"Captain Shan, are you still there?"

Jiang Zheyu heard no reply for a long time, so she asked again.

Still, there was no answer.

Holding up the light projected from her Light Brain, Jiang Zheyu slowly walked toward the cave entrance, calling out, "Shan Xun, Shan Xun, Captain Shan..."

’No way, did he really leave? Did he just abandon me here?’

’Shan Xun doesn’t seem like that kind of person, though.’

As Jiang Zheyu reached a bend in the cave, her wrist—the one with the Light Brain—was suddenly grabbed. A large palm immediately covered the projected light, and a moment later, pressed the device off completely.

Startled, she nearly let out a scream, but she forced it back down the instant she realized it was Shan Xun.

"What is wrong with you? I was calling for you, and you didn’t answer. Now you just pop out of nowhere." Jiang Zheyu patted her chest, her heart still racing from the fright.

Shan Xun had pressed the button on her Light Brain, extinguishing its beam. All the light vanished, and the cave was once again plunged into darkness.

Once again, Jiang Zheyu’s world went black, and she couldn’t make out Shan Xun’s expression.

Her confusion showing on her face, she asked, "Why did you turn off my Light Brain? I can’t see anything now."

As she spoke, she tried to turn the light back on, but he caught her wrist mid-air, holding it so she couldn’t move it an inch.

"Don’t turn it on." Shan Xun’s voice was low, tinged with an unusual hoarseness.

’He couldn’t let the female see him in this embarrassing state.’

"Why not?" Jiang Zheyu’s expression grew even more perplexed.

Shan Xun replied quietly, "Some bugs are attracted to light. If you’re afraid of them, it’s better to leave it off."

Jiang Zheyu paused. ’But no bugs came near us before. There probably aren’t any moths here.’

"But we didn’t see any bugs earlier," Jiang Zheyu said, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"Just because we didn’t see any before doesn’t mean we won’t see any later," Shan Xun said, spouting utter nonsense with a straight face. "This will keep you from getting all jumpy again."

Jiang Zheyu: ...

Shan Xun took her hand and led her forward. "You don’t need the Light Brain’s light. I can guide you out."

It was pitch-black, and Jiang Zheyu couldn’t see the path, so she could only grip Shan Xun’s hand tightly and agree. "Alright."

The moment he led her out of the cave, Shan Xun let go of her hand and strode ahead. He summoned his Mecha with such incredible speed that Jiang Zheyu barely had time to react. He boarded the Mecha in a hurry, as if rushing to get somewhere.

Jiang Zheyu: ?

"Get on. I’ll take you back." Shan Xun placed the Mecha’s giant palm in front of Jiang Zheyu.

Jiang Zheyu didn’t understand what was going on, but she climbed onto its palm anyway.

Shan Xun quickly took her back to the Research Institute base, then turned and departed just as hastily.

Before Jiang Zheyu could even process it, Shan Xun’s black Mecha was already just a dot in the sky.

He had left so quickly, it was as if a pack of wild beasts was hot on his heels.

’Where could he be going so late at night?’

Jiang Zheyu felt that Shan Xun had been acting strangely this whole time.

’She was puzzled, but she figured that someone as powerful as Shan Xun would be fine.’

So, she returned to her room in the lab building and went to bed.

So much had happened day after day.

Meanwhile, Shan Xun went to an underground cave, dousing himself in freezing water in an attempt to extinguish the burning heat raging within him.

...

The next day, Jiang Zheyu resumed her work of purifying the Beastmen.

Shan Xun dropped her off at the lab and left again, disappearing to who-knows-where.

After she finished purifying all the Beastmen in one lab, she felt she had the strength to continue with another.

She walked out of the lab and headed for another one. But just as she was about to enter, two Beastmen standing guard blocked her way.

Jiang Zheyu: ?

"I’m here to purify the Beastmen," Jiang Zheyu said quietly, looking up at the two guards.

The two Beastman guards hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Honorable female, you need Captain Shan’s permission to enter."

Jiang Zheyu: ...

’Even though she could directly control them and make them open the door, she decided it was better to follow the rules of the research base.’

So, Jiang Zheyu walked out of the laboratory area.

The sky was still a dim, dusky color.

The base was huge, and Jiang Zheyu had no idea where Shan Xun was.

Walking along the paths of the Research Institute, she noticed many roads leading to different buildings she had never been to. They felt unfamiliar; it seemed she hadn’t explored the entire base yet. She stopped a passing Beastman and asked, "Hello, excuse me, do you know where Captain Shan is right now?"

The Beastman blushed and froze for a second before replying, "Captain Shan is at the training grounds."

Jiang Zheyu didn’t know where the training grounds were, so she asked, "And where are the training grounds?"

The Beastman pointed the way for her. "Go straight down this road until it ends, then turn right and walk for about one or two hundred meters. You’ll see a massive, shed-like structure. That’s it."

Jiang Zheyu nodded. "Okay, thank you."

After the Beastman left, Jiang Zheyu followed his directions.

Soon, she rounded a corner and saw a huge athletic field covered by an enormous awning. From the main entrance, she could vaguely make out Beastmen exercising inside. Even from a distance, she could hear a chaotic mix of noises coming from within.

Jiang Zheyu slowly approached the entrance and peered inside. She saw that the Beastmen seemed to be gathered in a circle, cheering and shouting.

They were so engrossed that none of them noticed the arrival of a female at the entrance.

All the Beastmen were bare-chested, their well-defined muscles on full display. The sight of all those rippling muscles filled Jiang Zheyu’s vision.

The entire vast space was filled with men.

Jiang Zheyu felt a bit awkward and was hesitant to go in. A moment later, she wrinkled her nose. With so many Beastmen having just gone through intense training, the smell of sweat was rather pungent.

’What are they all gathered around watching?’

Still, she had a feeling that Shan Xun was definitely in the middle of it all.

Jiang Zheyu reached the edge of the crowd, but the Beastmen were so tall that she couldn’t see what was happening in the center.

She had no intention of trying to squeeze through a crowd of bare-chested, sweating Beastmen.

Jiang Zheyu tapped one of the Beastmen on the edge of the crowd on the shoulder.

However, her tap must have been too light, because the Beastman didn’t react, his eyes still glued to the scene with rapt attention.

"Hahaha, even more pathetic than me! Captain Shan took him down in one move!"