The news of Prosecutor Luo Hai’s rescue quickly dominated the front pages.
For several days, the media in Nantes kept embellishing the story, praising the bravery and intelligence of the military and police, and the quick and decisive decisions of the authorities. They completely ignored the fact that although they had discovered the Lightwing Society’s headquarters, Eugene Oddis had managed to escape with all the members and supplies.
But no matter what, the reputation of the prosecution had been saved.
Prosecutors walked with their heads held high, even strutting a bit as they passed people on the street, as if telling them with their eyes: the prosecution isn’t a helpless waste of space, and their efforts haven’t been in vain!
On the other hand, after Luo Hai returned to Nantes, he didn’t have a single moment of rest. He attended various news interviews almost every day, and served as a guest advisor on multiple television programs.
During the Lightwing Society crisis, the most pressing concern for the public was the movement of the terrorists.
The vast majority of Nantes residents had long been accustomed to the harmless nature of Omegas, but the appearance of the Lightwing Society suddenly shattered the public’s preconceived notions, making them feel as though they no longer understood the world at all.
The unknown brought fear, and fear bred hostility. They desperately wanted to hear accurate information about Omegas from the survivors of the Lightwing Society to alleviate their fear.
“I heard you were imprisoned in the dungeon by the Lightwing Society for three weeks, enduring cruel torture and poisonings. Is that true?”
Luo Hai nodded calmly, raising his wrist to reveal the bandages. “Some of the wounds still haven’t fully healed.”
“What was the inside of the Lightwing Society’s headquarters like? Besides the leader, Oddis, were all the members really Omegas?”
“I believe there is a huge misunderstanding about Omegas,” Luo Hai did not directly answer the host’s question but instead lowered his voice, “For a long time, we believed that Omegas, as a gender, are gentle, weak, and non-aggressive, and have the lowest rates of violent crimes in society. But I can now responsibly tell everyone that this impression is completely wrong.”
The host was dramatically shocked, immediately pointing the microphone at Luo Hai.
“Is that true? Then can you tell us what the real Omegas are like?”
“Omegas are cunning, ruthless, and extremely skilled in disguise and deception,” Luo Hai said steadily. “They possess extremely sensitive senses of smell and perception, allowing them to detect information that many Alphas and Betas cannot. They masquerade as harmless, obedient beings, but behind the scenes, they use the affection and trust of Alphas to gather intelligence and plan terrorist actions. You might not realize it until your last moments, but the one who betrayed you could be the seemingly gentle Omega by your side.”
“You mean, not just members of the Lightwing Society, but every Omega around us could potentially be a deadly threat?” the host pressed.
“Every Omega is sly and dangerous. It might be hard for you to imagine, but in the Lightwing Society’s dungeon, the ones who tortured me were all Omegas—no Betas or Alphas,” Luo Hai continued, slowly unwrapping the bandages on his wrist to reveal the still-healing, grotesque wounds to the camera. “These are the marks left by those cunning beasts on me. Once out of the public eye, they reveal their true nature, striking mercilessly, even enjoying the process of torturing others.”
Luo Hai’s voice came from the small television hanging on the shop’s wall. After he finished speaking, many diners gasped, and the noodles on their chopsticks slipped back into their bowls.
“Is that true? What he said sounds so exaggerated, right?”
“Why would he lie? He really went through life and death at the Lightwing Society’s headquarters, everything he says has to be true.”
“That’s terrifying to think about. I’m glad I didn’t buy an Omega. Now, buying an Omega is like buying a killing machine to have by your side.”
Eugene and Xiao Lau were seated in the corner of the noodle shop, so Xiao Lau had to crane his neck awkwardly to watch the television.
As he twisted his neck, he clicked his tongue. “I know this is part of the plan, but the way he’s talking is so smug, it makes me want to punch him.”
After saying that, Xiao Lau turned to seek Eugene’s approval, only to find that Eugene was resting his chin on his hand, staring intently at the screen like a statue.
“Hey.” Xiao Lau waved his hand in front of Eugene’s face, “Boss, what are you doing? Your noodles are getting cold!”
Even so, Eugene still showed no sign of moving, continuing to stare at the screen. After a long pause, he sighed and said, “He’s handsome.”
Xiao Lau felt a question mark slowly forming above his head.
“Don’t you think that angle is particularly flattering?” Eugene sighed, pointing at the screen. “The side light is hitting his nose just right, making his whole face look particularly deep, especially those eyes—so beautiful, like obsidian. His lashes are so long I could swing on them.”
“…”
Xiao Lau put his chopsticks back in his bowl. He felt like standing up and walking out right then and there. He didn’t want to admit he knew Eugene, let alone that this person was the terrifying leader of the Lightwing Society in the news.
“What’s wrong? We can’t meet with him right now, and we can’t contact him freely. But is it really so bad to just watch his news appearance and quench my thirst?” Eugene looked at his assistant with an innocent expression.
“That’s not why you’re staring at him on the news,” Xiao Lau said coldly.
Eugene clicked his tongue and tapped Xiao Lau on the head with his chopsticks. “That’s a harsh way to say it. Without him, there wouldn’t be the Lightwing Society. You need to learn to respect your in-law, understand?”
Xiao Lau rolled his eyes so hard it seemed like they were about to fly out of his head. “I don’t disrespect my in-law, I just don’t respect you.”
Eugene smiled and picked up his bowl, using his chopsticks to stir the noodles that had already clumped together.
“Now you can rest easy, right?” Xiao Lau picked up a chopstick of noodles and slurped it into his mouth. “He’s doing great in Nantes, no one dares to make things difficult for him. He gets interview invitations one after another, and I heard that even Doyle now has to make an appointment with the show team just to meet him. Thanks to him, the Omega threat theory has been intensifying, especially in Districts 6 and 7, where Omega prices are dropping dramatically, and a lot of Alphas are returning the Omegas they just bought. More and more Omegas are being abandoned on the streets, and the number being thrown into prisons is increasing.”
“Even without his statements, more and more Omegas would still be caught and killed.” Eugene said in a low voice. “The darkness before dawn is inevitable.”
“I know that, but it still feels uncomfortable,” Xiao Lau’s voice was low. “I have no issues with Luo Hai, and no issues with your judgment. But as the deputy of the Lightwing Society, I still think I should bring this up—putting personal feelings aside, is Luo Hai really trustworthy?”
Eugene looked up at Xiao Lau.
“This plan is everyone’s last gamble. If it fails, we—Omega’s—will have nothing left,” Xiao Lau said. “I know you grew up with him, but you two haven’t seen each other for 15 years. Such a long time can completely change a person. He may be an Omega, but he has lived among Alphas for 15 years. He’s helped the prosecution capture Omegas, and it was him who locked you up in prison. Also, why did Doyle want to take him in the first place? Why did he willingly stay in Nantes? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions. How can we be sure that he is truly on our side now and won’t be turned into a double agent by a few words from Doyle?”
Eugene was silent for a moment, his expression still calm. The TV in the restaurant continued to broadcast the news. Eugene lowered his head, picked up a piece of noodles with his chopsticks, and only spoke after swallowing it.
“I’m not asking you to trust him the way I do. It’s impossible and unnecessary. For you and everyone in Lightwing, all you need to know is one thing: the only person who can infiltrate the prosecution to complete the final step of this plan is him, and no one else. You’ve attended the discussions, you should know, I’m the one who least wants him to do this, but the conclusion from the meeting was clear—under the current circumstances, there’s no one else suitable for the job.”
Xiao Lau sighed and nodded. This was an irrefutable fact. In the current tense situation, the only person capable of infiltrating the enemy’s core was Luo Hai.
“Secondly, I always believe that no matter how much a person changes on the outside, some things deep inside will never change. Long, long ago, he taught me not to submit to fate, not to bow to violence. If it weren’t for him, I might have died frozen in an ice hole when I was six, or starved to death hanging from a tree by the kids on the street. Without him, there would be no me today, and there would be no Lightwing Society.”
Eugene spoke in a low voice, “So, no matter why Doyle took him away back then, or why he chose to stay in Nantes these years, I am willing to trust him. I am willing to entrust my back to him in any situation.”
Xiao Lau stared at his boss for a long time, finally picking up a piece of char siu and placing it into Eugene’s bowl. “Eat quickly, or it will turn into a lump of noodles.”
