Teasing

After breakfast, the group arrived at the training ground of the Seventh Sequence Base.

Everything went smoothly at the beginning of the training.

Bai Jin and Tie Quan were sparring in the strength zone, the heavy sounds of impact and shouts filling the air; Hong Yuan and You Ying were testing their high-speed movement and reaction in the agility training zone; Lin Chen was recording various data at the data terminal on the side, and occasionally offering suggestions for adjustment.

As the team leader, Bai Xu moved between different training areas, observing the team members' performance and occasionally offering guidance.

Shi Mo leaned lazily against a soft wall far from the training area, arms crossed, his heterochromatic eyes half-closed, as if he had no interest in the training in front of him and was just killing time.

His left hand hung casually at his side, the silver-white Ring of Empathy on his index finger reflecting a faint light under the training ground lights.

His gaze was mostly fixed on Bai Xu.

Bai Xu was instructing You Ying on a new stealth power-generating technique. He stood behind You Ying, explaining as he gestured with his hand to You Ying's shoulders, back, waist, and legs, indicating the trajectory of the power generation and the shift in the center of gravity.

"Pay attention to coordinating the twisting of your waist with your breathing. The power should come from your heels and run through your spine, not just from your arms..." Bai Xu's voice was calm and clear.

Just then, Shi Mo, who was leaning against the wall, casually rubbed the surface of the ring at the base of his finger with the very slight touch of his left index finger.

Bai Xu, who was explaining earnestly, paused almost imperceptibly.

A clear yet inexplicable sensation, like being lightly brushed by a feather, suddenly appeared in the center of his chest. The feeling was fleeting, yet strangely real.

Bai Xu's brows furrowed instantly, and his explanation paused for half a second. He subconsciously raised his hand and pressed it to his chest, a hint of confusion and wariness flashing in his eyes.

Is it an illusion? Or did something get into my training clothes? Or is it just a hallucination caused by being too tired lately?

He quickly glanced around; everything seemed normal.

The shadowy figure remained in the same position, awaiting his next instruction. Bai Xu suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, shook his head, trying to dispel the odd sensation, and continued his explanation: "...Yes, that's it, feel the flow of power..."

However, as soon as he finished speaking—

Leaning against the wall, Shi Mo's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. This time, he applied slightly more pressure with his fingertips, tracing the surface of the ring again with a slow and clear sense of tracing.

"!"

Bai Xu's body stiffened abruptly, his arm, poised to demonstrate the movement, frozen in mid-air. This time, the sensation was clearer and more undeniable than before!

That was no illusion! It was as if an invisible hand, with a slightly cool body temperature, was really stroking his chest skin, with some inscrutable meaning!

An indescribable tingling and trembling sensation instantly spread from the point that had been "touched," making his scalp tingle. His face turned pale instantly, and his breathing became slightly labored.

"Captain?" Youying noticed Bai Xu's unusual behavior, stopped what she was doing, and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Hong Yuan and Bai Jin, who were not far away, also noticed what was happening and looked over with questioning eyes. Tie Quan and Lin Chen also stopped what they were doing.

Bai Xu abruptly withdrew his hand, clenching it into a fist until his knuckles turned white.

He felt his heartbeat become erratic, and the sensation of being touched by something invisible made him extremely uncomfortable, even generating a sense of annoyance at being spied on and manipulated. But he couldn't find the source at all; the feeling came too strangely and abruptly.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions. His face was still not looking good, and he said to everyone, "I... am not feeling well. I'll go back to my room and rest for a bit. You guys continue training."

After saying that, he didn't even look at anyone, especially not at Shi Mo, who was leaning against the wall with an indifferent expression. He turned around and left the training ground in a hurry.

The group of people left behind in the training field looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What's wrong with my brother? He looks so pale?" Bai Jin scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"It's rare for the captain to leave training halfway through like this..." Lin Chen pushed up his glasses, seemingly lost in thought.

"Did you not get enough rest yesterday?" Iron Fist guessed.

Hong Yuan glanced subconsciously at Shi Mo, who was still leaning against the wall, seemingly oblivious to everything. The "subtle" feeling in her heart grew stronger. Just now...did the captain suddenly act strangely while instructing You Ying? And, didn't Shi Mo just smile?

After Bai Xu left, Shi Mo slowly straightened up, dusted off non-existent dust from his clothes, and casually waved to everyone: "It's boring, I'm going back too."

Then, amidst the puzzled gazes of the others, he leisurely left the training ground.

Back in his quiet room, Shi Mo casually closed the door, looking at the ring on his left index finger, a joyful light gleaming in his heterochromatic eyes.

【Host…you…】The system’s voice was filled with helplessness and confusion. 【You specifically bound Captain Bai Xu just to…tease him like this?】It couldn’t understand the fun in this behavior at all.

Shi Mo walked to the window, looking at the view of the base outside, his tone slightly amused: "Don't you find his reaction—clearly troubled yet unable to find a reason, yet forcing himself to remain calm—quite interesting?"

System: [...] Its database cannot find any definition of "interesting" that matches the host's current behavior.

[This is incomprehensible. This behavior doesn't seem to bring any substantial benefits; on the contrary, it might arouse Captain Bai Xu's vigilance and resentment.]

"Benefit?" Shi Mo chuckled. "Seeing someone who always tries to control everything show that lost, bewildered expression is the greatest benefit in itself."

The system remained silent for a moment, then finally chose to give up thinking: 【…Alright. I don't understand, but I respect it.】 It reaffirmed that its host's thought process was a mystery that this advanced system could never fully unravel.

Meanwhile, back in his room, Bai Xu locked the door, leaned against it, and frowned. He carefully checked his body and the room, finding nothing amiss. The strange sensation of being touched had also vanished.

But that feeling was too real to be just an illusion.

"What... happened?" he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with seriousness and confusion. He had a vague feeling that this matter might be related to his inexplicable deep sleep last night and Shi Mo's meaningful attitude at breakfast this day.

What secrets does that white-haired man with heterochromatic eyes still hold? What does he want from me?

Bai Xu felt an unprecedented sense of crisis, a sense of being out of control, and... a slight tremor of being watched by some dangerous yet alluring being, which he himself was unaware of.