The night wind blew. Blood-stained white long hair…
Shen Yue said nothing. His expression was ice-cold, devoid of any warmth. The pitiful, frail act from moments ago shattered like a mirror in the moonlight. The night wind swept through, lifting his blood-stained white long hair. His demeanor was aloof and detached, yet his features were strikingly beautiful, like a deity, like a demon. He gazed indifferently at the man at his feet, as if looking at an insignificant ant.
“What Awakened? I’m just a weak, pitiful, helpless disabled person.”
The coppery-scented alpha let out a furious roar, instantly releasing all the pheromones from his gland. The stench of copper and rust burst through a crack in the grip of the floral scent. Shen Yue lunged forward, but the alpha had already charged at him with explosive speed. The two collided violently.
“Bam—” Shen Yue’s slender body was sent flying into an old, broken cabinet, which shattered into pieces on the spot. Lifting his head with difficulty from the swirling dust, Shen Yue’s gaze fell on the hand now violently gripping his throat. Several brownish lines extended along the alpha’s arm, and his muscles began to swell unnaturally into bulging masses. The alpha’s other arm formed a fist and came smashing down toward him.
Shen Yue pressed his left hand against the alpha’s abdomen and immediately opened fire at close range. The Glock 18 could fire in rapid succession. Smoke billowed as countless bullets embedded themselves into the alpha’s body. Even if they couldn’t inflict real damage, the sheer impact from such close range forced the alpha backward. The fist that had been hurtling toward him landed on Shen Yue’s shoulder instead. Shen Yue let out a muffled grunt, his expression unchanged. He discarded the gun, raised his arm, and drove his elbow into the back of the alpha’s neck. The hand gripping his throat immediately released him.
Shen Yue remained motionless against the wall, coldly staring at this alpha.
The coppery-scented alpha staggered back a few steps, steadied himself, and then let out a sinister smile.
“My bones are forged from steel. Bullets can’t kill me!”
“You fucking bitch. Whoever you are, I’m going to fuck you until your skin splits open. I’ll torture you until you’re barely breathing, then sell you to the red-light district to make you the cheapest, filthiest whore!”
The alpha lunged forward, swinging his fist. The moment his fierce, violent eyes met Shen Yue’s, thick roseleaf raspberry fragrance flooded the air. A flicker of something unusual passed through Shen Yue’s deep, pitch-black pupils. The alpha’s eyes instantly glazed over, his body suddenly losing all control. In the blink of an eye, Shen Yue’s left hand caught the dagger tossed from his right hand and stabbed it directly into the alpha’s chest.
The moment his gaze shifted, the coppery-scented alpha regained his senses. From the corner of his eye, he watched Shen Yue’s movements and sneered in a raspy voice:
“I told you, my body’s like iron. Nothing can—”
But right before his eyes, the thin, short blade sank into his chest as if entering an empty room. The next second, it pierced straight through his heart. The steel defense he had prided himself on was like a sheet of paper. Blood sprayed in all directions, and the alpha let out a pained, agonized scream.
Shen Yue kicked the man away. The alpha collapsed to the ground, blood gurgling from his mouth and nose, his limbs twitching and convulsing. As the coppery scent of his pheromones dissipated, his body went limp and fell silent.
Shen Yue pressed his lips together and pulled his right arm free from the wooden splinters. The mercenary had slammed him into the wooden cabinet earlier, and the shattered fragments had pierced through his right arm. Yet he hadn’t made a single sound. Now, as blood gushed from the wound, he only furrowed his brows slightly. With a small twist, he straightened up.
He walked over to the one-eyed alpha, searched the body for the keys, and unlocked the shackles on the villagers who had been huddled in the corner, pinned down and unable to move by the high-ranking pheromones.
“Go, quickly,” he said softly.
The villagers scrambled to their feet, helping one another as they fled in panic.
Only after the villagers had left did Shen Yue finally give out, dropping to one knee. His clenched jaw relaxed, and blood immediately spilled from the corner of his mouth. He covered his mouth with his hand and coughed violently. Flecks of blood dripped slowly through his fingers. The rich fragrance of roseleaf raspberry flowers that had filled the air moments ago suddenly turned faint, even slightly bitter, like the decaying scent of a wilting flower on the verge of death.
Shen Yue didn’t seem to mind. He casually wiped the corner of his mouth and stood up, pulling the dagger from the chest of the coppery-scented alpha, whose eyes remained wide open in death.
Breathing heavily, he made his way toward the door. His face was as pale as paper. A bloody handprint was left behind on the wooden door he leaned against.
Before entering the cabin, Shen Yue had already noticed that someone had been there. Although not very conspicuous, the tracks of LOWA combat boots on the damp, rain-soaked ground had been clear enough for Shen Yue to see. He had thought that person had finally found him. But upon second thought, if that person had come to capture him, they wouldn’t have left such a ridiculous clue. Then Shen Yue recalled what the doctor at the clinic had said, that many villagers had gone missing recently, and that he shouldn’t come for treatment in the middle of the night; daytime would be safer.
So when the black bag was thrown over his head, Shen Yue hadn’t resisted too much. And just as he had suspected, they were mercenaries hunting for high-rank glands. Only this group was exceptionally powerful, their leader was actually an S-rank alpha. Given his current physical condition, a head-on confrontation with an S-rank offered no guarantee of victory. He had to wait for an opportunity to take down the enemy with a single strike. That was why he had targeted the S-rank alpha’s gland first, to prevent him from using his ability. Only then would he have a chance to save the others. The remaining three A-rank alphas, while still formidable, were far less dangerous than an S-rank. With proper execution, he could take them down in an instant.
He just didn’t expect the last A-rank alpha to have a defensive-type ability, immune to bullets. He had no choice but to use the short dagger.
Still, he hadn’t been able to save everyone. Thinking of the villagers who had died brutal deaths, Shen Yue closed his eyes briefly, enduring the agonizing, scorching dizziness pounding through his head. Limping heavily, he made his way toward a brick-and-wood building. Although the rain was about to stop, flames had already erupted outside the structure. The explosion earlier had come from here.
These mercenaries had not only kidnapped those villagers. The village was surrounded by mountains, the land barren and sparsely populated. Most of those left behind were betas. Any alphas or omegas still around were already seventy or eighty years old, very elderly. For mercenaries to come to a place like this to kidnap people was highly unusual. The cypress-scented alpha’s words had confirmed that. These human traffickers had likely abducted satisfactory goods from elsewhere. But when they came up one short, the military took notice. Forced to hide out in this village, they decided to try their luck, to see if there was any merchandise barely decent enough to secure the full payment from their employer.
That meant there were still six hostages. And there would certainly be someone guarding them.
Shen Yue gripped his dagger tightly. The fragrance of roseleaf raspberry flowers drifted swiftly toward the brick-and-wood building. Suddenly, a figure crashed through the building’s door and flew out. Judging by their size, they appeared to be only six or seven years old, a child.
Without a second thought, Shen Yue lunged forward and caught the child. The two of them crashed heavily onto the muddy ground, splashing filthy water high into the air.
“Damn it! Kicking me like that? I’ll pluck every last one of your feathers!”
“Let go of me, you goddamn human traffickers!”
The child instinctively assumed that the person he had collided with was one of the thugs and began kicking and hitting wildly. Although just a kid, his weight was surprisingly substantial. Shen Yue’s already frail, tottering body couldn’t withstand the impact of their fall, and he immediately coughed up blood.
He struggled to steady himself, holding the thrashing child in his arms as he wrapped the small, soft body in a soothing pheromone blanket.
“Cough… cough… don’t be afraid… I’m not one of them…”
The child, calmed by the pheromones, stopped struggling. Shen Yue wiped the blood from his face and was about to comfort him when their eyes met. In that instant, Shen Yue froze. Then his entire body began to tremble, and a storm of disbelief surged through his heart like tidal waves.
The boy was extraordinarily handsome, ink-black brows sweeping toward his temples, a high-bridged nose. Although still young with a hint of baby fat, he already bore the resemblance of that person. His features were bold and handsome, but beneath his right eye, bright, black, and round, lay a tear mole, softening his wild, unrestrained aura and making him appear more delicate and gentle.
Shen Yue had never imagined he would see him here, at this time. The very reason he had returned to this land was to catch a glimpse of him. But he didn’t expect it to be so sudden, so abrupt that it caught him completely off guard. For a rare moment, he was utterly stunned.
“Who are you?” The boy, still lying on top of him, frowned as he studied Shen Yue.
The way he furrowed his brows made him look even more like that person, just slightly more youthful, without that overwhelming sense of pressure.
Shen Yue pressed his lips together. He didn’t know what to say. All he could do was hold the child tightly, his body trembling like a fallen leaf, his heart flooded with a mix of ecstasy and bitterness.
“I… I am—”
Suddenly, a sharp, baby-like cry rang out from inside the building. The flames crackled as they devoured the wooden planks, billowing thick black smoke.
The boy whipped his head around, clicked his tongue in annoyance, and cursed, “That damn bird really isn’t dead.”
A figure drenched in blood emerged from the black smoke. His camouflage uniform was tattered and burned. A long horn grew from his head, and dense feathers covered his arms. His face twisted with ferocity as he glared at them. Then, an overwhelming scent of burning charcoal transformed into a massive hand, pressing down upon them like an all-encompassing sky.
Shen Yue’s eyes widened in shock. There was actually another S-rank alpha!
“You little beast, go to hell!”
The alpha’s throat emitted a continuous, trembling infant’s wail, a sound that chilled the blood like a violent storm in the dead of night. Shen Yue reached out and tightly covered the boy’s ears, pressing him against his chest. The mental pressure of the piercing sound made him dizzy, and at the heart of the sonic waves, a vortex of flames surged toward them.
Gu Diao[1]“蠱雕 (gǔ diāo / Gu Diao)” is a creature from ancient Chinese mythology. It’s typically described as a hybrid beast—often depicted with features combining a bird and a horned animal, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2113053_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2113053_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Awakened. S-rank ability: Infant Cry.
Attributes: Fire and Spirit. Attack-type ability.
The Awakened produced a baby’s cry resembling that of a Gu Diao. The eerie sound waves induced unease and fear in the enemy while simultaneously forming a fiery vortex to burn them.
In the instant the wave of flames rushed toward them, Shen Yue used the last of his strength to turn his back to the fire, wrapping the child in layers of roseleaf raspberry fragrance, leaving no gap exposed.
Just as the flames were about to scorch Shen Yue’s back, the piercing infant cry came to an abrupt halt, as if something had violently seized its throat. A fragrance, pure, rich, and unfathomably deep, spread through the air, instantly extinguishing the charcoal-like pheromones.
This scent was calm and unhurried, carrying the unyielding, dominant nobility of one born to rule. Before it, any other pheromones had no choice but to bow in submission, just like its master, lofty and untouchable.
Everything seemed to press pause. The flames froze mid-air, their glow only accentuating the paleness of Shen Yue’s face.
The fragrance dispelled the mental agony caused by the infant cry, but now Shen Yue found himself sinking into even deeper shock and panic. He turned his head in dismay and looked up, meeting a pair of ice-cold eyes that, even amidst the smoke and gunfire, still looked down upon all with disdain.
“Damn it, old man, why are you so slow? If you’d been any later, the Ren family line would’ve ended!” the boy shouted, flailing about.
A man stood atop a tree on the opposite side. His black coat billowed in the wind, the corners fluttering wildly. His face was incomparably handsome, like a deity descending from the heavens. A massive, full moon stood behind him. He didn’t utter a single word, yet his overwhelming presence crashed down upon them, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
Those pitch-black pupils, dark as the deepest night, fixed firmly on Shen Yue, narrowing into a long, sharp, piercing arc. Shen Yue gazed back expressionlessly, but upon closer inspection, one could see his lips pressed tightly together, the lines of his cheeks taut and rigid. The body holding the child trembled faintly.
One stood high above, the other down below. In that moment, everything seemed frozen. Apart from the crackling of the burning flames, an utter silence enveloped the surroundings.
Shen Yue felt pierced by the icy coldness within those eyes, a coldness like an abyss. He lowered his gaze, his body instinctively shrinking back. Muddy water splashed onto his face, making him appear even more at a loss.
The man slowly curled the corners of his lips into a mocking and utterly terrifying smile.
“You two…” The boy looked suspiciously at the old man, then turned back to look at the beautiful man holding him, who was trembling uncontrollably. Normally, when he talked like that, the old man would fire back with something like, “My junk works just fine, you unlucky little brat. If you got yourself killed, I could just start over with a new account.” But today, he didn’t respond at all. He didn’t even glance at him, his eyes were fixed solely on this beautiful man.
The boy narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
“You… it’s you…” The Gu Diao alpha coughed up blood and collapsed to his knees. His face twisted grotesquely with terror, and from his throat came sounds that were like a mix of a baby’s cry and a bird’s screech.
“…How can you be… here…”
“No… impossible…”
After a long moment, the man finally deigned to shift his gaze toward him. His look, cast down from above, was like staring at something nauseating, insignificant, a worm that could be crushed without a second thought.
“Too noisy,” the man said.
The Gu Diao’s eyes flew wide open. He tried to struggle desperately in his final moments, but apart from his eyes and mouth, he couldn’t move a single muscle. Helpless, he watched as the man closed his eyes.
“Hey, old man, you—”
The man abruptly opened his right eye. That eye had turned a deep, ocean-like blue. His left eye remained closed. The sapphire-blue right eye radiated a deep, somber, luminous glow. The full moon behind him was instantly devoured, turning as black as if by a celestial dog. The red flames frozen mid-air roared to life in an instant, transforming into a ghostly blue. The blue flames danced and soared, engulfing the surrounding space in a deep azure light.
S1-rank ability: The Vision of Day and Night—Night.
Attribute: Pure Fire. Attack-type, large-scale destructive ability.
Night Vision: When the Awakened opens only his right eye, the iris turns ice blue. A total lunar eclipse occurs within the spatial range, condensing into scorching blue moonfire. The flames incinerate all living and non-living things within their path, leaving no residue whatsoever. For fifty years after the burning, no life can grow in the affected area. The range of effect is controlled by the Awakened.
The Gu Diao alpha’s mouth hung open, but no sound came out. His face twisted in agony, indescribably hideous. He could clearly see his own flesh, his bones, every single cell, being consumed inch by inch in the blue flames. His bones, when burned, didn’t even make a crackling sound. They melted away like paper. A towering pillar of deep blue fire rose from him, reaching into the sky within a twenty-meter radius.
Shen Yue, too, was engulfed in the sea of blue flames. Amid the fiery waves, he only had time to lift his gaze and watch that tall, imposing figure descend step by step from the heavens. Then, unable to hold on any longer, he collapsed to the ground, letting the cold, luminous, blue fangs of flame completely consume his body.
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