Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The gland was so sensitive that even such a kiss sent shivers through him, accompanied by a slight ache in his womb.

"Xiu Jin, do you think biting me would hurt?" Lin Ze found him odd and whispered, "It wouldn't hurt me..."

Li Xiujin's breath caught. He pressed his face against the back of Lin Ze's neck, pulling him flush against his body.

"Xiu Jin, you..." Lin Ze's voice was tinged with shyness, "Don't you like me dressed like this?"

"I like it."

Lin Ze's cheeks flushed crimson. "Then why... don't you want to?"

Li Xiujin's lower abdomen tightened. He asked deliberately, "What? Do you want it?"

Lin Ze trembled and shook his head. "I'm just afraid you..."

"So lewd."

Li Xiujin bit his earlobe, cupped his face, and roughly rubbed his lips with two coarse fingers before shoving them in. "Wet them."

"Use this to feed you."

The man's single hand could cover Lin Ze's entire face. His knuckles were thick, and just two fingers filled Lin Ze's mouth.

Lin Ze shamefully licked his fingertips and knuckles, slicking them with spit.

When the fingers were suddenly withdrawn, Lin Ze remained dazed, his mouth still agape.

Soon, twin blushes bloomed on his cheeks.

The fingers went in...

*

Some time ago, Fu Zhi had slipped up on a task assigned by Li Xiujin. He was on edge all night, unable to sleep, and the next day at work, he steeled himself to report. Unexpectedly, Li Xiujin merely responded with a faint "Hmm."

Fu Zhi couldn't quite believe it. He secretly observed him and noticed his expression had improved significantly compared to the day before.

It clicked for Fu Zhi. Recalling Lin Ze's question to him the previous night, he deduced the two must have reconciled.

When the master was happy, life was easier for them too. Fu Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the afternoon, he suddenly received a phone call. Since it was from an unfamiliar number, he waited a moment before answering. After hanging up, he immediately went to report to Li Xiujin.

"Just now, Li Jizhou's caregiver called and said Li Jizhou has regained some lucidity."

Li Xiujin threw on his coat. "Let's go see him."

Half an hour later, they arrived once again at Li Jizhou's villa.

"He's been like this for the past few years. Sometimes he knows nothing, smearing excrement everywhere. But other times, he's like a normal person, asking me to turn on the TV to watch medical channels."

The female caregiver led them to Li Jizhou's room. Inside, Li Jizhou was engrossed in a medical documentary, nodding and pondering from time to time.

"Mr. Li, someone has come to visit you," the female caregiver said.

Li Jizhou's expression took on a trace of fear. He weakly cried out, "I don't want to see anyone. Send them away."

"Mr. Li, please, stay calm. This is our Li Xiujin, General Li. We have some matters we'd like to ask you about."

"I don't know anything. Nothing at all."

Li Xiujin took out a photograph. "Do you remember this?"

Li Jizhou's cloudy eyes fell on the photo, and then his pupils slightly dilated.

"I heard you have a son and a daughter, right? Both settled in France," Fu Zhi said, standing behind Li Xiujin with a smile.

"What do you want?" Li Jizhou's face turned ashen.

Li Xiujin stared at him coldly. "Who gave the order for this research, and what was its purpose?"

Li Jizhou didn't know who this man was, but he instinctively felt a surge of fear—a presence more terrifying than that other person.

"If you tell the truth, we will ensure the safety of your children."

"Really?" Li Jizhou seemed to have grasped a lifeline.

"Of course."

"It was General Wu..."

"General Wu? Wu Shao?" Fu Zhi frowned.

"Yes."

Li Xiujin spoke coldly again. "Answer the final question."

"I don't know. I was just following my superiors' instructions..." After saying this, he met Li Xiujin's dark gaze and shuddered violently. "I really don't know. I truly was just following orders."

"You don't know?" Li Xiujin's eyes darkened, and he suddenly let out a laugh.

"The boy you experimented on was the same age as your own children. When you were torturing him, did you ever think about what it would be like if your own children were tortured like that one day?"

Li Jizhou looked at him in horror. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight back then. But we've already suffered retribution, lying here neither human nor ghost. And those who assisted me are probably all dead."

"Dead." Li Xiujin sneered. So this Wu Shao had such far-reaching influence.

"Immigration was just the official story. After the research institute was sealed off, they disappeared one by one. My condition isn't as simple as an accident either."

"Continue."

Li Jizhou swallowed and spoke truthfully, "After learning of their disappearances, I went to see one of Wu Shao's subordinates. I had a drink, and when I woke up, it was a year later. I had become like this. Wu Shao even came to visit me, saying he had properly arranged for my children and told me to rest and recover."

"I've told you everything I know. Please, I beg you, let my children live safely and peacefully." Li Jizhou pleaded with Li Xiujin, "Otherwise, General Li, just kill me. I am the one to blame. It has nothing to do with my children."

Li Xiujin took out a gun and pressed it against his forehead. "Want to die?"

Li Jizhou nodded, both afraid and hopeful.

Li Xiujin laughed. "Wouldn't death be letting you off too easily?"

"Fu Zhi, hire two more caregivers for Dr. Li tomorrow."

"Yes, General."

Before leaving, Fu Zhi said, "Mr. Li, rest well and recover. We'll visit you again another day."

Li Jizhou collapsed on the bed, his face pale as he closed his eyes.

That's true. In his current state, living is more torturous than dying.

If he could go back 12 years, he would rather have remained an underpaid junior doctor than ever take on that cruel research project.

Back in the car, Fu Zhi began accessing Wu Shao's file: "Wu Shao, male, 62 years old. Entered the military at 21, promoted to General at 39. Received numerous honors and commendations, well-loved by the people. At age 55, which was five years ago..."

Li Xiujin cut him off, "No need to go on. After all, he was my former superior. I know a bit about him."

Leaning back in his seat, Li Xiujin realized that after all the twists and turns, it was him pulling the strings all along. He barked a cold order: "Contact Yang Yu. Have him send guards over."

Li Xiujin let out a cold laugh. "Let's go pay a visit to my former superior."

Realizing what he meant to do, Fu Zhi didn't dare ask and immediately got to work.

*

In the quiet mountain forest stood an unassuming courtyard.

The courtyard was elegant, landscaped with miniature mountains and a stream.

Wu Shao sipped his tea while massaging the waist of the young woman beside him. He closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh.

This leisurely life was truly delightful, a fitting reward for his diligent work during his tenure.

However, this pleasant life was soon rudely shattered. Several armed guards barged into his courtyard. The young woman beside him, frightened by the scene, hid behind him. Wu Shao was furious. He had, after all, once been a General. Who dared to barge into his courtyard with guns like this?

"How dare you! Who sent you?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a tall, menacing man walked in. Recognizing who it was, Wu Shao's expression changed slightly: "So it's General Li. What is the meaning of this?"

Li Xiujin waved his hand. Two guards immediately seized Wu Shao's arms, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Li Xiujin sat down at the tea table and poured himself a cup.

Wu Shao had never been treated like this before. He was seething with anger and resentment, but seeing Li Xiujin's sinister face, a flicker of fear rose in him.

This man was a madman.

Before he retired, while presenting awards to a group of Lieutenant Colonels, Li Xiujin had stood in the center. Unlike the others, there wasn't a hint of a smile on his face; his eyes were cold and fierce. Later, Wu Shao heard from others that this man specifically chose dangerous missions, almost never resting throughout the year, returning from each mission covered in injuries.

Just a year later, when Wu Shao saw him again, he had already been promoted to Lieutenant General. He was only 20 years old at the time, just one rank below Wu Shao.

For such a prodigy, it was enough to make anyone jealous. Wu Shao had secretly put people up to targeting him, but those people were quickly reassigned. Li Xiujin acted as if he knew nothing, continuing to take on one dangerous mission after another as before.

Six months later, he became the youngest General in history.

Typically, someone reaching such a position needed a degree of approachability to gain public admiration and loyalty. But he had none. Instead, he was ruthless. Sometimes, even the Prime Minister had to watch his words around him.

"General Li, no matter what, I was once your superior. Treating me like this isn't quite appropriate, is it?" Wu Shao said with a forced smile.

"You said it yourself—'once was'," Li Xiujin sneered coldly.

"Twelve years ago, you ordered research on a newly differentiated alpha. Remember?"

A sense of dread washed over Wu Shao: "At my age, how could I possibly remember something from twelve years ago?"

"Don't remember? Then why is there a document with your signature of approval?"

Li Xiujin's voice turned cold. He took a pistol from a guard nearby, turned it over in his hands, then suddenly aimed the muzzle at Wu Shao.

"Should I break one of your legs first, or will you talk now?"

The color drained from Wu Shao's face. He gasped in fear, "Li Xiujin!"

"Seems you'd prefer a broken leg." Li Xiujin cocked the hammer.

"I'll talk, I'll talk..." Wu Shao hurriedly begged for mercy.

"I had a subordinate back then who was in charge of military academy student assignments. One day, he told me about a student who had differentiated into a rare alpha-omega hybrid. I didn't pay much attention at first. Later, while having dinner with several officials, they mentioned investigating a wealthy man whose family had purchased a rare alpha-omega hybrid at great expense. That's when I thought it was a lucrative opportunity."

"So I had my subordinate find that student's teacher."

Hearing this, Li Xiujin's gaze turned murderous: "Did his teacher know your real purpose?"

"No. He agreed because we said we could guarantee Lin Ze would return to being a normal person. He was quite fond of that student."

Li Xiujin felt an unexpected wave of relief. If a beloved teacher had knowingly allowed Wu Shao's plans, that would have been too cruel for Lin Ze.

"After the student arrived at the research institute, we treated him well, with good food and drink. It was only during the experiments that things turned harsh. We had to cut open his gland, over and over again..."

His voice grew lower and more guilty as he spoke. He still remembered the student's screams of agony the first time his gland was cut. Later, whether he got used to it or not, he stopped making any sound at all, even without anesthesia, though he would fall unconscious for two or three days.

"Actually, I didn't do much... just cut open his gland and extracted a bit of genetic material..."

"Didn't do much?" Li Xiujin kicked him, his tone sinister. "Since you think that's 'not doing much,' how about we cut open the back of your neck too?"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Wu Shao's forehead. "What I mean is, we didn't harm his life, General Li. I've told you everything now. Can you have your men let me go..."

"Did you have any accomplices?"

"N-no, none."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure, absolutely sure."

There was just one strange thing. During the research, the doctors extracted 13 samples of Lin Ze's genetic material, but in the end, only 12 remained.

Li Xiujin stood up and glared down at him coldly.

"Call the doctors."

Wu Shao was horrified. "Li Xiujin, what are you going to do?"

Li Xiujin suddenly smiled. "It's your own line of work. How can you not try it yourself?"

"Li Xiujin, how dare you! You madman! Let me go!"

"Please, spare me... I was just momentarily blinded by greed..."

Two doctors arrived, bringing simple surgical tools. Soon, his screams pierced the air.

Now that everything was out in the open, Li Xiujin's expression did not soften.

"Investigate every single income he received during his tenure. Then report him."

"Yes, General."

*

"Breaking news: Former General Wu Shao has been found to have received multiple large, illicit transfers during his tenure. Wu Shao is now facing imprisonment."

Lu Mo turned up the volume. "Wu Shao? Isn't that the General who had dinner with us once? I remember he had a kind face. How did something like this come out after he retired?"

Lin Ze also tuned in when he heard Wu Shao's name. That dinner happened not long after his differentiation. His teacher had said Wu Shao could help him return to being a normal person, leading to a year of research that ultimately failed.

"People who've spent too long at the top are easily tempted," Lin Ze said softly. He'd seen plenty of that type back when he was a colonel.

"I should get going."

Lin Ze checked his watch. He'd come today to ask Lu Mo to look into the sales records of Su Jingyuan's company, but unfortunately, he came up empty. He could only obtain the information from Su Jingyuan himself.

After leaving Lu Mo's, Lin Ze returned to school. After finishing his class, his omega teaching assistant approached him with a few work-related questions, and the two chatted as they walked.

When they reached the campus gate, they kept talking a bit longer before finally saying goodbye.

The omega gave him a sweet smile. "See you tomorrow, Professor Lin."

Lin Ze smiled back. "See you tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ze froze. He turned around and saw Li Xiujin's car parked not far away.

Lin Ze got into the car and noticed the oppressive atmosphere inside. Li Xiujin's expression was tense.

Was he angry because he saw him talking to a colleague?

"When did you get here?" Lin Ze asked cautiously.

Li Xiujin gripped his chin, pressing their foreheads together, and asked darkly:

"Having a good chat?"

Lin Ze trembled. "It was just... just work-related matters."

Li Xiujin slid his hand under Lin Ze's clothes.

"Compared to a tall alpha, do you prefer sweet and adorable omegas more?"

Lin Ze's cheeks flushed, his breathing unsteady. "No."

Li Xiujin buried his face in Lin Ze's chest, his suppressed emotions finally calming slightly, and he told the driver to start the car.

When they arrived home, the driver got out, but Li Xiujin still held Lin Ze tightly by the waist.

Lin Ze felt embarrassed. "Xiu Jin, we're home."

Li Xiujin gave him a dark look and suddenly pulled him onto his lap.

Lin Ze panicked. "Xiu Jin, what are you doing..."

Li Xiujin positioned him to straddle his lap.

"Car sex."