoiding it for so long. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

Li Po wasn’t sure how to respond, remaining silent for a while before finally saying, “Mm.”

He wasn’t particularly concerned, but he didn’t have the right to forgive on behalf of the original Li Po either. Jin Mu’s apology was unexpected but not surprising—it was what he deserved.

After the apology, Jin Mu seemed oddly uneasy. In his entire life, he had never apologized to anyone before, let alone an Omega who wasn’t as strong as him. But once he said those words, he realized it wasn’t about losing face—it was just a small gesture to make amends for his past mistakes.

Hearing Li Po’s soft “Mm,” Jin Mu felt more at ease. He wanted to say something more but, afraid Li Po wouldn’t want to listen, he closed his mouth and didn’t push further.

Li Po, not particularly focused on Jin Mu, glanced at him briefly before asking, “Have you asked everything you wanted? Can I leave now?”

Jin Mu nodded vigorously. “Of course.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Po turned and walked away without hesitation.

Standing there, Jin Mu was dumbfounded. Wait, he just left? So cold-hearted!

…

After leaving Training Ground 1, Li Po suddenly didn’t know what to do next, so he wandered around aimlessly.

Eventually, he found himself outside Jing Lun’s office—the administrative office of S District.

Unlike the cold, empty Black Tower, the administrative office was always bustling. Though Li Po had only been here twice, he always ran into a lot of Alphas whenever he came.

He hadn’t forgotten the taunts from his last visit, and a layer of disgust crossed his eyes. Just as he was about to leave, an Alpha rushed past, nearly bumping into him.

Li Po sidestepped quickly and glanced at the man. He looked anxious, with dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept well in days. Clutching a communicator tightly, he stumbled as he ran.

The man stopped in front of the administrative office, clearly trying to get inside.

But the two Alphas guarding the door didn’t hesitate to block him, refusing him entry. The man looked desperate, gritting his teeth and swallowing his pride as he shouted, hoping the people inside would hear him:

“Officer, please give me another chance! I don’t want to be expelled from the S District. I want to stay!”

At his words, everyone’s attention turned to him, with various reactions—most of them mocking.

“I know I ranked last in the mission assessment, but it’s all because of those damn pollutants! If I get parasitized by those disgusting things, I’d rather die! Officer, please, give me another chance. This time, I promise I won’t run. I’ll work hard and take on the missions!”

Li Po glanced around, noticing that no one showed any sympathy for him—only sneers and ridicule.

“End-of-the-line elimination isn’t new. What was he doing before? Now he’s begging the officer like this? Has he looked at himself?”

“Exactly. Without a powerful Omega backing him, who does he think he is, coming here to plead?”

“I bet he’ll be sent to the interrogation room for this. Broke the rules. If I were the officer, I’d personally deal with this nuisance.”

“Pathetic. Even an Omega would be less disgraceful!”

And I did absolutely nothing, thought Li Po, wondering why he was dragged into this out of nowhere. “…”