Chapter 21

Chapter 21

021

What could a mere cat be afraid of?

Chu Li was paralyzed by the scent, staring in astonishment behind Peng Zihao, who had also frozen in his tracks.

The little Li Hua Cat, which Peng Zihao had carelessly left aside, had somehow climbed to the top of the bookshelf. It was staring down at Peng Zihao from its elevated position, its back arched high, tail stiff, and all its fur standing on end!

With its emerald green eyes locked onto Peng Zihao, it growled low in its throat.

It didn't sound like a cat's meow but rather resembled the roar of a large carnivorous beast. Combined with the ferocity in its eyes, it was genuinely intimidating.

That oppressive presence made Peng Zihao believe that there was an Alpha of a significantly higher rank present. But after hearing the animal's whining, he quickly released Chu Li and turned around. Upon realizing that it was just a cat, a flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes.

Why did this cat look so terrifying?

Chu Li grew anxious too. The little Li Hua Cat was just a cat, not even as thick as Peng Zihao's arm. He frantically waved at the kitten, urging it to run away first.

In Chu Li's heart, he would rather suffer himself than see Little Li Hua Cat get hurt.

But instead of retreating, the small cat pressed forward, its eyes locked threateningly onto Peng Zihao.

Peng Zihao gradually regained his composure. It was just a cat! What was he afraid of?

He must have lost his mind!

Frustrated and embarrassed, Peng Zihao prepared to climb the stool and grab the seemingly intimidating feline down. However, what unfolded before him left him utterly stunned.

The cat on the bookshelf grew in size, causing the shelf to sway precariously. A fierce beast let out a low growl as it lunged towards Peng Zihao. In an instant, Peng Zihao's legs turned to jelly, and he tumbled to the ground. What was happening? This cat... No, this couldn't be a cat!

The beast on the bookshelf bared its massive jaws, its roar echoing deafeningly. Its sharp claws gleamed as it prepared to pounce. Peng Zihao's courage evaporated, and he scrambled to his feet, bolting out of the room!

At that moment, thoughts of Chu Li, Omega or not, vanished from Peng Zihao's mind entirely.

Meanwhile, Chu Li sat on a nearby stool, witnessing this... farcical spectacle.

In his eyes, the little Li Hua Cat hadn't grown larger; it had merely leaped down from a bookshelf nearby, startling Peng Zihao.

After Peng Zihao left, Chu Li approached the kitten with lingering fear, embracing it tightly and pressing his face against its body. "I'm sorry, I was so scared..."

As a man, he naturally understood what Peng Zihao had intended to do.

Thankfully, the little Li Hua Cat wasn't hurt.

---

The next morning, another post related to Chu Li appeared on the school forum.

"Have you heard? Chu Li reported Peng Zihao's many wrongdoings to the academic affairs office."

"1st Comment: Heard about it! He waited there with a cat in his arms for an entire night just to present evidence of Peng Zihao's misdeeds at dawn. This Omega is ruthless. After this incident, who would dare to approach him?"

"2nd Comment: Rumor has it that Peng Zihao tried something with him in the library yesterday... Peng Zihao really crossed the line. What's an Alpha doing hanging around the Omega campus all day? The school rules seem meaningless!"

"3rd Comment: He only goes to the Omega campus because your Chu Li is tempting him, doesn't he?"

"4th Floor: Ugh! Are all Alphas straight alpha-bigots? Chu Li even slapped Peng Zihao to reject him, and you still call that seducing? Do you Alphas already have your kids' names picked out when any random Omega looks at you on the street?

"..."

"56th Floor: Stop arguing! Let's wait and see how the school administration handles this.

"57th Floor: Speaking of which, Peng Zihao deserves punishment. He's been entering the Omega College repeatedly. Last time he came to find Chu Li in class, the dean took him away, and I didn't even have my collar on! Running into such a big Alpha in the hallway scared me to death!

"58th Floor: Can Omegas take off their collars at school?

"59th Floor: Those collars are like dog collars. Since everyone in Omega College is the same gender, why can't they remove them? They're both meant to mask pheromones, so why can't Alphas wear collars instead?

"60th Floor: As we all know, Alphas have two additional glands on their necks that collars can't cover. What are you little Omegas thinking about all day? You enjoy so many societal privileges, what's wrong with wearing a collar?

"61st Floor: What societal privileges are you talking about? What have we enjoyed?

"62nd Floor: Don't even get me started. Omega College has an easy workload. While we're all students, you only need an average score of thirty to graduate, while we have daily training and pull all-nighters doing experiments with our mentors, needing an average score of seventy to graduate. One misstep, and we fail. Tell me, what privileges do you think you enjoy?

"63rd Floor: No way, no way! Nobody really thinks lowering the graduation average is a privilege, right? Would you want such a 'privilege'?"

"Floor 64: Alright, stop arguing! Aren't we discussing whether Peng Zihao will be punished or not? Why are you fighting among yourselves?"

"Floor 65: Who sides with these Alpha-centric bigots? Peng Zihao repeatedly trespassed into the Omega campus and even attempted to harm other Omega students. I support expelling him from school!"

"Floor 66: Chu Li, an Omega, lives in the Beta sector? He's been permanently marked by an Alpha without being married? How dare such a shameless Omega attend our school? Expel him! I don't want to share a school with someone like that!"

The subsequent posts followed the usual pattern of heated arguments.

When this thread first emerged, Xu Dongfeng had sent him the link, asking if it was true. Chu Li had casually browsed through it at the time but stopped reading when he saw they were bickering again.

During this period, while he was catching up on medical knowledge, he also delved deeply into understanding the common knowledge of this world.

He now knew that humanity had entered the era of interstellar navigation, divided into two factions. One was the Empire where Chu Li resided, a populous realm primarily active in the Blue Vein Galaxy. The Blue Vein Galaxy was the only known system with three or more habitable stars for humans. Among them, Blue Stripe Star served as the central hub, akin to the Empire's capital.

The other faction was the League, drifting beyond the galaxy, with a relatively loose organizational structure and notorious for producing interstellar pirates.

The Empire claimed to be the rightful heir of humanity and held a condescending attitude towards the League. In the minds of most Empire citizens, the entire League was no different from interstellar pirates.

With the human world having developed to its current state, the destructive power of firearms was staggering, capable of annihilating planets. However, acquiring a habitable star was exceptionally difficult. To prevent a catastrophic war between the League and the Empire, after the League's formation, both factions collaborated with another intelligent species, the 'Cosmic Treefolk,' to establish the Interstellar Court.

It is a major power outside the Alliance and the Empire, mainly composed of intelligent species other than humans.

The Tree Elves are inherently just, and humans have entrusted them with their own legal code, granting the elves the authority to judge humanity. As a result, despite constant friction between the Alliance and the Empire over the colonization of new planets, large-scale wars have been prevented due to the existence of the Intergalactic Court.

Within human society, the rights of Alphas and Omegas have long been equalized, with gender equality enshrined in both the Alliance and Imperial constitutions. However, compared to the Alliance's bold approach, allowing even Omegas to pilot warships through space at breakneck speeds, the Empire appears more conservative.

The Interstellar Age is built upon information technology. Though there is a virtual wall dividing their respective digital realms, various "wall-climbing" software is prevalent, enabling each side to glimpse into the other's world.

The Alliance dismisses the Empire's conservatism with contempt, while the Empire regards the Alliance's savagery with disdain.

Amidst mutual disdain, there were always some Imperial Omegas who yearned for the freedom of their counterparts in the Alliance. While the Alliance did not restrict immigration, the Empire forbade its Omegas from joining the Alliance and becoming citizens there.

Thus, this sentiment fermented online, with numerous Omegas expressing dissatisfaction towards the current state of affairs, yet dared not voice these grievances in their real lives.

One could say that Chu Li's life was a microcosm of every Omega's aspirations in the entire empire.

Armed with this knowledge, he became even more confident in his endeavor. The rights of Alpha and Omega equality were enshrined in the constitution and certified by the Intergalactic Court. Even if there was discrimination against Omegas within the empire, it could only be concealed beneath layers of so-called "protection clauses." They dared not openly practice differential treatment.

Should he amplify this matter, the more attention it draws, the more troublesome it will become for the school.

He stood guard at the entrance of the administrative office with the cat in his arms, refusing to budge despite anyone's calls.

The Omega, who hadn't slept all night, didn't look terrible. He sat quietly on a bench outside the office, his head gently leaning against the wall. As the morning sun illuminated him, he appeared vulnerable in an indescribable way.

Many Omegas who had been following the incident sneaked to watch from corners. Witnessing this scene, they all gasped in astonishment.

They hadn't noticed how attractive Chu Li was when they saw him around school before. Some on the forum had speculated that Chu Li's pheromones were too low-grade, explaining why the Alpha disappeared after marking him. But could any Alpha really abandon such a well-proportioned Omega?

Was that Alpha blind or something?

The kitten nestled in Chu Li's embrace meowed loudly and struggled fiercely.

After the scare in the library, Chu Li was reluctant to let go of Li Hua Cat, assuming it was merely impatient from being held for too long. He stroked its forehead gently and asked softly, "Do you want to go out and play?"

Li Hua Cat: "Meow-"

It wanted to stay with the two-legged creature, but the latter had been sitting there all night, and the kitten was worried.

Its tiny body was useless except for scaring away the bad guy. If only it could walk upright like the two-legged creature.

In that case, it could cuddle its two-legged creature, lull him back to sleep, and then handle all these issues itself... Meow? Li Hua Cat suddenly felt something was amiss.

Was this the kind of thought a little kitten should have?

Author's Note:

This matter is about to be resolved.