The training grounds were enclosed, and because daily sessions were incredibly intense, the walls were constructed of a special material with excellent soundproofing and shock-absorption qualities.
No distinct sounds could be heard, nor could any vibrations from the fighting be felt. No one knew what was happening inside.
Except for No. 9.
However, shortly after the little merman entered, No. 9’s holographic image vanished along with him.
Evan remained in his semi-insectoid state, his six eyes blinking anxiously in an alternating pattern.
Everyone was consumed by a restless unease. They worried about their leader’s condition, but they also worried for the safety of the little merman.
Finally, with a soft “shasha” sound, No. 9 reappeared.
Everyone swarmed around immediately: “How is it!?”
No. 9 deliberately hesitated to answer, instead projecting a meme of a very famous interstellar Omega celebrity rolling their eyes.
“I thought I was looking at a group of nervous fathers outside a delivery room.”
Since it could joke, it meant the outcome was positive. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began to complain: “Just tell us already!” “You should be glad you’re a hologram right now, or I’d hit you!” “Speak, speak!”
Knowing everyone was on edge, No. 9 stopped teasing: “An Ming successfully marked the Boss. The Boss has calmed down, and An Ming is uninjured.”
“Phew!” A collective long breath escaped the crowd.
Immediately after, someone asked, “Can we open the door now? The Boss needs to rest, right? The little merman must be exhausted too!”
“Wait a bit longer,” No. 9 said, its voice becoming meaningful. “Give them some time to… compose themselves.”
“Oh~~~” Everyone understood instantly.
Only then did Evan return to his human form and issue orders: “Three orderlies stay on standby. The rest of you, dismissed.”
He added, “Hawk and the others sustained internal injuries; go visit them at staggered times, don’t crowd them.”
“Understood, Adjutant Evan!” “We know!”
The crowd dispersed noisily, though they were disciplined enough not to gossip behind anyone’s back.
In reality, however, their minds were exploding with shock.
The little brother is amazing! The Boss was actually pushed into a pseudo-heat and fell into a Level 3 Berserk state how terrifying!
The Boss’s pheromones are practically demonic, yet the little brother managed to mark him! Incredible! Truly worthy of worship!!!
The Boss isn’t allergic to the little brother after all; they really are a match made in heaven!
Back at the training ground, the insectoid asked, “How much longer?”
No. 9 replied, “Let me check.”
The moment An Ming bit LAN, No. 9 had shut down the high-level surveillance permissions of the training ground, leaving only basic data monitoring. It had developed a sense of shame and was unwilling to pry into others’ privacy.
“The values are still very high!” No. 9 projected a dense table of numbers.
“This long?” The insectoid was puzzled.
“Tsk, isn’t it better if it lasts a while…?”
After waiting for about another ten minutes, No. 9 finally announced: “It’s over!”
The doors to the training ground opened once more, and Evan rushed in. The three orderlies followed closely behind.
The practice mecha had been tossed aside. LAN was lying flat on the specialized metal floor, his eyes closed.
The little merman sat cross-legged beside him, staring blankly at the nearby inhibitor syringe.
Disturbed by the noise, An Ming turned his head slightly and said in a raspy voice, “LAN is very tired. He just fell asleep.”
“Understood.” After checking on LAN, Evan commanded, “Take him to the medical bay. Let the Boss sleep in the treatment pod.”
“Yes, sir!” The three orderlies carried LAN away.
Evan then walked over to the little merman. An Ming kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.
“Were you scared?”
“A little,” the merman shook his head. “Dragon scales emerged on the back of LAN’s neck, and his back was pulsing… I suspect it was wings. I was startled for a moment.”
In truth, his own fish tail had almost manifested as well.
“Are you tired?” the insectoid asked again.
“I’m okay.” After all, he had slept for a long time previously.
“Then… want to go to the bar with me for a chat?”
The little merman finally looked up, his face full of surprise: “A bar?!”
“Yes, the Phoenix has a bar.” Evan smiled, a rare sight. “I’ll buy you a drink.”
A surge of joy rose in An Ming’s heart. Having been bedridden for so long, he hadn’t even had soda, let alone alcohol. Moreover, he had never been to a bar.
The Adjutant led him to the lower level of the ship’s dining area.
The dining hall was vast. Besides the buffet area, there were several small restaurants, all serviced by mechanical arms waiting 24/7.
“No. 9 manages all of this,” Evan explained as they walked further in. “It’s very capable.”
“I heard you praising me!” A mechanical arm near a spicy noodle stall suddenly waved. A sweet, fiery female voice called out, “I love you too!”
Evan chose to ignore it.
The two reached the bar at the very back. It was empty, but a disco ball was spinning, casting multicolored lights everywhere. Evan frowned while An Ming looked around curiously.
“Hey! What can I get for you two?” A handsome young man with black hair and black eyes appeared. He wore a crisp white shirt, a black vest, and a gold bowtie. His hair was slightly wavy and his skin was porcelain-smooth; his appearance was breathtakingly beautiful.
Without a word, Evan’s left hand suddenly transformed into a sharp bone blade, slashing toward the black-haired youth.
Before An Ming could even cry out, the youth’s body twisted and flickered, then returned to normal.
It was a hologram.
“How is it? My new look?” the pleasant boyish voice said gleefully. “It just so happens the ‘Big Blackboard’ was smashed by the Boss, and the little merman gave me some inspiration—”
No. 9 snapped its fingers (silently), and a drone carrying a tray of drinks flew over, placing it on the nearest bar counter.
“Insectoid Fruit Wine. Low alcohol content, very fragrant. Try it, An Ming.”
An Ming’s rut was just ending, and he had just performed a pseudo-marking. The fatigue following the physical surge left him very thirsty, so he didn’t stand on ceremony and took a sip.
“The taste is great,” the little merman commented.
Evan said nothing, picking up a glass and draining it in one gulp.
No. 9 quickly refilled Evan’s glass and continued, “I figured switching to a human form was a great idea. So, I gathered data on thousands of famous Alpha males from the Insectoid Empire over the last century actors, judges, musicians, even handsome house-husbands from wealthy families… after several rounds of modeling… see? Isn’t it handsome?”
“It really is very beautiful,” An Ming praised sincerely.
“Haha, right?” No. 9 was immensely proud. It leaned in close to An Ming and said, “I’m 3D printing it right now; there will be a physical body soon. Want to touch it?”
“Yes,” An Ming nodded seriously.
Evan let out a huff.
No. 9 turned to the insectoid and said, “I’m also going to build myself a huge d—!” It was very loud.
Evan’s hand shifted toward its insectoid form again, but he retracted it helplessly.
What could he possibly do about No. 9?
An Ming chuckled on the side. Thanks to No. 9’s antics, the awkwardness and shock he felt after marking LAN had faded significantly.
As the merman lowered his head to drink, Evan and No. 9 exchanged a glance.
“Ahem, An Ming,” No. 9 called his name. “Now that the emergency is over, I’ll explain things to you in more detail.”
“Hmm?” An Ming held his glass, his innocent blue-grey eyes blinking.
No. 9’s voice became sincere: “Before sending you in, Evan and I had a Plan B. You must believe that I am a program personally designed by LAN; I am incredibly powerful. However, since the low-probability event of LAN being bitten by you had happened before, I used all my processors to run repeated simulations using multiple algorithms this time. Every single result was the same—”
“Over 99.9999% of the time, LAN would be comforted by your Alpha pheromones.”
An Ming opened his mouth: “…”
Actually, when Evan had asked if he was scared earlier, he had given a completely unrelated answer. But now, the alcohol made his mind wander. The embarrassment, anger, displeasure, and even that hidden trace of thrill were all being diluted.
“What we didn’t expect was that LAN would not only be quickly and effectively soothed, but even…” No. 9 struggled to find the right words, momentarily stalling.
“You know, an Omega will uncontrollably lose themselves to a perfectly matched Alpha. But for this to happen to LAN is utterly bizarre. Moreover, he didn’t just lose himself; he even showed signs of… submission.”
“He possesses extremely rare SSS-rank mental power. He was once the Empire’s strongest living weapon invincible and peerless.”
“And you made him behave obediently.”
The little merman seemed slightly tipsy and didn’t react much to what No. 9 was saying.
No. 9 continued: “However, we did indeed put you at risk. Plan B was this: if the Boss remained indifferent to your pheromones, Evan would have entered immediately.”
“Evan’s insectoid armor makes him the only one capable of rescuing you, but if Plan B had been executed, there was a high probability Evan would have been struck by LAN, resulting in severe injury or even death.”
“Thankfully…” No. 9 shuddered exaggeratedly.
An Ming straightened up, looking confused: “Is he this terrifying every time he goes into heat? How did you… get through it before?”
No. 9: “…LAN rarely enters a heat cycle, and he has never lost control like he did today. Usually, during his heat, he would vent by practicing with a mecha like today. If we were at our base planet, he would spread his dragon wings and fly alone over the ocean for a day and a night.”
“This time… it was because he was repeatedly stimulated by you, triggering a powerful pseudo-heat.”
“Oh…” An Ming’s reaction was a bit slow, but he understood.
The little merman’s face was flushed, though whether from the alcohol or something else remained unclear.
“I’ve finished speaking. Big Bug, do you have anything to add?” No. 9 concluded.
“I do.” The insectoid drained another glass of alcohol. Suddenly, he turned to face An Ming directly, standing in a straight, standard military posture. With a sharp “Pa!”, he gave a formal military salute.
An Ming was startled and hurried to face the insectoid.
“I am sorry,” the insectoid’s voice was sincere and powerful. “I hereby formally apologize to you for making you accept such a difficult task without your prior consent.”
“At the same time, I wish to express my gratitude. Thank you for saving him.”
“That’s all.”
An Ming: “…”
He waved his hand bashfully. “Technically, I’m the culprit who caused the mess anyway. Whoever pokes the hole has to plug it… anyway, I’m not a petty person.”
The little merman finished his drink as well. “Thank you both for taking care of me, too.”
“How are you going to thank us?” No. 9 asked abruptly.
“Huh?” An Ming was momentarily dazed.
“If you want to say thanks, show it through action,” No. 9 said. “The drinks have been had. Are we considered friends now?”
Evan timely clinked his glass against the merman’s. Even though both were empty.
“…We are,” An Ming said, his heart suddenly racing.
He hadn’t really had many friends before, only a brother from a past life.
“Friends should do anything for each other,” No. 9 looked at the merman solemnly.
“An Ming, stay with us. I’m asking you.”