At the same time he heard the sound, Chi Yao moved quickly towards Jing Xi.

Bang!

A loud noise came from the hatch connecting to the passenger cabin. Sharp claws pierced through the metal, instantly crushing the hatch.

The protruding claws were less than a meter away from Jing Xi’s back.

“Xixi—!”

Everything happened in an instant. Just as Jing Xi prepared to dodge, he was pulled aside by Chi Yao.

“Are you okay?” Chi Yao asked urgently.

From his angle, the huge claws looked like they were going to pierce right through Jing Xi.

Jing Xi steadied himself and shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

Four or five claws, several meters long, squeezed frantically from the passenger cabin.

Chi Yao looked at Bai Yi, his eyes cold: “You go catch him, I’ll deal with these.”

But before Jing Xi could speak, movement also came from the hatch Chi Yao had blasted open earlier.

A group of beastmen surrounded them from the outside, baring their teeth and glaring ferociously.

“Roar—!”

Chi Yao and Jing Xi stood back-to-back. With a slight movement of Chi Yao’s finger, Xiao Hei quickly transformed into long blade mode.

“Let Xiao Hong shield the sonic waves.”

Just after speaking, he heard the sound of sharp blades piercing scales and the screams of beastmen behind him.

Chi Yao turned to look.

Jing Xi held the blade with both hands, blood dripping from the edge. A beastman lay at his feet, dead or alive unknown.

This scene reminded him of the time Jing Xi went berserk in Cave 333.

【Sound waves in this frequency range cause relatively low harm to humans, but may trigger emotional fluctuations and pheromone agitation.】

Xiao Hei’s voice rang in Chi Yao’s mind.

Jing Xi turned his head and gave him an indifferent look.

“There might be far more than just these few.”

As he spoke, he slashed another beastman’s throat.

Chi Yao unconsciously bobbed his Adam’s apple: “…”

So brutal.

So likable, woo woo woo—

Xiao Hei: 【Stop fangirling, watch your back!】

Chi Yao sidestepped a beastman’s claws, reverse-gripped the long blade to stab behind him, and didn’t forget to take a picture of Jing Xi.

Xiao Hei: 【Taking pictures at a time like this, heh.】

Chi Yao: 【Is killing more important than taking pictures?】

Xiao Hei: 【…】

Beastmen kept pouring in, and the two were quickly swamped.

Seeing this, Bai Yi circled around the tail of the aircraft, weaving through the rows of escape pods, intending to leave through the exit on the other side.

Chi Yao kicked away a heavily injured beastman and saw Bai Yi fleeing through a gap. But there were too many beastmen surrounding them; he couldn’t spare a hand.

“Old man!”

He shouted in Bo Jin’s direction, “Not asleep, are you?”

Bo Jin: “…”

Old man?

With a exert of force in his hand.

Crack.

A beastman’s neck was snapped.

He narrowed his eyes at Bai Yi, his gaze sweeping over the nearest exit. When a beastman attacked, he threw the corpse in his hand, vaulted onto the shell of an escape pod, and quickly chased in Bai Yi’s direction.

Beastman corpses piled up, blood splattered everywhere.

The heavy scent of blood permeated the escape bay. Combined with the sonic waves emitted by the beastmen, Jing Xi felt extremely uncomfortable, unable to calm his surging pheromones.

Smelling alcohol, Chi Yao knew Jing Xi wasn’t in good shape.

Xiao Hong’s voice transmitted to his brain through the connection with Xiao Hei.

【Master, scanning shows over 90% of the warship is occupied by beastmen. Damage ratio is 10%. If this continues, it may trigger multiple explosions and the warship will disintegrate.】

Another wave of beastmen rushed into the escape bay, like an endless gauntlet.

Chi Yao scanned the mass of beastmen in the cabin and abruptly released his pheromones.

Ordinary alpha pheromones could only suppress alphas with lower pheromone levels. But because he had beast genes, it also had a strong suppressing effect on beastmen, regardless of gender.

The beastmen, who were baring their fangs and brandishing their claws just moments ago, fell to their knees one after another, their faces twisted as if enduring excruciating torture.

As the spicy, cold scent of alcohol spread, Jing Xi’s irritable mood instantly calmed a lot.

He looked at Chi Yao with surprise: “Don’t use pheromones—”

Every time Chi Yao used pheromones, his body would undergo varying degrees of bestialization.

Although they didn’t know enough about bestialization yet, in Jing Xi’s view, every bestialization was like an “activation.” Once activated to a certain extent, the human part would be lost forever.

“I know what I’m doing.”

Chi Yao walked over and held his hand. “Better?”

Jing Xi wanted to nod, but meeting his concerned gaze, he said honestly: “I can endure it.”

Chi Yao frowned.

There were beastmen everywhere. Even with Xiao Hong, being affected was inevitable.

If only we could swap bodies right now.

As soon as this thought flashed by, Chi Yao’s heart suddenly thumped heavily.

His eyes widened slightly.

This feeling—so familiar.

“Yao Yao, something’s wrong.”

Jing Xi clutched his chest, speaking with difficulty.

Before Chi Yao could reply, his vision blurred, and he saw himself in front of him.

Chi Yao: “…”

Jing Xi looked at him confusedly: “We—swapped again?”

The sudden swap interrupted the pheromone release, and a few thick-skinned beastmen struggled to rush towards them again.

Chi Yao flew over with his blade, pinning a beastman directly to the wall.

“Xiao Lan, come back.”

Xiao Lan silently turned into a small ball, wobble-flying back, complaining: 【You’re too violent, I don’t like you.】

Chi Yao: “Oh, I don’t like you either.”

Xiao Lan: 【…】

Having not used Jing Xi’s body for a long time, Chi Yao moved his joints, feeling refreshed physically and mentally.

“Xixi, is it better using my body?”

Jing Xi paused, immediately understanding the implications.

“Don’t use power lightly for such small matters.”

Chi Yao smiled: “Protecting my partner, how is that a small matter?”

The surrounding beastmen gradually climbed up from the ground. Jing Xi swept a cold glance over them.

“Fine. I’ll keep your body safe, save you from using it recklessly.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Having suffered a heavy blow once, the beastmen’s attack power weakened considerably.

Before long, the two finished off this wave of beastmen and broke out of the encirclement.

“Where is Major General Bo?” Jing Xi asked.

Chi Yao looked over.

The hatch over there was open; Bo Jin and Bai Yi were nowhere to be seen.

Chi Yao looked to the other side; more beastmen were entering.

“You go find them. I’ll head to the main cabin. Meet me there after you find them.”

Before Jing Xi could speak, Chi Yao had already gone to meet the enemy. He gritted his teeth and turned to chase Bo Jin.

The short circuit caused all the lights in the metal corridor to go out, making it dim and deep.

Ahead was the hangar bay. Bai Yi turned his head, saw Bo Jin chasing up again, and beckoned nearby beastmen to deal with him.

Besides the escape pods, the hangar bay also housed spare fighter jets and mechas.

Bai Yi ran until he was dizzy, gasping for breath.

After a burst of screams behind him, footsteps approached again. Bai Yi slapped open the hatch, and several beast roars came from inside.

“Kill him for me, quickly!”

Bai Yi pointed at Bo Jin and ordered the beastmen.

The beastmen inside immediately rushed towards the door.

Bai Yi quickly walked in. The fighter jet was right in front of him. Turning to meet Bo Jin’s surprised gaze, the corners of his lips raised, revealing a smile of imminent victory.

“Watch out!”

A gust of wind came by his ear. The alertness cultivated over years on the battlefield made Bai Yi dodge without thinking.

His arm felt cold, and severe pain quickly spread through his body.

“Ugh—!”

Bai Yi clutched his pierced upper arm, stumbling two steps to the side. Seeing the bloodstained claws of the beastman, he shouted sternly: “I told you to deal with him, not me!”

“Roar—!”

The beastmen locked their eyes on him, low growls constantly emitting from their throats.

“Go kill him! What are you looking at me for?!”

Bai Yi roared, backing away warily.

Suddenly, a beastman leaped at him.

Bai Yi quickly drew his gun, but the movement pulled at the wound on his arm.

“Hiss—!”

Watching the beastman’s claws thrusting before his eyes, Bai Yi’s pupils constricted.

The next moment, he heard the beastman scream and fall to the ground.

Bai Yi looked at Bo Jin. After a moment of astonishment, he aimed his gun at Bo Jin’s brow.

Bang!

“Ah—!”

Bai Yi clutched his shot-through wrist and slumped to the ground.

Bo Jin gave him an indifferent look, turned to deal with the other beastmen, his voice cold.

“Marksmanship, you have never beaten me, even though you taught me.”

Bai Yi’s left hand was pierced, his right wrist shot through; both hands were useless.

Blood loss made his face pale, waves of chill washing over him.

“Pity, I raised an ingrate!”

Bo Jin hooked a beastman’s neck, pressed the muzzle to its temple, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

“You forgot, I was originally a wolf.”

Bai Yi choked, angry and in pain, almost fainting.

A beastman pounced at Bo Jin’s back; Bai Yi’s eyes flashed.

But before the claws touched the person, it was beheaded by a blade.

“Are you alright?” Jing Xi flicked the blood off the blade and looked at Bo Jin.

Bo Jin froze: “N-No problem.”

Must have misheard just now.

How could my son call me “old man”?

After dealing with all the beastmen, Jing Xi looked at Bai Yi sitting on the ground.

“If you didn’t run, you wouldn’t have to suffer this.”

Bai Yi panted, his voice lacking confidence.

“If they hadn’t mistaken their target—”

“They didn’t mistake their target.”

Jing Xi interrupted him. “Do you think you are prey or master in their eyes?”

Bai Yi’s face stiffened, and he looked away.

Jing Xi wanted to take out restraints to cuff him, but reaching for his lower back, he realized this was Chi Yao’s body.

While he was dazed, Bo Jin stepped past him, lifted Bai Yi up, and cuffed his hands.

“Let’s go, meet up with him.”

Jing Xi nodded.

---

On the other side, without Jing Xi around, Chi Yao had no worries and let himself go completely.

Although the sound waves had some effect, this level of irritability was not worth mentioning to him.

Fighting from the escape bay to the main cabin took only a short fifteen minutes.

“Boss!”

Jiang Feng, covered in blood, came out of a side path with a team.

Chi Yao sized him up.

“Injured?”

Jiang Feng shook his head: “It’s beastman blood. With Extreme Shadow helping us, the clearing went smoothly.”

Suddenly, the warship shook violently.

Xiao Hong’s voice sounded in Chi Yao’s mind.

【Master—Madam, engine failure. Emergency backup engine activated. Temperature in the energy bay is rising rapidly. checking system logs; cause currently unknown.】

Chi Yao strode into the main cabin.

Everywhere he looked were severed limbs.

If Extreme Shadow and Flying Dragon people weren’t injured, then these could only be the ones Bai Yi brought out.

Chi Yao, with a cold face, stepped through the blood toward the console.

More than half of the controls were severely damaged; there was nowhere to even start checking the situation.

Xiao Hong: 【With this temperature rising trend, if it doesn’t come down, it will explode within ten minutes.】

Chi Yao looked at the battered console, getting a headache.

Evacuating within ten minutes wasn’t hard for them, but he couldn’t rule out the presence of others on the warship.

【Xixi, are you done over there?】

Jing Xi was walking Bai Yi toward the main cabin with Bo Jin.

Suddenly hearing Chi Yao’s voice in his head, he replied.

【On the way.】

Bo Jin sized him up out of the corner of his eye, stopping himself from speaking for the nth time.

Suddenly seeing Chi Yao sway, he quickly asked: “What’s wrong?”

Chi Yao shook his head, looked around, and upon seeing Bo Jin, couldn’t hide his disdain.

“Just fine.”

Bo Jin: “…”

Why is this child’s personality so unpredictable?

Chi Yao looked at the blood-covered Bai Yi and sneered.

“It’s truly a miracle you’ve lived till now.”

Bai Yi huffed coldly, his voice weak.

“Think everything’s fine just because you caught me? Heh—too late. If you don’t let me have it easy, I won’t let you have it easy either—”

“Won’t let us have it easy?”

Chi Yao smiled. “Are you referring to the ghosts mixed into the garrison, or the phantoms ambushing the major planets?”

Bai Yi raised his eyes, only to hear him say faintly: “You hid people too deep; indeed, it was hard for us to control them all. But your escape exposed everyone to us. Thank you.”

Seeing Bai Yi’s expression of disbelief, Chi Yao’s smile deepened.

“Why do you think you could escape the dragnet of the Imperial Capital Star? With just your meager ability?”

Seeing his expression, Bai Yi guessed he might have fallen into a trap. His face lost all color, aging instantly.

When they reached the main cabin, Chi Yao walked in first.

“Xixi, how is it?”

“Temperature’s down.”

Jing Xi said to Chi Yao standing beside him, “But too many parts of the warship are damaged. It’s safer to evacuate early.”

Escorting Bai Yi, Chi Yao was afraid of issues, so he let Fang Liang and the others return to the Extreme Shadow warship first, while he followed onto the Flying Dragon warship. Bo Jin also followed.

Back in the command cabin, Jing Xi immediately reported the mission progress to Pei Zhenyue and Lin Chengde.

Looking at Lin Chengde’s holographic projection, Bai Yi’s eyelid twitched.

“It’s you?”

Lin Chengde looked over.

Bai Yi was settled in a corner being bandaged and treated, but his spirit was very low.

“Didn’t expect that when we met again after so many years, our positions would be like this.”

Bai Yi scoffed: “Since I lost, I have nothing to say.”

Does this look like admitting defeat?

Lin Chengde took an extra look, opened the holographic map, and deliberately said to Pei Zhenyue: “All areas with abnormal movements have been controlled. I plan to settle this group of people nearby. Which planet do you think is suitable?”

Bai Yi’s expression changed, and he looked up sharply.

On the magnified real-time monitor, besides Flying Dragon, Extreme Shadow, and Xuanwu, another very large army had arrived, controlling all the supporting Ghosts and garrison troops.

This is Anbu’s army?

Bai Yi’s heart pounded.

Why?

The four of them had been competing for half their lives. When exactly did Pei Zhenyue and Lin Chengde start cooperating? Why could they trust each other?!

This thought flashed through his mind, and Lin Chengde’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

“Bad boy, I’m going to escort this group for settlement. You take charge of the remaining Anbu personnel for now.”

Chi Yao leaned against the table with arms crossed, not buying it at all: “Manage your own people; I don’t have time.”

Lin Chengde opened his mouth, suddenly thought of something, pointed at Jing Xi and said: “The battlefield still needs support. Don’t you want to share the burden with Xiao Jing? Sharing requires manpower. Be obedient.”

Chi Yao laughed in anger, gritting his teeth: “You really took great pains just to dump this mess on me.”

Lin Chengde grinned: “You flatter me. Then it’s settled.”

While they were talking, Pei Zhenyue was discussing the wrap-up work with Jing Xi.

Pei Zhenyue: “High-risk areas are cleared to zero, but the war isn’t over. What’s your plan?”

Jing Xi: “Flying Dragon needs maintenance. Equipment and energy need resupply.”

Pei Zhenyue: “No problem. Send the list over, I’ll have people prepare it immediately.”

Bai Yi watched them, his gaze shifting back and forth between Chi Yao and Jing Xi, suddenly understanding something.

Chi Yao and Jing Xi were like two twisted hemp ropes, binding Pei Zhenyue and Lin Chengde together. They didn’t trust each other; they trusted the people they valued.

He always thought the four of them could never trust each other. He never thought any of them would be willing to share resources with the other three. This was why he failed.

Pei Zhenyue looked at Bo Jin.

“What are Xuanwu Legion’s plans? Continue supporting the battlefield, can you hold on?”

Bo Jin’s gaze swept over Bai Yi, and he nodded.

“No problem.”

Pei Zhenyue opened his mouth but eventually swallowed what he wanted to say.

“Let’s talk about everything after the war ends.”

After three hours of aftermath work, Anbu escorted all the Ghosts and rebel garrison troops away. Because some people needed to stay to support the battlefield, Bo Jin led the Xuanwu Legion to escort them.

Before leaving, Bo Jin looked at Chi Yao and whispered: “When I come back, I’ll take you to see your dad.”

Chi Yao’s eyes flashed, and his fingertips curled.

He pretended to be calm and agreed: “Mm.”

Seeing Bo Jin not leaving for a long time, Chi Yao: “Anything else?”

Bo Jin hesitated: “Do you have split personality?”

Chi Yao: “…”

---

After everyone left, Chi Yao returned to the command cabin.

The Ying Weiwas surrounded by a group of soldiers, taking turns being fed marrow bones.

Seeing the dog half-closing its eyes in enjoyment, Chi Yao’s hands itched.

Jing Xi walked over: “Let’s go, let’s go rest for a while too.”

Chi Yao: “Tell your people not to spoil my dog. If they ruin him, I’ll settle accounts with them.”

Jing Xi pulled him out, chuckling lightly.

“Ying Weihelped them kill many beastmen; it’s right for them to thank him.”

Chi Yao: “Why don’t I see them thanking me?”

Jing Xi turned to look at him: “Isn’t me thanking you personally enough?”

Chi Yao’s lips curled up: “Thank with what?”

The rest cabin door opened, and Jing Xi pressed him against the door.

“How do you want me to thank you?”

Once you’ve tasted meat, you can never go back to being vegetarian.

Chi Yao kissed the person all the way to the bedroom, this sentence flashing through his mind.

But going further… they couldn’t continue.

The two competed on the bed, neither willing to yield. Rolling around, it turned into a fight.

All passion was consumed in the fight. Both lay down, and after a moment, laughed simultaneously.

“I seem to remember someone saying they wanted to thank me?” Chi Yao said.

Jing Xi turned to look at him: “Sparring with you?”

Chi Yao laughed out loud: “Other couples are lovey-dovey; we are life-and-death struggle?”

Jing Xi: “If you don’t resist, we can be lovey-dovey too.”

Chi Yao: “…”

On the issue of top and bottom, neither was willing to yield.

Finally, Chi Yao said: “How about this? Let’s decide top and bottom based on the planets rescued this time. Whoever saves more is on top.”

Jing Xi: “Deal.”