Late at night, Jing Xi settled the sleeping Tie Xiong into the guest room next to the bedroom and placed his water ball containing the goldfish on the bedside table.

Not having seen it for a while, this fish had barely changed; it was still a small, goofy little thing.

Back in the bedroom, Chi Yao was on a call with Fang Liang.

Fang Liang: “All the Star Pirate Groups have arrived at 0520. Our people are arranging their activity areas.”

“Mm.”

Noticing Jing Xi enter out of the corner of his eye, Chi Yao waved to him and said to Fang Liang, “Don’t let them near the Seedling Group. Clear out the area behind us for Anbu to settle in temporarily.”

Fang Liang agreed, then, remembering something, hesitated: “The brothers in the group are asking, now that the modified subject matter is exposed, do we have to stay in 0520 forever and can’t go anywhere?”

The combat power of the modified subjects had been fully displayed during this time. But conversely, the greater the difference, the more worried the people of Extreme Shadow became. The Ghosts had already been taken away; would they be next?

After all, modified humans were not natural products; they were taboo existences.

The simplest way for the Empire to handle this was to wipe out everything related to it.

“No, tell them to rest assured.”

Jing Xi stood behind the sofa, looking at Fang Liang on the screen with a serious expression. “The repair agent is already in development, and your boss is personally testing the medicine. I can’t promise you can all recover in the short term, but I guarantee the military won’t give up on any modified human with hope of treatment.”

Fang Liang’s eyes flashed, and he looked at Chi Yao in surprise.

Chi Yao leaned back on the sofa and didn’t deny it: “Even if the military burns bridges after crossing, can’t we run? Haven’t they been unable to do anything to us for so many years?”

Fang Liang rubbed his chin and thought seriously: “True. Put that way, there’s really nothing to worry about.”

Jing Xi: “…”

Chi Yao: “If they really have nothing to do, arrange for daily labor to help the Seedling Group harvest rice.”

Fang Liang rubbed his nose awkwardly: “Asked already. King Jin said they don’t have enough to cut themselves and told us not to interfere.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Where do these people get the energy?

“Then learn to make vinegar.”

Jing Xi chimed in, “No matter how much, I’ll take it all.”

It could pass time and make money; what reason was there to refuse?

Seeing his boss’s subtle expression and fearing he might object, Fang Liang spoke rapidly: “I’ll go arrange the tasks. Goodnight.”

Chi Yao, too late to refuse: “…”

Is my opinion not important?

Jing Xi walked over and sat next to Chi Yao, naturally hugging his waist.

“This actually gave me an inspiration.”

The star pirate circle was not only a potential combat force but also a considerable labor force.

Only letting them participate in military rescue wouldn’t increase income, and relying on military subsidies long-term wasn’t a solution either.

Chi Yao: “I disagree.”

Jing Xi rested his chin on his shoulder: “I haven’t said it yet.”

“You want to turn my home into a vinegar factory?” Chi Yao scoffed. “As soon as your eyes roll, I know what little schemes you’re plotting. No means no.”

Jing Xi straddled him with his long legs: “Yao Yao~”

When the Iron-Blooded Major General became clingy, who could resist?

Chi Yao wavered frantically: “…”

This face looks good no matter how I look at it.

Chi Yao: “Haven’t forgotten our last bet, right?”

Jing Xi’s expression stiffened, and he silently retracted his long legs.

“I still have work to finish.”

Chi Yao grabbed the person trying to escape and pressed him directly into the sofa.

“Whoever wins is on top. Major General, your word counts, right?”

No one was home to disturb them, and matters were mostly handled. He was already on medication; the time, place, and people were right.

Looking at the person looming over him, Jing Xi clearly felt his heart accelerate: “I’m not ready yet.”

Chi Yao pinned his hand down and leaned over to kiss the corner of his mouth.

“We know each other so well. What preparation do you need?”

Being pressed down by another alpha, even his destined partner, inevitably triggered some physiological rejection and fear.

Sensing this, Chi Yao released his wrist and interlaced their fingers.

The atmosphere heated up during the lingering kiss, and both could hear each other’s accelerated heartbeats.

Feeling a subtle anomaly, Jing Xi panted and pulled back slightly, suddenly freezing.

“Yao Yao, your—”

Chi Yao was hot all over, sweat sliding down his temples.

“What?”

Jing Xi raised his hand, touched his head, and chuckled: “Your wolf ears are showing.”

Chi Yao stiffened all over, abruptly touching the top of his head. There really were two strange things!

The furry, soft touch was incredible!

Jing Xi couldn’t stop touching them.

But before he could enjoy it for long, the wolf ears ran away with the person.

Chi Yao rushed into the bathroom. In the mirror, he stared with beastly pupils, the two white wolf ears on his head twitching unconsciously.

What kind of monster is this?!

He turned on the tap, splashed cold water on his face, took a few deep breaths, and forced himself to calm down.

Seeing Jing Xi follow him, Chi Yao subconsciously wanted to avoid him.

“I’ll sleep in Xiong-bao’s room tonight.”

Jing Xi blocked him from leaving and hugged him tightly.

“You’d rather let him touch than me?”

Chi Yao had a headache.

He had thought about accidents happening before, but never thought it would be this awkward when it actually happened.

Jing Xi patted his head and smiled: “Bestialization means your emotions are fluctuating greatly, which shows you have strong feelings for me.”

Chi Yao: “…”

He knew Jing Xi didn’t mind, but he couldn’t get over the hurdle in his own heart.

“I only want you to remember my handsomeness that cracks the sky.”

Hearing the muffled voice in his ear, Jing Xi secretly touched his ear and laughed.

“You are handsome now, handsome when fully bestialized, even more than usual—”

Chi Yao squinted at him: “Hmm?”

Jing Xi swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and said with a wooden face against his conscience: “Still most handsome usually.”

Chi Yao: “Good taste.”

Jing Xi: “…”

Once Chi Yao calmed down, the ears and beast pupils disappeared.

Jing Xi checked the time and, after some thought, video called Qiu Tianlin.

Qiu Tianlin: “Bestialization occurred during intimacy?”

Jing Xi nodded expressionlessly, very frank.

Chi Yao rested his chin on his hand and turned his head away, wishing he could die on the spot.

Qiu Tianlin: “Some instability during medication is normal. As long as you don’t play too wild and lose emotional control, it basically won’t affect daily life.”

Jing Xi: “How long will this last?”

Qiu Tianlin looked at Chi Yao: “Have you injected the second repair agent?”

Chi Yao scowled: “No.”

Qiu Tianlin: “If you don’t use it soon, the effect of the first dose will pass.”

Hanging up the video call, seeing Chi Yao radiating “autistic” energy, Jing Xi sat next to him: “He said it doesn’t affect anything, so—shall we continue?”

Chi Yao: “…”

He pulled Jing Xi to the bedroom, covered themselves with the quilt, and went to sleep.

Jing Xi: “Yao Yao?”

Chi Yao turned off the light and lay down: “This time it was just ears bestializing. What if other parts bestialize next time? What will you do?”

Other parts?

A moment later, Jing Xi realized: “…………”

Chi Yao pulled him into a hug: “Hope there won’t be accidents after the second dose.”

Jing Xi: “…Shouldn’t happen.”

---

Early the next morning, when the two went downstairs, Tie Xiong was already playing wildly with the kittens in the backyard.

Chi Yao rolled up his shirt sleeves and went to the kitchen.

“Are you going to the military headquarters this morning?”

Jing Xi consciously followed in, responsible for brewing coffee.

“Bai Yi is being interrogated today. I promised the Marshal to accompany him to audit.”

Chi Yao’s eyes flashed.

“Can I go?”

Jing Xi fiddled with the coffee machine.

“No. Future trials might not be open to the public either.”

Although Bai Yi committed grave crimes, too many people were involved. To protect the victims, these files might be permanently sealed.

Jing Xi looked at Chi Yao: “But if you want to listen, it’s not impossible.”

At 8:30, Huang Hao and a few colleagues clocked in, talking and laughing as they entered the office building.

“Heard Chi Yao is currently on Capital Star, living at Jing Xi’s place,” a young beta colonel said.

Speaking of him, Huang Hao grinned: “Didn’t I post a video of his mecha combat? Unexpectedly gained over a hundred million followers. That kid could debut in center position, right?”

“That’s not the most important part,” another alpha major general said. “He managed to tame the entire star pirate circle. I respect him for that.”

Huang Hao scoffed: “More than just the star pirate circle, even the military is submissive to him.”

The alpha major general punched him, laughing and scolding: “If General Zhao hears you say that, it’s another ten-thousand-word self-reflection.”

Amidst the banter, another person entered the main gate.

At this time, most people were already in the office. Who could be later than them?

Huang Hao turned to look; it was actually Jing Xi.

He immediately abandoned his companions and rushed over: “Boss, so late today? Chi Yao living at home must be troublesome, right?”

“Jing Xi” gave him an indifferent look, brushed back the long hair on his shoulder, and smiled lazily: “He’s too cute. How could he be trouble?”

Huang Hao: “…”

The other two officers: “…”

Today’s Jing Xi… seems a bit off somewhere?

But that smile is so beautiful!

Before reaching the office, they ran into Pei Zhenyue passing by.

Pei Zhenyue: “Let’s go, to the hearing.”

Huang Hao, following alongside, heard this and wanted to go too.

Pei Zhenyue refused flatly: “Non-relevant personnel cannot participate for now.”

Huang Hao: “…Oh.”

The interrogation room was in a separate building, heavily guarded inside and out.

Chi Yao, wearing Jing Xi’s skin, followed Pei Zhenyue into the observation room. Through the specially treated one-way glass, they could clearly see the situation in the interrogation room next door.

Not seen for a few days, Bai Yi was much more haggard. The refined gentleness from before had completely vanished, leaving only a gloomy decadence.

For half an hour, no matter what the interrogator asked, he didn’t even open his mouth.

Chi Yao stood up with a cold face: “Pause for now. I want to say a few words to him.”

Pei Zhenyue frowned: “What do you want to say to him?”

Chi Yao turned and walked out: “Don’t worry, won’t kill him.”

Pei Zhenyue: “…”

Why does that sound weird?

Continuing the interrogation this way was inefficient. Pei Zhenyue pressed the pause button on the console, stood up, and followed him out.

The interrogation paused midway, and Bai Yi was placed in a nearby separate cell. The four walls were ultra-thick bulletproof metal, containing nothing but a chair.

He paused at the door for a moment, then slowly walked to the chair and sat down.

Just as he sat, the door opened again.

Bai Yi looked up; it was Jing Xi.

“You have no right to interrogate me.”

Chi Yao closed the door behind him, tilted his head to look at him, and curled his lips.

“If I don’t have the right, who does?”

Seeing this cold smile, Bai Yi’s spine stiffened.

“You aren’t Jing Xi. Who are you?!”

Chi Yao walked over unhurriedly.

“Hei-ge, cut the surveillance here.”

A mechanical voice sounded in the space.

“Cutting network—shielded.”

Xiao Hei: 【Actually didn’t.】

Chi Yao: “…”

Pei Zhenyue, locked outside and forced into the monitoring room: “…”

Why does this trick look so familiar?

Chi Yao stopped three steps away from him.

“Now it’s just the two of us here. I only want to know the answers to a few questions. Answer me honestly, and you can suffer less physical pain.”

Bai Yi looked up at him and smiled.

“You dare not touch m—ugh!”

Bang!

Before he could finish, severe pain struck Bai Yi’s face, and a massive force knocked him to the ground.

Chi Yao flexed his fingers and rubbed his wrist.

“I said, it’s just the two of us here.”

Bai Yi was dazed by the hit, feeling like someone had stomped on his face. His entire face burned with pain.

“Daring to use lynching, do you want to be expelled from the military?!”

“Expel me then, doesn’t matter anyway.”

Chi Yao bent down, grabbed his collar, lifted him up, and lowered his voice. “This isn’t my body anyway.”

Bai Yi’s eyes widened, horrified instantly.

“You, y-you—what did you say?!”

Chi Yao: “Remember how I was caught by your people and taken to Research Base 810?”

Bai Yi’s pupils quaked.

“Stop acting!”

“Acting?” Chi Yao smiled. “Researched for so many years, yet you haven’t figured out your own creations?”

Bai Yi struggled free from his grip, hit the back of his knees on the chair, and slumped down.

“Tricks to extract information. Do you really think I’ll take the bait?!”

Chi Yao walked slowly around the chair.

“Do you know what it feels like to extract a beast cub from a human belly?”

Bai Yi gritted his teeth, his face dark, ignoring him.

Chi Yao waved his hand, swiped his finger, and two photos popped up in mid-air.

“This is the wolf I cut out six years ago. This is the fish just cut out last year. Others either died in the womb or were dug out by your people for research.”

Bai Yi subconsciously glanced at the photos and turned pale.

He had seen plenty of bloody scenes, but these two photos caused him extreme physiological discomfort.

In the photo, a naked person hung in mid-air, a large hole in their belly spilling intestines. A wolf cub connected by a human umbilical cord was held in a bloodstained hand, looking fragile enough to shatter at a touch.

Bai Yi took only a cursory glance and turned his head, unwilling to look again.

Chi Yao walked behind the chair, pressed his palm on the top of Bai Yi’s head, and forced him to face the photos.

“Look! Appreciate your masterpiece.”

“Let me go!”

Bai Yi tried to pry his hand away but had his wrist seized.

Crack.

“Ugh—!”

Severe pain from his wrist made Bai Yi sweat profusely in an instant.

Chi Yao threw off his hand, swiped his finger, and photos played one by one.

“This person’s legs were eaten to the bone by beasts, but the next day he still had to go hunting in the forest. Because if he didn’t meet the quota, he would die. He said his children at home were small, waiting for him to earn money and return. But when he was found the next day, only his head remained—”

“Children in the colosseum being gnawed by hunting dogs. Look at the audience in the stands cheering and shouting—”

“This child with a harelip, covered in fur, happily went on a graduation trip with classmates, but never returned—”

“You’ve seen this monster patched together like a rag doll, right? Crying while hiding in a cave, unable to control the instinct to eat frantically, finally exploding before my eyes—”

…

After viewing dozens of photos.

Chi Yao explained one by one, his voice soft and emotionless, yet Bai Yi shuddered listening to it.

He indeed hadn’t seen many of these things. He never wanted the process, only the result.

Before seeing these things, he always believed sacrifice was necessary to achieve the goal.

He just didn’t expect that when these “sacrifices” were laid out in front of him, they would be so terrifying.

Chi Yao smiled: “Is this hell as you wished?”

Bai Yi gripped the armrests tightly, gritting his teeth: “Do you really think everything is under my control?”

Chi Yao scoffed: “Do you really think pretending not to know makes it as if it never happened?”

Bai Yi: “I didn’t!”

He roared hysterically, veins popping on his neck and forehead. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know!”

“You didn’t know?”

Chi Yao let go of him, circled the chair, and stood in front of him. “When you ordered the fusion of human and beast genes in living bodies, all this was destined. Why didn’t you take Bai family members for experiments? Ask yourself, did you really not foresee these results?”

Bai Yi panted heavily, sweat dripping one by one onto the floor in front of the chair.

“I thought about remedying it—but it was too late!”

Chi Yao laughed out loud, his eyes icy.

“Your so-called remedy was creating stronger modified humans to clean up the previous mess. That’s a remedy?”

“Bai Yi, dying ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough for you.”

Bai Yi looked up, face full of sweat, eyes red.

“You are Chi Yao?”

Chi Yao didn’t answer.

“Since Bo Jin was modified from childhood and raised by you personally, why kill him?”

Intense mental exhaustion left Bai Yi somewhat drained.

He leaned back against the chair, spine curved.

“I intended to use him to suppress and check the Jing family. But somewhere, something went wrong. His relationship with Jing Shen got better and better, disobeying my orders from the organization several times.”

Bai Yi stared blankly at an empty corner. “Disobedient pawns, of course, must be discarded.”

Speaking of this, he looked at Chi Yao: “Since you treat me as an enemy, I’m right here. If you want to kill me, do it.”

Chi Yao laughed, as if hearing a very funny joke.

“The greatest punishment for someone like you isn’t killing you, but stripping away everything you schemed to get. You, the Bai family, will completely disappear from the Empire after this.”

Bai Yi slapped the armrest, eyes fierce: “My family knows nothing about these things!”

Chi Yao: “What end they meet depends on your performance.”

At this moment, Pei Zhenyue’s voice suddenly rang in the room.

“Xiao Jing, that’s enough. Come out.”

Bai Yi was startled, eyes wide.

“You! Didn’t you say the network was cut?!”

Chi Yao: “Just saying. Why so serious?”

After the stimulation and then anger, blood rushed up, and Bai Yi almost fainted.

When Chi Yao reached the door, it opened from the outside.

Chi Yao exchanged a glance with Pei Zhenyue standing outside and walked out silently.

Pei Zhenyue closed the door, his mood extremely complex.

He was also seeing those photos and videos for the first time today.

Many things were one thing to imagine, another to see with one’s own eyes.

In the room, no one spoke for a long time, only the sound of Pei Zhenyue and Bai Yi’s breathing remained.

“Old Pei.”

After a long time, Bai Yi spoke, his voice hoarse and choked. “If I say the initial research on gene fusion was to develop stronger prosthetics so injured soldiers could return to the battlefield, would you believe me?”

Pei Zhenyue stood with his hands behind his back, silently looking at him.

From the evidence currently gathered, research on modified subjects could be traced back to 46 years ago. At that time, Bai Yi wasn’t even thirty, an age full of ambition and aspiration for the future.

“I believe you.”

After a while, Pei Zhenyue whispered, “When I was young, I also thought about improving prosthetics, but I didn’t have as bold an idea as you.”

“Scientific research always has many accidents.”

Bai Yi smiled bitterly. “I didn’t expect such accidents could bring me so much profit. I gradually lost myself—”

---

Chi Yao sat in the monitoring room, listening to Bai Yi’s narration in the cell, his heart heavy.

【Yao Yao, is the interrogation over?】

Jing Xi’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind, and Chi Yao snapped back to reality.

【Almost.】

Jing Xi sat on the carpet in his living room, covered in kittens, feeding Yao Yao.

The kittens treated him completely as a climbing frame.

Jing Xi: 【Is he willing to talk?】

Chi Yao: 【Is there a mouth I can’t pry open?】

Jing Xi chuckled: 【Not many people can outplay you.】

Seeing Pei Zhenyue walking out in the monitor, Chi Yao stood up.

【Talk to you at home.】

Walking out of the interrogation room, Pei Zhenyue sighed deeply.

“People, really cannot make mistakes.”

Thinking of what he heard in the monitoring room, he glanced at “Jing Xi” beside him.

The other party still had that face and that figure, but his walking posture and expression were more relaxed than usual.

“Are you really Chi Yao?” Pei Zhenyue asked.

Chi Yao glanced over, looking impatient: “What do you think?”

Pei Zhenyue: “You are.”

Just based on this expression and tone. That kid Jing Xi might be a bit bad, but he never talked like this.

Pei Zhenyue suddenly recalled something.

“You, did you also—before—”

Chi Yao hooked his tie and loosened it a bit.

“Leave the rest to you guys. I’m going home.”

Pei Zhenyue checked the time; there was still over an hour before getting off work.

“Not off work yet.”

Chi Yao looked over: “I’m not your employee.”

Pei Zhenyue: “…”

Makes sense, but feels incorrect somehow.

Chi Yao scoffed: “Want me to work? Can you afford me?”

Pei Zhenyue: “…”