Chapter 117 Top Alpha: He Was Once a Defeated Omega 27. One...

“Who I am is not important,” the man with the buzz cut said. “What is important is that you come with me.”

His tone was calm, but there was no goodwill in it.

"Coming without giving a reason," Chen Wu glanced subtly at the electric grid and androids binding him, a cold sneer playing on his lips, "what's the difference between this and kidnapping? The Omega Protection Association of Far Voyage Star isn't bankrupt yet, is it?"

"If you trust the Omega Protection Association, you can call the police right now and wait for them to come and rescue you." The crew-cut man scoffed, nonchalantly striding forward, his androids popping out to capture Shen Wu.

He didn't seem to care about Shenwu's combat strength, nor did he take many precautions. This could be due to carelessness, a deliberate trap, or perhaps he felt confident in his superior strength.

“Wait,” Shen Wu’s expression tightened slightly, and he suddenly took half a step back, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. “You’re from Central Star, aren’t you? There are very few devices that can temporarily disable AI; you can’t even find them on the black market… That big shot came to arrest me, and you’re working for him, aren’t you?”

The man with the buzz cut paused.

He looked up and stared intently at the thick fog.

His eyes, his movements, his micro-expressions... there was no trace of lying.

Does Qi Xin's other troubles involve the Central Star? But the two men who were following him were from the local black market; their identities weren't anything special, though I'd heard they did dirty work for some big shots...

Compared to his long-haired partner in the Scorpion Gang, the buzz-cut man was thoughtful and steady in his work, but always lacked a bit of sharpness and decisiveness.

In an instant, a multitude of guesses flashed through his mind, and these guesses would become the key to his demise in a battle between powerful individuals.

The moment the man with the buzz cut frowned slightly and his eyes hesitated, Shen Wu made her move.

He knew the buzz-cut man was strong, far superior to the tall, thin man in the brown jacket, and even better than Soros. But he had no choice. The buzz-cut man might hesitate for a moment because of the trouble he was in, but he would never give up and let him go.

The only solution is killing.

Although his intelligence and weapons were rendered useless in a single encounter, Shen Wu was not afraid. He had nothing before, but now he at least had a knife, a gun, and the fighting skills that Qi Pingye had trained him to possess.

He was born on Zorro Star, growing up in a chaotic storm, so he was destined to be fierce and sharp. Once he made a move, it was either death or life.

"I love my life right now... No matter who you are, you can't ruin it."

The net tore apart, and Shen Wu moved like lightning, thrusting out a blade straight at the crew-cut man!

...

Qi Pingye wrapped a thick enough coat over his combat uniform to block out the smell of blood, pulled the collar tight, and walked on the streets of the Ninth District at night.

He didn't stay at the base for long. Once his injuries had healed somewhat and he was able to move freely, he climbed out of the medical pod and hurried home.

The previous night, an explosion occurred in multiple districts of the Far Voyage Star, and many people took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, making the situation even more chaotic. Qi Pingye thought about it again and again and was not at ease, so he couldn't stay in the medical pod.

Since Grant has already suspended his mission and let him rest for a while, it doesn't make much difference whether he's at home or at the base. He'll just feel a little uncomfortable without the medical pod to speed up his recovery, but that's fine.

The only thing to be careful about is not letting Shen Wu see too much, otherwise he will definitely drag him to the clinic or hospital again, or at the very least, be sent back to the base to lie in the medical pod.

Qi Pingye recalled how Shen Wu would always frown as she stared at his wound, and sighed helplessly before laughing.

"Clang—Clang—"

"Clang—clang!"

The sound of a mechanical clock striking came from an old-fashioned clock shop on the street; it was already six o'clock.

Qi Pingye glanced at his watch, thought for a moment, and then sent a message to Chen Wu, telling him that he had gone home.

While he appreciates surprises, he prefers something more grounded and reassuring.

After sending the message, he waited for a reply while crossing the road and walking towards his residence.

On the way, he saw that the braised food shop that Shen Wu liked didn't have a long line, so he stopped by and bought some. After buying it, about ten minutes had passed. Qi Pingye looked down and found that Shen Wu hadn't replied to his message yet.

Perhaps they were eating or reading and didn't see it?

Qi Pingye pondered for a moment and decided to wait patiently. At the same time, he raised his watch, took another picture of the braised food, and sent it over.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

There has still been no reply.

Qi Pingye stopped at the street corner not far from his home. He frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then raised his hand to dial a number.

"The user you dialed is not in service. Please contact us again later..."

Qi Pingye's heart suddenly raced.

Shen Wu's off-get off work time is 5 o'clock. From 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock, it should be the time when he is most free. He will probably check his communicator in time. How could he not reply to messages for so long and still not be able to get through to him?

This is definitely not normal.

Qi Pingye glanced at the pitch-black dwelling, took a long stride, and ran outside.

He hailed a taxi and went directly to the mechanic shop where Shenwu worked. On the way, he dialed the contact number of Shenwu's school counselor.

“You mean Qi Xin?” the counselor’s voice came through. “He hasn’t arrived yet. Our class is at seven o’clock, and it’s not even six-thirty yet. Many students haven’t arrived… He didn’t ask for leave, but he seemed to be feeling unwell yesterday. He said his fever period was coming, and he had just been marked. He didn’t even attend the temporary physical examination.”

"Brother Qi Xin, don't you know?"

Qi Pingye paused for a moment and said, "I know that, but I was away on a business trip a couple of days ago and didn't know the specifics, so I was very worried about him as soon as I got back today. I was worried that something might have happened, so I came to ask."

As he spoke, he casually followed up with a question: "Why do you suddenly need a physical examination? I remember it hasn't been more than a few months since the entrance physical examination."

The counselor smiled and said, "We conducted a mock assessment yesterday, and when people from above came to inspect, we added a physical examination on short notice."

"Can Xiaowu not participate? Will it affect his graduation?" Qi Pingye asked, like an older brother genuinely concerned for his younger brother. "His fever is about to start, but it's okay, he can still have a normal physical exam..."

The counselor said, "There's a pheromone test, so..."

"I see."

Qi Pingye suddenly realized what was going on.

A few seconds later, the call ended, and Qi Pingye's face turned cold almost instantly.

Why would they suddenly add a routine physical exam and check pheromones? Who would believe there's nothing fishy going on?

Almost the instant he learned about the temporary medical examination, Qi Pingye fixed his suspicious gaze on Qi Mingzhao. If there was any flaw they left behind during that public spaceship incident, it was only one: Chen Wu's pheromone scent.

Several months later, Qi Mingzhao finally followed this path and climbed over.

However, the amount of rose-scented pheromones was neither excessive nor insufficient. How did they manage to identify Shen Wu? Or is there another reason for tonight's unusual behavior?

Qi Pingye felt a strange unease welling up inside him.

He arrived at the machine repair shop at 6:30.

The shop was already closed. The owner lived upstairs and knew Qi Pingye. When he came to ask, he didn't suspect anything and just said that Shen Wu left at five o'clock, so there was nothing strange about it.

Qi Pingye left the repair shop, continuing to make calls while taking out a monocle and pressing it to his nose. The lens activated, displaying a complex real-time map pattern. The AI ​​had intercepted satellite communications, amplified the signal, and was rapidly searching for the location of the dense fog.

To ensure timely communication in case of an emergency, he specifically gave Chen Wu a smart chip for search purposes.

However, this intelligent machine is still immature and its support range is limited.

This is also why Qi Pingye rushed to the machine repair shop; he wanted to follow the route Chen Wu took to the school to find someone.

Braving the cold wind, Qi Pingye walked briskly along the deserted street.

The surveillance footage from all four shops was also stolen and projected into the wristwatch.

The artificial intelligence identified and filtered out the parts related to the fog, which Qi Pingye quickly browsed.

In just a few glances, Qi Pingye noticed something was wrong.

Someone is tracking Chenwu, and there's more than one group of people doing this.

The first group started this morning; in the morning it was a young man, and in the afternoon it was a man with a buzz cut. The second group started at noon; it consisted of two people, one of whom was a tall, thin man.

Qi Pingye's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

Based on the surveillance footage, he passed by the convenience store and the adult store like the wind.

Just as he was about to step into the alley, a gunshot suddenly rang out from a certain direction in the distance. The sound was sharp with a suppressed boom, slightly different from that of an ordinary gun.

It's a lightweight, high-powered pistol that he modified!

"Sinking fog!"

Qi Pingye's expression changed drastically. He activated the intelligent technology in his legs and dashed out instantly.

His physical abilities were already very strong, and with the help of the intelligent machine, they far surpassed those of ordinary people. His average speed was more than 20 meters per second, almost piercing through the cold wind.

The even more intense howling pierced his eardrums. Qi Pingye, like a shadow disappearing into the night, moved swiftly through alleys, over walls, and under eaves. He leaped over trembling water pipes, stepped over half a window sill, and swung his arms between wires and railings, rushing towards the source of the gunshot.

Even during his graduation training at military academy, he had never sprinted or run so fast.

His heart was pounding, and his palms were sweaty and ice-cold.

He didn't know how long he had been running, only that at a certain second, the red dot representing the fog finally popped up on the monocle in front of him, flashing blindingly, and then remaining still.

Qi Pingye's foot landed.

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving as if it were about to tear apart.

The wounds on my back and limbs had also reopened, causing me to feel numb with pain, and the blood was thickening.

But these were not the main concerns of Qi Pingye.

He stood in front of that dimly lit, abandoned house, and could only see the pool of bright red that was spreading continuously.

His eyes also reddened.

He drew his gun, stepped inside, and slowly approached the stationary red dot.

Silently turning the corner, Qi Pingye saw in a single glance the young man leaning against the wall, head bowed, lips slightly parted, typing a message on his wristwatch.

He was hidden in the filthy shadows, covered in blood and grime, but his face was clean, like a lotus floating in mud and flesh.

"Then you should go home first. I just finished eating and I have to go to school right away. I'll go back after class, so you don't need to pick me up..."

Chenwu spoke softly.

Halfway through his sentence, he seemed to realize something, and suddenly raised his hand, the gun barrel instantly turning towards him.

Qi Pingye lowered his gun, met the young man's gaze, and stepped out.

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Author's Note: Daily updates, no matter how late! Updates will resume around 6 PM on the 9th. Any changes will be announced in advance!