Chapter 128 Is There No Male Virtue?

Chapter 128: Does He Have Any Male Decency Left?

Fang Ran nodded. "Of course, this is just my speculation."

"After all, it's truly unbelievable for a group of Free Sentinels to be connected to mutated monsters."

Fang Liyu sighed. "It seems the criticism from outside is justified. Our center has been too lenient in handling the Free Sentinels."

"We can't generalize," Fang Ran quickly added. "Not all Free Sentinels are evildoers; some are just trying to survive."

Fang Liyu lowered her gaze, pondered for a moment, then adjusted her emotions and expression.

"Regardless, I need to report this to Director Jin first. I’ll sound out some people in District 5 later to see if there are any other clues."

She patted Fang Ran’s shoulder. "We’ll talk again once Sentinel Fu Zhangzhou returns."

"Okay."

After Fang Liyu left the lounge, Fang Ran looked down at his terminal and sent a message to Wanqing, asking if she and Heifeng knew anything about the Marauders.

Having done this, he turned around and slowly walked back to sit beside Zhong Wan.

Zhong Wan handed him a can of drink. "What were you talking about with Sister Fang? You seemed so engrossed."

Fang Ran took it and, seeing Zhong Wan’s curious expression, could only make something up.

"Nothing much."

"She was just… concerned about my relationship with Fu Zhangzhou."

"Oh? Even Sister Fang noticed?" Zhong Wan raised an eyebrow meaningfully. "You know, the commotion between you and Fu Zhangzhou today was… almost sickening."

"It wasn't that exaggerated."

Fang Ran, feeling very uncomfortable under his gaze, opened the drink and took a sip, only to freeze as soon as it touched his lips.

This taste?

"Beer?"

"Not beer," Zhong Wan chuckled. "It’s just a beer-flavored energy drink, supposedly a Hua Yan product. I was curious and grabbed one of every flavor."

Really?

Looking at the drink in his hand, Fang Ran inexplicably recalled those cans of beer from yesterday.

They were the root of all evil.

Liquid courage, making people do foolish things for no reason.

"Zhong Wan, I remember you never liked beer before. Why did you buy so many and put them in the fridge?"

"Huh?" Zhong Wan paused. "I didn’t buy any beer. There’s beer in the dorm fridge? Did the center send it?"

"......"

The answer was obvious.

Fang Ran tightened his grip on the beer-flavored drink and took another big gulp.

That scoundrel!

Fu Zhangzhou, that scoundrel! He had calculated every step.

Fang Ran cursed the Sentinel in his heart but then began to miss him again.

Newly marked Omegas become extremely dependent on their Alphas. Only with sufficient comfort and pheromones, establishing a sense of security, can they alleviate the anxiety and restlessness between their thoughts and actions.

But Fu Zhangzhou wasn’t an Alpha and had no pheromones. He could only provide psychic energy, so Fang Ran’s condition was very unstable, his pheromone levels fluctuating wildly, rising and falling unpredictably.

Like earlier in the hovercar, he had wanted to cling to Fu Zhangzhou. After talking with Fang Liyu, his mental state had improved somewhat.

But once he had nothing to do—

Like now, his restlessness returned, even beginning to fantasize—about the Sentinel’s scent enveloping him.

As his thoughts wandered, Zhong Wan leaned in.

"Fang Ran, look." He handed his terminal to Fang Ran. "The media already has coverage from the scene."

On the screen were several pictures of the battle in the mountain forest.

The Sentinel, dressed in black, leaped into the air, a ball of flames captured in his palm, poised to attack. The fierce wind blew his hair and clothes, his sharp features looking impressive even from a distance.

Even Zhong Wan praised, "This photo of Fu Zhangzhou is really well captured."

Yes.

Damnably handsome.

Fang Ran’s eyes were glued to the screen. When Zhong Wan was about to swipe away, he felt a pang of reluctance and almost spoke up to stop him but managed to hold back.

Zhong Wan, seeing his hesitant expression, chuckled.

"What’s wrong? Want to save it and admire it later? Here, I’ll forward it to your terminal."

"......"

"Don’t be shy. I do this all the time. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your Sentinel for being handsome and capable."

Zhong Wan sent him the photo and continued scrolling.

The last picture showed a group of Sentinels talking things over under a tree.

The Lu Wenchuan brothers and several Sentinels from District 5 were gathered together, all looking serious and focused. Only Fu Zhangzhou stood apart in the sunlight, as if he were in a different layer.

He was using the hem of his combat suit to wipe his sweat, half of his clothes lifted to reveal tight, powerful muscle lines, and even a faint glimpse of—his Adonis belt.

That scoundrel, put your clothes down!

Have some male decency!

Who are you trying to seduce!

That’s what he cursed in his heart, but his eyes couldn’t leave the image. The inexplicable heat inside him burned even fiercer.

Only he knew how scorching the temperature under those clothes was, how those muscles felt when they flexed—

Wait.

Fang Ran froze, suddenly aware of what he was doing.

Was he fantasizing again?

"......"

His face instantly burned, and the pheromones within his body surged wildly.

He began spacing out all over again.

Oh no.

He had slipped back into the same state as in the hovercar.

Just then, Zhong Wan suddenly chuckled. "Why is the comments section so chaotic? So many people are randomly calling someone 'husband'."

He chuckled a couple of times, but when he noticed Fang Ran wasn't responding, he turned to look at him and was nearly startled.

"Fang Ran, why is your face so red? The drink earlier didn't contain any alcohol, did it?"

"It's nothing," Fang Ran waved his hand, then instinctively touched the patch on the back of his neck. "Must just be hot."

Hot?

Zhong Wan glanced around. The lounge wasn't crowded, and the air conditioning was even set a bit low. How could he be hot?

He asked with concern, "Fang Ran, do you have a fever? Are you sick?"

"No," Fang Ran quickly denied.

Blushing, he lowered his head and sent a message on his terminal.

......

On the mountainside, amidst the forest, white mist swirled, and the acrid smell of smoke filled the air.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

The roar of energy bursts was relentless, mingled with the shouts of Sentinels.

Fu Zhangzhou and Lu Wenchuan stood on a slope, their eyes fixed on a massive fissure ahead.

The widest part of the fissure was a full five or six meters, bottomless and seemingly endless, as if it had cut the entire mountain in two or opened a gate to hell.

"Another fissure."

Lu Wenchuan scanned the area. "Seems even larger than the one under the research institute."

"That creature that impersonated Guide Fang Ran to get close to you probably used these fissures too..."

"Not just that creature," Fu Zhangzhou said.

Lu Wenchuan paused. "Not just that creature?"

Fu Zhangzhou glanced at him. "There are also the Marauders."

As they spoke, Fu Zhangzhou suddenly felt his terminal vibrate on his wrist. He looked down and saw a message from Fang Ran—but it contained only three words:

"You bastard!"

The previously expressionless Sentinel suddenly broke into a smile.

Even though it was an insult, it made him unreasonably happy.

Seeing him standing completely still, Lu Wenchuan asked, "What happened?"

"I need to go back."

"?"

"No choice. Someone's missing me way too much."