Chapter 87 Equation

Chapter 87: The Equation

Ji Yun and Ji Yue were tasked with caring for Jing Miao.

The two of them were stuck in the kitchen, unable to come up with a single edible dish even after an hour.

"Did you wash this?"

"Is it supposed to be cooked like this? You sure the tutorial means fifteen minutes? It looks like the water's almost gone."

"Maybe we should just get a cook from the cafeteria?"

"But we'd still have to follow Xi Siyan's recipe, right? Is our little treasure really that picky?"

"Ah, brother! That's sugar!"

......

Jing Miao woke up groggily. He was alone in the room, and the voices outside were a bit noisy.

On the bedside table was an aroma lamp shaped like an hourglass, made by Xi Siyan using his own extracted pheromones. When it ran out, he would be back.

Jing Miao felt his body growing more and more tired; even getting out of bed was a struggle.

He struggled for a long time to get dressed. The door was slowly pushed open by Ji Yue, and through the widening crack, Jing Miao saw Ji Yue's delicate, pretty face.

"Miao Miao, you're awake?" Ji Yue stopped tiptoeing and pushed the door open to enter. "Let me help you up."

Jing Miao shook his head. "I can do it myself."

He slowly pushed himself up from the bed, his face deathly pale.

Ji Yun brought out a spread of dishes, looking a bit unsure. "Miao Miao, come eat."

Even the leftovers in the fridge looked better than this.

Jing Miao murmured his thanks, looked at the dishes before him, and slowly began to eat, without a hint of dislike.

"Drink some soup, drink some soup. This was made by your brother. What we made might not taste as good as his," Ji Yun carefully chose his words. "But for the little one in your belly, you need to eat a bit."

Xi Siyan had repeatedly said that Jing Miao was stubborn and wouldn't eat a single bite of food he disliked; they had to make sure he ate more.

He was almost due, yet his body was still thin and frail.

Jing Miao nodded, obediently eating his meal, finishing all the meat they served him.

Ji Yue widened his eyes slightly, exchanging a look with Ji Yun: Isn't he very well-behaved? Where's the willfulness?

They just didn't notice that Jing Miao finished every last bit of the leftovers without missing a bite.

They joked and laughed around the table, seemingly trying to cheer him up. Jing Miao listened quietly, occasionally chiming in with a laugh. Ji Yun was also very busy; the photonic channels were under suspected attack, and as a core member, he was constantly monitoring and reinforcing them.

After the meal, Ji Yun hurriedly left.

Jing Miao watched for a moment, then turned to Ji Yue and said, "A Yue, can I be admitted to the hospital?"

It was normal for an Omega to be hospitalized before giving birth, but according to Gan Lingxi's assessment, he was still about a week away from that time.

"Miao Miao, staying in the hospital isn't that great," Ji Yue probed. "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Ji Yue was nearly scared out of his wits.

Jing Miao packed a few of Xi Siyan's clothes and that aroma lamp, took the snow wolf plushie, and checked into Tianfu Ze's medical department. As Xi Siyan's family member, he was under high-level protection while his husband was away on a mission. Jing Miao himself was also a top-priority witness protection subject. Tianfu Ze arranged the best-equipped hospital room for him on the 24th floor, with medical staff and security on duty 24/7.

Ji Yun was a little surprised when he learned about that room. "Why was he placed there?"

"Isn't it good there, brother? The operating room is next door, it's a family room where the baby can stay temporarily after birth, and it's very quiet and secure," Ji Yue asked, puzzled.

Ji Yun smiled and didn't elaborate further. "It's nothing, I can't go into too much detail."

It was simply about the photonic channels. Tianfu Ze's secrecy was of the highest level; the locations and passwords of each photonic channel represented the entire security of Tianfu Ze.

Ji Yue, of course, wouldn't mention or inquire further and moved past the topic.

That night, Jing Miao slept relatively well.

It was the first night he had slept apart from Xi Siyan. Jing Miao wished there were no people in the world. Hazily, he thought of a quiet room, an entire floor, the window divided by iron bars, and the moon outside.

The boy covered himself with Xi Siyan's coat, hugged the plushie, and quickly fell asleep.

The experimental building in Silver Tree Town was only three stories high, but there were at least seven underground levels.

"Has the location been locked?" Feng Duo fiddled with the weapon in his hand.

"Reporting, Commander. There is one person on the second floor above ground. Underground is shielded against radiation, making it impossible to confirm signs of biological activity, but a significant weapons cache has been confirmed."

Feng Duo nodded. "Alright, first rescue the person on the second floor above ground." He glanced at Xi Siyan, who was sitting nearby in protective gear. "Great scientist, what are you looking at?"

Xi Siyan seemed not to hear, still staring blankly at his communicator.

Feng Duo walked over and saw a beautiful face. Jing Miao's face.

The boy was hugging a pumpkin-shaped pillow, his eyes curved in a smile. In the extremely low natural temperature, Feng Duo actually felt a sense of warmth and light.

Xi Siyan turned off the communicator, acting as if nothing happened. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah. This, can you use it?" Feng Duo pretended not to have seen, handing him a gun. "Although we will definitely protect you, it's still just in case."

Xi Siyan took it. "Yes."

"Good." Feng Duo finalized the last preparations. "Recon team, get ready. Ground team, follow me."

As they moved toward the center, Feng Duo joked with Xi Siyan, "Great Scientist Xi, how did you meet your Omega?"

Xi Siyan didn't even turn his head. "Why are you so interested in him?"

"Am I? Just chatting with you. Have you two been arguing lately?" Feng Duo nudged him. "Do you know I was the one who took Jing Miao to the outer district that day?"

"I know."

Feng Duo was taken aback. "Tsk, aren't you angry?"

"Angry at whom? You?" Xi Siyan's tone was completely flat. He suddenly crouched down, touching a matrix pillar. "Blow this up. Disinfect with the dispersal device."

The soldiers behind quickly followed the order.

Feng Duo kicked a broken fir tree nearby. "I thought you'd be angry at Jing Miao."

Xi Siyan ignored him. After the others blew up the matrix pillar, he suddenly said, "We've identified over a hundred toxins in the AS serum. Commander Feng, how many do you think are in TAS+?"

"How would I know?" As they neared the experimental building, Feng Duo saw that the nearby plants had all died, completely blackened. It was hard to imagine what would happen to a person in such a high-concentration environment.

“There are over four hundred variants.” Xi Siyan patted the shoulder of a soldier beside him; the man’s heavy footsteps instantly lightened.

This was precisely why entry remained nearly impossible for those lacking the Purification Talent. Current protective suits were incapable of withstanding such specially engineered neurotoxins—they could only partially filter them, not block them entirely.

Fengduo remained utterly unaffected. Xi Siyan had personally witnessed the Alpha’s extraordinary physical resilience.

“So, Director Xi—what exactly did you wish to convey?”

Xi Siyan glanced at him and replied calmly, “One toxin was identified only within the past two years. It inflicts no direct tissue damage, yet triggers full-body neuralgia—as though every inch of the body were being sliced open. Without its specific antidote, symptoms persist until the body metabolizes the compound. Depending on individual physiology, that process takes no less than thirty minutes—even for the most robust subjects.”

Fengduo frowned. “We’ll proceed with extreme caution.”

Once inside the experimental facility’s perimeter, safety was absolute. The interior and exterior felt like two separate worlds—fresh air, simulated daylight, an Eden preserved amid decay.

Xi Siyan stood aside, observing Fengduo coordinate deployment and prepare for entry.

“You remain here,” Fengduo instructed those staying outside. “Your sole priority is protecting Director Xi.”

“I’m entering with you,” Xi Siyan declared abruptly.

Fengduo shrugged. “Don’t play hero now, esteemed scientist. Lethal ordnance lies ahead. Stay here and oversee the tech team breaching the subterranean radiation shielding.”

“I sense something wrong. The current state of the experimental building contradicts Wang Song’s intelligence,” Xi Siyan stated coldly.

“We’re following Colonel Wang’s designated route…” an officer interjected.

“Wang Song confirmed the 145-degree corridor was cleared. Why was there still a marker stake?” Xi Siyan removed his protective suit and donned a bulletproof vest identical to the others’. “Let’s go.”

Fengduo raised no further objection.

“Xi Siyan—how certain are you about Patient Zero?” Fengduo asked, studying him.

Xi Siyan nodded. “Certain.”

They advanced through a second-floor experimental corridor littered with shattered glass. The cell door had been cut open. At the far end of the room—designed as a containment pool—a boy lay curled on the floor, wrists and ankles shackled, emaciated to the point where his ankle bones protruded sharply.

Drip… drip… drip—the water leaking from ceiling pipes echoed steadily. Ambient temperature held at a constant 20°C. Pale red stains—blood mixed with water—soaked the floor and drenched the boy’s entire body.

Xi Siyan’s eyes widened. He shouted, “Stop! Don’t approach—he’s contaminated!”

The noise stirred the boy. He turned his face, vision blurred, unable to focus on the figures before him.

“Help…” A faint, broken plea escaped his lips. Xi Siyan saw his face clearly—and the grimy suppressor ring encircling his neck.

A white lace ribbon with a wave motif—the very one Jing Miao had personally fastened around an Omega’s throat.

Fengduo signaled for all personnel to activate their personal isolation barriers—a military-exclusive device. “I’ll go first. His condition looks critical. Medic—on standby!”

The chains were standard-issue metal—quickly severed. Xia Zhi squinted at the group, then trembled violently, curling tighter into himself, refusing contact.

“He’s severely dehydrated, vital signs unstable, multiple open wounds. Immediate extraction and examination are imperative,” the medic reported. “We must administer the antidote first.”

Xia Zhi whimpered, hugging himself, resisting. “Don’t… don’t touch me.”

His vision swam from dripping water; his voice was hoarse, barely audible. “I’m poisoned. Poisoned.”

Patient Zero.

The medic and Fengduo froze—time itself seeming to halt.

Xi Siyan stepped forward and gently grasped Xia Zhi’s wrist. “Xia Zhi—I’m Xi Siyan.”

Xi Siyan…

That name.

Xia Zhi’s rigid muscles finally loosened. Tears spilled as he lifted his gaze toward the Alpha standing before him. “Teacher Xi…”

“We’re here to save you,” Xi Siyan reassured him, retrieving another suppressor ring from his pocket. With meticulous care, he untied the faded ribbon—revealing the horrific wound at the boy’s gland.

Xi Siyan’s hand trembled slightly, fury tightly reined. Gently, he fitted the new suppressor ring onto Xia Zhi’s neck.

Instantly, the searing pain at the gland subsided. Fragrant pheromones flooded back into his hypersensitive gland—this ring had been prepared for Xi Siyan himself, infused with Jing Miao’s signature scent.

Tears streamed down Xia Zhi’s cheeks. “Dad… Dad… They killed Dad…”

Xi Siyan’s throat tightened, recalling the decent Alpha he’d met only briefly—grief surging anew. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll take you home.”

The medic hesitated, then moved in to administer the antidote. Fengduo unfurled a protective cloak and handed it to Xi Siyan to wrap around Xia Zhi.

“What’s this?” As Xia Zhi shifted, a strange glass syringe came into view—embedded along his spine.

Fengduo donned gloves and carefully retrieved it. “Bring this back for analysis too.”

“Discard it—now!” Xi Siyan barked—but it was too late. The syringe shattered, shards slicing through the gloves. Fengduo’s finger bled instantly.

“Heat-sensitive genetic-experiment syringe—requires specialized handling tools!” Xi Siyan snapped urgently.

Fengduo frowned, inspecting the wound. “So?”

“Judging by its hue, it’s almost certainly one of the deceptive toxins I mentioned,” Xi Siyan replied coolly.

Fengduo stiffened. His formidable constitution delayed even the onset of symptoms—but soon, agony erupted: countless blades carving wounds across his entire body.

“H-series neurotoxin?” The medic rummaged frantically through the medical kit, pulling out a syringe. “No known antidote exists, Commander. This injection will only temporarily numb the pain receptors.”

Fengduo extended his hand without hesitation—then fixed his gaze unblinkingly on Xi Siyan.

Xi Siyan carried Xia Zhi on his back, meeting Fengduo’s stare with calm composure.

Fengduo: “……”

Fengduo: “……”

“Why are you staring at me?” Xi Siyan said flatly. “Your pain tolerance is exceptional. This toxin ranks among the top five most painful biological agents ever documented.”

Fengduo: “……”

Had it been merely a dozen lacerations, Fengduo likely wouldn’t have flinched. But his acute sensory perception now magnified the torment exponentially. He estimated—given time—he might count into the triple digits.

Such cumulative agony, even he could not endure.

The commander, standing ramrod straight moments earlier, sank to one knee after the injection—sweat pouring down his face.

The medic stared, stunned. Fengduo had once sustained four bullet wounds during a mission—not only surviving but driving himself back to base unassisted.

And now he knelt?

“H+?” The medic gasped. “Where did they acquire H+? One milliliter fetches over a million gold—casually discarded here…” His gaze fell upon the Omega slumped half-conscious on Xi Siyan’s back, anguish deepening. “They used H+ to control this child? If he’d moved accidentally—or if the syringe broke during extraction—his body would have endured such excruciating pain, he might well have died!”

Xi Siyan looked at Fengduo and nodded, his tone icy. "The financial group behind the Evolutionists is probably even wealthier than my mother's company. Xia Zhi likely knew about this syringe himself. He has endured much."

"Xi Siyan." Fengduo's voice began to tremble. He lifted his head, his face drenched in sweat. "The fuck are you just standing there for?"

Xi Siyan wore a look of genuine confusion. "Should I sit down then?" He turned to the medic. "Get him out of here first."

Fengduo gritted his teeth. "You're doing this on purpose? You won't save me?"

The medic, who had been reaching for Fengduo, paused... Right! Director Xi's purification talent could easily handle this toxin!

"You're tough, it's only half an hour of torment. Just endure it." Xi Siyan glanced at the time expressionlessly. "Fine, I'll save you in fifteen minutes."

Fengduo's eyes widened.

When you're on a team, you trust your teammates with your life. What was Xi Siyan doing? He wanted to curse but lacked the strength, his entire body seared with pain. In this agony, Fengduo's mind was forced into a state of stark clarity.

"Damn it, is this payback?"

Damn it! Damit! Fengduo cursed Xi Siyan a hundred times in his heart. He saw the truth in the man's arrogant gaze—Xi Siyan was retaliating against him!

The medic shifted awkwardly. "Uh, Director Xi, let me take the kid. I'll carry him out first."

Xi Siyan nodded and transferred Xia Zhi onto the medic's back.

"Can you walk? Need me to help you?" Xi Siyan reached out, easily pulling Fengduo up and slinging Fengduo's arm over his own shoulder for support.

"You lunatic, Xi Siyan... We're still in danger. If you were my soldier, I'd have your hide!" Fengduo leaned partly on Xi Siyan to walk, honestly without the breath left to curse. If this weren't a scientist crucial to all of humanity, he'd have shot this bastard.

"After all, chances to teach Commander Feng a lesson don't come along often." Xi Siyan replied flatly.

Fengduo didn't respond. He still had to watch for potential dangers—a habit and ability ingrained in his bones, surpassing mere physiology.

"I know in your world, utility is applied to the greater number. So even if my Omega was pregnant, you could force him to step forward and save others. So even if my role in this team is limited, you could issue the highest-priority order to protect me without hesitation." Xi Siyan helped him out of the lab building.

"Commander Feng, I just want you to know that the conservation of energy isn't just a scientific conclusion. If my survival can save more people, then all those people out there are expendable for me. Conversely, if anything happens to my Omega, I won't live either. The Commander is first-rate at tactical command, but a disaster at equivalent substitution."

Fengduo squinted at him, a cold sneer curling his lips. "You're venting your anger for Jing Miao."

"Yes." Xi Siyan's gaze was frank, which in Fengduo's eyes looked downright punchable. "I warned you about this toxin."

Fengduo muttered a curse. "Xi Siyan, isn't your research for the benefit of more people? You talk to me about energy exchange? The interests of the majority always override those of the minority. That's an ironclad rule."

"First, it's an ironclad rule, not an unshakable law. If you want to debate this philosophical issue with me, let me be clear: don't swap concepts. The interests of the majority can be exchanged for the interests of the minority, but the lives of the majority cannot be sacrificed for the lives of the minority. That is what is unshakable."

Fengduo felt the relentless pain in his body recede like a tide from his brain. He met Xi Siyan's gaze at eye level, an Isolation Barrier surrounding him.

No pheromones, no hierarchy. They saw in each other's eyes an unbreakable mirror.

This was an unarmed researcher, an Alpha with a floral scent.

"Second, my research has never been for 'more people.' It's for everyone, and that includes my Omega."

Xi Siyan released him, standing a step away. "But the equation here has never been about scale. Right and wrong, morality, justice, society, the world—in my view, they all rank below Jing Miao."

--------------------

Our dear Xia Zhi has suffered.

Your Brother Xi believes in revenge, even if it takes ten years.

Fengduo: (Censored due to excessively foul language)