Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In the world of ABO.

Chu Li had been sick his entire previous life, with little interest in desire or romance. He had never been in a relationship and was unsure if he preferred women or men. Perhaps due to constantly teetering on the brink of life and death, he was extremely insensitive to concepts like "sexual orientation." He believed that as long as he liked someone, whether they were male or female didn't matter.

But today! Chu Li knelt on the ground, realizing the truth.

So this is how passionate love between men could be! Apologies, but he couldn't withstand it. He fled in the dead of night, climbing up to Mount Kungtung.

Chu Li struggled to gather his torn clothes, most of which were now in tatters and unwearable.

With no other choice, he opened the wardrobe in the room and rummaged through it, pulling out a white short-sleeved shirt. He held it against himself; it was far too large, almost long enough to function as a dress!

This reminded him of the hand that had held his waist the previous night - large and strong enough to restrain him with just one grip. Every attempt to escape had been futile.

Coupled with the discomfort in his body, Chu Li's frustration boiled over. With a vengeful mindset, he rifled through the rest of the wardrobe, flinging clothes haphazardly onto the floor. After some effort, he picked out a pair of athletic pants to match the oversized shirt he had on.

Dressed and refreshed from rinsing his face at the corner faucet, he pushed open the door.

Despite its darkness at night, the alley was surprisingly bright in the daylight, the radiant sunshine blinding him momentarily.

After adjusting to the brightness by the entrance for a while, Chu Li finally stepped out.

His body felt terrible, every part of him aching, causing an awkward gait as he walked with his hips swaying and his rear protruding.

Chu Li had never been so disheveled in either of his lifetimes! Fueled by anger, he finally made it to the alley's exit and looked outside, only to realize with a curse that the alley was just two steps away from his own building. He had mistakenly wandered into the wrong place yesterday!

With great effort, he endured the discomfort and returned home. Pushing the door open, he found Chu Heyang sitting on the sofa, eating ice cream and watching TV.

Alerted by the sound, Chu Heyang immediately sat up straight, his gaze landing on Chu Li, gradually turning perplexed.

Though Chu Li had changed his clothes, the unfamiliar scent of an Alpha still clung to him.

Chu Heyang, being an unmarked Omega, couldn't withstand this aroma and hastily covered his nose, stepping back from the sofa.

Chu Li was in a terrible mood and ignored his dramatic younger brother. Heading to his room to fetch clean clothes, he entered the adjacent bathroom.

The bathroom door slammed shut, and Zhu Wei emerged from the kitchen. She tiptoed to Chu Heyang's side, seeking an answer with her eyes.

Chu Heyang nodded at his mother in a mixture of shock and panic — Chu Li had indeed not injected his suppressant yesterday. He had gone into heat outside and been marked by an Alpha!

The bite mark on his neck was deep and round! He had seen it himself. However, it was only the second day since the marking, so he couldn't tell if it was a permanent or temporary one.

But if Chu Li was in heat, how could any Alpha resist leaving a permanent mark?

A similar glint of secret delight flashed in both mother and son's eyes. If Chu Li had received a permanent mark, it meant he had lost the ability to compete with Chu Heyang! No Alpha would be interested in an Omega who had already been marked by an unknown Alpha! Knowing that Chu Li had been marked before marriage, the school might even expel him!

---

"Rushing water..."

The sound of running water echoed in the bathroom. As the warm water touched his skin, Chu Li shuddered violently.

It hurt so much.

He gritted his teeth, applying the shower gel onto his body and spreading it slowly. Perhaps due to the numbness from the pain, he gradually felt less discomfort as time went on.

The humiliation of that cleansing process was something he preferred not to recall.

As Chu Li scrubbed, he cursed under his breath, washing for over an hour while his tirade continued.

After he finished, he pushed the bathroom door open. In the living room, Chu Heyang and his mother stood behind the couch, their eyes fixated on him.

From their expressions, Chu Li could tell they knew what had happened to him outside. His mood worsened, and his lips pressed together even more tightly.

Seeing that they already knew about his ordeal, Chu Li retreated to his room without a word.

He vaguely remembered finding a strangely designed "phone" in his room the previous day. Right now, he was far more eager to understand the nature of this world than to deal with Chu Heyang and his mother's attitude.

From between the bed slats, Chu Li retrieved the "phone." It resembled a wristwatch but was thinner and made from an unusual material.

When he snapped it onto his wrist, a 'beep' sounded in the room. Immediately after, the watch's color began to shift, gradually blending into his skin and leaving a gilded cloud pattern on his wrist.

Chu Li could sense the "watch" still there, but when he shook his wrist, it didn't hinder his movement at all.

He touched the "watch," and a mechanical voice spoke, "DNA verification successful. Welcome to your personal terminal. I'm your terminal assistant, Xiao Ai."

Chu Li accessed a webpage through his personal terminal, beginning his search for "What is an Omega."

Ten minutes later, he lifted his head, his expression filled with astonishment.

Turned out that Omega wasn't a job title nor a personality classification but rather... a gender.

This world actually had six different genders!

---

At ten in the morning, a fresh post appeared on the Omega forum.

Topic: Can an Omega without a collar bear the consequences of a public heat?

"Help, I have an erratic pheromone disorder. I forgot to inject my suppressant yesterday before going out, and I ended up going into heat in public. Now, the consequences are severe! Can I report this to the authorities?"

"2nd Floor: Are you alright, OP? Don't you get marked when you go into heat in public? Were you permanently marked or temporarily marked?"

"OP: Marked? What do you mean by marked?"

"4th Floor: Is the OP serious? There are still Omegas who don't know what a marking is in this day and age?"

"5th Floor: There are two types of markings - temporary and permanent (also known as thorough or complete). A temporary marking is when an Alpha bites your gland and injects their pheromones into it. The wound usually heals within a week, and the pheromones are metabolized. A permanent marking involves opening the reproductive cavity!! If others can't tell, that's one thing, but how could you not know if your own reproductive cavity has been opened??"

...

Off-screen, Chu Li's face was filled with distress. He reached up to touch the back of his neck, realizing why that person had been nibbling on his neck – they were marking him.

But he couldn't recall whether it was a permanent or temporary marking. Last night had been too chaotic, and... his mind had shut down at the time. How could he remember such details?

Perhaps it was rare for an Omega not to know about markings, because the post quickly gained traction, acquiring the 'HOT' label, and more people chimed in with their replies.

Some doubted the authenticity of his claim, while others offered him a crash course on Omega biology.

The people here were incredibly enthusiastic. The information they provided was far more detailed than anything he had found online. After reading through all of it, Chu Li realized just how terrible a situation he had landed himself in.

In this world, it seemed that Omegas weren't supposed to receive a permanent mark before marriage. The consequences appeared even worse than being pregnant out of wedlock in his previous life.

Since a permanent mark would stay with an Omega for life, neither Alphas nor Betas would consider a relationship with someone who had already been permanently marked by another. If Chu Li couldn't be with the person who marked him, he'd have to go to the hospital to have the gland mark removed.

...

"Post 345: Permanent marks are almost impossible to remove without an adrenal gland removal surgery! But then, you'd lose your sensitivity to pheromones and the ability to conceive, which is devastating for an Omega.

Though you don't know the Alpha who marked you, if... I mean, if possible, you should talk to him. He was also forced into rut by your pheromones, so in a way, he's a victim too. Perhaps he'd be willing to take responsibility, and getting married would solve the issue."

"Post 346: What are you guys talking about?! That Alpha is a rapist! He forcefully had his way with the Omega against their will! He could've left and contacted a hospital! Why resort to this? Why marry your rapist just because you were raped?!"

"Post 347: @0427: You're the one joking! If you didn't want to be marked, why provoke an open rut in public? Why not wear a collar or use suppressants? Are all Os insane? Claiming to be a victim after openly rutting? The forcibly marked Alpha is the real victim here!!"

...

Chu Li: "......."

The thread descended into an argument, debating who the real victim was for over a hundred posts, leaving Chu Li's eyes sore from reading.

He touched the back of his neck, still swollen, where he could feel the indentation of teeth. The skin around it seemed significantly more tender and delicate, likely what they referred to as the 'gland.'

He hadn't expected this world to be so different from his previous one. Despite reading about 'Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome' in the suicide note and being reminded by the original owner to inject suppressants, his ingrained mindset had prevented him from paying attention, leading to this outcome.

Chu Li sighed and closed the forum.

After going through all that, he had completely calmed down.

It was difficult to determine right or wrong in what happened yesterday, and he couldn't possibly marry the other party. The only solution was to undergo an gland cleansing surgery.

Unable to conceive, unable to sense pheromones, and no more heat cycles... Wouldn't that make him just like an ordinary male? To the people of this world, these might be severe consequences, but for Chu Li, it would merely mean returning to his normal life.

Anyway, he had never planned on getting married, let alone figuring out whether he preferred men or women.

Besides, he was an Omega. Even if he were to get married, finding a female Alpha to bear his child?

No, no, forget it, forget it. That was too horrifying.

Earthly males would find it challenging to accept such a worldview.

---

In the heart of Morcos, the capital city of Blue Star, there were sprawling working-class neighborhoods amidst towering skyscrapers and dim, labyrinthine alleys sandwiched between humble houses. The streets were lined with vibrant neon lights, giving the area a distinct cyberpunk vibe.

The neighborhood here wasn't particularly safe, separated from regular residential buildings by only one street, yet few ordinary people dared to venture over.

Most visitors were unemployed wanderers or local troublemakers. The shops lining the roads appeared legitimate on the surface but secretly engaged in shady dealings.

At that moment, a Li Hua Cat with emerald-green eyes was rushing anxiously across the rooftops. Now and then, it would pause, lift its nose, and sniff the surrounding air.

This was an action typically associated with foolish canines, but the cat had no choice but to mimic it in its search for someone.

Despite its efforts, the cat couldn't locate the person who exuded a sweet aroma.

Exhausted, the Li Hua Cat finally sat down on one of the roofs, its sharp claws extending from beneath its fluffy fur as it scratched at the red tiles below in frustration.

Why were bipedal creatures so good at running? He was still sick!

No, a little kitten must not give up.

After a brief rest, the persistent feline resumed its relentless search.

Author's Note:

The previous chapter was originally intended to be 3,000 words, but only 2,400 were published in the end. Don't ask me what happened last night...