Chapter 9

Chapter 9

That night, Wen Jueqian spent the whole night caught in a jumble of dreams.

As he slept, he unconsciously tightened his arms, pulling Wen Yanxu closer.

Wen Yanxu was woken by him. An alpha's night vision was sharp, and he could clearly see Wen Jueqian's furrowed brow, his body trembling slightly as he clung to him.

Unsure what nightmare he was having, a quiet tenderness welled up inside him.

Wen Yanxu didn't wake Wen Jueqian. He just raised a hand and patted his back, slow and steady.

"It's okay, I'm here," he said softly, like he was coaxing a child to sleep, his voice impossibly gentle.

Wen Jueqian's brow slowly smoothed out.

When he woke the next morning, it was already light out.

Wen Yanxu was still asleep, his breathing even.

Wen Jueqian watched him for a moment, then quietly got up to wash.

Standing at the sink, he looked in the mirror and told himself:

Since I can't predict what's coming, I'll be ready for anything.

Today, he'd stick to Wen Yanxu's side like glue.

That morning, Wen Yanxu changed into his white lab coat, ready to head to the lab.

"You coming with me today?"

Wen Jueqian nodded without a second thought. "Yeah."

Wen Yanxu teased, "Suddenly interested in the lab again?"

Wen Jueqian didn't answer, just followed in silence.

Wen Yanxu reached out, ruffled his hair, then took his hand. "Let's go."

Getting into Sector 2's core research zone meant passing through three security checkpoints. As Wen Jueqian followed Wen Yanxu through, swiping his card, the machine beeped: "Access granted."

Wen Jueqian's eyes instinctively flicked to the screen beside him, where a full line of info popped up:

"Visitor: Wen Jueqian · Temporary Clearance · Family of Wen Yanxu"

Those last two words gave him pause.

He turned to look at Wen Yanxu, only to meet the man's gaze.

Wen Yanxu's expression barely changed, but Wen Jueqian could clearly see a smug, self-satisfied glint in his eyes.

Family.

Whatever, Wen Jueqian sighed to himself. After all these years, he was used to Wen Yanxu's stubborn, childish possessiveness in certain things.

He didn't say anything, just followed him in.

To get into the molecular synthesis lab, you had to go through full decontamination and suit up in full protective gear, face shield included.

Once inside, Wen Jueqian realized the lab was bigger than he'd expected.

The researchers wore the same white suits as him, and through their face shields, all you could see were their focused eyes. Some were running instruments, some were logging data, some were murmuring to each other.

Wen Yanxu quietly explained what each area was for, his voice a bit muffled behind the face shield.

————

After leaving the synthesis lab, they crossed a sky bridge linking two buildings.

The walkway was a fully enclosed glass tube. From up high, the whole layout of Sector 2 spread out below.

Close by were clusters of buildings, further out were neatly arranged green spaces, and beyond that, the sea was a faint line on the horizon.

Wen Jueqian's gaze swept past the window and suddenly snagged on something.

To the southeast sat a building that stuck out like a sore thumb among the orderly rows.

It looked like it was built years ago, pretty big, but now totally abandoned. Years of sea wind had left the exterior walls blotchy, and vines had slowly crept over the walls, doors, and windows.

The whole place stood like a ruin forgotten by time and people, perched on this lonely island.

Wen Jueqian walked to the edge of the walkway and studied it closely.

He thought back to the passage written from Qiao Yuexun's point of view, the first time he'd met Wen Yanxu.

"That pheromone scent hit out of nowhere.

The cloying sweetness of datura rolled in like a sudden tide, soaking Qiao Yuexun to the bone.

It was an S-class alpha's pheromone.

The crushing pressure made him want to submit on instinct. Every Omega instinct in him nearly buckled under that presence.

But at the same time, something deep and inexplicable tugged at him, urging him closer, pulling him toward the source of that scent.

Qiao Yuexun gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay rational.

The 7th-Gen Inhibitor he'd injected earlier kicked in right then. It steadied his pheromones and held back the Omega's instinctive heat response. He could feel the pull in his body, but he wasn't pushed into full heat.

Qiao Yuexun figured something must have gone wrong on the island.

A pheromone surge this strong couldn't be a normal alpha's rut.

Qiao Yuexun didn't hesitate. He pushed the door open, dodged the panicked staff, and slipped outside. The air outside smelled of salt and sea, but the crushing weight of the datura pheromones was even stronger. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to move.

Away from that direction.

He hugged the edge of the buildings, heading west, dodging surveillance cameras and patrol bot sweeps until he reached the edge of the clinical zone.

Suddenly, footsteps. Qiao Yuexun instinctively ducked behind a building's side wall.

Six people in black tactical gear walked past up ahead. Their uniforms had a patch on them.

Rustfire.

Qiao Yuexun recognized the insignia—it belonged to a major mercenary outfit.

The six of them headed toward the core research zone.

Sure enough, something had gone wrong on the island.

He waited until the group was far enough away before emerging. He couldn't go back—the clinical observation area had already fallen into chaos—and going forward was out of the question, since more mercenaries could land from that direction.

He needed to find somewhere to hide and wait for things to settle down.

Qiao Yuexun looked around, his gaze landing on another direction within the core research zone.

The most dangerous place was the safest.

He walked for what felt like an endless distance.

A dilapidated building came into view.

Its exterior walls were mottled, the windows shattered, and vines crawled over the walls. The open ground in front was overgrown with weeds.

He was about to look away for another hiding spot when he froze.

On the steps in front of the building sat a man.

He wore a white lab coat, with a tall, lean frame, head lowered, one hand resting against his forehead, the other dangling at his side.

That oppressive Datura pheromone was radiating from him in an unending stream.

This was the S-class Alpha in the throes of a severe rut.

Qiao Yuexun's footsteps halted.

His rational mind told him to leave immediately, to get as far away from this dangerous Alpha as possible, but his body seemed as if nailed to the spot, unable to move.

Because that sweet, cloying Datura scent was drawing him in irresistibly.

Qiao Yuexun's heartbeat quickened.

He knew what this was.

It was the almost fated pull between a highly compatible Alpha and Omega.

The Alpha seemed to notice something and slowly raised his head.

That face came into view.

Sharp features, cold eyes and sharp brows, a high-bridged nose—even with his brow furrowed, the face was stunningly handsome.

The Omega's pupils dilated involuntarily, and he caught his breath.

In that moment, a single thought crossed his mind—

So this is what destiny looks like.

This was the moment of their fated meeting.

Wen Jueqian stood at the glass window of the skywalk, staring at the abandoned building in the distance.

Just as the storyline described.

"What was that building for?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Wen Yanxu followed his gaze to the derelict building.

"An old lab building. It's been out of use for years."

"Why hasn't it been torn down?"

"There's leftover experimental material and equipment inside. It's a hassle to deal with."

Wen Yanxu's answer was simple: "And its location doesn't affect the current layout, so it's just been left there."

Wen Jueqian's gaze lingered on the building for a long time.

==========Author's Note:==========

Wen Jueqian: Unconditionally believes in Wen Yanxu's abilities.