Li Zhi could no longer sit inside the command car lest he suffocated to death. He had a walkie-talkie in hand as he paced back and forth on the road anxiously. "Alphas, get away from that place and try not to breathe in! The ambulances have almost arrived! Betas, as soon as you catch those people, evacuate from the harbor!"

The bomb had been totally out of Li Zhi’s expectation and it had caught everyone off guard. At the moment, his main focus was to seize the chance to capture as many people as he could while reducing the casualties to its maximum.

Whenever he thought of the possible damage that could happen due to the bomb, he could not resist the urge to curse out loud. Damn it... whoever had planted the bomb was truly sick in the head!

He knew very well how destructive it could be once an Alpha went out of control. They would become utterly violent and go on rampage like a mad beast. Not only that, they could also bring down a crowd of people just with their pheromones alone. Perhaps he could still manage it if it was one Alpha, but what if it was multiple Alphas? What if all the Alphas involved in the operation tonight suffered from AX–03?

Just the mere thought of it was enough to send chills down his spine. No! He could not allow that to happen! This might very well be their last chance to catch Xuanlong’s Boss along with his elite subordinates, but would it be worth the risk of damaging the officers’ glands? To destroy half of their lives at once?

Call him soft-hearted but Li Zhi would rather fail the operation than to have the same tragedy happen all over again.

Seven years ago, he had been one of the people who arrived first on the crime scene and discovered the corpses. The former Director, his Captain as well as the brothers who worked with him every single day... all of them died a tragic death. Until now, he could still remember vividly the disbelief and terror that was etched on their lifeless eyes and it had haunted his nightmare ever since.

Li Zhi no longer wanted to see the same scene for the second time. That’s all.

He listened intently to the report that came in one after another, stating how the officers had evacuated to a safe place. In the next second, his face abruptly changed as he realized that... he had not heard anything from Tak Jung-Hwa and Mu Yuze!

Almost frantic, he grabbed the walkie-talkie and barked out, "Mu Yuze and Tak Jung-Hwa, if you’re listening to this, please answer at once! I repeat, Mu Yuze and Tak Jung-Hwa, answer me!!"

He received no reply at all.

***

At the same time, in Jingnan Harbor.

He Juan was resolved to bring Jia Molei back, and no one could tell him otherwise. The men, left with no other choice, could only grit their teeth and comply with his words for the time being. He Juan sighed in relief when he saw them turning away. Now, he could finally focus on the problem in front of him.

He was trying not to breathe in as much as he could. The scent of AX-03 was rapidly spreading throughout the area, but at the same time, the wind also howled fiercely, blowing it away and replacing it with the salty tang of ocean water. He Juan found it helping, or perhaps his body had begun to get used to it after undergoing detoxification. He no longer felt as helpless and weak as he did when he was first affected by it. Yes, his gland was throbbing and he could sense his pheromones oozing out without him being able to control it. But they were nothing he could not endure. At least, his mind was still crystal clear.

He had realized the imposter’s attempt to lure him closer and closer to the container. And now, he finally knew the reason why.

Judging from how confident the imposter was, he ought to be a Beta. And together with Jia Molei, both of them would not be affected by AX-03, but it was not the case with He Juan.

The closer he got to the container, the stronger the smell was. Resisting his Alpha’s urge to get away from this place, he lifted his clothes and used it to cover his nose as he carefully trudged forward. He could see Ku Jin tugging Jia Molei into the container again, but aside from them... there was also a silhouette. Another person, he noted.

— Who?

Just then, a series of hasty footsteps approached him from behind. Thinking that it was the men who came back again, He Juan’s lips pulled back into a snarl as he turned to address them, "Why are you guys—" Alas, once he saw clearly who it was, the words ended up being stuck to his throat and he could only gawk, shell-shocked.

H–How... How could he be here?!

"He Juan, are you stupid?!" Mu Yuze’s furious holler was muffled through the mask he was wearing. He was clad in a bulletproof vest with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. Before He Juan could react, Mu Yuze reached out and slipped another mask on him. "You even dare to go forward without any preparation! Do you want to die?!"

"...I should be the one to ask you that!" The severity of the situation finally dawned on He Juan. In front of him was really Mu Yuze – on the flesh. Mu Yuze, who was supposed to recuperate in the hospital. Mu Yuze, who still had not recovered from his trauma yet. He Juan’s expression immediately twisted, almost frenzied as he grabbed hold of Mu Yuze’s shoulders. "What are you doing here?! Go out, you... you are not supposed to be here at all!"

"Tell it to yourself!" Mu Yuze slapped his hands away and shot him a vicious glare. "You’re also a patient! Why haven’t you learned your lesson from last time!"

He Juan was so angry that he laughed. If he had the strength, he wanted to chuck Mu Yuze away from this place – the further, the better. Why hadn’t he realized how stubborn Mu Yuze was until now?!

"I think it’s not the time to argue." Someone interjected from the side, and He Juan recognized him as the Alpha who had gone with him and Kang Guanyu to Jia Molei’s house a few days ago. What was his name again? He cast a glance at He Juan that was filled with thousands of complex feelings. "Focus. The enemies are in front of you... XIU."

He Juan keenly sensed that the man was gritting his teeth as he spat out those words, but he could no longer analyze it further when a slight movement entered his peripheral vision.

He turned his gaze back to the container and the person he saw there caused him to suck in cold air.

The two officers beside him gave a similar reaction, though for another reason altogether.

He Juan’s eyes were glued to the teenager who had just come out of the container. Too shocked by this unexpected appearance, he did not even notice that the teenager was pushing someone on a wheelchair, whose gaze was trained on him all the time. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Wu Yuan..." his voice trembled in shock and disbelief. The person in front of him was indeed his student, Wu Yuan, but He Juan could sense that something had infinitely changed about him, though he could not put his finger to it. He only knew that... the Wu Yuan in front of him was utterly unfamiliar. "Why... Why are you here?"