Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Everyone in the underground trading market had been cleared out, leaving only military personnel. Tanner and his men were detained, along with Su Jingyuan.

"General, should we release Su Jingyuan first?"

When Li Xiujin and Lin Ze came out, Yang Yu, who was leading the team, made his way through the soldiers and hurried over to Li Xiujin.

He had previously served under Li Xiujin. After Li Xiujin retired, Yang Yu remained in the military and was promoted to colonel just last year. Tonight, he had brought his men here on Li Xiujin's orders.

"Hold him for now," Li Xiujin said coldly.

"Yes, sir."

Yang Yu's gaze fell on Lin Ze. "General, this must be your wife."

Li Xiujin nodded.

Lin Ze also replied somewhat awkwardly, "Yes."

"Colonel Yang, thank you for bringing your men here in time."

Yang Yu wanted to shake his hand, but after a glance from Li Xiujin, he quickly withdrew it.

"Actually, it was our failure. We should be thanking General Li."

After saying this, Yang Yu felt relieved that Li Xiujin had already retired; otherwise, he and his men would have been in serious trouble.

"General, could we speak privately?" Yang Yu asked.

"What's so secret?"

"Perhaps I should step away..." Lin Ze said, noticing Yang Yu's troubled expression. "I'll go check on Lu Mo and Ji Ran."

Only then did Li Xiujin follow Yang Yu away.

Yang Yu led Li Xiujin to the door of a temporary holding room. There was a transparent glass window on the door, allowing them to see inside, where several people were being held.

"These individuals have all been modified. They were originally alphas but later had omega glands and reproductive cavities implanted, turning them into playthings more suitable for high-ranking officials to keep."

"Interrogate as necessary, arrest as appropriate."

"We've already questioned them. They all claim it was voluntary."

Li Xiujin sneered, "Voluntary?"

"No matter how we interrogate them, they insist on that answer. Our laws don't prohibit bodily modifications."

"Who's the mastermind behind this?"

Soon, two betas were brought before Li Xiujin.

"They came to us voluntarily. We warned them about the risks..." the two betas pleaded.

Clearly, they were just scapegoats. Li Xiujin waved his hand. "Take them away."

"Actually, that's not what I wanted to report..." Yang Yu, who now held a file in his hand, continued cautiously, "The soldiers found some documents from the doctor. They contain records of a specimen. It seems the doctor has been using this specimen as a surgical model."

Yang Yu carefully observed Li Xiujin's expression before adding, "The specimen appears to be Colonel Lin."

"Colonel, are you alright?" Finally able to see Lin Ze, Lu Mo hurried over.

*

Following behind him was a panting Ji Ran. "Colonel Lin..."

Lin Ze shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Are you injured?"

"No."

Only then did Lu Mo let out a sigh of relief.

"We were scared to death," Ji Ran said, patting his chest. "Luckily, Lu Mo was smart and went straight to find Li Xiujin. Colonel, you have no idea how frightening his expression was when he heard you were in danger."

"He called in troops, grabbed a gun, and rushed here. Su Jingyuan almost got his head blown off."

No wonder he arrived so quickly.

Lin Ze gazed thoughtfully in the direction where Li Xiujin had disappeared, then asked Ji Ran, "Do you still have the wristband?"

Ji Ran nodded, took it out of his pocket, and handed it to him.

"Colonel, what are you planning to do?" Lu Mo asked.

Lin Ze didn't answer and walked toward a corner.

Su Jingyuan was temporarily being guarded by two soldiers. Lin Ze said to them, "I'd like to ask him a few questions."

One soldier replied sternly, "We need Colonel Yang's orders."

The other soldier nudged him with his rifle and whispered, "This is General Li's wife."

The two soldiers didn't dare go too far. They stood at a distance where they couldn't hear Lin Ze and Su Jingyuan's conversation but could protect him immediately if anything happened.

Su Jingyuan's hands were tied, and he leaned against the wall looking disheveled. He looked up and gave Lin Ze a faint glance.

"Colonel Lin, could you tell your husband that you were captured by Tanner voluntarily and that it has nothing to do with me? I've been wronged."

"I'm sorry, I'll explain it to him."

Su Jingyuan chuckled at this. Most people would have lost their temper after his repeated provocations, but this Lin Ze could still apologize to him. Truly, he was a match for a madman like Li Xiujin.

"Mr. Su, do you remember this?" Lin Ze showed him the wristband.

Su Jingyuan's pupils contracted slightly. "It looks familiar."

"This was produced by one of your subsidiary companies seven years ago."

Su Jingyuan suddenly understood. "Now that you mention it, I remember. This product didn't work well and was discontinued soon after. Colonel Lin, why are you asking about this?"

"You should still have the sales records from that year. I need those records."

"That was seven years ago. How am I supposed to find them?" Su Jingyuan replied calmly.

Lin Ze carefully observed his expression, noticing how quickly he blinked and how his previously playful demeanor had faded slightly.

"Then I'll have to ask my... husband to request them from you." Lin Ze felt a pang of shame inside. He never thought he would become someone who relied on his husband's influence to threaten others. But this method was indeed efficient. Su Jingyuan stared at him warily.

"President Su, please send it to me within a week."

With that, Lin Ze left.

"Colonel, what did he say?" Lu Mo asked.

"I asked him to retrieve the sales records from seven years ago, and he agreed."

"If sales were poor, there wouldn't have been many buyers. We can investigate each suspicious individual one by one," Lu Mo analyzed.

"Mhm. First, let's investigate Su Jingyuan. I have a feeling he should know..."

Lin Ze suddenly paused, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the right, following someone.

Lu Mo followed his line of sight and saw Li Xiujin.

Ji Ran nudged Lu Mo's arm, then grinned mischievously. "Your colonel completely zones out the moment he sees his husband."

Li Xiujin walked up to Lin Ze, looked down, and stared into his eyes. "Is there something on my face?" Only then did Lin Ze snap back to reality, his face flushing. "No, no..."

"Xiu Jin, are you done?"

Li Xiujin nodded and had the driver prepare the car.

However, just as they reached the entrance, Su Wang came striding in.

Su Wang said angrily, "General Li, I'm here for that good-for-nothing!"

Yang Yu brought the person over. Su Wang pointed at Su Jingyuan's head and scolded furiously, "One mess after another, how long do you expect me to clean up your mess? You should be grateful General Li is magnanimous. Otherwise, he'd be justified locking you up for a few days."

Watching him put on an act, Li Xiujin was inwardly amused.

"I really didn't do anything. I just came to buy some jewelry."

"Then why won't they let you go!" After berating him, Su Wang spoke softly and politely to Li Xiujin, "I apologize for the trouble. I'll discipline him properly when we get back."

With that, Su Wang tried to take him away.

But someone was faster. Two soldiers blocked his path.

"Commander Su, the investigation isn't finished yet," Li Xiujin said coldly. "You can't take him for now."

"Yang Yu, lock him up first."

"Yes, General."

Su Wang gritted his teeth secretly but forced a smile.

"Fine, it's good to teach him a lesson."

Su Wang gave Su Jingyuan a few instructions, then left.

On the car ride back, the driver asked, "What should we do next?"

Su Jingyuan was too prone to slipping up. If this continued, he would eventually implicate Su Wang. It might be better to use him as a scapegoat.

Su Wang gave a few orders.

After hearing them, the driver's heart raced with fear, but seeing Su Wang was serious, he made a phone call.

Meanwhile, Yang Yu, watching Su Jingyuan being escorted into a vehicle, asked Li Xiujin, "General, how should we deal with him?"

Li Xiujin: "Interrogate him."

"Should we give him some preferential treatment? After all, he is Commander Su's brother..."

Li Xiujin said darkly, "I don't care whose brother he is."

Yang Yu understood. "Then we'll leave first too, General."

Li Xiujin nodded.

Lin Ze had already gotten into the car to wait for him. Seeing he was done, Lin Ze got out and stood by the car door, waiting.

Li Xiujin looked at his face, which appeared even softer and fairer in the night, his gaze growing intense. At a time like this, he should have Lin Ze sitting on his lap, not dealing with these matters.

He walked toward him, but suddenly a piercing alarm sounded in his mind, followed by a bang. Li Xiujin swiftly lunged at Lin Ze. The bullet grazed Lin Ze and struck his shoulder.

Simultaneously, the soldier who had fired from behind the wall was pinned to the ground by Li Xiujin's men.

After being knocked down, Lin Ze's mind went blank for a second before he realized what had happened. The color drained from his face.

He was lying face down and tried to turn over to check Li Xiujin's injury, but Li Xiujin, like a shield, used his own large body to firmly lock Lin Ze in his embrace. Lin Ze couldn't move at all.

"Xiu Jin, I'm fine..." Lin Ze stammered incoherently. "Let me see, let me see... the bullet, the bullet... where did it hit..."

Li Xiujin buried his heavy head in the crook of Lin Ze's neck, his breathing scorching hot.

"I'm fine. Let me look at you, okay?" Lin Ze forced himself to calm down quickly, then spoke softly, as if coaxing a child.

The arms holding him loosened slightly. Lin Ze struggled to turn over beneath him, facing him, and then saw the large bloodstain on his shoulder and his sweat-drenched face. Lin Ze began to tremble.

Yang Yu, who hadn't gone far, heard the gunshot and quickly turned back. Seeing Li Xiujin injured, his mind buzzed. He hurriedly helped him into the armored vehicle, then went to interrogate the person who dared to shoot at Li Xiujin.

Inside the armored vehicle, Li Xiujin was shirtless, revealing his bloodied shoulder. The muscles of his abdomen rose and fell with his breathing, causing the veins leading into his waistband to bulge slightly.

Yang Yu got in to report. "He impersonated a soldier. After firing the shot, he bit his tongue and died. We scanned his face but found no social connections. He was likely a death soldier specifically hired by the other party."

Li Xiujin closed his eyes.

Yang Yu asked again, "This person was targeting Colonel Lin. Has Colonel Lin made any enemies recently?"

Lin Ze frowned. "There were two shootings at the places I visited before, but neither was aimed at me. Only this time... it feels like the other party was forced into a corner before taking action."

Yang Yu nodded. "Then we need to investigate thoroughly. Otherwise, it's too dangerous."

Li Xiujin's expression was dark. He didn't speak, but Yang Yu, having been by his side for years, understood him well. This was a sign of his anger. No matter who the other party was, Li Xiujin would undoubtedly dig them out and retaliate tenfold.

After Yang Yu left, the doctor finished disinfecting the tweezers. "We need to remove the bullet first. It might hurt a bit, General. Please bear with it..."

"You help me take it out," Li Xiujin said, opening his half-closed eyes and staring at Lin Ze, who was standing guard beside him.

"I... I can't. I might hurt you..."

But Li Xiujin insisted.

Seeing this, the doctor said, "How about I guide you through it?"

Lin Ze took the tweezers, his hands trembling, and walked over to Li Xiujin. He stood while Li Xiujin sat, looking up. "Don't be afraid," Li Xiujin said.

Lin Ze nodded, gently wiping the blood from the wound to expose where the bullet was lodged. Setting aside all distractions, he carefully gripped the bullet with the tweezers. As it loosened slightly, blood instantly surged out.

Lin Ze heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Did I hurt you?" Lin Ze's own heart clenched in pain. "I'll be gentler..."

"Mm." Li Xiujin leaned closer to his abdomen, catching a faint, fresh scent that took the edge off the pain.

In the past, during missions, Lin Ze often faced danger, and he and his teammates would get injured from time to time. Over time, he had learned basic first aid and bandaging. He was skilled at removing bullets, but he had never felt this nervous before. He tried hard to keep his hands steady, swiftly and deftly extracting the bullet. As blood gushed out, he quickly applied a bandage.

He was left drained and drenched in cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Li Xiujin's tense muscles relaxed slightly. His sweat-dampened head nuzzled against Lin Ze's abdomen, taking deep breaths of the scent from his lower belly.

Lin Ze looked down at his head, wanting to ask why he had done this, but was at a loss for how to ask.

Lin Ze shared a deep bond with his mentor, yet he couldn't have rushed forward without hesitation to take a bullet for him. But Li Xiujin had done just that—so resolutely throwing himself over Lin Ze, shielding him tightly in his arms, refusing to let go even after being injured.

Afterward, Li Xiujin was taken to the hospital for a checkup, which came back clear.

Exhausted, Li Xiujin fell asleep after receiving a painkiller injection, with Lin Ze keeping a constant vigil at his bedside.

Late into the night, Li Xiujin finally opened his eyes.

"Xiu Jin, are you feeling unwell?" Lin Ze stood up, reached out to feel his forehead to check for fever or signs of infection.

Li Xiujin didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly grasped Lin Ze's thigh, nuzzling his nose against his lower abdomen and exhaling heavy, scorching breaths. Then, resting his chin there, he looked up at Lin Ze with a deep, intense gaze.

The wound hadn't healed enough for him to wear a shirt, so when Lin Ze glanced down, he could see the prominent veins on Li Xiujin's abdomen disappearing into the waistband of his pants...

Lin Ze felt a mix of embarrassment and concern that Li Xiujin might be uncomfortable. "Do you need... help?"

Li Xiujin wrapped his uninjured arm around Lin Ze, pulling him close, and slid his hand under his clothes, his voice hoarse:

"What are you offering to use?"