Huo Jing’s words caused the score of people present to automatically imagine Mu Xiao’s formidable figure being jointly crushed by them as they pillaged all his wealth.
Prior to this, Mu Xiao was only ever seen at major guild gatherings when his presence was strictly required.
He always wore a tight-fitting black hooded leather jacket that reached his ankles, the brim of his hood shadowing his eyes, while his nose and mouth were completely concealed beneath a black mask. To this day, not a single person had seen Mu Xiao’s true face; even the hands he kept exposed were clad in leather gloves.
He sat in the elevated center seat like a reigning lion or a tyrant descended in person, projecting a massive, oppressive deterrent force beneath his shroud of mystery.
Once, a hot-headed, reckless fellow who wanted to catch a glimpse of his true face was issued a permanent retirement card by Mu Xiao on the spot, and to this day he lived in tattered clothes under a bridge, picking up scraps.
Ever since then, everyone submitted to the tyrant’s overwhelming deterrence with absolute, synchronized obedience.
Such a tyrant possessed countless bed partners, yet the end of everyone who shared his bed was sudden, immense wealth. Others whispered that he was a hideous ghost who could not bear the light of day, forced to armor himself from head to toe merely to drag out his remaining breath, and that the tyrant was nothing more than a short-lived wretch. No one expected that he would truly die young.
Ironically, the exact scent of his pheromones remained firmly at the top of the entertainment gossip charts.
Amidst the residual air pressure left behind by the tyrant, Huo Jing asked if anyone wished to withdraw. Confirming that no one was backing out, he laid out his strategy: they would draw lots to decide who would play the role of the person who cried the hardest, the one who burned the most incense before the spirit tablet, and the one who kept vigil the longest. The rest would cooperate to find ways to eliminate the competing rivals, ideally bringing media involvement along to witness the event.
Once the inheritance was secured, they would split it evenly among themselves, though they could discuss later whether the person who drew the short straw for the weeping role deserved an extra share of tear money.
Suddenly, someone’s cell phone ringtone sounded out of place, the tune clashing violently with the solemn atmosphere: the opening theme song of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
The Alpha hurriedly killed the call, shrugged awkwardly to break the ice, and offered, “Official high-fidelity audio. Bros interested can hit me up for it.”
The crowd fell into an awkward silence. The sheer incongruity of a dignified Alpha having a magical girl preference sparked a wave of stifled laughter.
Tap, tap!
Knocks sounded at the door, causing everyone’s expressions to tighten as they instantly bit back their smiles and held their breath.
Qiao Buyi walked up to the door. “Who is it?”
“Cigarettes and fine liquor.”
Qiao Buyi glanced back at the group. Seeing no objections, he gripped the handle and pulled the door open.
The metal gears of a service cart rolled slowly into the room. Once the attendant stepped inside, Qiao Buyi noticed that the three-piece-suit-wearing waiter was wearing a mask and a duckbill cap, and his physique was taller and broader than every Alpha present in the room.
His immediate instinct told him this was by no means a Beta server, but rather a dangerously formidable Alpha of S-Class rank or higher.
Qiao Buyi clamped a hand down onto the edge of the service cart, maintaining a polite yet dangerous demeanor. “Who are you?”
The newcomer let go of the cart without answering, casually leaning one leg against the side bar. The private room fell so silent that everyone could hear each other breathing, all eyes surging and converging heavily upon him.
Completely unbothered, he fished a golden cigarette lighter out of his suit pocket, an old-school flip-top model. No one could tell whether the gaze beneath his duckbill cap was fierce or provocative as his leather-gloved hand flicked the lighter.
Click.
The crisp sound felt like the prelude striking up before a storm. From the room’s speakers, a song began to drift out: Gimme gimme gimme some time to think.
Exchanging glances, the crowd looked utterly bewildered.
Cutting through the music with a dark expression, Huo Jing strode toward him. Seemingly utterly bored, the newcomer struck the lighter two more times.
Click, click.
“Just who the hell are you?” Huo Jing’s face grew increasingly gloomy, his eyes like a blade about to clear its scabbard as he reached up to knock off the man’s duckbill cap.
Instead of reacting, the man reached into a cigarette case, pulled out a single stick, and extended it toward Huo Jing, a silent gesture offering a smoke.
Sensing no pheromones from the start, Huo Jing’s intuition told him this was no ordinary troublemaker. Before he could respond to the sudden peace offering, the man casually twisted the cigarette between his fingers, mashed it into an ashtray, and stood up to grab a bottle of liquor, smashing it straight down onto the marble bar counter. Exploding shards and splashing alcohol scattered all over the floor.
Publicly humiliated and watching his expensive liquor get destroyed one bottle after another, Huo Jing roared into his collar mic, “Get in here and catch this wild dog!”
Following right behind, seven or eight Alpha bodyguards rushed in. Amidst the throbbing rhythm of the music, the private room instantly erupted into chaotic violence.
Startled, the Omegas shrunk into the corners. Amidst gasps of alarm, one of them felt an itching sensation at the nape of his neck. Reaching up to touch it, he realized his suppression patch had lost its adhesive and fallen off.
Soon enough, everyone realized something was wrong with their suppression patches. What they had applied weren’t suppression patches at all, they were pheromone inducers.
Luo Qingcheng arrived fashionably late, stepping in just in time to witness a group of men in black bodyguard suits engaged in a chaotic brawl with his colleagues under the flashing neon lights.
Luo Qingcheng asked the system, Are there a lot of pheromones?
[System]: Pretty decent.
Luo Qingcheng reached back to lock the door behind him and unhurriedly stepped into the fray to mediate. Offering some well-meaning advice, he was promptly shoved straight into an embrace.
“Qingcheng?” A soft, crystal-clear voice flowed past his ear. Hearing that voice made Luo Qingcheng’s ear itch.
Without even looking, he knew it was Qiao Buyi. The man’s look of astonishment still carried a trace of tenderness as he looked him up and down, shirt, vest, slicked-back hair styled to perfection, exuding mature charm.
Amidst the chaotic noise, Qiao Buyi gazed infatuatedly at Luo Qingcheng.
“Looking sharp, huh?” Luo Qingcheng straightened his posture and took a step back, trying to use a dashing smile to mask his awkwardness.
Coming back to his senses, Qiao Buyi asked with deep concern, “What, what are you doing here?”
Just as he was racking his brain for an excuse, a pale Omega rushed over weakly, sobbing with a trembling fragility that tugged at the heartstrings. “Qiao, I, I feel terrible.”
Caught momentarily off guard, Qiao Buyi wore the unsettling illusion of being completely seen through by Luo Qingcheng’s amber-marble eyes. In the end, he chose silence.
The atmosphere turned awkward in a split second. Taking the initiative, the corners of Luo Qingcheng’s lips curled upward as he playfully asked the Omega, “Have your pheromones reached a hundred percent match?”
Hiding his flushed cheeks against Qiao Buyi’s chest, the Omega replied, “Of course. That’s why we’re already engaged.”
Engaged? Not bad, Big Qiao.
Qiao Buyi opened his mouth, but no words came out. The battered, shattered aura he projected made the Omega’s heart ache.
Still, Luo Qingcheng remained graceful, nodding casually. “You two certainly make a fine match. I wish you happiness. Since you’re both right here, let me ask a single question.”
“Qingcheng, let’s talk about anything else privately. Yan Xun isn’t feeling well, I’ll look for you later,” Qiao Buyi said, supporting the other man as he practically bolted for an exit.
Luo Qingcheng sidestepped to block the doorway. “You guys ganged up to bully my colleagues. Just waltzing off with the beauty doesn’t seem quite right, does it?”
Qiao Buyi’s voice was slightly hoarse. “He started it. He deliberately stirred up chaos and induced our pheromones. He might not even be the colleague you think he is.”
Luo Qingcheng glanced at the shattered glass and liquor puddles staining the carpet. The brawlers were treading over expensive spilled wine, and amidst the raging pheromone storm, several Alpha bodyguards couldn’t even close the distance. Someone tried to call the police, but Huo Jing stopped them. The whole scene was an absolute mess.
Luo Qingcheng stood firmly by his colleague’s side, even though he knew full well the guy wasn’t a genuine coworker. “We working stiffs don’t pick fights unprovoked. You must have done something to force my colleague to resort to violence. Think carefully.”
Thinking back on everything planned for tonight, Qiao Buyi couldn’t help associating it with Mu Xiao. Could it be that he anticipated the aftermath before he died? Or is he not dead at all?
Qiao Buyi’s face grew even uglier as he gritted his teeth, exercising every ounce of self-restraint. “Our pheromones are already completely out of control, yet his pheromones haven’t leaked a single trace. He is an Alpha with terrifying lethality. He is definitely not just some colleague of yours.”
Huddled in Qiao Buyi’s arms, Yan Xun shed a tear-stained glare at Luo Qingcheng. “You’re a Beta, so naturally you can’t feel his brutal suppression.”
He wasn’t wrong. Qiao Buyi’s state was considered relatively controlled, but Yan Xun was practically melting and rubbing against his chest. Luo Qingcheng averted his gaze.
AO constitution pheromones were categorized into three types: courtship, soothing, and suppression pheromones. The rut cycle fell under courtship pheromones, and the internal consumption of pheromones within a body was much like the exhaustion of mental and physical stamina.
The people present had their pheromones induced, while the system harvested those pheromones, only for them to be slightly relieved, induced all over again, and harvested once more. Caught in this endless loop, the mental states of both the Alphas and Omegas began to destabilize rapidly.
Since the people standing at the pinnacle of the ABO hierarchy were getting pranked, Luo Qingcheng raised a wicked little smile. I really am a bad seed, he thought to himself.
The agonizing crunch of snapping limbs and fractured ribs blended seamlessly into the music. Not a single drop of visible blood was shed, yet it was painful enough to make them wish they were dead.
The song Bones continued looping in the background.
Before Luo Qingcheng could say anything, the duckbill-capped Alpha acted like the roundworm in his stomach. He stopped his one-sided bullying and lazily rolled his neck from side to side.
Right in front of everyone, he casually flung open his unbuttoned suit jacket with one hand and strode straight toward Luo Qingcheng with long, decisive strides.
At that moment, Luo Qingcheng felt as though he were watching an incomparably powerful warrior stride toward him across a field of corpses and a sea of blood, his aura completely unleashed. From ten paces away, he managed to turn standard work attire into an unmatched display of domineering charm.
He possessed a tall silhouette, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a spine as straight and rigid as a steel ruler. His three-piece uniform outlined the perfection of his physical proportions.
Standing before a man capable of suppressing every single Alpha present, let alone an ordinary Beta, Luo Qingcheng let out a trace of mocking laughter at the high-pressure Alpha.
Mistaking the advance as a rush toward him, Luo Qingcheng watched as the man simply brushed past him. Realizing he was nearly a full head shorter than the other man, Luo Qingcheng’s smirk instantly turned into a boomerang hitting him back.
Noticing the gaze upon him, the man abruptly halted, took a step backward to stand right in front of him, and produced a light blue feather flower from somewhere.
With an ambiguous flourish, he tucked the flower right behind Luo Qingcheng’s ear.
At such close range, a faint, complex fragrance laced with the scent of alcohol washed over him. Luo Qingcheng experienced a wave of annoyance at being toyed with through hard-to-get tactics, yet the aesthetic appeal and his rapidly spiking heartbeat left him stripped of all resistance.
Beneath the brim of his duckbill cap, his half-hidden eyes gazed fixedly at him with meticulous attention, and a satisfied smile seemed to peek out from beneath his mask. Before Luo Qingcheng could demand what game he was playing, his wrist was seized by a smooth leather-gloved hand, and he was hauled straight out of the private room.
“Qingcheng!” Qiao Buyi tried to lunge forward to reclaim the Luo Qingcheng that rightfully belonged to him, but the moment he tried to stand, his knees buckled and gave out onto the carpet.
Behind him, Yan Xun heard the despairing helplessness of her fiancé pining over a Beta and snapped into another side of her personality, one Qiao Buyi had never witnessed before, dripping with vicious ruthlessness.
Dragged out by the duckbill-capped Alpha, Luo Qingcheng was hauled through every single private room. Aside from the massive luxury suite, the rest of the rooms were wilder than the last. Every time they entered, Luo Qingcheng turned his face away, he felt half like a vice-squad cop and half like a violence-peddling mafia boss.
The Alpha flicked his golden lighter open while Bones blared through the speakers. Whether through provocation or brute force, he made every single occupant convinced that some lunatic had escaped from a psychiatric ward just to ruin their night, especially since this particular lunatic was overwhelmingly powerful, and arguing with him would only drive one insane.
Consequently, they all shifted their gazes to the side, landing on Luo Qingcheng and that startlingly gorgeous face of his, as indifferent and immovable as an iceberg.
As the system kept spitting out tallies of harvested pheromones, Luo Qingcheng gradually stopped caring.
The lunatic Alpha possessed top-tier combat skills, pathological violence, yet walked away without a single speck of blood on him, making his true motives utterly unreadable.
After all, it aligned perfectly with Luo Qingcheng’s own objective for the night.
By the time they stepped out of the club, it was already close to 3:00 AM, and the city streets had grown quiet and desolate.
Luo Qingcheng grabbed the man ahead of him and demanded, “With your abilities, getting rid of me would take zero effort. Why push me right into the crossfire?”
As the man lazily twirled his lighter with his thumb, Luo Qingcheng instinctively recalled the various suggestive scenes from earlier, reached out, grabbed his hand to stop it, pulled the feather flower from his ear, and shoved it straight back into his palm.
Luo Qingcheng took a deep breath. “I’m pretty sure you and I are meeting for the first time tonight. After what happened tonight, everyone in that club is only going to remember me. If you’re trying to use me as a scapegoat, the least you could do is introduce yourself and explain why.”
Sensing Luo Qingcheng’s irritation, the Alpha leveraged his height advantage and playfully jammed the feather flower back behind Luo Qingcheng’s ear.
In the crisp, chilly breeze of the late-night city streets, the man finally spoke: “Little…”
Suddenly, a student or figure darted out from nowhere.
Click!
Before Luo Qingcheng could even process what was happening, the duckbill-capped Alpha had his wrists snapped into a pair of handcuffs, followed immediately by a hypodermic needle plunging straight into the patch of skin exposed at his neck. The transparent liquid was depressed in the blink of an eye. With the duckbill-capped Alpha’s capabilities, he could easily have resisted, yet instead of fighting back, he adopted an attitude of,
Utter surrender!
The streetlights illuminated their handcuffed wrists as they pulled against each other, revealing a matching pair of sandalwood bead bracelets. Judging by their luster and quality, they weren’t cheap. So they were lovers, the kind of taciturn lovers who communicated entirely through glances and movements.
Suddenly, a delightfully bold idea for retaliation sparked in his mind: letting the pregnancy physical symptoms descend upon this arrogant, powerful madman ought to be far more entertaining than dealing with the gentle Qiao Buyi.