In the lab, Lu Yan found a bottle labeled Aelerant, a translucent pink powder. The vial was taped to a roughly ten-centimeter-long syringe, clearly intended for paired use.
“Instructions: Inject into the nape gland; takes effect within ten seconds,” Lu Yan read. “It just says ‘takes effect,’ no details on what happens.”
“Let me handle it, don’t risk cutting your hand.” Bai Chunian drew his tactical knife from his gun belt, quickly broke the glass cap of the vial, and used the syringe to extract the liquid. Before capping it, he inhaled the scent.
“Done.” Lu Yan flicked his mission book. Task Two, Search the Hospital for Aelerant, was complete. The book now showed two stars. Combined with the fourteen kills Lu Yan had collected, converted into one star, “surviving until the end will earn six stars.”
Bai Chunian turned to the group of Omegas. “How many stars are you aiming for? The Research Institute is tough—might be better if I just help you survive to the end. There are three fixed ammo boxes there, and who knows how many teams will be fighting over them. I can’t babysit all of you little darlings.”
Lu Yan shot him a sideways glance, tucking the AC hallucinogen syringe into his pocket. “Who’s your darling?”
Bai Chunian propped himself up on the windowsill, swinging his legs leisurely. “All of you are my darlings.”
Lanbo, chewing on the empty ampule, paused and blinked at him. “En?”
Bai Chunian curved his lips into a smile. “Did you hear that? I said all these cute Omegas are my darlings.” Just now, Lanbo had openly displayed his possessiveness, and Bai Chunian felt a strange warmth in his chest. He wanted to see what this fish could do beyond intimidation; publicly giving a quick kiss or a hug to assert ownership would be fine, too.
But to Lanbo, Bai Chunian’s words sounded like: “You @#￥%… are ￥%# my cute Omega ￥%# my darling.”
Lanbo nodded, flicked his tailtip toward Bai Chunian with a little “√,” even lowering his guard and appearing magnanimous on the surface.
Bai Chunian grinned and pinched Lanbo’s cheek. “Alright, you said that—home will be your lesson.”
The growth of a special operations experimental subject is divided into three stages: cultivation period, maturity, and degeneration. During the cultivation period, all abilities are still developing.
Lanbo was still in the cultivation period. Though his organs were approaching maturity, his comprehension and expressive abilities lagged behind normal humans. He needed constant intake of inorganic and organic matter to maintain glandular energy. Adequate feeding or catalytic injections could accelerate his development.
Bai Chunian had everyone open their mission books and cross-checked the tasks. Many were connected to the library’s third-floor section D files: some to disrupt, some to organize, some to destroy. Statistically, at least 80% of exam participants would encounter library-related tasks. Different starting points and arrival times meant many had already browsed the archives.
Coupled with the seven other reports taken from the lab’s bookshelf, it was clear the organizers intended to spread the content of these materials.
Bì Lanxing’s three tasks were:
- Clear intruders from the library (completed)
- Browse and take the central lab report from the bookshelf (completed)
- Light the candelabra on the 16th floor of the Research Institute
Lu Yan’s three tasks were:
- Hand over the chip to the third-floor library section D archive manager (completed)
- Search the hospital for the Aelerant hallucinogen (completed)
- Retrieve the DSLR from the Research Institute elevator
Team missions were interlinked: if one member completed a task, other team members with the same task were credited as completed. The team mechanism made Bai Chunian finally interested in his own mission book:
- Browse the central lab report (completed)
- Read the chip in the Research Institute’s 10th-floor public computer room
- Photograph experimental subject 1513
Lanbo’s tasks offered no useful reference.
“Now it makes sense?” Du Mo opened his team’s mission book. “Experimental subject 1513 is somewhere in this exam site, probably locked inside the Research Institute. If we go there, we’ll see the creature.”
“I’m very curious about this 1513. As long as one teammate survives, I get six stars. I’m here to rack up points; even if I fail, it’s fine. If you head to the Research Institute, take me along. I’ll give full support—you don’t need to protect me. If I die, it’s no big deal.”
Bai Chunian let his mind wander. If this exam charged admission, he could have fun running a team with alliance agents. This team-building exercise was more entertaining than past missions involving vacationing operatives in the Golden Triangle.
“Is that okay, brother?” Du Mo released a faint submissive pheromone, expressing a plea. Omegas naturally trigger protective instincts in Alphas.
Lanbo flicked his tailtip, tilted the Crow Omega’s chin, and squinted his deep blue eyes. From between clenched teeth, a few unpracticed syllables escaped: “Xing… ni… gen zhe… wo.”
The two teams split into two cars. Following Du Mo’s lead, they eliminated a team in the mall, seized their supplies, and drove toward the Research Institute, located on the city outskirts along a stretch of highway.
Bì Lanxing drove the “Do You Have A?” team’s car, with Du Mo in the rear seat diagonal from Bai Chunian.
Suddenly, Du Mo tapped the glass. “Five hundred meters ahead, two cars. One has four people, all low on health. The other has four people, all full health.”
Crow Omega’s life-sign detection was incredibly useful, even Bai Chunian appreciated it. He opened the radio mic to Bì Lanxing in the other car: “Two cars ahead, five hundred meters.”
Both slowed to avoid rear-ending. Then, an explosive detonated ahead. Sparks and thick smoke shot up; a Porsche was hurled into the air.
Du Mo paused. “Only four left—one half health, three full. They turned around, coming straight for us.”
Simultaneously, the broadcast updated in real time:
[Ghost-Hunting Team] He Suowei — Explosive kill [Fu Zhen Tangxia]
[Fu Zhen Tangxia] — Entire team eliminated
Crow Omega’s detection radius was only five hundred meters. At highway speeds, the Ghost-Hunting Team would collide with them in mere seconds.
At the end of the road, the Ghost-Hunting Team’s black G-class SUV came into view. Gunmen were positioned on both sides, bullets raking across the BMW’s hood. Flames and thick smoke erupted from the front of the car.
Lu Yan knelt on the back seat, fingers anxiously resting on the door handle, ready to jump if needed. “The car’s smoking—if the fuel tank hits, it’ll explode!”
“Bullshit, it’s as good as new,” Bai Chunian replied, casually whipping the wheel through a sharp bend. He snapped his fingers with ease. “Trash dared to shoot at my car? Gonna smash his brains in.”
“Hey!”
In the chaos, stray bullets pierced the glass. One tore through Lu Yan’s lower abdomen, leaving a bleeding hole. He clutched the wound, gritting his teeth against the pain. “Why are they targeting me when there are so many of us in the car?”
“Damn, I spaced out for a second. Don’t tell your dad about this.” Bai Chunian, seeing Lu Yan had taken two hits and nearly failed his protection task, leaned out the window with a megaphone to salvage the situation.
“Listen up, you bastards from the Ghost-Hunting Team! You just shot at our team’s little pet bunny. You’re about to pay a painful price for that unlucky bullet. Consider yourselves warned!”