Hearing this, Ian knew better than to ask further.
“As long as you know what you’re doing. If your safety is guaranteed, maintaining a stable relationship with an Alpha could be beneficial. His pheromones will help regulate your hormone balance and ease the pain of your heat cycles.” Ian emphasized, “That is—if your safety is guaranteed.”
“I’ll handle it. Thank you.” Luo Hai nodded sincerely.
He grabbed the jacket draped over the chair and prepared to leave. Just as he turned around, Ian called out again.
“By the way, Luo Hai… have you been in contact with Mr. Doyle recently?”
Luo Hai turned back. “He’s my superior. I have to go to his office at least once a day.”
Ian looked a bit awkward. “You know what I mean—not work-related contact. Have you ever talked to him about your health?”
“He’s my boss, and I’m his prosecutor.” Luo Hai’s voice was calm. “No matter what happened in the past, there’s nothing about me now that he would be interested in.”
Ian wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn’t. After a long pause, he simply sighed deeply. The wrinkles on his face seemed more pronounced, making him look even older.
“I’ll be going now. Take care,” Luo Hai said softly, pulling open the infirmary door and leaving.
……
After leaving the infirmary, Luo Hai followed his usual route to the fast-food restaurant he often visited.
The food there wasn’t particularly good, but it had several advantages:
It was quiet, rarely crowded, served food quickly, and was close to his apartment. Sometimes, when he went home during his lunch break, he would stop by to eat. Over time, it became a habit.
A few dragonflies hovered nearby, their transparent wings shimmering under the sunlight filtering through the trees. Luo Hai walked past the nimble insects, stepping over the shifting patterns of tree shadows.
Seeing Ian again after so long left him feeling inexplicably exhausted. Right now, he just wanted to eat his lunch in peace, splash some cold water on his face, and get back to work as quickly as possible.
But reality was cruel—it wouldn’t even grant him this small wish.
Just as he reached out to push open the restaurant door, a cheerful voice called out to him.
“Oh, Prosecutor Luo Hai! You’re eating here too?”
Luo Hai turned around. The speaker was a young female Beta in a police uniform. Probably due to the heat, she had unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt. Her high ponytail swung behind her as she spoke, radiating an easygoing yet energetic aura.
Luo Hai gave a brief nod. “Officer Fanny.”
“I thought I was already eating late, but I guess I’m not the only one.” She laughed while pushing open the door. “You sure work hard, Prosecutor Luo Hai.”
“It’s nothing.” Luo Hai replied, “I’m just—”
Before he could finish, a familiar voice called out from inside.
“Hey! Over here!”
Luo Hai looked up to see Eugene Oddis sitting at a nearby table. He was lounging with one leg crossed over the other, snapping his fingers at him with ease.
Luo Hai: “…”
“Your friend?” Fanny asked.
Both Fanny and Eugene looked at him. Eugene’s gaze was playful, almost challenging. Luo Hai could read the message in his amber eyes: Are you sure you want to say it?
Eugene’s parole had, of course, been officially approved by chief prosecutor Doyle with the necessary documents. But Fanny didn’t know that. If she started asking questions, Luo Hai would have to go through a whole string of explanations and possibly even an official report review.
“Yes, a friend of mine,” Luo Hai said expressionlessly, then immediately walked forward, intending to bypass Eugene’s table.
Fanny grabbed his sleeve. “Aren’t you going to sit with your friend? I don’t mind.”
“Yeah, Prosecutor Luo Hai.” Eugene grinned. “Aren’t you going to sit with your friend?”
Luo Hai was certain that behind Eugene’s angelic, dazzling smile, a devil’s wings were fluttering.
He stared into Eugene’s striking amber eyes for two seconds before slowly changing direction and pulling out a chair opposite him.
Eugene’s smile remained bright as ever. He leaned toward Fanny and lowered his voice on purpose. “See? He can’t resist my charm. No exceptions.”
Fanny giggled. “Are you two close?”
“Of course,” Eugene said, still grinning. Then, leaning even closer, he whispered to Fanny, “I even know how many moles he has on his ass.”
Luo Hai, who had just taken a sip of water, immediately choked, coughing uncontrollably.
Fanny’s expression shifted from curiosity to shock, then to something vaguely suggestive. Her eyes darted between Eugene and Luo Hai, scanning them up and down.
“So you two are…”
“We’re not… We just…” Luo Hai wiped his mouth with a napkin. “We used to live together for a while, that’s all.”
“Don’t make it sound so cold,” Eugene said with a cheerful smile. “We lived together for a long time. And recently, we’ve gone back to that arrangement.”
Fanny suddenly understood. “So you’re roommates?”
“Yes.” This time, Luo Hai answered firmly before Eugene could say anything else, giving him no chance to stir up trouble.
Eugene shrugged, finding it uninteresting, and then turned his attention to Fanny. Flashing a dazzling, almost host-like smile, he reached out a hand to her. “Hi, I’m Oran Smith. Nice to meet you. I had no idea Luo Hai had such a beautiful friend.”
That was a very familiar alias to Luo Hai. Eugene had used that name to deceive people for intelligence, slip past security, and allow his organization, the Lightwing Society, to infiltrate countless places.
Clearly, there was a reason such a tactic worked. Faced with that charmingly radiant smile, few people could resist.
Fanny’s cheeks immediately turned a little pink. She shook his hand, looking slightly flustered. “I’m not really his friend, just a colleague. I work in the Criminal Investigation Unit, so I occasionally interact with the prosecutor’s office for work.”
“Wow, you’re a detective!” Eugene leaned forward on his elbows, eyes filled with genuine curiosity. “You know, when I was a kid, my dream was to be a detective—to catch all the bad guys who bullied me!”
“Oran Smith.” Luo Hai cut in, deliberately emphasizing the name. “Shouldn’t we be ordering now?”
“Oh, right.” Eugene slid the menu toward Fanny. “You go first. I’ve pretty much tried everything on the menu.”
Fanny smiled and thanked him before focusing on the menu.
Taking advantage of the moment, Luo Hai lowered his voice and leaned closer to Eugene. “Why are you here?”
Eugene also dropped his voice, raising an eyebrow. “This place is less than a hundred meters from the apartment. Why shouldn’t I be here?”
Under the cover of the tablecloth, Luo Hai subtly moved his foot, the tip of his leather shoe pressing against Eugene’s ankle. Before long, he felt the hard surface of the electronic ankle monitor.
There was no damage, nor any signs of tampering.
But that was to be expected. The Manta system on his ankle monitor was the most advanced technology available—any attempt to break or remove it would trigger an immediate alarm.
“Relax, I’ve been on my best behavior.” Eugene’s expression was innocent, his voice low. “I just came downstairs to grab something to eat.”
“Hmm… how about a beef burger and crispy fries?” Fanny flipped through the menu. “Have you had them before?”
“The beef burger is good, but the fries are just okay,” Eugene said. “I’d recommend the cheesy nachos instead.”
Luo Hai said nothing and simply picked up the menu to browse. At that moment, he felt Eugene shift his foot, pressing it down on top of his.
“Alright, then I’ll have the beef burger and cheesy nachos,” Fanny nodded.
Luo Hai frowned and pulled his foot back. But Eugene quickly followed, using the tip of his shoe to teasingly lift the hem of Luo Hai’s suit pants, subtly brushing against his ankle.
“I’ll have the curry rice and a Coke,” Eugene said casually, his actions beneath the table completely concealed from view. “What about you, Luo Hai?”
Luo Hai could distinctly feel Eugene’s firm shoe tip trailing suggestively up his ankle, gliding over the smooth fabric of his trousers, slowly making its way up to his calf. Then, as if deliberately teasing, Eugene traced small circles on his leg.
Luo Hai withdrew his leg—then immediately delivered a sharp kick to Eugene’s ankle.
He was wearing high-quality hard-soled leather shoes, and most criminals wouldn’t be able to get back up for a good ten minutes after a hit like that.
“Carbonara and mango juice,” Luo Hai said expressionlessly.
Fanny heard a dull thud, then looked up to see Eugene hunched over the table, trembling as if he had suddenly fallen ill.
“What happened to you?” she asked in surprise.
“Nothing, just… accidentally bumped the table,” Eugene forced a smile.
“He’s always been like this,” Luo Hai said blandly. “Careless, clumsy, and utterly lacking in self-awareness.”
Eugene: “….”
Fanny blinked, deciding not to dwell on whatever strange dynamic was happening in front of her.
“Are you still working on that Omega organization case?” she asked. “I heard that the leader was recently captured.”
“Yeah,” Luo Hai said flatly. “The leader is in custody, but there’s still a lot of cleanup to do—identifying members, eliminating dangerous materials, and holding a press conference to reassure the public that the terrorists are no longer a threat.”
“So, does that mean the organization won’t be planning any new attacks?” Fanny frowned slightly, as if considering something.
“In theory, yes,” Luo Hai said cautiously. “Based on our current investigation, Lightwing isn’t a highly disciplined or hierarchical group. They’re more like a pack of stray dogs in the city—throw them a bone, and they’ll come running. But without someone tossing the bones, they’ll scatter soon enough.”
Eugene let out a quiet chuckle, but Luo Hai still caught it.
“Do you think the recent Omega-related crimes might be connected to this organization?” Fanny asked.
Sensing something behind her words, Luo Hai narrowed his eyes. “What are you trying to ask?”
Fanny hesitated for a moment, then reached into her bag and pulled out a photograph. “These pieces of evidence will end up at the Prosecutor’s Office sooner or later, but since I ran into you here, I figured I’d show you in advance.”
She pushed the photograph across the table. It showed a piece of paper with a simple sketch of a sun and wings. Next to it was a large amount of dark red blood, soaking through half the page.
Luo Hai and Eugene recognized the symbol immediately.
