Salorian knew he would have to pay for his stubbornness, but he hadn’t expected it to be this difficult.
After they brought Allen back from Joan’s camp, a conflict neither too big nor too small erupted between the two teams. It even attracted passing senior students looking to take advantage of the situation. However, since Lu Heguang’s side only had two people plus the injured Allen, and they weren’t carrying backpacks or supplies, those seniors didn’t target the three of them.
Joan’s team fell apart without their captain, scattering like sand in less than two days. It was hard to imagine what Joan would think if she found out about all this from outside.
Lu Heguang’s team wasn’t completely unscathed either. After enduring several initial attacks, they planned a proactive strike. But with reward came risk several of their members were eliminated. By the time the fourth day finally arrived, their team, including Salorian, was down to just nine people.
“If what you said is true, won’t our future team be a bit too… concentrated?” Aizel stared at the last few drops of water trickling from the filter into the bottle, speaking to Lu Heguang behind him without looking up. “I heard the second round of testing will only be harder. Who knows how many people will even choose to participate?”
“The words ‘even harder’ alone are enough to make most people back out,” Wen Zhao remarked, sharpening a picked-up tree branch with his dagger to use as a javelin or arrow a decent makeshift weapon. “But judging by Joan’s attitude, she’ll definitely take part in the second round.”
“True. Wait a minute…” Aizel turned to look at Wen Zhao. Allen, who had been injured in his earlier fight with Joan, had his arm slung in a vine-made sling. With his other hand, he set down the firewood he’d gathered. “What’s up, Aizel?”
“Where’s the captain?” Aizel stood up and glanced around. Wen Zhao pointed toward the tent. “Same as usual.”
“Salorian?” Aizel crouched back down, tidying his precious filter while muttering, “I’ve never seen an Omega this stubborn.”
“It’s impressive enough that he’s held out until today despite being in heat,” Allen said, sitting down beside Wen Zhao and picking up a dagger to help make javelins. “How many people do you think are left in the rainforest now?”
“Who knows? At least a few dozen, probably”
As they chatted quietly and worked, Lu Heguang, standing by the tent entrance, shifted his gaze away from them and tugged at the tightly sealed tent flap. “Senior, if you still don’t come out, I’m taking the team hunting.”
Their food supply had been strictly limited from the start, and with the intense daily physical exertion, their energy consumption was high. Their food had run out long ago. Starting yesterday, Lu Heguang and Wen Zhao had taken half the team into the rainforest to hunt, and they’d actually managed to catch a few rabbits. Those left guarding the camp hadn’t been idle either. The campsite Salorian had found for them was right by the water, so by the time Lu Heguang and the others returned with their prey, they were already grilling fish.
Once they got the hang of hunting, they no longer had to spend every day scheming how to steal food from other teams like some groups did. The pressure eased considerably.
After resolving the biggest food issue, Lu Heguang was left with only one concern Salorian’s heat period was now common knowledge within the team. At this point, claiming that suppressants had failed was useless; the best course of action was to figure out how to handle the situation.
Among the nine of them, everyone except Salorian was an Alpha. The pheromones of an Omega in heat could attract nearby Alphas, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, Salorian had voluntarily confined himself to a separate tent. He only emerged once or twice a day to attend to basic needs before retreating again.
The problem was, Lu Heguang wasn’t always at the camp. The last time he had seen Salorian step out of the tent was yesterday morning.
“Senior, if you don’t want to talk to me, then rest well.” Lu Heguang knew Salorian was struggling, but he wasn’t faring much better himself the less he saw Salorian, the more he wanted to be near him. Even just sitting outside Salorian’s tent, he could feel the floral scent wafting from within, tempting every cell in his body. Yet he knew he absolutely must not take it upon himself to “help” Salorian.
He truly liked his senior not because of pheromonal attraction, nor because of appearance or character. If it were just that, he wouldn’t have formed a good impression of Salorian on the day they first met, when he saw him being scolded by a girl for being a scumbag.
Feelings were hard to explain. He simply liked him wanting to stay by his side at all times, see him whenever and wherever, give him the best, and listen to his endless chatter.
“Senior, I’ve left the food by the entrance. You can reach it just by stretching out your hand.” Lu Heguang stood up and placed the grilled steak he had brought for his own lunch in front of the tent. “I’m going hunting.”
“Give it to me.” At that moment, a voice much hoarser than usual came from inside the tent. Salorian extended a hand, palm upturned, and waved it slightly. “Leaving it by the entrance sounds like you’re feeding a pet.”
“How could that be?” Lu Heguang chuckled, picked up the grilled steak wrapped in clean leaves, and placed it in Salorian’s hand. As he handed over the food, their fingers accidentally brushed against each other, and both immediately pulled back.
Lu Heguang felt as if his heart had been gripped tightly, making it hard to breathe. He stood up. “I’m leaving.”
“Be careful on your way.” Inside the tent, Salorian knelt, looking down at the still-warm grilled steak in his hand under the dim light. However, his thoughts were elsewhere something seemed off about Lu Heguang. Even considering the rainforest’s temperature, his body heat felt unusually high.
But Lu Heguang wasn’t injured. Could it be that the drastic temperature difference between day and night had caused him to catch a cold or develop a fever?
Instinctively, Salorian wanted to lift the tent flap, rush out, and catch up to Lu Heguang to check on him properly. But as soon as he moved, the floral scent at the tip of his nose reminded him of his current situation staying put as an Omega in heat was already helping Lu Heguang.
Salorian let out a long sigh, lowered his head, and took a fierce bite of the grilled steak. As the savory taste of the meat spread across his tongue, his lower abdomen screamed in protest, what his body truly needed wasn’t food.
What he needed most right now was a pheromone that could soothe him, preferably from an Alpha.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh.” Salorian shook his head, trying to drive those desires out of his mind. Listening to the faint rustling footsteps fading away outside the tent, he figured Lu Heguang must have taken the others out. Soon, voices sounded again outside this time, it was Wen Zhao.
“Senior, you must be hungry, right?” Wen Zhao placed something by the entrance. “We caught some fresh fish this morning and grilled them. Here are two for you.”
“Grilled fish?” Salorian was taken aback, confused. “Didn’t you have grilled meat patties for breakfast?”
“Grilled meat patties? Oh, you mean those.” Wen Zhao scratched his head. “Those were for the hunting team leaders. Allen is big he took two portions alone. Since they might not catch anything, they won’t be back for lunch. Those were their meals.”
That was Lu Heguang’s lunch?
Salorian frowned. Why didn’t that kid tell him?
“Senior, is something wrong?” Wen Zhao took two steps back. This wasn’t his first time encountering an Omega in heat the farther away, the better. He could tell Lu Heguang had some feelings for Salorian. Even so, Lu Heguang had chosen to lead the hunting team instead of staying behind to guard Salorian, which meant he trusted the brothers who remained.
He had to help Lu Heguang protect his guide.
“It’s nothing.” Salorian muttered, staring at the grilled meat patty in his hand. He couldn’t decide whether to keep eating or not eating would waste both the food and Lu Heguang’s kindness. Reluctantly, he took another bite. “How many people went with him?”
“Captain, Allen, plus Cass and Zuo Wei.” Wen Zhao replied. “Four in total. Me, Aizel, and two others are staying behind to guard the camp.”
“What about Allen’s injury.”
“Thanks to your treatment, he’s much better now.” Wen Zhao answered promptly. “In a place like this, just preventing the wound from getting infected is already a huge help. I’ll thank you on Allen’s behalf.”
The more Salorian thought about Lu Heguang, the more uneasy he felt. Hearing Wen Zhao’s words, he simply hummed in response and fell silent. Listening to Wen Zhao’s retreating footsteps and the distant voices that soon followed, Salorian couldn’t shake a growing sense of unease.
Hopefully, it was just his imagination.
On the other side of the rainforest, Lu Heguang was helping Cass pull his shoe out of the muddy water.
“Beyond this is the swamp. We’ll have to change direction.” Lu Heguang steadied Cass as he shook out a slippery, unidentified long insect from his shoe. Allen silently took two steps back. “Why is it always bugs?”
“The rainforest is never short of bugs.” Zuo Wei, the shortest of the group and wearing glasses, was also the most cautious Alpha. Compared to Lu Heguang, who led the team, he was more like a walking encyclopedia. “Luckily, this is a female insect no teeth, only a mouthpart. If it were a male and bit you, you wouldn’t be able to walk.”
“Alright, alright, enough.” Cass grimaced, shaking his shoe to make sure no bugs remained before putting it back on. “The west side used to be Qiao An’s territory, but now it’s occupied by the upperclassmen. Should we avoid it?”
“We’ve already avoided too many places.” Lu Heguang drew his dagger, his voice firm. “The heat will spoil the meat quickly. We need fresh food.”
“Wow, Captain no, boss, that sounds like you’re about to lead us to wipe out the other side.” Cass laughed, switching to calling Lu Heguang “boss,” even though he was a year older than Lu Heguang, he didn’t blush at all.
Some people are naturally suited to be leaders, and Lu Heguang was one of them.
“Let’s head that way and circle around.” Lu Heguang turned to look at his companions behind him. “I remember you mentioned seeing animal tracks over there the day before yesterday.”
As Lu Heguang spoke, he turned back around. Allen and the others followed him. Before Lu Heguang could finish his sentence, a layer of mist began to rise around them.
“Captain?!”
“It’s fine, probably just normal fog.” Lu Heguang’s voice was still nearby but had become somewhat hazy. Zuo Wei hurriedly took two steps forward, trying to grab him. “Wait, Captain, this fog might be toxic… huh?”
“Zuo Wei! What’s going on!” Cass reached out and grabbed the strap of Zuo Wei’s backpack with one hand, while his other hand clutched Allen’s clothes, linking the three of them together. “Where’s the boss!”
Zuo Wei withdrew his hand and murmured, “He’s gone.”
Unaware of his companions’ situation, Lu Heguang stood still and waited for two minutes until the surrounding mist gradually dissipated. But when his vision finally cleared, he found himself in a place he had no memory of at all.
He turned around in shock, only to find no one behind him. Even the muddy ground that had nearly trapped Cass was gone.
“What’s going on.” he whispered to himself. Before he could figure things out, a somewhat familiar voice sounded not far away.
“That sister of yours isn’t any good either. She can’t even manage to avenge you.”
It was the voice of one of Parker’s lackeys. Lu Heguang couldn’t remember his name, only that every time they encountered Parker, he was always at the front, looking less like a lackey and more like Parker’s right-hand man.
“Shut your mouth! Why is it that damn fog this year!” This time it was Parker’s voice. He angrily kicked something over. Judging by the sound, Lu Heguang guessed he had sat down. “Nothing happened last year. What are we supposed to do for the next three days?”
“Forget it. The medical team is leaving tomorrow. It’d be hilarious if we woke up in a crocodile’s mouth.”
Lu Heguang slowly moved forward and finally saw four or five people sitting together chatting. Parker was at the head, with his lackeys around him.
So, the rainforest’s fog could shift people’s locations?
Wouldn’t that mean the same thing could happen at the campsite?
He had to find a way back thinking this, Lu Heguang decided to leave the area first. But then footsteps sounded behind him. He quickly crouched down and hid behind a tree, where ferns taller than a person provided just enough cover.
Two more upperclassmen approached Parker. “Three freshmen are heading back along the river to the east. Should we chase them?”
“Do they have any food on them?”
“Didn’t see any. Only one of them was carrying a backpack, but it was full of branches and stuff,” the person said. “Probably for starting a fire.”
Parker clicked his tongue. “Don’t chase them. Even if we eliminate them, there’s no benefit. Better to save our energy.”
Lu Heguang breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he was the only one who had been teleported by the mist. If Alan and the others had returned the way they came, they must have already noticed his disappearance. He hoped those guys wouldn’t recklessly come out looking for him.
“By the way, have you found that Omega in heat yet?”
Lu Heguang immediately perked up, listening intently to their conversation were they talking about Salorian?
“Not yet. His pheromones seem to have suddenly vanished, but I’ve asked the people we’ve encountered, and none of them have eliminated a medical student in heat,” the person who had spoken earlier replied. “Could it be that an Omega disguised as an Alpha snuck in?”
“Is he stupid? Putting himself among a group of Alphas, just waiting to be devoured?”
“Hahahaha, what if there really is someone like that? Let me tell you, that kind of Omega deserves a good lesson”
His voice grew lower, while the others around him laughed with increasingly malicious glee. Lu Heguang clenched his fists they really were talking about Salorian!
Gritting his teeth, he debated whether to step forward and eliminate this group or simply leave. Just then, Parker suddenly stood up. “Wait, has any of you entered your rut?”
“No way, my rut hasn’t visited me in ages.”
“Parker, you know I don’t have a partner. Are you mocking us here?”
“Shut up! Can’t you sense the presence of an Alpha in rut nearby?” Parker cursed. “And it’s a greenhorn experiencing his first rut. I hate these kinds the most, what are they even doing here when they’re barely grown?”
“I do feel something. Damn, these types are the worst to deal with. They’re like newborn vampires in movies bursting with power, unpredictable emotions, and tough to fight Parker, why’d you hit me?!”
“I told you to find him, not write a thesis!”
Lu Heguang held his breath were they talking about him?
His body felt as if it were burning from the inside. He had thought something was wrong with him earlier, and when he handed the grilled steak to Salorian, he had been afraid Salorian would notice his odd state. So this was what a rut felt like?
Then wouldn’t he be able to find out what his own pheromones smelled like?
He lowered his head to sniff his arm but still couldn’t detect anything. Disappointed, he lowered his hand, only to catch a whiff of gunpowder in the air.
Lu Heguang froze. Before he could figure out whether the scent came from himself or somewhere else, something hard pressed against the back of his head. Parker’s sinister voice sounded from behind him. “Look what I found a little whelp in rut!”