At 4:30 AM, Luo Hai opened his eyes.
The sun had yet to rise. Outside the window, the sky was at its darkest, the moment before dawn. Everything, both living and dead, was cloaked in total darkness—silent and equal beneath the vast blackness.
He did not turn on the light. In the dark, he dressed himself and stepped out of his room.
The apartment was eerily quiet. In the faint outlines of the shadows, Luo Hai saw the massive plush alpaca lying motionless on the living room sofa. It seemed its owner had finally admitted there was no space for it and had exiled it from the bedroom.
Luo Hai walked to Eugene’s room. No light seeped through the door crack. He leaned in, pressing his ear against the wooden surface.
Eugene’s steady breathing came from inside.
Even someone as used to waking up early as Eugene wouldn’t be awake at this hour.
Right now, he was probably sprawled awkwardly on that small bed, looking a mess in his sleep, having knocked over all the plushies he had carefully arranged before going to bed. Before falling asleep, he might have been thinking about what to prepare for breakfast this morning, or what ingredients he needed to buy.
Luo Hai’s hand lightly rested on the doorknob. The cold metal sensation seeped into his fingertips. He tightened his grip, then loosened it, and in the end, let go.
He put on the suit he had bought just the day before. The blue cufflinks appeared almost black in the dim shadows.
With a soft click, the front door opened, leaving behind the silence, the darkness, and the lonely alpaca plush.
…..
This morning, Nantes square was no different from usual.
The morning sun rose from the east, gradually illuminating the land. The golden statue of the Goddess of Wealth shimmered under the sunlight, and the fountain at her feet sparkled as a few homeless people bent over, fishing for coins in the water while the streets were still empty.
As the sun climbed higher, shops around the square began opening one by one. But at this early hour, only one store was particularly busy—the café “Breeze,” located next to Clotho Optics.
Fanny and six other undercover officers were gathered inside, each holding a cup of coffee while keeping an eye on their surroundings.
When Luo Hai pushed the door open and walked in, Fanny was chatting with the café owner at the counter. Upon seeing him, she smiled and brought over a cappuccino.
“What a coincidence, Prosecutor Luo Hai. Looks like I’m working with you again,” Fanny said as she sat down across from him. “I told the owner we were on duty, so he gave us an extra cup of coffee. Just right for you.”
“Thank you.” Luo Hai took the coffee but didn’t drink it. Instead, he held the paper cup in his hands, letting its warmth chase away the lingering cold in his fingertips. “What’s the situation?”
“It’s still early. Nothing unusual yet.” Fanny stirred her coffee absentmindedly with a small spoon. “The owner of the optics store is open for business as usual. He’s dozing off behind the counter—everything seems normal.”
Luo Hai nodded, relaxing slightly as he leaned back in his chair.
“I heard you found this hideout all on your own?” Fanny lowered her voice and leaned in. “That’s impressive. My boss has been investigating the Lightwing Society case for over a month and hasn’t found a single lead. But you? In just one week, you not only tracked down Eugene’s old residence but also located the society’s hideout! You should’ve seen my boss last night when he got the report—he nearly had a heart attack from frustration!”
Luo Hai sighed. “Pass on my apologies to the detective captain. I’ll bring some supplements to make up for it another day.”
“No need, no need.” Fanny waved her hand with a grin. “My boss is just petty like that, you don’t have to mind him. I just think you’re really something. The whole police department has been running in circles for a month, and you figured all this out in a week. Did Oddis really fall for your charm and just confess everything to you?”
Luo Hai let out a soft chuckle. “If only it were that easy, I wouldn’t have had to work so hard. No, that’s not it. It’s just… I know him too well. That’s all.”
Fanny looked at him curiously. “Speaking of which… there’s a rumor going around the department that you and Eugene Oddis grew up in the same orphanage. Is that true?”
Luo Hai sighed lightly. “Yes, it’s true.”
Fanny’s eyes widened in surprise. “So, you two were… childhood friends?”
“Closer than that,” Luo Hai said indifferently.
For a moment, Fanny didn’t know how to respond. “Uh… I see.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t go soft on him because of it,” Luo Hai said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Eugene is a major criminal—one of the most dangerous terrorists in Nantes. The lives he’s taken far outweigh whatever history we share. There’s no way I’d let someone like him roam free.”
“I know. You have a reputation for being the most impartial prosecutor in the entire office,” Fanny sighed. “I just don’t get it. Eugene Oddis is such an outstanding Alpha—why would he throw away a good life to become a terrorist?”
Luo Hai lowered his gaze. “Precisely because he’s an Alpha—he has the arrogance that comes with it.”
“Huh?” Fanny blinked in confusion.
“He seems to believe that all the darkness and injustice in the world can be solved with the dramatic arrival of a hero. He seems to think that if he leads the Omegas in rebellion, they’ll march forward triumphantly, overturn oppression, and seize their rights. But he’s never considered that Omegas and Alphas are different.”
Luo Hai stared into the swirling foam in his coffee. “Omegas are weak, powerless, and short-sighted. Over ninety percent of them don’t have jobs, have never stepped outside their city gates, don’t use the internet, don’t follow current events, and some can’t even read. All they want is to take care of their Alphas and children and live a peaceful life at home. What the Lightwing Society is doing will only escalate social tensions and deepen resentment toward Omegas, pushing more innocent people into danger.”
He paused briefly, his expression cold and distant.
“At the end of the day, Omegas are utterly useless in this survival-of-the-fittest world. They don’t have the ability to challenge an established social system, nor do they understand the underlying mechanisms of how society operates. But because a powerful Alpha made them empty promises, they blindly throw themselves into the flames, like moths drawn to a fire. And Eugene, who already enjoys privilege, doesn’t care about the fate of those moths—because he himself is the fire.”
Fanny was silent for a long time, absentmindedly twirling her spoon in her coffee cup with her pinky finger.
“…I’ve never thought about it that deeply before. I’m neither an Alpha nor an Omega, so I probably can’t fully put myself in their shoes, but even as a Beta, sometimes I feel like our society is terribly unfair to Omegas.”
Luo Hai looked up at her.
Fanny quickly waved her hand. “Of course, I’m not saying violent rebellion is the right approach. Oddis committed crimes and took lives—he should face the consequences, no doubt about it. I just don’t completely agree with your perspective.”
Luo Hai was silent for a moment. “Is that so?”
“You said Omegas are weak, powerless, and short-sighted. Maybe that’s true, but they weren’t born that way,” Fanny said, crossing her arms and resting her elbows on the table. She smiled at Luo Hai. “I think everyone is born equal. Gender, status, and social standing are all things imposed on them later. Omegas are the way they are now because society made them that way—it’s not their fault. And if no one steps up to guide them… isn’t that incredibly unfair to them?”
Luo Hai looked at Fanny, his dark pupils widening slightly in surprise. His fingers unconsciously tightened around the coffee cup, causing the liquid inside to ripple gently.
“But just now, don’t tell our boss what I said—it’s just some casual chat between us,” Fanny lowered her voice and smiled apologetically. “As a detective, I really shouldn’t be saying things like that.”
Luo Hai finally nodded and responded softly, “…Alright, I understand.”
At that moment, a little girl wearing a red cotton jacket suddenly burst into the café in a panic.
She clearly hadn’t expected so many tall and imposing Alphas to be sitting inside a small café, and she froze in fear. Before long, tears began welling up in her pretty little eyes.
The other officers were either chatting or eating snacks, and no one seemed to notice the unexpected visitor.
Luo Hai stared at the girl for a moment before sighing and crouching down in front of her. “What’s wrong? Are you lost?”
The little girl’s eyes widened in terror. She shook her head quickly at first but, under Luo Hai’s patient gaze, slowly nodded.
Luo Hai picked up a fruit candy from the plate on the table and handed it to her, then pointed outside. “Do you see that big statue out there? If you walk forward along her right-hand side, you’ll find a blue building that says ‘Tourist Center.’ Go inside and tell the lady at the counter your name—she’ll help you find your mom. We’re working right now, so we can’t leave, but if you have any trouble, just come back here and find me, alright?”
The little girl took the candy, glanced up at Luo Hai, then broke into a smile and nodded. In a clear, crisp voice, she replied, “Okay!”
With that, she hopped away like a little rabbit. Luo Hai stood up and watched her retreating figure for a moment before sitting back down.
Fanny chuckled into her coffee cup, her gaze fixed on Luo Hai the entire time. She teased, “Looks like the ‘Iceberg Prosecutor’ isn’t as cold as the rumors say.”
Luo Hai frowned slightly, just about to reply when another officer’s voice interrupted him.
“Prosecutor Luo Hai, someone just went inside!”
