When Chi Li returned, it was not yet four in the afternoon. Yet when he pushed open the door, Si Jinyan was already sitting in the living room. At this time in the past, Si Jinyan would still be at the Federation Government.
Chi Li's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and unease rose within him for no reason.
The more he learned, the more he realized how dangerous Si Jinyan was. That danger lurked at Si Jinyan's side, like a ticking bomb that could explode at any moment.
Chi Li knew he could not lose his composure. He quickly adjusted his emotions and greeted Si Jinyan. "Marshal."
Si Jinyan shifted his gaze from the news on the Neural Computer to Chi Li, his tone calm. "You're back?"
Chi Li nodded, then consciously walked to the sofa and sat down beside Si Jinyan.
After brewing tea for Si Jinyan, the butler brought over a slice of chocolate layer cake and set it on the coffee table before Chi Li.
Chi Li picked up his fork. From the corner of his eye, he watched Si Jinyan lift his teacup while a clear, standard news broadcast discussed the war conflict in the Gagole Region.
Si Jinyan suddenly asked, "How is Grandma's health?"
Chi Li replied, "About the same as before. But the medicine the Marshal gave her last time worked very well. Grandma said it was better than the medicine she took before."
Chi Li smiled at Si Jinyan, his well-behaved eyes curving into two little crescents.
Si Jinyan's eyes darkened. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Chi Li's waist, pulling him closer to his side. His voice remained calm. "Then we'll go see her together next time."
Chi Li paused at those words, then smiled again. "All right."
"But," Chi Li seemed to think of something and lowered his eyes uneasily, "our home is very small, and the hallway isn't as clean as it is here. The Marshal might not be used to it..."
Si Jinyan rubbed Chi Li's head. "Have you considered bringing Grandma here?"
Chi Li looked up at Si Jinyan blankly, clearly not expecting him to say that. After a moment, he said uneasily, "It would trouble the Marshal. Grandma might not be used to it either..."
Chi Li looked conflicted, as though he was genuinely tempted yet afraid of causing Si Jinyan trouble, with a hint of uncertainty over whether Si Jinyan truly meant what he said.
Chi Li continued explaining his considerations, his expression sincere, but Si Jinyan's gaze on him grew increasingly gloomy.
The next second, Chi Li's chin was forced up. Si Jinyan gripped his jaw and kissed him roughly on the lips.
Right there in the living room, Si Jinyan smeared Chi Li's unfinished cake over him. Like a beautifully wrapped gift, he enjoyed the process of wrapping it, then slowly unwrapping the gift and consuming it bit by bit.
The butler and maid did not appear again, yet the feeling of being watched kept Chi Li's nerves taut.
Chi Li's eyes reddened. The panic on his face was real, and so was his arousal.
The more he was like this, the more intense Si Jinyan became.
Chi Li said hoarsely, "Let's go upstairs, back to the room..."
He did not know that his pitiful, aggrieved appearance instead stirred the beast's desire to torment him.
Si Jinyan directly picked him up and climbed the stairs one step at a time in that position, returning to the room.
Chi Li buried his head against Si Jinyan's neck. Unlike Si Jinyan's steady steps, Chi Li's toes trembled and curled together slightly.
Late that night, Si Jinyan left one permanent mark after another, though he knew those marks would disappear soon enough.
Chi Li's consciousness was hazy. He would never know how many permanent marks Si Jinyan had once tried to leave on him.
Previously, Luolan Research Institute had anticipated the issue of permanent marks and conducted experiments using Alpha and Omega genetic material. The result was that permanent marks could be forged as well.
However, none of them had anticipated that Si Jinyan, whose identity had been publicly announced as Alpha, was actually an enigma. In the face of the unknown variable that was an enigma, the previous research data became unstable and dangerous.
Because he had only recently been injected with the forgery agent, the Omega pheromones produced by his gland were plentiful and rich, enough to resist Si Jinyan's marking. Even in his hazy state, Chi Li did not feel pain as he had last time.
A few days later, Chi Li and Si Jinyan went to the Federation Central Government.
Ever since returning from his last meeting with the intelligence department, Chi Li had been observing and waiting for an opportunity to act.
He discovered that when Si Jinyan held group meetings, it was the most advantageous time. The office was less crowded then, giving Chi Li ample time to investigate and cover his tracks.
Chi Li had already made his plans days earlier. He would use Si Jinyan's office Neural Computer while Si Jinyan was holding a group meeting to infiltrate the Federation Government database.
In advance, he activated the miniature chip implanted beneath the skin of his left wrist after the last meeting. Its primary interference function could temporarily take control of surveillance within several kilometers and insert surveillance footage Chi Li had prepared beforehand. The altered footage would show only Chi Li sitting on the sofa and reading the entire time.
The harsh training he had received in the mercenary corps and military had made Chi Li proficient in nearly every skill useful for gathering intelligence.
He rapidly operated the Neural Computer and entered a string of special keys to conceal his traces after browsing it.
To Chi Li's surprise, he found data related to Si Jinyan's identity after hacking only three layers into the Research Institute's system.
Chi Li opened one of the files. It contained a video recording.
At the beginning, the video was still rather dark and blurry. Chi Li could only make out what seemed to be a massive object within a glass isolation chamber.
He sped up the recording, and the video's focus moved toward the object at twice the speed.
Yet as the camera drew closer, Chi Li felt a sudden unease for no reason, and his heart gradually began to race.
The instant he saw what it was, Chi Li's breath caught. His heart slammed violently against his chest again and again.
A species found only in myths, with a human body and a fish tail—the silver-black tail was real and enormous, hanging naturally in the water. It might have been several meters long, every section of muscle brimming with fierce, savage power waiting to erupt.
The pitch-black scales reflected a metallic sheen. Yet even without light shining upon them, the dense, sturdy, evenly overlapping scales still glimmered with an eerie silver radiance beneath the water.
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