The silver-masked man in the cage was unconscious, his hands remaining in a beast-like state, unable to return to normal.

Chi Yao fumbled around the area from his jawbone to behind his ear for a moment, then forcefully tore the mask off.

Under the mask was Chen Bingfeng’s slightly haggard face.

“It really is him,” Jing Xi said coldly.

During their first confrontation, he had felt this person was very familiar.

Although the martial arts style was completely different, there were still many similarities in the details.

Li Yuan beckoned for Chun Qin to come over.

“Check him.”

Chun Qin opened the medical kit, took out a syringe, injected it into Chen Bingfeng’s arm, and then placed an instrument on his wrist.

The data on the instrument began to jump wildly, finally stabilizing at a set of values.

Chun Qin: “High-grade product.”

Jing Xi was puzzled: “Can’t physical exams and blood tests detect anomalies?”

“They can,” Chun Qin said softly. “The genetic sequence of modified humans has obvious differences from ordinary people.”

Jing Xi’s face darkened.

Silver Mask’s rank was higher than Red Mask. To reach this level, the modification time wouldn’t be short.

Yet in the military’s annual physicals and the routine checks before and after every expedition, Chen Bingfeng had never shown any abnormalities.

How many people like him were still hidden in the military?

Chi Yao sneered: “Well, saves the effort of finding evidence. But how was he released? What is Pei Zhenyue doing?”

Jing Xi stood up, walked a few steps away, and sent a video call request to Pei Zhenyue.

The video connected quickly, showing Pei Zhenyue in military uniform in the window.

“Xiao Jing, did Chi Yao cause trouble?”

Jing Xi: “…No.”

He felt it was necessary to explain.

Jing Xi said seriously: “Chi Yao looks carefree, but he actually has his own principles in doing things. He is very reliable.”

Pei Zhenyue raised an eyebrow: “He only lets you rely on him, not others.”

Jing Xi: “Mn.”

Pei Zhenyue: “…”

Not even going to be polite about it?

Jing Xi said seriously: “Is Chen Bingfeng still in the detention center?”

This question was subtle. Pei Zhenyue frowned: “Did something happen on the front line?”

Jing Xi countered: “Did he escape?”

Pei Zhenyue was silent for a moment, then said solemnly: “I let him go on purpose.”

Jing Xi nodded: “He is on the front line, appearing as the Ghost Silver Mask.”

Pei Zhenyue’s eyes widened slightly, and the hand resting on the table clenched suddenly.

“Where is he now?”

Jing Xi: “Already captured by Chi Yao.”

In the room, Xiao Hong emitted a notification sound indicating cracking was complete.

[Back up all data?]

Chi Yao: “Backup.”

Xiao Hong: [It only counts if Master says it.]

Chi Yao: “…”

He forcefully pried Xiao Hei out of his terminal and tossed him towards Xiao Hong.

“Brother Black, go get the data from your little brother.”

Xiao Hei: [Rude.]

Chi Yao added: “Go get the data from your little brother gracefully.”

Xiao Hei: […]

As they were speaking, Jing Xi returned from his call, leaning against the table side by side with Chi Yao, watching Chun Qin check item by item.

“The Marshal and Admiral Lin discussed and decided to let him out as bait. Didn’t expect him to cause such a big stir.”

Although they suspected Chen Bingfeng was problematic before, they only thought he was the organization’s insider in the military. They never imagined Chen Bingfeng was actually a modified human and a member of the organization.

Chi Yao sneered: “These two old geezers do things without saying a word.”

Jing Xi: “They probably didn’t expect Chen Bingfeng to make such a big move so quickly either.”

Chi Yao was silent for a moment, then beckoned Xiao Hei to open Chen Bingfeng’s photo album, communications, and message records.

Many windows layered over each other, occupying the entire empty space.

While waiting for Chun Qin’s further examination results, the two split up to check.

“Yao Yao, come look at this.”

A moment later, standing in front of a virtual window, Jing Xi waved to Chi Yao.

Chi Yao walked to his side.

The window showed message records between Chen Bingfeng and someone, indicating the last message was sent two hours ago.

Chi Yao opened this person’s profile.

“This account is fake.”

The Empire paid great attention to cybersecurity. In the vast majority of cases, traces left by citizens online were under real names. Only in specifically permitted anonymous places could real identities be hidden.

Although this account also had real-name authentication, the residential address was on a remote, obscure planet.

“Brother Black,” Chi Yao called Xiao Hei over. “Check this account.”

Judging by the content of this message, this operation wasn’t authorized by that organization but launched by Chen Bingfeng out of personal vendetta.

Which meant Chen Bingfeng’s capture wasn’t within that organization’s anticipation, nor was it likely they prepared in advance.

Jing Xi: “If we’re lucky, we can pull out quite a few people this time.”

Chi Yao thought for a moment and led him outside.

“Chun Qin, this person is still useful, don’t kill him.”

Chun Qin: “I’ll be gentle.”

Jing Xi: “…”

Outside, Jing Xi couldn’t help asking: “Where are we going?”

Chi Yao walked very fast: “Those humanoid beasts must know more than we do.”

Driving to the front line, Chi Yao told Jing Xi about his previous encounter with the humanoid beasts.

Jing Xi was thoughtful: “They hate Ghosts. Is it like the one from 333, because they were abandoned?”

“Their intelligence is obviously higher than the one on 333, and there are many of them. Doesn’t seem like abandonment.”

Chi Yao rested his hand on the steering wheel, weaving through piles of rubble. “More like cultivation.”

Arriving at the front line, Lu Meng was leading the main force to clear the battlefield. Extreme Shadow’s people also stayed to help.

Everything within sight ahead was razed to the ground, filled with smoke and the smell of blood.

Those humanoid beasts kept their promise and really didn’t launch another beast tide.

Jing Xi: “When did you agree to meet them?”

Chi Yao: “Tonight. I’m afraid things might change.”

Seeing them, Lu Meng rushed over.

“It ended suddenly. feels like there’s going to be another wave of counterattacks later.”

He was still a bit dazed.

Even now, he couldn’t figure out what provoked the beasts to actually take their clans back.

Chi Yao: “My people will stay with you for now. Don’t relax your guard tonight.”

Although he was confident those humanoid beasts wouldn’t come looking for trouble, it didn’t mean others wouldn’t.

If that organization had means to control humanoid beasts, they could indirectly control the beast tide launches.

The two briefed their subordinates on both sides, raided the vanguard unit’s armory for supplies, and brought enough tools to head to the meeting place.

Li Yuan followed into the armory.

“Let me go with you. In case those animals turn on you, no matter how strong you are, there are only two of you.”

Chi Yao was about to speak when he glimpsed Chu Xiao looking around not far outside the door, holding a thermos.

“No need, you stay here and recover from your injury.”

Li Yuan pulled up his shirt, patting his firm abs.

“Just a tiny peanut-sized hole, healed long ago!”

Chi Yao lifted his chin towards the door, teasing: “I mean you can bond with your son.”

Li Yuan followed his gaze, seeing the child’s sparkling eyes over there. He ruffled his hair, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

“Scram scram scram.” Chi Yao looked at him with disdain. “Bullying me for not having kids?”

Li Yuan unconsciously glanced at Jing Xi, who was adjusting a military knife handle.

Before he could speak, he heard Jing Xi say faintly: “We can have one if we want.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Chi Yao: “You can give birth?”

Jing Xi looked up at him: “How do you know if we don’t try?”

Chi Yao: “…”

Li Yuan: “…”

Boss, you’re not jumping on that?

After sending Li Yuan away, Fang Liang came too.

“News from the old man says Ghosts within the surveillance area are all active. Tells us to pay more attention here.”

Chi Yao spun his ring, saying deeply: “Tell him to monitor sound wave activity.”

He looked at Jing Xi. Before he could speak, Jing Xi said: “I’ll have them send over the detected sound wave data.”

Chi Yao nodded and said to Fang Liang: “Follow Old Lu tonight. If Ghosts appear, report to me immediately.”

Fang Liang: “Yes sir.”

Driving the hover car to the place where they encountered the Snake King last time, the two got out.

Behind the dense bushes, a group of beast kings were sitting in a circle in the clearing, staring eagerly in their direction.

Chi Yao/Jing Xi: “…”

Even the smallest sparrow among them was over a meter tall.

Chi Yao: “Do you know where you were dumped from?”

The beast kings looked at each other.

Sparrow: “We’ve never left this place.”

Chi Yao thought to himself, as expected.

“Where is the laboratory?”

The one-eyed giant python lowered its head, glaring at him with its remaining green eye.

“What are you going there for?!”

Hands in his pockets, Chi Yao said lazily: “Don’t you want to find all your enemies?”

One-eyed Python: “You’ll help us?”

Chi Yao shook his head: “Coincidentally, they are my enemies too.”

The beast kings couldn’t trust humans, but because Chi Yao could hear them speak, he felt somewhat intimate. After discussing, they reluctantly agreed.

Chi Yao intended to go back to the car, but the Tiger King crouched down.

“Get on, I’ll take you.”

Chi Yao didn’t stand on ceremony, pulling Jing Xi up with him.

Also furry, but tiger fur was thicker than dog fur.

While Chi Yao wasn’t paying attention, Jing Xi quietly reached into the tiger fur to pet it.

“Are you very happy?”

Hearing Chi Yao’s teasing in his ear, Jing Xi paused, reluctant to pull his hand back.

“It’s okay.”

The Tiger King ran bumpily. Chi Yao kept the person secure in front of him.

“You are the only reason I think beast transformation is actually not bad.”

Jing Xi’s eyes flashed. He turned his head to look over, saying seriously: “Even if you had no fur, I’d still like it.”

Chi Yao lowered his head to kiss him, unable to help but chuckle: “Thanks a lot.”

Enjoying the experience of speeding through the forest on a beast king, before their faces were blown stiff by the wind, the Tiger King finally stopped.

This was the coast Chi Yao had visited before. In the distance, a few slowly crawling sea turtles could be seen.

Tiger King: “Before, people from that village over there would come regularly to check on us. Later, we bit them all to death.”

Chi Yao followed its gaze.

Further away than the sea turtles, a cluster of buildings could be seen, looking somewhat old.

Chi Yao signaled it to go over there, but the Tiger King refused.

“There’s a smell there we don’t like!”

A group of beasts shook their heads along with it, indicating they absolutely wouldn’t go.

Chi Yao was helpless: “Then what’s with those turtles?”

One-eyed Python: “Those people put them there to patrol! They aren’t allowed to return to the sea, only given injections!”

Using mutant turtles with extremely high defense as guards, what a great idea.

Pity the people died, but the turtle guards remained.

No wonder those turtles were hungry enough to eat syringes.

Chi Yao jumped off the Tiger King’s back, turned around, and opened his arms to Jing Xi.

“Wife, come, I’ll catch you.”

Jing Xi: “…”

He jumped down neatly and stood firm.

“Let’s go.”

Chi Yao: “…”

The two walked quickly, arriving at the village entrance in just over ten minutes.

Earlier, they thought the houses here were just old, but upon closer inspection, they discovered this place was simply a ghost town.

Roads were covered in moss and unknown plants. Building exteriors were cracked and damaged, windows tottering.

“I checked. This place was attacked by beast swarms seven years ago. Heavy casualties. The survivors all relocated.”

Jing Xi walked beside him, browsing the military system. “I’ll have someone pull up the relocation list.”

Hearing no sound for a while, Jing Xi turned his head, meeting Chi Yao’s gaze. The other was looking at him with a smile.

Jing Xi started: “Is there something on my face?”

Chi Yao put an arm around his shoulder: “It’s really good to have you by my side.”

Many words didn’t need to be spoken. Just a look, or not even a look, and the other would understand.

Following the street inwards, the two looked around as they walked.

Jing Xi: “More convenient than Fang Liang?”

Chi Yao laughed out loud: “Need you ask? How can that kid compare to you?”

Jing Xi nodded slowly: “Fang Liang can only help you handle affairs. I can help you handle other things too.”

Chi Yao: “…”

This old iceberg is getting increasingly improper.

The place wasn’t big. The two looked for the most likely location of the laboratory to investigate first.

820 wasn’t an economically developed planet to begin with, and the Southern Continent was the most backward part of it. The population had negative growth year after year, attracting no outsiders for long-term residence.

For an abandoned village like this, the local government wouldn’t spend manpower and resources to maintain it at all.

The two entered a seven-story building that looked like an ordinary office building.

They went from the first floor to the seventh. Every office had been looted clean, leaving only desks and chairs that couldn’t be taken, and documents and folders scattered all over the floor.

It looked like the evacuation was very hasty back then.

Jing Xi wanted to bend down to pick some up to look, but Chi Yao stopped him, handing over a pair of gloves.

“Dirty.”

Chi Yao woke up Xiao Hei. “Take your two brothers and search this place thoroughly.”

As long as he acted with the other two, Xiao Hei became exceptionally obedient, without a single complaint.

Jing Xi put on gloves, picking up a stack of documents to browse.

They were all fabric order contracts. It seemed this company produced plush toys.

Inside the large office was a smaller office. Chi Yao went in and opened several file cabinet drawers.

Nothing.

Looking around, he was about to leave when he saw the restroom on the right out of the corner of his eye. He paused and walked over.

The restroom was very clean, or rather too clean, like a model room, with absolutely no signs of use.

Although the office had been emptied, the desks and chairs showed signs of use.

He knocked around on the walls. When he knocked on a tile on the inner side, he found it hollow.

Pressing hard on the edge, the wall tile suddenly opened.

Inside the wall cavity, hundreds of syringes were stacked neatly.

Chi Yao took one out to examine, his expression changing.

These syringes were identical to the ones injected into him when he was a child!

Imperial Capital Star, Li Bo paced anxiously in his office.

The terminal had been silent for almost a day.

Gritting his teeth, he opened the communication interface.

A beta in military uniform appeared in the window, a garrison emblem on his collar. The other party looked left and right vigilantly, seeming afraid of being discovered.

“Sir, you—”

Li Bo asked rapidly: “Where is Flying Dragon? Still on 820?”

The uniformed beta lowered his voice: “Still here! Heard the beast tide retreated. If it’s safe tonight, they’ll notify headquarters!”

“Retreated?!” Li Bo frowned tightly. “What about Extreme Shadow?”

“Also here.” The uniformed beta clicked his tongue, tone unable to hide disdain. “Afraid they’re going to be in the limelight again. Don’t understand what the higher-ups are thinking. What good is praising a star pirate group?”

Li Bo clenched his fists until they cracked: “Aside from these, did anything else happen?”

“Flying Dragon won’t let the garrison approach the front line. We are only responsible for rescue logistics, handing out boxed lunches to refugees.”

The uniformed beta said hatefully.

Hanging up the video call, Li Bo felt increasingly uneasy.

He rushed out the door towards Zhao Hongyi’s office.

Zhao Hongyi was approving documents. Seeing him enter, his expression was faint.

“Something the matter?”

Li Bo sat opposite the desk, lowering his voice.

“Sir, have you seen the recent news on the internet?”

The pen in Zhao Hongyi’s hand paused, then he continued approving as if nothing happened.

“Which piece?”

“Flying Dragon forcefully promoting Extreme Shadow must be due to some agreed-upon benefit relationship.” Li Bo gritted his teeth. “Those fence-sitters all follow the wind. If we let them continue manufacturing public opinion, there will be endless trouble!”

Zhao Hongyi didn’t care much: “Trouble?”

Li Bo took a deep breath, voice so low only they could hear.

“Do you know there is a type of person who can transform into a beast form?”

The pen tip tore through the paper. Zhao Hongyi looked at him deeply.

“Human turning into a beast?”

Li Bo leaned forward, looking straight into his eyes.

“I saw Chi Yao’s hand turn into a beast claw—”