Chapter 24

The fresh, sweet scent of strawberry pheromones drifted into everyone's nostrils.

In an instant, the students, who had been half-dead from running for so long, felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over their heads. The Alphas and Omegas near He Wenyuan snapped awake.

They stopped in their tracks and turned around, their gazes falling on He Wenyuan, who was still releasing pheromones.

"What's going on with that Omega?"

"No idea. Maybe he came even though he knew he was in his Heat Period? Forget it. The nearest Pheromone Blocker Patches and suppressants are over there. You guys hold them back here; I'll go get them."

"I'll go too."

More than one person now needed pheromone suppressants and Pheromone Blocker Patches.

They had to limit the effects before things got worse.

The Betas smelled the strong strawberry pheromones too, but unlike the Alphas with low pheromone levels, who were easily affected, their expressions didn't change as they headed toward He Wenyuan. Nor did they start frowning in discomfort like the Omegas, warily watching the other Alphas who weren't acting right.

Conversations like these kept taking place among the Betas.

But they were already inferior to Alphas in both stamina and fighting ability, and they were exhausted as dogs. Naturally, they were slower, and there was no way they could stop the Alphas whose adrenaline had surged under the influence of the pheromones.

"Something's wrong with an Omega!"

The teachers quickly noticed that something was wrong too. Some went forward to stop the Alphas crowding around, while those closest to the suppressant cabinet went to get suppressants and Pheromone Blocker Patches.

This was the first time He Wenyuan had used the gland he'd received in surgery in front of He Muzhi.

He Muzhi had no idea these were He Wenyuan's pheromones. He assumed an Omega had lost control of his pheromones after exercising with an elevated heart rate for too long.

Wanting to help, He Muzhi turned around without hesitation the moment he smelled the Omega pheromones.

He Wenyuan didn't regret pretending to be in his Heat Period and releasing his pheromones.

In any case, he was a member of the Xuan Family. Even if all this hadn't been caused by a real Heat Period and he had deliberately brought it about himself, so what? With a father who cared about appearances to a pathological degree, there could only be one explanation for his behavior this time:

An irregular Heat Period had come early.

Even if his father wouldn't let him off easily afterward, it didn't matter.

Especially when he saw the red-haired Alpha, who had only been charging forward, stop because of him and immediately turn to look his way, his legs gave out at just the right moment. He sank to the ground, lowered his head, and smiled.

He's still so kind, even though he knows it's him.

"..."

He Wenyuan?

Only after turning around did He Muzhi discover that the person whose Heat Period might have come early was He Wenyuan.

But clearly...

He Muzhi's gaze fell on the classmates whose expressions had changed under the influence of the Omega pheromones.

This doesn't just concern He Wenyuan. A lot of classmates are involved.

The Betas can't possibly hold back Alphas who are physically and mentally worked up.

With that thought, He Wenyuan quietly told the others to get suppressants and Pheromone Blocker Patches, then ran toward He Wenyuan, doing his best to stop others from approaching any of the affected Omegas.

Raymond was also doing his best to keep up with Qin Su. Although he and Qin Su were on different laps, he wasn't far from Qin Su, He Wenyuan, or He Muzhi.

He Muzhi had turned around, but Qin Su was...unmoved? He had even picked up his pace?

His retreating figure radiated the same cold indifference to everything as always.

Then what...

Should he do?

Raymond, who had a high pheromone level and strong self-control and had also remained unaffected, stood where he was and looked at Qin Su's cold, resolute back, then at the chaos around him. Gritting his teeth, he joined He Muzhi.

[I bet a dime's worth of spicy strips that with Plague God's weird way of thinking, he definitely did it on purpose]

[That's how love brains are. One short circuit and they get ruthless and forget all about love. It's a kind of madness that doesn't care whether anyone else lives or dies]

[Why didn't Qin Su turn around? Didn't he say himself that he was interested in A-Yuan?]

[Why else? Obviously, even if your Plague God tries to seduce our precious Top with pheromones, it doesn't affect him one bit.]

[Heh, who wants Qin Su to turn around? He Muzhi turning around is enough. Who would've thought that a certain He, who looked like he hated A-Yuan to the bone, would rush to him without hesitation? What is this? When hatred runs deep, it's all love that can't be spoken aloud!]

[Plague God: Running is too boring, time to reward myself]

[Putting myself in A-Yuan's shoes, that felt good.]

[If you don't need your eyes, donate them to someone who does! Our precious Mu is simply a person of noble character, OK? Didn't expect precious Mu to take care of]

[Have to say, certain people are still that cold in a situation like this. Seriously classless (eye roll)]

When Qin Su noticed his classmates' expressions change and some of the tall students who were clearly Alphas turn around, breathing heavily, he keenly sensed that something was wrong, even though he still couldn't smell any pheromones.

The Alphas' reactions made it clear that something had gone wrong with an Omega's pheromones behind him.

The text in the comment section in the upper-left corner confirmed Qin Su's guess.

But...

By the time he noticed the abnormality, he had been moving too fast and had already put some distance between himself and the people behind him.

Qin Su hadn't expected that one day his own "speed" would put him at a disadvantage.

Having suffered that setback, he obviously couldn't turn around now that his classmates were already clearly moving back.

It would make him seem slow on the uptake in front of the "viewers."

How could a big shot lag behind others in keenness?

Ignoring it was even less acceptable.

How could a big shot not be "reliable"?

Given that "an Omega pheromone leak had caused a disturbance," he had to "resolve the Omega pheromone leak and stop the other Alphas stirred up by it."

In this world, an Omega's Heat Period had another name: heat. During it, an Omega's pheromones could induce Alphas and other Omegas who smelled them to enter an "out of control" state.

That was why every student had to report their Heat Period.

But because everyone had different levels of control over their pheromones, and some might deliberately release them, pheromones could leak at times other than the susceptible period. Thus, stores on the various planets sold Pheromone Blocker Patches and suppressants to anyone with an Identity ID.

Pretending not to care about what was happening behind him, Qin Su kept walking so that none of his actions would betray any hesitation. He observed his classmates' behavior and his surroundings, combined them with what he already knew about the training ground, and quickly analyzed his options. After weighing everything, he soon came up with a way out of this predicament.

He had it.

Qin Su's gaze landed on the self-service station for suppressants and Pheromone Blocker Patches at the edge of the Fourth Military Academy's training ground, and he quickened his pace.

As soon as Kaixier noticed something wrong on the track, she had turned and hurried toward one of the self-service suppressant and pheromone supply stations set up every thousand meters around it.

Just before she reached it, a figure passed her and used an Identity ID to unlock the transparent cabinet first.

"!"

Kaixier froze for a moment, then followed.

[!]

[I knew it! A reversal!]

[Some people just like judging a gentleman by their own petty standards]

[Our precious Su only seemed cold and blind to it all. The moment he sensed a certain Omega's pheromones, not only was he unaffected, he also thought of a solution in an instant and put it into action!]

Standing by the cabinet at the edge of the training ground, Qin Su was in too much of a hurry to solve the problem to pay attention to the comments. His gaze swept over the suppressants and Pheromone Blocker Patches inside.

Without hesitation, he took out the guns beside them, which were used to fire suppressants over a distance.

Pheromone Blocker Patches only worked when applied directly to a gland. Not only did that require close contact, but it would also waste time running over to the classmates who had gone "crazy."

It was inefficient, so Qin Su discarded the option without hesitation.

Qin Su took two guns. He had already studied information on this world's suppressants and Pheromone Blocker Patches, including how to load suppressants into the guns, so he assembled them without any hesitation, his gaze lowered and his expression cold as he worked swiftly and decisively.

He loaded one gun with Alpha Suppressants and the other with Omega Suppressants.

Since this was his first time handling a suppressant injection gun from this world, Qin Su discreetly weighed the guns in his hands as he loaded the syringes, mentally estimating and simulating how they would feel to use.

The moment he finished, Qin Su took a deep breath inwardly. He turned to the students, who looked far away but were well within the guns' firing range, and raised both hands.

Holding a gun in each hand, Qin Su was glad that, because he hadn't known what physical training classes in the Comic World involved, he had made himself practice every activity.

Naturally, that included firing both hands at once, dividing his attention to shoot different moving targets.

Guns weren't particularly advanced in the Comic World. Shooting one-handed and hitting every target wouldn't be enough to impress them.

To give the "viewers" a little shock, Qin Su could only decide to fire with both hands.

But that meant he was now raising the "viewers'" expectations of him. In the future, he would have to be even more impressive to satisfy those expectations.

He needed to study this world's weapons more.

Qin Su: "..."

As expected of him. No difficulties? No problem. He had always been good at creating them for himself.

Ever since transmigrating into the comic, his life felt like it had been spent either digging a hole for himself or on the way to digging one.

Fortunately, his many years of experience had given him both a good feel for shooting and plenty of practice, enough to deal with the sudden chaos before him.

Pulling his thoughts back, Qin Su decided to solve the immediate problem first.

Bang—

The guns fired at the same time. As the suppressants shot from the muzzles, there was only one faint report.

An Alpha and an Omega stopped struggling at the same moment and crumpled to the ground.

The sound drew the attention of the other clearheaded locals who were holding people back.

No one had expected Qin Su, who had left the scene without looking back as soon as the disturbance began, to be the first to get suppressants and start injecting the Alphas and Omegas.

But Qin Su ignored their gazes and pulled both triggers, firing shot after shot.

Seeing this, Raymond's heart, which had been a little "dead" earlier, sprang back to life.

He felt he could do it again!

He worked even harder with several unaffected Alphas and Betas to stop the disturbance.

Bang, bang, bang—

Shots rang out one after another.

The instant the needles pierced the glands on the Alphas' and Omegas' necks, they automatically injected the suppressant they carried.

The Alphas and Omegas, who had been thrown into chaos by the pheromones, calmed down.

Freed from the control of the pheromones and the rush of adrenaline, the Alphas, already weak from running for so long, no longer had a shred of worldly desire. One after another, they collapsed on the ground, drained of strength.

The Alpha's long, well-jointed fingers tightened around the guns. His expression was indifferent as he fired, each shot seemingly casual, yet every one struck a different Alpha or Omega in the gland...

The sight made the hearts of the Betas, who were holding back the frenzied Betas and protecting the Omegas, pound. Their eyes shone as they looked at Qin Su.

[Aaaah, handsome is just one word, but I'll say it countless times for Big Shot Top!]

[Come to think of it, Big Shot Top is so skilled with a weapon this low-level, one that's only used to inject suppressants from a distance in special circumstances. That means he's trained to the limit even with this kind of gun. I can't imagine how skilled he is with other, more powerful weapons!]

[And he's firing with both hands! I checked every frame carefully, and every shot hits!]

The teachers who had gone to get suppressants and blocking patches had likewise chosen guns that could work at a distance to fire the suppressants.

The students, who hadn't yet taken weapons classes and didn't even know much about weapons, chose Pheromone Blocker Patches instead. They grabbed them, quickly ran back, and handed them out to the Betas and clearheaded Alphas. Everyone slapped them on, interrupting the agitated students' "magic attacks."

At this point, only two minutes had passed since He Wenyuan deliberately pretended that an irregular Heat Period had come early.

In that short time, He Wenyuan, whose eyes had followed He Muzhi, saw the classmates driven wild by his pheromones calm down after being shot in the back of the neck. He frowned, immediately sensing that things were not so simple.

He turned to follow He Muzhi's gaze, and through the chaotic crowd, his eyes met Qin Su's cold black ones.

Bang—

Qin Su lowered the Alpha Suppressant gun in his left hand and, with his right, fired the last shot of Omega Suppressant at He Wenyuan in the center of the disturbance.

He Wenyuan felt a slight sting at the back of his neck.

Cool liquid entered his gland.

As the suppressant was injected, He Wenyuan could clearly sense the strawberry pheromones released from his gland being stopped from spreading.

He Wenyuan: "..."

At that moment, the light vanished from He Wenyuan's eyes.

Qin Su: "..."

Probably no one would believe him if he said it, but he really hadn't put any personal feelings into that shot at He Wenyuan.

It was all cold, hard technique.

On the comic interface, the scene appeared as the tall Alpha lowering his black eyes, expressionless, and meeting the resentful gaze of the Omega across the crowd.

The jostling, chaotic crowd became the backdrop to their silent confrontation.

He Muzhi, the camera for the scene above: "..."

Had Lin Yin guessed wrong? Otherwise, why had Qin Su only "dealt with" He Wenyuan with the last shot?

[!!!]

[I think...I get it, but I'm also a, a little confused. Besties, is it what I, I think it is?]

[I-interrupting the spell?]

[Big Shot Top (cold and ruthless) (fires) (bang): Reward interrupted]

[What do you mean, reward interrupted? He's clearly rewarding him. Big Shot Qin, go ahead and spoil him~]

[This moment is already a classic!]

[A p-pure hatred CP?]

[Shipping everything really does give me a balanced diet]

[Aaaah (turns into a giant cockroach) I'll fight you guys who ship everything in sight (scurries everywhere) (crawls into a nostril)]

A cockroach?

Qin Su: "..."

There was no need to do that for him. That was one heck of a sacrifice!

He believed that if He Wenyuan could see the comments as he did, he would want to wash his eyes out too.

However...

Qin Su hadn't expected He Wenyuan to provide him with the first "observation record" data for an Omega pheromone sample.

Through that data, Qin Su also gained his first real understanding of what an Omega was roughly like while "in" a Heat Period.

With mixed feelings, Qin Su put aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind and lowered the guns without a ripple in his gaze. Under everyone's eyes, he turned and gracefully returned the used guns, but didn't close the cabinet.

A teacher not far from him had also taken a suppressant injection gun from this cabinet and hadn't returned it yet.

Less than five minutes had passed by the time the chaos ended.

Phew...

Every shot had looked casual, but he had fired each one with all his strength and concentration, treating it with care and not daring to relax in the slightest.

The "problem" had been perfectly resolved, just as he had expected.

Next, he had to keep pretending to be calm, maintaining his cold, "nonchalant" act.

Remembering that he had finished his last lap and completed the ten-kilometer run, Qin Su took the opportunity to look at the teacher not far away.

Kaixier had just noticed Qin Su put his gun back and was heading over to return her own. She had barely taken a step when she saw him looking at her calmly.

Kaixier: "?"

The next moment, as Kaixier wondered what that look meant, she heard Qin Su speak in an even tone.

Qin Su: "Teacher, I've finished."

Kaixier: "..."

Kaixier: "???"

Wait, is... is that the point?!

Kaixier was falling apart inside.

The composed look on Qin Su's face made it perfectly clear to her: that was the point.

"...All right, get some rest for now."

"Okay."

Qin Su nodded and headed toward the rest area. His steps were steady, as though the ten-kilometer run had left him unaffected, and his hands hung naturally, as though firing the gun hadn't made them sore either.

But only Qin Su knew that, between the real world and Comic World, he had so far either been put through the wringer or was on his way to it. His muscles ached, yet he still had to look utterly unbothered.

For the sake of Life Points, he really had it tough!

After today was over, he needed to ask the system if there was any way to make his physique the same as Comic World's natives.

In that case...

Would he have more strength to carry out his plan to be strong?

Qin Su: "..."

That didn't seem much better!

Kaixier had no time to watch Qin Su walk away. She hurried toward her students.

Before she reached them, Kaixier's Optical Brain received a notification.

After reading it, Kaixier frowned slightly and exchanged a look with the homeroom teacher of Class 7, who had received the same message. They sighed softly, then each turned toward their own class.

"Due to special circumstances, classes for Class 6 and Class 7 have been suspended for the day. Students who have not been affected, please assist those with special circumstances to the designated location for a group examination."

Soon, a mechanical voice rang out across the training ground.

The students of Class 6 and Class 7 were helped away in twos and threes.

Qin Su wanted to help too, but as soon as he appeared before his classmates, they all shook their heads and said in unison, "No, no, no need! I can walk by myself!"

That was a "blessing" they couldn't afford to accept.

Qin Su: "..."

"Ahem." Kaixier understood the students' fear of Qin Su. "Student Qin Su, thank you for your efforts just now. Go get some rest. Leave the rest to us."

"Okay."

Qin Su's expression remained unchanged as he responded indifferently.

After finally getting all the AO students affected by the Omega pheromones to the military academy hospital for examination, the teachers were able to catch their breath. Sitting in the gleaming hallway, they described everything that had happened at the training ground to Zhang Minglang and the other teachers who had arrived at the hospital later.

Based on his good impression of Qin Su, Zhang Minglang remarked:

"After old-fashioned guns were relegated to firing suppressants, many planets where people had access to weapons stopped using these lowest-end, old-fashioned weapons. But Qin Su can fire this kind of gun with both hands and hit his target every time. I can't imagine how skillfully he handles other, more advanced weapons."

"As for why Qin Su learned to use that old-fashioned gun, I'd guess someone in his family's older generation has a sentimental attachment to them. That's probably how he, someone born in the new era, came into contact with them."

"He didn't reject it because of his elder's sentimental attachment, and he took to it like a fish to water. With a disposition like that, he'll succeed at whatever he does."

The other teachers all agreed.

Smack...

The sound of a loud slap rang out in the hospital room, accompanied by Xuan Jingxi's gentle voice.

"My dear little brother."

Smack.

"I don't want to do this either."

Smack.

"But Dad is watching."

Smack.

"As your older sister,"

Smack.

"naturally, I can't disappoint him."

Smack.

"If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being blind."

Smack.

"You offended someone you shouldn't have."

Smack.

"This is for your own good too."

Smack.

"Isn't it?"

Smack.

"My dear little brother?"

Smack.

"Why don't you hurry up and say thank you?"

Xuan Jingxi kept calling him "my dear little brother" and explaining herself in a gentle tone, but with every sentence came another slap, each louder than the last, without a pause.

To land a few extra slaps, she even deliberately broke up her sentences.

No technique, all emotion.

The corners of He Wenyuan's mouth had split open and were covered in blood.

She wasn't afraid that Dad would stop her petty revenge. That great lunatic loved watching her and the lunatic He Wenyuan fight to the death, so she didn't need to think at all.

In the Xuan Family, she was the only normal one.

He Wenyuan looked at the man in the three-dimensional projection from Xuan Jingxi's Optical Brain, who was sitting in his office and watching him get slapped in real time.

His face was swollen from the slaps, but he smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister. Thank you, Dad."

He had gone to great lengths to return to the Xuan Family after turning twenty. He had long known what kind of place it was, so this treatment didn't surprise him.

On his first day back with the Xuan Family, he had lured Xuan Jingxi into making a mistake, and he hadn't held back when he slapped her either.

"All right, go do the second thing," the person in the projection said, then his image vanished.

"Yes, Dad."

Xuan Jingxi turned off her Optical Brain. The smile on her face vanished in an instant, and she strode away without so much as looking at He Wenyuan, whose face was swollen like a pig's head as he lay in the hospital bed.

The second thing was to apologize to Qin Su.

If she didn't do it well, the great lunatic would take his anger out on her too.

One day, she was going to lock those two lunatics up together and launch them out of this world.

Good night! [cat head]