Chapter 11
S-class Biopheromones
“He said, ‘Forget whatever I said last night; after all, we are both adults.'” Bai Sheng laughed so much that he collapsed onto the sofa, shaking all over. “It’s true that we shouldn’t judge people based on their appearance, but Inspector Shen, I never thought you would be so open-minded. Hahaha—”
Shen Zhuo sat on the other end of the sofa, holding his forehead, silent.
Chen Miao was frightened, wishing he could rush forward and cling to Shen Zhuo’s thigh. He pleaded, “Senior, I didn’t see anything just now. Senior, please spare my life; I’m your junior from only seven years apart! The only seed in the seventh batch! You promised in front of the old dean’s sickbed to take care of me!”
Bai Sheng curiously asked, “You two are only two years apart; how can it be seven years difference?”
Chen Miao choked up, “It’s my fault for waiting until I turned 18 to take the college entrance exam, okay?”
Bai Sheng: “…”
Shen Zhuo finally looked up, his voice hoarse. “Why did you all bring me here?”
Bai Sheng had at least seven or eight residences in Shenhai City. This one was a luxurious flat, judging by the size—it was probably the entire floor. The numerous supervisors stood outside the door in silence, regretting their lack of transparency.
“Senior, you’ve forgotten,” Chen Miao said tearfully, “Clause 8.11 of the Global Supervisor’s Manual states that when the supervising officer confirms the loss of the ability to act within the jurisdiction, the entire jurisdiction’s security level automatically drops by one level. However, if there is an S-class evolutionist in the jurisdiction, the security level within a radius of 500 meters remains unchanged.”
Shen Zhuo fell into silence.
“Therefore, the security level in Shenhai City has already been lowered. Either we hand you over to Bai-ge, or we can only send you to the central district,” Chen Miao said emotionally, wiping her nose. “Although Chief Yue usually takes good care of me, you are my senior. Which one is the real thigh, can I not know? Of course, we swiftly hand you over to Bai-ge!”
…Indeed, a good junior from seven years apart, very close.
Shen Zhuo remained silent for a while before finally asking, “How did he go from Mr. Bai to Bai-ge overnight?”
Chen Miao immediately became excited and took out his phone, opening the photo album.
“This is a long story. After Liu Sanji was rescued by his accomplices, we conducted overnight tests and analysis on the remains on the overpass. Our current speculation is that Liu Sanji likely completed a second evolution, but how he broke through the genetic limits is still unknown. We only know that after the evolution, his level may have reached A, and now he can use a kind of supernatural virus to control corpses…”
Chen Miao’s phone lit up, and a video was playing on the screen.
“Hello, everyone,” said Bai Sheng, with the background of a swaying ambulance compartment. He waved at the camera with a spring-like smile on his face, and if one ignored the shocking amount of blood all over his body, his naturally handsome face, enhanced by the lighting, could easily be mistaken for a fashion magazine cover. “We just completed a full-body blood purification for Supervisor Shen of Shenhai City in the hospital. However, the process of cleaning residual viruses can be a bit stimulating, causing Supervisor Shen to be quite excited now…”
The camera shifted, revealing Shen Zhuo suddenly sitting up on the stretcher, bandages around his waist and abdomen stained red with blood. Due to intense pain, he struggled unconsciously, and five or six people simultaneously rushed to hold him down.
Bai Sheng put his strong elbow pressed against Shen Zhuo’s throat, easily pressing him back onto the stretcher. “Speaking of which, I’ve noticed that Supervisor Shen gets quite excited every time he sees me. Although he doesn’t say it out loud, I can feel his joyful heart…”
“Mr. Bai! Mr. Bai! Bai-ge!” Chen Miao, sweating profusely, crouched by the stretcher. “Shouldn’t we send the supervisor back to the ICU? Are you sure we don’t use a couple more restraints?!”
Bai Sheng said, “ICU is uncomfortable, and the beds are so crowded. Moreover, we’re not strangers. Why do we need restraints? With me around, do we still need restraints? When we go back, I’ll personally share a bed with your supervisor…”
The camera shifted again to a brightly lit bedroom.
“Be careful, be careful, be careful…” “Gently! Even more gently!” “Ah—Hey!”
A group of people hurriedly placed Shen Zhuo on the large bed, and in the chaos, they might have disturbed the wounds that were rapidly healing. Shen Zhuo suddenly sat up, and everyone hurriedly pressed him back down.
“Bai-ge, you’re my real brother. Can’t we just stay at your place?” Chen Miao turned around, on the verge of tears. “Look, it’s just you here. What if the other party makes a comeback later…”
“Yeah,” Bai Sheng replied kindly, holding his phone. “What if the other party makes a comeback? I won’t have to protect the whole hospital. I’ll just have to protect you guys.”
Chen Miao, struck dumb, couldn’t say a word.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Bai Sheng said enthusiastically, shooting Shen Zhuo from various angles with his phone while shooing away the supervisors. “Go back to the crime scene, block the road, eliminate the virus, and try to find clues about Liu Sanji’s accomplices. When you come tomorrow morning, I want to know three things: first, why did Liu Sanji kidnap Inspector Shen? Second, how did he achieve a second evolution? Third—”
Everyone hastily jotted down notes, and Chen Miao eagerly asked, “What’s the third thing, Bai-ge?”
Bai Sheng thought for a moment, rubbing his chin.
“The third thing is, how could Supervisor Shen, with such a slim physique, have a waist dimple? It’s unscientific…”
The video abruptly stopped as Shen Zhuo pressed the phone off.
Silence enveloped the surroundings, and everyone’s gazes shifted.
“Keep watching.” Bai Sheng couldn’t contain his amusement. “Below, there’s how you sit up every ten minutes to torture me, how I painstakingly took care of you for three days, and how Chen Miao comes to my apartment building every day, looking up at my window with tears in his eyes like a pitiful white flower…”
Chen Miao quietly corrected, “Not with tears…” He was immediately silenced by a glance from Shen Zhuo.
After a long silence, Shen Zhuo finally sighed soundlessly and waved his hand.
Chen Miao, feeling as if he had been granted amnesty, immediately led everyone away.
“If it weren’t for your help that night, the outcome might have been unpredictable, and my driver might have lost his life.” Shen Zhuo remained silent for a moment before expressing his gratitude. “Thank you very much, Mr. Bai.”
Bai Sheng sat with his legs propped up on the coffee table and his arms crossed on the other end of the sofa. He smiled and said, “It’s not easy. This seems to be the third time I’ve heard you say thank you. Although this time it sounds a bit… more sincere…”
“But I still hope you can leave Shenhai City,” Shen Zhuo added.
“…”
Bai Sheng raised an eyebrow high, and after a while, he asked, “Why?”
Shen Zhuo’s face, already pale from excessive blood loss, had an extra layer of solemnity. Despite the tranquil and elegant lines on his profile, everyone knew that beneath this cultured exterior lay a heart as hard as iron. With his ten fingers crossed, covered in black gloves, he contemplated for a moment before saying, “You know Fu Chen, right?”
Bai Sheng’s surprise seemed genuine: “Who?”
Then he seemed to realize: “Oh, Fu Chen, right? I heard he passed away unexpectedly when I was abroad.”
Shen Zhuo glanced at Bai Sheng but didn’t expose him. “Fu Chen used to be my friend.”
Bai Sheng chuckled as soon as Shen Zhuo finished speaking.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Bai Sheng couldn’t hold back and teased, “I just didn’t expect someone like Inspector Shen to have friends…”
Shen Zhuo calmly said, “As long as I’m willing, most people in this world would vie to become my friend. Is that strange?”
Bai Sheng was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and said, “Not strange at all. If the object is Inspector Shen, it’s indeed not strange… So why do you want me to leave Shenhai City?”
Shen Zhuo sat on the other end of the sofa, just a short distance from Bai Sheng, gazing at him intently. “Because I understand you.”
“There are less than 20 S-class evolutionists globally, and they are extremely rare. Even among evolutionists, they are quite mysterious. So, I might be an ordinary person in this world who understands you the most. I know that S-class evolutionists possess some extremely unique and inexplicable abilities, one of which has puzzled me to this day.”
“Biotic Pheromones.”
The amusement in Bai Sheng’s eyes disappeared.
“I first analyzed this unique pheromone from Fu Chen. It conveys a biological message of ‘come submit to me, come obey me,’ capable of strongly influencing all evolutionists in the entire region. Even A-class evolutionists find it hard to escape its influence. So, back then, all evolutionists in the central district fervently pledged loyalty to Fu Chen. Each S-class evolutionist has many lower-ranked peers attached to them, with the stronger ones providing protection and the weaker ones offering loyalty, forming a new social order resembling a wolf pack.”
“Because of the existence of this pheromone, almost no two S-class evolutionists can live in the same city unless they enter a marital relationship. Otherwise, they are destined to lose their rationality and engage in mutual slaughter, like two kings in a jungle unable to coexist.”
Shen Zhuo paused for a moment and continued slowly, “More seriously, I found that this pheromone can even influence the free will of ordinary people… through certain behaviors.”
Bai Sheng looked up at him, remaining silent for several seconds without speaking or moving. Eventually, he laughed lightly, “What, have you been influenced?”
Shen Zhuo replied coldly, “No one in this world can influence my will.”
Bai Sheng raised his eyebrow subtly, realizing that Fu Chen was apparently an herbivore.
“Mr. Bai.” Shen Zhuo leaned in, staring into Bai Sheng’s eyes. “There are 21,000 evolutionists living in Shenhai City, the world’s largest gathering of evolutionists. My duty is to ensure its peace and stability. You may appear to be a helpful and enthusiastic citizen now, but I can’t risk the stability of the city on your self-restraint. If one day you wake up with the whim to become the uncrowned king of Shenhai, then a bloodbath between us is inevitable.”
He reached out and pressed Bai Sheng’s arm.
That was an extremely gentle and irresistible posture, and almost no one could resist the gaze of those eyes. “I don’t want you to become my enemy, Mr. Bai.”
“Leave Shenhai; then at least we can still be friends.”
Bai Sheng remained motionless, staring at Shen Zhuo and slightly squinting his sharp eyes.
Neither of them spoke, nor did they move. In the vast space, nothing could be heard except for their mutual breathing.
After a while, Bai Sheng smiled slightly, reached out, and held the back of Shen Zhuo’s hand, his eyes sparkling with a girlish shyness:
“But, Inspector, if I stay in Shenhai, there might be a chance for us to develop a relationship beyond friendship. How can I bear to leave?”
“…………”
The two locked eyes for five seconds. Shen Zhuo remained expressionless and forcefully withdrew his hand.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as the two sat back at opposite ends of the sofa, the door was immediately knocked a few times, and then Chen Miao cautiously poked his head in. “S-Senior, Bai-ge.”
The timing was too precise. This person obviously learned from the lesson just now, pressed his ear against the door for quite a while, and managed to put on a face that pretended to be calm and innocent. “There’s a message from the International Supervision General Administration that just came in. They responded to the inquiry you sent earlier. Do you want to take a look?”
“Wow!” Bai Sheng immediately became interested, as if it were not him who was possessed by the Oscar-winning actress earlier. “What inquiry? Is it about the attack incident?”
The irresistible effect of the S-class pheromone was clearly confirmed by Chen Miao’s eager attitude. “Yes, yes, mainly about Liu Sanji’s two accomplices, the spatial ability user and the green-haired vine girl…”
Shen Zhuo rubbed his temples. “Bring it to me.”
Unexpectedly, Chen Miao took out a tablet from his briefcase. “Um, Senior, the Director of the Office didn’t send a fax; it’s a virtual meeting communication key.”
Do they need a meeting for such a small matter?
Shen Zhuo furrowed his brows but didn’t say anything. He just instructed Bai Sheng, “Don’t leave.” Then he took the tablet and opened the new email. It iris silently unlocked with his iris, and the screen suddenly projected countless faint lights in mid-air, intertwining to form a clear three-dimensional hologram.
Chen Miao quickly exited the living room.
The next moment, Bai Sheng found himself no longer on his own sofa. What appeared before him was a corridor of a European classical building.
This should be the office building of some foreign institution. It was very spacious and magnificent, with high glass windows adorned with stained glass patterns depicting religious motifs at the top. At the end of the corridor, there was a closed office door.
The entire scene was as if dynamically modeled, and besides themselves being physical entities, everything around them, including the walls, floor tiles, and ceiling, was covered with the glow of virtual reality projection technology.
Bai Sheng looked around. “Where is this…”
Shen Zhuo gestured for him to keep quiet. “The International Supervision General Administration, Basel, Switzerland.”
He approached and softly knocked on the door twice. A deep and steady voice in German came from inside, “Bitte eintreten.”(Please come in.)
The heavy brass door opened silently.
Behind the door was an extremely spacious office. A tall figure in a suit stood by the louvered window. He turned at the sound and revealed a Nordic man in his thirties with a head full of silver hair. His features were sharply defined, and his ice-blue eyes carried a hint of a smile.
“Supervisor Shen.”
Shen Zhuo halted, offering a brief introduction, “Director General Nielsen.”
—Director General of the International Supervision General Administration, the world’s top-ranked supervisor, and the “Wolf of Odin,” Fritsch Nielsen.
“No need for introductions.” Nielsen quickly walked forward with an elegant and polite smile, switching to fluent English. “The customs records of S-class evolutionists worldwide are filed with me. At this time in Shenhai, it must be Mr. Bai.”
They shook hands tightly, both displaying an extremely friendly demeanor.
Bai Sheng’s peripheral vision glanced downward, and saw a clear imprint on the back of the Nordic man’s left hand—
S.
Bai Sheng grasped the main point there HHAHAHAHDJSJ