The song in my head was too loud, draining some of my energy.
Almost instantly, I was slammed to the ground by Disen, who pinned me down with his knee pressed against my abdomen.
"Ah—"
I cried out in pain, but the next moment, Disen's hand was already gripping my neck. His strength was immense, and the pain in my neck was excruciating.
Forced to tilt my head back, my ears were filled with a constant buzzing, and my vision began to blur.
"They're coming soon. How long can you keep struggling?" In my daze, I heard Disen's deep voice. I clawed at his hand with one of mine, my legs thrashing wildly. He seemed to enjoy my pitiful state. "Keep struggling. Weren’t you so brave just now?"
With my free hand, I desperately tried to reach for the smart terminal hidden beneath me.
Disen noticed this immediately and leaned down to grab it, his upper body pressing against mine. I could almost feel the heat of his breath. His grip tightened around my neck as he sneered, "You think you can destroy it? Even if you do, as long as I’m still—"
I scraped my feet against the ground, twisting my upper body with the last of my strength, and lunged forward to bite his throat.
"Crunch—"
Though it was just flesh and blood, the sound that reached my ears through my teeth and bones was oddly crisp. It was like biting into a juicy apple, the liquid gushing out as I sank my teeth in.
Upon closer inspection, I confirmed it was a fresh, bursting fruit—though not sticky, it was certainly watery.
But the fruit itself clearly didn’t share this opinion.
Disen’s smug face twisted into a grimace in an instant, and warm blood sprayed onto my face like water from a burst pipe. He stared at me in disbelief, his face rapidly paling, his lips trembling.
He released his grip and staggered to his feet like a clumsy giant. The hand that had held my life now pressed helplessly against his own neck, which made me want to laugh.
Anger, panic, fear, and struggle—
All these emotions were painted across his face as blood soaked into his skin.
Had I looked like that just moments ago?
Probably not, because I had been faking it.
The blood spurted high and dramatic, gushing from his hand and quickly staining his clothes red.
"Thud—"
With a loud sound, the giant fell to the ground.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps finally approached, and I saw many people.
My face was hot and flushed, and though my mind was still humming with that song, it didn’t matter. It was over now.
All that was left was a small cleanup.
The only question was, what had Disen sent in that initial message? Was there still room for negotiation?
I tried to think, but in my bloodied vision, a pair of military boots stepped into view.
Like a dutiful surveillance camera, I scanned from his boots up to his legs.
*
[Sir, if it’s convenient, please come here. I have something about Chen Zhiwei I’d like to show you.]
Jiang Sen received the message during a meeting.
Central City’s Eighth District was planning a general amnesty next month to celebrate the arrival of a new governor, a tradition in every district when a new governor took office.
The problem was that the Eighth District had recently extradited several criminals from other districts. Releasing them under the amnesty wouldn’t be cost-effective, but not doing so would send an unfriendly signal, potentially allowing other political factions to extend their influence into the Eighth District.
When he saw the message, he had a rough idea of what it might be about.
Jiang Sen knew Disen had issues with Chen Zhiwei—after all, he had kicked her to the ground during their first encounter. Later, when he had Disen pull her file and assign her tasks, Disen had expressed dissatisfaction.
This time, Disen had probably found some fault with Chen Zhiwei and planned to use it to curry favor with him.
A man of loyalty but little else.
Jiang Sen impatiently ended the impromptu online meeting and headed to the location, which wasn’t far.
But when he arrived, he found the situation far more serious than he had imagined.
A woman with disheveled black hair and messy clothes leaned against a tree trunk, her clothes soaked in blood. She didn’t look up, sitting quietly as if she hadn’t just fiercely bitten someone.
Jiang Sen walked up to her, and she raised her head.
Her face was pale, her eyes calm, her lips stained crimson with blood. Her messy black hair clung to her cheeks. He even caught the scent of her runaway pheromones—a damp, ashy smell. But, restrained by her will, it carried no aggression, merely radiating continuously.
Yet the instinctual rivalry between alphas was undeniable. Jiang Sen clenched his teeth, suppressing the surge of violent emotions.
After a long moment, he finally managed to calm himself enough to face this chaotic scene. Then—he saw her tears falling one by one, though her expression remained composed, as if she wasn’t even aware of the tears.
Jiang Sen’s throat tightened involuntarily, a warm, damp sensation rising from his forehead and sinking downward, his thoughts growing more chaotic.
Things were getting stranger. Disen was indeed impulsive, but how could he have acted so recklessly? Without any preparation, and even inviting him here to witness it? Was it to humiliate Chen Zhiwei? But why go this far? Or why do it himself? Of course, he had to admit she didn’t seem much like an alpha. Her slender frame, her clear, innocent eyes, her pure face. He had noticed it before, but this moment only reinforced that impression.
The more he thought, the more questions arose, but he couldn’t find the source of it all.
He glanced at Disen, who was sprawled on the ground, then turned back to her. "What happened?"
Though Disen’s life signs were weak, it might still be possible to save him with the medical technology of Central City’s inner districts.
Perhaps they could find a way to extract more information from Disen.
Jiang Sen’s eyes remained fixed on her face. He wasn’t sure why he was staring so intently, but he was utterly focused in that moment.
"I thought his message to you had already explained it."
She spoke calmly, a slight twitch at the corner of her lips. "What do you want me to tell you? That I was lured here and nearly assaulted by an alpha? Yes, that’s exactly what happened. There’s no misunderstanding."
Jiang Sen took a deep breath, his eyelids twitching. "I didn’t know."
"Should I be grateful it wasn’t you who ordered him to do this?"
"No, that’s not— I just—"
"What else do you want to know?"
Before Jiang Sen could respond, she lifted her shirt, revealing shocking bite marks and bruises scattered across her skin. Her expression remained unreadable, as if she were displaying herself as some kind of exhibit, laying all her wounds bare.
The air froze for a few seconds.
Jiang Sen almost instinctively took a step back, a strange sense of horror washing over him. How could one alpha do this to another? This shock amplified the restlessness in his heart, and all his questions dissolved into a haze of confusion.
After another moment, he took off his coat and threw it over her.
*
I took the coat but didn’t put it on, just held it in my hands without moving.
Jiang Sen asked, "Are you... okay?"
I didn’t answer, mainly because I hadn’t fully processed my emotions yet, and I was afraid saying too much would make me seem less like someone who had just lost their innocence.
The bigger issue was that the terminal was still hidden beneath me, and any sudden movement might reveal it.
If I were questioned about it later, it would be hard to explain.
"He... no, you... are you okay?"
Jiang Sen seemed flustered.
Clearly, a straight alpha male wasn’t well-versed in handling situations like this.
"I’m fine," I said flatly, draping his coat over myself and bending my knees slightly to subtly shift the terminal within reach. "I just... need some time to calm down."
I wrapped myself tightly in his coat, curling up. "Many of my friends say I’m not very smart, you know? They don’t understand why I always forgive people who treat me poorly so easily. This time was no different. I knew he didn’t like me, but when he told me you were waiting for me here, I believed him."
I forced a smile at Jiang Sen and said self-deprecatingly, "Actually, it makes sense. You usually only talk to me when you visit Yalian, so why would you seek me out alone? Especially here? And especially since we just saw each other this morning... Why... I don’t understand. Why would he do this? I even thought, maybe it was you—"
"Enough, stop. It’s not your fault," Jiang Sen’s expression grew increasingly strange, and he finally interrupted me, his words seeming to grind out from between his teeth. "I already know what happened. I didn’t tell him to do anything, and I’m sorry for what happened to you."
I didn’t respond, then added, "Honestly, knowing it wasn’t you, I still feel a bit relieved."
Jiang Sen was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Who else knows about this?"
Yalian.
But he didn’t come, so there was no need to mention him.
I shook my head. "I don’t know, but for now, it seems like it’s just the three of us."
"Three of us?" Jiang Sen asked.
"Disen... Is he going to be okay?" I hesitated. "I was struggling earlier, and by the time I realized what was happening, he was already like that. Will he die? Will I be charged with a crime? But I had no choice."
Damn it, if he doesn’t die, I might as well die myself.
Jiang Sen paused before saying, "With Central City’s medical technology, he might still be saved."
I: "..."
Seriously? That’s possible?
Are you kidding me? You’ve got such advanced stuff, and you’re keeping it hidden?
The outer cities of Central City really haven’t been touched by civilization, huh?
As I was thinking about what to do, Jiang Sen spoke up again. "You’ll probably have to come with me to Central City. This matter will go to a military court. But don’t worry, it’s just for appearance. After it’s over, I’ll arrange a job for you nearby. I know you don’t want to, but Disen’s position isn’t low, so this is inevitable."
Great, I’m going to court, and you’re telling me it’s not serious?
Stop feeding me empty promises!
I was about to argue when I saw Jiang Sen walk over to Disen and pull out his sidearm.
Jiang Sen aimed the gun at Disen on the ground.
"Bang—"
The gunshot rang out.
He looked up at me from a distance and said calmly, "Shot through the heart. He probably can’t be saved now. No evidence left. Pack your things tonight. The flight’s been moved up. We need to wrap this up quickly."
I looked at Disen’s body and sighed inwardly.
Bro, when you kicked me earlier, I said it was fine. I hope now that you’re dead, you can tell me it’s fine too.
By the way, no one scratches an itch by pinching everywhere. In your next life, I hope you pay attention to that little detail.
