The next day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Chi Yao’s consciousness returned.

One of the protective suits hanging on the bamboo pole had been moved by someone to a branch on the other side, just enough to block the wind for him.

The people from the casino either didn’t find them or didn’t even chase them. It was a peaceful night.

“If you’re awake, get up.”

Jing Xi’s voice came from behind. He was sitting under a tree. He tilted his head to look, and a few wild fruits were thrown at him.

Why was he suddenly being so nice to him?

Chi Yao said lazily, “Your people haven’t arrived yet?”

Jing Xi: “They’re here.”

Just as he finished speaking, a low roar was faintly heard from the sky.

It was the Flying Dragon’s rescue plane.

Chi Yao took a bite of the wild fruit. It was so sour he questioned his life.

“It’s not sour to you?”

Jing Xi’s hand holding the fruit tightened. He said nonchalantly, “It’s not sour.”

He just thought his rival had gotten better, and now he was getting revenge with that fruit?

Chi Yao snatched the fruit that he had bitten from Jing Xi’s hand, flipped it over, and took a bite.

“Damn it!”

He used his greatest endurance to control his expression.

The one in the other person’s hand was even more sour than his!

Jing Xi observed his expression calmly and asked tentatively, “You don’t like sour things?”

Chi Yao threw the fruit away. “Is this thing for humans to eat?”

The sourness of this fruit was less than half of that of edible vinegar.

Jing Xi’s hand hanging by his side curled up, but his face remained expressionless.

“Let’s go together?”

“Forget it.” Chi Yao sneered. “I’m afraid you’ll throw me into a prison cell.”

“…”

Jing Xi: “Then how will you get back?”

Chi Yao looked at him, his expression subtle. “You’re so concerned about me getting back?”

Jing Xi avoided his gaze. “You have too many cases on you. It would be too cheap for you to freeze to death on this island.”

Chi Yao: “…”

The rescue plane landed, the door opened, and Lu Meng poked his head out.

“Major General, over here!”

After shouting, he noticed someone else next to his Major General.

He looked closely and saw, holy crap, it was Chi Yao!

Lu Meng immediately turned around to get his weapon.

Seeing that Chi Yao had no intention of leaving with him, Jing Xi took a few steps, stopped, and explained, “I haven’t investigated this matter yet. I won’t arrest you.”

Chi Yao crossed his arms and leaned against a tree trunk, waving lazily at him.

“I’m not used to riding in an enemy’s warplane.”

Jing Xi opened his mouth but didn’t say anything in the end. He stepped onto the warplane using the door.

“Major General, step back!” Lu Meng took out a heavy machine gun and set it up at the doorway. If Chi Yao dared to act up, he would fight him to the death.

Jing Xi: “Are you going to use this gun to turn him into a sieve?”

Lu Meng touched his crew cut, a little confused.

“But he’s too powerful. Ordinary weapons can’t handle him.”

“Put the gun away,” Jing Xi said, walking inside, his voice very calm.

Lu Meng: “But Chi Yao—”

Jing Xi glanced at the surveillance screen. Chi Yao was still standing there, smiling and waving at him.

He looked away. “He didn’t do anything wrong today. Let him be.”

Lu Meng: “…”

After Jing Xi went inside, Lu Meng belatedly realized.

Could it be that the Major General and Chi Yao spent the night on this isolated island?!

They were both Alphas and rivals. How come they didn’t have a single scratch on them?

This was unbelievable.

He carried the gun and followed happily, but he saw Jing Xi sitting in the main seat, staring at the table, as if he was—daydreaming?

Lu Meng observed for a moment and then asked carefully, “Major General, if you’re too tired, you should rest.”

Hearing his voice, Jing Xi came back to his senses and rubbed his forehead, looking a little tired.

“Scan the entire sea area. Report any situation to me immediately.”

Lu Meng was stunned. “Is there something in the sea?”

Jing Xi: “A city.”

Lu Meng: “!”

After Lu Meng left, the whole space became quiet.

Jing Xi’s mind replayed Chi Yao’s expression when he ate the fruit over and over again.

After talking to Chi Yao last night, he suddenly recalled a detail about that person.

That person couldn’t eat sour things. Even a little bit of vinegar in his noodles would make him nauseous.

It must just be a coincidence.

There were countless people in the world who didn’t eat sour things. Chi Yao was just one of them.

On the island, Chi Yao refused Jing Xi’s invitation. The more carefree he was then, the more embarrassed he was now.

He was originally wearing a suit, but he found it troublesome and left it in the lounge underwater. Now, he was only wearing a thin shirt.

The cold sea wind blew, and his whole body felt numb.

A warplane with no markings on its shell arrived late and landed on an empty space twenty meters in front of him.

“You could have been even later,” Chi Yao’s face was sour.

The Beta man in a combat suit said respectfully, “Team C was on a mission. Team D was temporarily assigned to rescue you.”

Chi Yao strode inside, his eyes even colder. “What mission is more important than saving me?”

The Beta man: “We’re tracking the underwater casino, but they’re smart. We can only determine a rough area now.”

Chi Yao walked quickly inside with his long legs. Hearing this, he sneered, “It’s been so many years. They’ve already formed a complete survival system. How can you take them down so easily?”

The Beta man: “After this incident, I’m afraid they won’t open again in the short term.”

The casino was very vigilant. Once there was a problem, they would move and hide.

Chi Yao sat down and waved for his subordinate to bring him tea.

“I’ve already dealt with most of the people. They’ll be very well-behaved recently.”

The Beta man: “Is it appropriate to expose this matter to the military now?”

Chi Yao raised his eyelids to look at him. “Are you questioning me?”

The Beta man was stunned and quickly explained, “That’s not what I meant. I just feel that Jing Xi is Chen Bingfeng’s subordinate, and he’s not trustworthy.”

Chi Yao’s eyes showed impatience. “Whether he’s trustworthy or not is for me to decide. You just need to follow orders.”

“Yes!”

The Beta man: “Then should we send you back to Extreme Shadow first?”

Thinking of something, Chi Yao said in a low voice, “I still have something to do.”

In the evening, at a top-tier private room at You Se.

Chi Yao was reading the collected intelligence.

Yu Yi held back but couldn’t help it. “Boss, where did that brother of yours, whose body you know so well, go?”

Chi Yao slid his finger to the next page.

“Do you need him for something?”

Yu Yi: “No, I’m just a little worried since you came back alone.”

Chi Yao looked at the virtual screen and said unhurriedly, “Wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth before you say that.”

Yu Yi sniffled and didn’t dare to ask again.

After reading all the intelligence, Chi Yao massaged his sore shoulders and neck. “Pay attention to the movements of all the underground casinos recently. Focus on observing any changes. If any military personnel come, remember to protect yourself.”

Yu Yi, who rarely received concern from his boss, nodded obediently, his eyes sparkling. He was screaming with joy inside.

Seeing Chi Yao’s actions out of the corner of his eye, he couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, should I give you a massage?”

Chi Yao: “Massage what?”

“Your shoulders.” Yu Yi leaned over and chuckled. “They all say I have good technique!”

Before his hand could touch him, he heard Chi Yao’s cold voice.

“Do you not want your hand anymore?”

Yu Yi’s hand snapped back. His face changed drastically.

He took two steps back, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I forgot my place for a moment.”

Chi Yao got up and walked past him.

“Report all subsequent situations on your end to the old man.”

Yu Yi pursed his lips and responded in a low voice.

After the door closed, he couldn’t help but punch the sofa.

“Ahhhhh—!”

He must have been too relaxed recently. How could he make such a huge mistake!

His boss hated when his subordinates tried to curry favor, and he especially disliked physical contact from the opposite gender.

He opened a secret small group chat and sent a message while sniffling.

[013: I was too happy and violated the boss’s taboo. He’s throwing me to the old man now. What do I do? Is there any hope for me? Waiting online. It’s urgent.]

A bunch of “hahahaha” followed—

[018: You’ve already been sentenced to death and immediate execution. Can you still be revived?]

[026: A person who always messes around will eventually get caught. You had this coming.]

[021: Does the boss need a substitute? Where do I sign up?]

[011: If you don’t have the boss’s strength, don’t try to mess around like him. Just honestly perform your mission and repent.]

Yu Yi: “…”

What kind of heartless organization had he joined?

After leaving You Se, Chi Yao, since he was already here, wanted to visit a few more underground casinos.

His heart suddenly ached faintly, a feeling that was abnormally familiar.

This feeling… he wasn’t going to—

Fearing an accident in the middle, he returned to the hotel where he was staying.

A tall, thin lobby manager was waiting at the door and personally escorted him to the VIP suite.

Chi Yao took off his jacket and handed it to him. He tore off his tie and said languidly, “Bring breakfast at 7 AM tomorrow. A sour one.”

The lobby manager was slightly stunned and asked, “Slightly sour, medium sour, extra sour, pervertedly sour, so sour it could kill a cow. How much sourness can you handle?”

Chi Yao casually threw his tie and smiled. “So sour it could kill a cow.”

The lobby manager lowered his eyes and didn’t ask any more questions. “Okay.”

Chi Yao: “From tomorrow on, record my whereabouts in real time.”

The lobby manager didn’t ask for a reason and decisively agreed.

Before he was about to take a shower, Chi Yao stopped him.

“From now on, you’ll follow me.”

The lobby manager’s eyes flashed, and he bowed and replied, “Yes.”

After closing the door, the lobby manager unhurriedly walked into the bathroom, swiped his terminal, and sent a message in a secret small group.

[011: Substituted. I’m so excited.]

The group was filled with wails.

[018: Damn it! You’re so fast?!]

[026: You’ll pay for this, you bastard!]

[030: Is one substitute enough?]

[013: 11, I’ll fight you boohoo —]

The lobby manager looked at them, suppressing the smile on his lips. He pressed the flush button on the toilet. When he walked out of the bathroom, he was back to his expressionless self.

On the warship, Jing Xi clutched his chest, feeling annoyed.

This must be happening again.

He waved for Lu Meng to come over.

Lu Meng was tall and burly, on par with Li Yuan. He walked with a swagger.

“Major General, do you have any instructions?”

Jing Xi: “My memory isn’t very good recently. Starting tomorrow, record everything I do and report it to Jiang Feng.”

Lu Meng’s head was filled with question marks.

How bad could his memory be?

“Major General, are you okay?” Lu Meng couldn’t help but ask. “The Flying Dragon won’t have any missions recently anyway. Why don’t you take this opportunity to go on a vacation—”

Jing Xi raised his hand to interrupt him. “No investigation data is allowed to be leaked.”

He thought for a moment and added, “If Lieutenant General Chen asks about it, tell him to ask me in person.”

Lu Meng: “I know that.”

He had already gotten rid of that tyrant, Chen Bingfeng. Anyone who still listened to him was a fool.

After Jing Xi finished his instructions, he got up and returned to his cabin.

Lu Meng watched him walk away and suddenly had a bad feeling.

He felt that the boss’s state wasn’t right.

He opened the Flying Dragon’s small group and sent a message.

[Lu Xiaomeng: Did Chi Yao do something crazy again recently? Why does the boss seem so tired?]

[When has Chi Yao not been crazy? But the boss really hasn’t been well recently.]

[Anyone who works as hard as the boss would get tired. He finally has a vacation. You guys should try to persuade him to rest more.]

[Grandpa Jing has been asking around in the team several times. He also told us to stew an old duck for the boss to replenish his body.]

[Is eating an old duck useful for memory loss?]

[I think it’s not just memory loss. He’s also a bit moody and has multiple personality disorder—]

Jing Xi didn’t know that he had become the main focus of his entire team’s care. He opened his terminal, wanting to send Chi Yao a warning message, but his fingers hovered over the virtual screen for a long time without typing a single word.

Forget it. It wasn’t the first time. There was nothing to say.

Even if he said something, it would be useless. Chi Yao wouldn’t be Chi Yao if he listened obediently.

Early the next morning, Chi Yao woke up with a start.

The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to feel his hair.

It was long hair.

He raised his wrist and saw that it was 7:10 AM, Empire Standard Time.

He sat up and went to the call page to call himself.

The call was quickly connected.

His cold face appeared on the screen. He was sitting at a dining table with a bowl of delicious-looking cold noodles and some exquisite pastries in front of him.

Even through the screen, Chi Yao could smell the sourness.

“It’s a rare day when I want a good meal. What a pity,” Chi Yao said languidly, leaning against the headboard.

Jing Xi smelled the sourness in the room. He expressionlessly picked up his chopsticks.

“It would be a pity to waste such an expensive breakfast.”

Chi Yao smiled. “Lucky you.”

Jing Xi picked up the noodles and took a bite.

Chi Yao couldn’t help but lean in to watch, wanting to enjoy the moment this ice-cold face cracked.

But after he finished the bite, there was not a single change in his expression.

Chi Yao almost doubted his life. “…”

Did 011 not add the sourness?

Jing Xi ate with an elegant posture. After swallowing a bite, he looked at him faintly. “If you have something to say, say it.”

Chi Yao: “…Is it good?”

“It’s sour and very appetizing.” Jing Xi said, taking another bite.

Chi Yao gasped, feeling his mouth get extremely sour.

Jing Xi: “You didn’t call me just to watch me eat, did you?”

Chi Yao: “…”

Chi Yao made something up. “The breakfast is so expensive. I’m afraid you’ll waste it.”

Jing Xi didn’t eat fast, but he finished the meal quickly. The bowl of noodles was soon empty.

He put down his chopsticks, picked up the bowl, and began to drink the soup.

Chi Yao was shocked. “…”

Damn it.

It looked so good.

After drinking the soup, Jing Xi picked up the pastries and continued to eat.

Chi Yao held back, but couldn’t. “You’re not sour?”

Jing Xi ate his food, paying attention to his expression out of the corner of his eye. He was inexplicably in a good mood.

“I am. It’s so sour it’s killing me.”

Chi Yao: “Your face doesn’t say that.”

Jing Xi looked at him and said unhurriedly, “Because I love sour things the most.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Not long after, Jing Xi finished all the pastries and took a piece of paper to wipe his mouth.

“This little bit of food is just enough to fill my stomach.”

Chi Yao: “…………”

Not long after, someone from the military team delivered breakfast to the outer room and left.

He went to look and saw that it was also noodles.

The military team was full of big, rough men with astonishing appetites. Even the breakfast portions were generous.

After watching the Major General’s eating broadcast, Chi Yao looked at the bowl of noodles and the bottle of vinegar next to it. He suddenly had a crazy idea.

It didn’t make sense that Jing Xi was eating so happily while he couldn’t enjoy this pleasure.

Maybe if he tried it boldly, he could discover a new world?

He couldn’t be outdone by that brat, Jing Xi.

Thinking this, Chi Yao decisively poured half a bottle of vinegar into his bowl. He picked up a big mouthful with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

“Ugh—”

Chi Yao threw away his chopsticks and quickly rushed into the bathroom.

On the screen, Jing Xi watched this scene, his eyes filled with a smile—