Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Bai Liang’s reaction was a bit slow, almost dazed.

He looked down at the little kid who had leaned out of Bai Jin’s arms to cover his ears.

The noise behind him seemed to have died down a little, but because of the commotion, the gate of Sheng’ang University suddenly got pretty lively. Even at this hour, quite a few people had gathered to watch.

The police hadn’t arrived yet, and the security guards hadn’t managed to clear everyone out. Plus, there were bystanders with phones, eager to rush over at the sight of any excitement, and a few cars had pulled up in front of the shops across from Sheng’ang University, as if they’d sensed something interesting going on.

All of this shattered the quiet of the holiday that wasn’t over yet, making everything especially noisy.

Then the warmth covering his ears loosened, and Bai Liang could hear Bai Nuo’s voice more clearly.

The little guy didn’t stop, speaking all in one breath: “I don’t see you often, Second Uncle, but I think you’re really amazing. Teacher Xiaoxue said that just being able to help others when you can is already great. You work so hard every day that you don’t even go home, and you’ve helped so many people. And Little Fish—if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have survived. So what he said is wrong. I think you’re a very, very good uncle.”

Bai Liang’s face was expressionless.

Others didn’t know him, but he knew exactly what he really was.

He didn’t go home simply because he didn’t want to. He never actually wanted to help others from the very beginning. Your Little Fish—he had almost given up on it too. He didn’t save people because he wanted to; it was just a byproduct of his own goals.

He had never been as amazing or as good as this little kid thought. Even the goodwill from saving Little Fish was based on what Bai Qi had said.

But this little kid had poured out everything he thought, a bit jumbled and even stumbling over his words. After finishing, he was still breathing hard, staring straight at him.

Even though his hands had moved away, the warmth on his ears seemed to linger, still holding that heat.

Bai Liang, who was always quick with words, suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Then he watched as the little guy took the bag from Bai Jin and handed it to him, saying softly: “Second Uncle, this is the strawberry smoothie I brought for you. Eating it will make you happy.”

Because strawberry was his favorite flavor.

So when he brought treats for others, he liked to bring this flavor.

But not everyone likes strawberries, right?

Yet Bai Liang instinctively reached out and took it, thinking: Well, I actually do like it.

The sudden ring of his phone cut off all of Bai Liang’s thoughts. He snapped back from that surreal feeling, as if drifting down to earth.

He looked down, saw the caller ID, and immediately frowned.

“Hello?”

Bai Liang answered the call.

“Did something happen at the institute?”

Bai Jin’s ears twitched. He had been silent all along, watching the chaos, already planning to take Xiaobai Nuo and leave. This kind of disorder made him very uncomfortable.

But as a top-tier 3S alpha, his senses allowed him to clearly hear the voice on Bai Liang’s phone.

It wasn’t that Bai Liang was speaking loudly.

It was just that a top A was more sensitive to dangerous sounds.

From the other end came the sounds of fire, electrical sparks, explosions, and something burning in the background.

Someone was shouting over there, their voice really loud.

"Professor Bai! Something's happened at the institute. During our patrol, we found a suspicious person. When management tried to question and drive them away, they poured gasoline and set fire to the nearby power supply box. Your student said they also had thermite. This stuff spreads too fast and is hard to put out. Luckily, it was discovered during the day, starting from the edge of the building. Everyone's been evacuated now. Damn, if it had been at night, those students on duty might not have made it out! It's chaos here. Fire department is on the way. Come quick and take a look at the damage."

Bai Liang snapped back to reality in an instant, his brows furrowing sharply.

"Thermite? Where did they get a large amount of thermite? And how did they find out the institute's location? Report this to the national security authorities right away. I'll be there soon."

Was this his 'bad luck' coming for him? If he didn't tighten security and have them screen all suspicious people, would something actually happen tonight?

Bai Liang instinctively looked up at Xiao Bai Nuo, who was staring at him.

He exchanged a glance with Bai Jin, saw Bai Jin gesture to someone nearby, and Bai Liang nodded very lightly.

"Second Uncle?" Xiao Bai Nuo didn't fully understand the situation. He called out instinctively, "Where are you going?"

The little one was a bit nervous. Hearing words like 'burn,' he thought of the pitch-black room from his dream. His small body leaned forward instinctively, reaching out to grab Bai Liang's clothes.

Bai Liang stepped forward on his own and handed the strawberry smoothie he was holding back to Xiao Bai Nuo.

"Second Uncle has to leave for a bit now. I might not be back tonight, but at least I'll come home tomorrow. You go with Little Uncle first," he said, then looked up at Bai Jin. "Bai Jin, have Bai Sheng come meet up with you both."

"Nono also wants to—"

The little one started to speak instinctively.

But before he could finish, Bai Jin interrupted with a sound, cutting off the little one's words.

Bai Liang's expression turned serious. He couldn't deny it—for a moment, he was moved.

But indeed... it was better for him to stay away from them now. Safer.

Reason took over. Bai Liang looked at Xiao Bai Nuo, not smiling. "Kids can't come along."

Kids can't get near danger.

Xiao Bai Nuo blinked, thought for a moment, and finally nodded very lightly. "Then, Second Uncle, you have to be careful, okay?"

Since Second Uncle was already aware, it should be fine, right?

The little one glanced at the strawberry smoothie in his arms, pursed his lips, and reached out his hand in a pinky-promise gesture.

"Second Uncle, don't get hurt. Second Uncle and Nono pinky promise."

A promise?

Bai Liang had already stood up straight. He looked instinctively at Xiao Bai Nuo's hand.

He paused for less than a second, then reached out and linked pinkies with the little one, sealing the deal.

Well, to keep this little one from actually crying in front of him.

"Second Uncle and Nono pinky promise."

...

Meanwhile, at the skybridge connecting a hotel and a commercial building a good distance from Sheng'ang University.

A man with an ordinary, forgettable face was quietly observing the chaos at the entrance of Sheng'ang University from that distant vantage point.

After a moment, he lowered his head and looked again at the tiny font on his wristwatch.

It was a data analysis that should have been completely destroyed, but had been preserved by chance.

At the beginning was the failed specimen number, noting the only successful cultivation, followed by the name Bai Sheng and a string of English names, then a series of various experimental reaction contents.

The conclusion was: the research subject showed almost no response or slow response to external stimuli, was physically frail, and due to experimental equipment limitations, secondary sexual characteristics could not be determined. However, no effective Alpha or Omega pheromones could be filtered from the blood. Under extreme stimulation and pain, there would be instinctive crying and avoidance, slow reactions, fear of water, inability to hold breath, easy choking and drowning. The anesthetic drugs to which he was sensitive were as follows... The summary was a normal research failure.

The man dismissed this page, then turned and left, carrying two logo-printed bags in his hands, looking just like an ordinary person out shopping during the holidays.

He looked down at his phone, then back at his watch.

After a quick series of rhythmic taps, he sent the relevant content.

'The target currently appears quite normal, and he is under the protection of the Bai family in Country Z. It is difficult to execute disposal. Recommend recovery. Only one chance to try today. If it fails, we will find another way in the future. Tell R: multiple overseas research bases have been traced by Country Z, and the Bai family has assisted in capturing several external agents abroad. Abandon and disengage in time. Although we have not directly encountered the top Alpha, his strength should not be underestimated. There is only this one chance to create chaos. —H'

After sending, he calmly lowered his hand and did not look again in the direction of Sheng'ang University.

Of course, this was just an attempt at recovery. After all, based on his observations, Bai Sheng was rarely away from that cub. The little one was very sensitive to certain anesthetic drugs, but that didn't mean the other members of the Bai family were also sensitive. So he didn't have high hopes for this surprise operation.

But it didn't matter. It would only cost some unrelated personnel who had been recruited with hefty bounties. If the target could be recovered, the benefits would far outweigh this. It was just that offending the Bai family might mean having to lie low for a long time.

At the gate of Sheng'ang University.

Bai Liang had just turned around and walked out. His car had already been driven out by his assistant, and he had just opened the car door.

At the same time, the door of a car not far from him suddenly opened.

Bai Liang instinctively looked over and saw a familiar figure. He was stunned for a moment, not yet reacting.

Meanwhile, the father who had been struggling with how to tell his baby that he had been following him all the way had already quickly walked toward Xiaobai Nuo.

"Bai Sheng?"

Bai Liang turned his head.

"Third brother?"

Bai Jin, hearing Bai Liang's voice, also instinctively turned his head.

They watched as Bai Sheng moved swiftly and suddenly grabbed a person's hand. That person had taken advantage of Bai Jin dodging the crowd to "stumble" out from among them. He let out a startled cry, instinctively shouting and struggling with a fierce face. But with a crisp crack of breaking bones, he suddenly seemed to lose all strength. The small glass spray bottle in his hand fell to the ground, shattering into pieces everywhere, and a strong chemical smell spread.

"Damn, what's that smell?" Bai Jin cursed under his breath.

Meanwhile, the cub who had just heard that his father had arrived had only just poked his head out from his uncle's arms. Before he could even call out "Dad," a faint smell instantly spread over.

The little cub felt his vision instantly blur. He could no longer hold the strawberry smoothie he was carrying. The cup of strawberry smoothie, along with the bag, fell to the ground with a clatter.

Xiaobai Nuo watched his father approaching quickly, but he only had time to whisper, "...Dad."

His vision went black instantly.

Bai Jin instantly bristled. He was a bit panicked, instinctively stepping back and carefully examining the cub lying in his arms. Xiaobai Nuo had closed his eyes, his breathing uneven, appearing to be unconscious. "What the hell? Hospital, should we go to the hospital now?"

He then looked at the person who had been kicked down by Bai Sheng, unable even to cry out in pain.

"Was he hiding in the crowd just now? What was he trying to do?"

Bai Sheng reacted for a moment, then snatched the cub over and strode toward the car, frowning deeply.

He didn't know what that guy was up to.

But he knew that look—it was the genuine, greedy, malicious gaze of a human trafficker.

Meanwhile, Bai Liang, standing a little farther away, held the car door. He froze in place, watching the little one's hand fall and the strawberry smoothie spill all over the ground. For a moment, it was as if he had a vision of something from his own early childhood.

Bai Liang's face was expressionless, but a closer look would reveal his daze and confusion—wasn't that unlucky target, that trouble that could lead to life-threatening danger, supposed to be aimed only at me?