A rumbling sound approached from the sky as a passenger plane followed its flight path toward Aichong Airport.
After notifying the last three households, their day’s work was finally done. Bai Chunian headed back to his apartment, and they parted ways at the intersection.
Bi Lanxing didn’t have his own place in Aochong City yet, and he didn’t want to go back to headquarters. It was late at night and quiet; only the occasional taxi with a passenger passed by on the street. Bi Lanxing really wanted to go back to his parents’ house.
But then he remembered his father dumping him at the Aphid Island training base and telling him not to come home until he’d trained enough to protect himself. He’d turn eighteen on his birthday this year. Although he’d secured a position in the Investigation Division, he was still stuck in the middle when it came to actual combat experience. He didn’t want to go back either—it felt pointless.
The street vendor selling loose cigarettes by the park hadn’t gone home yet. Bi Lanxing lingered nearby for a while, bought a pack from him, then ran off like a thief. He crouched down at the pier, mimicking Bai Chunnian’s manner, pulled out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.
The moment he lit it, the smoke stung his eyes, causing a burning pain. Bi Lanxing closed his eyes, and his eyelids slowly turned red.
This stuff was bitter; the taste clung to his tongue, impossible to shake off completely. It didn’t give him that numbing sensation in his brain either. He didn’t understand why his dad liked it, or Uncle Jin, or even Brother Chu. If this was something only adults could appreciate, then why did Brother Chu—who was still just a kid—like it too?
Bi Lanxing pushed the cigarette pack and lighter away, sat cross-legged on the pier, and watched the lights along the coastline fade one by one.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Bi Lanxing startled—it was a video call from Lu Yan. He quickly answered. On the other end, Lu Yan was also outside, apparently on the move; the rabbit ears on his head bounced up and down as he walked too fast.
“You changed your name again—‘Muscle-bound Hunk, Handsome Bunny, 300-Pound Carrot Clean and Jerk’… What kind of username is that?”
“Oh, that doesn’t matter. I just got back to headquarters. Why aren’t you there?”
“Did you come back to see me?”
“Get lost. Who’s here to see you? I’m on a mission too. Besides, there are some things I had to come back to ask Bai Chunian about—why isn’t he here either?”
“……Hmm.”
“What are you doing? I’m still mad. I came back just to beat the crap out of you. Why were you so dismissive of me?”
“Where are you? Let me explain.”
“Don’t bother explaining—I saw you!”
Bi Lanxing turned around. Under the dim streetlight, an Omega with floppy ears stood there, wearing light green camouflage short-sleeved shirt and work pants, gazing at him from afar.
As Bi Lanxing stood up, Lu Yan ran toward the pier, his footsteps creaking on the wooden planks, and threw himself into Bi Lanxing’s arms.
The two of them fell backward together. Bi Lanxing stretched out his fingers, and vines wrapped around the supporting iron pillar, steadily pulling their falling bodies back to their feet.
“I knew you’d be here. Every time you fail an exam, you come here to zone out.” News of today’s terrorist attack was playing on the station platforms and in the subway, so Lu Yan had a general idea of what had happened. He looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Bi Lanxing held him close, resting his chin on the top of Lu Yan’s fuzzy head.
“Have you been crying?” Lu Yan looked at him questioningly, then spotted the pile of cigarette packs and lighters nearby. It was as if he’d suddenly sensed Lanxing’s weight in the thick, heavy air.
“It’s a job that’s easy to misunderstand,” Bi Lanxing said, resting his hand on Lu Yan’s shoulder. “It’s a good thing you weren’t here today.”
“How is that a good thing? If I’d been here, you wouldn’t have sneaked off to be sad all by yourself.”
“I don’t want to go home right now.” Lu Yan stood with his hands at his sides, his forehead pressed against his chest. “I’ll stay at your place.”
“I don’t want to go home either.”
“Then let’s go to the bar…” Lu Yan blurted out, but Bi Lanxing covered his mouth: “Let’s sleep in Brother Chu’s office. You can take the sofa bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Huh? We’re not going to the bar? My classmate owns it—the iced fruit tea is amazing, and you can even add crispy pops.”
“……”
“……”
“Where do you think I want to go?” Lu Yan asked, tilting his head.
Bi Lanxing suddenly bent down, cupping Lu Yan’s lips with his palm, then gently kissed the back of his own hand.
Lu Yan’s eyes widened, his rabbit ears began to curl upward, and finally, he buried his burning face inside them, steaming away.
——
Early the next morning, Bai Chunian drove into the headquarters’ underground garage. He and Lan Bo got out of the driver’s and passenger seats respectively, but a standing rag doll had mysteriously appeared at the rear of the car.
“It wasn’t there when I was backing up.” Bai Chunian scanned his surroundings. If anyone had been nearby, he would have heard footsteps; this rag doll seemed to have materialized out of thin air.
The doll was 30 centimeters tall, wearing a red flannel dress and carrying a matching crossbody bag. Its features were lifelike; as Bai Chunian looked into its light blue eyes, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was staring right back at him.
Lan Bo wanted to step closer for a better look, but Bai Chunian pulled him back: “What if it’s a bomb? Don’t go near it.”
The doll seemed almost sentient as it mechanically rotated the ball joints in its hands and pulled something out of its crossbody bag.
It was a transparent ampoule filled with an orange liquid.
The two exchanged a glance; they both recognized this serum.
“NU Nutrition Serum.”
The doll placed the vial flat on the ground and gave it a gentle push forward; the cylindrical vial rolled to Bai Chunian’s feet.
Mission accomplished, the doll hopped away through the garage’s main entrance.
Bai Chunian picked up the vial, wiped the dust off it on his sleeve, and held it up to the light to confirm the orange liquid inside—it was indeed the nutritional serum they used to inject regularly at the training base.
“Using a doll as a messenger—it looks like the puppeteer is pulling the strings.”
Before he had a chance to examine it further, a BMW 760 slowly pulled in. He wondered what special occasion it was today; usually, Uncle Jin wouldn’t drive the car into the garage just to drop off the Chairman.
Lu Shangjin looked quite cheerful as he opened the car door for Yan Yi. Just then, he spotted Bai Chunian—and Lan Bo, who was wrapped around Bai Chunian’s neck from behind. His cheerful expression quickly turned sour. He couldn’t help but feel that his well-behaved son had befriended a wild boy—one who dragged him into smoking, drinking, getting tattoos, piercings, and wearing chokers, and even dyed his hair white. He just wouldn’t learn to behave.
“Be good,” Bai Chunian whispered to Lan Bo. “Remember to call him Uncle.”
Lan Bo snorted softly. “I’ll call him that—but is he even worthy of it?”
“Hey, you. Don’t go around upsetting your elders all the time.”
Lan Bo nodded in agreement, rolling up the bandage on his arm. “Alright, I’ll go warn that kid not to upset me.”
“……Come back!”
Although Lu Shangjin couldn’t stand Lan Bo, he didn’t let it show too much on his face. The four of them rode the elevator upstairs in relative harmony. Lu Shangjin and Bai Chunian stood in front, while Yan Yi, with his suit draped over his forearm, stood slightly behind them. Lan Bo hung onto Bai Chunian from behind, effectively standing side by side with Yan Yi.
Lan Bo wrapped his arms intimately around his Alpha, his fishtail secretly coiling around Yan Yi’s waist as he played with the soft, gray rabbit ears tucked into Yan Yi’s hair. Yan Yi paid it no mind, merely shaking his right ear slightly.
Lu Shangjin sensed an eerie atmosphere. He turned and shot Lan Bo a cold glance, frowning at the sight of him clinging to his own “Little Bai” in such a flirtatious manner in broad daylight.
But Lan Bo spoke first: “I’m hugging my little A. Do you have a problem with that? I’m not just going to hug him here—later, I’m going to kiss him until he cries.”
His voice wasn’t the soft, gentle tone typical of an omega, but rather a deep, magnetic timbre, carrying a dignity befitting his status.
Bai Chunian pinched the side of Lan Bo’s tail: “What are you talking about!”
“Hmph. I heard Lu Yan came back last night, yet he didn’t even go home. He’s really getting a big head.” Lu Shangjin couldn’t be bothered to argue with a fish. He glanced at his watch. “He didn’t even bother to call. I only found out because Xiaoxia specifically told me he’d landed.”
“It’s fine. Lanxing has a spare key to my office; they won’t get lost.”
Bi Lanxing and Lu Yan have been playing together since they were kids. With Lanxing looking out for him, Lu Shangjin felt at ease.
Passing by Bai Chunian’s office, Lu Shangjin asked Bai Chunian to call them out.
Bai Chunian noticed the door wasn’t locked—it was just ajar. He gave it a gentle push, and it opened slightly. He saw that the sofa cushions had been taken off and spread out on the floor. Bi Lanxing was sleeping on the cushions, while Lu Yan had only one leg left on the sofa; most of his body was draped over Bi Lanxing, sleeping like a dead rabbit.
Bai Chunian immediately pulled his foot back from the threshold, told Uncle Jin there was no one inside, and coaxed him to go wait for them in the president’s office. It took some serious persuasion to finally get Uncle Jin to leave.
Once Uncle Jin was gone, Bai Chunian wiped the sweat from his brow and opened the door to go inside.
The two little rascals were still fast asleep; you couldn’t even wake them up by kicking them.
Lan Bo peeked out from over Bai Chunian’s shoulder: “Hey, honeymoon.”
“Ugh, which idiot taught you that word? Don’t go blabbing.”
There were several takeout boxes scattered on the floor, along with four empty Rio cans. Bai Chunian bent down to pick them up and glanced at them: “These two kids—even when they sneak a drink, they only dare to go for this strength.”
“Wake up, wake up.” Bai Chunian crouched down and nudged Lu Yan’s head. “Your drool’s about to drip all over Lanxing’s face.”
Bi Lanxing jolted awake, while Lu Yan was still groggy. Lan Bo was sprawled on the sofa, intently playing with Lu Yan’s rabbit ears.
Bai Chunian had no time to deal with them. He sat down at the computer, snapped a photo of the nutritional supplement he’d retrieved from the underground garage, and sent it to Dr. Han. Then he had Bi Lanxing take it upstairs to the lab for testing.
“Oh, I’ll go right away.” Bi Lanxing rubbed his eyes, got up, and went to deliver it.
“I had the item the Puppet Master handed over sent to the lab for testing. Go check if there’s anything wrong with it. I’m not sure what he meant by it.”
A moment later, Han Xingqian replied, “ “Got it. It is indeed NU nutritional serum. This serum contains the optimal nutrients for feeding experimental subjects during their juvenile and growth phases. Ordinary experimental subjects can survive by consuming inorganic matter or human food alone, but if they wish to enhance their strength, there are three methods: consuming their own kind, consuming humans, or injecting nutritional serum. On average, each experimental subject requires three thousand vials of nutritional serum to reach their maximum enhanced state.”
“The Puppet Master is probably trying to tell us that we should start feeding the test subjects these nutritional serums.”
“The ingredients for this serum are quite complex. Due to the scarcity of certain raw materials and transportation difficulties, production volumes are low. Furthermore, only test subjects can use it. The patent for this serum is held by Institute 109; they are the only ones in the world who can produce it, and they are the only ones capable of doing so.”
“Hey, I’ve got a new plan. This time, we’ll definitely bring the Institute to its knees.”
Bai Chunian was deep in thought about his new plan when the table was suddenly slammed hard.
He looked up to see Lu Yan standing before him, seething with rage. His bedhead was still standing on end, and he pounded both fists on the table. “Lu Chunian, I have something to ask you.”
“What? What did you call me?” Bai Chunian pushed back his chair and stood up. “Don’t make a fuss over nothing. I’m busy. I’m heading to the president’s office. Since you’re bored out of your mind, you can come with me.”
Bai Chunian walked toward the door, but Lu Yan darted in front of it, blocking the entrance with both hands. He cried out dramatically, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you? I’m your older brother.”
Bai Chunian’s hand, reaching for the doorknob, froze, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Then he grabbed Lu Yan by his two rabbit ears and hoisted him into the air, letting Lu Yan flail and kick wildly while suspended.
Bai Chunian freed his other hand to pull out his phone and record a voice message: “Old He, you’ve driven one of my students crazy. Pay me two hundred, or this isn’t over.”
Lan Bo sat on the couch watching the spectacle, casually stuffing takeout boxes, drink cans, and trash into his mouth.