In the dim birdcage, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Noah fought back the searing pain that wracked his body. Every inch of his muscles twitched, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, yet he still gritted his teeth and crawled on all fours over to Su Yaoyao.

His voice was weak, yet full of hope. "Sister, can you hold me again?"

Whether from an instinctive reliance on a female or a calculated act, Noah found an indescribable warmth in Su Yaoyao’s embrace, one that seemed to banish the cold and pain from his body.

Su Yaoyao was still sniffling, her eyes red-rimmed. When she heard Noah’s request, she choked out, "Okay." Then she slowly opened her arms and gently pulled him into her embrace, letting him lean against her.

Su Yaoyao’s heart ached as she looked at the conspicuous Rage Value detection collar on the young man’s neck. The numbers on it were jumping erratically, climbing rapidly. It had already reached 35%.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, noticing that because of Mingye’s earlier rough handling, the collar had left a startling red mark on Noah’s pale neck.

The red mark was like a vicious little snake coiling around the youth’s vulnerable neck.

Noah’s face was as white as a sheet. He shook his head gently, his voice a bit hoarse. "It doesn’t hurt. I just feel terrible for getting you involved."

His display of feigned strength and self-blame completely convinced Su Yaoyao, and her heart went out to him.

"How could this be your fault?" Su Yaoyao retorted instinctively, her heart aching for Noah.

"If it weren’t for me, Sister, you would’ve had at least a month to comprehend the Spiritual Link. You might have successfully broken through and survived. But now, that time has been cut short..."

As he spoke, Noah slowly lowered his gaze, looking as though he had fallen into endless despair. Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.

Su Yaoyao reached out and gently wiped away his tears. "Neither of us is going to die," she said with determination.

With that, she took a deep breath. "I’m going to cleanse your Rage Value for you now."

A flicker of excitement flashed in Noah’s eyes. He quickly looked at Su Yaoyao, his voice eager. "Really, Sister?"

"Yes." Su Yaoyao nodded gravely. She then slowly raised her fingertips to lightly touch the space between Noah’s eyebrows. Closing her eyes, she focused on gathering her spiritual power.

A few wisps of pearlescent white light, like the gentlest silk threads on a spring day, slowly flowed toward the center of Noah’s forehead.

In the monitoring room, Mingye’s eyes were glued to the screen. His hands had unconsciously clenched into fists, and the veins on his forehead bulged slightly. His entire body was taut as he watched the scene unfold with nervous tension.

’Has this little female really mastered the highest level of the Spiritual Link?’ he wondered.

But the moment Su Yaoyao’s spiritual power touched Noah, her Power of Spiritual Rhinoceros Resonance felt as if it had plunged into a thick, indelible blob of ink. It sensed endless, wicked, and dark emotions.

The darkness washed over her like a surging tide, thick with greed, bloodlust, and madness.

Horrified, Su Yaoyao’s eyes flew open. She snatched her hand back as if she’d been shocked, gasping for breath as a cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.

’How could such pure evil exist in a boy who seems so simple and innocent?’

Su Yaoyao’s mind reeled with shock and suspicion.

She knew her Power of Spiritual Rhinoceros Resonance had never been wrong before. When she’d soothed the soldiers at the base, she had always been able to accurately sense their truest emotions.

’Could it be the effect of the Frenzy Agent? But Noah’s Rage Value is only at 35%. Most of the soldiers at the base had higher values, yet none of them possessed such a dark inner world.

’Could it be... that Noah really has ulterior motives?’

Noah had been savoring the wonderful sensation of her warm spiritual power. He had just captured a fleeting moment of pleasure when the thread of spiritual power vanished without a trace.

He opened his eyes in confusion and looked at Su Yaoyao, his expression a perfect picture of bewilderment and concern. "Sister, what’s wrong?"

Su Yaoyao quickly snapped out of it and forced a smile. "Sorry," she explained, "I’ve only just awakened my powers, so I can’t always control my spiritual power effectively. It comes and goes."

Noah lowered his gaze. A flicker of displeasure, nearly imperceptible, crossed his face before he looked up at Su Yaoyao with another smile. "It’s okay, Sister. We still have time. We can try a few more times."

"Besides... you’re a rare female with an incredibly noble status. It’s not your place to be soothing a lowly servant like me. But if I go berserk, I’m afraid I might not be able to stop myself from hurting you..."

As he spoke, he secretly watched Su Yaoyao’s reaction, his own face a mask of grievance and self-blame.

But to Su Yaoyao, it now looked like nothing less than a threat and a warning.

Alarm bells screamed in Su Yaoyao’s mind, and she began to calmly reassess the situation.

’Could this all be an elaborate trap set by Mingye? I was so desperate to save someone that I overlooked so many details.

’Now that I think about it, Noah’s appearance was too much of a coincidence. It felt deliberately arranged.’

She knew she couldn’t reveal her suspicions so easily, so she decided to play along and put on a good show.

"Then Sister will try again."

Su Yaoyao put on a serious expression and reached out to pinch Noah’s supple cheek, all the while plotting how to test him.

Noah watched Su Yaoyao’s focused expression. Though he was completely baffled by this strange method of soothing, he didn’t dare make a sound to disturb her.

’Pinching my cheek was one thing, but now she’s really squeezing. Is this also some unique technique for spiritual soothing?’

After a bit of "manhandling," Su Yaoyao sighed and said to Noah with a look of utter regret, "Noah, the more nervous I get, the harder it is for me to release my power. And being trapped in this birdcage every day without seeing the sun... I’m getting depressed. When my mood is this bad, my spiritual power gets weaker too... boohoo..."

As she spoke, she covered her face with her hands and began to put on a tearful performance, sobbing, "It’s okay, kid. If worse comes to worst, Sister will just die here with you."

Noah’s jaw dropped, and the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

’That’s not what she said before.’

This was a completely different person from the Su Yaoyao who had just vowed to save him, declaring that neither of them would die.

He managed to force a smile. "Don’t cry, Sister," he comforted her. "The Rage Value isn’t at 100% yet. We can still figure something out."

Su Yaoyao nodded. ’Alright,’ she thought to herself, ’let’s see what you’re really up to, kid.’

She firmly believed the ability granted to her by the Beast God could not be wrong. This Noah was definitely hiding some dark secret.

Meanwhile, behind the monitor, Mingye sighed in disappointment and slumped into his chair. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

It was all because Bai Lian and Reg had stolen his Snow Spirit Flower. As a result, the most important raw material he needed to create an upgraded Rage Suppressor was gone.

Why else would he now be forced to rely on a female’s spiritual power to suppress his own impending frenzy?

He hated females the most!