Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Return (First Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After two days stranded in a desolate wilderness, Chi Li uses the communicator Si Jinyan left him. A mechanical message instructs him to wait at the cave entrance after sunset, promising that someone will take him away and will not harm him.
• A local-looking guide arrives and leads Chi Li out of the forest. The man explains that he was hired and paid generously by a tall, masked person—strongly implying Si Jinyan arranged Chi Li’s escape.
• Chi Li notices the forest’s unnatural silence and lack of wildlife, but the guide is unaware of anything unusual and attributes it to environmental protection.
• At a nearby village, two more men collect Chi Li and take him through a smuggling route. They transport him by spaceship beyond the Empire’s borders and back to Loran.
• Chi Li refuses food and a communication terminal, accepting only money. Once back in Loran, he contacts his superior, Qi Yan, using a prearranged code.
• Qi Yan personally retrieves him. Chi Li gives a limited account of his escape, deliberately omitting much of what Si Jinyan did to him.
• Despite Qi Yan’s concern and insistence that he undergo a medical examination, Chi Li refuses and returns directly home.
• After bathing, Chi Li discovers that most of his injuries have healed without scars, though the back of his neck remains visibly red and swollen.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Remains cautious, suspicious, and emotionally guarded throughout the escape. He carries a sharpened weapon, questions everyone around him, refuses food and assistance, and keeps silent about Si Jinyan’s involvement and treatment. Returning to Loran finally allows his tense nerves to relax, revealing how deeply exhausted and traumatized he is.
• Si Jinyan: Although absent from the chapter, he remains central to the events. His prerecorded message, secret arrangements, and apparent ability to heal Chi Li suggest that he anticipated Chi Li’s needs and deliberately facilitated his escape.
• Qi Yan: Demonstrates genuine concern and a protective attitude toward Chi Li. He personally comes to retrieve him, embraces him, urges him to receive medical care, and ultimately compromises when Chi Li refuses.
• The guide and smugglers: Function as intermediaries in Si Jinyan’s plan. The guide is straightforward and honest, while the two escorts treat Chi Li respectfully and safely transport him home.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: Chi Li must rely on strangers while assuming that danger may be hidden beneath ordinary appearances.
• Control versus agency: Si Jinyan appears to control Chi Li’s escape from a distance, while Chi Li tries to preserve autonomy by remaining armed, withholding information, and refusing medical help.
• Trauma and exhaustion: Chi Li’s guarded behavior and delayed relaxation show the psychological impact of captivity and danger.
• Homecoming and safety: Returning to Loran provides physical security, but Chi Li’s unresolved injuries and silence suggest that emotional recovery has not yet begun.
• Hidden power and mystery: The strange forest, Si Jinyan’s influence, and Chi Li’s unexplained healing deepen the mystery surrounding Si Jinyan and his motives.

Character Interactions

• Chi Li questions the guide about his employer and the forest, but receives only limited information.
• The guide honestly explains that a tall, masked individual hired him, reinforcing Chi Li’s suspicion that Si Jinyan orchestrated the rescue.
• The smugglers speak little but treat Chi Li respectfully, creating a contrast with the danger he expects.
• Qi Yan greets Chi Li warmly, embraces him, and expresses concern over his disappearance.
• Chi Li responds dismissively to Qi Yan’s care, insisting on going home and resisting examination, though Qi Yan eventually respects his wishes.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• After returning from his mission, Chi Li resumes his previously orderly life: visiting military and mercenary organizations, training recruits, and accepting missions.
• Although he appears calm, the mission has deeply affected him. He begins following news about the Empire and deliberately tracking Si Jinyan’s movements.
• Chi Li reports Si Jinyan’s identity to Qi Yan. Concerned about Si Jinyan’s danger and Chi Li’s reckless mission-taking, Qi Yan advises him to be more cautious and accept fewer assignments.
• Qi Yan arranges for Chi Li to train new soldiers, partly to keep him safely occupied within the military.
• Qi Yan warns Chi Li that Si Jinyan may come looking for him again. Chi Li promises to be careful, though Qi Yan senses that he is suppressing his emotions and worries.
• That night, Chi Li experiences another disturbing dream involving Si Jinyan. The dream becomes more vivid and intense than before, and Chi Li realizes he cannot control his body or wake himself.
• Si Jinyan’s words imply a disturbing desire to possess or impregnate Chi Li, despite Chi Li being an alpha. Chi Li struggles and begs him to stop before finally waking in a cold sweat.

Character Development

• Chi Li: Outwardly returns to his disciplined, capable life, but internally remains preoccupied with Si Jinyan. His increased mission-taking appears to be an attempt to avoid confronting the psychological impact of the previous encounter. His dreams reveal growing fear, confusion, and a loss of control.
• Qi Yan: Acts as both superior and concerned elder. He recognizes Chi Li’s self-destructive behavior and tries to protect him without overstepping the limits of their complicated relationship.
• Si Jinyan: Though absent in reality, he dominates Chi Li’s thoughts and dreams. His presence is portrayed as threatening, possessive, and psychologically invasive.

Significant Themes

• Trauma and repression: Chi Li hides the mission’s effects beneath routine and work, but his fixation and nightmares expose his unresolved trauma.
• Loss of control: Both Chi Li’s dangerous missions and his helplessness in the dream emphasize his struggle to maintain autonomy.
• Obsession and pursuit: Chi Li monitors Si Jinyan while simultaneously fearing that Si Jinyan will find him again.
• Protection and emotional isolation: Qi Yan offers support, but Chi Li remains reluctant to reveal what he is experiencing.

Character Interactions

• Qi Yan confronts Chi Li about his reckless behavior, warns him about Si Jinyan, and encourages him to seek help rather than suppress his feelings.
• Chi Li responds politely and reassuringly but avoids admitting the extent of his fear.
• In the dream, Si Jinyan exerts complete psychological and physical dominance over Chi Li, turning their unseen connection into a source of terror and vulnerability.

Chapter Summary: “Strangeness”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chi Li wakes from another recurring dream involving an unidentified voice, touch, and intense physical sensations. The dreams feel increasingly real and can continue from previous episodes.
• Troubled by strange changes since discovering Si Jinyan’s identity, Chi Li notices his own abdomen and reacts with disbelief, suggesting he may suspect an inexplicable physical change or pregnancy.
• While reading the news, Chi Li learns that Si Jinyan, the Empire’s Marshal, has unexpectedly missed a major election conference, along with his usual subordinate. Rumors suggest the military may appoint a new supreme commander.
• Chi Li recalls Si Jinyan’s loss of control in the cave, his earlier refusal to let Chi Li leave, Chi Li’s arrest and shooting, and Si Jinyan’s appearance in an altered form. Connecting these events, Chi Li becomes increasingly uneasy and arranges another meeting with Qi Yan.
• Within Loran’s intelligence department, Deputy Director Qi Yan and Director Xu Zhong discuss the long-suppressed “Humanoid Weapon” project from over twenty years earlier.
• Xu Zhong suspects that the project’s consequences have resurfaced and that Si Jinyan may be connected to the experiment.
• Xu Zhong and Qi Yan report their suspicions to Emperor Luo Yu. They propose that Si Jinyan could be the surviving child of Luo Jing, the Emperor’s deceased omega younger brother.
• Luo Yu rejects the possibility, insisting that Luo Jing’s child died twenty years ago. After Xu Zhong leaves, however, Luo Yu privately doubts his own certainty and regrets that he may have failed to protect both Luo Jing and his child.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Becomes more suspicious and alarmed about Si Jinyan’s identity and behavior. His recurring dreams and unexplained bodily reaction suggest a deepening connection to Si Jinyan and possibly a major hidden consequence of their encounter.
• Si Jinyan: Although absent from the chapter’s present events, he is shown through Chi Li’s memories as emotionally unstable, possessive, and capable of transforming or altering his appearance. His absence from the political conference hints at serious personal or political turmoil.
• Qi Yan: Continues to act as a reliable intelligence official, supporting Xu Zhong while recognizing the gravity of the situation.
• Xu Zhong: Shows growing concern that the Humanoid Weapon project remains active or unresolved. He takes the risk of bringing his suspicions directly to the Emperor.
• Emperor Luo Yu: Initially denies Si Jinyan’s possible identity but reveals guilt and uncertainty afterward, especially over his failure to protect his younger brother Luo Jing and Luo Jing’s child.

Significant Themes

• Strangeness and uncertainty: Chi Li’s dreams, physical sensations, and Si Jinyan’s altered form blur the line between reality and the inexplicable.
• Buried political secrets: The Humanoid Weapon project remains a dangerous secret whose effects may still influence the present.
• Identity and hidden origins: Si Jinyan’s true parentage and possible connection to the imperial family become central mysteries.
• Guilt and failure: Luo Yu’s private regret emphasizes the lasting consequences of past decisions and the failure of those in power to protect vulnerable family members.
• Political instability: Si Jinyan’s unexplained absence and rumors of military succession suggest that personal revelations may soon trigger broader upheaval.

Character Interactions

• Chi Li internally reconstructs Si Jinyan’s past actions and seeks answers by contacting Qi Yan.
• Xu Zhong confides his suspicions about the Humanoid Weapon project to Qi Yan, who reassures him despite sharing his unease.
• Xu Zhong and Qi Yan formally report to Emperor Luo Yu, creating a confrontation between investigative evidence and the Emperor’s emotional denial.
• Luo Yu’s reaction reveals that the investigation is not merely political: Si Jinyan’s possible identity is tied directly to the Emperor’s family and unresolved personal guilt.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

Chi Li visits Emperor Luo Yu for an extravagant luncheon. Luo Yu persuades him to recount his undercover experience with Si Jinyan, acting playfully aggrieved until Chi Li gives in. The chapter then shifts to Chi Li’s work training elite recruits at the Central Military Command. While teaching hand-to-hand combat, Chi Li becomes distracted and suffers a sharp stomach pain when a trainee accidentally punches him in the abdomen. He insists that he is fine and dismisses the soldier’s apologies, attributing the incident to his own “stomach trouble.”

Character developments

Chi Li’s history and relationship with Luo Yu are explored. He is the son of two exceptional researchers who died in the service of scientific research, and the grandson of a celebrated general. Luo Yu feels guilty for failing to find Chi Li sooner and has tried to compensate him with wealth, status, and power, all of which Chi Li rejected. Despite Chi Li’s reserved nature, he has gradually developed a close, almost familial bond with Luo Yu. At the military, Chi Li remains highly capable and respected, but his recent oversleeping, frequent dreams, poor appetite, and lapses in concentration suggest that something is troubling him physically or emotionally.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes found family and emotional attachment, particularly through Luo Yu’s efforts to act as a family figure to Chi Li. It also contrasts public authority with private vulnerability: Luo Yu is an imposing emperor who becomes childish around Chi Li, while Chi Li is an extraordinarily strong soldier who conceals his own discomfort and refuses to appear weak. Themes of inherited legacy, sacrifice, duty, and the burdens carried by children of exceptional parents are also highlighted. The recurring physical symptoms hint at an important unresolved problem.

Character interactions

Luo Yu affectionately pressures Chi Li into sharing stories, revealing both his loneliness and his dependence on Chi Li’s companionship. At the training grounds, Chi Li instructs five promising recruits and demonstrates his superior close-combat skills. Ruan Ying is impressed—and visibly distracted—by Chi Li’s appearance and ability, leading Chi Li to reprimand him for losing focus. After accidentally injuring Chi Li, Ruan Ying becomes frightened and apologetic, but Chi Li reassures him and praises his progress. A senior officer later checks on Chi Li, teasing him while also expressing concern about his condition.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qi Yan learns that Chi Li is unwell and insists on taking him to the hospital, refusing to let him avoid a medical examination.
• After several basic tests and bloodwork, Chi Li receives an urgent call from Lang Bo, the former leader of his mercenary group, asking him to undertake a mission.
• Chi Li leaves the hospital with Qi Yan before the results are available, trusting that the report will be sent to his optical computer.
• At the mercenary base, Lang Bo explains the mission: an interstellar-jewelry businessman has received a death threat against his youngest son, whose adulthood banquet is scheduled for the following day.
• Since canceling the banquet would damage the family’s reputation and business connections, the mercenaries plan to use Chi Li as a body double for the threatened son.
• Chi Li will pose as the injured young master, remain in a partially concealed booth, and be surrounded by disguised mercenaries and long-range protection. His character’s poor health and wheelchair use will help conceal the deception.
• The mercenaries gather for a large meal and drinking session before the mission. Chi Li drinks heavily and goes to sleep without checking his medical report.
• The next morning, Chi Li opens the report and discovers that several blood values are unusually high. The analysis indicates that he is in the early stages of pregnancy.
• Shocked and convinced the result must be impossible, Chi Li repeatedly checks the report. Before he can process the discovery, Du Wei opens the door and calls him to breakfast before the team departs.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Initially reluctant to visit the hospital, he remains focused on his mercenary work and quickly abandons the examination process when called for a mission. His confident, capable attitude collapses when he learns of the pregnancy, leaving him stunned and unable to immediately respond.
• Qi Yan: Demonstrates concern and authority by forcing Chi Li to undergo medical testing. His protective, familiar behavior—rubbing Chi Li’s head and calling him “brother”—shows their close relationship.
• Lang Bo: Acts as a pragmatic and trusted leader, organizing a detailed protection plan and relying on Chi Li’s appearance, abilities, and composure.
• Mercenary Group: Their teasing, camaraderie, and relaxed drinking despite an upcoming dangerous mission emphasize their experience and close bonds.

Significant Themes

• Duty versus personal crisis: Chi Li prioritizes a professional obligation even while his health is uncertain, only discovering the seriousness of his condition afterward.
• Concealment and identity: The mission depends on disguise and role-playing, while Chi Li’s pregnancy introduces a deeply personal secret he may also need to hide.
• Loyalty and protection: Qi Yan’s insistence on the hospital visit and the mercenaries’ coordinated defense plan reveal different forms of care and responsibility.
• Shock and disruption: The pregnancy revelation abruptly changes the direction of Chi Li’s life, contrasting with the team’s routine confidence about the mission.

Character Interactions

• Qi Yan pressures Chi Li into going to the hospital, while Chi Li reluctantly complies.
• Chi Li speaks privately with Lang Bo about the mission, showing mutual trust and professional respect.
• Lang Bo jokes with the mercenaries about their appearances, creating a lighthearted atmosphere among the veterans.
• The mercenaries invite Chi Li to drink, reinforcing their affectionate familiarity with him.
• Du Wei’s interruption at the end prevents Chi Li from reflecting on the pregnancy revelation and forces him back into the group’s mission routine.

Chapter Summary: “Meeting”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On a spaceship preparing for a sudden mission, Bo Lang notices that Chi Li is distracted and checks on him.
• Bo Lang reveals that he discovered encrypted files among the belongings of Chi Li’s late uncle, Sheng Rui. Sheng Rui died protecting Chi Li during a successful mission years earlier.
• The conversation briefly reopens Chi Li’s grief, but Bo Lang reassures him that the entire corps remembers Sheng Rui and that his sacrifice was one he knowingly chose. He promises to give Chi Li the files after the mission.
• Chi Li’s emotions calm somewhat, though he remains troubled by a recent medical test suggesting something impossible: despite being an alpha, he may possess characteristics he should not have. He suspects a misdiagnosis or bodily disruption caused by his frequent contact with Si Jinyan and resolves to retest after the mission.
• During a high-profile banquet, Chi Li and members of the mercenary corps disguise themselves as bodyguards. Chi Li poses as Shi Jiahua’s frail youngest son to protect him from a possible kidnapping attempt.
• Chi Li briefly thinks he recognizes someone connected to Si Jinyan in the crowd, causing fear and uncertainty. He reflects on Si Jinyan’s past cruelty and his baffling decision to eventually release him.
• Chi Li returns to the master bedroom, which has been secured and monitored by his teammates. He pretends to sleep while waiting for a potential intruder.
• Someone enters through the balcony without triggering the team’s warnings. When Chi Li reacts, the intruder overpowers him. Chi Li recognizes Si Jinyan’s familiar pheromones and realizes that the hard object against his ear is the scales that appear on Si Jinyan’s neck when he loses control.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Shows continued emotional strain from Sheng Rui’s death, anxiety over the strange medical report, and unresolved fear and confusion regarding Si Jinyan. Despite his unease, he remains professional, alert, and willing to undertake dangerous missions.
• Bo Lang: Acts as a supportive mentor and father figure. He is sensitive to Chi Li’s grief and reminds him of Sheng Rui’s sacrifice while encouraging Chi Li to rest and continue performing well.
• Si Jinyan: Reenters the story suddenly and violently, demonstrating his ability to bypass security and overpower Chi Li. His appearance suggests that he remains emotionally or physically unstable, as indicated by the emergence of his neck scales.
• Sheng Rui: Though deceased, he is developed through memories of his sacrifice and his importance to both Chi Li and the mercenary corps.

Significant Themes

• Grief and remembrance: The mercenary corps rarely discusses death because it is so common, but Sheng Rui’s memory remains meaningful to Chi Li and Bo Lang.
• Duty and sacrifice: Sheng Rui’s death reinforces the dangerous obligations shared by members of the corps, while Chi Li continues to prioritize missions despite personal concerns.
• Fear and uncertainty: Chi Li struggles with the unexplained test results and with the unpredictable power Si Jinyan holds over him.
• Security versus vulnerability: Although Chi Li is surrounded by surveillance and trained guards, Si Jinyan penetrates the defenses effortlessly, exposing Chi Li’s vulnerability.
• Hidden identities and secrets: The banquet involves disguises, encrypted files, concealed threats, and Si Jinyan’s unexpected intrusion, emphasizing the chapter’s atmosphere of uncertainty.

Character Interactions

• Bo Lang gently questions Chi Li about his mood, comforts him regarding Sheng Rui, and promises to deliver the encrypted files.
• Chi Li’s teammates, especially Du Wei, treat him as the disguised “young master” and protect him throughout the banquet.
• Chi Li mentally confronts his unresolved history with Si Jinyan before Si Jinyan physically appears.
• The chapter ends with a tense confrontation in which Si Jinyan takes Chi Li by surprise, leaving their relationship and immediate intentions unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Threat”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chi Li wakes or finds himself restrained in a pitch-dark room filled with Si Jinyan’s overwhelming sandalwood pheromones.
• He immediately recognizes Si Jinyan, but has no time to determine what happened to his teammates or why his communication link and the guards outside have gone silent.
• Si Jinyan appears to be losing control. His pheromones become oppressive, his pupils turn gold and vertical, and dark scales emerge along his neck, signaling his unstable state.
• Chi Li secretly tries to use his gun against Si Jinyan, pressing it to Si Jinyan’s abdomen. Si Jinyan anticipates the attack, seizes Chi Li’s wrist, and throws the weapon away.
• Chi Li attempts to fight back by striking Si Jinyan, but Si Jinyan quickly overpowers him and pins him face-down on the bed.
• The struggle alerts Du Wei and the other companions outside. Chi Li’s objective is partially achieved because they now know something is wrong.
• However, Si Jinyan threatens to kill everyone outside if Chi Li uses their agreed-upon code word to summon them. He claims he will spare Chi Li but not the others, insisting they cannot see him in his current, uncontrolled condition.
• Trapped between protecting himself and protecting his companions, Chi Li suppresses the signal and asks Si Jinyan what he wants.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Demonstrates caution, combat skill, and determination by attempting to use his concealed gun and later provoking a struggle to alert his teammates. Despite being physically overpowered, he prioritizes their safety and ultimately yields to Si Jinyan’s threat.
• Si Jinyan: Is shown in a dangerous, unstable state, with his pheromones and physical appearance revealing that he is close to losing control. He remains calculating enough to predict Chi Li’s attack and manipulate the situation by using Chi Li’s concern for his companions against him.
• Du Wei and the companions: Their concern for Chi Li is evident when they hear the struggle and check on him, though they remain unaware of the full danger inside the room.

Significant Themes

• Power and helplessness: Chi Li is normally capable and armed, yet Si Jinyan’s strength and pheromonal pressure leave him at a severe disadvantage.
• Threat and coercion: Si Jinyan controls Chi Li through the threat of killing his allies, forcing Chi Li to choose between resistance and their survival.
• Trust and loyalty: Chi Li’s decision not to use the code word shows his loyalty and willingness to sacrifice his own safety for his companions.
• Loss of control: Si Jinyan’s altered eyes, scales, and volatile behavior emphasize the danger of his unstable condition.
• Predator and prey dynamics: The scene frames Si Jinyan as an intimidating, almost beastlike presence while highlighting Chi Li’s fear, resistance, and inability to escape him.

Character Interactions

• Chi Li and Si Jinyan engage in a tense physical confrontation, marked by attempted resistance, restraint, and psychological intimidation.
• Si Jinyan exploits Chi Li’s connection to Du Wei and the others, warning that their intervention will result in their deaths.
• Du Wei’s repeated questions from outside intensify the pressure, forcing Chi Li to conceal the truth and negotiate with Si Jinyan.

Chapter Summary: “Come Back with Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Si Jinyan prevents Chi Li from signaling Du Wei and holds him captive, making it clear that he would attack anyone who entered.
• After Du Wei leaves, Si Jinyan carries Chi Li to the bed and asks only to hold him. His threatening pheromones gradually soften, revealing exhaustion and dependence beneath his dangerous condition.
• Chi Li realizes that Si Jinyan’s pheromones no longer cause him the painful rejection normally triggered by contact between two Alphas.
• Shocked and suspicious—especially because of a previous test report—Chi Li attacks Si Jinyan and demands to know what he has done to him.
• Si Jinyan easily restrains Chi Li and refuses to explain, only warning him to keep quiet so they do not attract attention.
• Si Jinyan offers to tell Chi Li everything if he returns with him. Chi Li refuses, pointing out that Du Wei and the mercenary group will search for him.
• Si Jinyan reacts possessively, asking whether Chi Li cares deeply about them, then threatens that Chi Li will never see them again.
• The chapter ends with Si Jinyan’s inhuman traits becoming more visible—golden slit pupils, emerging scales, and increasingly uncontrollable predatory instincts—as he struggles with his desire to possess Chi Li.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Becomes increasingly alarmed and angry as he recognizes that his body’s response to Si Jinyan has changed. Although physically overpowered, he remains defiant, distrustful, and concerned about Du Wei and the others.
• Si Jinyan: Shows a rare mixture of vulnerability, exhaustion, and emotional dependence while holding Chi Li, but quickly reverts to possessiveness and coercion when rejected. His physical transformation and unstable instincts suggest he is in an extremely dangerous state.

Significant Themes

• Loss of autonomy and bodily control: Chi Li’s altered pheromone response implies that Si Jinyan has changed or marked him without his consent.
• Possession versus affection: Si Jinyan’s desire to comfort Chi Li is inseparable from his urge to claim, isolate, and control him.
• Fear beneath intimacy: Moments of physical closeness carry both tenderness and threat, emphasizing how unsafe their relationship has become.
• Loyalty and isolation: Chi Li’s attachment to Du Wei’s group conflicts with Si Jinyan’s attempt to remove him from everyone else.

Character Interactions

• Chi Li deliberately sends Du Wei away to prevent an immediate confrontation between him and Si Jinyan.
• Si Jinyan holds and restrains Chi Li, alternately expressing dependence, suppressing his aggression, and exerting dominance through pheromones.
• Chi Li punches Si Jinyan and repeatedly demands an explanation for the disappearance of his pheromone rejection.
• Si Jinyan avoids answering and instead pressures Chi Li to return with him, ultimately threatening to sever Chi Li’s connection with Du Wei and the others permanently.

Chapter Summary: “Angry”

Plot and key events

Chi Li and Si Jinyan remain locked in a tense standoff. Chi Li is visibly afraid of Si Jinyan and refuses to return with him, despite Si Jinyan promising not to hurt anyone. When Si Jinyan briefly loosens his hold, Chi Li tries to seize a nearby gun and use it to threaten—or possibly kill—himself. Si Jinyan stops him, pins his wrist, and turns the gun toward Chi Li’s own chest.
Enraged by Chi Li’s attempt, Si Jinyan releases powerful pheromones that forcibly trigger Chi Li’s heat. He reveals that he has already marked Chi Li, something Chi Li had believed impossible because he is an Alpha. The mark now allows Si Jinyan’s pheromones to affect him severely. As Chi Li becomes physically weakened and overwhelmed, Si Jinyan corners him against a wall and begins undressing and touching him despite his resistance. The chapter ends with Si Jinyan kissing Chi Li while their pheromones become entangled, leaving Chi Li feeling trapped and unable to resist.

Character development

• Chi Li: His fear of Si Jinyan intensifies, but so does his anger and desperation to retain control over his own fate. He realizes that his assumptions about being immune to Si Jinyan’s influence were wrong. His shock and rage at being marked expose how deeply he views the act as a violation of his identity and autonomy. Even while physically compromised, he struggles to resist and remain conscious.
• Si Jinyan: He briefly displays vulnerability and emotional dependence, admitting that he needs Chi Li and promising not to harm others. However, when Chi Li attempts to threaten himself, Si Jinyan’s restraint collapses into anger and coercive control. His behavior shifts from pleading and gentle persuasion to forcibly using his pheromones and the mark to overpower Chi Li.

Significant themes

• Control versus autonomy: Chi Li’s attempts to escape and threaten himself are met by Si Jinyan’s increasingly forceful efforts to control him.
• Fear, dependence, and possession: Si Jinyan’s need for Chi Li conflicts with his dangerous nature, making his affection feel possessive rather than safe.
• Identity and vulnerability: Chi Li’s status as an Alpha is challenged by the revelation that Si Jinyan marked him and can force him into heat.
• Coercion and violation: The chapter emphasizes Chi Li’s lack of consent as Si Jinyan manipulates his body through pheromones and continues touching him despite his explicit resistance.
• Emotional entanglement: Although the two characters’ pheromones are biologically incompatible, they become intertwined, reflecting the increasingly complicated and destructive bond between them.

Character interactions

Chi Li repeatedly refuses Si Jinyan and attempts to distance himself, while Si Jinyan alternates between pleading, threatening, and physically restraining him. Their confrontation escalates from verbal tension to physical domination. Si Jinyan’s revelation about the mark fundamentally changes Chi Li’s understanding of their relationship, while the final forced kiss symbolizes Chi Li’s loss of control and his entrapment in Si Jinyan’s influence.

Chapter Summary: “Locked Up (First Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chi Li awakens in an unfamiliar room after Si Jinyan abducts him. He remembers that Si Jinyan never intended to release him.
• He discovers that he is wearing silk pajamas and is restrained by short, heavy chains fixed to the wall—one around his wrist and another around his ankle. His movement is limited to the area around the bed, and all weapons or sharp objects have been removed.
• Furious and frightened, Chi Li tries to pull free and calls for Si Jinyan, but receives no response.
• Unbeknownst to Chi Li, Si Jinyan is watching him through a hidden surveillance camera from a nearby secret base.
• Geng Ji confronts Si Jinyan about imprisoning Chi Li and warns him that his physical condition is becoming increasingly unstable.
• Lu Jiu’s research has shown that Chi Li’s pheromones uniquely stabilize Si Jinyan. A substitute inhibitor can help temporarily, but no other omega can truly replace Chi Li.
• Si Jinyan’s dependence on Chi Li is therefore likely to intensify, creating a dangerous cycle: Chi Li can stabilize him, but prolonged contact may worsen Si Jinyan’s instability and threaten both of them.
• Geng Ji angrily reminds Si Jinyan that he had been warned to avoid Chi Li. He also points out that Si Jinyan’s excessive blood extraction to create serum for mutants is further damaging his condition.
• Geng Ji fears that Si Jinyan may eventually lose control and kill Chi Li, especially since Chi Li cannot be trusted and may become a threat to them.
• Si Jinyan nearly intimidates Geng Ji with his increasingly beastlike eyes, but ultimately says nothing and leaves.
• The chapter ends when Si Jinyan finally enters the room where Chi Li is imprisoned.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Becomes fully aware of the extent of Si Jinyan’s control over him. His anger, resistance, and refusal to accept captivity remain strong, but he is physically powerless and increasingly isolated.
• Si Jinyan: Reveals an obsessive and possessive side, imprisoning Chi Li while secretly monitoring him. His unstable condition is worsening, and his dependence on Chi Li appears to be both emotional and physiological.
• Geng Ji: Shows unusual anger and concern toward Si Jinyan. Though normally respectful, he openly challenges Si Jinyan’s decisions because he fears the consequences of his instability.
• Lu Jiu: Through his medical findings, establishes the seriousness of the bond between Chi Li and Si Jinyan and the lack of any reliable replacement for Chi Li’s stabilizing pheromones.

Significant Themes

• Possession versus protection: Si Jinyan appears to be keeping Chi Li close to stabilize himself, but his actions are clearly coercive and controlling.
• Dependence and entrapment: Both men are caught in a cycle in which Chi Li is essential to Si Jinyan’s survival, yet their proximity may worsen the danger between them.
• Loss of control: Si Jinyan’s physical symptoms and beastlike eyes suggest that he is gradually losing control of his human nature.
• Ethical uncertainty: The characters cannot determine whether keeping Chi Li near will save Si Jinyan or accelerate his collapse.
• Trust and betrayal: Chi Li is viewed as a potential threat, while Si Jinyan’s obsessive actions make it difficult to distinguish his concern from domination.

Character Interactions

• Chi Li and Si Jinyan: Their relationship is defined by captivity, possessiveness, and an involuntary physiological bond. Si Jinyan asserts that Chi Li belongs to him, while Chi Li reacts with anger and resistance.
• Si Jinyan and Geng Ji: Geng Ji confronts Si Jinyan over his reckless choices. Si Jinyan responds with silent intimidation rather than an argument, revealing the growing danger of his unstable condition.
• Geng Ji and Lu Jiu: Their concerns align around the need to keep Chi Li and Si Jinyan apart, though this solution conflicts with Si Jinyan’s insistence on keeping Chi Li captive.

Summary

Plot points and events

• Si Jinyan returns to Chi Li’s room with food and an unfamiliar attendant, finding Chi Li injured from striking something hard. He applies ointment and urges Chi Li to eat.
• Chi Li remains hostile and demands to be released. Si Jinyan initially refuses, but eventually unlocks the restraints on Chi Li’s wrists when Chi Li threatens to stop eating.
• Chi Li eats only to preserve his strength and plan a future escape. Si Jinyan stays beside him, silently and intensely watching, which makes Chi Li increasingly uneasy.
• During the night, Chi Li discovers that the restraints have been replaced and that Si Jinyan is lying behind him. When Chi Li asks to use the bathroom, Si Jinyan coldly suggests that he relieve himself in the room and have someone clean it.
• Outraged, Chi Li attacks Si Jinyan, grabbing him by the throat. Si Jinyan pulls Chi Li close using the chain and embraces him; his legs have transformed into a cold fish tail.
• Chi Li punches Si Jinyan in the face and orders him to stop. The blow appears to snap Si Jinyan out of an uncontrolled, instinctive state.

Character developments

• Chi Li: His anger and resistance intensify as Si Jinyan’s control becomes more invasive. Despite his emotional distress, Chi Li remains practical, eating to conserve energy and waiting for a chance to escape. His physical injuries and reduced reactions suggest that his captivity is wearing him down.
• Si Jinyan: His behavior becomes increasingly possessive and psychologically disturbing. He alternates between apparent care—bringing Chi Li familiar food and treating his injuries—and coercive control, reapplying restraints and denying basic privacy. His golden vertical pupils and fish-tail form reveal that he is remaining in an unstable, nonhuman state. His dependence on Chi Li’s pheromones and growing obsession are becoming harder for him to control.

Significant themes

• Possession versus care: Si Jinyan frames controlling behavior as protection or concern, but his actions demonstrate that his “care” is inseparable from imprisonment and domination.
• Loss of autonomy: Chi Li is denied freedom, privacy, and control over his own body, prompting increasingly desperate resistance.
• Obsession and dependency: The mark and pheromone compatibility soothe Si Jinyan while simultaneously deepening his possessiveness, creating a dangerous emotional and biological bond.
• Breaking point: Chi Li’s physical attack marks a clear refusal to tolerate further abuse, while Si Jinyan’s momentary return to awareness suggests he recognizes how far his instincts have taken him.

Character interactions

• Si Jinyan repeatedly attempts to care for Chi Li while monitoring and controlling him, creating a tense contrast between tenderness and coercion.
• Chi Li rejects Si Jinyan’s attention, refuses to submit emotionally, and uses his limited freedom strategically.
• Their confrontation in the dark exposes the depth of Si Jinyan’s obsession: he physically restrains and embraces Chi Li, while Chi Li responds with direct violence and a forceful demand that he stop.

Chapter Summary: “Won’t Let You Go”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Si Jinyan nearly loses control of his possessive instincts, keeping his fish tail wrapped around Chi Li’s ankle and surrounding him with overwhelming pheromones.
• Though Chi Li is frightened and furious at being imprisoned and treated as an object, Si Jinyan suddenly releases him and apologizes.
• To appease Chi Li, Si Jinyan kisses the injured hand Chi Li used to punch him. Among mermaids, this gesture signifies submission, compromise, and a plea for forgiveness—especially meaningful because Si Jinyan is of royal status and would not normally submit to anyone.
• Si Jinyan admits that he is sorry but immediately clarifies that he still will not let Chi Li go. He promises to restrain himself more, though Chi Li remains deeply distrustful.
• Chi Li notices that Si Jinyan’s inhuman traits—golden slit pupils, scales, and an elongated fish tail—are lasting longer, confirming that his condition is worsening and that he is steadily losing control.
• Si Jinyan briefly changes his eyes back to human black, but the beastlike features return almost immediately. He openly acknowledges that he can no longer fully control himself.
• He frees Chi Li’s wrists but carries him to the bathroom rather than allowing him to move independently. His behavior is simultaneously protective, possessive, and controlling.
• Afterward, Si Jinyan explains that his worsening loss of control makes him crave holding and possessing Chi Li. He insists that Chi Li is the only person he needs and warns him not to hurt himself, promising to release him “when the time comes.”
• Chi Li retreats emotionally and physically, refusing to engage with Si Jinyan. However, Si Jinyan remains beside him throughout the night, eventually wrapping his tail around Chi Li’s waist like a chain.

Character Development

• Si Jinyan: His loss of control becomes increasingly severe, blurring the line between his rational human side and his predatory mermaid instincts. Despite his possessiveness, he shows unfamiliar vulnerability by apologizing, submitting through a traditional mermaid gesture, and admitting that he cannot control his actions. His desire to protect Chi Li is inseparable from his desire to confine and possess him.
• Chi Li: Chi Li remains angry, frightened, and determined to preserve his independence. He recognizes that Si Jinyan’s condition is deteriorating and sees it as the central danger. Although he notices Si Jinyan’s apology and attempts at appeasement, he refuses to accept them as proof that Si Jinyan is safe or trustworthy.

Significant Themes

• Possession versus affection: Si Jinyan’s love and need manifest as confinement, surveillance, and physical restraint, making his care feel indistinguishable from captivity.
• Loss of humanity and control: Si Jinyan’s increasingly permanent beastlike form symbolizes his declining ability to govern his instincts.
• Submission and vulnerability: His kiss to Chi Li’s hand reverses their usual power dynamic and reveals that even a powerful mermaid can submit to a mate.
• Dependence and entrapment: Si Jinyan claims that only Chi Li can satisfy or stabilize him, while Chi Li understands that this dependence has made escape more difficult.
• Fear and mistrust: Even when Si Jinyan apologizes or promises not to cause harm, Chi Li cannot separate those assurances from the threat he represents.

Character Interactions

• Si Jinyan alternates between intimidating Chi Li and trying to soothe him, first restraining him with his tail, then apologizing and kissing his injured hand.
• Chi Li challenges Si Jinyan’s behavior and questions his worsening condition, while Si Jinyan insists that he will not hurt him.
• Si Jinyan carries and watches Chi Li despite his protests, emphasizing the unequal power between them.
• Their final interaction is largely silent: Chi Li withdraws, while Si Jinyan stays close and wraps his tail around him, silently reinforcing his possessive declaration that Chi Li is “mine” and will not be allowed to leave.

Chapter Summary: “Examination”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chi Li awakens to find Geng Ji and Lu Jiu visiting Si Jinyan at a secluded villa far from the Marshal’s Residence. Geng Ji treats Chi Li like a stranger before leaving.
• At breakfast, Lu Jiu says he has finished discussing an important matter with Si Jinyan. Si Jinyan asks him to examine Chi Li during his next visit, making Chi Li suspicious and anxious about the previously discovered medical report.
• Chi Li challenges Si Jinyan about the mark he left on him. Si Jinyan responds possessively, threatening to mark Chi Li repeatedly if he refuses to behave.
• Their argument escalates when Si Jinyan restrains Chi Li and pulls him onto his lap. Si Jinyan’s unstable condition causes his pheromones to surge, and dragon-like scales begin appearing on his skin.
• Chi Li notices that Yuan Ru is absent and asks what happened to him. Yuan Ru had helped Chi Li escape previously, and Si Jinyan implies that he was punished—or possibly worse—for betraying him.
• Si Jinyan becomes jealous and suspicious of Chi Li’s concern for Yuan Ru. He demands to know why Chi Li is not equally concerned about him, reminding Chi Li that he once saved his life.
• The chapter reveals the reason for the examination and Si Jinyan’s increasingly volatile behavior: the substitute suppressant treating his condition has weakened to fifty percent effectiveness, and his deterioration accelerated after reuniting with Chi Li.
• Lu Jiu has suggested that Si Jinyan continue sleeping with Chi Li while in his Alpha state to determine whether Chi Li can stabilize him as effectively as he did when he was an Omega. If necessary, Chi Li may be subjected to treatment or circumstances that are considered acceptable sacrifices.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Remains guarded and defiant, but his anxiety over the medical report shows that he fears Si Jinyan discovering the truth about his body. He also reveals unexpected concern for Yuan Ru, recognizing the importance of Yuan Ru’s role in his escape.
• Si Jinyan: Becomes increasingly unstable, possessive, and jealous. His physical transformation—golden slit pupils and emerging scales—demonstrates the worsening of his condition. His attachment to Chi Li is also shown to be emotionally dependent and controlling.
• Lu Jiu: Acts as Si Jinyan’s medical adviser and appears to be investigating whether Chi Li can serve as a stabilizing influence. His willingness to consider sacrifices involving Chi Li highlights the clinical and utilitarian approach to the situation.
• Geng Ji: Offers Chi Li no emotional acknowledgment, behaving as though they are strangers, which suggests tension or a deliberate change in allegiance.
• Yuan Ru: Though absent, he becomes important through Chi Li’s realization that his escape was enabled by Yuan Ru’s actions and may have led to severe consequences.

Significant Themes

• Possession and control: Si Jinyan treats Chi Li as both a partner and a means of stabilizing his health, blurring affection with coercion.
• Jealousy and emotional dependence: Si Jinyan is threatened by Chi Li’s concern for Yuan Ru and demands proof that Chi Li values him above others.
• Sacrifice and exploitation: Chi Li’s well-being may be compromised to preserve Si Jinyan’s life, raising questions about whether his consent matters.
• Identity and transformation: Si Jinyan’s scales, altered eyes, and unstable Alpha state reflect both his physical deterioration and the danger of his suppressed nature breaking through.
• Trust and betrayal: Yuan Ru’s assistance, Geng Ji’s coldness, and Chi Li’s secrecy all suggest shifting loyalties and hidden motives.

Character Interactions

• Chi Li and Geng Ji: Exchange a silent, emotionally distant look, with Geng Ji acting as though Chi Li is a stranger.
• Chi Li and Lu Jiu: Lu Jiu proposes examining Chi Li, prompting Chi Li’s suspicion and fear.
• Chi Li and Si Jinyan: Their breakfast confrontation turns physically aggressive. Si Jinyan restrains Chi Li and expresses possessive jealousy, while Chi Li resists and questions his motives.
• Chi Li and Yuan Ru: Though Yuan Ru is absent, Chi Li’s questions reveal gratitude and concern for the help Yuan Ru gave him.
• Si Jinyan and Lu Jiu: Their earlier private discussion establishes that Si Jinyan’s health is rapidly declining and that Chi Li may be used as a biological or emotional stabilizer.

Chapter Summary: “Laying It Bare”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Si Jinyan openly reveals the true reason for his interest in Chi Li: he does not merely want the calming or stabilizing effect of Chi Li’s pheromones—he wants Chi Li himself.
• He holds Chi Li closely and expresses tenderness, insisting that his feelings are not solely caused by pheromone dependence.
• Chi Li remains wary and refuses to accept Si Jinyan’s words at face value. He remembers how strongly Si Jinyan relied on his pheromones when Chi Li was disguised or treated as an omega.
• Chi Li confronts Si Jinyan about the power imbalance between them. He reminds him that he is an alpha, yet Si Jinyan marked him and has confined him against his will.
• Si Jinyan struggles to control his instincts and anger. His body shows signs of his unstable condition, but he refuses to have Chi Li drugged into appearing more like an omega to increase his soothing influence.
• When Chi Li’s rejection becomes clear, Si Jinyan finally releases him and leaves, saying only that he understands.
• Chi Li is left shaken by the encounter, relieved to have escaped immediate danger but also unsettled by an unexpected, fleeting emotional response to Si Jinyan’s departure.

Character Developments

• Si Jinyan: He becomes emotionally vulnerable and directly confesses that his attachment to Chi Li is personal rather than purely pheromone-related. However, his possessiveness, loss of control, and willingness to imprison Chi Li reveal that his affection remains dangerously coercive.
• Chi Li: He maintains his composure despite fear and pressure. He openly asserts his identity as an alpha and challenges Si Jinyan’s treatment of him. Though distrustful, he begins to recognize that Si Jinyan’s feelings may be genuine, leaving him emotionally conflicted.

Significant Themes

• Love versus possession: Si Jinyan claims to want Chi Li himself, but his marking and confinement make it difficult to distinguish love from control.
• Consent and autonomy: Chi Li’s resistance emphasizes the importance of personal freedom, especially in a relationship shaped by pheromones, biological dependence, and unequal power.
• Truth and emotional vulnerability: Si Jinyan’s confession exposes feelings he has previously concealed, while Chi Li is forced to confront the possibility that he matters to Si Jinyan beyond his biological usefulness.
• Instinct versus self-control: Si Jinyan’s pheromone instability and barely restrained impulses threaten to override his judgment.

Character Interactions

• Si Jinyan physically restrains Chi Li while speaking to him tenderly, creating a tense contrast between intimacy and coercion.
• Chi Li responds with cold, controlled accusations, specifically objecting to being marked and imprisoned.
• Si Jinyan recognizes Chi Li’s fear and rejection and, despite his possessive impulses, releases him.
• Their exchange deepens their emotional connection while simultaneously reinforcing Chi Li’s distrust and highlighting the dangerous imbalance between them.

Chapter Summary: “Danger (First Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Si Jinyan leaves, Chi Li remains trapped in the villa. With no communication devices and a heavily secured exit, he has little hope of escaping.
• Chi Li notices that Si Jinyan appears to avoid him. Si briefly emerges from the study, silently passes Chi Li, and disappears downstairs without speaking.
• For the next two days, Si Jinyan is absent from the villa. During this time, Chi Li freely searches for a way out but finds the security system too advanced to bypass without tools or equipment.
• An unfamiliar butler remains in the villa, providing Chi Li with meals and clean clothes while otherwise avoiding him. The butler tells Chi Li that he can use the bedside communicator if he needs anything.
• Chi Li is still troubled by Yuan Ru’s disappearance but has no opportunity to ask about it.
• One rainy night, Chi Li is awakened by increasingly urgent knocking, apparently coming from somewhere inside the villa. He suspects the noise is deliberately intended to attract his attention.
• Noticing that the butler does not react, Chi Li becomes suspicious but also hopeful that the noise may lead to an escape route.
• He follows the sound to a tightly closed door in the easternmost corner of the villa, apparently leading to a storeroom.
• Chi Li opens the door while lightning briefly illuminates the room. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of pale yellow eyes watches him from outside the window, suggesting that a dangerous creature or person is lurking nearby.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Becomes increasingly alert, suspicious, and determined to escape. Although frightened by the strange nighttime disturbance, his desperation overrides his caution. He also notices heightened sensitivity to cold, hinting at possible physical changes or consequences from recent events.
• Si Jinyan: Grows increasingly distant and evasive. His silence and unexplained absence make his intentions more difficult for Chi Li to understand.
• The butler: Maintains a polite but unnervingly distant role. His apparent failure to hear the knocking raises doubts about whether he is hiding information or deliberately avoiding involvement.
• Yuan Ru: Does not appear, but his unexplained disappearance continues to trouble Chi Li.

Significant Themes

• Confinement and loss of control: Chi Li remains imprisoned in a secure villa, unable to contact the outside world or control his circumstances.
• Suspicion and hidden motives: Si Jinyan’s avoidance, the butler’s strange behavior, and the unexplained knocking create uncertainty about who can be trusted.
• Isolation: Chi Li is physically separated from the outside world and emotionally isolated from Si Jinyan, despite their previous relationship.
• Imminent danger: The mysterious sound and watching eyes establish a growing threat beyond the villa’s obvious security systems.
• Physical transformation or vulnerability: Chi Li’s unusual sensitivity to temperature may indicate that his body has been affected by earlier events.

Character Interactions

• Chi Li and Si Jinyan briefly encounter each other outside the study, but Si avoids speaking and walks past him.
• The butler interacts with Chi Li only formally, delivering food, clothing, and instructions while avoiding personal conversation.
• Chi Li has no direct interaction with the unseen presence outside the storeroom, but the presence observes him as he enters, creating a tense predator-and-prey dynamic.

Chapter Summary: “Discovery (Second Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chi Li discovers that the knocking came from outside the cracked floor-to-ceiling window. Suspecting a flaw in the villa’s security, he breaks the weakened glass and attempts to escape.
• As he crawls through the opening, his instincts warn him of danger. Outside, he encounters a horrifying Aberrant Form—a creature with a distorted human torso, ugly scales, and a malformed fish tail resembling a grotesque version of Si Jinyan’s Mermaid form.
• The creature appears to have deliberately lured Chi Li outside and ambushed him. It attacks with immense speed, using a corrosive tongue that burns Chi Li’s skin and damages his clothing. It also demonstrates intelligence by calling him “tasty.”
• Chi Li fights defensively with only a metal candlestick, but the rain, mud, darkness, and prolonged struggle gradually exhaust him. The monster continually drives him farther from the villa.
• Si Jinyan suddenly arrives and shields Chi Li with his own body. His protective pheromones calm Chi Li, who instinctively presses against him for safety.
• Si Jinyan, visibly transformed and enraged, kills the Aberrant Form by wrapping his fish tail around its neck, piercing its chest with his fin, ripping out its heart, and crushing it.
• Si Jinyan carries the exhausted Chi Li back inside. Chi Li briefly loses consciousness and later awakens in bed, where he sees that Si Jinyan has not yet fully returned to human form.
• Lu Jiu arrives to treat Chi Li’s injuries. He explains that the creature likely developed self-awareness and may possess the ability to bewitch or lure victims.
• Lu Jiu suspects the monster wanted to devour Chi Li because something about him was unusually attractive to it, though he cannot determine whether Si Jinyan’s scent was the cause.
• Lu Jiu attempts to draw Chi Li’s blood for testing, but Chi Li refuses because he fears the results could reveal a secret he does not want Si Jinyan to learn. Si Jinyan nevertheless insists that the examination is necessary because of the risk of infection.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Shows strong survival instincts, quick thinking, and composure despite facing an incomprehensible monster. He is able to recognize the creature’s intelligence and intentional ambush. However, exhaustion and fear leave him vulnerable, and he unconsciously seeks comfort and protection from Si Jinyan. His refusal to undergo testing suggests he is concealing important information.
• Si Jinyan: Reveals a far more dangerous and powerful aspect of his Mermaid form. His violent response shows intense anger and protectiveness toward Chi Li. Although transformed, he remains mentally aware and reassures Chi Li that he will eventually change back. His insistence on Chi Li receiving medical care also reflects concern beneath his intimidating demeanor.
• Lu Jiu: Acts as the practical medical authority. He provides treatment, identifies the attacker as an unusually evolved Aberrant Form, and begins investigating why Chi Li was targeted. His questions unintentionally threaten to expose Chi Li’s secret.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus danger: Chi Li believes escape lies beyond the villa’s walls, but his attempted escape leads directly into an ambush, suggesting that freedom may carry hidden threats.
• Protection and dependence: Chi Li’s instinctive closeness to Si Jinyan contrasts with his earlier desire to escape. Si Jinyan’s presence temporarily transforms fear into safety, deepening the bond between them.
• Monstrousness and identity: The grotesque Aberrant Form is contrasted with Si Jinyan’s terrifying yet beautiful Mermaid form. The chapter questions what separates a “monster” from a person with monstrous traits.
• Secrets and discovery: Chi Li fears that medical testing will expose information about himself. The danger from the monster therefore parallels the danger of Si Jinyan discovering Chi Li’s hidden truth.
• Evolution and unpredictability: The Aberrant Form’s intelligence, ability to bewitch, and apparent desire to devour Chi Li suggest that these creatures are developing in unexpected and increasingly dangerous ways.

Character Interactions

• The monster stalks and attacks Chi Li, forcing him into a desperate battle and repeatedly testing his survival abilities.
• Si Jinyan intervenes at the critical moment, physically shielding Chi Li and killing the creature while using soothing language and pheromones to calm him.
• Chi Li responds to Si Jinyan with instinctive trust and dependence, despite still feeling fear toward Si Jinyan’s transformed appearance.
• Lu Jiu treats Chi Li while consulting Si Jinyan about the monster’s nature. His attempt to investigate Chi Li creates tension, as Chi Li resists and Si Jinyan orders him to cooperate.
• The chapter ends with Si Jinyan and Lu Jiu both insisting on testing Chi Li, while Chi Li silently tries to protect his secret.

Chapter Summary: “Heartache”

Key plot points and events

• Si Jinyan carries Chi Li back from the mud after rescuing him from a dangerous Mutant/Aberrant Form. Chi Li is changed into a bathrobe while Lu Jiu treats his injuries.
• Si Jinyan cleans the dirt from Chi Li’s face and urges him to undergo a blood and tissue examination to check for infection or further effects from the Mutant Form’s corrosive attack.
• The Mutant Form had appeared while Si Jinyan was away at the base. Because Chi Li had been angry with him, Si Jinyan had deliberately given him space and failed to notice that Chi Li had disappeared from the surveillance footage.
• Si Jinyan arrives just in time to rescue Chi Li, but the experience leaves him deeply shaken. He blames himself for leaving Chi Li alone and fears that Chi Li might have vanished permanently.
• Chi Li initially refuses the examination, hiding his injured arm beneath the quilt and pretending not to hear Si Jinyan. He is secretly troubled by another unresolved matter involving a test report and worries that the examination may reveal something he wants to keep hidden.
• Eventually, realizing that continued resistance will make Si Jinyan suspicious, Chi Li reluctantly extends his arm. Lu Jiu collects tissue from both the injured and uninjured areas and draws blood, then leaves to process the samples.

Character developments

• Si Jinyan becomes visibly more protective and emotionally vulnerable. His fear during the rescue, self-blame, and concern over Chi Li’s wounds reveal how deeply attached he is, despite having previously trapped Chi Li and struggled to control his emotions.
• Chi Li remains guarded and resistant, but his behavior softens slightly. Rather than openly fighting Si Jinyan, he uses silence and avoidance before finally cooperating, suggesting a complicated mixture of distrust, dependence, and awareness of Si Jinyan’s feelings.
• Lu Jiu acts as the practical medical figure, but he recognizes the emotional tension between the newlyweds and avoids forcing Chi Li to submit to the examination without Si Jinyan’s approval.

Significant themes

• Heartache and guilt: Si Jinyan’s fear of losing Chi Li is paired with remorse over his decision to leave him alone.
• Protection versus control: Si Jinyan’s care is genuine, but it exists alongside his history of confining Chi Li, making his concern emotionally complicated.
• Secrets and mistrust: Chi Li’s refusal to be examined reflects his fear that the results may expose information he is not ready to reveal.
• Emotional vulnerability: Both characters conceal their true feelings—Si Jinyan through patient coaxing and Chi Li through silence and feigned indifference.

Character interactions

• Si Jinyan gently restrains and comforts Chi Li while cleaning and treating him, repeatedly persuading him to cooperate.
• Chi Li resists physically and emotionally, but eventually responds to Si Jinyan’s patience by allowing the examination.
• Si Jinyan’s small gestures—touching Chi Li’s hand and rubbing his head—show affection, though Chi Li reacts with a warning glare, maintaining his guarded attitude.
• Lu Jiu remains nearby as an observer and medical professional, leaving the couple alone once the samples have been collected.

Chapter Summary: “How Could an Alpha Possibly...”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Si Jinyan examines Chi Li’s injuries, which were caused by the Aberrant Form’s corrosive abilities. Although the wounds are relatively minor compared with Chi Li’s past injuries, Si Jinyan feels guilty for failing to recognize the danger sooner.
• Chi Li thanks Si Jinyan for arriving in time. Si Jinyan initially rejects the thanks, blaming himself for the situation, but then becomes physically affectionate, holding Chi Li and wrapping his fishtail around him.
• Si Jinyan reveals that the Aberrant Forms were originally humans who had been artificially injected with a modified agent containing his genes. Failed subjects lose their human rationality and become instinct-driven creatures that consume others to gain strength.
• The Aberrant Form that attacked Chi Li was one such failed specimen. Si Jinyan is puzzled that it targeted Chi Li, since these creatures usually hunt other Aberrant Forms with cores.
• Seeking comfort and drawn to Chi Li’s pheromones, Si Jinyan asks to smell them. Chi Li reluctantly allows him to release his pheromones, which causes Si Jinyan to become visibly stimulated and affectionate.
• Si Jinyan states that they suspect Emperor Yao Di was responsible for creating the Aberrant Forms. Chi Li is shocked and asks why the Emperor would do such a thing.
• Si Jinyan then reveals that he has no memories of his past and has long investigated his own identity. The people who told him about his origins may have lied to him, and he has discovered that they concealed many things.
• Chi Li realizes that Yao Di and the others may have been using Si Jinyan, possibly exploiting his blood or genes.
• Lu Jiu interrupts them with the test results: Chi Li has not been infected by the Aberrant Form, though another test will be conducted later to confirm.
• Lu Jiu asks Si Jinyan to return to the base to discuss the Mutant Forms. Si Jinyan reluctantly leaves after kissing Chi Li’s forehead and instructing the butler to bring Chi Li food.
• At the base, Lu Jiu repeats the blood test and obtains the same result. His baffled reaction—“How could an alpha possibly…”—suggests that Chi Li’s condition or pheromone response is highly unusual and may reveal an important secret.

Character Developments

• Si Jinyan: Becomes more openly protective, emotionally dependent, and physically affectionate toward Chi Li. His guilt over Chi Li’s injuries is evident, but he also begins revealing more about his mysterious past and growing suspicions regarding the Emperor.
• Chi Li: Though still irritated by Si Jinyan’s previous behavior and current clinginess, he allows Si Jinyan’s affection and voluntarily releases his pheromones. He becomes increasingly concerned about Si Jinyan’s manipulated identity and possible exploitation.
• Lu Jiu: Remains a practical investigator and medical authority. His confusion over the test results implies that Chi Li’s biological condition contradicts normal alpha traits.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and hidden identities: Si Jinyan’s missing memories and the concealed truth about his origins suggest that powerful figures have controlled or exploited him.
• Human experimentation and dehumanization: The Aberrant Forms represent the consequences of modifying humans for power while stripping away their rationality.
• Trust and vulnerability: Si Jinyan’s disclosures and need for Chi Li’s pheromones show him becoming emotionally vulnerable, while Chi Li cautiously begins trusting and comforting him.
• Biological expectations versus reality: The test results imply that Chi Li’s body does not conform to what should be possible for an alpha, setting up a major revelation.
• Physical intimacy amid danger: Affection between Si Jinyan and Chi Li develops alongside revelations about monstrous experiments and political betrayal.

Character Interactions

• Si Jinyan comforts and embraces Chi Li while explaining the truth about the Aberrant Forms.
• Chi Li alternates between protesting Si Jinyan’s advances and quietly indulging them, especially when he releases his pheromones.
• Their conversation shifts from immediate injuries to the larger mysteries of Yao Di, Si Jinyan’s identity, and possible genetic exploitation.
• Lu Jiu’s interruption breaks the intimate moment and redirects Si Jinyan toward his responsibilities at the military base, while his later confusion hints that Chi Li’s condition is medically unprecedented.

Chapter Summary: “Exposure”

Plot points and events

Lu Jiu confronts Si Jinyan with a test report instead of discussing the Aberrant Form. The report indicates that Chi Li is pregnant, with abnormal indicators confirmed through three separate tests. The pregnancy appears to be approximately two months along. This is unprecedented because Chi Li is an alpha, while Si Jinyan is an Enigma capable of marking alphas. Their timeline suggests the pregnancy began during Si Jinyan’s month-long disappearance, when he lost control and completed his mark on Chi Li.

Character developments

Si Jinyan is initially confused, then deeply shocked by the revelation. Although he struggles to understand how an alpha could become pregnant, his reaction gradually shifts from disbelief to restrained excitement. He immediately becomes protective and concerned about Chi Li’s safety, asking whether continuing the pregnancy could endanger him. Rather than informing Chi Li, Si Jinyan decides to keep the discovery secret for now. Lu Jiu remains rational and cautious, acknowledging that there is almost no existing data on such a case and promising to investigate further.

Character interactions

Lu Jiu explains the test results and their implications to Si Jinyan, connecting the pregnancy to the earlier marking incident. Si Jinyan repeatedly questions how the situation is possible, while Lu Jiu attributes it to the unusual nature of Si Jinyan’s Enigma physiology. Their conversation reveals both men’s uncertainty and the seriousness of the discovery.

Significant themes

The chapter centers on revelation, forbidden or unprecedented possibilities, and the consequences of biological difference. It also explores secrecy and protection, as Si Jinyan chooses to conceal the pregnancy from Chi Li while assessing the risks. The final image of his flashing golden eyes highlights his suppressed hope and excitement beneath his outward composure.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Chi Li considers escaping, but the appearance of the Aberrant Forms and the isolated location make leaving difficult. He decides that persuading Si Jinyan may be his best option.
• Si Jinyan returns at noon, checks Chi Li’s injury, carries him to bed, and stays with him. His fish tail coils around Chi Li, though he carefully retracts its sharp fins.
• Si Jinyan admits that Lu Jiu suggested intimacy to help control his condition, but he rejected the idea. He promises Chi Li that he will respect his wishes, though he continues testing Chi Li’s boundaries through physical affection and pheromones.
• The two discuss Emperor Yao Di’s possible secret Aberrant Form experiments. Si Jinyan suspects the Emperor used his blood to create Mutant Forms in order to strengthen his own power while concealing the truth.
• Si Jinyan reveals that he may not be a modified Aberrant Form at all. He suggests that beings like him may have existed naturally and that the Empire’s former Humanoid Weapon Project could have been a cover for political suppression or hidden research.
• Chi Li falls asleep easily under the influence of Si Jinyan’s pheromones, but becomes upset when he remembers the uncertain test results concerning the mark on his body. He withdraws from Si Jinyan for the rest of the day.
• Lu Jiu later warns Si Jinyan that Chi Li, being an alpha, may reject the truth about the mark. Si Jinyan does not reveal what he intends to do.
• Si Jinyan begins spending more time at home. Although he initially refuses Chi Li’s request for a Neural Computer, he later provides one with external communication disabled and supplies only copied information.
• Chi Li occasionally releases pheromones to soothe Si Jinyan and prevent him from losing control. Si Jinyan grows increasingly dependent on their scent and continues gradually pushing the limits of their physical relationship.

Character Developments

• Chi Li: Moves from actively considering escape to cautiously tolerating Si Jinyan’s presence. He remains suspicious and emotionally conflicted, especially about the mark and the possibility that his body has changed, but begins unconsciously relying on Si Jinyan’s pheromones for calm and sleep.
• Si Jinyan: Becomes more controlled and attentive, learning that Chi Li responds better to gentleness than force. He apologizes when he oversteps and increasingly adjusts his behavior to keep Chi Li from resisting, while still subtly manipulating and testing his boundaries.
• Lu Jiu: Acts as a cautious adviser, particularly concerning the consequences of Chi Li discovering the truth and rejecting Si Jinyan.

Significant Themes

• Control versus consent: Si Jinyan claims he will respect Chi Li’s wishes, but continues to influence him through pheromones, physical contact, and confinement.
• Dependence and emotional manipulation: Chi Li’s growing physical and emotional reliance on Si Jinyan complicates his desire for freedom.
• Hidden origins and political conspiracy: Si Jinyan’s identity may predate the Empire’s experiments, suggesting a larger secret surrounding Aberrant Forms and the Humanoid Weapon Project.
• Trust and guarded intimacy: Both men reveal more about themselves, yet Chi Li remains wary while Si Jinyan uses tenderness to build closeness.
• Identity and bodily autonomy: Chi Li struggles with the implications of the mark and the possibility that his body no longer conforms to his understanding of himself.

Character Interactions

• Si Jinyan physically comforts Chi Li while explaining his theories about Aberrant Forms and the Emperor’s experiments.
• Chi Li probes Si Jinyan for information, and Si Jinyan promises to tell him more once he has definite answers.
• Lu Jiu challenges Si Jinyan about Chi Li’s likely reaction to the mark, exposing the uncertainty surrounding Si Jinyan’s intentions.
• Chi Li and Si Jinyan settle into a tense domestic routine: Chi Li uses the Neural Computer while Si Jinyan works nearby, and Chi Li voluntarily releases pheromones to calm him.
• Their nightly encounters show a shifting power dynamic: Chi Li resists but increasingly yields, while Si Jinyan carefully advances his limits and apologizes whenever Chi Li approaches anger.