Discovery

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

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

Only after a long while did Si Jinyan pull away. He apologetically kissed Chi Li's lips, his fingertips brushing the back 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 was like a brief interlude, swallowed by the next wave that followed.

Late that night, Chi Li was already fast asleep, yet Si Jinyan lay beside him with clear eyes, staring 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 after being marked? Hmm... at present, there is no verifiable practical data on that question."

"However, based on the existing data, an alpha most likely cannot derive pleasure or further stimulation from the marking process as an omega can. Unlike omegas, who are innately built to endure it, this 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, to make it easier for Chi Li to pass the time reading in the study, Si Jinyan had granted him access.

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

There were thousands of books here. Yet just a few days ago, Chi Li had finally discovered some clues. However, Si Jinyan had suddenly returned at the time, leaving Chi Li no chance to investigate further.

Si Jinyan never kept any documents related to Empire affairs in the study, nor did he leave behind any handwritten notes.

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

Those historical publications varied in thickness. Some contained short news reports, unofficial historical records, and miscellaneous accounts. Some had long since vanished from the interstellar network. Yet every one of them shared a common feature: they all recorded a historical event from twenty years ago—the battle between the Empire and Loran, the battle that had made Si Jinyan famous in a single stroke.

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 had begun five years before that battle.

At the same time, Chi Li noticed that the contents mentioned in an article documenting the Humanoid Weapon Project at the time differed greatly 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 fierce condemnation from people across the interstellar world, and the inhumane project was ultimately terminated.

Chi Li frowned slightly. This was different from what he knew. Such an incident, tinged with conspiracy theories, had indeed occurred in history, but its protagonist had not been Loran. It had been some mad organization, like a cult.

History could sometimes become a tool that aided rule, veering away from its original course. Thinking this, Chi Li searched through several more books and found three different versions in all. Only one of them matched what he knew.

More than which version was true, Chi Li was curious why Si Jinyan had collected them. What was he trying to learn from them?

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

As Chi Li continued searching according to the pattern in the books' frequency, he found another highly recurring keyword. But upon seeing it, he was no longer sure.

Mermaid.

In some books equipped with electronic intelligence, Si Jinyan had left traces of his reading. The word mermaid, which existed only in myths and legends, appeared frequently in the books Si Jinyan had collected. Some were biological dissections, some were interstellar mysteries, and some were so ancient that they had been written centuries ago...

Yet one thing was clear: most accounts of mermaids in those books were tied to unverifiable strange tales and absurd rumors. No one had ever proven that mermaids existed.

Likewise, in Chi Li's understanding—or perhaps in most people's understanding—no one believed that such a creature truly existed.

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

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

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

Unable to sort out his thoughts, Chi Li could only keep this discovery in mind for now and report it to his superiors the next time he received the forging agent injection.

Recently, Chi Li had been with Si Jinyan far too often. The omega pheromones produced by the mutation after forging were also being consumed quickly. After calculating, Chi Li realized it was time to receive another injection of the forging agent.

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

After getting off the airship, Chi Li instructed the guards to wait there before turning and walking into the alley.

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

Inside an old, dilapidated house, in a dim storage room, Chi Li first carefully inspected the surroundings. Only after confirming that there were no surveillance devices or anything suspicious did he crouch down and lightly knock three times on the wall to his left. Three seconds later, he performed an iris scan on the completely blank wall.

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

As Chi Li injected the forging agent, he reported the discoveries he had made in Si Jinyan's study two days earlier.

The other end of the communicator suddenly fell silent. Just as Chi Li was wondering why, the officer connected to him abruptly said, "The discovery involves Level Two classified information. 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 still relatively safe."

The other side fell quiet. After the call remained suspended for several minutes, static sounded again, followed by the man's deep voice. "After discussion, the next operation may be raised to S-class."

The higher the classification, the greater the danger index.

Chi Li's heart suddenly began to pound.

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

The man paused, seemingly hesitant, until a faint instruction sounded from behind him, telling him to continue.

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

The man's words were like a thunderclap from clear skies, exploding in Chi Li's heart. His eyes trembled.

"It is inconvenient to explain the details to you. If you see anything beyond common sense during the investigation, you must remain calm. That is also why we are informing you of Si Jinyan's connection to this project."

Chi Li said nothing. The man asked, "Chi Li, what are your thoughts?"

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 ordinary in order to save him...

If Si Jinyan was a human who had undergone some kind of "evolution," then all those signs seemed to have an explanation.

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

Before ending the conversation, the man suddenly said softly, "This is the final mission. We will wait for you to return."

Chi Li administered the injection, then crushed the syringe. It was made from 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 a potted plant on the windowsill. A green plant grew in the pot, and perhaps because it had ample nutrients, its leaves were lush and vibrant.

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

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