Held from behind by Lan Bo, Bai Chunian slowly raised both hands in surrender.
Lan Bo produced a gland suppressor, pressing the needle against the gland at the back of Bai Chunian’s neck. This device could effectively disable a test subject’s abilities, suppress all differentiated powers, and nullify self-healing.
“This will hurt. Every hour, it injects a counteragent into your gland. I won’t save you,” Lan Bo said sternly, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of hesitation as he looked at the sharp needle.
“Go ahead, it’s not like I haven’t had it before,” Bai Chunian lowered his head slightly, exposing the back of his neck. “It only hurts a bit. We’re used to it.”
Annoyed at his defiance, Lan Bo pressed the device into Bai Chunian’s gland, the tiny needle releasing micro-hooks that locked onto the cervical vertebrae. The suppressor couldn’t be removed without a key or code; any attempt to force it off would violently destroy the gland.
A sharp pain shot into the most vulnerable part of his neck, and it felt as if the machine were sucking the strength out of him like a leech. Bai Chunian’s legs went weak, and he nearly toppled from the rooftop.
Lan Bo caught him in a single motion, holding him from behind, his voice hoarse: “I don’t know if what you’re doing is worth it. But it doesn’t matter—I have all the time in the world. Even if you eventually lose hope in everything, I will still protect you.”
The thunderstorm masked their words. From afar, Eris saw the dangerous-looking merman entwined around Bai Chunian and, intending to escape, raised his shotgun to charge.
Eris wanted to ambush Lan Bo, but he had spent the entire day recklessly exhausting his strength and gland energy for amusement. Now he was weak, while Lan Bo had the advantage of the storm. Eris was no match.
Lan Bo flicked his tail, effortlessly wrapping around Eris’s neck. He fired his handgun first; the heavy impact threw Eris off balance. As Eris fell from the rooftop, Lan Bo moved like lightning, catching him midair and slapping another suppressor onto his neck.
Lan Bo turned to Bai Chunian, about to ask how he wanted to deal with this brat, but Bai Chunian pounced, knocking him onto his back on the rooftop. Bai Chunian placed one hand under Lan Bo’s head to prevent injury.
“Don’t touch him.” He didn’t want Lan Bo near Eris; being too close to a cursed user could bring misfortune.
Moreover, Bai Chunian simply didn’t like Lan Bo touching another alpha’s neck. This area was fragile, intimate, and suggestive; Lan Bo only touched it when absolutely necessary for duty. Perhaps adolescence had made Bai Chunian more sensitive about it.
Because Bai Chunian pinned him down, Lan Bo’s grip on Eris loosened. Eris, holding his suppressed neck, shrieked as he fell from the high rooftop.
Bai Chunian glanced at the storm squad members below. He Qi, consider this a second-class merit. Catch him.
Like a lazy, sprawling cat, Bai Chunian lay over Lan Bo. After a brief surge of possessiveness, he licked Lan Bo’s cheek, offering a playful apology.
“Since leaving the bathroom, I’ve been thinking all day about doing worse things to you. I used to fantasize, I still do… probably even in prison, I won’t be able to resist. I’m no longer clean,” Bai Chunian confessed.
Surprised by the sudden pounce, Lan Bo’s eyes widened. The licking calmed him slightly. He stroked Bai Chunian’s soft hair, asking, “Why suppress yourself? Do you think I’m too weak to handle it, or that I couldn’t help if you went too far?”
“No. I’m an alpha. I’m grown. Now I’m your man. You can’t just carry me off anymore.” Bai Chunian pressed the flexible merman body against him, embracing him comfortably.
Lan Bo looked up, astonished. He had to face the fact that his once-small kitten had grown. When Bai Chunian was very young, Lan Bo could carry him effortlessly back to bed. The test subject’s accelerated growth made lifting him increasingly difficult.
Even now, Lan Bo still instinctively carried him in danger, but Bai Chunian had grown too tall and heavy to avoid occasional mishaps when dragged along.
Sensing Lan Bo’s disappointment, Bai Chunian nudged his face against him: “You are a king, but you’re also my little o. I have to be responsible for our future, so I’ll do necessary things for us.”
Lan Bo’s mouth curved downward in a pout, full of displeasure.
“I actually like it when you carry me off. Every time, it feels like you’re doing it out of care. Can we keep doing that secretly at home?” Bai Chunian nuzzled him, whispering: “Also… your skin is so soft, semi-translucent, like strawberry jelly. Licking it makes me want to eat it.”
“randi mulei yoyo nowa jiji mua jeo?” Lan Bo’s expression remained serious, though a blush rose. [“Who doesn’t know a cat licks a fish because it wants to eat it?”]
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” Bai Chunian comforted his delicate husband before making the promise.
Lan Bo held his chest, quietly savoring the warmth and relief. No longer blaming Bai Chunian for acting on his own, he gently cupped his face: “Go. Do what you must. Your desires will reach me through your ear bones and heart. I can hear your breath. I’m always here.”
Lan Bo personally escorted Bai Chunian to the armored transport vehicle of the International Police Bureau. Officers arrived to handcuff him and guide him into the vehicle.
Before boarding, Lan Bo couldn’t resist flicking his tail to hook Bai Chunian’s small arm and whispered in merman language: “When you hear your heart racing by your ear, it means I’m on your bed, ziwei.”
Lan Bo wore the IOA-marked bulletproof vest, and just in case, also carried a police uniform from his time at the League Bureau, hanging from his arm.
The rain had yet to stop, and the sky had not yet lightened. The stunning, golden-haired, blue-eyed omega was just within reach, and Bai Chunian licked his lips, nearly unable to resist making a move against the officers.
Suddenly, a figure came rushing from the distance. The officers immediately drew their guns, only to see it was Eris. Blood streaks marked his body; somehow he had survived the blockade of the Storm Unit and, with a single dive, landed inside the armored transport where Bai Chunian was held.
The officers guarding Bai Chunian froze, trembling with their guns raised. Although Eris was fitted with a suppressor, residual pheromones signaling A3 differentiation lingered on him, faintly carrying the scent of Oushinan, which naturally frightened the officers.
Yet Eris extended his hands willingly, allowing the officers to cuff him, and turned to Bai Chunian with a triumphant gesture:
“Big brother, I can’t leave you behind. I came.”
A shard from a previous explosion had cut a line across his face. Because of the suppressor, it could not heal. Casually wiping the blood from his cheek, Eris noticed the dried blood on his hand with a curious fascination. He rolled it into his mouth with his tongue, clicking and tasting.
Bai Chunian: “……”
Eris: “You actually let yourself be caught just so I could escape. That’s not bad at all.”
“? I didn’t… you misunderstood. I didn’t mean that,” Bai Chunian replied, dabbing at his own face.
Following protocol, they were first to be held at a detention center. But due to their unique status and high destructive potential, that very night they were transported via armed helicopter to an offshore island, the international prison.
News of Bai Chunian’s arrest was not made public. Only the IOA’s upper echelons were aware. Before entering the prison, he would be thoroughly searched, meaning no communication or surveillance devices could be smuggled in. Once inside, even the technical department could not monitor him; he would have to rely entirely on his own wits and experience.
That night, the IOA leadership held an emergency operations meeting. Attendees included the core members of the League Technical Department and the League Medical Association.
From the Technical Department, Duan Yang and Lvge attended. Having worked most closely with Bai Chunian, they proposed new encrypted transmission methods and prepared micro-equipment to send to him.
Representing the Medical Association, Dr. Zhong and several experts outlined directions for Bai Chunian’s investigations within the international prison.
Yan Yi furrowed his brows, occasionally nodding slightly. Bai Chunian was not the ideal candidate for this mission, yet no agent matched his skill.
The international prison was aware of Bai Chunian’s background. Though arrested under charges of defection, suspicion was inevitable, meaning he would be watched closely. The prison was heavily fortified; any attempt by inmates to act would be nearly impossible. In these conditions, Bai Chunian’s mission would be exceedingly difficult. Yan Yi had no complete confidence in this operation; his concern focused more on the subsequent rescue. He did not want Bai Chunian to risk his life unnecessarily.
“Do you need me to do anything?”
Lan Bo, who had been doodling in his notebook in the passenger seat, spoke up suddenly. The room fell silent—everyone present knew who he was, and his high-profile, no-nonsense approach left no room for pretense.
Casually, Lan Bo said, “If needed, I can make the international prison vanish from the high seas forever.”
Yan Yi coughed lightly, frowning. “King.”
Lan Bo shrugged. “Fine, consider that Plan B.”
The meeting continued late into the night. Yan Yi distributed mission details, and everyone dispersed. Lan Bo closed his notebook, which was filled with a few pages of gruesome sketches, preparing to leave. Yan Yi suddenly called him back, handing over a job offer.
“Siren, I want to ask—would you be interested in temporarily taking over as instructor at Bai Chunian’s Aphid Island training base?”
Lan Bo raised an eyebrow, turning toward Yan Yi. His tail curled over Yan Yi’s shoulder, flicking at the rabbit ear that drooped from his gray hair.
“You want me to spend more time with cute human children, influence them, and develop a kind of fondness for you all, just like Bai Chunian did, right?”
“Bai Chunian’s life is like a blank page. The children liked him, and of course, he was surprised and delighted—but I wasn’t.”
Lan Bo took the offer and shook it lightly. “I’ll do it.”
Yan Yi said, “I trust you’ll see things differently. As you said, the young ones are like blank pages, pure and incredible.”
Returning to their small apartment, Lan Bo still smelled Bai Chunian’s lingering pheromones. In the kitchen, fish-shaped and cat-paw-shaped cookies baked by Bai Chunian before leaving had cooled, their flavor dulled.
He took a suitcase from the cupboard, folded Bai Chunian’s clothes one by one into it, packed a bottle of brandy, placed the remaining cookies in a glass jar, wrapped everything in waterproof film, locked the suitcase, and sat atop it, activating the motorized wheels to descend.
Lan Bo rolled the suitcase to Yachong City’s dock, pausing briefly before plunging into the sea, swimming toward the Aphid Island training base.