Strong Sexual Tension

Betas were often the lowest class in an Empire, and the group that had the hardest time surviving.

They had no susceptible periods or heat cycles, making them best suited for high-intensity work—yet once the work was done, they were paid far less than the other two genders.

So before this technology had been fully perfected, all kinds of gland-trading had already appeared on the underground black market.

The personal safety of people at the bottom of society, especially children and women, suffered an unprecedented blow.

After all, in the face of profit, human nature was fragile enough to shatter at a touch.

Countless women were abducted and sold, becoming playthings in Alphas' beds. They were passed from one Alpha of varying rank to another, all for the chance to bear a child with glands.

And if they gave birth to a beta, their fate was easy to imagine.

Back then, in the underground black market, one could see the corpses of beta infants every few steps, mixed into filthy, reeking gutters until they rotted away.

Shen Ranxin had never seen such a horrifying scene, but merely hearing Lu Zhi describe that hellish place told him what kind of environment Lu Zhi had grown up in.

He pressed his lips together, brushing Lu Zhi's cheek with his knuckles as he asked softly, "You lived in a place like that for sixteen years, didn't you?"

Lu Zhi nodded, offering his chin into Shen Ranxin's palm like a cat. His eyes glistened as he looked at him.

Teacher Shen's heart ached terribly. He lowered his head and planted a soothing kiss beside Lu Zhi's lips. "When I went to the underground black market, it wasn't that horrific yet."

Still wanting more, Lu Zhi licked the corner of his lips. "At that time,