While Chi Yao was wiping Xuanfeng clean, Jing Xi initiated a video call to Qiu Tianlin.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly.” Qiu Tianlin had a gloomy face, his brows furrowed tightly enough to kill a fly.

Having not seen him for two days, this man’s beard had grown long, and his hair was a mess—a world of difference from his usual public image.

Is this the true face of a medical researcher?

Jing Xi, expressionless, held the syringe in the sealed bag up to the screen.

“Have you seen this kind of syringe before?”

Qiu Tianlin glanced at it casually. “That’s used by the Regenerative Organ Research Organization.”

Chi Yao’s wiping hand paused, and he looked up.

“Regenerative Organ Research Organization?” Jing Xi looked serious. “Is this an institution affiliated with the Central Biological Research Institute?”

“Just a destitute organization.” Qiu Tianlin didn’t have the patience to explain further. “Is that all you wanted to ask?”

Jing Xi: “Regarding this syringe, do you know anything else—”

“I’m rushing to do an experiment, I don’t have time.” Qiu Tianlin interrupted him. “If you have more Wolf King blood samples, send some over.”

Before Jing Xi could speak, the other party hung up.

“Since there’s a source, let’s investigate it ourselves.” Chi Yao put down the cleaning cloth and tucked the gun into his lower back.

Xiao Hei’s voice rang in his mind.

[Can I go back into the terminal now?]

Chi Yao: “No. I told you to transform, so stay in this form.”

[……]

Chi Yao walked behind Jing Xi, leaned on the desk, and bent over to check the information on the virtual screen.

“This organization has existed for almost a hundred years.” Jing Xi pulled up the organization’s information from the database.

“Main research: utilizing the regenerative repair abilities of mutant beasts to cultivate human organ tissues—”

Chi Yao looked at the introduction above, puzzled. “Isn’t there already organ cultivation technology?”

“There is, but the price is very high. Ordinary prosthetic limbs aren’t affordable for the average person, let alone vital organs like hearts.”

Jing Xi said indifferently, “Anything customized is expensive.”

Chi Yao suddenly remembered Jin Ze wanting to crowdfund prosthetic limbs for his subordinates earlier.

Prosthetics of that level could already rival real limbs.

But if one wanted a real limb, the price would probably be several times higher.

Jing Xi swiped his finger, circling a few key phrases on the virtual screen: “They want to use mutant beasts as natural petri dishes, implanting the recipient’s human cell tissues into them to grow complete human organs on the beast, then using them for transplantation. If successful, it could greatly reduce costs.”

Chi Yao sneered. “Sounds like selling dog meat while hanging a sheep’s head.”

Jing Xi tapped lightly on the virtual keyboard a few times.

“Setting aside other things, the appearance of equipment from such an institution here is strange in itself.”

Chi Yao: “Can we see if they have set up a site here?”

“Can’t see it.” Jing Xi turned his head to look at him. “I’ll send it to Jiang Feng and have him investigate thoroughly over the next few days.”

Chi Yao nodded. “Tell him to be discreet and not leave traces of the investigation.”

After finishing reading the information on the screen, Chi Yao was about to stand up when Jing Xi grabbed his lapel.

“What’s wrong?” Chi Yao asked.

Jing Xi pressed his forehead against Chi Yao’s. “Body temperature is normal. No beast pupils have appeared in the past few days either.”

Chi Yao paused, then chuckled lightly. “I told you, my susceptibility period symptoms aren’t as severe as yours.”

Jing Xi: “Does someone who caused a huge ruckus have the right to say that?”

Chi Yao: “…”

Jing Xi: “Since the susceptibility period is over, does it mean your physical condition has stabilized again?”

Those eyes were beautiful and clear, reflecting only him.

Being stared at like this, Chi Yao couldn’t lie.

“I don’t know,” Chi Yao said calmly. “I feel pretty good right now.”

Jing Xi leaned on his shoulder and whispered after a long while, “If there’s anything wrong with your body, you absolutely cannot hide it from me.”

Chi Yao patted his back. “Don’t worry blindly.”

---

When they arrived at the command center, everyone was already busy at their posts.

Because Chi Yao said mutant beasts might possess “invisibility” capabilities, Jing Xi replaced all surveillance devices on the battlefield with the most traditional camera plus AI system analysis mode.

Although the analysis speed wasn’t as high as before, the accuracy was significantly improved.

Lu Meng, Jin Ze, and other department heads sent video calls to report the situation on time.

Chi Yao didn’t disturb Jing Xi’s meeting. He stood in front of the monitoring screen, checking the frontline situation.

“Do… do you think there’s anything that needs improvement?”

A nervous voice sounded in his ear. Chi Yao turned his head and saw the insignia of a Second Lieutenant on the uniform; likely a squad leader or something similar.

“No, just looking around.”

Chi Yao found it a bit amusing.

In the past, whenever people from Flying Dragon saw him, who wasn’t gnashing their teeth? Now, being so polite made him unaccustomed.

After Chi Yao walked past, the squad leader and several operators let out a long sigh of relief.

“That pressure is on par with the Boss.”

“I haven’t even seen the Boss get that tense!”

“Scared me to death, I thought I made a mistake somewhere.”

“The back of my head is numb!”

“Useless bunch.” The squad leader scolded them with a smile. “The current Extreme Shadow can’t be compared to the past; he’s here to help us.”

Operator: “But Captain, weren’t you also very nervous? You even stuttered.”

Squad leader: “…”

You talk too much.

After the morning meeting, Jing Xi walked toward Chi Yao.

“Go to the front line and take a look?”

Chi Yao turned his gaze from the monitoring screen to him. “Can you get away?”

Jing Xi: “Progress is good so far. Sending some supplies to the main force, and visiting the refugees while I’m at it.”

“You really are busy enough.” Chi Yao walked out with him. “Fighting a war, doing rescue work, and taking care of the refugees’ emotions.”

Walking out of the command center, Jing Xi glanced at him. “Does your heart ache for me?”

Chi Yao: “It’s still more relaxing to be the wife of the Extreme Shadow leader.”

Jing Xi: “…”

---

Two hundred kilometers away, the warship arrived quickly.

As soon as the hatch opened, the heavy smell of gunpowder smoke wafted in.

Jing Xi waved his hand, and the people below transported the supplies down in an orderly manner.

Most residents in this area had been evacuated. Blocking the way a few kilometers out were Lu Meng’s artillery tank unit and fighter jet unit.

The roar of mutant beasts and explosions were everywhere.

A small transport vehicle stopped in front of Chi Yao. The window rolled down; it was Jing Xi.

“Get in.”

Chi Yao climbed into the passenger seat, and the vehicle immediately flew out.

“If Old Lu sees you personally delivering supplies, he might just cry.”

Jing Xi: “Might not necessarily see him at a time like this.”

Some people act like they’re on stimulants as soon as they hit the battlefield; they absolutely won’t return to camp unless they faint from exhaustion.

“Old Li is the same,” Chi Yao chuckled.

Jing Xi: “That’s why they’re always at odds. Too much excess energy.”

Chi Yao laughed out loud. “Isn’t it because they’re both single?”

A smile floated in Jing Xi’s eyes. “Indeed.”

Driving into the camp, busy soldiers could be seen everywhere.

The so-called camp was just temporarily formed by two warships. Various functional rooms and medical centers were set up in the open space in the middle, convenient for relocation at any time.

Seeing Jing Xi, they immediately stopped and saluted.

“Sir!”

Jing Xi waved his hand and strode toward the control center.

“Which unit is Lu Meng with now?”

A second lieutenant said respectfully, “He is currently with the artillery tank unit fighting a herd of bison.”

Jing Xi found Lu Meng’s position on the control center’s radar map.

From last night to now, the battle line had moved nearly 50 kilometers south.

The second wave of the beast tide didn’t seem fierce, but its duration was very long and particularly draining.

“The level of mutant beasts here is quite a bit higher,” Chi Yao said, looking at the screen.

Level 4 mutants accounted for about 20% of the total, and Level 5 mutants for 5%. This ratio already qualified as a Level 4 danger zone.

But Sector 820 was actually a planet with a danger rating below Level 2, judged suitable for habitation.

Jing Xi: “The East and West continents have almost no beast activity zones; only the South does. When the danger assessment was made back then, random checks were conducted. The highest mutant species was Level 3, and the quantity was no more than 10%.”

Chi Yao raised an eyebrow. “Now it’s jumped two levels.”

Jing Xi kept a cold face and didn’t speak.

Under specific radiation environments, it was possible to cause a general increase in mutant levels, but that was a rather slow process.

The Empire re-evaluated the danger level of each planet every ten years. Even if not randomly selected for checks, the garrison troops must monitor and track danger zones within their jurisdiction annually.

It was hard to say whose responsibility it was that this place had become like this; most likely, multiple parties were at fault.

The two got back in the car and went to the artillery tank unit.

The soldiers in the camp looked at each other as they watched them leave.

“The Extreme Shadow boss came again.”

“His relationship with the Boss seems to have improved a lot.”

“Is he alone this time? Isn’t the big dog coming? The kitchen squad bought a lot of fresh marrow bones.”

“If only the Boss would agree to recruit war dogs.”

Chi Yao had no idea so many people in Flying Dragon were thinking about the dog at home.

His terminal vibrated; it was a video call from Chun Qin.

“Boss, we’ve set off.”

In the video, Chun Qin was leading Iron Bear onto a warship.

Behind them, patches of rice paddies reflected green light.

Chi Yao: “I remember that was a garden last time I went.”

Iron Bear turned his head and glanced. “Grandpa Jin has already planted rice there. Even the roof of our house is meowing covered in rice.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Chun Qin said gently, “You can’t disdain food.”

Iron Bear blinked innocent eyes. “Oh.”

Chi Yao: “Don’t forget what I told you.”

Chun Qin nodded. “I understand.”

Hanging up the video call, he heard Jing Xi ask, “They all came?”

Chi Yao: “Left a portion behind.”

Originally, Chi Yao didn’t plan to let his subordinates come. They were all modified humans, and accidental exposure would be troublesome.

But Ghost’s people had appeared here.

Although they were failed products, he didn’t think there was only that one batch.

To deal with Ghost, it was more convenient for them, as their own kind, to do it.

Arriving at the artillery tank unit, Lu Meng was squatting in the ruins discussing tactics with a group of subordinates. Looking from afar, the posture was really unsightly.

“He’s been with you for so many years, how come he didn’t learn even half of your elegance?” Chi Yao mocked.

Jing Xi: “Chun Qin has been with you for so many years, how come you didn’t learn even half of her gentleness?”

Chi Yao: “…”

Catching a glimpse of two tall figures approaching from the corner of his eye, Lu Meng looked up and cursed under his breath.

The Boss and Chi Yao actually came together.

“Boss!”

Lu Meng hurried over.

The people below immediately followed to greet them.

Jing Xi glanced ahead. “The previous plan won’t work?”

“No, it’s too strenuous.” Lu Meng smoothed his buzz cut and said irritably, “Bison have thick skin and strong aggression. Fighting a war of attrition consumes too much energy!”

Seeing Jing Xi about to squat down with them to discuss, Chi Yao glanced at the ground full of rubble and metal fragments, and extended his foot.

“Sit on my instep.”

Jing Xi, squatting halfway: “…”

Lu Meng glanced at that foot: “…”

Damn dog food slapped right in the face.

The others stared with bright eyes, daring not to speak.

Chi Yao: “Is a horse stance more comfortable?”

Jing Xi: “…”

He sat down pretending nothing was wrong. “Use the electric net plan. Deploy electric nets in areas where the herd is dense, let them consume part of themselves internally—”

He really sat down.

The instep didn’t hurt, just felt a bit numb.

Chi Yao glanced at Jing Xi’s profile; his ears were red.

This guy, sometimes, was truly obedient in a cute way.

The roar of beasts sounded, and heavy footsteps approached.

Chi Yao looked up and saw several bison breaking through the artillery tank encirclement, rushing fiercely towards them.

“Holy crap, these beasts are so fucking annoying!” Lu Meng cursed, shouting twice into the public channel for them to deal with it immediately.

But just as the muzzles of two nearby artillery tanks turned, after a gunshot cut through the air, a bison suddenly twitched and collapsed to the ground.

Its head was shot through.

Lu Meng’s eyes widened, turning his head in a daze to look. Chi Yao held a purely black pistol, his expression indifferent.

That was a Level 4 bison, with skin so thick it needed artillery tanks to blast, and he killed it with one shot?!

Lu Meng’s subordinates: “!!!”

Were their eyes playing tricks on them?!

To blow open the head of a Level 4 bison, how strong must the recoil of that gun be?!

Did his bones not shatter?

“Not bad.” Chi Yao pulled another magazine from his lower back and quickly reloaded.

Bang!

Another bison fell.

“Armor-piercing rounds work better.” Chi Yao aimed at the remaining one, a headshot. “Can shatter the skull.”

Lu Meng and several subordinates shuddered.

Shattering a skull with one shot—this sound was simply a hundred times more terrifying than the sound of bombing!

As expected of the Extreme Shadow boss.

Truly a ruthless character.

“Does your hand hurt?” Jing Xi raised his hand to stroke Chi Yao’s arm.

Chi Yao shook his wrist. “Not as much as you sitting on my foot.”

Jing Xi: “…”

Lu Meng: “…”

Enough, you two!

Several subordinates: “…?”

Something feels weird.

Lu Meng’s terminal suddenly rang.

Just as he connected, Jin Ze’s shouting came from the other side.

“Old Lu, do you have any manpower left over there?!”

Lu Meng: “It’s a bit tight, how many do you need?”

Jin Ze: “100… no, 50 men plus 10 fighter jets. A herd of bison appeared out of nowhere, I can’t squeeze out any more manpower!”

Lu Meng: “Send the coordinates, setting off immediately!”

Jin Ze: “Thanks!”

Such small-scale deployments on the front line were frequent and didn’t need the commander’s approval.

Jing Xi glanced at the coordinates; it was exactly the direction he was going to visit next.

“I’ll go personally.”

Lu Meng: “Oh—Huh?”

As soon as Jing Xi left with the men, one of the subordinates posted the recorded video to the Legion’s internal group chat.

[[Video] Having my worldview refreshed by the Extreme Shadow boss every day, scary!]

With war raging, all soldiers rested in shifts.

Though called rest, they couldn’t really relax and sleep properly. Everyone paid attention to the group chat activity from time to time, ready at any moment.

As soon as the message went out, notifications beeped incessantly.

[He changed to a new gun again?! Haven’t seen this one.]

[Fuck! I couldn’t kill a Level 4 bison with several cannon shots, I’m depressed.]

[Ordinary people can’t handle his gun; hand bones would shatter.]

[Key is the recoil is so strong, yet he’s so steady! Is he human?!]

[I now believe when he used to say ‘just playing,’ he might have really just been playing.]

[With this kind of strength, being a star pirate is a pity. Wonder if it’s possible to recruit him into the Legion as a consultant [whisper]]

Annoyed by the notification sounds, Lu Meng sat in the artillery tank, glanced casually, and sent a voice message.

“Forget about being a consultant, but being our Boss’s wife still has a chance.”

After the message went out, the entire group went silent.

---

Jing Xi led a group and flew 60 kilometers southwest. Forty or fifty bison were ramming into buildings and rampaging on the roads.

Three streets away, rescue troops were directing civilians onto warships.

Originally, the beast tide wasn’t supposed to reach here for at least another three hours; transferring personnel would have definitely been in time.

But because the herd appeared, civilians fled in panic, significantly increasing the difficulty of rescue.

Jing Xi commanded this group to urgently contain the herd.

Chi Yao dutifully acted as a driver, accompanying his wife around.

The herd was attacked and scattered.

Fighter jets bombed from all angles, dust filling the sky.

Catching a glimpse of something unusual, Chi Yao squinted and looked over.

“Bro Black, help me check if that’s a person over there?”

[Xiao Hei: Scanning—thermal reaction detected—]

So small, a child?

Chi Yao quickly turned to look in the direction of the herd.

An injured Level 3 bison was roaring and charging over, less than a hundred meters from the child’s direction.

Chi Yao frowned.

“Xi-xi, can we land?”

Jing Xi needed a high-altitude perspective to command the battle.

But for Chi Yao to ask this, there must be a reason.

“Yes.”

He released Xiao Lan to fly to high altitude, activated AI synchronized vision, and continued to command.

Chi Yao dove down, blasting the bison away with a cannon shot.

The fighter jet lay across the middle of the road.

Chi Yao unbuckled his safety belt and opened the hatch.

“I’ll be right back, wait for me.”

Jing Xi watched the monitoring feed on the virtual screen.

“Be safe.”

Outside was full of dust. Chi Yao covered his nose and mouth and ran toward the child.

This seemed to be a children’s play area in a residential compound, but the surrounding buildings were severely damaged and collapsed, no longer recognizable.

Chi Yao looked around but didn’t see where the child was.

“Is anyone here? Speak if you hear me!”

[Xiao Hei: Should I use infrared scanning?]

Chi Yao: “Need you ask?”

[Xiao Hei: Asking makes me seem more respectful of you.]

Chi Yao: “…”

The vision in front of him immediately switched to thermal mode.

Chi Yao looked around and finally found the child’s location.

A slide was stuck in front of collapsed rubble, and the four or five-year-old child was stuck in the rocks beneath the slide.

When Chi Yao moved the stones away, the child was covering his mouth, tears already streaming down his face.

The child was startled, but seeing it was a person, he cried out loud and tried hard to reach out.

“Big brother, save me!”

Chi Yao paused, some bad memories surging up.

He steadied himself, moved the stones, and pulled the child out.

“Where is your family?”

“D-don’t know, I… I got separated from Papa, boohoohoo—”

The child cried until hiccupping, helplessly hugging Chi Yao’s neck.

Chi Yao saw that besides dirty clothes, he had no other wounds.

“Did you crawl in there yourself?”

The child nodded between sobs.

Smart enough.

Chi Yao held the child, preparing to return to the fighter jet.

He was only responsible for saving; leaving the rest to Flying Dragon was enough.

“Xuan Xuan!”

A man’s shout came faintly from behind.

Chi Yao turned his head, and the child in his arms was more excited than him.

“Papa, I’m here! I… I’m here boohoohoo—”

“Xuan Xuan!” An omega man ran over anxiously while coughing.

Since the child’s father was here, he could just hand him over.

Chi Yao turned his steps, heading back.

But halfway there, rapid footsteps and roars suddenly came from the road on the right.

In just a moment, a bison rushed out of the intersection, charging straight at the man.

“Papa!”

The omega’s attention was entirely on the child; he had no time to react.

By the time he noticed, the bison was already ten meters away.

Watching the bison’s sharp horns rush in front of him.

He instantly went pale and collapsed to the ground, legs turning to jelly.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, accompanied by the sound of shattering bone.

The omega stared blankly as the bison fell heavily to the ground, its skull cracked open, blood-red matter flowing out from inside.

“Ah—!”

The omega screamed in fright, stomach churning.

“Stop screaming.” Chi Yao walked over, looking cold. “Want to attract other cows too?”

The omega looked up with red eyes.

It was far just now, and he had only focused on the child. Only now did he realize this alpha was extremely tall, with a stern face, holding the child in one hand and a pistol in the other, his aura so menacing it was almost palpable.

The omega blinked hard, unable to hide his astonishment.

This person… is the leader of the Extreme Shadow Star Pirate Group, Chi Yao?!

“What? Don’t want the child anymore?” Chi Yao’s voice was icy and impatient. “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him back.”

“I want him, I want him.”

The omega scrambled up, nearly falling back down because his legs were weak.

“Papa, where did you go?!”

The child threw himself onto the omega, burying his face in his shoulder and crying.

“Sorry.” The omega stroked his head guiltily. “Papa was bad.”

“If you can’t watch a child, don’t have one.”

Chi Yao had a dark face, his tone very poor. “You can never imagine what a lost child will go through.”

Being scolded, the omega felt wronged but knew it wasn’t right to say much to an outsider.

Besides, this person saved his child.

“Thank you.” The omega bowed while holding the child. “I absolutely won’t lose him again.”

The child’s eyes were swollen from crying. He turned to look at Chi Yao and said hoarsely, “Thank you, big brother.”

Chi Yao’s hand hanging by his side clenched and then relaxed. He said indifferently, “Remember to stay close to Papa from now on.”

The child nodded obediently.

Moments later, soldiers wearing Flying Dragon combat uniforms ran over hurriedly.

“Quick, follow me.”

Seeing Chi Yao there too, the soldier greeted him respectfully, “Thank you, Mr. Chi.”

Chi Yao sneered. “And how do you know I saved them?”

The soldier said frankly, “Because you are our Commander’s hus… good friend.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Where did you get ‘good friend’ from?

He and Jing Xi had never once been “good friends.”

The soldier led the omega father and son away.

On the way, the omega asked the soldier, “Are Chi Yao and Major General Jing very close?”

The soldier said proudly, “Of course! Our Boss made Extreme Shadow go straight! They are good people now!”

The omega thought of that shot Chi Yao fired to save him just now, eyes shining.

“Mn! He’s indeed different from my impression.”

Chi Yao, who had been “made to go straight,” was in a bad mood.

His childhood experience was a lifelong pain, even if his memory didn’t contain too many painful fragments.

Walking back absentmindedly, he suddenly heard Jing Xi’s voice from ahead.

“Chi Yao!”

Chi Yao’s eyes flashed, snapping back to reality.

Now wasn’t the time to be down.

“I’m here—Hiss!”

Just a few steps out, Chi Yao slammed headfirst into a wooden pillar jutting out into the road.

“Fuck.”

Embarrassing.

Chi Yao covered his forehead and looked left and right.

Nobody saw that, right?

The dignified leader of the Extreme Shadow Star Pirate Group actually bumping his head while walking.

If this got out, he wouldn’t be able to show his face anymore.

“Is everything resolved on your end?”

Jing Xi heard his voice and hurried over.

He was paying attention to the virtual screen in his vision, listening to Xiao Lan broadcasting the battlefield situation.

Chi Yao looked up, saw Jing Xi multitasking like this, and felt a vague sense of foreboding.

“Hey, watch your hea—”

The next moment, Jing Xi crashed into the wood with a thud.

“Hiss—!”

Jing Xi covered his forehead.

Chi Yao: “…”

Chi Yao: “You saw me hit it and you still hit it, are you stupid?”

Jing Xi defended himself: “I ducked.”

“Still arguing?” Chi Yao walked around, pulled his hand away, revealing a red patch on the fair forehead. “You ducked but couldn’t aim properly?”

Jing Xi: “…”

Chi Yao blew on the red spot. “Pain, pain, fly away—”

Jing Xi: “…”

Are we children?