Chapter 1: Out of Ten Alphas in the Falcon Regiment, Nine are…
On a street corner in Kowa City, the capital of Blue Star’s First Zone, sat a coffee shop.
It was a scorching summer. The plane tree leaves curled under the intense sun, and the floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the stream of traffic and the silhouette of a young man.
Opposite him, an Alpha stormed out of his seat, looking as if he had suffered a great humiliation.
The Omega, however, sipped his coffee unhurriedly. That was the third blind date he had angered into leaving.
It was a weekday, so the café was sparse with customers. The staff whispered gossip among themselves.
“Another one had a meltdown. He’s not going to keep going, is he?”
“Looks like there’s another one coming. But with looks like that, it’s only human nature to forgive him.”
“Good Lord, if I had that face, I could date ten Alphas at once and no one would dare say a word.”
Yu Shi wore a white lab coat over a light blue shirt. His jet-black hair was untrimmed, covering the gland at the back of his neck. His skin was like the museum-grade ‘sweet white’ glaze porcelain—delicate and flawless.
His features were exquisitely carved, with a beauty mark on the tip of his nose. His face was like an unfurled ink wash painting; from the moment he entered, the shop staff hadn’t been able to look away.
He was waiting for the next Alpha.
A female voice broadcasted from the floating screen: “Recently, the police have uncovered a large-scale online chat fraud ring. The gang used ‘Pig Butchering Scams’ to defraud citizens of investment funds. Among the victims, over 65% are elderly…”
A staff member pursed their lips. “Tsk, another Pig Butchering Scam. These overseas criminals are lawless, thinking they can do whatever they want just because they’re in the Seventh Zone.”
“You have to remind the elderly to watch their pensions. My relative’s grandmother was scammed by an AI video…”
The wind chimes at the door rang, interrupting the discussion.
The staff shouted in unison, “Welcome—”
The broadcast continued: “Next is a set of news flashes. Yesterday was Father’s Day, and the Deputy Commissioner of the First Zone led a team to visit the Azure Orphanage…”
Yu Shi glanced at the screen. A staff member casually lowered the volume and walked over, leading an Alpha in a military uniform.
The Alpha had sharp brows and bright eyes. Upon turning to face Yu Shi, his expression shifted subtly.
He stared straight at Yu Shi for two seconds before immediately extending his hand. “Hello, I’m Tang Tianhao. I’m from the Database.”
The Sundial Republic possessed a massive pheromone database that provided automatic matching for those seeking spouses. Clients had to verify their information through manual customer service, making it the most legitimate matchmaking platform on the market.
The lifestyle photo Yu Shi had uploaded was blurry—a side profile taken while he was teaching. Tang Tianhao hadn’t expected much, but seeing him in person made his eyes go wide.
Yu Shi lowered his gaze to the extended hand but didn’t move.
He had fox-like eyes that curved upward at the ends, making him look cold and heartless. To put it nicely, it was alluring; to put it bluntly, he looked at people like they were dogs, especially when glancing downward.
Tang Tianhao was stimulated by that look, a trace of excitement appearing on his face.
Yu Shi said, “I remember you. The one with the highest compatibility match.”
His voice was pleasant, but incredibly arrogant.
Tang Tianhao swallowed. The Omega before him seemed to possess a magical power; both his appearance and voice were full of temptation. His expression and tone were indifferent, yet they incited an uncontrollable urge in others.
Conquering a supreme catch like this would be something worth bragging about.
He withdrew his hand without minding the slight. “It’s my honor to be remembered by a beauty. I guess not many Alphas can match with you, otherwise, you wouldn’t have come to see me.”
The staff member quietly rolled their eyes and retreated to the side to watch the drama.
Yu Shi nodded. “Indeed.”
Tang Tianhao looked delighted and feigned calmness. “80% isn’t actually that high. We might not be that compatible in… certain aspects, but I can barely accept it. By the way, do you work at the Research Institute across the street? The data says you’re twenty-four, but you look like a student.”
Yu Shi listened to his boasting, occasionally glancing at the wall clock.
“I heard the Third Institute only takes those with a master’s degree or higher. Are you a master’s student?”
“PhD.”
“You graduated with a PhD at twenty-four?” Tang Tianhao was surprised. “Well, let me tell you about my situation. I’m a year older than you, have been working for four years, and currently serve in the Falcon Regiment. Do you know the Falcon Regiment?”
Yu Shi stirred his coffee. “If I didn’t, wouldn’t I be a spy?”
The Sundial Republic’s Army was divided into K9 and the Falcon Regiment. K9 was responsible for resisting foreign enemies, international operations, and maintaining internal order. The Falcon Regiment was the elite force, known as the “Sovereign’s Personal Guards,” carrying out only classified missions.
Tang Tianhao laughed. “You have a sense of humor. A beautiful Omega like you… even if you were a spy, it would be hard to resist you.”
He casually dropped a Porsche key on the table and asked with concern, “Did you drive here?”
“Walked.”
“Where are you going later? I’ll give you a lift.”
“No need. I’m going back to the Third Institute.”
The staff couldn’t help but whisper to each other:
“This guy is greasy and pretentious. Worse than the last one.”
“I feel sorry for the beauty. How can he sit there and take it?”
“Can’t help it. The Alpha is rich. Even a beauty has to bow for five buckets of rice. What choice does he have?”
Tang Tianhao continued his offensive. “You researchers don’t get paid much, right? Is it enough to spend? If not, you can come to me for meals. I have three properties in the city center, you’re welcome anytime. Where do you live now? With your parents?”
“Dormitory,” Yu Shi popped out two words.
He seemed uninterested, yet he didn’t let Tang Tianhao’s words fall flat, appearing to string him along.
Tang Tianhao couldn’t read him and gradually got anxious. He loosened his tie. “It doesn’t matter. Once you’re with me, you can live in any of my houses. I live in Huayao Tianfu. Have you heard of it? Two hundred thousand per square meter. If you want—”
He lowered his voice suggestively, staring intently at Yu Shi’s face. “I can take you to see it tonight.”
Yu Shi looked thoughtful. “Hmm, Huayao Tianfu.”
Thinking he had moved him, Tang Tianhao felt a surge of heat and impatiently leaned in, trying to put his hand on top of the one resting on the table. Unfortunately, he was a beat too slow; Yu Shi withdrew his hand and looked at him coldly.
As the distance closed, Tang Tianhao saw his pupils, which were a faint gray—the color of the sea before a storm, shockingly beautiful.
That eye color was rare in Sundial; perhaps he wore contact lenses. His eyelids looked thin; they would probably turn bright red if he cried.
Tang Tianhao pleasantly discovered that while this Omega looked ascetic, sitting there motionless felt like flirting. He shifted his lower body unnaturally, a flame rising in his abdomen.
“Sorry, I was too abrupt,” he said, licking his lips.
“There is one thing I must tell you in advance,” Yu Shi said coldly. “I don’t plan on getting married. If you can’t accept that, you can leave now.”
Tang Tianhao frowned, looking puzzled. “So, you want a friends-with-benefits situation? Wait, you accept pre-marital marking? That’s illegal. I didn’t pin you for being so open.”
“No, friends-with-benefits implies mutuality,” Yu Shi said. “I want to find a ‘duck’ who can provide pheromones.”
“Cough, a… a duck?” Tang Tianhao’s jaw dropped, dumbfounded.
He was too excited internally, and murky pheromones drifted over. Yu Shi’s smart wristband began to vibrate. He frowned and leaned back.
He couldn’t smell anything, but every cell in his body screamed in rejection. With a reaction like this, the compatibility rate was definitely not 80%. The indoor detector immediately started beeping.
A Beta staff member ran over. “Mr. Tang, do you need to go to the restroom to inject a suppressant?”
Generally speaking, Alphas above A-rank rarely lost control. Tang Tianhao was doing it on purpose; he was displaying his pheromones in an attempt to intimidate and seduce the Omega across from him.
He said meaningfully, “Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”
In the restroom, Tang Tianhao smoked while making a call.
“I saw him. He looks incredibly impressive, just too arrogant,” he said disdainfully. “With a face like that, he definitely slept his way up. And he’s playing hard to get with me, saying he won’t marry. Hahaha, suits me perfectly.”
“Yeah, academics act all high and mighty, looking like poor sourpusses who haven’t seen the world… Oh no, Omegas like that are all the same. They look innocent on the outside but are wild in bed… Damn, talking about it is making me hard. Fuck!”
When Tang Tianhao returned, he saw Yu Shi sending a message, his head lowered to reveal a section of his neck. It was a moving sight.
He leaned in with a grin. “I’m back. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Come to my place tonight. My unit has a large terrace, we can barbecue, watch movies. Do you drink…”
“I have an appointment tonight,” Yu Shi interrupted him impatiently.
Tang Tianhao’s smile vanished as he looked him up and down. “Oh? Who’s the appointment with?”
“Family banquet.”
“Family banquet? It’s not some high-level executive from your institute, is it?”
Yu Shi paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. “Yes, the Chairman of ATC.”
Tang Tianhao froze. ATC was Sundial’s largest armaments company. No wonder this kid had a place in the Third Institute at such a young age; his backer was that powerful.
Competing with the ATC Chairman for someone was too risky, but the Omega in front of him was mouth-watering.
He decided to drop the act and sneered, “I wondered how you got into the Research Institute. So you’re the executive’s ‘godson.’ He’s old and weak, can’t satisfy you, right? Or why else would you come out looking for pheromones?”
“Tell me, how much does that old geezer give you? As long as you follow me, I’ll give you double.”
Yu Shi thought for a moment. “During university, two hundred thousand a month.”
“How much?” Tang Tianhao was stunned.
Yu Shi sneered. “And, the ‘old geezer’ you mentioned is my father.”
“…”
Tang Tianhao’s face went through a spectrum of colors. His mouth slowly fell open as if he had seen a ghost, full of disbelief.
The Database didn’t display family relationships. He never imagined that this poor little researcher would be the young heir of ATC.
“Y-You… you’re lying, right…” He couldn’t even speak properly.
Yu Shi said faintly, “My father happens to be the developer of Huayao Tianfu. If you plan to buy another unit, I can ask him to give you a discount. After all, the sales for that development are mediocre. Aside from suckers like you who slap their faces to look fat [feign wealth], almost no one wants to buy there.”
Tang Tianhao nearly had a heart attack. He had emptied his family’s savings to buy that high-priced property for the sake of appearances. Who knew the prices would plummet? He had lost nearly ten million by now.
He trembled with rage, clenching his fists tightly as he glared at Yu Shi with hatred.
The staff whispered, “Another one went crazy.”
“Oh my god, the beauty is actually the young master of ATC? Do you think he might actually like Betas?”
“…Save it. Stop daydreaming.”
Yu Shi looked out the window, his face mocking. “Do you know why I listened to your nonsense until now? Because I wanted to know how you dared to fake data in the Database.”
Tang Tianhao couldn’t stop shivering. “…What do you mean?”
“The compatibility rate is fake, and your single status is fake too. Several of your ‘friends’ are here. Aren’t you going to say hello?”
Shadows flashed outside the window. Tang Tianhao looked over in terror and immediately felt faint.
Standing outside was the person he was cheating on—two Omegas and a Beta—charging inside with bodyguards in a fury.
Yu Shi sneered. “I hate liars like you the most. Waste of time.”
He calmly left the restaurant. Behind him came the sound of a stool hitting a head and Tang Tianhao’s exasperated roar.
“Yu Shi, don’t be so ruthless!”
“Are you crazy? Why are you all hitting me?! I’m calling the police! Fuck…”
Outside the restaurant, the sun was blazing. Yu Shi crossed the road to the opposite side. The plaque on the main gate read in black characters on a white background: Sundial Weapons Manufacturing Base 801, Third Research Institute.
The guard chuckled. “Director Yu, the blind date flopped again?”
Yu Shi spread his hands. “Flopped again.”
“Which unit was it this time?”
“Falcon Regiment.”
The old man said, “Oh my, out of ten Alphas in the Falcon Regiment, nine are scum. Can’t have that, can’t have that. Let me tell you…”
Before he could finish, a commercial van drove out from inside.
Yu Shi said, “See you later, Old Chen. I’m going to the lecture hall.”
The driver was graduate student Xu Bohan. He let out a huge sigh of relief upon seeing him.
“Teacher Yu, finally! This award ceremony is organized by the District General. Even the Commissioner is attending. The media is waiting. Director Luo specifically instructed that we must be there before one o’clock… Hey, why are you coming from outside?”
Yu Shi buckled his seatbelt and said indifferently, “I squeezed in a blind date during the lunch break.”
“…Blind date? You really are a master of time management.” Xu Bohan’s mouth twitched. “How did it go? Am I going to have a Master-in-law? Hehe.”
Yu Shi shook his head and sighed. “These days, a good duck is hard to find, and liars are everywhere. The environment is terrible; in the dating market, nine out of ten are scams.”
Xu Bohan choked on his saliva, coughing until his face turned red.
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