“You’ve treated me well, Captain He—is it because you extend your care to those you love?”
Bai Chunian was skilled at reading tone and expression. Ever since the incident in Port M surrounding the Golden Silkworm, when He Suowei had blocked him from approaching the Lesha Tower, he had noticed this.
He Suowei realized he had spoken carelessly under stress. In front of someone so perceptive, any slip could reveal the truth.
“You trying to hide something? Too late,” Bai Chunian said, staring into his grayish-blue wolf eyes. “I should have guessed—inside the triangular building, only you were injured while the others emerged unscathed. They weren’t unharmed—they healed before seeing me.”
“And in the ATWL exam, some inspection reports for experimental subjects went missing from the nine-grid bookshelf. You said you only took one—so where did the others go? We survived to the end without finding out.”
“Actually, they ended up with you, right? That inspection report on the experimental demon dog Garm—He Wenxiao and He Wenyi’s.”
He Suowei’s expression stiffened.
“Coincidence, maybe. In the ATWL exam, I obtained a chip capable of reading all experimental subject data inside the building. But before it finished, those two’s health dropped to zero and they were out. That’s why I never noticed anything unusual.”
Bai Chunian flipped him off his body and brushed the dust off himself. “Do you really understand this kind of creature?” he asked casually. “Humans, when very small, can crush chicks with one hand, burn ants with a magnifying glass, strangle puppies with yarn dragging them across the ground, poke cats’ eyes with sticks…”
He lifted his chin toward the chaos Eris was causing. “…And what they do is the same. Humans are our creators, so we inherit the same selfishness, cruelty, and tendency to bully the weak. The only difference is that we are strong—strong enough to make them afraid. Who told us not to act this way when we were born? No one. Never.”
“You don’t start with that pretentious nonsense,” He Suowei said, gripping his submachine gun, pointing it downward. “You think I don’t understand? I changed their diapers, scrubbed them in the unit showers, dressed them in autumn clothes, even covered their textbooks. What could I not understand?”
The 109 Research Institute cultivated human embryos. Unexpectedly, the identical twins had awakened dual glands during their youth. Twins with dual glands couldn’t be separated, and existing technology couldn’t cultivate them. After discovering this hindered research, they were sold off and intercepted during smuggling.
This wasn’t a secret—the two young wolves were raised by the unit. Everyone knew what they were.
Bai Chunian chuckled at He Suowei’s serious expression. Clearly, He Suowei now assumed he had defected from IOA.
“Keeping me from the Lesha Tower—it wasn’t to harm me, but to prevent alien radar detection, right?” Bai Chunian suppressed a smile, though it eventually crept out. “Captain He, you’re like plain dumplings—simple, no green onions.”
Another grenade fell from above, detonating near a fuel truck. He Suowei ordered his team to take cover behind riot shields. Bai Chunian extended his J1 ability, reinforcing their shields with skeletal steel.
The explosion’s shockwave and flaming debris surged forward. The Storm Unit, shielded by the added steel reinforcement, stood firm. Flaming shards swept across Bai Chunian, but when the fire subsided, he remained standing. Blood on his cheek healed, and he removed embedded shards from his flesh. The wounds vanished instantly, and he turned, hands in his pockets, and walked away.
“Earlier, Eris told me he’s an A3-level alpha. You think he’s lying? Save your effort, Captain He. Don’t spoil the kid’s fun—don’t interfere.”
No matter what, maintaining order was PBB’s duty—they wouldn’t retreat just because the target was strong. He Suowei used a comm to dispatch a team to evacuate civilians trapped in the collapsing buildings, while other units assisted the International Bureau in apprehending Eris.
Eris had only been playing around, holding off a few Storm Unit members. But seeing the panicked crowd fleeing from the arena, he slowed, stepped away from the struggle, and followed the scattering spectators a few steps—then, disappointed, lowered his weapon.
Bai Chunian sensed Eris’s mood was off and spoke to guide him toward the subway: “Let’s go, take the subway.”
The line they had arrived on passed through scenic spots, museums, and monuments—essentially a tourist route. It was off-season with few passengers, and more importantly, it was a completely controlled area, so even if Eris went berserk, containment was easy.
Bai Chunian didn’t fully understand Eris’s abilities, but he knew one constant: over the years, the institute had produced over a hundred thousand experimental subjects, yet very few had the “10” digit in the middle of their identification number. One appearing in public was always a disaster.
Eris ignored Bai Chunian’s guidance, hoisting his gun and muttering gloomily to the PBB operatives, “You scared off my fans.”
A barely visible golden thread appeared from the wrist of the nearest PBB agent. It was intangible—pulling it by hand was impossible.
The golden thread quickly wound from the first agent to a second, weaving through the crowd and binding ten people in total. Each could see the thread wrapped around them, yet none could break free.
Bai Chunian anticipated the effect of the golden thread. He launched himself at Eris, tackling him to the ground. But the trigger was already pulled. The shotgun, skewed by Bai Chunian’s tackle, exploded into the thigh of one agent. At the same time, all ten agents connected by the thread cried out in pain—their thighs displaying identical wounds.
This was Eris’s curse-born companion ability, “Cursed Thread”: targets linked by the golden thread receive the same damage simultaneously. The thread can link a maximum of ten targets, and it breaks if the distance between any two exceeds 100 meters.
“Why are you stopping me?” Eris pressed the gun barrel against Bai Chunian’s forehead, glaring. “You’re with them, aren’t you?”
“Of course not—I’m saving you,” Bai Chunian said, pointing to the continuous stream of armed helicopters arriving behind them. “So many of them—if you killed their brothers, what could they do?”
“Oh.” Eris helped Bai Chunian to his feet, brushing the dirt off him.
The main force of the Storm Unit had already arrived. A strong scent of masculine pheromones drifted through the wind. Bai Chunian looked back to see He Suowei using his M2 differentiation ability to intercept them.
The North American Gray Wolf gland M2 differentiation ability, “Moonlit Wolf Howl”, was an enhancement-type skill that could only be used at night. Within its radius, all allied targets received a 50% attribute boost with no side effects, and duration depended on the gland’s energy.
Wolves are social animals; their abilities manifest collectively. A single person gaining 50% might not be terrifying, but He Suowei commanded the entire Storm Special Forces. Bai Chunian knew that a competent major wouldn’t promote someone without reason—the Storm Unit’s elites only reached their positions through exceptional skill.
Eris, too, was surprised by the ability. His golden threads coiled around him as he ascended to the top of a building.
Bai Chunian nimbly climbed the exterior walls, heading toward Eris. The police were close, and if he could stall Eris a little longer, the drone carrying the special tranquilizers would arrive.
But a murderous glint lit Eris’s eyes. He crouched atop the dome, excitedly surveying the ground below: “They’re so tiny… like little ants crawling around.”
A surge of intense pheromones radiated from him. The moment Bai Chunian grabbed him, Eris’s A3 differentiation ability activated.
Suddenly, the earth seemed to ripple. Shadows swallowed the ground; people fell into sudden chasms, some clutching edges, struggling to climb back.
Eris’s A3 ability, “Facing the Abyss”: all shadowed areas vanish beneath the target. Those who fall are trapped in eternal torment, each second confronting their deepest fears.
“You…!” Bai Chunian instinctively raised his left hand, exuding dense white brandy pheromones to suppress Eris. But before a curse could be uttered, the night sky lit up like day. The full moon vanished, replaced by the sun. Six suns appeared simultaneously in hexagonal positions in the clouds, their dazzling light reflecting off everything.
Under the strange spectacle, thunder roared, and a storm of rain swept through, flooding countless streets. Cars floated in the torrents.
Eris’s A3 ability, dependent on shadows, was instantly nullified. His mouth formed an O in shock, unsure what had happened.
A streak of blue lightning shot from the clouds. Everyone shielded their eyes from the blinding light.
Bai Chunian felt a cold, hard object press against his lower back. In a flash, he was restrained from behind.
Lan Bo held a Desert Eagle against Bai Chunian’s back with one hand, while the other hand lightly cupped his jaw from behind.
After the lightning, a deafening thunderclap echoed, ears ringing. Then Lan Bo’s alluring, magnetic voice whispered in his ear:
“You’ve got ideas—rebellious phase of youth, huh? Making me like that and trying to sneak into prison behind my back. When you get out, I’ll settle it with you. I have all the time in the world, baby.”
Lan Bo’s stingray A3 differentiation ability, “Illusory Sun Path”: a natural control skill that creates six suns in the sky, six reflections on water, and within the range of the twelve arcs, allows total control over weather.
His warm, soft body pressed against Bai Chunian’s back, stirring memories of the bathroom. Even his fingertips tingled red.
In the bathroom, Lan Bo had taught him how to use his hands pleasurably. He learned so quickly it bordered on self-taught—he couldn’t resist, gently licking the transparent pores beneath Lan Bo’s fins.
At first, Lan Bo indulged him, but the sharp papillae of his tongue eventually made him stop.
Even so, a young alpha driven by desire doesn’t give up easily. Fortunately, a call from Han Xingqian snapped him back to reality; when he came to, the bathroom floor already held over ten pearls.
The thunderstorm had not yet subsided. Bai Chunian was being held at gunpoint by Lan Bo, the weapon pressed against his side. Lan Bo’s upper body was wrapped in bandages, over which he wore a short bulletproof vest marked with the IOA insignia. He had come personally to arrest Bai Chunian.