Chapter 53

Chapter 53

6:00 PM, Temporary Camp—

Shen Xingchuan approached Muye, holding the leave reimbursement forms. The latter, flipping through them, asked, "Is everyone back?"

Shen Xingchuan hesitated, then answered truthfully, "Everyone on the official roster is accounted for, but..."

A premonition of unease surged in Muye, and his brows furrowed tightly. "Don't beat around the bush. Just say it."

Shen Xingchuan sighed helplessly. "But Shi Jian isn't on the official squad roster, so he wouldn't need a leave form even if he went out."

"He went out?!"

"Xu Bai said he saw him and Gu Shiyun from the Disciplinary Department change into civilian clothes and leave together."

Muye was startled, abruptly standing up. "Why are you only telling me now?! When did he leave? Has he returned yet?"

Shen Xingchuan shook his head, looking troubled. "That's precisely why I'm here—he still hasn't come back."

Muye’s heart sank, and the thought "We're screwed" flashed through his mind. He quickly said, "Then contact him immediately and tell him to come back now!"

Shen Xingchuan looked distressed. "I've tried several times, but there's no response. After they left through the camp gate, they were only spotted once on Northside Walk. After that, their whereabouts are unknown."

Muye was genuinely alarmed now. He strode toward the tent entrance, instructing Shen Xingchuan to immediately call the military and inquire about Gu Shiyun's whereabouts.

But before his hand could reach the tent flap, it rolled up on its own. A figure entered, backlit, and it was Wen Yuan's voice. "Right now, no one knows the whereabouts of Gu Shiyun and Xiao Jian. You want to ask others? I'd like to ask you—didn't I instruct you not to let him leave the military academy? Didn't you promise you'd ensure it? Have you broken your word so quickly?"

Muye paused mid-step, surprised by Wen Yuan's swift arrival. Annoyed by the veiled sarcasm beneath the politeness but unable to retort, he snapped, "Why are you taking it out on me? If they're missing, then let's go find them!"

Wen Yuan's eyes darkened. "The last known location is Northside Walk. I've already used my father's admiral-level clearance to obtain all surveillance footage from his departure route and the places he appeared. The garrison is mobilizing personnel to review the footage, but the workload is immense. We won't find any clues anytime soon."

Muye forced himself to calm down. "What about Gu Shiyun? What's his explanation? They most likely disappeared together."

"That's a matter for the Royal Family."

Shen Xingchuan stood awkwardly to the side, completely ignored by the two instructors. Between mentions of admirals and the Royal Family, he felt utterly bewildered, as if he had stumbled upon some federal secret—

Could something so critical be discussed so casually in front of him?!

Just as he was silently complaining, his wrist communicator buzzed twice. Before he could even finish saying, "It's Senior Gu's call," Wen Yuan swiftly rushed over, grabbed Shen Xingchuan's wrist, and forcefully yanked the communicator off, without the slightest care, making Shen Xingchuan wince in pain.

Wen Yuan answered, but all that came through were the sounds of fierce fighting and close-range breathing. In his urgency, he dropped his usual gentle facade, sharply demanding, "Gu Shiyun! Is Xiao Jian with you?! Where are you right now? Reply immediately, and we'll send people to you at once!!!"

"At—zzzt—zzzt—"

Wen Yuan, Muye, Shen Xingchuan, and the others anxiously awaited Gu Shiyun's reply. However, after a burst of static, the call abruptly cut off. When they tried calling back, all they got was the automated message: "The user you are calling is temporarily out of signal range. Please try again later."

Their hopes dashed, the three of them froze in dismay.

Muye slammed his fist onto the table in frustration, sending pens and papers flying. "Signal jamming! Where on earth did they go?!"

Wen Yuan took a deep breath, forcing down the unease in his chest. Clutching the communicator tightly, he slowly steadied his voice, though a faint tremor remained. "I'll go to the technical department and have them quickly triangulate where this call came from. Time is of the essence; the faster, the better!"

He turned and strode out, his steps quickening as his heart pounded more frantically. The dread he felt now was ten times worse than when he learned of Shi Jian's unexpected secondary differentiation.

Yet, at the same time, he couldn't help but reassure himself: as long as Shi Jian was with Gu Shiyun, an S+ Alpha, he would surely be able to protect those around him.

Please... let nothing happen.

*

Gu Shiyun fought his way down from the main hall, finally locating the signal receiver room after clearing the underground level. However, these Alphas, emboldened by his reluctance to kill, swarmed him relentlessly, intent on creating useless but annoying distractions.

He had just dialed the satellite phone when it was shot to pieces before he could relay their location.

Yang Dao sneered, "We won't let you stop Mr. A's plan so easily."

Gu Shiyun frowned. This "Mr. A" was clearly the leader of the extremist organization, and Shi Jian was likely in his hands. To know Shi Jian's secrets so intimately, he must be someone very close to him—

But who?

*

Shi Jian opened his eyes, waking up no longer floating aimlessly in a nutrient tank. Beneath him was a hard, cold operating table, and the bright overhead light made tears stream uncontrollably from his eyes.

He tried to move his fingers, but his body was stiff as if frozen, completely unable to move. Even turning his eyes was difficult.

The familiar scene reminded him of being rushed into surgery six months ago, the burning pain seeming to rise from his bones once more, hurting so much he wanted to curl up, but couldn't.

A dark shadow approached in his peripheral vision. Shi Jian could only watch helplessly as it lifted his wrist and injected a clear, cold needle.

"Ugh..."

A pained moan escaped him as he felt the liquid rapidly spread through his blood vessels, reaching his internal organs, and finally surging with all his blood toward that atrophied gland. A strong, unbearable throbbing sensation immediately arose, as if trying to burst through the tender flesh.

Mr. A gently wiped the cold sweat from Shi Jian's forehead, his voice as soft as if coaxing a child. "Just bear with it a little longer. Soon, you'll reclaim everything you've lost."

Shi Jian shook his head weakly. After the unknown liquid was injected, he alternated between feeling very cold, wanting a blanket, and then so hot he wanted to take off his clothes, his neck throbbing painfully.

Mr. A said, "Don't be afraid. We've experimented on many Omegas; it won't cause any harm to your body."

Shi Jian found he could finally speak, biting his tongue to force himself to stay conscious, and demanded, "Who... are you?!"

"That's not important. All you need to know is that I've always admired you; I am your most devoted follower." Mr. A curved his lips, smiling gently.

Shi Jian scoffed, cursing him as an anti-human extremist who exploited religion for his organization. He cursed with satisfaction, venting all his worries and fears, feeling even the throbbing, uncomfortable gland ease slightly.

However, Mr. A showed no sign of anger at Shi Jian's deliberate provocation, maintaining his patient and gentle tone. "Your father, without consulting you, unilaterally decided to strip you of your chance to become the 'Sparrow Mother.' And those you considered family and friends, merely because of a so-called 'secondary differentiation accident,' treated you coldly or even kicked you when you were down. They never truly loved you, nor do they deserve to. Only I and our loyal followers have always believed you are the true savior. We worship you so fervently that even if you hate us, as long as we can make you the unique S++ Omega in history, it will all be worth it."

"Lunatic!" Shi Jian spat in disgust.

Mr. A chuckled. "So-called believers who willingly sacrifice everything, even their lives, for their true lord are themselves lunatics—who else but lunatics would obsessively adore you like this?"

Perhaps due to the injection, Shi Jian gradually calmed down after enduring the initial intense pain. Aside from his gland, which seemed to be experiencing internal detonations, he felt no other abnormalities.

Mr. A said at the opportune moment, "See? I didn't lie to you. The Awakening Potion is much gentler than the suppressants your father gave you. When I heard how much pain you were in that time, my heart truly ached for you."

Even though he had already learned the truth, hearing it again made Shi Jian's heart ache faintly.

He didn't want to look at Mr. A, turning his head to the other side. After a while, a cold tear traced a path down his nose, and with a slight sob, Shi Jian asked, "What exactly happened to me?"

Mr. A exclaimed, "I knew you'd choose to believe me!"

"My secondary differentiation... what happened?"

Mr. A was overjoyed, eagerly explaining, "Didn't you hear it all earlier? You never underwent secondary differentiation. Your sudden collapse was merely your father's people taking you away and injecting you with suppressants to delay your secondary evolution, then using large amounts of Alpha pheromone extract to disguise you as a temporary 'Alpha.' As for the E-rank, your Omega physique was already not far from the lowest-ranked Alpha, and your deceived gland naturally atrophied accordingly. But the disguise couldn't fool your genes and talent, which is why you remained so powerful in the military academy, with astonishing mental resilience."

Shi Jian blinked, forcing out a few more physiological tears from his dry eyes. "But I was in surgery for so long..."

Mr. A's calm reply completely shattered the last shred of unrealistic fantasy in Shi Jian's heart: "That was just surgery to implant a tracker in you."

Yet, that burning pain had felt so real...

Now, someone was telling him that he had never undergone secondary differentiation, that his Alpha identity was deliberately fabricated, and that all of it was false.

How absurd, how ironic. Shi Jian gave a bitter half-smile.

But what about the humiliation and indifference he had endured? Were those not real?

Was this protection, Father? Did you quietly do all this, hoping that when I learned the truth later, I would regret my willfulness and be grateful for your sacrifices?

Wen Yuan, when you know the truth, will you also find it ridiculous?

Shi Jian's desolate laughter echoed through the operating room, growing louder and more hysterical, finally dissolving into uncontrolled, gasping laughter.

After venting, he lay still, like a beautiful corpse, unmoving. After a long time, he slowly uttered his last question: "What is the Sparrow Mother?"