Driving Out the Tiger to Devour the Wolf

Deep within the wound on his right leg, the dark green toxin core was like a disturbed viper, each pulse bringing a tearing sensation of ice and fire. The foul, sweet "warm current" stubbornly permeated, while the pulling sensation from the core of the azure light screen in his mind was like a devil's whisper, tempting Lin Xiao to embrace this poisonous "sweet spring."

Next to the [Source Energy Points: -0.158], the scarlet [+0.001] had long since vanished, but it was etched into his consciousness like a brand. Devour the potent poison, replenish Source Energy! This insane possibility was like a poppy swaying on the edge of a bottomless abyss, exuding a fatal allure.

Just as this dangerous thought grew wildly, the alloy door slid open silently once more.

This time, it wasn't Qin Bing who entered, but two personnel in Special Operations Ninth Division medical uniforms, their expressions as stern as carved stone. They pushed a complex-looking instrument, shimmering with an azure halo, and headed straight for Lin Xiao's bedside.

"Lin Xiao, Captain Qin orders a deep toxin cleansing," the lead middle-aged medical officer stated in a flat tone, leaving no room for explanation. The instrument extended several slender, cold metal probes, precisely piercing several acupoints around Lin Xiao's right leg wound. A powerful suction instantly transmitted!

Lin Xiao's body tensed violently! He clearly felt that the instrument's probes were targeting the dark green toxin core! The very source of the potent poison that had just given him a sliver of "hope"!

No! At least... not all of it can be cleared!

The instant the probes' powerful suction reached the toxin core, Lin Xiao's will, like a dying beast, slammed into the dim azure light screen in his mind! Not to mobilize Source Energy Points (that was a pipe dream), but to use his last vestiges of mental strength to try and interfere with the core's faint pull!

"Hide it! Retain a portion! Even if it's just a trace!"

Buzz—!

The light screen core in his mind suddenly lit up with an extremely faint, almost imperceptible azure glow! The black cracks at the edges seemed to have spread a bit further! A strong wave of dizziness and soul-tearing sensation violently struck him!

In the real world, the moment the powerful suction touched the toxin core, it seemed to encounter an extremely weak, instinctive resistance from deep within Lin Xiao's flesh and blood! The toxin core vibrated violently, its dark green light flashing and disappearing within the depths of the wound! The vast majority was brutally stripped away by the instrument's immense power and sucked into a specially designed sealed container within the instrument, emitting a "sizzling" corrosive sound.

However, at the very last moment of the stripping, an extremely subtle thread of dark green energy, like a hair, like a cunning parasite, managed to burrow into deeper meridians through the slight gap created by the contraction of Lin Xiao's own flesh and blood, and went into complete dormancy!

[Warning! High-contamination Xeno energy (Viper's Kiss core residue) deeply dormant! Contamination spread risk: Extremely High!]

[Core instinct suppression... Suppression efficiency: 0.1%... Contamination erosion rate: 0.0001%...]

[Source Energy Points replenishment: +0.002 (passive stripping of trace activity)]

[Source Energy Points: -0.158 + 0.002 = -0.156!]

The cold prompt carried an unprecedentedly stern warning! Lin Xiao's vision went black, and he gasped for air, his back instantly drenched in cold sweat. Had he succeeded? Or... had he planted a bigger bane? The bone-chilling numbness in his leg hadn't completely disappeared, it had just become more subtle, more profound.

The medical officer nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the "Clearance Rate: 99.9%" green indicator on the instrument's screen, then removed the probes. "The toxin core has been cleared, residual contamination is within safe thresholds, and nerve paralysis will gradually alleviate. The wound has been re-treated; rest is all that's needed." Without any further words, he packed up the instrument and left with his companion.

The alloy door closed, and the room fell into silence once more.

Lin Xiao collapsed onto the cold bed, as if he had just been fished out of water. He stared at the ceiling, feeling the dormant, bomb-like dark green core deep within his right leg, and the still glaring [-0.156] in his mind, his heart turning to ice.

Devouring potent poison to replenish Source Energy? This path was more perilous than he'd imagined! That 0.002 point replenishment came at the cost of planting a contamination source within him that could explode at any moment! Drinking poison to quench thirst, indeed!

Time passed in a state of oppression. The inhibitor's effect completely wore off, and the numbness in his right leg slowly receded like a receding tide, replaced by the sharp pain of the wound and a lingering, bone-deep chill. The wound on his back also began to scab and heal under the efficient medication from the Ninth Division, causing intermittent itching.

Three days later.

The alloy door slid open again. Qin Bing's figure appeared at the doorway.

She was still in her crisp black uniform, her cold, beautiful face betraying no emotion. She walked into the room, her gaze like a precise scanner, quickly assessing Lin Xiao's complexion, his bandaged right leg, and his back.

"Can you walk?" her voice was devoid of warmth.

Lin Xiao braced himself against the edge of the bed, carefully shifting his right leg and tentatively placing it on the ground. The wound throbbed with pain, but the maddening numbness was indeed gone, replaced by a heavy and subtle coldness. He managed to stand steadily, forcing a pale, roguish grin. "Thanks to Officer Qin, I can... temporarily survive."

Qin Bing offered no comment on his reply. She walked to the metal table, picked up the empty casing of the nutrient paste Lin Xiao had long since consumed, and tapped her fingertip twice on the cold metal, producing clear sounds.

"Lin Xiao," she turned, her gaze like two daggers quenched in ice, piercing directly into Lin Xiao's eyes, "Your luck is extraordinarily good. Or rather, your ability to stir up trouble is also extraordinarily great."

Her tone carried a chilling, all-seeing scrutiny:

"The 'Viper' of the 'Shadow Alliance,' the sudden outbreak of World-Erosion Contamination... they all coincide precisely with your appearance at that abandoned factory. Although the existing 'evidence' isn't enough to nail you, but..."

She paused, then took a step forward, the cold pressure of a Special Operations Ninth Division elite enveloping him like a physical entity: "Remember, my eyes are always on you. Your name in the Ninth Division's files has already been bolded and marked in red. Next time you get yourself involved in such a 'coincidence,' and fall into my hands..."

She didn't finish, but her icy gaze said it all—next time, it wouldn't be as simple as a "temporary safe house."

Lin Xiao's heart pounded heavily in his chest. Qin Bing's warning was like being doused with ice water, making him clearly aware of his current predicament—a prey on the knife's edge, targeted by the authorities.

"Don't worry, Officer Qin," he tried to maintain his roguish smile, though his eyes held a well-measured hint of fear and "sincerity." "I promise, I'll go back and study hard, and stay as far away from this mess as possible! This time, I'm truly... scared stiff!"

Qin Bing looked at him coldly for a few seconds, as if assessing the truthfulness of his words. Finally, she slightly shifted her body, clearing the path to the door. "You can go. Someone will escort you out at the entrance." Her voice returned to its usual, unruffled coldness. "Don't die too quickly; your 'luck' hasn't been fully exploited for its value yet."

That last sentence carried a hint of icy amusement and hidden meaning.

Lin Xiao's heart tightened, but on the surface, he acted as if granted a great amnesty, thanking her repeatedly. He limped, moving awkwardly towards the door. With every step, the dormant dark green core deep in his right leg sent a faint, cold tremor, reminding him of the bomb buried within him.

The heavy alloy door closed silently behind him, completely sealing off that cold iron cage.

A black car with no markings dropped him off at a secluded intersection a few blocks from the school. The car door closed, and the engine's low growl quickly vanished into the traffic.

The cold night wind hit him, carrying the city's hustle and bustle and the scent of freedom. Lin Xiao stood at the street corner, greedily breathing in this free air, though the cold sensation of the safe house still lingered on his back.

Freedom? No! This was merely stepping from one cage into another, larger, invisible one!

Qin Bing's warning was like a maggot clinging to his bones. The marked file in the Ninth Division meant he was completely exposed to official scrutiny, every move potentially magnified and examined. And the dormant "Viper's Kiss" residual core within him, along with the glaring [-0.156] in his mind, were swords of Damocles hanging over his head!

Passive resistance? Sit and wait for death? Never!

Lin Xiao's eyes instantly turned fierce and calm, like a lone wolf. Beneath the roguish exterior lay a ruthlessness and calculation forced out by desperation.

Qin Bing wanted to use him as bait to catch a bigger fish? The Ninth Division wanted to control him? Then let's see who the real hunter is!

Drive the tigers and swallow the wolves!

A crazy plan instantly took shape in his mind.

He dragged his still heavy and cold right leg, quickly turning into a quieter alleyway nearby. He pulled out a sweat-soaked, crumpled, cheap communicator from his inner pocket (it hadn't been confiscated before entering the safe house, clearly left intentionally by the Ninth Division for monitoring). He turned it on and quickly dialed a number.

A few seconds later, Fatty Wang's familiar voice, tinged with worry and urgency, came through the communicator, "Bro… Brother Xiao?! Is that you, Brother Xiao?! Are you okay?! These past few days..."

"Fatty, listen to me!" Lin Xiao interrupted him, his voice low and hurried, carrying an undeniable command. "I'm out, and I'm fine for now. You, right now, immediately, at top speed, spread the word! Spread it to the black market, spread it to every corner where the Blood Wolf Gang can hear! Say—"

He took a deep breath, each word delivered like a poisoned dagger:

"Qin Bing of the Special Operations Ninth Division has her sights set on the Blood Wolf Gang! The reason? Say they colluded with the Shadow Alliance to trade 'World-Erosion Seed' fragments at the old factory! Qin Bing already has the crucial evidence in hand! Her next target is the Blood Wolf Gang's main strongholds! Tell them to wash their necks and wait!"

On the other end of the communicator, Fatty Wang gasped, his voice stammering, "Bro… Brother Xiao?! This… this news… is too… too deadly! The Blood Wolf Gang will go insane! And the Ninth Division..."

"That's exactly what I want!" Lin Xiao's eyes flashed with a cold, wild light. "Do as I say! Do it discreetly! Your reward, I'll double it when I get back!"

"Yes… Yes! Brother Xiao! I'll do it right away!" Fatty Wang, hearing the resolve and ruthlessness in Lin Xiao's tone, didn't dare to ask any more questions.

After hanging up, Lin Xiao leaned against the cold, damp wall, panting heavily. The dark green core deep within his right leg seemed to sense his intense mental focus and the madness of his plan, emitting a faint pulse.

[Warning! High mental concentration… Core load increasing… Source Energy Points consumed: -0.004]

[Source Energy Points: -0.156 - 0.004 = -0.160!]

The crimson digits flickered again!

Lin Xiao looked at the glaring [-0.160] in his mind, but a cold, lone-wolf-like curve formed on his lips.

Qin Bing, Ninth Division, don't you want to see how big a ripple this fish can create?

Blood Wolf Gang, don't you want my life?

Then come!

Let's see who tears whom apart first – whether it's you wolves and tigers, or me, a pawn pushed to the brink, who overturns this chessboard!

He dragged his still cold and heavy right leg, his figure slowly merging into the deeper shadows of the city night.