Jiang Feng only had time for a quick glance before Jing Xi slammed the gift box shut with a bang.

It seemed to be something pink and delicate, with lace trim.

Could it be for Yaoyao?

Jing Xi tossed the box to the side and rubbed his temples.

“Show me the record you made last time.”

“Record?” Jiang Feng took a moment to register what he meant, then hesitantly projected the document into the air. “This one?”

Jing Xi scanned it quickly. “Record it.”

“Huh?” Jiang Feng was a little confused. “Just follow this one?”

Jing Xi: “Yes.”

As he left, Jiang Feng felt more and more uneasy. He walked to the door and then turned back.

“Boss, are you feeling unwell? I feel like you’ve been a bit—erratic lately?”

It was one thing for his decisions to keep changing, but even his personality seemed to be splitting.

Thinking of a certain overly-lively, hyperactive guy, Jing Xi said with a cold face, “If the situation continues, I’ll consider a re-examination. You need to keep a good record for me.”

Jiang Feng was stunned.

Although he had previously suspected that his boss’s illness had relapsed, getting confirmation from the man himself made him feel terrible.

He had almost completely recovered before, so why would it suddenly relapse?

Jiang Feng said worriedly, “Boss, you should rest well during this time. Just give me any instructions.”

The Flying Dragon had just taken over Cygnus, and now there was a case. If there were no other urgent matters, they would be staying here for at least two months.

“Okay,” Jing Xi responded casually. “Isolate the group of people we rescued from the maze in Building 10. I’ll go over tomorrow. Don’t let anyone get close for now.”

During that game, he didn’t know how many people had come into contact with the transformed people’s blood and what symptoms they might develop later.

The main Flying Dragon force was here. He couldn’t take that risk.

Jiang Feng: “The AIs are watching them.”

After the person left, Jing Xi sat quietly for a moment, getting ready to return to his residence.

As he got up, his eyes caught the black gift box again.

“Do you know the meaning of a return gift?”

Jing Xi muttered to himself in a low voice.

This return gift was worse than no gift at all.

On the top floor, Chi Yao was lounging on a sofa on the balcony, on a call with 011.

011: “This is your travel record.”

Chi Yao zoomed in on the window and scrolled through it.

Wake up at 5 a.m., two hours in the gym, eat breakfast, and stay in the hotel to watch the news all day.

After dinner, go to “Temptation” to hook up with Wing, and stay for three to five hours.

Chi Yao stared at the records of going to “Temptation,” his expression indifferent. “What did he and Wing do?”

011 was confused. “He?”

Coming to his senses, Chi Yao: “…”

“I was talking to someone else,” Chi Yao lied calmly. “Go and tell 013 to stop touching guests from now on.”

011: “…? Yes.”

After thinking for a moment, Chi Yao added, “No holding hands either. If he violates the rule, transfer him to the restaurant to wash dishes.”

011: “…Okay.”

After that was said, 011 sent him the information it had recently collected.

“The few big players have been quiet recently. The arena under the sea still can’t be pinpointed.”

The sea area where the underwater beast fighting arena was located had a natural, special magnetic field. With the current methods, it was impossible to accurately scan the situation at the bottom of the sea, which was why the arena could not be found from the outside.

Besides the magnetic field, the entire arena was like a large warship that could move, making the search even more difficult.

Chi Yao twirled the ring on his middle finger, lost in thought. “Any news from the old man?”

011: “He hasn’t shown up for a while. I don’t know what he’s busy with.”

Chi Yao’s finger paused. “I understand. Continue to track the existing targets and report any other anomalies to me immediately.”

011: “Yes.”

As soon as he hung up the call, he heard the sound of the door opening downstairs.

Chi Yao clicked on the monitoring at the door and saw Jing Xi in his military uniform walking in.

“Where’s the gift I sent you?”

Hearing the voice from upstairs, Jing Xi looked up.

A certain person was leaning against the railing, smiling at him.

For a moment, Jing Xi felt as if he could see a wolf’s tail wagging behind him.

“That outfit suits you better,” Jing Xi said, walking up the stairs. “After all, you like lace trim.”

Chi Yao watched him approach. “When did I ever like lace?”

Jing Xi didn’t explain further. He walked to the living room to pour himself a glass of water. “I plan to go to Building 10 tomorrow. Do you want to come along?”

Chi Yao sat on the single sofa opposite him. “What’s so good about those people?”

Jing Xi: “You saved them, in a way.”

Chi Yao: “I don’t need their gratitude.”

Jing Xi: “Are you sure you’re not coming? Then I’ll go by myself.”

The next day, Chi Yao and Yin Wei were sleeping soundly when their door was knocked on, over and over again.

Chi Yao kicked Yin Wei. “Go open the door.”

He then turned over and went back to sleep.

Yin Wei groggily got up, its head fur sticking up, and went to open the door.

It was about to yell at the person for being a bother when it saw that it was Jing Xi, the sugar daddy who gave it meaty bones to its heart’s content!

“Awoo~”

Yin Wei gave a sleepy greeting and obediently went to sleep on the balcony of another room.

The balcony here had good light, was warm, and most importantly, it was quiet and far away from those two, avoiding another instance of being used as a cannon fodder.

Jing Xi walked through the small living room into the master bedroom.

The room for Chi Yao was a suite, directly opposite his, with a staircase in between.

The room’s decor was simple, with only black, white, and gray, which was very characteristic of the military.

The big bed in the master bedroom was very messy. It was already past 9 a.m., but a certain person was still sleeping like a dead pig.

“Hey,” Jing Xi stood by the bed and bent down slightly to pat Chi Yao’s shoulder. “Get—”

Before he could say the third word, his vision blurred, and he was pulled over.

Chi Yao pulled the blanket and rolled it up, throwing one arm and one leg over him, holding him and the blanket in his arms.

“Silly dog, why did you take so long? It’s freezing.”

The low, hoarse voice hit his eardrum. Jing Xi’s fingertips twitched. He then noticed that the room’s thermostat was not turned on.

“Hey, I’m not your dog.”

Jing Xi raised his hand to struggle free, but he was held even tighter.

Chi Yao closed his eyes and said impatiently in a drawn-out voice, “You’re so noisy.”

Jing Xi: “…”

How deeply asleep was he to mistake him for a dog? The size was all wrong, wasn’t it?

Chi Yao rubbed his shoulder through the blanket. “Did you steal something to drink again? I can smell alcohol.”

Jing Xi: “…”

He frowned in confusion, sniffing hard, but he didn’t smell any alcohol.

Except during his susceptible period, it was basically impossible for his pheromones to leak. How could there be an alcohol scent?

Before he could figure it out, he heard a slight snore.

It was very soft. He had to listen carefully to hear it.

Jing Xi turned his head slightly, looking at the face so close to his.

With his eyes and mouth closed, he looked quite pleasant.

His thick eyelashes were very similar to a certain person from the past.

“Yaoyao?” Jing Xi called out tentatively, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.

The hand holding him suddenly tightened.

He’s awake?

Jing Xi’s heart skipped a beat, and he thought about what excuse to use if he had been heard.

“Y—”

Jing Xi’s eyes widened. His heart began to beat uncontrollably.

Just as his mind was in a state of chaos, Chi Yao suddenly opened his eyes.

They stared at each other at close range, both startled.

“F*ck!” Chi Yao quickly let go and moved back, his arm covering his eyes as he breathed a sigh of relief. “No wonder I was having a nightmare. It was because of you.”

Jing Xi: “…”

He instantly calmed down, pulled off the blanket, and sat up. “You’re awake. Get up. It’s time to go to Building 10.”

But after he said that, Chi Yao didn’t react at all.

Jing Xi frowned. “Did he fall asleep again?”

Chi Yao was still immersed in his dream.

The moment he woke up, all the images from the dream shattered, and no matter how he tried to recall them, he couldn’t. But the feeling from the dream was still there.

It was very warm and very happy.

It felt like he had found the meaning of life.

Chi Yao put his arm down and looked at Jing Xi, who was tidying his clothes.

“Did you say something to me just now?”

Jing Xi’s fingers paused slightly. He said nonchalantly, “I told you to get up quickly.”

Chi Yao frowned. “No, the sentence before that.”

Jing Xi: “It’s time to go to Building 10.”

Chi Yao: “The one before that.”

Jing Xi tidied his collar, his voice calm. “There was no other one.”

To get to Building 10, they had to walk through the entire dormitory area.

The stationed troops’ dormitory area was in the west. With the Flying Dragon’s people watching them, their daily routines were not affected, but they couldn’t come out or communicate with the outside.

The dormitory area in the east now belonged entirely to the Flying Dragon.

At this time, the training ground was already packed with people.

“Hello, sir!”

Soldiers saluted Jing Xi along the way.

Jing Xi nodded slightly, not doing anything else.

“Wow, Major General is very popular in the military group,” Chi Yao said, his hands in his pockets, teasing him. “So how are you still single at your age?”

Jing Xi looked ahead, expressionless. “The Flying Dragon has never had Omegas.”

Chi Yao tilted his head to look at him. “I didn’t realize you were into this A/O discrimination thing.”

Jing Xi was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Haven’t you experienced my susceptible period?”

Chi Yao’s mind immediately flashed with the image of the beautiful person crying.

Besides being so choked up that he couldn’t breathe, the photos were still very beautiful.

“Then shouldn’t you find an Omega sooner to relieve the symptoms?”

Jing Xi pretended not to hear the teasing in his words and said calmly, “In that state, I might not be able to stop myself from killing the Omega.”

“Then just find a strong Omega, right?” Chi Yao scoffed, saying deliberately, “Someone like Wing from ‘Temptation’—the durable type.”

Jing Xi’s eyes swept over his eyelashes from the corner of his eye. He said calmly, “No matter how strong an Omega is, they would be affected by my pheromones and would not be able to ensure their own safety. If I had to choose, an Alpha might be more suitable for me.”

Chi Yao’s eyebrows twitched. He moved a step to the side, his eyes cautious. “You’re into Alphas too?”

Jing Xi looked ahead and said leisurely, “How would I know if I don’t try?”

Chi Yao: “…Aren’t you still looking for your childhood friend?”

Jing Xi: “That’s just a childhood friend. I don’t see him as a potential partner.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Jing Xi: “You have a good-looking face. Maybe we can try next time. As long as the money is right, you can do anything.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Was this something a serious Major General should say?

Was he being flirted with?

Having successfully made Chi Yao feel awkward, Jing Xi felt much better.

Halfway there, Lü Meng suddenly ran over from the front.

“Boss?” Lü Meng ran over in a hurry. “You’re just in time. Something’s wrong in Building 10!”

Chi Yao’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he quickened his pace. “Which floor? What exactly is going on?”

Seeing Jing Xi nod, Lü Meng walked beside them and explained.

“There’s a young guy. He was fine the past two days, but today he suddenly went crazy. He destroyed two AIs, and now he’s locked in single dorm 109 on the first floor.”

As they walked, many people on the training grounds on both sides whispered to each other.

“I didn’t expect the Phantom’s leader to really be in our group.”

“Maybe he just looks like him? They’re standing together and not even fighting?”

“The commander is taking him over there. Is he going to arrest him?”

“I heard that the Phantom is also involved in this case—”

Before noon, the rumor that Wang Lian Gong had hired the Phantom to kill someone had spread throughout the Flying Dragon.

Countless groups, big and small, were discussing it.

It was perfectly normal for a notorious space pirate group like the Phantom to kill for money.

Inside Building 10, Chi Yao stood at the entrance of 109. He scanned the surroundings and asked in a cold voice, “Are there no guards here?”

Lü Meng explained, “The passage from the first to the second floor is sealed. The people above can’t come down. AIs patrol inside the fence on the first floor, and our people are guarding outside the fence.”

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground suddenly came from the room, and the door was hit from the inside with a loud bang.

Lü Meng’s expression changed. “Did he mutate too?!”

The half-beast, half-human things from the amusement park now seemed like a nightmare.

Chi Yao grabbed the doorknob. “You guys stand back.”

Lü Meng immediately took three steps back.

Jing Xi didn’t move. He took out the gun from his leg holster, swung it in an arc, and held it tightly.

There was another loud bang.

Chi Yao listened carefully. When the sound was a little further from the door, he quickly opened it.

The person who appeared in front of him made him slightly stunned.

This was the Alpha he had saved in the “Nine Grids” and who had always come up to him and called him “Master.”

The person’s eyes were now bloodshot, and his upper lip was split from the philtrum, revealing two large buck teeth.

“A rabbit?” Jing Xi frowned slightly.

This person’s mutation was not severe, but the features were very obvious.

As soon as the door opened, the transformed Alpha lunged at them.

His nails were long and sharp, leaving a deep indentation on the wall as he scraped past.

Chi Yao moved slightly to the side, while also grabbing his wrist and slamming it against the door frame. He raised his hand to capture the other claw that was swinging over and kicked the other person’s knee.

It was as if he knew how the transformed Alpha would attack. He was prepared every single time.

The transformed Alpha’s strength was very high, but he couldn’t last more than half a minute under Chi Yao’s control.

“Mmm—Guh—”

“Handcuffs!” Chi Yao reached behind him.

Lü Meng patted himself down. He had nothing but his gun.

He was about to get some from the AI guard when he saw Jing Xi stop him. He took out a small blue bean from his communicator.

The small blue bean received the command and flew over, handcuffing the transformed Alpha’s hands and feet.

“Mutation level?” Jing Xi asked.

Chi Yao: “Between 5% and 10%.”

Jing Xi’s gaze swept over the transformed Alpha’s body and saw a tiny tear in his pant leg.

He reached out to pull it apart and look, but Chi Yao slapped his hand away.

Chi Yao pulled it apart himself.

Under the pant leg was a two-to-three-centimeter-long wound, with a circle of purplish-red around it, and dark blood vessels spreading out from the wound.

Jing Xi frowned.

This kind of mutation could be transmitted through blood?

“It’s not a transmission.”

Chi Yao straightened up, seeming to know what he was thinking. He explained, “There are many types of mutations. A mutation caused by an injury from a defective product like this is only temporary. It’s the lowest level of mutation. As long as the degree is not severe, the possibility of recovery is very high.”

Thinking of what happened in the maze that day, Jing Xi hesitated. “Can you just suck out the infected blood?”

Chi Yao looked at him strangely. “Do you think I’ll save just anyone?”

Jing Xi: “…”

Chi Yao: “Do I look like that kind of person to you?”

Jing Xi: “…”