PBB Military Base Airport.
Bai Chunian rested his laptop on the small tray table, reviewing files sent from headquarters. Lan Bo sat beside him by the aisle, demanding snacks from the flight attendants every time they passed, his expression saying, “I’ve waited long enough—bring the food.”
“They stand while handing out food. Humans really have no manners,” Lan Bo said, swallowing ten meal boxes along with the foil wrappers.
“Get used to it—it’s been going on for more than a day or two,” Bai Chunian said, focused on the screen. He peeled an orange for him, separating each segment and presenting the fruit neatly to Lan Bo.
Lan Bo nibbled carefully, then opened his mouth wide like a can lid, tossing the peel and pith in along with the remaining segments of the orange.
“Wait, where’s Bilianxing?” Bai Chunian closed his laptop, looking toward the cabin door. “He’s been making excuses since morning—dragging his feet. I’m going to scold him later.”
Finally, Bilianxing boarded, bundled tightly. Though the base was cold, all had been trained; one layer of clothing was enough. Still, he wore a scarf and gloves, moving slowly to sit across the aisle from Bai Chunian, showing no intention of removing them.
“Sick?” Bai Chunian asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Uh, um…” Bilianxing stammered, trying to plead again. “Chunian, can I not go? I’ve submitted all the reports. My presence won’t make a difference.”
“You’re the acting commander this time. How can you skip it? The president needs to ask you personally—you must answer in person.”
“Ah… can’t you answer for me, so I don’t have to meet him?”
“The president has watched you grow. Calling him your uncle wouldn’t be wrong. Why are you nervous?” Bai Chunian squinted at him. Bilianxing was one of his most favored students—obedient, competent, and clever. This unusual attitude was unlike him.
Lan Bo propped his head, tilting his lips. “I smell… arousal. Your pheromone isn’t from arrow poison wood—it smells of honey. Did you do something you shouldn’t?”
“I’ll see what this kid’s been up to,” Bai Chunian said. He grabbed Bilianxing’s hand and pressed him down into the seat, while Lan Bo climbed over to remove his scarf and gloves, yanking off his outer hoodie as well.
Bilianxing had been stripped clean, like peeling an orange. His right hand bore obvious purplish teeth marks; his neck and collarbone were dotted with bite and scratch marks, all infused with pheromones exuding a sweet honey scent. Around the bites, white rabbit-head symbols appeared on the skin.
“Oh my god,” Bai Chunian covered his mouth. “You’re finished, finished, you’re done for.”
“Not bad, kid,” Lan Bo whistled softly, wagging his tail tip in approval.
Bi Lanxing pulled his robe tight, sat back down with a sigh, and explained softly, “Lu Yan is sixteen. It was his first time experiencing those feelings, and he cried and threw a tantrum all night.”
Bai Chunian: “What did you do to him?”
Bi Lanxing quickly waved his hands. “ “I was just trying to calm him down. You guys probably don’t know Lu Yan’s temper—when he gets stubborn, he’s like a little rabbit, rolling around on the floor, scratching and biting.”
Lan Bo snorted derisively: “What a wimp.”
Bai Chunnian pressed Lan Bo’s head down: “Stop stirring the pot.”
“It’s got nothing to do with me. ” Lan Bo ordered another boxed meal.
The cabin door closed, and the plane prepared for takeoff. Bai Chunnian sat back down, fastened his seatbelt, and rested his chin in his hand, mulling over a solution.
Bi Lanxing sat stiffly in his seat, his mind blank. Every time he heard Bai Chunnian sigh beside him, his nerves tightened a little more.
Ten minutes later, Bai Chunian sighed again and placed his hand on Bi Lanxing’s shoulder: “Take care of yourself. I’ll pretend I never knew about this, and we’ll still be good brothers in the next life.”
He opened his laptop and began searching the Aphid Island Tactical Class for a suitable candidate to take over as commander.
Bi Lanxing: “?????”
The plane touched down, and the IOA vehicle had been waiting outside the airport for quite some time. By the time they reached the headquarters building, it was just past 3:00 PM. It was spring in Aphid City, so a simple long-sleeved shirt was sufficient.
Bai Chunian left Lan Bo in the garden to enjoy the scenery while he took Bi Lanxing upstairs to meet the Chairman.
The main concern was that Lan Bo and Yan Yizheng might clash; given Lan Bo’s temperament, it wasn’t out of the question that he might chew up the chairman’s desk right there on the spot.
Bi Lanxing was still wearing his incongruous winter outfit, trailing behind Bai Chunian and doing his best to keep a low profile.
“Sit.” The chairman sat behind his desk, his expression somewhat stern.
Bai Chunian sat down. On the Chairman’s desk were some freshly cut roses—the same variety blooming in the garden tended by Jin Luchong. It seemed Jin Luchong was recovering well.
“You should already be aware of the general situation,” Yan Yi said, pushing a file toward him. “The Shaojin Mansion was suddenly attacked. The perpetrators were test subjects.”
Bai Chunian took the file and opened it. Inside were photographs taken by the Alliance Police Department at the time of the incident. A total of eleven distinct experimental subjects were clearly captured in the images, though the report indicated that the actual number of experimental subjects involved in the attack likely exceeded forty.
“That many?” Bai Chunian rested his chin in his hand as he scanned the photos; none of the test subjects looked familiar. “I originally suspected the Red-throated Birds were behind this terrorist attack, but now that seems highly unlikely—they couldn’t field that many test subjects. It’s more likely the work of Institute 109.”
“I think so too,” Yan Yi nodded. “The photos you sent back of the Berner Pharmaceutical Plant are crucial. The tech department has already edited the news story and was preparing to release it. I didn’t expect the Shaojin Mansion to be attacked at this time, and then Institute 109 held a press conference.”
Yan Yi turned his computer toward Bai Chunian and showed him a clip of the scene.
The red-haired female Alpha standing at the podium was Hummingbird Aileen. Her lips were painted a vivid red, and her sharp-cut suit paired with high-heeled leather shoes made her appear elegant on stage, yet she exuded a sharp and decisive aura.
Aileen spoke earnestly to the reporters, stating that since the previous attack by foreign forces and the resulting accidental explosion, some test subjects had indeed gone missing. However, they had reported the incident to the police immediately, paid the fines, and were actively searching for the missing test subjects. They had also proactively reported the matter to the International Police Bureau and provided leads regarding the test subjects.
Regarding the serious incident where the Shaojin Mansion was besieged by experimental subjects, Aileen expressed regret, but in reality, it was an internal conflict among the subjects. The escaped subjects had banded together to form an organization, but poor management within the group ultimately led to infighting.
Bai Chunian snorted coldly: “ “That’s some impressive PR—shifting the blame and clearing the institute of all responsibility. Just like Aileen.”
In terms of public opinion, Institute 109 had seized the initiative. Now, no matter what evidence the IOA released, people would attribute the incident to infighting among the test subjects, which would only further escalate tensions between the two sides and cause even greater chaos.
Yan Yi sighed softly: “Institute 109 was buying and selling people at rock-bottom prices from the Berner Pharmaceutical Factory on the island for human experimentation. Han Xingqian and his team took plenty of photos and wrote detailed reports, but it looks like we’ll just have to keep them under wraps for now.”
“It’s fine,” Bai Chunian chuckled. “Let’s hold onto them for now. A good surprise is only a surprise when it’s delivered at the right moment.”
He pulled a USB drive from his pocket and handed it to Yan Yi. “Send out the contents of this first. I’ve already drafted the press release; have them polish it up a bit.”
Yan Yi took the USB drive, plugged it into the computer, and began reading the files. Upon seeing the contents, he wore a slightly relieved expression. “Well done.”
“What about the people at Shaojin Mansion? They didn’t all get wiped out, did they?” Bai Chunian finally understood why he hadn’t been able to reach Crab during the night raid on the pharmaceutical plant—he’d been too busy dealing with the danger to reply.
“We’ve secured them. Professor Lin Deng only sustained minor injuries. He said he’d like to see you.”
“Alright, I’ll go see him.”
Bai Chunian stood up to leave the office, and Bi Lanxing followed suit, but was suddenly called back by the Chairman.
“Lanxing, come here. Take off your scarf and gloves.”
The Chairman had prepared several temporary rest rooms for the survivors at Shaojin Mansion. Specialized staff had returned to treat them and bandage their wounds, and their three daily meals were the same as those served in the staff cafeteria.
Professor Lin Deng sat at a table, his head down as he wrote something. Paochong sat on the edge of the bed, a lollipop in his mouth, staring at the laptop screen and tapping away at the keyboard.
Bai Chunian knocked on the door and pushed it open to walk in.
“You’re here,” Crawler looked up.
He was injured; his left hand was in a splint slung around his neck. Under normal circumstances, it should have healed by now, but it hadn’t.
Bai Chunian examined his injury: “Special weapon?”
Crawler nodded. “The research institute sent fifty test subjects to wipe us out. Their weapons were pretty special, too. We couldn’t put up a fight. Domino’s badly injured; the doctors from the IOA Medical Association are treating him.”
“What about the Demon Envoy?”
“He’s gone. Although we’ve survived this long thanks to him, we’ve gone our separate ways. He refused IOA’s assistance, and I have no idea where he is now.”
The Reptile clenched his fists. “I gathered all your combat data with everything I had, preparing for this very day. But I never expected them to arrive so quickly.”
Bai Chunian didn’t seem the least bit surprised. “Because the pharmaceutical plant incident was exposed early, the research institute is in a panic now. They’re worried their misdeeds will be made public, so they’re using you to divert attention.”
“What’s going on?”
“The Puppet Master broke away from the Red-throated Bird and, together with several powerful test subjects, first attacked the Berner Pharmaceutical Plant. We recovered a large quantity of explosives from the plant—they had intended to blow the entire facility to smithereens, but we managed to disrupt their plan. “I suspect the research institute was already aware of their actions but chose not to intervene. Perhaps, in some ways, their interests aligned. However, since the pharmaceutical plant wasn’t destroyed, that evidence ended up in our hands.”
“The current situation is quite interesting. Care to hear the details?” Bai Chunian extended his hand toward him. “What do you say? The待遇 at IOA isn’t bad. Want to consider it?”
In truth, the Reptile had been considering it for a long time.
“I suppose this counts as taking advantage of the chaos. I have no other choice.” He reached out and shook Bai Chunian’s hand. “6010, Hacker.”