He just broke up with his girlfriend and is already living with the devilish rich girl.

Zheng Xingguang held his phone, his tone indifferent.

"Sis, I'm at the mission site."

Zheng Yueyao on the other end of the phone paused noticeably, but her worry immediately overwhelmed her reason.

Her voice became rapid, bursting out in a series of words—

"At the mission site? How's it going on your end? Are you injured? Did you eat anything tonight?"

"Did you go to the hospital for a checkup last time you had a stomachache? Did you take the stomach medicine I put in your bag? Also, your clothes had a hole when you came back from the last mission, so I mended them and put them in your closet. Did you see them?"

"By the way, it's gotten colder lately, remember to take out your thick blanket so you don't catch a cold again, like last time you—"

"elder sister."

The boy sighed.

The other end of the phone went silent instantly.

After a two-second silence, Zheng Yueyao's voice lowered noticeably, carrying a hint of caution.

"...Sorry, I've been rambling again."

Her tone became somewhat hesitant, as if she was trying desperately to restrain herself, yet couldn't help but want to say a few more words.

"Well... I'm off today, so I went grocery shopping this afternoon. I bought your favorite pork ribs and broccoli. If you're not busy after your mission... would you like to come home for dinner?"

Zheng Xingguang did not answer immediately.

He stood amidst a pool of blood, the moonlight illuminating his gaunt profile and the corpses and shattered peach wood sword scattered behind him.

He didn't have a good impression of that so-called home.

The living room was cold, the dining table was always empty, and the man was rarely home. When he did return, he would only scrutinize him with a critical eye.

It's like checking if a weapon is still sharp.

That house was never warm.

But my sister is still there.

They are still trying to maintain the shape of a home that has long since become a mere shell of its former self.

They stubbornly believe that as long as the family can sit down together for a meal, there is still a chance to salvage the situation.

She was the only person in that cold house who would still ask him if he had eaten.

"Stars, starlight? If you don't have time, that's fine, I was just saying it offhand... I'll hang up now, you absolutely must be careful, remember to take your medicine, remember to wear more clothes, remember—"

"I'll be home in thirty minutes, sis."

There was a full three seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Zheng Yueyao's voice suddenly brightened up, as if someone had poured a big spoonful of sugar into her voice.

"Really?! Okay, okay! I'll go stew some ribs right away! Um... be careful on the road! No need to rush! Just come back slowly! I'll wait for you!"

"Um."

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Xingguang put his phone back in his sleeve.

He glanced at the mess on the ground.

A mangled corpse, a pool of congealed blood, and a frail woman curled up on the cold ground.

Even in death, he maintained the posture of protecting something in his arms.

He crouched down and gently pried open her stiff fingers.

Several pieces of crushed bread, stained with blood and dirt, rolled out of it.

Zheng Xingguang stared silently at the few pieces of bread, his clear eyes expressionless.

But his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

Who exactly is using the beastly breath to drive these aliens insane?

Those creatures who clearly only want to survive, those outcasts who carefully hide their identities and live honest, unassuming lives in human society.

But they were treated like bombs that could be detonated at will, and as tools for creating chaos.

He stood up and gently placed the bread back next to the woman.

"...Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, let it go now."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, his blue Taoist robe flashing in the moonlight, and disappeared at the end of the alley.

...

...

"Beastly breath?"

Bai Ziheng was cooking in the kitchen, his apron still tied around his body, and the spatula held high in the air.

He turned his head and looked at Luo Yao in the living room through the glass partition of the kitchen.

Luo Yao was lounging on the sofa, her posture lazy yet self-assured.

She was wearing a white off-the-shoulder sweater, which was wide open, revealing her collarbone and a patch of fair shoulder.

Two slender, long legs were crossed and propped up on the sofa armrest.

She was holding a small bottle of nail polish in her right hand, intently painting her toenails.

The color was a deep, vibrant red, which made the skin on the instep of her feet appear almost translucent.

"Hmm~"

Without looking up, she continued to carefully paint her big toe with the small nail polish brush.

"Recently, there have been many cases of freaks going berserk and killing people in this city."

"They were all registered with the Special Administration Bureau, docile as lambs, and usually didn't even dare to speak loudly. Suddenly they went crazy and started killing people in sight."

She blew on her freshly painted nails and then switched to painting the other foot.

"Some people suspect that the aliens pretended to be docile to deceive the Special Administration Bureau's tests, while others say that the underground black market is experimenting with some new drugs."

"But I smelled the lingering scents from the scene—"

She raised her eyes, her golden vertical pupils sweeping over Bai Ziheng, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

"That's a taste I know all too well."

"So... what caused all of this was that beastly breath?"

Bai Ziheng carried the two stir-fried dishes out of the kitchen and placed them on the dining table.

To be precise—

Luo Yao screwed on the cap of the nail polish, casually tossed the bottle onto the coffee table, and then sat up from the sofa.

Her movements were large, and the hem of her sweater was lifted up, revealing a section of her upper thigh. She didn't care and walked barefoot towards the dining table.

"It is the power of chaos, one of my three original powers, and the power you should take back as soon as possible."

She pulled out a chair and sat down, resting her chin on her hands as she watched Bai Ziheng set out the dishes, her eyes sparkling.

"Beast breath... can only be considered a byproduct of it."

"The power of chaotic energy itself directly influences people's subconscious, guides instincts, and amplifies emotions."

"Simply put... it can turn any rational being into a beast that acts solely on instinct."

As she was talking, she suddenly laughed, with a hint of schadenfreude in her smile.

"The people at the Special Administration Bureau are now quite overwhelmed by the beastly breath."

"We know someone is behind this, but we can never catch them. Every time we arrive at the scene, either the aliens have already been killed by their own people, or all that's left is a pile of corpses and a mess."

"They haven't even seen a shadow of the murderer."

"In other words..."

Bai Ziheng brought the last soup to the table, took off his apron and draped it over the back of his chair, and sat down opposite Luo Yao.

"The Special Administration Bureau is currently chasing after the beast's breath all over the city, but all they've caught are victims. The real mastermind hasn't even shown a hair on their head."

"Smart~" Luo Yao picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster.

Bai Ziheng picked up his rice bowl, about to eat, when he suddenly felt something touch his knee under the table.

He was stunned.

The thing slowly slid up his calf and finally stopped on his thigh.

It was a small, fair foot.

His five toes were slightly curled, and the tips of his toes rested gently on his thighs.