Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The inhibitor injection provided only temporary relief.

At this moment, Wen Yanxu's mind was as cold as ice.

He knew the situation was critical and that he needed to take charge. Meanwhile, his beloved had gotten into an accident and mysteriously vanished—and was waiting for him to come save her.

Wen Yanxu took a deep breath.

His voice was clear and forceful. "Activate Jueying Island's automatic defense platform, deploy the drone swarm, and connect the real-time feeds."

"Get the armed helicopters ready for takeoff, but do not leave the island's air defense perimeter. Move the armored vehicles to a standby position near the security center."

"Additionally, immediately attempt to contact Aegis headquarters and the Federal Coast Guard to request reinforcements."

After a brief silence, the security chief said, a note of despair in his voice, "Mr. Wen, communications have been cut off. All external frequencies, including the backup satellite lines, are completely dead."

At this grim news, Wen Yanxu's expression darkened for only a moment before he quickly regained his composure.

He said, "Then activate the military-grade shields for Zones 1 and 2. From now on, the core research area is completely sealed—nobody in, nobody out. All labs will initiate the mechanical emergency lockdown system.

"All personnel in other areas will head to the nearest underground shelter per the emergency response plan."

"I'm temporarily transferring command of the security center to you. Execute the defense as ordered. I'm on my way."

With that, Wen Yanxu hung up.

"Zhuang Yi, round up everyone who's still conscious. We're moving out now."

"But Mr. Wen, your condition..." Zhuang Yi trailed off, eyeing the cold sweat on his forehead.

"Execute the order."

Wen Yanxu said nothing more, turned, and strode toward the elevator. The others immediately fell in behind him.

Outside was already pure chaos.

Panicked screams, blaring alarms, distant explosions, and gunfire all merged into one chaotic din.

Wen Yanxu pulled open the car door and was just about to get in.

A figure suddenly darted out from the side and blocked his path.

It was an Omega.

One hand braced against the car door, chestnut hair slightly mussed from running, amber eyes locked directly on Wen Yanxu.

Wen Yanxu's gaze swept over the blocker patch on the back of his neck and the body trembling slightly at being so close to an Alpha.

Qiao Yuexun was sizing Wen Yanxu up as well.

The explosions, gunfire, and chaos on the island told him immediately that something was wrong.

Instead of heading for the shelter with everyone else, he chose to go it alone. He knew that in times like this, the more chaos there was, the less he should follow the crowd—he should use the chaos to his advantage.

He quickly found his target.

The air was thick with a cloying datura scent—the smell of an S-grade Alpha's pheromones. The closer he got to that direction, the stronger it became.

His Omega instincts were stirring too—the urge to submit, the urge to draw closer—wrapping around him like creeping vines.

Qiao Yuexun didn't yield to instinct. The 7th-Gen Inhibitor in his system was doing its job, keeping him rational.

Wen Yanxu—heir to Aegis, top commander of the research center—was currently in his susceptible period.

Pushing through that suffocating pressure, Qiao Yuexun spoke first.

"Mr. Wen, are you in your susceptible phase?"

Wen Yanxu's gaze turned wary and assessing. He said nothing, but the look alone was already a form of pressure.

Qiao Yuexun continued, "I'm an S-grade Omega. I can offer my pheromones to calm you down."

With that, without waiting for Wen Yanxu's reply, he released a hint of his own pheromones.

The cool, crisp scent of tuberose drifted through the air, tangling subtly with the cloying sweetness of datura.

Qiao Yuexun dared to do this because he had his own reasons.

The moment he caught Wen Yanxu's pheromones, he felt that pull from deep in his soul.

"I can feel it," he said. "Our compatibility is high."

The raging pheromones radiating from Wen Yanxu visibly eased, and the suffocating pressure lessened.

His body went rigid for a moment.

Alpha instinct screamed wildly inside him: get closer, mark him, claim this Omega who fits him so perfectly.

But he simply closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, all that remained was a calm bordering on ruthless resolve.

"Keep releasing your pheromones. Come with me."

With that, he gestured for Qiao Yuexun to get into the car.

Qiao Yuexun hesitated for a moment, then quickly recovered and climbed in. The moment the door shut, he settled in beside Wen Yanxu, steadily releasing his pheromones.

The car raced toward the command center.

Qiao Yuexun stayed silent, like a professional human pacifier.

He knew his role and he knew his goal—in the middle of all this chaos, grab every opportunity that came his way.

The pheromones were clearly working. Wen Yanxu's rationality didn't keep crumbling, but his brow stayed furrowed.

Qiao Yuexun watched his profile without a word.

The security command center was in Zone 5.

The heavy alloy doors slid open after identity verification, revealing a room full of screens.

The clamor of voices, clatter of keyboards, and system alerts all merged into a tense hum.

The moment Wen Yanxu walked in, every sound briefly stopped.

"Continue working." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the command center.

People quickly returned to their stations, but countless eyes still followed him.

Wen Yanxu walked straight toward the central command console.

Standing there was already the security chief, Chen Feng—a rugged, burly former military Alpha.

Chen Feng visibly relaxed when he saw him, but then noticed his state and Qiao Yuexun behind him, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"Brief me." Wen Yanxu didn't explain, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes, sir." Chen Feng immediately pointed to the central screen, which displayed a 3D projection of Jueying Island and its surrounding waters.

"Thirty-seven minutes ago, four unidentified medium-sized armed vessels approached from the northeast and launched a surprise attack from ten nautical miles out. They used electromagnetic pulse rounds—the first wave knocked out our perimeter radar array and part of our communication antennas."

"Drone footage shows this emblem on the hulls."

The image switched to a magnified insignia: a wild flame burning at the center of a gun.

Chen Feng explained, "This is the insignia of the Rustfire mercenary group."

A collective gasp rippled through the command center.

Rustfire.

A notorious international mercenary organization with no loyalties, only interests—if the price was right, they'd do anything. They were ruthless, stopped at nothing, and never left survivors.

The Federal Security Bureau and the Imperial Order's Protection Department had placed bounties on them for years, yet these desperados were still active.

Jueying Island being targeted by a pack of hyenas was enough to make everyone's heart sink.

"What about our countermeasures?" Wen Yanxu broke the tense silence.

Chen Feng pulled up a combat replay. "The automated defense platforms are up—we've sunk one of their ships."

He pointed to another split screen. "But they came prepared. Their ships have anti-missile systems, so our interception rate is only around 50%. Two interceptor boats from the harbor are already out there engaging them."

Wen Yanxu stared at the screen, his mind spinning.

The enemy's tactics were clear: cut communications first to block any hope of backup, then suppress with firepower and hit head-on. But they wouldn't stop there.

"Deploy all underwater detectors, focusing on the waters near the core research zone. Tell the interceptor boats not to chase anything past the island's automated defense coverage."

He spoke fast. "Get the helicopters in the air, but keep them over the island—just for deterrence. Turn on all ground surveillance across the island. I want to know if anyone's already on the ground."

"Yes, sir!"

Orders were relayed fast, and Wen Yanxu stood like a rock in the chaos, everyone moving on his command.

Qiao Yuexun's gaze unconsciously followed this Alpha too.

His orders were clear, his demeanor calm—without realizing it, he'd already given everyone in the room strength. Qiao Yuexun noticed the panic and fear in the staff's eyes had mostly faded.

They all believed this Alpha could lead them to victory against the attackers.

With the command center situation stabilized for now, Wen Yanxu finally opened his personal terminal. His fingers flew across the screen, typing in a complex set of authorization codes to pull up a special tracking interface.

The screen lit up, displaying a detailed map of Jueying Island, with a tiny green dot blinking steadily on the map.

This was Wen Jueqian's location tracker.

He carried a bio-chip custom-made by the Wen family for its members. It used the latest tech, ran independently of external networks, and communicated with specific satellites via dedicated signals—nearly impossible to jam or interfere with. Unless the wearer died or the tracker was physically destroyed, the signal would keep going.

Right now, that green dot was steady, still in Sector One.

Even though he'd already confirmed Wen Jueqian's position on his way here, checking again that he hadn't been moved gave him some relief.

Wen Yanxu stared at that spot, his eyes darkening.

At least Wen Jueqian was in the safest place on the island, with stable vitals. The military-grade shield in Sector One was up, enough to take a direct missile hit. And from the inside, without his authorization, nobody could open it.

Whatever reason they took Wen Jueqian for, they'd eventually make their demands.

So he was safe for now.

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

Procrastination hit me hard last night—didn't finish the 3,000 words until the early morning.