After seeing the coating on Yan Qing’s hands, Li Xiao couldn’t focus on a single word for the rest of the class. His mind kept racing, piecing together every bit of intel he had on Yan Qing.

Lately, his judgment had been repeatedly failing him. Why had he let a preconceived notion convince him that Yan Qing wasn’t an enemy?

“Hey, Li Xiao?” Song Jin nudged him, but got no response.

For the entire class, Li Xiao just stared at Yan Qing in dead silence. Song Jin twirled his pen, growing increasingly irritated. From the moment they met until now, he had never seen Li Xiao look so demoralized.

The fact that Yan Qing could affect Li Xiao’s emotions this much made Song Jin incredibly uncomfortable. Was it really true that old men were just more attractive to other old men?

After class ended, Song Jin and Li Xiao waited for the students asking questions to disperse before walking up to Yan Qing.

“Do you two have questions as well?” Yan Qing packed up his lesson plans and walked out with them, smiling warmly. “You were both so quiet during the Q&A session, I thought you understood everything.”

Song Jin replied, “Because the question I want to ask isn’t really appropriate for class.”

Li Xiao glanced at Song Jin but said nothing.

Curious, Yan Qing asked, “What question?”

Song Jin deliberately took Li Xiao’s hand and chuckled. “Is Professor Yan married?”

Yan Qing looked surprised. “I didn’t realize you were such a gossip.”

“Of course I’m curious,” Song Jin said. “An omega as outstanding as you, Professor, must have plenty of suitors, right?”

“Not yet. Finding a suitable partner isn’t that easy.” Yan Qing reached out, brushing his hand under Song Jin’s chin, a charming smile gracing his lips. “Speaking of which, you actually fit my criteria perfectly—you’re just a bit too young.”

Song Jin: “…”

Fuck. What kind of move was that? He had intended to show off his dominance to a romantic rival, but ended up getting flirted with instead?

Li Xiao had been trying to figure out how to fish for information, but before he knew it, his “little lion” had been touched. Instinctively, he pulled Song Jin toward himself by the waist, throwing a warning glare at Yan Qing. “He is already my partner, Professor Yan.”

Stared down by Li Xiao, Yan Qing felt for a split second as if a beast king were locking eyes with him. He hurriedly pulled his hand back and laughed apologetically. “Just a joke.”

“I don’t appreciate that kind of joke,” Li Xiao said coldly.

“My apologies, my apologies.” Yan Qing waved at them with a smile. “Then I won’t disturb you two any longer.” With that, he turned and left.

Once Yan Qing was far enough away, Li Xiao turned and wiped Song Jin’s chin. “Where else did he touch you?”

Song Jin leaned in and actively rubbed his face against Li Xiao’s cuff, glancing at Yan Qing’s retreating figure. “He slipped away using that interruption. What a sly old fox.”

Li Xiao said, “Stay away from him from now on.”

Song Jin hummed unhappily, his tone lukewarm. “And who was the one losing his mind over him earlier?”

Li Xiao couldn’t deny it, though his distraction had absolutely nothing to do with what Song Jin was thinking.

_

After having dinner and returning to the dorm, Li Xiao confirmed the surveillance situation with 09.

Now that the coating had appeared, Yan Qing was highly likely to be Ferryman G2. Keeping close tabs on him was absolutely necessary. Li Xiao originally wanted 09 to physically tail Yan Qing, but Song Jin objected. In the end, they compromised: 09 would use the school’s security system as a medium to conduct 24-hour surveillance on him.

09 transformed into a small metal ball and nuzzled against the energy stone on the table. “Energy is fully charged, no problem at all!”

Li Xiao ordered, “Play all surveillance footage from the target location over the past week.”

“Roger that!” 09 replied.

Soon, the small living room was overrun by layers upon layers of virtual screens. Li Xiao called Jiang Hao and the other two over to help them filter through the footage, looking for targets resembling the blood boxes.

The five of them split up the work, but by eight or nine in the evening, they were still completely at a loss.

“If even 07 and 09 can’t recognize it, it’s even harder for us to spot with the naked eye.” Qian Can slumped back into the sofa and rubbed his eyes, thoroughly exhausted.

Qin Le asked, “Could the search radius be too small?”

Li Xiao shook his head. “We’ve already expanded it by one perimeter.”

If the blood hadn’t even arrived at the target destination yet, but Yan Qing already had the coating on his hands, could it really be just a coincidence? Li Xiao asked Song Jin, “Is that kind of coating easy to obtain?”

“The formula for the coating isn’t classified, but different ratios yield different visual effects.” Song Jin leaned against the side of the sofa with his legs curled up. “The one on Yan Qing’s hand is from the exact bottle I sprayed.”

Saying this, Song Jin tilted his head to look at Li Xiao. “Do you still believe he’s a good guy?”

Li Xiao was deep in thought and failed to answer immediately. In Song Jin’s eyes, this silence was as good as an admission. Angered, he stood up to leave.

Li Xiao pulled him back. “Where are you going?”

Song Jin broke free, his face freezing cold. “To beat that old man up.”

Li Xiao was puzzled. “For no rhyme or reason? Why do you want to hit him?”

Song Jin sneered. “I’m exactly the kind of person who beats people up for no rhyme or reason. Didn’t you know that?”

“Stop messing around.” Li Xiao rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling rather anxious and frustrated.

Song Jin’s temper flared even higher. He turned squarely toward the door.

“Song Jin!” Li Xiao called out to stop him. “He is our only lead right now.”

“So what?!” Song Jin turned around, his voice sharp with anger. “He’s completely stolen your attention! Letting a guy like that flutter around right in front of you—I’m already being polite by not killing him!”

The buried landmine had finally exploded, leaving Li Xiao feeling quite helpless. Song Jin was volatile, quick to anger, and exceptionally perceptive; he couldn’t tolerate a single speck of dust in his eyes. Living together was bound to trigger unexpected friction.

Yet, this was also exactly what made the kid endearing.

Li Xiao’s lingering irritation vanished instantly. He walked over, grabbed Song Jin’s hand, and led him toward his bedroom, turning to the three spectators on the couch. “That’s all for tonight. Go back and get some rest.”

Jiang Hao, Qian Can, and Qin Le, who had been trying to hide behind the sofa to watch the drama: “…”

As the bedroom door slammed shut, Qian Can smacked his lips and whispered, “Who cuts off a drama halfway through? Talk about a lack of sportsmanship!”

Jiang Hao nodded. “Just when it was getting good, we get kicked out.”

Qin Le said with a deadpan face, “Because the second half requires a premium membership.”

Qian Can / Jiang Hao: “…”

_

Inside the bedroom, seeing Li Xiao lock the door, Song Jin said with a dark expression, “Locking the door to lecture me?”

Li Xiao pulled him close. “Whatever else you want to say, say it. It’s just the two of us anyway.”

Song Jin frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Listening to you curse and rant is actually quite stress-relieving,” Li Xiao replied.

Song Jin was almost amused by his sheer audacity. “You like being yelled at?”

Li Xiao put on a deeply solemn face. “I have an intermittent people-pleasing personality. Didn’t you know?”

Song Jin: “…”

“Come on,” Li Xiao urged. “Are you going to keep yelling or what?”

Being rushed like this, Song Jin muttered with a sour face, “You get to relieve your stress, but what about me?”

Li Xiao was amused by his aggrieved tone, earning himself another death glare. He then explained in a low voice, “There have always been rumors in the palace that I was born to a certain omega servant.”

Song Jin looked at him skeptically. “You don’t think Yan Qing is—”

Li Xiao nodded. “He feels a bit familiar.”

Song Jin thought it over and shook his head. “But you and Wei Feng are biological father and son. If Yan Qing were your parent, that would mean the previous king cheated on Yan Qing, and then Yan Qing cuckolded him right back? Then you wouldn’t have any royal blood at all.”

Li Xiao opened his terminal and brought up an old photo for him to see. “This was my brother when he was seventeen.”

The photo was a family portrait of Li Xiao’s family of four. Li Ji was holding a three-year-old Li Xiao. His facial features and expressions were highly similar to the current Li Xiao, except the person in the photo was smiling brightly, softening that naturally cold face.

Song Jin looked back and forth between the photo and Li Xiao. “Doesn’t look like you.”

Li Xiao: “How does this not look like me?”

Song Jin pointed at the chubby toddler in the picture. “What on earth did you go through all these years? You were clearly so cute when you were little.”

Li Xiao: “…” He waved his hand to close the photo.

Song Jin hadn’t seen enough. “Send me that photo. I need to study it more.”

“No need to study it,” Li Xiao said. “When the time is right, I’ll ask him directly.”

Song Jin: “…”

Late at night, Li Xiao lay in bed with the lights off, turning things over in his mind. Hearing a rustling sound coming from the balcony, he decisively closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

The French door was gently pushed open, and someone crept in like a thief on tiptoe. A familiar scent washed over him, and that someone flopped right onto his body. “Babe, asleep?”

Song Jin kissed Li Xiao’s ear and whispered, “Sorry about tonight. I shouldn’t have lost my temper at you.”

Li Xiao hadn’t expected the kid to swallow his pride and apologize first. He kept his face stiff to avoid laughing, wanting to hear what else Song Jin had to say.

Li Xiao’s hair brushed against his cheek, making Song Jin feel a bit itchy. He nuzzled his face against Li Xiao’s. “It was all my fault. I’ve seriously reflected on it.”

Li Xiao: “…” Not bad, keep going.

Then, Song Jin’s low, pleasant voice echoed by his ear: “Next time I want to beat someone up, I’ll just go throw a sack over his head directly. There’s really no point in discussing it with you.”

Li Xiao: “…” Wait, something’s not right.

Song Jin added, “I won’t be so foolish in the future.”

Li Xiao: “…………”

Left with no choice, Li Xiao opened his eyes to see Song Jin’s handsome face right in front of him. Judging by the look in his eyes, the kid was entirely serious.

Li Xiao sighed, “…You should still discuss it with me.”

“But then we’ll just fight again,” Song Jin countered.

“Fighting isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“So you’re not mad anymore?”

“I wasn’t mad to begin with.”

Confirming that Li Xiao wasn’t lying, Song Jin smiled. “Then send me that photo.”

Li Xiao: “…” So that’s what he was waiting for. “Trade it for one of yours.”

Song Jin: “…” He countered quickly, “If you won’t give me the photo, that’s fine. As compensation, I’m sleeping with you tonight.”

Li Xiao: “…” He couldn’t help but feel like he had walked right into a trap the kid had dug for him.

_

Ever since 09 began tracking Yan Qing, it would routinely report the logs back to Li Xiao every evening. Yan Qing’s daily routine was incredibly regular: teaching classes, preparing lessons, handling his duties as the dean of students, and after work, either going to the training hall with colleagues or reading books in his dorm. Aside from handling student disputes, he rarely interacted with students outside of school hours.

In the blink of an eye, Saturday arrived.

After Meng Tao was taken into custody by the Security Bureau, various factions were still squabbling over the details, which left Li Xiao with a rare bit of peace. Jiang Hao had been unable to stop thinking about that “Blademaster’s Bible” he found. After getting Li Xiao’s permission to go out, he went to the Shike Used Bookstore early in the morning. Being there allowed him to read books while keeping an eye out for any unusual activity to report—killing two birds with one stone.

Remembering what the old school doctor, Ye You, had said, Li Xiao took Song Jin along after breakfast to try their luck.

Only a third of the staff was on duty at the medical center over the weekend. When they arrived at the examination room, Ye You wasn’t in his office. Song Jin felt a bit disappointed. “Looks like our luck isn’t great today.”

Li Xiao looked around, then gestured toward a distant terrace. “It’s actually not bad.”

Ye You was currently playing chess with an old colleague on the terrace. Hearing the knock on the door, he turned his head. “Why are you two here again?”

Song Jin cleared his throat a few times without speaking. Li Xiao patted him on the back and told Ye You, “He accidentally ate chili again. Sorry to trouble you.”

“You kids really don’t take doctor’s orders seriously.” Ye You shook his head helplessly and said to his old friend, “Old Jin, I’ll go check on this kid first. Wait for me.”

Old Jin waved his hand. “No rush, I happen to be having breakfast.”

After greeting his friend, Ye You gestured for Li Xiao and Song Jin to enter the examination room.

By the small table on the terrace, Jin Heng opened his thermos, blew away the tea leaves floating on top, took a sip, and sighed softly. “The military academy hasn’t been this lively in a long time…”

Inside the examination room, after finishing the check-up, Ye You looked at the report generated by the system and said, “He didn’t eat much this time, so it’s not a big issue.”

Song Jin asked, “Do I still have to drink herbal tea?”

Ye You retrieved a box of throat lozenges from the small adjacent medicine storeroom. “I should have given this to you long ago. Maximum three a day, don’t overeat.”

Li Xiao took it. “Thank you.”

“No other issues, right?”

“None. Sorry for interrupting your chess game.”

Ye You waved his hands and walked away chuckling.

Once they got into the car, Li Xiao quickly opened the medicine box, and a photograph slipped out from inside.

The background of the photo was a semi-worn street. Judging by the building materials, it looked like a second or third-tier residential planet, likely an underdeveloped region. A man in his twenties was holding three massive cat balloons, smiling like a child. Beside him stood a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy with his hands in his pockets, putting on a serious, grown-up expression.

Seeing the boy’s face, Li Xiao’s heart skipped a beat as countless fragments of memories flashed before his eyes. The omega who had almost vanished from his memories gradually became clear.

Yes, it was this face. The omega who had taken care of him when he was little. His father had a great relationship with this omega; every time his parents were busy with official duties, this was the person who accompanied him.

“This person…” Song Jin pointed at the man in the photo, looking at Li Xiao. “He looks a lot like you.”

Noticing the familiar silver ring on the man’s ear, Li Xiao furrowed his brows. “It’s Li Xun, my father’s younger brother.”

The omega had been so young back then, nowhere near the age to enter the palace. This meant that before entering the palace as a servant, the omega already knew Li Xun.

Song Jin propped his chin up, pondering. “Does this boy look a bit like Yan Qing? I don’t mean his features, but… the vibe?”

“Yeah,” Li Xiao agreed. Yan Qing’s facial features didn’t share much resemblance with this boy, but the underlying feeling they gave off was incredibly subtle.

Li Xiao flipped the photo over. A line of handwritten text was on the back:

Li Xun promises to help Qingqing’s family find the truth. Qingqing will use his family’s ten-year-aged plum blossom wine as a thank-you gift. — Li Xun

Below the text were two red thumbprints. The date was 31 years ago—and Li Xun had died the very next year.

“It’s easy since there are fingerprints.” Li Xiao placed the photo back into the medicine box.

Song Jin started the car. “I feel like you have a whole map full of fathers.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Song Jin patted his hand comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I won’t divorce you just because you have too many dads.”

“Thanks. I don’t feel comforted at all.”

_

Over on Wanhua Street, at the Shike Used Bookstore, the weekend crowd was massive. Jiang Hao found the “Blademaster’s Bible” and sat down against a bookshelf.

Not long after, he saw Zheng Lin and a few other alphas walk in. Jiang Hao shifted slightly to avoid them.

“Ah-Wen!” Zheng Lin pulled an alpha boy wearing thick glasses. “What are you hiding for? Didn’t you want to come here yourself?”

The boy called Ah-Wen shrank back. “Let me think about it again.”

“It’s just looking at a book, what is there to think about?” Zheng Lin snapped. The others chimed in, dragging Ah-Wen further inside.

Jiang Hao felt something was off. He pretended to look for a book and followed them from a distance. Suddenly, Ah-Wen began to struggle fiercely, blurting out “I’m sorry” before bolting out of the store. Jiang Hao quickly ducked into an adjacent aisle to avoid being spotted by the rest of the group.

“Coward!” Zheng Lin and the others cursed as they walked away. Jiang Hao tried to walk toward that direction, but found nothing after reaching the end of the aisle.

Time flew by while reading. By the time Jiang Hao snapped out of it, it was almost ten in the evening—closing time. The shop was practically empty. As he finished the last few pages, he accidentally noticed the character “Chi” written on the inner side of the cover.

Not only was the handwriting highly similar to his brother’s, but even the name was the same. Could this be fate? Jiang Hao decided to check it out and share it with his brother.

Borrowing a book from the old bookstore was simple. He paid the deposit and swiped his terminal to register his identity.

The walk from the bookstore to the public hovercar rental station took about fifteen minutes. The businesses on this commercial street mostly catered to nearby schools, so almost all of them had closed by this hour, leaving the streets deserted.

As Jiang Hao crossed the outer plaza, a sudden, sharp engine roar approached. He snapped his head around. A hovercar was diving awkwardly out of the night sky. Despite hitting a green belt at the corner of the plaza which cushioned its momentum, it still smashed violently into a wall.

With a loud crash, a pungent odor wafted over with the wind.

Jiang Hao originally didn’t want to meddle in others’ business, but considering this wasn’t the lawless borderlands, there shouldn’t be many targeted assassinations here. He figured he should check if the driver was dead and call the police.

The front of the hovercar was completely crushed and deformed. The driver was secured by the safety system, leaning against the back of the seat with his eyes closed, bleeding profusely from his head due to the debris.

“Professor Yan?!” Jiang Hao rushed over and pried at the jammed car door. “Hold on, I’ll get you out!”

Yan Qing’s face was covered in blood. His clouded consciousness made his reactions sluggish, and his vision was blurred. It took him a long while to recognize the rescuer. “Jiang… Hao?”

“It’s me, hold on.” With a powerful heave, Jiang Hao broke the door open.

The roar of engines echoed behind them once more. Through the rearview mirror, Yan Qing could faintly see the flashing lights of dozens of hovercars. Struggling, he handed a test tube to Jiang Hao. “I can’t escape… cough… help me deliver this to Jin Heng.”

Jiang Hao didn’t have time to inspect it. He stuffed it into his pocket, cleared away the airbags, draped Yan Qing’s arm over his shoulder, and said, “I’m taking you out of here!”

Yan Qing was not only suffering from a head injury, but his right leg was also bleeding heavily; he couldn’t run at all. Jiang Hao simply hoisted the man onto his back, moved behind the shadow of the trees down a slope, and slipped into a narrow alleyway that offered better cover.

_

Back at the First Military Academy dorms, Yan Qing’s itinerary was fed back to Li Xiao via 09. Hearing that Yan Qing had gone to an aerial bar with colleagues, Li Xiao searched for information about the venue online.

The aerial bar was modified from an antique floating airship that cruised within a specific zone. Spotting a particular detail, Li Xiao pointed it out to Song Jin, who was working behind him. “Found it.”

Song Jin turned around. “A bar?”

Li Xiao opened the map and highlighted the cruise trajectory of the airship. “It overlaps with our target zone. The blood might have been delivered to this bar.” They had naturally assumed that the facility receiving the tainted blood would be a fixed location, completely overlooking a mobile venue like this.

Suddenly, 09 rushed into the living room holding a half-eaten energy stone. “Little Jiang-Jiang and Yan Qing are in trouble!”

Li Xiao’s expression shifted. “What happened?”

“Yan Qing crashed his car and got hurt. Little Jiang-Jiang saved him, but now they’re being pursued by a massive crowd! There’s only one recycling robot nearby, I can’t help much!”

Li Xiao waved his hand to dim the lights. The next instant, two cloaked mechs soared out from the balcony, blasting toward Wanhua Street at maximum speed.

In the alley, Jiang Hao was running while carrying a grown man on his back without any weapons. Unfamiliar with the local layout, he was quickly cornered from both sides in the middle of a dead-end alley.

Holding onto a thread of consciousness, Yan Qing croaked out, “Drop me… run…”

Jiang Hao scanned his surroundings. Seeing that the attackers were wielding blades, he carefully set Yan Qing down against a wall. He ducked past an incoming slash, grabbed the attacker’s wrist to disarm him, and swung the blade back toward the man’s carotid artery.

But remembering that this wasn’t the borderlands, Jiang Hao hesitated. You can’t kill people in a place like this.

That split second of hesitation cost him his best window for a counterattack, and a sharp pain flared up in his arm.

“Ugh!” Jiang Hao deflected a blade aimed at his eyes and threw the attacker behind him.

With over forty opponents surrounding them, Jiang Hao could only use the spine of his blade to strike, all while trying to shield Yan Qing. He suffered several stab wounds in the process. During the chaotic brawl, a sharp knife was thrust directly toward his back.

Thud. A muffled sound echoed. The tip of the blade was stopped by something solid.

Sensing the impact from behind, Jiang Hao spun around and smashed the hilt of his blade into the beta’s neck. The beta convulsed and collapsed to his knees.

Covered in blood, Jiang Hao leaned against the wall, gasping for air. He hadn’t expected the book he borrowed to save his life by blocking a fatal strike.

The group of assassins hesitated, seeing Jiang Hao seemingly on his last legs. Five of them exchanged glances and decided to rush forward to finish him off.

“Maintaining public sanitation on city roads is the duty of every citizen. Please do not spit or relieve yourself at random.” A recycling robot rolled out from nowhere, blocking three of the assassins.

Hearing the commotion behind him, Jiang Hao dodged two incoming blades and struck one of the men down with the spine of his sword. The assassin groaned as his vision went dark, rolling on the ground in agony. The other assassin lost his nerve, dropped his weapon, and stumbled backward.

Suffering from massive blood loss, Jiang Hao’s breathing grew labored, and his reflexes began to dull. He needed to end this quickly; he couldn’t afford to die here.

“He’s about to collapse, what are you afraid of?!” With a low shout, another six assassins charged together.

Jiang Hao gritted his teeth, bracing himself. But before he could move, the heads of the six assassins rolled onto the ground instantly. The sprayed blood left only a fleeting blur in the dim alleyway.

Sensing a presence drawing near, Jiang Hao tensed. The next second, he saw Li Xiao materialize out of thin air, with thread-like energy tendrils transferring from Li Xiao onto his own body.

“Big brother…” The breath Jiang Hao had been holding slipped away, and he could barely stand.

Li Xiao supported him, taking the blade from his hand, and ordered coldly, “Activate maximum medical treatment mode.”

09 responded, “Understood!” It transformed into a specialized medical pod, enveloping both Jiang Hao and the unconscious Yan Qing.

“Emergency system activated—High-intensity healing light mode activated—Oxygen supply mode activated—Sanitizing mode activated—”

Big brother is here. We’re safe. Before losing consciousness completely, Jiang Hao asked weakly, “I didn’t kill anyone… my citizenship won’t be revoked, right?”

“Jiang Hao, remember this.” Li Xiao stood up, turning a freezing gaze toward the rushing crowd of assassins. His voice sounded darker than the shadows in the alley. “If you ever encounter something like this again, I’d rather it be someone else who dies. I have only one requirement for you: protect yourself. If anything happens, I’ll take the fall for you.”

Jiang Hao nodded feebly and blacked out completely.

“He looks like the second prince!” someone in the crowd shrieked. Soon, all the remaining assassins charged at Li Xiao.

It had been a long time since Li Xiao had felt a pure urge to kill. Watching the assassins close in, he pulled on his gloves, flipped his blade, and began rapidly harvesting lives. His speed was terrifying; the assassins at the back lost sight of him the moment the comrades in front of them shifted.

“Where is he?!”

As the group looked around in panic, someone shouted, “Behind you!”

The assassin gasped, but before he could retreat, his chin was grabbed from behind, and his neck was snapped with a clean twist. Seeing that they were entirely outmatched, a few others turned to flee. Li Xiao caught a falling blade mid-air, spinning and hurling two weapons simultaneously, piercing the necks of two fleeing targets.

He caught up to the nearest runner within a few strides, slammed his head into the wall, kicked a blade off the ground, and sent it flying with a spinning kick. The blade struck the last assassin squarely in the back, pinning him to the ground.

_

On the other side of the alley, the path was blocked by the recycling robot. A group of men were arguing over whether to detour or squeeze past it.

“I don’t think there’s any need for discussion.” A cold, deep voice echoed behind them. The group whipped around.

“Who’s there?!”

A tall, striking figure materialized at the mouth of the alley, a ruthless, unbridled smile playing on his lips despite the dim light. “None of you are getting away anyway.”

“Where did this brat come from?! Kill him!” The assassins surged forward like a swarm of wasps.

07 materialized into a long blade in Song Jin’s hand. He lunged forward to meet them. As the blade sliced through flesh, the muddy resistance traveling up to his fingertips sent a jolt of pure adrenaline through every pore of his body. Song Jin pressed forward, forcing the crowd back step by step. Amidst the clashing of metal and agonizing screams, the assassins dropped one by one.

After dispatching the two in front of him, Song Jin heard footsteps approaching from behind. He kicked off the wall, executing a mid-air flip to dodge a thrusting blade, grabbed the attacker’s head, and gave it a vicious twist. With a sharp crack, the spinal column snapped, and the assassin went limp before he could mount a second strike.

Song Jin landed lightly, facing the very last assassin.

“I—I surrender!” The man was terrified out of his wits, stumbling backward toward the exit. He tripped over a comrade’s corpse and tried to call for backup in a panic, only to find the signal completely jammed.

“This isn’t a game. You don’t just get to surrender whenever you want,” Song Jin said with a smile, stepping forward to deliver a clean decapitation.

The alley reeked of blood and a sharp, metallic tang. Song Jin flicked the blood off his blade, and 07 melted back into an ornamental clasp on his wristband. Passing by Jiang Hao and Yan Qing, he checked their vitals; both were stable. He continued walking toward Li Xiao, who was kneeling by one of the bodies, inspecting something.

“Find anything?” Song Jin crouched beside him.

Li Xiao pulled open the assassin’s outer coat. “This looks like a bar uniform.” Some of the blades they used were ice-shaving knives from the bar.

This alley wasn’t far from the main street of Wanhua Street. Even silenced firearms would trigger the city’s defense grid and automatically alert the local police department, but blades wouldn’t.

“More people will be coming. Let’s get them back first,” Song Jin said, standing up.

Li Xiao looked a bit surprised. “You don’t want to go up there and hunt the rest down?” Clearly, tonight’s commotion had startled the enemy. If they didn’t strike now, they might lose the lead entirely. Given Song Jin’s personality, it was shocking he’d pass up such a perfect opportunity.

Song Jin looked at him smoothly. “Aren’t you anxious to get them to a safe place first?”

“Yeah.” Li Xiao walked back beside him. “Not jealous anymore?”

“If it were Qian Can or Qin Le in trouble, I’d do the same. We’re even.”

Li Xiao’s gloves were stained with blood, so he simply leaned over and lightly nudged his face against Song Jin’s cheek, chuckling softly. “There should still be enough time left for us to clean up the rest later.”

Feeling the touch on his left cheek as Li Xiao contacted Jiang Mu, Song Jin belatedly realized the unspoken words behind Li Xiao’s gesture: Look at you, figuring it out on your own. Good boy.

Song Jin: “…”

That old bastard.