Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Here

For a moment, the air was dead silent.

The next second, a loud BANG resounded from the other end of the line, as if something had been slammed open.

Then came the sound of frantic footsteps.

A few seconds later, even more frantic footsteps joined in, and a man’s voice yelled from the other end, "Marshal! Marshal, you can’t go!"

Jiang Youchen didn’t respond to the plea, but his footsteps quickened. Even through the phone, his resolve was palpable.

’Wait! Jiang Youchen is coming to the First District?!’

’Has he gone mad?!’

Mo Sinan was so frightened her heart nearly stopped. She hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "M-Marshal Jiang, please don’t be rash. We have monitoring equipment here. We won’t let anything happen to Miss Jiang..."

Besides, it wasn’t like Jiang Youchen was a Space System user. It would take time for him to get here from the Ninth District. If something really were to happen, he wouldn’t make it in time anyway.

On the other end, Jiang Youchen realized this as well.

He stopped walking and said coldly, "Share the surveillance and monitoring data with me."

Mo Sinan nodded hastily and waved a researcher over to handle the data sharing.

This sort of thing was technically classified, but many families of the confined nobles paid to view the feeds, making it something of an open secret.

For instance, Que Feiling’s older sister, Que Qingqiong, the heir to the Vermilion Bird Clan, had actually been watching for some time already.

It was just that others paid for the privilege, while Jiang Youchen used threats.

From the other end of the line, Jiang Youchen added coldly, "If anything happens to her, I’ll have Que Feiling and Director Qian join her."

Mo Sinan: "..."

’Was he rational or irrational?’

’He was irrational, crazily demanding one person die after another.’

’But he was rational enough to know that Director Qian was the one who made the decision, and he hadn’t threatened her life...’

Once the researcher had shared the data, Mo Sinan breathed a sigh of relief. After reassuring Jiang Youchen one more time, she hung up and walked into the observation room.

A Beastman whose pollution levels were out of control would be extremely sensitive to smells and easily become hostile toward people. For this reason, Que Feiling was confined in a separate chamber, while everyone else watched from a monitoring room.

Jiang Qingli had already donned a protective suit and was listening to a researcher explain the necessary precautions.

After a final check of her suit, she gave an "OK" sign, picked up the defensive weapon that had been prepared for her, and entered the chamber.

The door shut, and the scene inside appeared on the large screen.

A girl in a heavy protective suit, and an unconscious boy in the corner.

Everyone watched with worried, furrowed brows, praying for her success.

-

The moment the door closed, the bright light vanished with it.

The glass ceiling overhead let in a faint glow, but the effect was incredibly oppressive.

Jiang Qingli held her breath and looked toward the boy in the corner.

A Half-beastman, to be precise.

Que Feiling’s body was still in human form. His jeans and tank top were in tatters, but his arms had transformed into wings.

Cold chains were wrapped tightly around his crimson wings. Four or five heavy shackles bound his legs, and a collar fixed his neck in place. He looked like a piece of art inlaid into the wall.

Feathers, torn from his wings during his struggles, lay scattered across the floor. Fresh blood dripped down the chains.

The boy’s face was so pale it was almost translucent. His sharp brows were knitted tightly together. A scar, as if from something sharp, ran across his face. His full lips were colorless, and a scab had formed at the corner of his mouth.

’He looks... like his fighting strength isn’t that high.’

The thought had barely crossed Jiang Qingli’s mind when she realized how wrong she was.

She took a single step closer, and Que Feiling exploded into motion!

The chains were yanked by a terrifying force, pulled taut in an instant.

The boy’s blood-red eyes flew open. His unfocused pupils constricted, locking onto the girl’s position. A piercing, bird-like shriek erupted from his throat, the sound waves powerful enough to shake the very foundations of the room.

His wings unfurled to a span as wide as three men, straining madly in Jiang Qingli’s direction. The chains binding him hummed, stretched to their absolute limit, and the entire wall seemed to tremble.

Alarms blared wildly, and flashing red lights threatened to blind everyone.

The researchers outside the door gasped.

"My God, why is he reacting so violently?! He’s never been this frantic before!"

"This is bad. Miss Jiang doesn’t dare to move an inch. She must be terrified..."

"Should we stop for now and give him a few doses of tranquilizer? We can try again when he’s calmer. Or maybe we should ask one of the other females?"

"Have you forgotten how the other females all refused? The potential danger is just too high... Besides, an overdose of tranquilizers could cause nerve damage. What if it leaves him with brain damage?"

At this, everyone fell silent and turned to look at the woman in the main seat.

Mo Sinan sat there, two call connections open before her.

One for Que Qingqiong, and one for Jiang Youchen.

Both of them were currently silent.

But Mo Sinan knew that if she didn’t do something, she and the director would both be in serious trouble.

Wiping a bead of sweat from her brow, Mo Sinan activated the intercom and said as calmly as she could, "Miss Jiang? Miss Jiang, can you hear me?"

"I can," the girl’s voice replied softly.

Hearing her voice, Mo Sinan felt a pang of guilt. "I’m sorry, Miss Jiang. We’ve put you through a scare. You can come out and rest for a bit. We’ll try to find a way to calm him down, and then you can try again..."

"Thank you, but that won’t be necessary," Jiang Qingli said. "I don’t think he’s trying to drive me away."

Mo Sinan was stunned. "W-what do you mean?"

"I’m not entirely sure myself. I just get the feeling he wants to get closer to me, not hurt me... Tell you what, let me test a theory. Just wait a moment." With that, Jiang Qingli cut the connection.

As if sensing something, Mo Sinan looked up at the monitor, her eyes widening.

On the violently shaking screen, the girl was walking straight toward the boy without a hint of hesitation.

All the researchers held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen.

On the other end of the line, Jiang Youchen stared intently at the screen. His jaw was clenched, and his breathing was heavy and ragged. His knuckles, white from gripping the edge of his desk, dug so deep into the wood that splinters drew blood, yet he didn’t even notice.

In a castle a thousand miles away, Que Qingqiong stared nervously at her screen. Beside her, a middle-aged woman clasped her hands together, praying to the Beast God for a miracle.

To the sound of her prayers, the girl on the screen reached Que Feiling.

The next second, the shaking on the screen stopped.

Que Feiling stopped his assault. His wings drooped, and the iron chains rattled.

He tilted his head. His vacant eyes were still unfocused, yet they stared straight at the girl before him.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but his throat was too damaged from his prolonged, uncontrolled screaming to produce any sound.

The girl smiled, stepped closer, and reached out her hand to him.

The boy, who had been out of control just a moment before, suddenly became incredibly still.

He subconsciously leaned toward that slender, soft hand, as if trying to draw warmth from her.

But just as he got close, he paused and shrank back slightly.

The chains rattled. Que Feiling seemed to want to lift his wings, but he couldn’t, chained as they were.

He then tried to press his face against his wing, but the collar restrained him, and he could only make a futile rubbing motion in the air.

An anxious expression appeared on the boy’s face.

One of the researchers asked, puzzled, "What is he doing? Is he uncomfortable?"

"Maybe the restraints are too tight and his wounds are hurting? But we already gave him painkillers..."

As the researchers speculated, Que Qingqiong’s exasperated voice came over the comms. "He probably thinks his face is dirty and wants to wipe it... That kid, he’s been obsessed with his image since he was little..."

Everyone: "..."

’He’s not even in his right mind and he’s still worried about that? Is that... normal?’

But this also meant he was no longer aggressive.

Jiang Qingli’s gamble had paid off.

Inside the containment chamber.

Having failed to clean his face, Que Feiling’s breathing grew ragged. His brows furrowed in anxiety.

Suddenly, a warm touch enveloped his cheek.

He snapped his head up, his gaze meeting a pair of clear, gentle eyes.

The girl raised a hand to cup his face and said softly,

"Don’t be afraid. I’m here."