Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next day, when Lin Ze opened his eyes, the space beside him was already empty. A faint tingling lingered on the nape of his neck, as if the alpha's breath was still there...

Lin Ze got dressed and went downstairs, but there was no sign of the alpha. He only found out from a servant that the alpha had left very early.

"The General, he's very busy, often leaving early and returning late. It's rare for him to come back as early as he did yesterday."

Lin Ze listened silently. After finishing his meal, he also headed to the academy.

*

Meanwhile, at the Empire's Military and Political Coordination Hall, a place that should have been calm was faintly tinged with an air of fear.

Two clerks in suits knelt on the floor in a cold sweat, hardly daring to breathe as they stared at the shoe tips of the alpha known as the tyrant.

"General, this is classified. We don't have the clearance to view it."

Li Xiujin clenched a cigarette between his teeth, looking down at them with disdain.

The two clerks trembled with fear.

Li Xiujin's voice was cold. "Fu Zhi."

Fu Zhi, who now held a file, spoke up. "Mr. Joyce, your account suddenly received seven million last year."

The clerk named Joyce instantly turned pale.

"With your salary, you probably couldn't earn that much in a lifetime. So, may I ask, where did this money come from?"

"If you're unwilling to say, we'll hand it over for public investigation."

"And Secretary-General Weber, congratulations on your new home. It's a beautiful house. Such a prime location must have cost around twenty million, right? Are secretaries-general's salaries that high now? Must be nice."

The middle-aged man named Weber hurriedly kowtowed toward the alpha, then ordered Joyce, "Go! Use the cipher key to open the system, quickly!"

Joyce scrambled away.

Half an hour later, Li Xiujin held a classified file that had been sealed for seven years.

"Su Jingyuan? The eldest son of the Su family? How is he also connected to the incident from seven years ago?" Fu Zhi voiced his confusion after looking at the list.

Li Xiujin closed the file, his expression inscrutable.

The car came to a smooth stop. Fu Zhi glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "General, we're home."

Fu Zhi read a text message from a servant and reported, "Colonel Lin hasn't returned yet."

"Teachers at Huahai Academy usually get off work promptly at six o'clock. However, Colonel Lin seems to work until late at night. Before marrying you, he often slept directly at the academy. Yet, despite such a heavy workload, his salary isn't higher than others'; in fact, it's a grade lower..."

Fu Zhi spoke while observing Li Xiujin's expression.

Li Xiujin's brow slowly furrowed, and he let out a cold snort.

"Let's go see what exactly this Colonel Lin is so busy with."

Fu Zhi promptly agreed and drove to the academy.

When they got there, Fu Zhi said, "The previous principal of Huahai Academy was Lin Wensheng, Colonel Lin's uncle. After the accident seven years ago, it was he who, despite immense public pressure, allowed Colonel Lin to return to the academy. However, three years ago, Lin Wensheng suddenly resigned voluntarily, and Su De became the principal."

"Quite a coincidence. Su De is Su Jingyuan's man. Some time ago, when you attended the Su family's banquet, Su De even tried to strike up a conversation with you, but you were too busy with official duties to pay him any attention."

"General, do you need me to notify him now?"

"No need," Li Xiujin replied.

Fu Zhi found a student to ask about Lin Ze's whereabouts. The student told them he was in his office. When they went there, they didn't see Lin Ze. Instead, they overheard some people chatting in a clean, bright office.

"If I were the one who caused so many deaths, I would never have the nerve to keep living. I would have killed myself long ago."

"But he has faced retribution. I heard his fiancée broke off the engagement with him."

"And many students dislike him, deliberately causing trouble and humiliating him in his classes."

"How does he react to that?"

"He doesn't react much. What reaction can you expect from such a cold-blooded person?"

Fu Zhi cautiously glanced at Li Xiujin's face, which was as dark as still water.

The conversation inside continued.

"But..."

"But what?"

"But I think Professor Lin is a good person. When I first joined, Professor Lin helped me..."

Fu Zhi made a noise to interrupt them.

All eyes were drawn to the sound outside, or rather, to the tall, sinister-looking alpha. The intense pressure he exuded silenced them all.

"Hello, may I ask where Colonel Lin is?" Fu Zhi inquired.

The woman who had spoken in Lin Ze's defense stepped forward. "Professor Lin... he should be in his office."

"Could you take us to his office?"

"Of course, of course."

When they arrived, the office was empty. The woman apologized awkwardly. "Colonel Lin is very busy. Sometimes even we can't find him. Let me go ask around for you."

"Alright, thank you for the trouble."

After the woman left, Li Xiujin walked straight into Lin Ze's office.

It was a very cramped and chilly office. Inside was a small desk piled high with thick files. Li Xiujin picked one up at random; it contained detailed notes on student work. As he put it down, he noticed a lunchbox containing cold, wilted food.

Fu Zhi remarked, "This seems to be Colonel Lin's lunch. It's already three in the afternoon, and he hasn't had time to eat? But the other teachers seem quite leisurely."

Li Xiujin's gaze then fell on the single bed in the corner. It was very small and narrow. One could almost imagine how the other person had to curl up their legs to lie on it, spending one cold night after another.

"Huahai Academy enrolls mostly children from wealthy families and receives substantial funding each year. You can tell from the other teachers' offices. But the conditions here for Colonel Lin seem a bit too rudimentary..."

"Colonel Lin might have indeed made a mistake seven years ago, but his previous merits were earned with his life. From what I understand, Colonel Lin has been very diligent and responsible in his teaching position at the academy. Such treatment does seem somewhat excessive..."

Li Xiujin's expression gradually darkened.

On the training field stood many sixteen- or seventeen-year-old alphas.

Lin Ze pulled down the projection screen and began playing instructional videos on close-quarters combat techniques for them.

At first, they were paying close attention, but soon, whispers started up among them. Then the screen flickered and changed to a news report.

The footage was from seven years ago, showing a bloodied and disheveled young man at the center of the screen.

"Colonel Lin, your teacher and classmates are all dead. How do you feel right now?"

"Colonel Lin, did you kill them?"

"Are you truly repentant, or are you trying to escape legal punishment?"

The reporters' questions were accompanied by the mocking laughter of a group of young alphas.

"Professor Lin, is that you in there?" asked an alpha with a buzz cut. Lin Ze quickly recognized him as Li Xiaoyang, the leader among the unruly alphas, who often used various methods to humiliate him.

Lin Ze turned off the screen and calmly replied, "Yes."

"So, can you answer the reporters' questions now?" Li Xiaoyang asked with malicious intent.

"Since you don't want to watch, we'll go straight to training. Double the intensity from yesterday."

Gasps echoed from below.

Li Xiaoyang angrily cursed, "Damn it."

Lin Ze saw the omega teaching assistant standing outside the training room. After instructing someone to keep an eye on the students, he walked out.

The omega had seen the malice of these kids and asked angrily, "Why aren't you angry? Why don't you teach them a proper lesson?"

Lin Ze smiled weakly.

Compared to death, what was a little malice?

At least he could still stand here.

The omega added, "There are two people looking for you. They're at your office now."

"Looking for me? Do you recognize who they are?"

The omega shook his head. "No, but they both seem like big shots, especially that tall alpha. Just one glance from him made my legs tremble."

He returned to his office to find it empty.

"Weird, they were just here a moment ago," the omega said, puzzled.

But Lin Ze caught a faint, eerily familiar scent of pheromones that made his heart race. He trembled slightly...

Was it an alpha?

After that, Lin Ze grew restless. He didn't understand why the alpha had come looking for him, only to leave without meeting him.

This time, he didn't dare return too late. At eight o'clock, he hurriedly put on his coat and took the bus back through the icy snow. However, when he saw the brightly lit villa, his heart still skipped a beat. Steeling himself, he walked inside...

The alpha was indeed sitting in the living room. It seemed he had attended some major event, as he was wearing a military uniform, which made him appear even more imposing and authoritative.

He held a cigarette between his lips, staring at Lin Ze, his eyes appearing particularly sinister under the light.

That night, Lin Ze endured the shame and obediently turned his back, expecting the alpha to embrace him from behind.

But the alpha didn't. Instead, he gripped Lin Ze's face, scrutinizing him freely.

"In a couple of days, I'll call Su De and inform him that you need to take a leave from your teaching duties due to health reasons."

It took Lin Ze a moment to understand what he meant. His eyes widened slightly.

Resign...

"No, I can't resign..." Lin Ze's face turned pale.

"No?" The alpha tightened his grip on Lin Ze's chin. "Do you have the right to refuse?"

Lin Ze felt humiliated and struggled.

"If you don't want to be confined to your home, lying in bed and being inseminated..."

The alpha let out a gloomy laugh. "Then obediently listen to your husband."

Author's Note:

^^If you feel sorry for your wife, just say it properly, General Li.