“Wow, so scary, I’m terrified.”
Zhan Pingchuan said he was scared, but his hands weren’t behaving, lifting Lance’s collar a bit and bending down to kiss his warm collarbone, pleading pitifully: “If I don’t show off, can I have some soothing pheromones?”
Lance took a deep breath. The kissed spot felt tingly. Although there was no visible mark, it had a strong presence.
“Bad, guy.”
Lance scolded softly, but still wrapped his arms tighter around Zhan Pingchuan’s neck, carefully avoiding his wounds, and released some star magnolia soothing pheromones.
Their pheromone compatibility was extremely high, so the soothing effect was also strong.
Actually, Zhan Pingchuan didn’t need any soothing. His emotions were stable, his wounds were improving, and he had a fragrant beauty in his arms. But at times like this, showing weakness indeed earned some benefits.
Zhan Pingchuan gently stroked Lance’s back, his fingers playing through the red hair, thinking, I’ll just show off one more time. After I get the materials from the third basement level, I’ll listen to you completely.
As a deeply despised member of the Black Lantern Society, this was the first time Lance had used the word “bad” to describe someone.
And he was indeed very indulgent of Zhan Pingchuan’s badness.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of star magnolia, and both of their breathing became long and ambiguous. Their current posture was actually very dangerous; a slight carelessness would lead to things getting out of hand.
Fortunately, both had important matters on their minds, and neither was willing to lose focus.
Lance rested his chin on Zhan Pingchuan’s shoulder, smelling his own pheromones and the sour and bitter ointment, casually asking: “What does the solitary confinement room look like?”
Zhan Pingchuan’s half-closed eyes opened slightly, his hand pausing on Lance’s back: “Curious?”
“Mm.” Lance moved his chin, carefully noting Zhan Pingchuan’s next answer.
Zhan Pingchuan recalled seriously: “Actually, I don’t think the confinement room is scary. The ceiling even has lights, though they’re turned off when someone is confined. But there’s a palm-sized opening in the wall that lets in outside light, so it’s not completely dark.”
Since his old friend was confined in the seventh-floor confinement room, Zhan Pingchuan had carefully observed everything when he went in.
Lance frowned. Honestly, Blue Pivot’s confinement rooms seemed too gentle compared to their iron-blooded style.
Lance continued to ask: “What else? Area, structure, surveillance?”
Zhan Pingchuan: “The room is about thirty square meters, with a simple single bed in the southeast corner. Diagonally across is a camera facing the bed. To the right of the bed is a walnut desk, with the palm-sized ventilation opening above it. In front of the desk is a cloth chair with a backrest, also within the camera’s monitoring range. This area has a regular structure, about three meters wide and eight meters long, with no blind spots.”
Lance: “Simple structure, easy to monitor, not much activity space, but isn’t that less than thirty square meters?”
Zhan Pingchuan patted his back twice: “Let me finish. There’s a bathroom on the inner side, not small, with complete facilities, dry and wet separation, and even a bathtub against the wall. There’s also a palm-sized ventilation opening in the wall, looking out at the rainforest ecological zone. I carefully explored and didn’t find any surveillance equipment in the bathroom.”
Hearing there was no surveillance in the bathroom, Lance’s heart skipped a beat, knowing this was a loophole that could be exploited.
Lance: “So besides the main door, there’s also the ventilation opening that leads to the bathroom?”
Zhan Pingchuan smiled: “Useless. There might not be surveillance inside, but outside is covered with cameras, unless you have invisibility.”
Lance pondered: “We also need to see if the bathroom has hidden rare lead ore. If it does, any ability would be useless.”
Fortunately, what he had sent in didn’t require any ability to work.
Zhan Pingchuan: “I didn’t sense any rare lead ore. Actually, overall, at least when this building was first built, those in power probably had a tolerant attitude toward their subordinates. The so-called confinement room was just a formality.”
Lance was certainly not referring to ordinary confinement rooms. He was worried that Oliver’s bathroom might have rare lead ore, which would not only restrict Oliver’s plant system S-level ability but also eliminate other potential risks.
Lance: “That’s true. The two ventilation openings are quite humane. The builders even worried about the air being too stuffy and damp in the confinement room.”
“Damp?” Zhan Pingchuan’s thoughts stirred.
Lance raised his head, looking at Zhan Pingchuan: “Hmm?”
“Nothing, just suddenly thought that in our Desert City, we don’t have the concept of damp air.” Zhan Pingchuan held the back of Lance’s neck, pressing him against his shoulder again.
The capital city had a subtropical monsoon and monsoon humid climate, with high humidity year-round, completely different from Desert City.
To ensure stable equipment operation and safe data storage, the third basement level must have a very complete temperature and humidity control system.
For such a large area, there would definitely be quite a few ventilation openings.
Zhan Pingchuan had already thought about it. He had a set of advanced equipment, but it would be impossible to hard-control District Seven’s surveillance with a virus for an entire day. What he could do was not expose his pheromones, find the materials related to Si Hongmei before District Seven reacted, and then escape with all his might.
As long as he successfully escaped, if Blue Pivot wanted to investigate who had infiltrated the third basement level, they would have to search the entire restricted area. But this would be like suspecting the Black Lantern Society had undercover agents among Star University freshmen—without evidence, they couldn’t make a case.
But betting on District Seven’s reaction speed involved too much uncertainty. One careless moment, and he would be caught like a turtle in a jar.
So he had been worrying about whether, besides the main door requiring iris unlocking, there were other exits from the third basement level. If his search time was too long, or if District Seven’s people detected surveillance anomalies early, could he escape through other channels?
The fresh air system might be an opportunity.
If this route could be figured out, he might not even need to risk replicating the District One chief’s iris!
Neither of them noticed that their conversation was extremely professional.
Normal people wouldn’t explore all the surveillance like Zhan Pingchuan did when confined. Normal people concerned about their Alpha wouldn’t think about how to exploit loopholes in the confinement room.
But such conversations were so common in their daily lives that they didn’t harbor any suspicions about each other.
“Do you want more?” Lance had been releasing soothing pheromones for a while. The fragrance in the air was too strong and might drift outside the door. After all, this was an intern dormitory, and privacy wasn’t that good.
Zhan Pingchuan came back to his senses, feeling a bit sorry for Lance. The little red fox had waited for him in the corridor, helped apply medicine, and released soothing pheromones. As a righteous and excellent Alpha, how could he ask for more?
“That’s about enough. Just a bite on the gland and I’ll be completely better.” Zhan Pingchuan said shamelessly.
Temporary marks were like delicious food—once tasted, they became addictive.
This was a common trait among Alphas. Once they possessed something, they wanted to keep possessing it. Seeing their claimed Omega without their scent made them feel unbearably uncomfortable.
Lance: “……”
He was just being polite; he didn’t expect the little idiot to actually want more, and even more than that.
The two stared at each other for a long time, seeing whether Lance’s rationality or Zhan Pingchuan’s thick skin would prevail.
Finally, they each took a step back. Lance, with reddened earlobes, gripped Zhan Pingchuan’s shoulders and ground out the words between his teeth: “You can only kiss, not bite.”
Otherwise, parading around Blue Pivot’s District Two with an Alpha’s temporary mark would be like having “I have a sex life” written on his face.
Zhan Pingchuan knew he was taking advantage, but he hadn’t expected Lance to actually compromise.
He found Lance’s increasingly red earlobes very cute, so he pushed his luck and teased: “Be good, baby, expose it yourself. My back hurts when I move.”
“You—” Lance gritted his teeth, almost wanting to bite Zhan Pingchuan’s low, vibrating throat.
But after a moment of embarrassment, he slowly grabbed his red hair and moved it aside, exposing his fair gland.
Based on his lifelong observations, Dream Witch often made her Omega lovers take the initiative too. This must be how Alpha-Omega relationships worked—it was quite normal for Omegas to be proactive.
Zhan Pingchuan was almost triggered into his susceptible period by the scene before him. Sweat that had been dried by the air conditioning instantly surged out again, sliding into his wounds and stinging.
This pure yet seductive appearance was truly deadly.
“How did you become so obedient?” Zhan Pingchuan bent down to press against Lance’s fair gland, unceremoniously rubbing and sucking.
Fortunately, he had managed to take the little fox away. Otherwise, if he had fallen into someone else’s hands, it would be hard for him not to become a thug operating at the edge of the law.
–
In the solitary confinement room on the seventh floor of Blue Pivot, Oliver lay on the bed with steady breathing. All the marks on his body had disappeared, yet he hadn’t regained consciousness.
Si Hongche hadn’t rested for twenty-four hours now. He hadn’t even had time to visit Sui Sui’s grave.
Pinching his brow, his eyeballs bloodshot from extreme fatigue, he struggled to control his temper and asked: “What exactly is going on?”
The recovery system Awakened one hurriedly explained: “Director Si, it was too dangerous this time. He had broken ribs, chest cavity bleeding, and… and was tossed back and forth without anyone noticing. Now the injuries have been repaired, but his mind is still stuck in the memory of severe injury, so he can’t wake up.”
The sky had completely darkened. Oliver was as pale and weak as a corpse. Si Hongche wasn’t even sure if he had truly been healed.
“Can’t you repair his mind?” Si Hongche demanded harshly.
The recovery system Awakened one quickly lowered his head, regretfully saying: “Director Si, not just me, but even the Federation’s strongest recovery system, Chu Fu, probably couldn’t repair the mind.”
Human abilities weren’t divine powers; they always had limitations. If one could control another’s mind, how could one distinguish one’s own will?
Si Hongche impatiently waved his hand: “Get out!”
The recovery system Awakened one picked up his soaked outer garment. At the door, he hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but suggest: “Director Si, there are plenty of young, beautiful Omegas willing to relieve your stress. Why cling to a withered flower? Just let him live or die on his own.”
The recovery system Awakened one wasn’t subordinate to District Two, and recovery systems were rare and precious, so he dared to speak the truth in front of Si Hongche.
Si Hongche’s face instantly darkened. He stared at the recovery system Awakened one with a sinister gaze, warning: “Don’t do anything unnecessary.”
The recovery system Awakened one felt a layer of cold sweat on his back. That indescribable pressure made it difficult to breathe.
An S-level was still an S-level, capable of killing him as easily as crushing an ant.
He nodded repeatedly, his face pale, clutching his outer garment as he hurriedly fled the confinement room.
Si Hongche looked again at the emaciated, haggard Oliver on the bed. Oliver had indeed lost his former glory, and even his personality had changed completely.
As the man had just said, with his current status, he could have any young and beautiful Omega, any cooperative and passionate lover at the wave of a hand.
But he had never thought that way.
No one else would ever occupy all the most painful and beautiful memories of his life. No one else’s fate would be so deeply entangled with his.
From the day he met Oliver, he couldn’t see anyone else.
Si Hongche bit down hard on his jaw, his eyes bloodshot. He reached for Oliver’s neck, but controlled himself at the fragile carotid artery.
“If only you’d tell me where Uriel is, I…”
Si Hongche realized that on the anniversary of Sui Sui’s death, he was actually feeling a trace of emotion for Oliver. His eyes immediately darkened.
He stopped himself in time, withdrew his hand, and walked away with a cold face.
The barrier door closed with a “bang,” and the room filled with recovery pheromones fell into darkness.
Oliver slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the dark ceiling, his eyes lifeless as he whispered: “I… don’t know.”
Although all the physical wounds had been repaired, he still felt bone-deep pain, unable to move.
It was as if his memory was still trapped in that inhumane sexual assault from earlier in the day, unable to break free.
He truly didn’t know where Uriel was. He had said this countless times during whippings and humiliations, through screams, tears, pleas, and hysterical outbursts.
But Si Hongche didn’t believe him.
Just as Si Hongche didn’t believe that before letting Uriel go, Oliver had pierced Uriel’s heart with vines, using his first-tier ability [Heart Questioning].
The answer he got was: no.
Uriel hadn’t killed Si Hongmei.
But the truth that only he could perceive couldn’t serve as evidence, and he couldn’t explain the flawless iron-clad evidence in the Federation government’s hands.
He had once been fixated on Si Hongche’s trust, only to find it was all in vain. Thinking back to those years when he had desperately, pathetically begged for trust, it was as ridiculous as if he had just come out of the AGW ultra-dangerous death row prison, trembling and throwing himself into Si Hongche’s arms, seeking comfort.
He was foolish. It had taken him a long time and years of torture to see reality clearly.
He no longer needed to hope for any trust or pity. The person whose name he had carved on his heart no longer existed.
Oliver closed his eyes.
His life had been muddled, absurd, shameful, base, beyond redemption. In the end, like a withered flower, he was not worth mentioning.
All was silent; even the night wind couldn’t blow in through the ventilation opening.
However, at this moment, a small bug with a whitish shell and two antennae quietly emerged from the cracks of the boxed meal. It clung to the wall, waved its antennae to determine its position, then unhurriedly crawled toward the bed.
After who knows how long, it finally climbed onto the bed. It sprawled with its little legs, rested for a while, then slipped into Oliver’s sleeve.
It followed the fabric from the sleeve to the chest, then from the chest all the way to the collar, finally settling next to the Omega’s warm gland.
Not as soft as its master, and skinny.
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
it’s so good. continue your awesome work. waiting on the next ch.