Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Shen Hui was startled awake by a cold touch.

He was tossing and turning restlessly in a burning desire, unable to break free. Every second was stretched to the breaking point.

This endless agony seemed to have no end. Countless times, he wanted to yield, to find release, even thinking that anyone would suffice.

But no one came.

He was drenched in sweat and tears, yet he remained pinned here, and no answer ever came.

A cold cloth pressed against his cheek. In his daze, Shen Hui thought it was an illusion, instinctively turning his head to chase that sliver of relief.

In his confusion, he heard a light laugh. His blurred vision struggled to focus, meeting Chen Shenzhi's smiling eyes.

He soaked the cloth in ice water again and wiped the sweat from Shen Hui's face: "Back when you were hunted by so many, I never saw you in such a mess."

It took Shen Hui a good four or five seconds to process the words and actions; he then jerked his head away, avoiding the cloth still aimed at his cheek.

Chen Shenzhi's hand paused; he withdrew the cloth and didn't push it. "Seems you still have some fight in you. Then let's continue."

Under Shen Hui's wary gaze, he produced a catalyst. The cold needle extinguished Shen Hui's last shred of hope.

"Don't be afraid. We will become the masters of the new world."

Shen Hui's defiance was too clear. Chen Shenzhi covered his eyes and injected the catalyst.

"You will forget him, and stay by my side forever."

As the drug entered his bloodstream, an icy prick was followed by an overwhelming surge. Every parched glandular nerve was forced to expand as if reborn—soft and sensitive, finally converging at the gland and reproductive cavity.

Shen Hui opened his mouth, but no sound emerged. It was pain, and yet something more.

His gland fully revealed omega traits—clean, cold pheromones instantly filled the room, quickly crystallizing into a flurry of snow.

Chen Shenzhi was filled with awe: "Just as magnificent and breathtaking as I imagined."

From the first moment he saw Shen Hui, he had been anticipating the scent of his pheromones. Years of yearning were finally realized at this moment—just as beautiful and enticing as he imagined.

Outside, Raphael also caught the scent of Shen Hui's pheromones. His pulse quickened, and a red glow emanated from him.

All researchers immediately entered a state of high alert, closely monitoring Raphael's condition.

Chen Shenzhi gazed obsessively at the scene, stroking Shen Hui's cheek: "I've waited sixteen long years for this moment."

Everything was ready. This was his prize.

Chen Shenzhi looked at Shen Hui, now an omega, his Adam's apple moving slightly.

He bent down, intending to kiss Shen Hui, when the bedroom door was knocked upon again.

Chen Shenzhi, too exhilarated, didn't hear it at first. But the door was being pounded as if it might break, accompanied by the sound of a machine gun being loaded.

If he didn't open the door, the person outside would likely burst in.

Extremely unwilling, Chen Shenzhi sat up straight, wrapped Shen Hui tightly, and suppressed his raging fury, turning the lock just before the other side opened fire.

The hand gripping the lock had veins bulging, as if he wanted to wrench off the other's head.

The person standing outside was the deputy general, the general's confidant. Startled by the murderous intent in Chen Shenzhi's eyes, he retreated warily.

This person couldn't be killed.

Chen Shenzhi stood rigidly in place like a stone statue. After a long moment, he finally suppressed his fury, his voice still hoarse: "What happened?"

The confidant also caught that sharp omega scent—the smell of icy frost, yet it irresistibly drew him in, making him want to approach and possess.

He swallowed hard and stepped forward, craving more, but then felt a heat followed by a chill at his neck.

The Chen Shenzhi before him suddenly seemed taller, and his own forehead thumped against the floor with a thud. He realized it wasn't that Chen Shenzhi had grown taller—it was that his own head had been chopped off and had fallen to the ground.

The headless corpse collapsed in front of Chen Shenzhi, blood splattering all over him.

The thick smell of blood soothed his nearly frenzied desire. Without checking on Shen Hui's state, he strode out: "I'll be back soon."

If he looked back now, he truly wouldn't be able to leave today.

By the time he reached the central control room, his fevered mind had cooled just enough to regain a sliver of rationality.

The general looked grave, frowning at the bloodstains on Chen Shenzhi: "Where is the deputy general?"

Chen Shenzhi's expression was terrifyingly grim: "Assigned him to other tasks. What happened?"

"The soldiers' powers are gone." The general directed him to the live surveillance feed showing peacekeeping forces breaking into the base. They had breached the outermost layer. In the narrow, cramped corridors, the evolved beings faltered against thermal weapons, falling one after another.

That wasn't the main point; bullets posed little threat to evolved beings, equivalent to zero.

But the alphas hit by bullets visibly reverted to normal humans. Features like scorpion tails disappeared within a minute of being shot.

Chen Shenzhi instantly understood: Yan Gui had discovered the effect of Yang Bai's blood and prepared in advance.

But how did he find out?

"Where is Shen Hui's brother?" Chen Shenzhi immediately abandoned tracing the cause—stopping it at the root was key.

"Locked in the lowest-level cell."

"Bring him here."

*

In his hazy consciousness, Shen Hui felt the person beside him leave.

This was the limit of his perception before he completely broke down.

The heat of the bonding period swept over him. His matured gland, parched like an extreme riverbed, desperately needed an alpha mate's pheromones for comfort.

He murmured softly: "Yan Gui... Yan Gui..."

In his extreme agony, he seemed to truly see Yan Gui rushing toward him in panic, his warm, scorching pheromones enveloping him.

The illusion was too real—so real that Shen Hui didn't want to wake up.

But he knew he shouldn't indulge in the illusion. He had to wake up and escape from here.

He reluctantly stroked Yan Gui's cheek, closed his eyes contentedly, and bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.

"Shen Hui! Shen Hui! Stop biting, open your mouth!"

Yan Gui's anxious voice slowly came into focus. Shen Hui opened his eyes in a daze and looked at him. For a moment, it was like plunging into an ice cellar. He murmured, "Even this can't wake me up?"

Only then did Yan Gui realize Shen Hui had mistaken him for an illusion.

He gripped Shen Hui's jaw, forcing his mouth open, and held him in his arms to prevent blood from choking his windpipe—he was scared to death.

When Yan Gui had followed the scent of pheromones and finally found Shen Hui, seeing him tortured to this state made his heart stop. He held Shen Hui tightly, wishing he could tear Chen Shenzhi into a thousand pieces, flay him and pull out his tendons.

"Look at me, Shen Hui." The delayed fear now flooded through his limbs. Trembling, he cupped Shen Hui's face: "I'm not an illusion. I'm right here."

Shen Hui's eyes were unfocused, watching Yan Gui's lips part and close. It took a long time for him to understand what was said.

His brain slowly processed the meaning. Bloody foam made him cough violently, so weak it felt like his lungs might cough out.

Why was Yan Gui here? How did he get in? Where was Chen Shenzhi?

A series of questions churned in his mind, his barely regained rationality nearly short-circuiting.

In the end, he only managed to choke out one sentence: "Chen Shenzhi... injected me with the third dose of catalyst."

His chaotic mind could no longer strategize, so he handed everything over to Yan Gui. Under the other's astonished gaze, he kissed Yan Gui's lips.

The alpha froze on the spot.

Shen Hui had never been so proactive or passionate before, eagerly trying to part Yan Gui's lips to taste the information in his saliva. But his alpha kept his teeth clenched tight, frustrating Shen Hui to no end.

So he weakly wrapped his arms around Yan Gui's neck, leveraging himself up to bite down hard on the alpha's nape.

The bite was fierce and precise, causing crimson beads of blood to well up, which Shen Hui then licked away with his tongue. He let out a satisfied sigh.

Yan Gui was caught off guard by the bite, almost crying out in pain, but the sensation of Shen Hui's tongue licking his spine sent shivers down his back, making his hair stand on end.

He abruptly pressed Shen Hui's neck down, pinning him to the bed, and bit into the gland on Shen Hui's nape.

It had fully matured, as if a single bite could release its juices.

But the gland was also extremely delicate, sensitive to even the slightest touch, let alone the alpha's sharp canines. The bite felt as if it had struck every nerve in the gland, or even the reproductive cavity.

Shen Hui burst into tears, sobbing as he accepted the overwhelming influx of the alpha's pheromones.

Unsparing and vast, like a torrent washing over the newborn, parched gland and its nerves.

The extreme stimulation made Shen Hui's slender, pale fingers clench the sheets, damp with sweat. Yan Gui stroked the spaces between his fingers, then enveloped his whole hand, lacing their fingers together.

Shen Hui felt as if his whole being was wrapped up too. The alpha's scorching pheromones were there for the taking, surrounding him completely, offering a sense of security.

An omega in the bonding phase needed this, and Shen Hui found it comforting, yet subconsciously, he also felt it was dangerous.

So he shifted restlessly, pressing closer into Yan Gui's embrace. This single movement pushed Yan Gui over the edge.

Yan Gui gritted his teeth, his face tense, clinging to the last shred of rationality.

He gripped Shen Hui's chin with one hand, forcing him to face him: "We need to make this quick. Bear with it. I'll fill you up properly when we get back."

Shen Hui's eyes were dazed, kissing him with a mix of understanding and confusion.

Yan Gui completely lost control.

The effects of the three catalyst doses were exceptionally pronounced. At least during the bonding phase, Shen Hui exhibited all the traits of an omega.

Soft, moist, fragile, sensitive, and utterly yielding.

Yan Gui bit his gland, enveloping him in a bitingly cold blizzard of pheromones, forcing him to endure the invasion of his own scorching scent.

Every inch of the newborn gland's nerves was suffused with warmth. Even the slightest touch made him tremble and cry.

Absolute submission and possession—Yan Gui felt like he was going mad too.

Normally, it would take half the night to satisfy Shen Hui, but now Shen Hui had provoked him into what felt like the greatest shame of his life.

Fortunately, the concentration and volume of his pheromones could still turn the tide.

Shen Hui gritted his teeth and endured it all, finally alleviating the devastating emptiness and craving caused by Raphael and the catalyst.

A long time later, he slowly opened his eyes, his damp, long eyelashes fluttering slightly. His eyes, washed by tears, gleamed like rain-soaked obsidian.

Yan Gui lay fully on top of him, dutifully guarding him and letting him soak in his pheromones. The weight made it hard to breathe, but it felt secure.

He didn't want to move at all, his voice hoarse: "We have to escape."

"How can you walk like this?" Yan Gui shifted, and Shen Hui trembled, closing his eyes to recover for a moment.

Yan Gui chuckled lightly: "Anyone who comes near, I'll burn to ashes."

As soon as he spoke, a wall of flames erupted at the doorway, nearly engulfing Gu Xun, who had come to rescue Shen Hui.

Gu Xun: ...

"Mr. Yan?"

Gu Xun called out tentatively. The wall of flames roared forward, about to reduce him to ashes, but at the last moment, as if heeding a silent warning, it stopped just short of his nose.

Cold sweat broke out on Gu Xun's forehead. Having studied this for years, he knew well that an evolved individual's combat power only increased during the bonding phase. He quickly took out the inhibitor he had prepared and showed it to the flames.

"This is an inhibitor for Shen Hui. It can suppress his bonding phase for three hours. You need to leave quickly!"

The flames listened, then snatched the inhibitor from his hand.

Three minutes later, the two stood before him, barely looking presentable. Shen Hui's hair was still damp, the corners of his eyes flushed red.

Gu Xun seemed to realize something and added belatedly: "After three hours... um... the sensations will double."

Shen Hui's face went numb.

Couldn't you have said that earlier?!

-----------------------

Author's Note: Even if he'd said it earlier, you'd still have to take it, wouldn't you?