Lu Jin and Song Xu were so dazzling that those appearing behind them, Song Qisheng, Lu Tao, and Fu Lin, had their own presence completely overshadowed.
The host was a beautiful female Alpha who delivered the official opening remarks with perfect articulation, yet she still failed to capture the audience’s attention. All eyes were wandering between Lu Jin and Song Xu. After the tedious introductory speech, it was finally time for the protagonist of the ceremony, Song Xu, to speak.
Song Xu stood before the standing microphone and leaned in slightly. His blue eyes, like a sea of stars, curved into a beautiful crescent shape, and his voice was as crisp as jade. “When I was a child, I had a mecha dream. I fantasized that one day I could pilot a mecha to repel the Zerg aliens and save all living beings. I never expected that many years later, I would take over the Imperial Mecha Department from my father’s hands, becoming the new Director and realizing that initial dream. I am very proud to witness the rapid development of the Mecha Department alongside everyone and to see the Empire at its strongest. From now on, let us fight together for the honor of the Empire!”
The cadets below seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, raising their arms and cheering in response to Song Xu’s words. Cries of fighting for the Empire’s honor echoed through the clouds, their momentum surging and powerful.
Chu Li’s gaze crossed through the air, landing on Lu Jin, who sat in the very center. There was a distance between them, and below the high platform were layers of steps reflecting the morning light. Chu Li could not see very clearly, but he had a faint feeling that the other man was also looking at him.
Chu Li looked away.
After Song Xu’s speech, Lu Jin spoke. He was brief and concise, representing the military to offer congratulations on the appointment and promoting Song Xu to Lieutenant General.
The crowd below immediately erupted in envious whispers.
“Major General Song is truly lucky. Even as an Omega, he has such an illustrious family background. He returns to the military to take over Admiral Song Lian’s work, and now he is promoted again before even doing anything.”
“Sigh, that is the benefit of having a good father and a good childhood friend.”
“Hahaha, keep your voice down.”
Following Lu Jin’s speech, Fu Zhao, Song Qisheng, and others took turns to speak. By the time the officers finished, it was already ten o’clock.
The host maintained a formulaic smile throughout. “Students, after the ceremony ends, Lieutenant General Song has decided to randomly select ten students to join him for dinner tonight to get to know everyone better.”
“Wow! Pick me! Pick me!”
Being able to dine with a top-tier Omega was a great honor and validation for the Alphas. If they could even invite Song Xu for a dance at the banquet, it would be a stroke of divine luck. The Alphas looked at the names scrolling on the large screen with anticipation.
After the screen spun several times, Song Xu pressed the pause button, and ten names appeared in red against the black background.
“Ahhh! I am in! Hahaha!”
“I am in too!”
Chu Li watched his name appear on the screen, his eyes flickering. Next to him was Mo Yizhou’s name; by coincidence, both of them had been chosen as the lucky guests.
Chu Li turned slightly. “Congratulations.”
Mo Yizhou’s expression was complex. “Mm, same to you.”
“Tsk, what the hell? I am not there.” In front of them, Dong Yi spat on the ground in anger. His gaze swept back toward Chu Li, and for some reason, he spat again in fury. Even the luck of this Beta from the Lower District was better than his! It was truly unfair!
Once the ceremony concluded, it was time for free activities. On the platform, the officers were the first to exit. Below, almost everyone was discussing the gossip between Lu Jin and Song Xu. As Chu Li walked through the crowd, he inadvertently heard four or five different versions of the rumors amidst the chattering. He had not expected Alphas to be so fond of gossip. Or rather, wherever there are many people, there is much gossip.
Afternoon classes were canceled because Song Xu still had to eat and hold meetings with the academy leaders and instructors today, so the students were free for the afternoon.
Yuan Jing watched the video of Song Xu’s inauguration ceremony, his eyes fixed tightly on Song Xu’s face. He then turned his bracelet to pull up another video. This was the footage of the purple mecha attacking Song Xu last night. The video did not capture Song Xu inside the spacecraft; it only showed the back of the purple mecha’s pilot.
“It should not be Song Xu,” Fu Zhao said.
The Star Lord had originally suspected that the person piloting the purple mecha was Song Xu, but now it appeared it was not him.
Yuan Jing snorted and closed the video. “Not necessarily. We still need to arrange personnel to keep an eye on him and Lu Jin.”
“Yes.”
“Proceed with the original plan ahead of schedule,” Yuan Jing said. The corners of his mouth, buried under rolls of fat, pulled upward with difficulty. “Consider it a ‘grand gift’ for his first day in office.”
Chu Li spent the afternoon reading in the dormitory and went for a run on the track in the evening. After his run, he was supposed to dine with the high-ranking officers of the academy.
Perhaps because of the arrival of a 3S-level Omega leader, Alphas flocked to the track tonight like peacocks displaying their feathers, running, lifting weights, and climbing bars, performing various exercises to showcase their unspent pheromones.
However, no one noticed a mass of black shadow drifting over the sky, shrouding half of the military academy. A strange fragrance drifted down from the shadow.
“What is that smell? It is so fragrant.”
“This scent is a bit like highly purified pheromones of an Omega in heat.”
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone suddenly realized something was wrong. The scent of highly purified Omega pheromones in heat was no different from a potent aphrodisiac! Unfortunately, it was already too late. The Alphas who inhaled this special fragrance were forced into an early rut.
In an instant, the Alphas’ blood surged. A rolling heat wave churned within them, uncontrollable, and various scents of pheromones erupted, intertwining in the air.
Chu Li could not smell the pheromones and had not realized something was wrong until he was halfway through his run and noticed everyone’s faces had suddenly turned an eerie red.
At that moment, Mo Yizhou caught up to him from behind, his eyes nearly overflowing with red veins. “Chu Li, get out of here, fast!”
“What is going on?” Chu Li asked.
The lines of Mo Yizhou’s face were taut, and the words coming from his throat carried a scorching breath. “The Alphas are entering their rut!”
In the broadcasting room, fine beads of sweat broke out on Zhou Yueming’s temples as he injected a suppressant while speaking into the microphone. “All Alphas, try not to breathe! Find gas masks and suppressants immediately!”
But once the Alphas on the field were forced into their rut, their reason sank into the mud. They stared with bloodshot eyes, their minds filled with nothing but the sweet scent of Omega pheromones.
But the military academy was full of Alphas; there were no Omegas. No, wait, there was one single Omega: Lieutenant General Song Xu.
Bang! Suddenly, the sound of an explosion rang out. Billowing smoke rose quickly as the gates of the Military Academy’s Director’s Building were intentionally blown open. A portion of low-level Alphas with poor self-control now had nothing but unvented desire in their heads as they threw themselves toward the building.
“Lieutenant General Song is here!”
“Lieutenant General Song! Lieutenant General Song!”
“Lieutenant General Song, I want to mark you!”
Mad, blatant cries for intimacy echoed throughout the campus. Other Alphas from the track, dormitories, and cafeteria also swarmed toward the Director’s Building. In their rut, they were extremely sensitive to Omega pheromones. Even though Song Xu was not in heat, the faint scent on him acted like a cure, exerting a fatal attraction on them.
However, before they could even climb the building, they were beaten down by bodyguards wearing special masks and wielding electric batons. The bodyguards pulled out laser guns and fired into the air in an attempt to deter them, yet people still surged forward one after another, trying to rush upstairs.
The academy was no longer a safe place to stay. Under the protection of a large escort, Song Xu boarded a silver spacecraft on the roof. His silhouette, tall and upright in his white uniform, stood on the ship’s ramp, looking coldly at this world that wanted to tear him apart.
The spacecraft flew over the track and passed over Chu Li’s head; Chu Li felt as if he could touch it if he just reached up. That was Lu Jin’s military spacecraft.
The Alphas watched their beloved Omega leave with their own eyes and fell into agony. Intense pheromones collided and crashed into each other in the air. Their unvented desire made them want to tear each other to pieces.
Compared to their maddened state, Chu Li, the Beta, was much calmer. He crossed the track, wanting to leave this chaotic hell.
However, at that moment, Dong Yi pointed at Chu Li’s back and shouted loudly, “There is a Beta there too!” The last time Chu Li had won a fight against him, Dong Yi had harbored resentment and kept it in his heart. Now was the perfect chance to retaliate. He could not destroy Song Xu, but he could destroy this Beta.
Although Betas have no pheromones, they can still physically help Alphas through the agonizing rut. Consequently, those lust-filled, bloodshot gazes instantly locked onto Chu Li.
Chu Li felt as if his body were being pierced by those terrifying looks. Seeing them pounce toward him like hungry wolves, he turned to flee. As he reached the dormitory stairwell, a group of Alphas came down toward him.
He was caught off guard and tackled to the ground. The world before him went dark instantly. His wrists were seized, his ankles were pinned down, and overwhelming, scorching breaths pressed down on him layer by layer.
“Damn it, do not run!”
“You are just a Beta; it is your fortune that I am taking you!”
“Get out of the way, I was the one who pinned this Beta down first!”