Wen Zhiyu’s gaze shifted upward once more, their eyes meeting. Apart from the doctor’s calm and meticulous demeanor, there was no other emotion in Li Qingchi’s eyes, they resembled a deep, unfathomable pool of still water.
A few seconds later, the one who had initiated the eye contact looked away.
The nurse walked out of the isolation room carrying a tray. The sound of the metal door closing echoed distinctly in the empty room. Wen Zhiyu stared blankly at the glaringly white ceiling, feeling somewhat dazed.
The smell of disinfectant in the ward was so strong it stung the nose. The pain at the back of his neck, much like the overpowering scent of disinfectant, was difficult to dissipate in a short time.
This pain was also different from the headaches or stomachaches he had experienced during past fevers or colds. It was sharp, like being pricked by needles, yet more intense, so intense it made him question his very existence.
The room was so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping to the floor could be heard clearly. Li Qingchi’s gaze swept over Wen Zhiyu’s face, glistening with a thin layer of sweat, as he repeated his question: “Are you currently experiencing stronger sexual impulses than usual?”
The series of questions the doctor had just asked still buzzed chaotically in Wen Zhiyu’s mind, his nerves still taut.
He didn’t understand his current physical condition, nor did he know what drug that pervert had injected into him. But based on his past experiences with medical consultations, the questions a doctor asked a patient should at least be related to the patient’s condition.
If it were any other doctor, the questions would surely be along the lines of “Where does it hurt?” “How long has it been?” “What kind of pain is it?” Who would be as blunt as him?
“Are you experiencing sexual impulses? Do you have a partner?”
Questions like these, in his view, had nothing to do with his condition.
In his understanding, there was currently no neurological disease linked to sexual impulses or having a partner.
“Is this some new consultation tactic?” Wen Zhiyu curled his lips into a faint, sarcastic smile, cold sweat trickling down his spine into his collar. “Dr. Li, why not just ask me directly if I enjoyed it when that pervert pinned me down in the car and kissed me?”
Suddenly, a strong scent of vetiver filled the room.
Two seconds later, it vanished just as abruptly, disappearing so quickly it felt like a fleeting illusion.
Wen Zhiyu stiffened. This wasn’t an ordinary scent, it felt more like an overwhelmingly oppressive presence. Could it be pheromones?
This sudden, almost absurd thought flashed through his mind, sending a shiver down his spine.
That couldn’t be possible. He was a beta, how could he possibly smell pheromones?
He looked at Li Qingchi, his gaze slowly drifting to the other man’s neck, concealed by his collar.
Li Qingchi’s expression remained calm and composed, maintaining his professional demeanor as a doctor, even though the beta before him was acting like a prickly hedgehog. “What you just smelled was my pheromones. This is a symptom of the pheromone resistance syndrome you’ve contracted. Additionally, your five senses will be amplified indefinitely. Now, I need you to answer my question.”
Wen Zhiyu abruptly clenched his hand, gripping the bedsheet tightly, sweat leaving conspicuous dark stains on the fabric.
The blood in his body felt as if it had been heated, churning incessantly, just as Li Qingchi had described.
Hidden desires surged hundreds, thousands of times stronger than usual.
“No partner,” he sneered hoarsely, momentarily relenting but still not retracting the metaphorical spines on his back. “What? Is Dr. Li going to assign me one?”
“Let’s talk about your condition.” Li Qingchi spoke calmly, showing no trace of being offended. He explained, “The reason you can smell pheromones is because you’ve contracted pheromone resistance syndrome.”
Pheromone resistance syndrome? Wen Zhiyu felt as if something heavy was pressing down on his heart, an unprecedented and indescribable tension surging through his body.
Wasn’t this a contagious disease that only spread among omegas? How could he, a beta, have contracted it?
His thoughts were in chaos, exploding like dry corn kernels in a popcorn machine. The blurred face of the person wearing a white mask twisted and contorted in his mind.
Wen Zhiyu frowned, his breathing growing more rapid than before. His infection was definitely no accident, it had to be connected to the injection that pervert had given him.
He had seen reports on TV before. Those afflicted with this so-called pheromone resistance syndrome suffered terribly until death, without exception.
Wen Zhiyu’s mind raced, his heart pounding wildly.
“Do you remember the drug that pervert injected you with?” Li Qingchi’s voice pulled him slightly out of the whirlpool of fear.
He kindly explained, “That’s a banned substance with severe side effects, only circulating on the black market. Its main function is to forcibly catalyze beta pheromone secretion. This drug alters the beta’s physical structure, promoting gland development and growth. After being injected, you unfortunately encountered a pheromone resistance syndrome patient in heat and were infected by them.”
“However, at this stage, your gland development isn’t sufficient to secrete pheromones. You’re only affected by the pheromones of other omegas or alphas.”
In other words, he had become a passive target who could only sense others’ pheromones, with no initiative of his own.
Wen Zhiyu understood the implication of Li Qingchi’s words. In short, the drug that pervert injected him with had caused him to develop glands, turning him into a half-human, half-monster freak, a beta who could smell omega or alpha pheromones but couldn’t release any himself.
Or perhaps, half an omega.
After processing this, Wen Zhiyu’s hatred for that dead pervert reached its peak. If it weren’t for him, he would never have contracted this disease.
“Currently, you’re the only beta in City A who has contracted the disease. It’s estimated that you’ll experience an episode every two weeks, lasting for two days. During this time, having a partner’s soothing pheromones would be beneficial.”
Wen Zhiyu, who had been single his entire life: “…”
“What if I don’t have a partner? Do I just rely on painkillers and tough it out?” he asked.
“Yes.” Li Qingchi closed the medical record, the metal clasp making a soft click. “Episodes occur every two weeks, lasting forty-eight hours. But if you keep relying on painkillers, you’ll develop a tolerance. Next time it happens, ” His gaze was as calm and indifferent as his tone. “You’ll be on your knees begging someone to mark you.”
…
As the hospital room door closed, the noise from outside was cut off.
Wen Zhiyu sat on the hospital bed like a soulless shell for a long time.
His phone screen suddenly lit up, reflecting his pale face. The screen was filled with unread messages. He scrolled through them absentmindedly, his thoughts still lingering on the conversation with Dr. Li, and casually replied to a few.
Painkillers are classified as controlled substances by the state, offering strong analgesic effects but also carrying significant side effects.
In less than two hours, the analgesic effects gradually faded, and Wen Zhiyu felt pain far more intense than during his first episode.
It seemed the best way to suppress the agony was only through the pheromones of an alpha or omega.
Wen Zhiyu scrolled through his phone contacts from top to bottom, then finally opened a niche forum, slowly typing a few lines before posting.
[1,000 yuan to buy a bottle of pheromones, omega or alpha, preferably saliva or bodily fluids.]
A thousand yuan wasn’t a high price, but Wen Zhiyu wasn’t worried about getting no replies. After all, this forum had all kinds of people, and someone would surely offer their saliva for a thousand yuan.
…
Wen Zhiyu curled up in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, the light from his phone screen casting a glow on the lower half of his face, reflecting his pale complexion.
In the forum’s private messages lay a digital medical report. The sender’s ID was “Milky White Peach,” who introduced themselves as a cash-strapped omega student.
[Transfer: 500 yuan]
[Location Shared: East Linxi Road 7-11]
As icy, bone-chilling raindrops slipped into his collar, he heard the automatic door of the convenience store slide open, followed by the robotic voice announcing, “Welcome.”
A boy in a white hoodie approached, and an overwhelmingly sweet, cloying scent of milk candy washed over him, as if an invisible hand had suddenly clamped over his mouth and nose, suffocating him.
Wen Zhiyu instinctively held his breath, while also finding it hard to believe that he could already sense the emotional state of the pheromone emitter so quickly through the scent.
For example, the omega boy before him was in a very cheerful mood.
“This is the saliva you wanted,” the boy shook the cup, the liquid sloshing against the walls with a sticky sound. “I can provide fresh samples once a week…”
Wen Zhiyu’s hand trembled as he snatched the glass. The sharp pain at the back of his neck told him he couldn’t delay for another second.
He fumbled with his phone, opening the chat with Milky White Peach.
[Transfer: 500 yuan]
“The remaining payment is transferred. What happens next has nothing to do with you.” He staggered into the dark alley on the other side.
Warm liquid was injected into his gland via a syringe.
The next moment, the distinct scent of omega pheromones surged wildly through his gland, and everything before his eyes was engulfed in a blurry, blood-red haze.
The entire world spun violently and collapsed.
Wen Zhiyu’s consciousness turned into a muddled mess. Had the sky fallen, or had the earth closed in?
He didn’t know.
…
Late at night, after finishing work, Li Qingchi drove to a 24-hour unmanned convenience store. In front of the usually quiet store, two people stood facing each other, seemingly engaged in some kind of transaction.
They didn’t notice that another person had inadvertently intruded upon the scene in the darkness.
Li Qingchi had no interest in strangers’ dealings. He parked his car nearby and quietly entered the convenience store.
As he stepped inside, the store’s robot greeted him loudly in a mechanical voice, “Welcome.”
It felt particularly abrupt.
Li Qingchi walked straight to the first aisle, picked up a bottle of mineral water, scanned it, paid, and after completing the process, walked out of the store.
The storefront was deserted, with only a lone streetlight standing guard. The two people who had just been trading at the door were gone, perhaps having moved on to other matters after concluding their deal.
Li Qingchi turned and walked toward the parking area. Just as he was about to open the car door, a strong scent of omega pheromones drifted over from a distance, clinging to his coat. The intensity of the pheromones wouldn’t affect him much, but it still disgusted him.
He hesitated for a moment before looking back.
The pheromones were wafting from the alley beside the convenience store. Li Qingchi followed the scent and saw a person curled up on the ground, emitting suppressed, intermittent sobs and faint whimpers.
Beside this person lay an empty syringe. As a doctor, Li Qingchi recognized at a glance the transparent liquid clinging to the syringe’s walls, omega saliva. The highly concentrated pheromones he had smelled earlier were leaking from it.
The person’s hand was pressed tightly against the back of their neck, seemingly to alleviate pain. Li Qingchi crouched down, rainwater instantly soaking the hem of his pants. He reached out and pried the beta’s hand away from their neck, revealing an extremely tiny needle mark.
For a moment, Li Qingchi was stunned, a ripple of shock crossing his usually calm face.
“Directly injecting omega pheromones into the back of the neck… What madness.”
The trembling person, with a sobbing undertone, snarled a warning: “Get lost. Don’t touch me.” They resisted fiercely, like a cornered fox trying to scare off an enemy with its sharp but unreliable fangs.
Li Qingchi released their hand and stood up, but still offered a humanitarian reminder: “For someone suffering from pheromone resistance syndrome, a partner’s pheromones are the best relief, not just anyone’s. The body will react strongly to unfamiliar pheromones, producing intense rejection. What you’ve done, injecting a stranger’s pheromones into your neck, is practically suicidal.”
The person curled on the ground remained motionless, showing no reaction, as if dead.
Raindrops fell on them, gradually growing heavier. The pain from the body’s rejection reaction was far worse than the onset of the syndrome, yet this person could endure it.
The rain began to pour. The beta was almost completely drenched. If things continued like this, even without a fever, they’d catch a severe cold. Combined with pheromone resistance syndrome, they likely wouldn’t survive the night.
Li Qingchi took out his phone and dialed 120.
“On the side alley next to the convenience store on Lin Dongxi Road, there’s a person with pheromone resistance syndrome who has collapsed. They’re still conscious but not lucid…”