Wen Yu was now at the point where seeing the three words Vigeson York felt like absolute bad luck. He stared blankly at the messages for two seconds, quickly ended his livestream, and then sat there dazing at the screen.
What does this dog of an Alpha want to do?
Wen Yu’s first reaction was that Vigeson York probably also contracted the same illness as him, which was why he came looking for him.
However, upon thinking about it carefully, that seemed quite unlikely.
That day, he had worn pheromone-blocking patches and sprayed an adequate amount of blocker. Even if Vigeson York had caught a slight whiff of his pheromones, it shouldn’t have caused any reaction; otherwise, he would have come looking for him much earlier instead of waiting until now.
Wen Yu verified the identity of this unfamiliar account, confirming that it truly belonged to Vigeson York’s secretary, before calling the number back.
Over the phone, the other party repeatedly invited Wen Yu to meet with Vigeson York. The tone was not forceful at all, but rather quite polite, stating that he did not know the specific reason why Vigeson York wanted to meet with Wen Yu, only that he had important matters to discuss and that he was merely responsible for notifying him.
Seeing that he couldn’t get any information out of him, Wen Yu simply wanted to hang up the phone.
Wait, wait a moment, Mr. Wen! The person on the other end hurriedly stopped him, sounding somewhat anxious. Although I don’t know what the General wants to discuss with you, he said it’s a personal matter and he has some important things he wishes to talk over with you. If you aren’t busy, please come meet with him; it won’t take up too much of your time.
Wen Yu asked, What important matters could I possibly have with him?
I am not clear on that. You will know once you ask the General in person. It is truly important; please consider it.
Listening to the cautious tone on the other end, Wen Yu felt somewhat strange.
He and Vigeson York already had a mediocre relationship to begin with, and on top of that, they hadn’t seen each other in five years. What matters could they possibly have?
Why should I consider it? Am I that close to him?
Uh, about that…
I’m not his subordinate. Does he have to make me meet him just because he had his secretary call me? Sorry, I don’t have the time.
No, I am deeply sorry, Mr. Wen. The General has been far too busy lately and has almost no time to handle personal matters. Instructing me to call you was just a momentary instruction squeezed into his extremely busy schedule. I am very sorry for failing to consider your feelings…
The person on the other end was overly polite, making it difficult for Wen Yu to scold him. He could only say lazily, Forget it. If he really has something to say, he can come tell me himself. I am very busy too and have no time to meet with someone I’m not close to. Hanging up.
Military District Secretary’s Office.
After hanging up the phone, the secretary, Melvin, turned and walked toward Vigeson York’s office. Upon hearing the reprimands coming from inside the room, he consciously stopped and stood still at the door.
This was already who knows how many times this week he had heard the General scolding his subordinates.
Now that Mr. Wen had rejected the invitation as well, he wondered if hearing such bad news would make the General’s mood even worse.
Melvin had worked by Vigeson York’s side for many years and was the person most familiar with Vigeson York’s work habits.
He felt that Vigeson York had been somewhat strange ever since returning to the Imperial Capital.
Although this man’s temper could not be considered exceptionally good, compared to those fickle and violent high-level Alphas, he was actually quite decent. Even though he was accustomed to wearing a poker face most of the time, when truly interacting with him, he could be considered a good leader who sympathized with his subordinates, nowhere near as harsh as he had been lately.
Who knew what was wrong with Vigeson York during this period? He acted almost as if he were using himself as a standard, wanting to train his subordinates until every single one of them was just like him.
But how could that possibly happen?
Counting it up, Vigeson York had not rested for two full months. He had thought he would be able to rest properly after returning to the Imperial Capital, but instead, he became even busier upon return, spending every single moment handling military district affairs without stopping, and was still reviewing documents at three o’clock last night without even getting much sleep.
Melvin did not understand why he had to push himself like this. The war was already over, so could he not just handle the remaining matters slowly? Why must he throw his life away working?
He really couldn’t understand the minds of these superiors.
Melvin stood outside the door sighing, feeling that being an office worker was becoming increasingly difficult.
Ten minutes passed, and the reprimolding inside the room finally ceased.
Two field officers came out looking disheveled, and only then did Melvin dare to step forward and knock on the door.
General, these are the meeting materials needed for tomorrow.
Melvin walked into the office, placed the materials in his hand on the desk, and raised his eyes to see Vigeson York leaning back against his office chair with his eyes closed, rubbing his temples in a headache, a look of suppressed endurance apparent on his face.
The light outside the window fell upon that dark blue military uniform, reflecting a subtle sheen. The tightly bound military attire made the bulging lines of the man’s shoulders and chest stand out even more, presenting the sharp and aggressive edge unique to Alphas.
Vigeson York had a tall stature and unmatched genetic strength. At only twenty-seven years old, he was already capable of standing on his own in the military.
Yet, precisely because of his genetics, he suffered from a flaw that current medical technology could never cure. Even when he was not in his rut, his mental power frequently exhibited abnormal fluctuations.
Seeing Vigeson York pull open a drawer, take out a medicine box, and swallow two pills out of habit, Melvin asked, Is your headache acting up again?
The other person did not answer, which was taken as tacit confirmation.
This intermittent headache had appeared ever since Vigeson York underwent secondary sex differentiation at sixteen.
Even though everyone tacitly avoided talking about it on the surface, deep down everyone knew clearly that SSS-level Alphas were different from Alphas of other levels; they would develop various illnesses due to excessively strong mental power… and even have a shortened lifespan.
Historically, most SSS-level Alphas barely lived past fifty.
Although Vigeson York was still young now, since a certain battlefield accident occurred, his body had developed very serious problems.
However, only Vigeson York himself and his attending physician knew the exact severity of it, and Melvin only understood a fraction of it.
The frequency of you taking medicine seems to have increased lately, Melvin could not help expressing his concern.
No, Vigeson York coldly denied.
Melvin spoke on his own accord, General, I believe your workload during this period has been far too large. You should take a rest; perhaps it will alleviate things.
Vigeson York lifted his cold, thin eyelids: Do you feel tired?
Not at all, Melvin hastily denied to cover it up. How could that be?
If you want to take a leave, just say so. I’ll consider approving it.
Melvin had his own plans; he intended to save his vacation days until the end of the year and then go out traveling, so he had to endure no matter how tired he was. Thus, he put on a fake smile: I didn’t mean that, I was just concerned about you, General.
Then you can leave.
Melvin: …
Thinking of the fact that he had just been rejected by Wen Yu, Melvin fell silent for a moment, pondering how to phrase his words: There is one more matter, General. You asked me to contact that Mr. Wen earlier, but Mr. Wen… was quite cautious and did not agree to meet with you.
Vigeson York looked over at him.
Vigeson York’s pupils were darker and deeper in color than those of ordinary people, especially when he slightly furrowed his brows, always giving people a sense of standing on pins and needles, a deep and paranoid illusion.
Melvin, already accustomed to bearing such pressure, maintained his fake smile.
What did he say?
Mr. Wen said he isn’t close to you and told you to contact him personally.
Not close… Vigeson York muttered those two words under his breath, the corners of his lips sinking down in a subtle manner.
Not noticing the minor change in his expression, Melvin continued: Oh, right, and regarding your previous request to investigate Mr. Wen’s situation over the past few years, the data has already been compiled. According to your instructions, there is only some simple information here without involving his privacy. His situation seems somewhat special; if you need me to, I can go do a deeper investigation.
No need, Vigeson York refused.
Vigeson York only wanted a rough understanding of the other person’s recent situation over the past few years, such as what kind of work he was doing, who he was living with, and whether he had experienced any major events during these years, nothing more. He had no intention of thoroughly investigating the other person’s background like hunting down a criminal.
Vigeson York used his brain-computer to receive the data sent by Melvin and asked, What did you mean when you said his situation has been rather special these past few years?
Uh… Simply put, Mr. Wen has gained a small following online over the past few years, mainly relying on livestreaming to make a living, but he has also provoked quite a few enemies and anti-fans, such as some business figures, celebrities, or fan groups of nobles.
Relying on livestreaming to make a living? His family… Vigeson York felt surprised, his words trailing off halfway as he remembered something. He remained silent without speaking, and after a moment asked, Do you mean he got bullied?
According to the investigation, it seems Mr. Wen was the one who provoked others quite a bit more.
I don’t remember him being that kind of person.
Melvin’s work attitude was never ambiguous: The investigation results say otherwise.
Vigeson York did not respond, whether out of indifference or stubbornness, and did not take Melvin’s reply to heart. He leaned back in his chair and began to concentrate on processing work documents.
Seeing that he didn’t intend to chat about this topic anymore, Melvin said, Do you need to rest for a while next? Why don’t I help you cancel your afternoon schedule…
No need.
But your headache is acting up, and you still want to continue working?
There are still matters left unprocessed. Has Lieutenant Lin completed the task assigned to him earlier? Call him in to report.
Melvin had no choice but to say no more: Alright, I’ll go inform him right away.
Midnight at 11:30.
Wen Yu was wearing his equipment, sitting inside a fully enclosed gaming capsule, passionately fighting a duo-queue match with North.
While lurking in the bushes to support North and call out instructions, he observed the gaming data.
Other people played games to win, but Wen Yu did not.
He played Embers purely for the game’s sense of realism.
Over the years, the realism of this game had remained unmatched across the industry. It could even synchronize real-world mental power into the holographic world, achieving a state infinitely close to reality; a player’s level of mental power in the real world would directly affect their mecha’s performance and operational standards.
Furthermore, every single mecha inside was realistic enough to be disassembled down to screws identical to real life down to the very last detail, even matching the weight of the screws with absolute precision.
The reason why contemporary military cadets were able to perform simulation practice and assessments in the holographic world was entirely thanks to this gaming company’s core technology.
This was also why the mecha designs in Embers made people back away in despair.
Such realism dictated that the mecha designs in this game could only be done by an absolute minority of people within the industry.
To outsiders, Wen Yu was an old internet-addicted teenager who frequently teamed up with others to passionately fight in the game until dawn.
Yet, in reality, he simply loved looking at the ultra-precise mecha statistical data within the game.
When a game ended, Wen Yu’s arms were already sore.
He took off his equipment, stretched his arms, and casually picked up his brain-computer to check the time, only to discover that he had received messages from a stranger once again.
Stranger incoming calls: 3 Missed
Stranger message: Asleep yet?
Those three missed calls had been made before 10:30, and that message had been received ten minutes ago, both coming from the same person.
Wen Yu did not recognize this number, so he just casually replied with a single character.
WWW: ?
He put down his brain-computer without paying it mind, and just as he was about to put the equipment back on to continue playing games, unexpectedly, that unfamiliar number called him directly.
Wen Yu paused for two seconds before pressing the answer button.
It’s me, Vigeson York.
Wen Yu was stunned for a moment. His first reaction was that this voice sounded quite nice, and his second reaction was realizing what the other person had saying.
After a moment, he pretended to be completely unaware and slowly replied:Oh, General York? Why did you suddenly call me? Do you need something?
The other person said, Sorry, not talking to you in person this afternoon was my oversight.
Wen Yu thought to himself, You damn well know it was, while speaking with fake cordiality on the outside, You don’t need to be so polite. I know you’re a General, unlike me, busy with no time to make personal calls. I understand.
Vigeson York:
Vigeson York wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that Wen Yu’s tone carried a hint of subtle sarcasm. He didn’t dwell on it and instead asked, Why are you still awake so late? Are you busy?
Oh, busy playing games. I usually sleep right before dawn, Wen Yu answered casually while starting a match and adjusting his equipment settings, urging him impatiently, If you have something to say, just spit it out.
It’s not convenient over the phone, Vigeson York said. If possible, can we set a time to meet tomorrow?
Meet?
Mhm.
Can’t you say it without meeting?
Mhm.
Wen Yu let out a slight tsk, fell silent for a moment, and rubbed the back of his neck. The gland where he had applied the suppressant was still faintly radiating heat.
He had zero interest in whatever Vigeson York wanted to talk about, nor did he wish to meet Vigeson York; psychologically, he felt a strong sense of resistance. However, his reason told him that this was a rare opportunity to alleviate his condition After all, withdrawal symptoms were too hard to endure, and meeting up might be fine.
Anyway, his illness wouldn’t worsen whether he met him one more time or one less time; only by coming into contact with the other person’s pheromones could he briefly find relief.
Wen Yu couldn’t help weighing it in his mind…
Although this guy Vigeson York was a bit of a jerk, from a societal standpoint, he was a good person, and meeting him wouldn’t put him in danger.
Besides, since he had called personally, he might as well just give him some face. No matter what business he had, couldn’t he just refuse after meeting him?
And since he was a General, perhaps the meeting location would be inside the military district?
Wen Yu was quite tempted by this fantasy.
Alright then, Wen Yu answered with feigned ease. Since you’ve asked, how could I have any reason to refuse.
Then it’s settled. See you tomorrow at six p.m.
Oh.
Send me your address, and I’ll have someone pick you up.
The next day, before six o’clock, Wen Yu simply tidied himself up.
His hair hadn’t been trimmed for a while, and the golden, slightly curly soft hair was almost covering his eyebrows, so he simply brushed his hair up to expose his forehead, making himself look neater, and paired it with a light-colored casual suit, giving him an exceptional temperament.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, he looked like a completely different person compared to his usual casual dressing style.
Of course, this wasn’t for the sake of meeting Vigeson York, but rather to prevent looking too sloppy just in case the meeting place turned out to be the military district.
At six o’clock, Melvin arrived precisely downstairs at his apartment building.
Perhaps because the distance was quite far, Vigeson York directly dispatched a commercial flying vehicle to pick him up. The exterior of the flying vehicle was a steady black, with the emblem of the First Military District affixed to both wings.
Seeing the emblem, Wen Yu assumed that his guess had been more than half right, and his mood began to bubble with anticipation. To avoid letting anyone notice, as soon as he boarded the flying vehicle, he kept his head down looking at his brain-computer, conveniently asking for leave from his evening livestream.
Knowing that Wen Yu’s withdrawal symptoms had been acting up severely lately, Lu Yuyan had been paying attention to his condition over the past two days, so as soon as the leave announcement was posted, Lu Yuyan’s inquiry quickly followed.
Lu Yuyan: What’s wrong, babe? Feeling unwell?
WWW: Nah, going out for a trip.
Lu Yuyan: Where to?
WWW: Guess.
Lu Yuyan: The fast-food convenience store downstairs, the fried rice stall by the street, the snack street next door, and the hot pot restaurant… At this hour, what else can you be doing besides going to forage for food?
WWW: Nope, heading to the military district.
The person on the other end clearly fell silent for a moment before replying.
Lu Yuyan: Not fully awake yet? Go back to sleep then.
Wen Yu clicked his tongue.
WWW: Actually, Vigeson York is looking for me.
Lu Yuyan replied with a simple As expected.
WWW: Don’t overthink it, what if it’s legitimate business?
Lu Yuyan: What legitimate business could there be? If it’s not to hook you, the only possibility is that your genetic rank has been discovered.
Wen Yu instantly froze.
WWW: No way, right? I hid it pretty well.
Lu Yuyan: Who knows. In any case, protect yourself when you go out. You’re an Omega now, don’t let yourself get scammed one day while still helping them count the money, you hear me?
WWW: Tsk, no need for you to tell me, I’m not a moron.
Lu Yuyan: Yeah, right, right, you’re not.
Wen Yu put down his brain-computer, too lazy to bicker with him.
About half an hour later, Melvin reminded him that they had arrived.
Wen Yu stood up, waited for the cabin door to open, and slowly stepped off the flying vehicle.
Half a minute later.
He stood by the roadside, looked up at his surroundings, and abruptly fell silent.
He did not find any military district gates; looking around as far as the eye could see, aside from the military district emblems affixed to the wings and tail of the flying vehicle, there was not a single thing related to the military district.
Before his eyes stood only a garden-like luxury mansion.
It ought to be a private residence.
Who was he?
Where was he?
Why on earth did he come to a place like this?
Wen Yu wore a bewildered expression.
His expectations had fallen through. Across the black carved iron gate, the opposite side consisted only of a massive courtyard and a brightly lit villa not far away…
Wen Yu stood there stiffly like a stalk of corn left unkempt after being gnawed on by locusts, completely at a loss as to what he should be doing.
Soon, a middle-aged Beta wearing a neat black uniform and looking like a butler walked out from inside the courtyard.
He opened the electronic gate, approached Wen Yu, and politely bowed slightly to him.
Good evening, Mr. Wen. I am the butler here, FORLEN.
Welcome to the General’s home as a guest.
May I ask, have you had dinner yet?
Wen Yu: …