After stepping out of the elevator, Li Xiao hurried forward, only to find the elevator was still stuck on the third floor.

A black-clad alpha reported to Song Jin, who had just caught up: “The elevator stops at every floor below the ninth.”

Li Xiao spun around, scanning the giant circular corridor. He spotted a figure darting into the C39-3 stairwell on the fifth floor and said to Song Jin, “I’ll go after him. You take care of the arrangements.”

The moment Li Xiao left, the elevator reached the first floor—empty, as expected. Song Jin requested a weapon from his subordinate: “Tell the guard team to lock down the DF district. Target only the betas. Activate signal jamming—intercept all outgoing communications.”

The alpha subordinate saluted. “Yes, sir!”

Song Jin scanned the training ground below. Seeing Qian Can managing the crowd, he sent a message: “Take them away!”

Qian Can relayed the order, forcing the group that had won the bet to supervise the losers as they headed toward the plaza to start their square dancing. Everyone was distracted, and the chaotic crowd surged toward the exits, noticing nothing amiss.

“What if the culprit is mixed in the crowd and slips out?” the subordinate asked.

“The targets are specific; where could they possibly run?” Song Jin stared in the direction Li Xiao had vanished, his voice icy. “Have someone watch the security checkpoints. Follow every exchange student leaving. Use any means necessary if you have to!”

“Yes, sir!”

After the area was cleared, Song Jin headed after Li Xiao. His mind replayed the sensation of being mentally controlled. It reminded him of the Hymenoptera wasp that lays eggs in ant nests—its pheromones paralyze and confuse the termites, leading them to commit fratricide. If these people infiltrated a crowd and released their pheromones, they would be human bombs—and standard security screening couldn’t stop it.

He hadn’t lived through the era of “Super Omega” dominance; by the time he was old enough to know, all super-Os had been strictly registered and controlled. He hadn’t realized how terrifying it was until hearing his brother describe it. Now, experiencing it firsthand, he finally understood why his father and brother were so vigilant, investing countless resources into secret, non-stop investigations, unable to rest for even a moment.

On the fifth floor, Lin Zhou had intended to take a detour to a side exit and vanish into the crowd. But by the fourth floor, he heard the shouts from the first floor about the transition to the plaza. He had to change course, chasing the dense crowd while frantically trying to edit an encrypted message on his terminal.

He had wanted to wait until he was safe to report, but things weren’t going smoothly. If his superiors didn’t know about Li Xiao’s abilities, the assassination plan would never succeed.

He clicked send, but a prompt popped up: [Signal unstable. Message failed. Please switch networks or move to a stable area.]

He tried repeatedly, only to fail. Cursing under his breath, he sprinted toward the densest part of the crowd.

As he turned into the stairwell, he saw a blur—Li Xiao. Lin Zhou slammed on the brakes to retreat, but Li Xiao’s leg swept out, striking his arm. His entire limb went numb. Lin Zhou slammed the door shut and bolted.

At night, the training hall was empty, with only essential security staff on duty. Offices across the floor were deserted. As Li Xiao pursued, Lin Zhou smashed open an office door. Li Xiao kicked the door open, only for a fountain pen to fly straight at his eyes. He dodged and caught up to Lin Zhou in two strides: “Is struggling still meaningful? This is Shengya. Where do you think you can run?”

Lin Zhou pulled a craft knife from the desk and swung. Li Xiao pinned his wrist and slammed him into a metal shelf. “So arrogant? Not afraid of being hunted by Shengya?”

“Ugh!” Lin Zhou winced. “Shengya is nothing! I’ve never looked at this place!”

“What if the diplomatic ties between Shengya and Danse fail because of this? Can you take responsibility?”

Lin Zhou sneered with a pale face. “Ties? That’s Shengya’s wishful thinking. You really think His Majesty cares?”

If they weren’t inside the Shengya military academy, Li Xiao would have already finished him off. But Lin Zhou couldn’t die here, or it would give certain factions an excuse to stir up trouble.

The dropped craft knife rolled into a corner, hitting an AI patrol bot. The egg-shaped AI’s indicator light flashed, and it rose into the air, triggering emergency protocols.

[Scanning abnormality. Target identified—initiating air-cannon mode—]

The AI unfolded, revealing a 20cm-diameter muzzle. [Target locked—]

Li Xiao moved to grab Lin Zhou and leave, but noticing the muzzle, he dove behind a desk.

BOOM!

Compressed air fired like a gale, slamming into the wall. Papers and debris flew everywhere; the nearby potted tree was stripped of its leaves, leaving only a bare stalk. At that force, even a two-hundred-pound man would be floored.

Missing the first shot, the AI pursued, aiming its muzzle at them again. Lin Zhou took the chance to grab a pair of scissors from the desk to stab Li Xiao, using the distraction to bolt out of the office. Li Xiao rolled, dodging the AI’s blast, and chased after him. The AI detected them fleeing and followed, lazily wobbling along.

[Activating area-link synchronization—]

Patrol AIs in the corridor were activated simultaneously. Lin Zhou ran into the corridor, nearly blown away by a shot. Seeing most of the people had left the training hall, he vaulted over the railing, intending to drop to the third floor. Just as he was about to let go, Li Xiao grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

During their struggle, over twenty patrol AIs rushed over, cannons extending. Li Xiao had to retreat. The air-cannon blasts weren’t lethal, but they were painful.

Buffeted by the strong wind, Lin Zhou gripped the railing, struggling to swing to the third floor. His leg smashed into the railing, and he tumbled to the ground, writhing in pain.

On the third floor, Song Jin burst out of the stairwell, just in time to see Li Xiao jump from the fourth floor and land steadily on a railing. Feeling something, Li Xiao looked up, and their eyes locked.

Noticing the swarm of patrol AIs approaching, their long barrels extending from their egg-shaped shells, Song Jin shouted: “Watch out! Don’t get hit by the anesthetic darts!”

Hardly had the words left his mouth when two darts fired—one at Lin Zhou, one at Li Xiao.

Li Xiao backflipped, dodging the projectile. Lin Zhou wasn’t as lucky; a dart struck his arm. The tip expanded into powerful claws, piercing his skin and injecting the anesthetic. Lin Zhou swayed, but suddenly grabbed the AI’s barrel and used the robot as a shield, pushing it toward Li Xiao.

Both Song Jin and Li Xiao thought it was over, but to their surprise, Lin Zhou wasn’t affected by the anesthetic.

[AI under attack, defense level upgraded!]

Dozens of AIs flew from other floors to support the third floor. Li Xiao was in the center of the crossfire, dodging and retreating. The fire was too dense; he had to kick open a door and dive into a room. Song Jin signaled Qin Le to shut down the AIs, aimed his gun at Lin Zhou’s thigh, and pulled the trigger.

“Urgh!” Lin Zhou collapsed to his knees, hit by an air-cannon blast, and passed out instantly.

Song Jin was about to move toward him when a dense wave of alpha pheromones flooded the area. A knife-wielding hand reached out from a side passage, stabbing forward. Song Jin retreated half a step, kicking the blade away.

The man dropped the fruit knife, exposing his face. He wore a mask and a low hood, but Song Jin recognized him instantly. Earlier, a subordinate had reported an exchange student meeting with Zhao Cheng, trying to goad him into targeting Li Xiao. He had intended to verify this, only to find Li Xiao had already handled the situation. It seemed they were pushed to the brink.

The alpha was confused as to why Song Jin was unaffected, increasing his pheromone output, his attacks becoming increasingly vicious. Song Jin was puzzled too. The man was clearly trying to control him, but other than the smell, he felt nothing.

An image of the handkerchief Li Xiao gave him flashed through his mind. Is it the handkerchief? Is it that effective?

Song Jin kicked at the alpha’s head, missed, and pivoted to elbow the man’s neck.

“Urgh!” The alpha stumbled back, clutching his neck, fleeing since he couldn’t win. Song Jin gave chase as Qin Le’s voice came through the comms.

“Boss! The security personnel at exit D451-32 have been knocked out! Twenty-three people have entered the C-district. Be careful!”

“I’ve already encountered them,” Song Jin replied coldly. “How long to shut down the AIs?”

“The system was just force-restarted, triggering a safety lock. It will take at least ten minutes until the protection state lifts!”

Song Jin pulled Qin Le into the public frequency: “Report the positions of those twenty-three in real-time.”

“Three are right near Li Xiao!”

Song Jin frowned: “How much longer for the guard team?”

“Within three minutes.”

Inside the office, Li Xiao was surrounded by three exchange-student alphas. Not only were they surrounding him, but he was forced to smell three distinct flavors of “rotten tomato.”

Li Xiao pinned the first alpha’s arm, using the man’s head to block the second’s fist, while stopping the third’s leg with his own. These people weren’t just abnormal in their pheromones; their reaction speeds were superhuman.

“Ugh!” The first alpha, hit by his own companions’ strikes, crumpled to the floor.

BOOM!

The door shattered as air cannons blasted it open. Swarms of AIs pursued. The office became a typhoon zone, debris flying everywhere. Li Xiao kicked the second alpha away, ducking behind a desk. He saw the third alpha charge, only to be blasted into the wall by an air cannon, stunned instantly.

The room was about to be swamped. Li Xiao scanned the room and moved toward the back door. The military guard team was intervening, but he couldn’t risk them being affected by the pheromones. He didn’t want to burn bridges with Shengya before seeing Song Yu.

Just as he hit the corridor, he was locked on by three AIs. He darted into a narrow side passage, eight more alphas—clearly more exchange students—rushing toward him. Pincered.

As the AIs flew up behind him, Li Xiao leaped off the wall; an air cannon blasted just centimeters beneath his head. Two exchange students, failing to react, were floored. Li Xiao tapped his foot and kicked the nearest AI. It collided with its companion, causing the blast meant for Li Xiao to hit the charging students instead.

The remaining five didn’t dare push forward. As they retreated, they were ambushed from behind by the security team. Gunfire rang out; the AIs were hit, sparking and crashing to the ground.

Li Xiao spun around to see Song Jin approaching, having cleared three AIs in seconds. Song Jin raised his gun, face cold as he reloaded and moved toward him.

“The damages for tonight are on your tab.”

Li Xiao dodged a blast: “None of those people on the ground are poor. They can afford it.”

“Nine more approaching. Retreat to the path on the right rear!” a voice rang out on the frequency.

Before they could clear the remaining AIs, two more charged from the corridor. Li Xiao and Song Jin retreated, dodging the air blasts. The alpha on the left retreated to the office door, only to hear a door open behind him. Before he could turn, he was kicked out. Jiang Hao hooked his hands onto the doorframe and jumped down, pinning the alpha to the wall and holding a mini Tang-sword to his chin.

“Don’t move.” The blade was tiny, but it served the purpose.

On the right, Wei Ming dodged behind him, only to be anticipated by Qin Le, who seized his wrist and pinned him to the floor.

The security team led by the alpha subordinate pinned everyone else, glancing in awe at Li Xiao. He didn’t have a single weapon, yet he hadn’t taken a scratch against a swarm of AIs and pheromone-enhanced students.

Reports flooded the frequency. The last seven had been caught. The scene was essentially under control.

Song Jin looked at Qin Le: “Why are you here? Who’s in the control room?”

Qin Le pinned Wei Ming: “Our people took over. I couldn’t rest easy, so I came to check.”

Song Jin looked down at Wei Ming: “Senior, I didn’t think you were into such exciting games.”

Wei Ming struggled, feeling wronged: “Like President Qin, I just heard the noise and came to check. Why arrest me?!”

“Why arrest you? Use your head.”

Li Xiao scanned the ten exchange students—three knocked out, seven ticking time bombs. He signaled Song Jin to stop the banter. “Do you have inhibitor rings?”

“On the way.” Once fitted with a ring, pheromones couldn’t be released.

“Lock them up first—” Before Li Xiao could finish, seven distinct, layered layers of “rotten tomato” pheromones washed over them.

“Hiss!” An alpha guard clutched his head in agony. The team members who were betas couldn’t smell it, but they were still losing consciousness like they’d inhaled a potent sedative.

Wei Ming pushed Qin Le away and tried to sit up, pulling a folding fruit knife to throw at Li Xiao. Li Xiao caught it easily and threw it back. The blade grazed Wei Ming’s cheek, leaving a bloody trail.

Wei Ming was stunned. Why can Li Xiao still move?!

“Ugh!”

Jiang Hao’s vision blurred. The alpha saw his chance, stole the blade, and lunged for Jiang Hao’s carotid artery.

BANG!

A gunshot. The alpha’s head jerked, a bullet through the temple. His body convulsed. Everything happened in a flash. The exchange students stared, mouths agape, at the blood pooling on the floor.

Why aren’t Li Xiao and Song Jin controlled?! And how dare Song Jin shoot an exchange student?!

“I’m not like some people—I won’t be polite,” Song Jin said coldly. “Even if the Emperor himself came here, he would still have to follow Shengya’s rules.”

“Kill Song Jin and Li Xiao!” Wei Ming screamed. The exchange students attacked, using the people they’d pinned earlier as human shields.

Song Jin frowned. With hostages as human shields, he couldn’t fire.

Seeing an exchange student reach for the guard’s gun, Li Xiao’s eyes narrowed. He released his pheromones. Within the strange stench, a crisp, sharp scent of strong liquor emerged. Everyone regained their senses. The guard grabbed the gun and knocked the alpha out without hesitation.

The pinned exchange students stared at Li Xiao, disbelieving. Li Xiao’s pheromone level is definitely higher than A! How could he force them to wake up?!

Song Jin was surprised. The scent was the same as the one on the handkerchief. So this rich, mellow liquor is Li Xiao’s pheromone?

He said he used it to wipe his hands after the bathroom—the whole thing was a lie.

For some reason, Song Jin felt a surge of satisfaction. The aggressive pheromones dissolved under the impact of Li Xiao’s, swallowed whole. Everyone’s discomfort vanished, replaced by the chilling sensation of being watched by an apex predator.

Jiang Hao and the others broke into cold sweat: The headache is gone, but now I’m freezing, Boss!

Qin Le recovered, saw Wei Ming missing, and turned to chase.

“I’ll go.” Song Jin stopped him. “You handle the aftermath.”

Qin Le, having experienced the control, was even more worried for Song Jin: “No! They—”

“I’m fine.” Song Jin chased after him, gun in hand.

“One alpha broke the control—heading for B5 on the seventh floor!” a voice barked.

“Leave this to me,” Li Xiao said.

Wei Ming ran for his life, gasping. Li Xiao’s pheromones had a massive impact on him; his legs were jelly. Remembering his father’s warning, he gritted his teeth, feeling nothing but resentment. If he couldn’t kill Li Xiao tonight, his father’s troubles would be unsolvable! The Wei family was prestigious—they could not be made into a laughingstock!

Footsteps behind him. Wei Ming dived into an office. Song Jin followed the pheromone trail, pushing the door to the dark office open. A slight movement behind him—Song Jin spun around, seizing Wei Ming’s wrist. The pen fell from his hand. He released his pheromones, pressing close to Song Jin’s ear, his voice raspy and seductive: “Song Jin, kill Li Xiao, and I will be yours.”

Even without mental control, his pheromones were highly compatible, attractive to most alphas. The higher the compatibility, the greater the attraction.

Wei Ming looked at Song Jin, expecting a reaction, only to meet a pair of mocking eyes. His heart sank.

“I thought you’d have a better bargaining chip. This is it?” Song Jin pressed on his face, a faint smile on his lips. “An omega like you—I wouldn’t take you even if you were free.”

Wei Ming gritted his teeth, terrified and humiliated.

“What do you want?”

“Who is modifying you all? Where is the facility?”

Wei Ming’s pupils dilated: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I only give one chance.” Song Jin nodded methodically, grabbed Wei Ming by the head, and slammed him into the wall. Wei Ming slumped, unconscious.

“Stinking rat.” Song Jin discarded him, suppressing his own rising urge for violence and murder, wiped his ears with the handkerchief from his pocket, and left.

Li Xiao chased him to B5, following the pheromones to a small door at the end of the corridor—a balcony.

The sky was pitch black. Guard team vehicles patrolled the air. A cold breeze blew, and he could faintly hear the upbeat, rustic music from the dormitory area. Li Xiao reached the edge of the terrace and saw an alpha climbing down the exterior of the building. They were completely exposed; there was no telling what they would do now. He couldn’t let them reach a populated area.

The alpha looked up, saw Li Xiao, and accelerated, leaping between protrusions on the building. Li Xiao vaulted over the railing, landed on a lower platform, and reported his position to Song Jin.

Above, a patrol team spotted the situation, landing while broadcasting warnings: [Climbing the exterior of the training hall is prohibited! Stay put and wait for rescue!]

Seeing Li Xiao pursue, the alpha made a desperate leap onto a passing hover-vehicle. As the guard opened the window to warn him, the alpha released his pheromones: “Open the door and jump!”

The guard’s eyes went blank; he opened the door like a puppet.

The vehicle was at least twenty meters in the air. Jumping from here was a death sentence. Li Xiao leaped through the air, grabbing the door and using the guard as a shield. The alpha lashed out with his leg. Just kick him off, and the mission is a success! Someone will come to take me back!

Li Xiao dodged the kick, nearly slipping due to the guard’s interference.

On the balcony, Song Jin arrived, catching sight of Li Xiao tangling with the man in mid-air. Li Xiao didn’t have a single rope; if he fell, nobody could save him.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Song Jin raised his gun, frustrated, and aimed at the alpha on the roof, finger on the trigger. Suddenly, the vehicle shook violently, smashing into a nearby building. The alpha lost his footing, clinging to the door to avoid falling.

Li Xiao grabbed the guard, threw him into the passenger seat, jumped into the driver’s seat, and swerved just before impact.

The alpha on the roof tried to crawl toward the driver’s seat, only to be thrown back by Li Xiao’s sharp maneuvers. The hover-vehicle descended; Li Xiao slammed the brakes, the car coming to a perfect, screeching drift, leaving deep tire marks on the ground.

“Ugh!”

The alpha was thrown off the roof, tumbling far away. Li Xiao stepped out of the car with his long legs, walking toward the alpha, and said into the frequency: “Target captured.”

Hearing Li Xiao’s voice in his ear, Song Jin stood frozen on the terrace, his brain a mess.

The moment Li Xiao dove into the car, his mind flashed back to that masked alpha jumping from a vehicle and running away in N2781. The wind had been too strong, the light too dim—he had only been sure it was a male alpha.

Night, hover-vehicle, side profile…

The image from back then perfectly overlapped with the one in front of him.

No wonder when we first met at the academy, he blurted out, “It’s you again.”

This brat recognized me at first sight!