Unease

Si Jinyan's golden vertical pupils fixed on Chi Li for a moment before he lowered his head again, moving toward the back of Chi Li's neck.

Si Jinyan was fixated on that spot, yet the Alpha pheromones spilling out not only failed to ease his symptoms, but also made him feel a stabbing pain.

Si Jinyan opened his mouth to bite down. Chi Li even saw the sharp fangs, unlike his usual ones, exposed in his out-of-control state. His heart jolted, and he swiftly dodged aside, stopping him aloud. "Si Jinyan!"

Chi Li finally understood why the research institute had insisted on finding an Omega who could help Si Jinyan relieve his desires and stabilize his condition.

Though he had never looked into the relevant materials, merely seeing Si Jinyan like this made Chi Li's heart pound as he roughly guessed what was happening.

The out-of-control Si Jinyan had entered another state, a sign that he was about to become completely beastlike and lose all reason.

Compared to his Mermaid state, Si Jinyan was not only terrifying now, but also intensely uncontrollable.

If Si Jinyan completely lost control one day, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Si Jinyan seemed unable to hear anything. He stubbornly remained wrapped around the back of Chi Li's neck and, out of habit, encircled Chi Li as he attempted to take the next step.

After returning to being an Alpha, Chi Li no longer possessed an Omega's ability to adapt and accept. Yet Si Jinyan actually wanted to start just like that in his current state?!

Pinned down by Si Jinyan, cold sweat seeped across Chi Li's forehead.

Then, as though the fog had been stripped away, Si Jinyan suddenly came to his senses. Someone was calling him. The hollow feeling in his chest, the persistent sensation of falling, had returned.

Seeing the dangerous emptiness in Si Jinyan's eyes gradually fade and confusion take its place, Chi Li let out a breath.

Si Jinyan's gaze cleared, but what met his eyes was the blood splattered across Chi Li's cheeks and neck. The golden vertical pupils that had yet to vanish from his eyes abruptly contracted.

The conflicting pheromones in the room mingled with the scent of blood.

The violent rise and fall of Chi Li's chest gradually calmed. He slapped away Si Jinyan's hand from his neck and asked impatiently, "Awake now?"

Chi Li said, "If you're awake, get off me."

Si Jinyan did not move away. Instead, he felt along Chi Li's neck, checking for injuries.

Only after Si Jinyan had felt around for a while did Chi Li realize what he was doing. His brows drew together as he caught Si Jinyan's hand.

Chi Li said, "That blood is yours, not mine."

Chi Li paused, then added, "Your tongue is bleeding. Didn't you know?"

If Si Jinyan had not woken up soon, Chi Li figured he would have bitten his tongue off without hesitation. Fortunately, the method had worked, and Si Jinyan regained consciousness early.

Only then did Si Jinyan belatedly move his tongue. There was indeed a fairly deep gash in the middle of it. The bloody smell he had thought came from Chi Li actually came from there.

His powerful healing ability had stopped the bleeding not long after Chi Li released him.

As Si Jinyan contemplated something, the tip of his tongue brushed that indentation again.

Chi Li thought Si Jinyan was displeased. "There was no other way. If things had continued as they were, I might have died."

Si Jinyan looked down. The scales had already been stained with blood, and he was certain this blood came from Chi Li.

Si Jinyan returned to normal, got up, and sat on the sofa beside the bed, putting some distance between them as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "Just now, I..."

Chi Li wiped the blood from his face and asked Si Jinyan, "What happened to you?"

Si Jinyan frowned slightly. "I lost control."

It had been several days since Chi Li returned to being an Alpha. The agitation within Si Jinyan had been stirred up by Chi Li's pheromones, yet it could no longer be resolved through Chi Li as it had before.

Without an outlet for release, it was like a patient whose treatment had suddenly been interrupted and who suffered withdrawal symptoms. The side effects caused by his defective condition had rebounded even more fiercely in an instant.

This was also the problem Lu Jiu had once worried about, but no one had expected it to come so quickly.

Si Jinyan had thought he could keep it under control.

He roughly explained the causes and circumstances to Chi Li, and it was almost exactly as Chi Li had guessed.

Chi Li suddenly gave a derisive laugh.

Si Jinyan looked at him at the sound.

Remembering the chaos of recent days, Chi Li lifted his chin slightly and stared directly at Si Jinyan in the distance, his voice icy. "One day, you'll completely lose control."

One day, he would completely lose control, become a monster, and lose his mind...

Si Jinyan had heard many similar words before, curses spoken with the hope that they would come true.

When Chi Li said those words, they carried the bitterness of release, anger, and satisfaction.

Just like those people.

At that moment, Si Jinyan looked at Chi Li's face from afar. There was no expression on his face, yet his heart plummeted like never before.

Si Jinyan said nothing.

Chi Li waited for Si Jinyan to get angry, but Si Jinyan merely looked at him without moving. Not even a trace of irritation showed on his face, making Chi Li seem unbearably childish instead.

The air suddenly seemed to freeze, suffocatingly still.

Si Jinyan remained silent and did not deny it. After a moment, he replied quietly, "Perhaps."

Chi Li's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

An indescribable discomfort unexpectedly spread through his heart.

Chi Li did not want to dwell on it. He returned Si Jinyan's gaze for a moment, then simply turned his face away and lay back down on the bed, no longer looking at him.

A while later, Chi Li heard Si Jinyan answer a call. It seemed urgent, and he hurriedly left.

Perhaps because Si Jinyan had affected him during the day, Chi Li slept uneasily that night.

He dreamed again of Si Jinyan taking a bullet for him, then saw Si Jinyan destroy the kidnappers' hideout in a fit of rage because Chi Li had gone missing.

But the next scene shifted again, and Si Jinyan was gripping his hair with a dark expression, forcing him to look at where their bodies were pressed together.

Si Jinyan spoke viciously. "Look. Even after becoming an Alpha again, you still can't leave me."

Si Jinyan's low voice echoed by his ear like a demon's whisper. "I'll lock you up and make sure you can never leave this place again. Every day from now on will be like this..."

"I'll use every possible method until you can no longer leave me."

Chi Li jolted awake from the dream.

Chi Li stared at the hazy ceiling, breathing hard. The final scene had felt so real that he doubted whether it had truly happened to him.

It was only a dream.

Yet unease still lingered in Chi Li's heart. After waking, all drowsiness was gone. He got up and drew open the curtains, looking through the window at the pitch-black night sky. Somehow, he felt as though something was about to happen.

Until the sky turned pale with dawn.

The front courtyard of the residence.

Holding an arrest warrant personally signed by the Emperor, Qin Meng said to Yuan Ru, who had refused to restore the residence's access permissions and had even activated its defensive mode, "The Marshal has harbored an enemy spy. The Emperor has ordered Chi Li's arrest. No one is permitted to interfere."

Yuan Ru said, "This is the Emperor's personal decree. It does not grant you the authority to enter the Marshal's Residence."

Qin Meng was one of the Emperor's trusted aides. He sneered. "For serious crimes such as treason, the Emperor alone has the authority to issue an arrest warrant."

"Besides, half the council has already approved this search operation. This military search does not require the approval of the military, represented by the Marshal. Si Jinyan is a key suspect directly implicated in this espionage case and has already been stripped of his right to attend the meeting."

Cold sweat seeped down Yuan Ru's back, but his long years at Si Jinyan's side allowed him to remain calm and imposing even now.

Qin Meng seemed to know what he was thinking. "Don't even think about sending word. Si Jinyan won't get here so quickly."

Qin Meng was a large man, with a thumb-wide scar on his left cheek that extended down to vanish beneath the collar at his neck. His smile made him look especially savage.

If Chi Li were arrested on this charge, he would have no chance of escaping.

Yuan Ru could only stall for as long as possible...

Inside the bedroom, Chi Li's heart had been pounding wildly ever since he woke before dawn. Lying in bed, he tried to force down the panic in his chest, only to be startled awake by the sound of tapping against the window.