Di Kai had a wide network in Area S. Within three days, almost everyone who knew him had heard that he hadn’t returned from his mission. At the same time, a huge question lingered in many people’s minds.

As a notorious slacker and trickster, what kind of mission could have possibly bested him?

Those who had been on missions with Di Kai knew his character well—he was greedy, feared death, and would fish in troubled waters, always fleeing at the first sign of danger without caring about his teammates. Logically, someone like him should have survived till the end. So how did he suddenly disappear?

Unfortunately, the details of combatants’ missions were classified, and despite their curiosity, people could only secretly gather tidbits of so-called insider information.

—“I heard he betrayed his teammates and got retaliated against.”

—“Well, I heard he was trying to solicit in the lower city area, and just as he was getting undressed, he got scammed. After all, you can find all sorts of people in the lower city area, and they even have weapons to target such individuals.”

—“That sounds way too far-fetched. I heard he was on a mission with that omega, tried to take advantage of them, but turned out the omega had powerful connections and dealt with him straight away.”

—“You’re being ridiculous, everyone knows that omega’s backing isn’t worth squat. Plus, do you think Area S is stupid? To lose an A-level combatant over some trash? Who would believe that?”

…

“Did you do it?” Kuang Feng had been searching for a while and finally found Li Po at Training Ground No. 1. After Li Po finished his training, Kuang Feng stopped him nervously and asked uneasily.

Li Po, fresh from training with sweat on his chin, wiped it off with the back of his hand before looking at Kuang Feng with a half-smile, “What do you think?”

“I…” Kuang Feng momentarily lost his ability to speak. He hesitated as he looked at Li Po leaning against the training pod, torn inside.

After all, he was once Di Kai’s lackey and knew many people around them. Moreover, Di Kai had bragged the moment he received the mission that he would definitely kill that omega, so Kuang Feng knew that one of his mission teammates was Li Po.

He had also been on missions with Li Po and knew that he didn’t kill people. But in this mission, an E-level omega came back while an A-level alpha like Di Kai died… It just didn’t seem like a coincidence.

Kuang Feng’s thoughts were clear on his face, and Li Po saw right through him. Without confirming or denying, he simply smiled faintly, “Do I look like someone who would kill?”

As soon as the words fell, Kuang Feng immediately shook his head, his gaze firm, “Not at all, not in the slightest.”

“There you have it.” Li Po lowered his gaze, wiped the sweat from his palm, and tossed the scrap paper into the bin, “I don’t kill.”

Truly, he wasn’t lying; it was Di Kai who admitted he wasn’t a person.

“…” Kuang Feng’s brows furrowed tighter, seemingly in disbelief. But since Li Po had said so, he couldn’t probe further, only adding, “He didn’t do anything to you, right?”

“No.”

“That’s good.” Kuang Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Having been by Di Kai’s side for so long, he knew exactly what kind of person Di Kai was—greedy, lecherous, and utterly despicable. If it weren’t for the strict control in Area S and his fear of stirring up trouble, he might have turned into a sleazebag long ago.

Thinking of how Di Kai had looked at Li Po, Kuang Feng felt disgusted and angry. He wasn’t here to interrogate Li Po but to ensure he wasn’t implicated because of such a beast.

After all, there were clear rules in Area S against stabbing teammates in the back, and if discovered, expulsion was the least of one’s worries.

As he was lost in his worried thoughts, a warm hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. Kuang Feng stiffened instantly, looking up to meet a reassuring smile, “I’m fine, don’t worry. I’m off.”

Li Po casually patted him, then withdrew his hand and walked past Kuang Feng. The moment he took a step, he casually raised his eyes, glancing at a corner, his face expressionless.

Kuang Feng didn’t expect him to leave so suddenly. He reflexively reached out to grab Li Po, but his actions were a few seconds too slow, grabbing nothing.

The next second, Kuang Feng realized his action might have been offensive to an omega and touched his nose, not holding back anymore, he also left.

As he walked, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. The man was tall and robust, exuding a chilling aura, intimidating enough to send a shiver down his spine. Kuang Feng, fearful, raised his eyes—

Unexpectedly, the man standing before him was someone he had never seen before, a complete stranger.

“…Who are you?” he asked, bewildered.

Jin Mu clenched his jaw tightly, suppressing his rage, and managed to ask, “What’s your relationship with him?”

Kuang Feng instantly understood who “he” referred to. He carefully glanced at the alpha in front of him, suddenly realizing—this was one of Li Po’s unwanted admirers.

Although Li Po was not warm to him, Kuang Feng had long considered Li Po a friend. As a friend, it was his duty to fend off unwanted suitors.

The next second, Kuang Feng smiled, neither confirming nor denying, “Do I need to tell you what my relationship with him is? Regardless, he has nothing to do with you.”

“You…” Jin Mu’s anger surged instantly, though the other side hadn’t confirmed anything, his words made Jin Mu subconsciously feel that this plain-looking alpha and Li Po were that kind of relationship. And just moments ago, Li Po had even reached out and patted this person’s shoulder—

Omega generally detest physical contact, let alone initiating it. Jin Mu had interacted with Li Po many times and had never even touched his hand, but just now, this man had actually tried to grab his hand!

His jealousy erupted, and Jin Mu clenched his fists tightly, wanting desperately to hit someone. But sanity prevailed; he knew he couldn’t start a fight here, or he would be penalized. After a moment’s thought, he lifted his chin, slightly disdainfully, and challenged Kuang Feng, “Dare to have a sparring match at Training Ground No. 2?”

“…” The words landed in his ears like thunder.

He trembled as he raised his head, facing Jin Mu’s muscular physique, feeling somewhat desperate. The opponent’s mental strength was clearly higher than his, and even disregarding mental strength, just based on physical fitness, he only had the chance to be pressed into the ground and rubbed across it, what was he to do?

Moreover, he had absolutely no interest in Li Po, nor dared to entertain any such thoughts. He was well aware of his own limits—Li Po was so beautiful, with a great personality and a powerful background, did he match up?

He did not!

But the man in front of him clearly had a keen interest in Li Po. If he refused him, Li Po would surely be pursued relentlessly by him. Thinking this, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

*

Training Ground No. 2.

As expected, Kuang Feng was thoroughly defeated, utterly powerless to resist.

The opponent’s fists were like boulders, crushing down on him until he could hardly breathe. He struggled to dodge, tears streaming down his face as he did.

If he had known this would happen, he would have just denied everything right away. The man in front of him was even more ruthless than Di Kai!

Jin Mu was indeed extremely angry, looking for a legitimate reason to vent his rage, he intentionally chose this place, knowing that combatants here could spar and train with each other.

Initially, he hadn’t held back at all, landing solid punches, with the other side trying to fight back. But as the fight continued, the resistance from the other side grew weaker and weaker, eventually becoming almost one-sided.

Jin Mu initially scoffed at such a weak alpha, unworthy of Li Po, unable to protect him. But as he fought, he suddenly realized something, a shock running through his heart—

What if Li Po got mad?

If he really liked this alpha, and now that he had beaten him, would Li Po resent him even more and ignore him? Realizing this, Jin Mu abruptly stopped his hands.

He stood still, suddenly somewhat lost. The hostility around him disappeared, and his eyes were filled with a clear-headed regret after the anger receded.

The punches landing on him suddenly stopped, and Kuang Feng slowly lowered his arms, looking at Jin Mu warily, “…Not fighting anymore?”

Jin Mu glanced at him irritably, and for some reason, he saw triumph and provocation in the other’s eyes. Seeing this, he grew even more irritable, harshly dropping a line, “No more fighting!”

After saying that, he ended the fight and walked off the stage, his face full of irritation.

“…” Kuang Feng watched his retreating figure, looking innocent.

Below the stage, a crowd had gathered, speculating about what had happened between the two, as it had been a long time since they had seen combatants sparring like this.

Suddenly, someone spoke up mysteriously, “Seems like it was over jealousy.”

The people nearby perked up their ears, curiously asking, “Jealous over whom, and whose jealousy?”

The person smiled meaningfully, “Who else could it be?”

Word spread quickly, and within minutes, nearly everyone at Training Ground No. 2 knew that two alphas had fought brutally over an omega who had connections in Area S. Someone even retrieved the video of their fight and shared it via communicators.

People are naturally gossipy, and the video quickly spread throughout a good portion of Area S, even reaching Bian Lu.

He enjoyed watching the drama unfold and even requested the video out of curiosity.

Tsk, how interesting.

Suddenly, he thought of something. Jiang Yu had recently managed to get him off the blacklist, and he could still message him. So, why not let him see this too?

He acted swiftly, sending the video along with a message:

[Didn’t expect Li Po to be so charming, causing two alphas to fight over him, quite impressive. But these alphas really know how to play, turning the training ground into what, tsk tsk tsk.]

After sending it, he put down the communicator, satisfied, and prepared for the next surgery.

*

Black Tower.

Li Po leaned on the table, gazing somberly at Jiang Yu, “Commander, you said we’d go on a mission together, it’s been a week now, and you haven’t looked for me.”

Jiang Yu didn’t respond, merely lowering his eyes indifferently, staring blankly at the light screen in front of him.

Li Po, feeling ignored, was very angry. He leaned forward, glancing at the light screen.

Just one look, and he stiffened instantly.