Chapter 242
Chapter 242: Their Cubs’ Dad Was Finally About to Confess—Then Someone Rudely Interrupted
Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes gleamed.
Wow.
That little zombie had guts.
Chong Ming glanced to the side, as if searching for where Jiang Tea Tea might be standing, and told Reboot, “If you won’t tell me his name and location, that’s fine. As long as your dad is in the Zhen Lin Empire, I can find him.”
Reboot’s eyes widened. The hand she’d lifted for a hug froze midair. “You’re lying. Dad told me that as long as I don’t say who he is, where he is, or what he’s called, nobody can find him.”
She tilted her head, still innocent. “Only I know where Dad is.”
Chong Ming’s mouth curved faintly. “Didn’t he teach you it’s rude to call people ‘brother’ so casually?”
Reboot tilted her head farther. “You’re not people. You’re Chong Ming. I’m Reboot. Dad said anyone with the same surname as me is my family. So calling you ‘brother’ isn’t rude.”
Chong Ming’s gaze deepened. “I see. Then what else did your dad teach you?”
Reboot’s dark eyes lit, glittering. “Dad taught me how to kiss.”
She took a breath, then whispered, “Brother Chong Ming… I want to kiss you.”
She sprang.
Arms outstretched, she lunged straight for his neck, trying to hook her arms around him and press her mouth to his.
Chong Ming didn’t move.
But before Reboot could touch him, a staff appeared between them.
The flame staff.
Reboot’s fingers struck it—and immediately blistered.
“Ah! Hot, hot—!” She stumbled back, shaking her hand, face twisted with pain. “It hurts, it hurts! Are you crazy?!”
Jiang Tea Tea appeared, eyes sharp on Chong Ming. “Were you still being hypnotized? Did you miss what Cheng Yuan said? Her virus spreads through blood, saliva, and mating!”
“If she hugs you and her nails break your skin, you’re infected. If she kisses you and her saliva gets into your mouth, you’re infected too—Your Highness.”
When Reboot had so much as scraped Jiang Tea Tea, Chong Ming had practically wanted to pack Reboot up and throw her into an isolation room, terrified Jiang Tea Tea would turn into a living dead zombie.
But when it was him?
He stood there like a statue, no dodge, no retreat, no counter.
He was going to drive her insane.
Chong Ming’s gaze slid from the flame staff to Jiang Tea Tea. “I knew you’d step in.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s brows knotted. She flipped the flame staff in her hand and swung it hard toward his head—
“Brother Chong Ming, be careful—!” Reboot cried.
Chong Ming still didn’t move.
Instead, Reboot lunged forward, throwing herself between them like she was saving him.
Jiang Tea Tea twisted the strike at the last instant and smashed the staff into Reboot.
A heavy crack echoed.
Reboot flew backward, slammed into the glass wall with a thunderous bang, and slid down.
Her black hair was a mess. She clutched her chest and spat a mouthful of foul, fishy blood. Five-colored flame light swirled around her body like a living seal as she looked up at Jiang Tea Tea, eyes reddening, fragile to the point of shattering.
Jiang Tea Tea pointed the staff at Chong Ming. “You weren’t hypnotized. You didn’t dodge on purpose.”
Chong Ming raised a brow slightly. “Correct. I knew you would save me.”
Jiang Tea Tea wanted to curse him until the ceiling shook. She forced it down. “Just wait. I’ll settle this with you later.”
Chong Ming spread one hand, unbothered. “Fine. Go probe Reboot’s memories. She’s worse than she looks.”
Jiang Tea Tea walked toward Reboot.
Reboot wiped blood from the corner of her mouth, lifted her face into a bright smile, and called, “Sister. We meet again.”
Jiang Tea Tea crouched in front of her. “We do. Didn’t expect you to grow this much.”
Reboot grinned. “Do I look good grown up, Sister?”
“You look pretty,” Jiang Tea Tea admitted.
Reboot blinked slowly. “Does Sister like me grown up?”
Jiang Tea Tea shook her head. “No.”
Reboot’s pupils narrowed into slits. Her voice sharpened. “Sister doesn’t like me like this. What does Sister like? I can change.”
She leaned closer, eyes flicking. “Like Brother Chong Ming? Oh, right. Sister likes him. He smells like Sister—sweet, good… I like it so much.”
Her tone turned almost aggrieved. “But he won’t let me smell him. He won’t hug me. He won’t let me kiss him.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s brain blanked.
So the reason Reboot thought Chong Ming smelled good wasn’t because of him.
It was because he carried Jiang Tea Tea’s scent.
Which meant Reboot wasn’t trying to seduce Chong Ming.
She was trying to seduce her.
What kind of twisted logic was that?
Chong Ming’s brows drew together. “Jiang Tea Tea. Look through her memories. Find out who her dad is.”
“Fine.”
Jiang Tea Tea reached out.
Reboot’s face lit up. She leaned forward eagerly, offering her cheek as if inviting a touch.
Jiang Tea Tea’s voice turned cold. “Flame ring—pin her to the wall.”
The flame ring around Reboot’s neck yanked back with brutal force, slamming her against the glass like a nail driven into stone.
Reboot immediately struggled. The more she fought, the tighter the ring became. Her breath hitched. Panic flared—raw fear of death.
Jiang Tea Tea placed a fingertip to Reboot’s brow.
Reboot’s nails suddenly extended, claws snapping for Jiang Tea Tea’s hand—
“Flame staff,” Jiang Tea Tea said without looking away. “Turn into flame rings. Lock her hands and feet.”
The flame staff obeyed instantly, splitting into rings that clamped down around Reboot’s wrists and ankles, then snapping into rigid restraints like living metal.
Reboot went still, pinned and bound. Only her eyes moved.
She stared at Jiang Tea Tea, bloodshot and intense, voice a rasp. “Sister… you’re so fierce and so strong. Those people in white coats all liked me. Only you didn’t.”
She licked her lips, hunger creeping into her tone. “But you smell so good. I like you so much. I know if I eat you, I’ll become stronger.”
Her eyes brightened with a child’s greed. “Sister, let me bite you once. Just one bite. I’m not greedy—just one, okay?”
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t even flinch. Her fingertip pressed into Reboot’s brow, pushing into memory.
“I told you before,” Jiang Tea Tea said lightly, “you aren’t the only one who wants to eat me. If you have the ability, then eat. If you don’t… then lie there and wait to be eaten.”
Reboot trembled. “Sister…”
“Shh.” Jiang Tea Tea’s voice softened into a hush that cut deeper than a blade. “I see it. I see your dad.”
“No—don’t touch me—go away—don’t—”
Jiang Tea Tea kept speaking, each word precise and cruelly calm. “He’s tall. Young. Handsome. Striking.”
Reboot’s voice died.
Her eyes turned blood-red so fast it looked like they might drip.
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t stop. “He fused Yellow Dragon Clan genes into your body. Pure human genes. Black Wolf Clan genes. Leopard Clan genes.”
“He made you with too many gene fusions to count. You carry three viruses. Each one alone is lethal. But together they form a three-point balance—like a triangle, holding itself steady.”
“Because your genes are a mess, you’re different from ordinary living dead zombies. You were intelligent from the start. As you grew, you awakened abilities.”
“A mutated 2S-rank hypnosis ability. The ability to grow bigger or smaller. The ability to change your face.”
She leaned closer, voice low. “You don’t want to eat me because you like me. You want to eat me because you think I smell good. You think I’m sweet. You believe if you eat me, you’ll smell like me.”
“And then your dad will like you more. Love you more. Look at you more.”
Reboot’s throat worked. Her voice came out hoarse. “Is that wrong?”
Jiang Tea Tea smiled. “Not wrong. People die for money, birds die for food. If you have the power, you’re not wrong.”
Her smile sharpened. “But you don’t have the power. You can’t beat me. You can’t eat me.”
“So yes. You’re wrong—and you pay the price.”
Reboot’s gaze slid past Jiang Tea Tea to Chong Ming. Something like obsession lit her face. “I know you, Chong Ming. The Zhen Lin Empire’s strongest dragon. The brightest dragon.”
“My dad has you on his lightbrain. He has you in his room. He loves watching you—watching you fight, watching you handle things.”
“I watched your videos over and over. Dad told me… one day, when I can beat you, I can replace you.”
“In his lightbrain. In his room. In his videos. He can watch me in the day and watch me at night. He’ll only see me—not you!”
Chong Ming stood behind Jiang Tea Tea, towering. His voice was flat. “Unfortunately, you can’t beat me.”
Reboot nodded, terrifyingly sincere. “You’re right. I can’t. But it’s okay. My dad is strong. If he gives me a few more shots, I definitely—”
Jiang Tea Tea tightened the magic around the flame ring.
Reboot’s eyes rolled back. She went limp, unconscious—her mutated hypnosis ability sealed at the same time.
Jiang Tea Tea straightened and turned to Chong Ming. “I sealed her mutated hypnosis ability. Flame rings on her neck and limbs. As long as the flame rings hold, any ability user above 2S-rank can beat her.”
She added, “But for a full examination, use Cheng Yuan and Cheng Lin Yue. Your other researchers—I don’t trust them.”
“And her virus can’t be cleared. She has cognition. She’s absolutely loyal to her dad. You can’t tame her.” Jiang Tea Tea’s voice went colder. “Once Cheng Lin Yue and Cheng Yuan finish examining her, destroy her.”
Chong Ming nodded once. “I’ll consider your suggestion. From her memories… who is her dad?”
Jiang Tea Tea met his eyes. “Someone you know.”
Chong Ming paused, then spoke slowly. “Chong Xing Qi? The deceased Yellow Dragon Clan chieftain’s son—the one your friend Jin Lin swallowed?”
Jiang Tea Tea’s mouth twitched into approval. “Smart. He’s in the Military Department right now, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Jiang Tea Tea nodded. “Interrogate him. I’m going to your office to sleep. And have someone bring me something to eat.”
Chong Ming glanced back at the unconscious Reboot. “I’ll take you there.”
“Sure,” Jiang Tea Tea said, already walking. “And I’ll give you a few coordinates for hidden labs—”
“On the Capital Planet?” Chong Ming asked as he followed.
“Yes.”
They left the glass room one after the other.
Inside, Reboot lay unconscious, looking almost peacefully asleep. Slowly, her body began to shrink, her face growing younger again.
Until Cheng Yuan finished producing clarity shots, the lab was placed under heavy guard—twenty-four-hour monitoring, no blind spots, no entry for anyone.
Cheng Lin Yue ran off to help Cheng Yuan make clarity shots. As a small cadet from the healing department, she normally had no right to step into the Military Department at all.
But with Sister Tea backing her, she rose overnight. Working in a heavily guarded Military Department lab—with the best equipment and supplies—felt like the highest honor.
Chong Xing Qi was brought into the Military Department for full interrogation. Chong Ming didn’t go personally, but he watched every update.
Chong Ming brought Jiang Tea Tea back to his office. The coffee table was already filled with food—lavish portions, beautifully prepared.
Jiang Tea Tea washed her hands and ate like her life depended on it. It had been nearly thirty-six hours since she’d last eaten. Between fighting and draining her magic power, her stomach was a hollow pit.
Across from her, Chong Ming handled urgent matters, reviewing files and issuing orders without pause.
Jiang Tea Tea ate until the table was wiped clean. She wiped her mouth, leaned back on the sofa, and rubbed her belly, feeling the cubs inside bump and squirm against her hand.
Comfort flooded her.
So much comfort that she forgot, completely, that there was a cubs’ dad sitting in the room.
When she finally opened her eyes and remembered him, she sat up—and met his gaze.
He had been staring at her for who knew how long. Two shirt buttons were undone, exposing his neck and collarbones.
Jiang Tea Tea crossed an arm over her belly. “What are you staring at?”
Chong Ming crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”
Jiang Tea Tea blinked. “Huh? Why?”
“Come. I’ll tell you.”
“I just ate. I don’t want to move,” Jiang Tea Tea said. “If you have something to say, say it from there. Or come over.”
Chong Ming’s golden eyes deepened. He stood, walked over, and sat behind her on the sofa.
Another button came undone. Three now.
His firm chest was visible through the gap. Abs threatened at the edge of view.
Jiang Tea Tea glanced once and, in the purest form of cluelessness, said, “Chong Ming. Your shirt is open. Button it.”
Chong Ming leaned down slightly and flicked her forehead. “I call you a block of wood, and you still argue.”
Jiang Tea Tea covered her forehead. “How am I wood? It doesn’t hurt.”
Offended anyway, she added, “A great demon’s head isn’t for flicking.”
Chong Ming laughed. “Then tell me—what am I doing right now?”
Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes were painfully clear. “Coming over to talk?”
Chong Ming undid another button. Now his chest was fully on display, and his abs were barely hidden.
He asked again, voice low. “What am I doing right now?”
Jiang Tea Tea frowned hard. “Are you hot?”
Chong Ming grabbed her hand and pressed it to his chest. His gaze sank, dark and heavy, as he stared into her eyes.
“I’m not hot,” he said.
“I’m seducing—”
BOOM!
A violent blast shook the building. The whole floor rolled under them.
Chong Ming’s expression snapped cold. He released Jiang Tea Tea and stood in a single motion. “Someone bombed the Military Department. Jiang Tea Tea—stay in my office. Don’t run around. I’m going to check.”