Chen Bingfeng: “You are destined to walk this path. No one can change it— Ah!”

Before he could finish, he suddenly received a heavy blow to the head.

“No one can change it?” Chi Yao sneered, kicking him as if trying to kill him. “Don’t take yourself too seriously.”

Chen Bingfeng’s face was covered in blood. Violent coughing left him weak all over, with no strength to dodge.

Watching from the side, Jing Xi knew from the force of Chi Yao’s blows that he was already mad with anger.

“Yao Yao!”

Jing Xi wrapped his arm around him and pulled him back. “Ask clearly first.”

Chi Yao revealed a sarcastic expression. “You heard him, right? He said it’s destiny.”

Who was born to be taken into a research lab? To undergo modification, suffer inhuman torture, and regardless of failure or success, end up as a monster neither human nor beast?

Meeting Chi Yao’s gaze, Jing Xi felt as if a hand was squeezing his heart, a dull, dense pain spreading to his fingertips.

“He’s lying to you.” Jing Xi comforted him in a low voice. “Don’t be influenced by him.”

“Lying? Cough cough cough— Heh, what reason do I have to lie to him?”

Chen Bingfeng struggled to sit up, blood sliding down from his forehead. A pair of half-beast, half-human eyes looked at Chi Yao. “Others might just be unlucky, but you are different. You were born for the purpose of modification.”

Born for the purpose of modification…

Even knowing he shouldn’t listen, this sentence played on an infinite loop in Chi Yao’s mind.

His hands hanging by his sides clenched tight, and his pheromones were suddenly released.

The scent of strong liquor permeated the air, carrying a faint fragrance of bamboo leaves.

In the blink of an eye, Chi Yao’s pupils turned into beast pupils.

Smelling this familiar yet strange scent, Jing Xi was shaken. Suddenly, Chen Bingfeng’s scream rang in his ears.

“Aaaaaah—! Hahahaha— Chi Yao! You are nothing more than this!”

The Alpha pheromones were like steel needles, drilling into every pore, attacking frantically. Chen Bingfeng rolled on the ground in pain, and soon blood flowed from his eyes and ears.

If this continued, Chen Bingfeng would die.

Jing Xi hugged Chi Yao, his eyes full of heartache. “Enough.”

Violent emotional fluctuations and pheromones could both lead to beastification.

Jing Xi didn’t know if every beastification caused damage to the body, but clearly, Chi Yao didn’t like himself in his beast form.

Chi Yao used his utmost restraint not to kill Chen Bingfeng.

If he stayed here any longer, he didn’t know what he would do.

“I’m going out to cool down.”

Chi Yao’s voice was very low. He pushed Jing Xi away, turned, and left.

Jing Xi watched the door open and close in front of him, then turned his gaze to Chen Bingfeng.

“Do you think attacking Chi Yao and provoking our relationship gives you a chance to turn the tables?”

With the source of the pheromones gone, Chen Bingfeng collapsed on the ground, his face contorted in pain.

“No matter what, I’m better than you.” He looked at Jing Xi and sneered. “At least I didn’t use him to pad my own resume.”

Jing Xi: “Do you think everyone worships power like you do?”

Chen Bingfeng: “Are you saying you don’t?”

Jing Xi stood outside the cage, his expression indifferent. “To stand out from many outstanding peers, you didn’t hesitate to undergo modification, turning yourself into something neither human nor ghost, yet your achievements weren’t top-tier either.”

The smug smile froze on Chen Bingfeng’s lips, his face changing suddenly.

“I accepted modification for the Empire!”

Jing Xi was only probing, but seeing such a vehement reaction, he continued, “Lieutenant General Lu, who was in the same batch as you, is the Deputy Director of the Military Affairs Department. Admiral Zou’s rank is one level higher than yours.”

Reaching this point, he observed Chen Bingfeng’s expression and said calmly, “If Major General Bo hadn’t had that accident back then, he might already be sitting in the Commander-in-Chief’s position—”

“Shut up!”

Chen Bingfeng’s disguise was completely torn off, and he roared in anger, “How could that short-lived ghost possibly become Commander-in-Chief?!”

Jing Xi’s eyes darkened.

“No matter how you slander him, he was stronger than you. That is a fact.”

“If he hadn’t died, I would have surpassed him long ago!” Chen Bingfeng was breathless with rage.

This reaction was different from what was expected.

Jing Xi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chen Bingfeng didn’t seem to wish for Bo Jin to die early. Could it be that the incident back then was truly just an accident?

Thinking of Chi Yao, Jing Xi turned to leave after asking what he wanted to ask.

“Jing Xi!”

Chen Bingfeng called out from behind him. “For the sake of you once being my subordinate, I advise you: stop now. Otherwise, the consequences aren’t something you can bear.”

Jing Xi tilted his head, his voice cold.

“For the sake of you being my former superior, I also advise you: leniency to those who confess. Everything that cannot see the light will one day surface.”

Walking out of the confinement room, Chi Yao was nowhere to be seen.

Jing Xi thought for a moment and sent a message to Jing Rong.

[Grandpa, how much do you know about Major General Bo Jin?]

He intended to go comfort Chi Yao, but halfway there, he ran into Yan Kai looking for him, and once busy, he couldn’t stop.

“Pretty brother, want some marrow bone?”

Tie Xiong hopped onto the command seat holding a marrow bone, his mouth stuffed full and oily.

What a carefree cub.

Jing Xi patted his head. “Do you envy other kids?”

Tie Xiong was puzzled. “Envy what?”

Jing Xi: “They have par—”

Seeing Tie Xiong’s innocent eyes, Jing Xi paused and rephrased, “They live a different life from you. Do you envy them?”

Tie Xiong didn’t understand where the difference lay, but he firmly refused to admit he didn’t understand.

“I’m a star pirate of Extreme Shadow, the only baby in the group! Why would I envy those weaklings?” Tie Xiong huffed. “Brother Li said many people want to join our group; they must be dying of envy for me!”

Jing Xi shook his head and laughed.

Both were modified from a young age, but Chi Yao and Tie Xiong’s situations were vastly different.

Chi Yao changed from human to “beastman,” while Tie Xiong was a “beastman” from birth.

Chi Yao had experienced familial love and knew what a normal childhood was, whereas Tie Xiong never had it from the start, so he couldn’t feel the pain of loss.

Chi Yao struggled to survive in an illegal research base among death row prisoners, while Tie Xiong grew up pampered in Extreme Shadow.

Tie Xiong climbed onto the seat, sitting side by side with him.

Looking at the surveillance monitors in front, the view was particularly wide.

“There are so many screens here!” Tie Xiong swung his short legs, looking excitedly at Jing Xi. “Sitting here, it feels like I can see everything!”

The corners of Jing Xi’s lips lifted slightly. “You like sitting here?”

Tie Xiong nodded vigorously. “When I grow up, I want to command battles like you. It’s so cool.”

Jing Xi was somewhat surprised. “You don’t want to be the boss of Extreme Shadow?”

Tie Xiong looked up at him, a bit aggrieved. “Look how amazing Boss is; he’ll definitely live for a long time. I meow won’t be able to wait that long.”

Jing Xi: “…”

“Can you teach me?”

Tie Xiong offered the marrow bone in his hand, his eagerness to please very obvious. “This piece of meat is the tastiest; I’ll give it to you.”

Jing Xi patted his head and chuckled lightly. “When you can score 100 on your math test, I might consider taking you as an apprentice.”

Tie Xiong’s eyes lit up, and he actively bumped his fist against Jing Xi’s hand. “This is a promise between men!”

Jing Xi: “…Mn.”

Just after Tie Xiong left, Jin Ze’s communication window popped up on the surveillance console.

He was at a certain evacuation point.

“Boss, all evacuation points have been checked. All suspicious personnel are detained on Warship No. 3.”

There were more failed subjects on the Southern Continent than they expected. Some didn’t even know they had been modified.

To avoid casualties, he had strengthened the guards at all evacuation points as soon as this was discovered.

At the same time, Extreme Shadow‘s minions were borrowed and distributed to various squads to inspect the populace in all areas.

Jing Xi: “Leave half the personnel for a second re-check. The rest will assist the main force in cleaning up the battlefield.”

Jin Ze: “Yes!”

Finally, when the matters at hand came to a temporary pause, Jing Xi stopped Yan Kai who came to report.

“Is Master Jin in the kitchen on duty?”

Yan Kai quickly checked the roster.

“He had the morning shift today and is off for the afternoon. I’ll notify him right now—”

“No need.”

Jing Xi stood up and walked down from the command seat. “I’m going to the rest cabin. Report immediately if anything happens.”

Yan Kai: “Yes!”

Seeing his boss walk out of the main cabin towards the kitchen, Yan Kai was bewildered.

Master Jin was the Flying Dragon’s ace pastry chef. The boss preferred savory food and rarely touched sweets. What was going on today?

---

Back in the rest cabin, as soon as he opened the door, Jing Xi smelled a strong scent of alcohol.

Not pheromones, but real alcohol.

He scanned the room and found Chi Yao drinking in the corner of the living room.

“Where did you dig this up?”

Jing Xi went over, snatched the wine bottle from his hand, set it aside, and sat on the floor next to him.

Alcohol was prohibited in the legion during wartime; for safety, it wasn’t even used in cooking.

“Chun Qin gave it to me.” Chi Yao turned his head to look. “She said it’s non-alcoholic wine.”

With such a strong smell of alcohol, Jing Xi didn’t believe it.

He leaned in front of Chi Yao and said with a straight face, “Breathe out, let me smell.”

Chi Yao dodged back. “I have bad breath.”

Jing Xi chased after him to smell. “I just like your bad smell.”

Chi Yao endured and endured, but finally broke character and laughed.

“You kid have such heavy tastes?”

Jing Xi propped his hands by his sides and leaned forward. “Will you let me smell or not?”

“No.”

Chi Yao kissed the corner of his lips and whispered, “But I can let you taste.”

Jing Xi’s eyes flickered, and he obediently opened his mouth.

He had clearly come to comfort Chi Yao, but ended up drowning in his gentleness.

Only when their breathing became heavy did the two separate slightly.

Chi Yao wiped the corner of his wet mouth and smiled. “Have I improved?”

Jing Xi: “Didn’t taste it clearly. Do it again.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Although he didn’t say it often, Chi Yao was a bit nervous every time they kissed.

After all, he was different from normal people. If it affected Jing Xi’s health—

Chi Yao: “Have you had a physical exam recently?”

“No.” Jing Xi asked knowingly, “What’s wrong?”

Chi Yao rested his hand on his shoulder and said seriously, “Your susceptibility period is delayed this time. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

Jing Xi: “Even if I were, it wouldn’t be yours.”

Chi Yao: “…”

So ruthless.

Jing Xi reached out to grab the bag on the sofa and took out a box from inside.

“Made by Master Jin, the number one cream cake in Flying Dragon’s dessert ranking.”

Inside the box was a small cream cake with a circle of strawberries stuck on it. It was lopsided and unusually ugly.

“Master Jin made this?” Chi Yao raised an eyebrow. “He hasn’t been fired yet?”

Jing Xi kept a straight face. “Every year, many new recruits sign up for Flying Dragon just to eat his desserts. Really.”

Chi Yao dipped his fingertip in a bit of cream and put it in his mouth.

Sweet and fragrant, much like Jing Xi.

“Is it good?” Jing Xi asked nervously.

Chi Yao dipped a bit more and brought it to his lips.

“Didn’t you taste it when you made it?”

Jing Xi: “…”

Why was he discovered?

The tip of his tongue licked the cream off Chi Yao’s finger. He looked up: “A bit sweet?”

He looked cold and aloof, but his eyes were fatally seductive.

Chi Yao’s throat felt dry. He changed the subject: “How long did it take to make this?”

Jing Xi: “The materials were ready-made; I just did the styling.”

Chi Yao picked up a strawberry and took a bite.

“Using this to comfort me? Still think I’m five?”

Jing Xi silently took a children’s book out of the bag.

“What if I add this?”

Chi Yao’s expression changed. He reached out and took it. “Didn’t this go out of business and stop publication?”

Seeing him pretending to be calm but unable to hide his excitement, Jing Xi silently added in his heart—Indeed only five years old; adding one year would be too much.

“Capital came in two months ago. This is the first issue of the new publication.”

He had planned to use it as bait to lure Chi Yao on board, but ended up using it early.

But Jing Xi didn’t plan to tell him that sentence.

Capital came in?

Chi Yao flipped through the colorful illustrations inside and asked casually, “Did you invest?”

Jing Xi: “…”

Why was it so easy to be discovered?

Chi Yao shook his head and smiled. “Prodigal son.”

Jing Xi: “Then do you like it? If not, I’ll withdraw the capital.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Reading the book, eating cake, and having a beautiful wife by his side to relieve boredom, Chi Yao felt much more comfortable.

In the confinement room, Chen Bingfeng’s words had indeed hit his sore spot, but thinking back on it, there was nothing to be angry about.

Even if what the other party said was all true, so what?

The past was already in the past; nothing would change.

Thinking of these things, the smile on Chi Yao’s lips faded.

“Why didn’t they register me for household registration?” His voice was very low. “For them, this shouldn’t have been that difficult, right?”

For any citizen of the Empire, household registration could be settled within three days of a child’s birth.

Jing Xi held his hand, interlocking their fingers.

“I don’t know much about the past. If you want to know, I’ll help you investigate.”

Chi Yao opened his mouth, then scoffed after a long while. “Forget it. Maybe they weren’t my parents at all.”

“I heard from Grandpa that Major General Bo and his partner had a very good relationship. They only had one child.”

Jing Xi felt the hand holding his tighten. He said softly, “If we had a child, I definitely wouldn’t bear for him to suffer the slightest harm, let alone send him for illegal research.”

Chi Yao ran a hand through his hair, remained silent for a long time, then scoffed. “People are gone; what’s the use of saying all this?”

Jing Xi wanted to say that Major General Bo must have loved his child, but the words stuck in his throat.

He didn’t know the full picture. Rashly comforting would only increase Chi Yao’s psychological pressure, a form of moral kidnapping.

Chi Yao raised his hand, kissed the back of Jing Xi’s hand, and raised the corners of his lips. “Having you is enough for me.”

The terminal suddenly rang. Chi Yao let Little Black connect it.

Fang Liang’s face appeared on the screen.

“Ghosts attacked us. Captured some, a few escaped, pursuing now.”

Chi Yao’s face was cold. “Where’s the stuff?”

Fang Liang: “Wasn’t snatched away.”

The three villages identified last time had been turned upside down in the past few days.

But apart from some used medical equipment, no valuable clues were found.

The research base here might have been emptied, or perhaps there was no research base at all, only some recorders left here to observe the humanoid beast test subjects.

Hanging up the call, Chi Yao looked at Jing Xi. “How is the battlefield cleanup going?”

Jing Xi understood. “Give me two days at most.”

Chi Yao: “Mn.”

“However, the matter regarding the failed subjects is tricky.”

Jing Xi cleaned up the half-eaten cake and put it on the table. “If necessary, I want the entire populace of the Southern Continent to undergo a physical test.”

The Ghosts had been active here for too long.

Decades were enough to change the genes of a generation or even two.

If a person had participated in the hunting game and was selected, the organization injected them with some modification agent or performed some modification surgery without their consent, and it ultimately failed.

For some reason, they were not taken away by the organization but returned to the village to marry and have children. Then their children would inevitably have problems too.

Chi Yao nodded. “I suggest you apply for an extension of the area lockdown.”

During wartime, all external traffic was closed, and only a notice from the military could lift the seal.

Jing Xi: “Already submitted. It should be approved in the next couple of days.”

“And the garrison here.” Chi Yao scoffed, leaning back lazily. “Garrisons in star systems managed by Li Bo and Chen Bingfeng can’t be kept.”

Jing Xi shook his head. “Not just the garrison.”

So many failed subjects mixed in the crowd without being discovered until now could only mean one thing: in this region, from the local government down to the sub-district offices, the entire government system had been contaminated.

“A major purge won’t be that easy.” Chi Yao said sarcastically. “With the efficiency of the military and government, by the time it’s implemented, mushrooms will be growing on people’s ashes.”

Jing Xi didn’t refute. “Once Pei gains a firm foothold, there will be the next move.”

From Pei Zhengyue’s personal standpoint, he needed to demonstrate capability to the royal family.

From the Empire’s perspective, if this organization wasn’t uprooted, it would sooner or later completely infiltrate the Empire’s roots and disintegrate the entire country.

“Old Man Pei really took on a thorny job.” Chi Yao smiled. “Rushing to take such high-risk, high-intensity work—is he a masochist or what?”

Jing Xi: “Sometimes it’s not that one really wants to do it, but that one can’t let others do it.”

Jing Xi didn’t have much rest time, only two hours.

With half an hour left, there was a knock on the rest cabin door.

[Little Red: It’s Yan Kai.]

Jing Xi: “Let him in.”

The door opened, and Yan Kai entered with a flustered expression.

“Boss, the system detected a group of Beast Kings moving this way. We don’t know if they’re launching the next beast tide!”

Chi Yao vaguely sensed something and walked to the main cabin with Jing Xi.

On the surveillance screen, the Snake King marked by the bullet and several other Beast Kings had moved to ten kilometers away.

“I’ll go take a look.”

Chi Yao left a sentence and flew out in a hover car.

Yan Kai glanced at the door and asked cautiously, “Boss, is it okay to let Mr. Chi go alone?”

Jing Xi: “He can handle it.”

Yan Kai didn’t know where the boss got his confidence.

No matter how powerful Chi Yao was, he was just a person. Two fists were no match for four hands; those Beast Kings could tear a person to shreds with one claw.

Jing Xi turned and walked to the command seat. “Any new confessions from the Ghosts?”

Yan Kai hurriedly sent over the compiled data.

“Most people are still silent. Interrogating the Masks is even harder. Should we take off their masks first?”

Jing Xi shook his head. “Taking them off directly will kill them.”

Yan Kai was startled. “Then how do we take them off?”

Jing Xi: “Only Chi Yao knows. If others touch them carelessly, they might get poisoned.”

Yan Kai’s eyes widened, and he unconsciously wiped his hands on his pants.

He didn’t know if the toxin was airborne.

Jing Xi: “Compare personal information first. If they are death row prisoners who have been assigned to prisons, compile the prison information as well.”

Yan Kai: “Yes!”

---

Outside, the closer Chi Yao got to the Beast Kings, the clearer the voices transmitted by sound waves became.

“Heard we’re skinning someone today?”

“Didn’t say today, did it? What’s the fun in skinning? I want to stomp him into meat paste.”

“Give me the innards to eat, my favorite!”

“Haven’t you guys considered that the kid might have already run away?”

Listening to the Beast Kings chatting, Chi Yao: “…”

So, they just came over to gossip?

Information officers from various Flying Dragon departments urgently reported to their superiors upon detecting personnel approaching the Beast Kings at the front line.

Lu Meng sat down, shoveling rice into his mouth, and zoomed in on the screen again and again.

Seeing the model of the hover car, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Only Chi Yao is stubborn enough to dare drive this kind of light hover car on the battlefield. It’s definitely him.”

At this time, most people were eating dinner. Hearing that Chi Yao ran to the front line alone, they all gathered to watch the surveillance.

“Is he too confident?”

“Did the boss give any instructions?”

“Big Lu, let’s send some people over. What if something happens?”

“Our 17th Squad is closest, only three kilometers away. We can rush over!”

Lu Meng stuffed a mouthful of braised pork and waved his big hand.

“What’s the panic? It’s not like he’s one of ours.”

The soldiers looked over simultaneously.

“But his dog is one of ours!”

Lu Meng: “…”

Still thinking about that?

Moments later, all departments watched as Chi Yao stopped in front of the Beast Kings. The two sides had a friendly meeting, and nothing happened.

All soldiers: “???”

Extreme Shadow‘s minions gathered in a corner of the cafeteria to eat. Seeing the Flying Dragon soldiers making a fuss over the magnified surveillance footage, they expressed great calmness.

“Just those few? Not enough to stick in Boss’s teeth.”

“They don’t have anything good on them; Boss probably can’t be bothered to make a move.”

“Not necessarily. That Tiger King is sleek and shiny; its fur could make a blanket.”

Flying Dragon soldiers sitting near them: “???”

A large group of Beast Kings not enough to stick in his teeth?

Are you guys awake?!

---

At the front line, Chi Yao maximized the photo of Chen Bingfeng locked in the cage and showed it to the Beast Kings.

A group of Beast Kings huddled together, taking turns peeking with two eyes.

“Is there a bigger one?”

“Need a clearer one!”

“Can’t see clearly.”

Chi Yao leaned against the hover car with hands in his pockets, chuckling lightly. “There is, but I can’t let you see for free—”