Bai Chunian lowered the gun against the Crow Omega, flicked his index finger, easily flipping the pistol into his own palm. He spun it twice, removed the bullets, pocketed them, then returned the empty gun to the Omega’s hand. “How are we teaming up?” he asked.
The Crow Omega tilted their chin slightly. “We’re not after kills. We’ll block every opponent we encounter, while you go on the offense. But you have to take us to the Research Institute—we have a mission there.”
The Research Institute’s location was marked clearly on the city map, in the southeast corner. Three fixed ammo boxes were marked at floors 3, 10, and 16. As four Omegas with little offensive power, survival and completing the mission in the Institute would be extremely difficult.
“You think we can’t kill enough people without you?” Bai Chunian laughed, eyes glancing mockingly at the small Omegas.
The Crow Omega had anticipated this. Eyes half-closed, they said softly, “On the fourth floor of the hospital, a team: one critically wounded, two half-health, one full. Three hundred meters away, first floor of the mall, luxury goods: one critically wounded, three full.”
Bai Chunian raised an eyebrow, impressed.
“My companion ability allows me to temporarily leave my eyes behind—two mobile eyeballs in separate locations to monitor,” the Crow Omega explained, tucking stray hair behind their ear. “Otherwise, how do you think we avoided the Search Gang?”
Some glands, when differentiated, can gain companion abilities. Naturally occurring companion abilities usually relate to the species’ traits and are not guaranteed.
Bai Chunian stepped a little closer, his tone deliberately suggestive. “Temporary eyes don’t sound very related to your Crow gland.”
The Omega took two cautious steps back, meeting Bai Chunian’s gaze with wary eyes. “I’m not lying. If you don’t want to cooperate, fine.”
“I never said I wouldn’t cooperate,” Bai Chunian replied, softening his gaze into a calm, harmless expression as he leaned against the car door. “You’re pretty strong. What’s your name?”
“Du Mo.”
Lu Yan didn’t hold grudges against the Omegas. Being young and inexperienced, he was naturally trusting; after Mochan returned the stolen inhibitors, he didn’t care anymore. Bi Lanxing, more cautious, used his vines to wrap around Lu Yan’s waist, gently pulling him behind and keeping a distance from the Omegas.
Since there was only one enemy team in the hospital, Bai Chunian decided it was fine for Lanbo to rest in the car. As soon as the door opened, Lanbo sat on the seat, staring absentmindedly at his fingers.
The webbing between his fingers had regrown, delicate and pale, yet clearly not human.
Bai Chunian looked down, and Lanbo suddenly grabbed the collar of Bai Chunian’s black tactical uniform, pulling him close.
His eyes shimmered like a cold, restless sea, and from them, Bai Chunian read a keen, almost jealous intensity.
A faint scent of white thorn rose from the glands at Lanbo’s nape, permeating the air. Lu Yan, nearest to him, felt discomfort first, pressing a hand to his own glands, an unsettling feeling coursing through him.
The other Omegas weren’t so lucky. The moment the white thorn pheromone invaded their glands, they were hit with a crushing force, the nape glands swelling painfully. Even the Sea Spider Omega, who quickly activated the j1 suppression-counter ability, was ineffective.
Although the Sea Spider had no natural predators, the merfolk—a mutated aquatic gland species—were intrinsically immune to suppression, nullifying the counter.
Three Omegas were pinned to the ground by the oppressive pheromones. Only Du Mo could barely remain standing, knees trembling, holding his throbbing nape gland, calling out to Bai Chunian: “Has he gone mad? Make him stop!”
Lanbo seemed to focus the oppressive pheromones solely on Du Mo, forcing him to his knees before ceasing.
Bai Chunian had never seen Lanbo assertively drive away surrounding Omegas. He called the others back a little, allowing some space.
When the Omegas had staggered ten meters away, Lanbo finally stopped releasing pheromones, tossing Bai Chunian a “that’s it?” look.
Bai Chunian chuckled softly, ruffling Lanbo’s fluffy hair. “I never said he was stronger than you.”
“Hen.” Lanbo flicked his tail, releasing an electric current, using electromagnetic adhesion to leave the seat and climb through the open hospital window.
Now inside the hospital, their priority was completing Lu Yan’s task—locating a hallucinogen called Aelerant.
They approached the fourth-floor laboratory faster than usual, aiming for a quick strike, but the moment they reached the stairwell, a heavy metallic scent of blood filled the air.
Armed and moving stealthily, they reached the lab entrance: a pool of blood-soaked limbs and severed arms lay scattered. Lanbo perched on the windowsill, sweeping his tail across the scene. Blood trickled down his arm and tail, flowing into the severed limbs, the blue electric currents along his tail gradually charging into red, like a battery storing energy.
“Looks like you weren’t lying—there really is a team here,” Bai Chunian said, appreciating Lanbo’s display. The red-charged tail was both dangerous and alluring, strikingly beautiful.
Du Mo narrowed his phoenix-shaped eyes, arms crossed with a faint smile. “Our abilities are better suited for support, but unfortunately, this exam isn’t friendly to support roles. Should we exchange contacts? Whatever support you need, I can provide.”
Four unconscious team members lay on the floor, blood levels nearly drained. Lanbo tilted his head slightly, signaling Lu Yan to collect the kills, while casually glancing at Du Mo.
At first, Du Mo felt nothing, but after a long, piercing gaze from Lanbo’s deep blue eyes, his fingers trembled slightly. Swallowing hard, he stepped back a few paces, moving diagonally across the room. Only then did Lanbo shift his icy gaze away.