Chapter 28: Poor Alpha
The office was filled with the floral pheromones. The concentration wasn’t high, but for Xie Ren, even a little bit was enough to drive him mad.
He felt like he was soaking in a clay pot full of nectar. Between his mouth and nose lay a rich fragrance. He didn’t dare breathe deeply at all; just a slight inhalation made his blood boil, nearly forcing him to kneel in submission to instinct.
Yu Shi lay quietly on the desk, his side profile flushed red, the reddened gland hidden under his hair ends.
Xie Ren didn’t dare look closely. Trembling, he touched the back of Yu Shi’s neck. The temperature there was frighteningly hot; if left alone, he would burn into confusion.
The slightly protruding gland pressed against his palm, fragile and vulnerable.
Blood churned constantly inside his body. He tried hard to calm himself but failed miserably—the whole room, no, the whole floor was filled with the Omega’s scent. It was so sweet it made him want to die of pleasure, simply wanting to bite down regardless of everything.
Yu Shi made a faint noise in his throat, brows locked tight, seeming to be in great distress.
Xie Ren snapped awake abruptly. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, the scent of Peppermint Wine now tinged with the smell of blood.
Suppressing all sorts of thoughts, he scooped Yu Shi up horizontally and stumbled downstairs.
Yu Shi was very light in his arms. Usually, Xie Ren wouldn’t even pant during weighted drills, but he walked these mere three floors with extreme difficulty. Several times, he relied purely on willpower not to fall to the ground.
Carrying the source of the stimulus during his susceptibility period was no different from carrying a bundle of dynamite.
By the time he reached the first floor, five minutes had passed.
Every ground floor had a protective suit cabinet, similar to a fire hose cabinet. Xie Ren used his elbow to smash the glass, took out a protective suit, and put it on Yu Shi.
Then he placed him steadily on the ground and quickly put distance between them.
Having done all this, he could endure no longer. His vision blurred with red, forehead covered in sweat. He couldn’t control himself and bit down hard on the back of his hand.
Canines sank deep into flesh, yet his oral fixation received no satisfaction whatsoever.
His previous susceptibility periods manifested as irritability and aggression. Never had there been a moment like now, where he crazily wanted to bite something.
Especially…
The gland.
It felt like countless ants were crawling at the roots of his teeth. Blood flowed from his gums, and blood oozed from the back of his hand. The scent of blood irritated his eyes until they grew even redder. He didn’t even dare look at Yu Shi again.
A few short minutes felt like half a century.
Zhao Yi arrived with Chen Qingming. The S-class Alpha was nearly knocked over by the pheromones. Chen Qingming suppressed his discomfort to place Yu Shi in a wheelchair and covered him with a barrier blanket.
Zhao Yi hurriedly put a protective suit on Xie Ren, suppressing the urge to flee. Panting, he said, “Brother Ren, calm down. Don’t hit me… I’ve contacted the housekeeper to take you to the isolation room. Hold it in, inhale, exhale, calm down… Holy shit, why are you bleeding so much? Doctor Chen, bring the tourniquet quick!”
Xie Ren’s arm was bleeding profusely, carved with five or six wounds so deep the muscle turned out.
Chen Qingming came over with the tourniquet, sucking in a cold breath. “Why play self-harm? Just wait for us. A few minutes late won’t kill you.”
Xie Ren’s state was extremely manic, glaring with blood-red eyes full of hostility. He gritted his teeth and asked, “How is he?”
Chen Qingming felt creeped out by his stare. He tied the tourniquet for him, avoiding touching any of his skin during the process.
He replied verbally, “Don’t worry, didn’t burn his brain out. The protective suit has a cooling effect. You isolated him in time; no major issues. I’ll give him an IV and observe him later.”
“Why not use suppressants?” Xie Ren asked with a frown.
Chen Qingming said, “If suppressants worked, you wouldn’t have been forced into susceptibility period. I wasn’t sure before, but now I’m certain—the Alpha who triggered his heat is you. Your compatibility rate is beyond imagination. He actually triggered your susceptibility period; it’s simply a medical miracle. If possible, can I apply to the higher-ups to take a bit of your pheromones for research?”
The last sentence somewhat exposed his true nature.
Zhao Yi widened his eyes. “What? Forced, susceptibility period? How are these two words combined? I don’t seem to understand Sundial language anymore…”
Xie Ren extended his arm, looking at him. “I’m going to the isolation room immediately. You draw three tubes of pheromones. If needed, inject them into him.”
After he spoke, the other two fell silent.
S+ Alpha pheromones were akin to state secrets. Especially for someone from the Falcon Regiment, extracting pheromones required layers of approval. Even the tiny bit entered into the database back then had taken three weeks of approval from the Sovereign’s Council.
Let alone a tube of pheromones—even a few drops, if taken by spies for research, could cause a catastrophic disaster.
Chen Qingming immediately declared, “You’re crazy, I’m not. I don’t have that guts.”
Seeing Xie Ren’s expression was wrong, he said, “How about this: you go to the isolation room first, then file an application with the higher-ups. Have your doctors send the pheromones over, and they can inject it into Yu Shi on site… Don’t glare at me. I really don’t want to lose my rank. If this gets out, my medical license will be revoked immediately.”
He added, “Rest one hundred percent assured. I will definitely take good care of Yu Shi. He is not in danger for now, just in heat. Rashly injecting Alpha pheromones isn’t good either. Keep your communication open; I’ll report to you every other day. Is that okay?”
Xie Ren lowered his eyelids, panting. The sound of a heavy vehicle came from behind; the transport truck had stopped at the administration building entrance.
High-ranking Alpha susceptibility periods were very dangerous, extremely likely to cause casualties due to frenzy en route. This vehicle was special campus equipment with barrier walls, locking the Alpha in until arrival at the isolation zone.
He said hoarsely, “One hour.”
“What?”
“Report to me once an hour.”
“…” Doctor Chen had to compromise. “Fine, I promise. Get in the car.”
He didn’t want to stay with an Alpha in susceptibility period for a minute longer.
The escort personnel were wrapped tight from head to toe, opening the door in full battle array.
Zhao Yi didn’t dare help him. Even through the protective suit, he dared not touch Xie Ren.
Alphas in a stress state would generate territorial invasion awareness. Upon physical contact, they easily lost reason and attacked. News reports were not lacking in incidents of accidental killing during susceptibility periods.
Don’t know how he got Yu Shi down, Zhao Yi thought secretly. Couldn’t have dragged him down by his clothes, right? Damn, Instructor Yu is so miserable.
The barrier steel door closed, and the transport truck drove into the night.
Half an hour later, Yu Shi woke up in the infirmary bed.
He opened his eyes and saw a middle-aged doctor adjusting an IV bag. Looking up, the bag contained a near-transparent liquid.
Inside, it shimmered with golden light, like speckles of stars in a galaxy, beautiful enough to entrance someone.
Pheromones were taken from glands; their basic state was liquid. Colors varied; the higher the rank, the lighter the color, approaching transparent gold.
Thus, high-rank pheromones were also called “Golden Pheromones.” However, the price of this bag on the black market was much higher than gold.
Seeing him wake, the doctor asked gently, “Instructor Yu, how do you feel?”
Yu Shi’s head was heavy. His body retained the residual heat of high fever. The hand receiving the IV felt a tingling coolness. That bag of pheromones looked domineering, but actually flowed slowly into his body like a brook; it wasn’t as stimulating as imagined.
He nodded, his voice dry. “Okay.”
The doctor said, “I am Zhang Huan from the K9 Military District General Hospital. You can call me Doctor Zhang. This bag is… is the pheromones provided by Xie Ren when you had a fever. After professional dilution, it should make you feel better.”
Yu Shi wasn’t too surprised. After a moment of silence, he asked, “What is the compatibility between him and me?”
“Haven’t tested it yet. If you want to know, I’ll give you the report later.”
Yu Shi said, “Thank you, Doctor Zhang. Where is Xie Ren now?”
Zhang Huan paused. “Something came up at his home; he asked the Principal for leave and went back.”
There were a dozen small syringes on the table. He placed them one by one into a freezing box and instructed, “These are diluted pheromones. For the next seven days, you must inject one bottle every day. Remember not to forget, or the heat will continue.”
“Ideally, direct marking would be better. But considering your identities, relationship, and other factors, we can only use this method.”
“Xie Ren said you don’t like needles. These are all invisible needles. It’s your first time directly injecting pheromones; be careful not to overdose. No more than two tubes a day.”
Even with his weak spirit, Yu Shi sensed this doctor’s professionalism was extraordinary. For a doctor from K9 General Hospital to run errands personally for the Falcon Regiment at night was indeed strange.
Chen Qingming knocked on the door. “Dean Zhang, are you done?”
Zhang Huan nodded, packed his medical kit, and left.
Xu Bohan threw himself in with a howl, eyes teary. “Master, are you okay? I rushed over as soon as I got the news. Scared me to death! That dog Zhao Yi couldn’t speak clearly; I thought you were knocked out by Xie Ren!”
He looked at Yu Shi’s hand resting outside the blanket. That hand was exceptionally slender and pale. He hesitated for a long time but didn’t dare hold it, afraid of hurting him, so he gently held his pinky finger.
“Master, what will I do if something happens to you? You have to get better quickly,” he said with red-rimmed eyes.
Yu Shi was speechless. “Stop wailing. People will think I’m dying.”
“Pei pei pei! Don’t say unlucky things. Quick, spit!”
Xu Bohan said angrily, “How could normal heat cause fainting? Did you encounter an Alpha who released pheromones indiscriminately? No, I’m going to check the surveillance to see which Alphas went to your office! Someone definitely set a trap to harm you!”
Chen Qingming coughed. “Little Xu, go with Dean Zhang to get the report.”
“Oh, okay. Master, don’t be afraid. I’ll be back right away.” Xu Bohan went out sobbing.
Chen Qingming crossed his arms, looking at the pale Omega on the bed. “Instructor Yu, I count as having saved you twice. Can you satisfy my curiosity and answer a few questions?”
Yu Shi’s face was rippleless, seeming to have guessed he would say this. “Ask.”
“You asked Dean Zhang for the report just now. You seem not to believe that the compatibility between you and Xie Ren is high?”
Yu Shi said faintly, “There is no Alpha in this world whose compatibility with me is high enough to force a reaction.”
Chen Qingming was puzzled. “Can I ask why?”
“No.”
“…”
Chen Qingming wasn’t discouraged and switched to another question. “Your gland has been injured. Why implant a chip? This makes the situation worse. I personally suggest you remove it as soon as possible.”
“Implanted many years ago. Consulted doctors later; the risk of removal is high. Need to accept marking immediately after removal.” Yu Shi’s tone was flat, not like discussing a time bomb installed in his body.
Chen Qingming tasted something wrong. “Chips are hard to remove only after ten years. You mean you had the implantation surgery when you were a minor? Was it voluntary?”
His expression became serious. If someone forced a minor to have a chip implanted, that was tantamount to a crime against children, punishable by death or life imprisonment in Sundial.
Yu Shi didn’t answer but reminded him, “You have one last chance to ask.”
Chen Qingming frowned at him. After a while, he said, “Fine. Last question. What does your pheromone smell like? Generally speaking, pheromones smell like the original substance. At most, like Xie Ren’s, mint mixed with alcohol. I’ve never smelled this kind of scent; feels like many substances mixed together…”
He saw Yu Shi’s face gradually turn gloomy. His lowered eyelashes trembled like crow wings, and obscure tides surged in his eyes.
That flash of gray-blue color was like a sky of ten thousand miles of dark clouds, giving Chen Qingming an illusion—as if his eyes were originally that earth-shattering color.
And he himself seemed like a person living in the shadows; the superficial honor and status were nothing but bubbles.
Strange. Why do I have this feeling? Chen Qingming thought.
“It’s Lanqi,” Yu Shi said.
“What’s that?” Chen Qingming was puzzled. “A flower, or a fruit? I haven’t heard of it.”
“Correct that you haven’t heard of it.” Yu Shi’s eyes were dim, carrying a certain self-loathing. “Not a flower, nor a fruit. It’s a chemical synthetic agent.”
His voice was cold as if coming from an ice cellar. A few light words gave Chen Qingming goosebumps.
Chemical synthetic agent…
How could someone describe their own pheromones like that?
Wait, is it possible for such a pheromone to exist in the world?
Not the “Source of Gold” containing the power of life, but a cold, artificial synthetic agent. It sounded hair-raising.
Chen Qingming’s mind flashed with legends about androids. Although this Omega was beautiful beyond reality, he obviously wasn’t that kind of pinnacle android. He was shrouded in mystery, and his mysterious high-rank pheromones ignited a fanatical impulse in Chen Qingming as a medical practitioner.
He really wanted to unveil his veil layer by layer and find out the truth.
While he was dazed, the IV bag emptied.
Yu Shi pulled out the needle through the gauze and picked up the freezing box on the table.
“Doctor Chen, thank you for saving me the second time,” he said airily. “A word of advice: don’t be too curious about me. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Xie Ren, falling into a dangerous situation.”
Chen Qingming looked at him sharply. Under the incandescent light, those eyes surfaced with a strange luster, like a calm sea hiding danger, or a bewitchingly tempting flower beside a trap.
Chen Qingming swallowed. “How do you know Xie Ren…”
Yu Shi said expressionlessly, “Poor Alpha. still got affected by my pheromones.”
Chen Qingming froze in place. Yu Shi walked past him, as if he hadn’t experienced what just happened, walking out of the ward with a calm face.
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