Discovery

Before the hesitation in Chi Li's heart could spread any further, Si Jinyan suddenly closed his eyes and kissed Chi Li on the lips.

The tacit understanding they had cultivated day and night made Chi Li's body respond before his mind could.

Only after a long while did Si Jinyan pull back. He kissed Chi Li's lips apologetically, his fingertips touching the nape of Chi Li's neck as he released soothing pheromones. "I was too rough just now. Does it still hurt?"

At Si Jinyan's touch, Chi Li shook his head. Their earlier conversation became a brief interlude, drowned beneath the next wave that followed.

Late that night, Chi Li had already fallen deeply asleep. Yet Si Jinyan, lying beside him, remained clear-eyed as he stared at Chi Li's profile for a long time.

Before ending his conversation with Lu Jiu at the research institute, Si Jinyan had asked one final question.

Lu Jiu had answered, "What reaction would an alpha have to being marked? Hmm... at present, there is no verifiable practical data on that question."

"However, based on the available data, an alpha most likely cannot derive pleasure or further stimulation from the marking process as an omega can. Unlike omegas, who are naturally suited to endure it, it may be rather painful for an alpha."

Two days later.

Chi Li pushed open the study door. Si Jinyan was not home today.

Not long ago, Si Jinyan had granted Chi Li access to the study so he could read there to pass the time.

Using browsing as a pretext, Chi Li tried to find valuable information in Si Jinyan's study.

There were thousands of books here. Yet just days ago, Chi Li had finally found a faint clue, but Si Jinyan had suddenly returned before he could investigate it further.

Si Jinyan never kept any documents related to the Empire's official affairs in the study, nor were there any notes written in his own hand.

But among several books with highly overlapping content, Chi Li's intuition stirred. He keenly sensed that Si Jinyan seemed to be investigating something.

Those historical publications varied in thickness. Some contained brief news reports, others collections of unofficial histories. Some had long since vanished from the interstellar network. Yet every one of them shared a common trait: they recorded a historical event from twenty years ago—the battle between the Empire and Loran, the battle in which Si Jinyan had first made his name.

In addition, several articles repeatedly mentioned another keyword: the Humanoid Weapon Project.

Chi Li had heard a little about this project.

Comparing the dates of the two events, Chi Li found that the Humanoid Weapon Project predated that battle by five years.

At the same time, Chi Li noticed that one article describing the Humanoid Weapon Project of that era was vastly different from what he knew.

It roughly stated that Loran—the country Chi Li came from—had attempted to launch the Humanoid Weapon Project twenty years ago. After it was accidentally exposed, it faced severe condemnation from people across the interstellar world, and the inhumane project was ultimately terminated.

Chi Li frowned slightly. This differed from what he knew. Such a conspiracy-laden incident had indeed occurred in history, but its central figure had not been Loran. It had been some deranged organization, cult-like in its madness.

History could sometimes become a tool to support rule, straying from its original course. With that thought, Chi Li searched through several more books and found three different versions in total. Only one of them matched what he knew.

More than which version was true, Chi Li wondered why Si Jinyan had collected these. What did he hope to learn from them?

There were almost no duplicate books on the shelves, yet there were no fewer than six concerning this period of history. Some had even long gone out of print. Chi Li became increasingly certain that it could not be a coincidence. Si Jinyan had to be looking for something, and he was doing so in secret, where no outsiders could know.

As Chi Li continued searching according to the pattern of how often the books appeared, he found another highly recurring keyword. But when he saw it, he was no longer certain.

Mermaid.

In some books equipped with electronic intelligence, Si Jinyan had left traces of having read them. The word mermaid, which existed only in mythological tales, appeared frequently among the books Si Jinyan had collected. Some concerned biological dissections, some interstellar mysteries, and some were so old they had been written centuries ago...

But what was clear was that the accounts of mermaids in them were mostly tied to unverifiable strange tales and wild theories. No one had ever confirmed the existence of mermaids.

Likewise, in Chi Li's understanding—or perhaps in most people's understanding—such a creature did not truly exist.

Thus, the more Chi Li read, the more unreal it all felt.

Why had Si Jinyan collected so many books related to mermaids? Could it truly be just a coincidence?

Several words formed a cloud of doubt in Chi Li's heart.

Unable to sort out his thoughts, Chi Li could only keep this discovery in mind and report it to his superiors the next time he injected the falsifier.

Recently, Chi Li and Si Jinyan had been together too frequently, and the omega pheromones produced by the transformation after falsification were being depleted quickly as well. Chi Li calculated the time. It was time for another falsifier injection.

Two days later, Chi Li told Si Jinyan as usual that he wanted to visit his grandmother in a couple of days. Si Jinyan agreed and arranged guards for him.

After getting off the spacecraft, Chi Li instructed the guards to wait there before turning and entering the alley.

However, Chi Li did not notice that after he entered the residential building, the miniature recorder by one guard's ear flashed. The guard watched Chi Li's departing figure and raised a hand to tap the recorder twice.

Inside the old, run-down building, Chi Li entered a dim storage room. He cautiously inspected the area first, and only after confirming that there were no surveillance devices or anything suspicious did he crouch down and gently knock three times on the wall to his left. Three seconds later, he performed an iris scan on the blank wall.

A moment later, a hidden compartment the size of a fist opened in the wall. Chi Li took out a vial of reagent and an audiovisual interface device disguised as an ordinary communicator.

As Chi Li injected the falsifier, he reported what he had discovered in Si Jinyan's study two days ago.

The other end of the communicator suddenly fell silent for a while. Just as Chi Li was wondering why, the officer connected to him abruptly said, "The discovery involves a Level Two classified secret. We are discussing whether to continue carrying out the plan."

Chi Li froze at those words.

"Chi Li, what is your current safety status?"

Chi Li replied, "Overall, it is fairly safe."

The other end fell silent. After the call was paused for several long minutes, static sounded again, followed by the man's low voice. "After discussion, the next operation may be raised to S-Class."

The higher the classification, the higher the danger level.

Chi Li's heart suddenly began pounding.

The man continued, "While ensuring your own safety, investigate Si Jinyan's identity."

The man paused, seeming somewhat hesitant, until a faint instruction came from behind him, prompting him to continue.

Only then did the man say, "We suspect that Si Jinyan is connected to the Humanoid Weapon Project from back then. He may be a... modified human created by that project."

The man's words struck Chi Li like thunder from a clear sky, exploding in his heart. His eyes trembled.

"It is inconvenient to explain the specifics to you. If you encounter anything beyond reason during the investigation, you must remain calm. That is also why we have informed you of Si Jinyan's connection to this project."

Chi Li said nothing. The man asked, "Chi Li, what do you think?"

Those few short sentences had already exceeded Chi Li's understanding. He suddenly recalled Si Jinyan's rapidly healing wounds, and how Si Jinyan had appeared before him at a speed beyond anything that could be judged by common sense in order to save him...

If Si Jinyan belonged to a kind of "evolved" human, then all the signs seemed to have an explanation.

After considering it, Chi Li decided to continue this mission. Whether or not he was exposed, he likely would never again have an opportunity as precious as this one to get close to Si Jinyan.

Before the conversation ended, the man suddenly said softly, "This is the last mission. We will wait for you to come back."

Chi Li injected the reagent, then crushed the syringe. It was made of a special material that would completely decompose in soil within six hours, leaving no trace behind.

Chi Li buried the syringe in the soil of the potted plant on the windowsill. A green plant grew in the pot, perhaps because it had ample nutrients, its leaves lush and vividly green.

As usual, Chi Li went downstairs and boarded the spacecraft.

However, just as the spacecraft left the West City District, the old residential door that had just closed opened again.