Chapter 4 – It was a sickly appearance, but it was also strikingly beautiful

Everyone present watched respectfully as Su Fengzhou personally led Seventh Squad to visit and pay their respects at each location before they left.

Clearly, no one could figure out why Su Fengzhou, a well-known great demon lord in the Investigation Department, suddenly started showing concern for the safety of the staff from the Logistics Department.

In fact, even the members within the Seventh Squad found this hard to understand.

The fleet of vehicles sped down the road.

Because all the surrounding roads were closed, their journey was smooth and without any interruptions.

However, no matter how freely they drove, the noticeably low pressure in the lead vehicle couldn’t be hidden.

Shen Wenyan curled up in the back seat, stealing a glance at the cold figure of the man in the passenger seat and quietly sharing a look with Rong Yun sitting next to him.

Encouraged by the other party’s expression, he finally gathered the courage to speak. “Boss, are you sure you smell that scent? Or could it be… that you’re feeling too tense lately? Maybe it’s a little delusion you imagined?”

For Sentinels and Guides, both Sentinel essence and Guide essence could essentially be viewed as a type of pheromone.

So, when someone came across an ideal match who fit perfectly for their aesthetic preferences, it was entirely normal for their pheromone levels to fluctuate a little.

Combined with Su Fengzhou’s subtle attention after seeing Ying Xize that day, Shen Wenyan instinctively felt that all the strange developments that followed were due to their boss’s infatuation.

After all, Su Fengzhou’s situation had indeed been too severe; not only could he not find a Guide to provide him with spiritual comfort, but even the general Guide’s essence on the market, known to have no side effects, had proven ineffective.

After the expert consultation, it was confirmed that he had a very rare condition among Sentinels known as comfort immunity.

And now he suddenly claimed to have encountered a Guide essence with a notable attraction, and without anyone else noticing, it was difficult for the others to believe him.

Moreover, during the third episode of spiritual fluctuation this month, Su Fengzhou had been tormented yet managed to maintain his sanity, entirely thanks to his exceptional self-control.

If it had been any other Sentinel, they likely would have already collapsed under the burden and entered a state of complete rampage.

Clearly, in a state where only the last bit of reason was struggling to stay balanced, it was completely understandable for him to imagine lifelines that didn’t exist because of his survival instincts.

To ease Su Fengzhou’s long struggle with spiritual fluctuations, the members of the Seventh Squad tried countless methods, but none of them were successful.

Although they genuinely wanted to save their nearly driven-mad captain, who was a lone dog, they couldn’t bear to see him pushed to the brink, even starting to hallucinate.

It was truly a tragic situation.  

Rong Yun noticed the surrounding silence returning after Shen Wenyan’s words and couldn’t help but feel sympathy. “Boss, there hasn’t been much work lately. How about we book an appointment with a nearby testing center and check it out?”

Xiao Liu, in the driver’s seat, quietly agreed, “I think Sister Yun’s suggestion is a great idea.”

Everyone was worried that Su Fengzhou might not be able to handle the torment of spiritual fluctuations and could completely lose his mind.

Witnessing the onset of hallucinations and the obvious worsening of his ‘condition’ at this moment made their concerns grow even deeper.  

Sometimes, the most frightening aspect was the unexpected concern shown by their comrades.

Su Fengzhou finally had to open his half-closed eyes.

His entire demeanor was noticeably clearer compared to his previous disordered state, but the color of his eyes remained deeply profound.

When he spoke, his tone was resolute. “It’s not a hallucination.”

At that time, the scent of Guide essence he sensed was incredibly distinct.

It was so enticing that every instinct within him began to stir restlessly.

This had never happened before.

Although Su Fengzhou often drifted into a half-real, half-illusory world, this time he was sure it wasn’t just a feeling induced by pure imagination.

As for why he couldn’t find the person he needed on-site, there were only two possibilities.

Either they had been completely alienated and dealt with, or there was still something he had overlooked at the scene of today’s incident.

Naturally, Su Fengzhou hoped it was the latter.  

“Ah, boss,” Shen Wenyan began, intending to say something but quickly paused when he met Su Fengzhou’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He promptly shrank his neck and shifted his tone, “By the way, we should still have a few days off, right? Do you want to discuss how to arrange it?”

As soon as he finished speaking, several phones in the vehicle vibrated simultaneously.

Rong Yun glanced down at the latest message she received, a smirk gradually forming at the corners of her mouth. “The lookout post at the Chen Mountain Cave is requesting assistance? How shameless of the defense team to say this; they weren’t acting all friendly like this back at the time when they betrayed after benefiting.”

“Even asking for help requires some attitude; what does this cold, lifeless notice even mean? We were never taking orders from them. Just because they showed their face today, do they really think they can boss us around?” After a cold snort, Shen Wenyan quickly noticed that Su Fengzhou hadn’t spoken and couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, you’re not seriously planning to go help them, are you? Those bastards from the defense team caused this mess; do they expect us to come clean up after them?”

“Doesn’t matter. I happened to find a few issues today that I want to check out at the cave, but…”

When Su Fengzhou’s words drifted off, he casually spun his phone between his fingers after turning it off and neatly tucked it into his pocket. “Didn’t the brothers say they wanted to enjoy their vacation? Let’s have a fun night tonight! After recovering from a hangover tomorrow and feeling refreshed, we can give the defense team a precise reply, don’t you think?”

“Boss is brilliant!” Shen Wenyan immediately brightened up, quickly shut the message, and opened WeChat to send a message in the group.  

[Society Brother Shen: Everyone, let’s party! We’re booking a private room right away. Tonight, the boss is treating us; no one leaves until they’re drunk!]

The internal group of the Seventh Squad erupted into laughter and joy.

Su Fengzhou disregarded the constant vibrations of his phone in his pocket and shifted his gaze toward the window.

Although it was still a pleasant vacation, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off when he realized he hadn’t found the person he was looking for earlier.

–  

The atmosphere on the way back to the Research Department felt heavy.

They had clearly lost two members compared to when they departed.

Even though the protective measures during sample collection were quite thorough, they still couldn’t stop the infiltration of these abnormal creatures.

Once the mutation happened, the Investigation Department always carried out the killing operation at the first opportunity, and there was no way to stop it.

Intern Wen Ren was facing the deaths of colleagues directly for the first time. He had initially tried hard to hold himself together but finally broke down in tears halfway through the drive.

Yu Qingyi patted his shoulder and comforted him softly.  

The business van gradually entered the city.  

The lights cut through the night, creating mottled patterns on the window.

Ying Xize sat by the window, his cool and handsome face shifting between light and shadow.

The evening rush hour had long passed, and as they traveled back and forth, they were getting closer to the time for the night market.

Many places started setting up different food stalls, and the crowds buzzed with excitement.

In such a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, the incident at Qiufeng Community felt like it had occurred in another world.

Unfortunately, once they crossed that line, everyone entering the Research Department would never have the chance to turn back.

After they returned to the Research Department, most researchers had already calmed down and regained their composure.

After safely storing the alien samples they had brought back, everyone changed out of their protective suits and into their regular clothes before heading home.

Many chose not to tell their families about what was silently happening in the world, so for their spouses and children, it was just another day of working late hours for researchers.

As for the two deceased colleagues, the relevant department would take care of this matter.

Yu Qingyi emerged after changing clothes, back to her usual alluring appearance.

Just as she was about to swipe her card to check out, she looked up and saw Xiang Jiayan walking down the hallway. It was then that she noticed the lights still on in Ying Xize’s lab.

Her tone sounded surprised. “Assistant Xiang, aren’t you all going back yet? You’ve been busy all day. Is Researcher Ying planning to continue his research? He has an injury on his hand; there’s no need to be so hard on oneself!” 

Xiang Jiayan’s hurried footsteps paused at her words, and he nodded at Yu Qingyi, forcing a smile. “Mhm, Researcher Ying suddenly had an idea for a new project. You know how he is. It’s hard to stop him.”

He then went straight into Ying Xize’s lab.  

As he closed the door, he made sure to lock it.

Yu Qingyi stared at the closed door for a moment.

Although Ying Xize was known as a ‘workaholic’ and the ‘Iceberg Beauty’ of the Research Department, seeing Xiang Jiayan’s behavior made her feel like something was off.

But in the end, she decided not to ask anything further.

She swiped her work card and turned to head out.

The people in the lab were clearly too absorbed in their work to notice the fading footsteps outside.  

Xiang Jiayan tightly held the cup of warm water he had just poured, staring intently at the man in the chair. “How are you feeling?”

In reality, the limb that appeared at the Qiufeng Community scene was not a fleeting glimpse, as Yu Qingyi had initially thought.

Like all the samples brought back, it exhibited a strong vitality.

At least, it had indeed shown such vitality before it harmed Ying Xize.

Desiring Ying Xize was its biggest mistake of all.

That limb was destroyed precisely because it coveted human genes it should never have desired, and in the end, this became the final trigger that drained away all its life force.

As one of the few in the know, Xiang Jiayan was well aware that Ying Xize had no need to worry about alien infections occurring. He understood the situation better than most and knew the threat was more complex than it seemed.

However, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be affected in any way.

The alien cells invaded the wound in an instant.

The complete extermination of alien cells within a human body was an extremely torturous process.

Ying Xize was half-crouched on the desk.

Hearing Xiang Jiayan’s question, he didn’t say anything and simply shook his head slowly.

From this angle, his neck appeared unusually pale, as if all the blood had drained away.

It was a sickly appearance, but it was also strikingly beautiful.

The incubation period was already very brief; the changes within Ying Xize had quietly begun long before at Qiufeng Community.  

At this time, all the patience he had maintained to seem calm in front of his colleagues completely fell apart the moment he returned to the lab.

All his genes had been fully activated by the invading alien cells, and it felt as if his blood was gradually boiling from the stimulation.

The intense discomfort brought a wave of heat, causing Ying Xize to sweat profusely shortly after he returned to his room.

Heavy breaths continued to come and go.

His clothes clung tightly to his back, making it look like he had just emerged from water.

However, the ‘devouring’ sensation within him persisted.

That was different from the typical weakness experienced by humans. 

In that instant, it was his genes that were frantically devouring the invasive cells from the alien being.

This situation was already quite familiar to Ying Xize; yet, he still couldn’t ignore the intense torment that accompanied the process.

Xiang Jiayan finally couldn’t hold back any longer and intended to step forward, but a spiritual barrier firmly blocked his way.

Within the spiritual realm created by the Guide, chaotic fluctuations of powerful spiritual waves surged, set off by the underlying discomfort.

Xiang Jiayan looked up again and saw a small silver-white snake wrapped around Ying Xize’s pale neck. 

The narrow pupils glanced at him with a cold look, flicking its tongue in a threatening manner.

This caused Xiang Jiayan’s pupils to constrict slightly.

Having been by Ying Xize’s side for many years, he understood that when Ying Xize uncontrollably released his spiritual form from the spiritual realm, it showed just how difficult the ‘devouring’ process was.

As Xiang Jiayan subconsciously attempted to push through the spiritual barrier, Ying Xize’s somewhat empty gaze suddenly turned toward him.

The severe torment made his vision blur slightly. 

In that moment, the silver snake, as a spiritual form, became the eyes of Ying Xize.

His dry lips slowly pressed together as the man hoarsely uttered two words, “Get out.”

Xiang Jiayan stayed frozen, hesitating and not moving for a lengthy period.

Then, he heard Ying Xize’s voice again.

His voice was still pleasant, but it carried a tone of indifference, sounding like a warning and also similar to a threat. “Don’t forget your identity, Assistant, Xiang.”

Xiang Jiayan’s back stiffened a bit.

Eventually, his eyelids drooped as he set the cup on the table and slowly stepped back.

When the lab turned quiet, Ying Xize tiredly shut his eyes.

He slowly rested back down on the desk.

The silver snake softly licked the drops of sweat running down its master’s forehead.

It carefully coiled itself, seeking to be the only solace for its master in that moment.

A cold sensation swept over him.

Ying Xize’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, resembling the wings of a fading butterfly.

Although it was somewhat difficult, the ‘devouring’ process was nearly complete.