Li Po sat alone in the empty starship, his face showing no surprise. The estrangement from Jiang Yu was within his expectations, as he had personally shattered their previously harmonious relationship. Though regrettable, Li Po felt no remorse.

However, he was still somewhat annoyed.

Annoyance aside, after disembarking the starship, he temporarily set these feelings aside. At the moment, what concerned him most was another issue—the manipulation behind the contaminants in the arena.

Could it be related to the Wu Sha Hui? If so, why would they create the contaminants themselves? Jin Mu had told him that the Wu Sha Hui aimed to study the genetic chains of the pollutants to harness their formidable abilities for some purpose. But their goal was supposed to be research, not creation.

Previously, Li Po speculated that the recent proliferation of contaminants at human bases was due to Wu Sha Hui conducting large-scale biochemical experiments, leading to genetic mutations in organisms and leaks of pollutant samples. However, this incident at the arena completely overturned his understanding—perhaps, one of the rampant sources of contaminants was human control.

Thinking this, Li Po’s expression suddenly turned grim. He had considered that the organization behind the arena might not be Wu Sha Hui, but the only clue he had suggested that no other organization had the capability and audacity, let alone the technological means to sustain such ambitions.

Moreover, Diao Zhuang had explicitly told him that the person who gave him the injection was a “VIP”—implying that the manipulator was either rich or noble, most likely from the Upper District.

It made sense. Ninety percent of the resources at the human base were concentrated in the Upper District. If Wu Sha Hui were to conduct experiments on the contaminants, having just people was not enough. Money, power, and materials were all indispensable.

Suddenly, Li Po felt the irony. Human desires are indeed endless; even in material abundance, people greedily seek other things—like immortality.

Li Po lowered his gaze, hiding the emotions in his eyes. He knew too little at the moment; everything was still speculative, and he needed to take the initiative as soon as possible.

If he wanted to find a breakthrough, Jiang Yu was undoubtedly the best solution. But just the thought of that kiss made Li Po frustrated.

Admittedly, the taste of the kiss wasn’t bad, but who wants to kiss a block of ice! He was so proactive, and yet the other party wouldn’t even open their mouth, making it seem like he was desperately thirsty…

Suddenly, Li Po began to doubt the authenticity of Bian Lu’s psychic power test report. If the compatibility was really 100%, how could Jiang Yu reject him so outright? It seemed more like 1% than 100%.

After scoffing to himself, Li Po composed his face and headed to the dormitory.

He had just napped briefly on the starship, and though the sleep was short, his drowsiness had mostly dissipated. Back at the dormitory, he chose not to sleep further but instead drank a packet of nutrient solution.

Cold, just like Jiang Yu’s body temperature.

After finishing, Li Po crumpled the packet and threw it into the trash. He took out his communicator, activated the light screen, and saw several messages.

Jin Mu: “You haven’t replied to me in days. Did you not see them, or do you not want to reply? Sorry, I was impulsive before. If you need, I can apologize in person.”

Li Po glanced at the message indifferently and chose not to reply.

Lan Deng: “I just returned from a mission in the Upper District, and I’ve brought you some candy. When are you free? Give me a time, and I’ll bring it to you. Of course, it’d be even better if we could meet for a meal.”

Lan Deng had sent another message, but by the time Li Po saw it, he had already retracted it.

Li Po wasn’t interested in Lan Deng’s candy, but his attention was caught by the mention of the “Upper District.” If he could get something out of Lan Deng…

With that thought, he didn’t hesitate and replied: “Sure, I’m free. You set the place.”

The reply came instantly: “Really? That’s great. How about we meet at the cafeteria tomorrow noon?”

Li Po: “Mm.”

At the bottom of the list was another message that surprised Li Po—it was from Bian Lu.

Bian Lu: “Are you free recently? White Tower is a bit busy. If you’re free, could you help out?”

Li Po: “How about tomorrow? I just got back from a mission with the chief.”

After replying, Li Po expected a delayed response from Bian Lu, considering how busy White Tower was, but unexpectedly, he replied immediately: “Okay, come tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, you can help me deliver something.”

Li Po: “Okay.”

•

The next morning, at the White Tower.

Facing Bian Lu’s meaningful gaze, Li Po’s expression was complex. He took the paper box Bian Lu handed to him and glanced at the text on it—still filled with jargon he couldn’t understand, yet it felt eerily familiar.

A bad premonition surged, and the next second, it came true:

“Pick a time to send this to Jiang Yu for me. He’s busy, I’m busy, so I’m counting on you.”

“Wait…” Li Po opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Bian Lu didn’t give him a chance. Glancing at his communicator, he added, “Are you free this afternoon? The sooner, the better. Jiang Yu needs to go to Area S tomorrow, and it might be too late otherwise.”

“…”

Words of refusal were swallowed back, and Li Po fell silent for a moment before agreeing: “Okay, I’ll deliver it this afternoon.”

Bian Lu finally nodded in satisfaction. He took out his communicator and messaged Jiang Yu: “I’ll send you the medication this afternoon.”

The reply was extremely brief: “Mm.”

•

The next day at noon, in the cafeteria of Area S.

To avoid causing trouble for Li Po, Lan Deng had deliberately chosen a corner of the cafeteria. With walls on three sides, the spot was extremely secluded, invisible to most unless someone specifically walked that way.

Had it been before, Lan Deng wouldn’t have thought so much. But ever since the video of Kuang Feng and Jin Mu fighting leaked, the rumors about Li Po in Area S had increased. Lan Deng saw it all and felt irritated. Although he outwardly didn’t care, he was somewhat annoyed deep down.

At his most impulsive, he had even sent a message to Li Po, though he retracted it the next instant. The other party probably hadn’t seen it.

Li Po arrived on time, finding Lan Deng in a very secluded spot.

That head of blond hair was very conspicuous, and Li Po spotted him instantly. Lan Deng had also noticed Li Po the moment he arrived, his blue eyes brightening as he waved, “Over here!”

The cafeteria tables in Area S were spacious. The two sat opposite each other, maintaining a polite social distance. It had been a while since their last mission together, and upon seeing Li Po now, Lan Deng suddenly felt that something about him had changed.

What exactly it was, he couldn’t say, but he felt this change suited Li Po better, as if this was more his true self.

“Aren’t you going to eat something?” Lan Deng asked, snapping back to reality.

Li Po shook his head gently. He wasn’t here to eat, nor did he have any intention of dining with Alpha. He just wanted to find a way to make Lan Deng lower his guard, to better probe for information.

At those words, Lan Deng’s spirits deflated. He couldn’t urge any further and simply pulled out a pack of candy from his pocket to offer to Li Po.

The packaging of the candy was very refined, clearly expensive, unlike the crudely packaged industrial sugar-tasting candy bought in the black market before.

Li Po stared at the candy, squinting slightly in uncertainty. He suddenly felt he shouldn’t accept it.

Lan Deng seemed to realize something too, quickly adding, “Don’t worry, it’s not expensive. Candy from the Upper District is all like this. I just bought a handful casually, not even sure if it’s good. If it doesn’t suit your taste, just throw it away. It didn’t cost many star coins.”

Li Po glanced at Lan Deng subtly, withdrawing his gaze quickly. Finally, he smiled broadly and accepted the candy, “Okay, thanks for buying it for me. I’ll pay you back when I have the money.”

At those words, Lan Deng’s expression darkened suddenly. His eyes fixed steadily on Li Po, yet all he saw on his face was composure—as if he had always seen this merely as a friendly favor, devoid of any undue emotions.

In that moment, Lan Deng felt that Li Po was actually quite elusive. On the surface, he was well-behaved and pretty, with a seemingly simple character, appearing easy to deceive. But in reality, that was not the case.

Both Jin Mu and he were relegated to the category of “friends” by Li Po, who never gave them a chance to get closer.

To put it bluntly, Lan Deng wasn’t even sure if Li Po really considered him a friend. His attitude had always been aloof, yet his smile gave a very close impression.

Harmonious yet disjointed, intimate yet distant, Lan Deng considered himself more sensitive than most Alphas, but at this moment, he suddenly found it difficult to read the Omega sitting across from him.

As his thoughts churned, Lan Deng’s expression finally relaxed. He feigned ease and smiled, “Alright, we’ll wait until you have the money.”

Li Po: “…”

Thank you, that sounds really grating.

Suddenly, Li Po noticed Lan Deng’s left hand movement was a bit stiff. He lowered his gaze and stared for a while before finally speaking, “What’s wrong with your hand?”

Lan Deng’s expression froze, then he awkwardly covered it, “It’s nothing, doesn’t bother me.”

“Is it injured? Because of the mission in the Upper District?”