Chapter 39 – Blending In
Dennis stared uneasily at the back of the suited beastman walking away.
A few minutes later, he opened his light-brain and headed toward his private break room.
Once he left, the beastmen remaining at the scene gathered together, whispering among themselves.
“ Tsk, Daniel’s pride got smashed to pieces with just one slap!” one of them said, waving his hand dramatically.
“No kidding! Did you see his face just now?”
The group exchanged glances, all wearing the same gloating smiles.
“Lucas really surprised me,” another beastman said, rubbing his chin.
“That timid little guy actually seized the opportunity so decisively. Never would’ve expected that.”
“Some people’s luck is truly enviable.”
Although they said “enviable,” their eyes churned with jealousy—wishing they were the ones to be noticed by the higher-ups instead of Lucas.
The others voiced their agreement.
Out of all of them, not a single person genuinely congratulated “Lucas” for being recognized by the boss.
Truly the definition of plastic coworkers.
“Don’t you think Lucas is acting a little different today?”
“Oh please, he’s not a female. Who pays attention to him?”
And with that, the topic died.
Inside the break room, Daniel was smiling obsequiously.
“Daniel? What is it now?” The voice on the screen sounded impatient. The speaker had a thin cigarette dangling from his lips, revealing a hint of yellowed teeth.
“Sir, I want to ask you something.”
“Speak.”
The beastman awkwardly flicked the cigarette—clearly not used to smoking—and ashes drifted down like tiny flakes of snow.
“Is His Highness the Crown Prince on our planet Ilika?”
The beastman’s fingers twitched, brushing the lit end of the cigarette and burning himself. He shot up from his chair.
“Who told you that?”
Daniel’s heart lurched. So it was true.
“I… found out by accident. But I was afraid it might be misinformation, so I wanted to confirm it with you.”
“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. And when you hear something you shouldn’t, learn to bury it in your stomach.”
“Yes, yes, I was out of line.”
Even through the video call, Daniel bent deeply at the waist.
“Good.”
The screen cut off. Daniel wiped the cold sweat from the back of his neck and let out a heavy breath.
Good thing he hadn’t done anything rash after being slapped earlier. He was secretly relieved.
Meanwhile, Hua Mian straightened her back, imitating Lucas’s swagger as she strutted into the research institute.
Aning followed closely behind her.
Before long, Hua Mian began to feel unwell. She took a deep breath, swallowing back the urge to cough.
Her heart throbbed painfully with each breath. She hadn’t noticed it while she’d been tense, but now that she relaxed, the pain flared sharply.
She opened her mouth slightly, trying hard to breathe normally.
Aning noticed something was wrong and shot her a questioning look.
Hua Mian subtly shook her head and gestured toward the surveillance cameras.
Aning immediately dropped the concern from his expression and returned to his cold, indifferent façade.
But soon they encountered their first fully armed patrol. Their weapons gleamed with a slick black metallic sheen, looking extremely advanced.
“Who goes there?”
The leading beastman raised his weapon, pointing it directly at Hua Mian and Aning.
Aning stiffened. Fortunately, the sunglasses hid his panicked eyes.
Hua Mian stepped forward—she hadn’t even managed to force out a smile before the muzzle pressed firmly against her forehead.
“Answer.”
Hua Mian froze for half a second, then slowly raised both hands. Keeping her playful grin, she said,
“I’m Lucas, the guard from the entrance. He’s been sent by the higher-ups on a confidential mission.”
“Confidential mission?”
The muffled voice beneath the mask sounded skeptical, and the beastman’s exposed eyes were filled with suspicion.
“This is my ID card.”
Hua Mian handed it over.
The beastman compared the photo to her face.
For a suffocating second, it felt as though the air around Hua Mian had thinned—but she forced herself to breathe steadily.
She kept her expression calm, repeating mental affirmations:
I am Lucas. Lucas is me. My makeup will hold. His own coworkers didn’t notice anything—there’s no way he can figure it out from that distorted ID photo.
Don’t panic.
Stay calm.
In reality, the beastman barely looked at the photo. His gaze lingered mostly on her demeanor—calm but deferential—so he concluded she was fine.
He tossed the ID card back, and Hua Mian barely managed to catch it.
“And you?”
The beastman directed the question at Aning.
Hua Mian looked over, trusting Aning entirely now. If he slipped up, they were both doomed.
Aning let out a cold laugh. “Who do you think you are, to question me?”
“You—!”
The beastman hadn’t expected such arrogance.
Aning’s mind raced, and just before the situation exploded, he came up with something useful.
“I’ve been here since the D1 Project began. Whose subordinate are you?”
Behind his sunglasses, Aning tilted his head slightly, as if memorizing the young beastman’s face.
The beastman froze. Anyone who knew about the D1 Project—and had been here since it began—should have risen to a high rank by now.
“My apologies, sir. I meant no offense. Please proceed.”
He wisely avoided naming his superior.
Aning smirked and lowered his voice. “Next time, you won’t get the chance to be clever.”
A chill ran down the beastman’s spine. “Yes, sir.”
Hua Mian hurried after Aning.
She was grateful he’d reacted quickly—though she had no idea what the D1 Project actually was.
Her suspicious gaze lingered on Aning’s back.
They walked forward in silence. Hua Mian occasionally used her stolen ID card to open prison cells, checking each one for Yu Jin.
But with each check, her expression grew tighter.
There was no sign of Yu Jin anywhere in the outer labs.
And the deeper they went, the more females they found locked inside the cells.
These females were thin, frail, some even heavily pregnant.
Aning’s eyes flickered between hope and disappointment.
Where was Yu Jin?
Hua Mian’s clearance would not let her proceed farther. But Yu Jin still hadn’t been found.
Where was he?
She had to find a way to let Yu Jin know she was here.
Fortunately, when Daniel confronted them earlier, he hadn’t ordered them to be searched. She still had a bottle of rose perfume.
Most labs had ventilation ducts—she needed to find a way to let the fragrance disperse.
“You wait in the bathroom for me,” Hua Mian said.
Aning wanted to ask what she intended to do, but seeing she wasn’t going to explain, he obeyed and went to wait.
Inside a stall, Hua Mian took off the guard uniform and hid it, revealing the white lab coat underneath.
If she needed to enter the deeper labs, she had already prepared for this.
She put on a pair of clear-lens glasses, washed her hands, lowered her gaze slightly, and walked out with a calm expression.
She looked just like a frail, overworked researcher.
Just then, a researcher passed by in front of her, heading quickly down the left corridor.
The sign beside that corridor had an arrow pointing toward the cafeteria.
Hua Mian deliberately quickened her pace and bumped into him.
“Watch where you’re going!” the man snapped, turning angrily.
“So—sorry… I didn’t see you…” Her voice trailed off, growing softer.
“Forget it. Just be careful next time.”
He didn’t bother with her any longer and walked toward the cafeteria.
