Chapter 1: The Odorless Omega
“According to the joint operations command, the Western Military Area declared victory at 15:38 local time. Post-war statistics show that 335 federal soldiers died and 880 were injured during this operation. The injured are all being treated at the Regional General Hospital…”
In a restaurant in Block 7 of the central city, intermittent news broadcasts mixed with electrical noise coming from a TV hanging on the wall. The TV looked almost broken, and the large green liquid on the screen revealed a glimpse of the owner’s face—Yu Rong.
Just after dinner, she sat behind the counter, buffing her nails with a strip of cloth. The young employee had warned her several times not to do that in the store, as it might make customers worry about hygiene.
She didn’t care. This was Block 7, known as the “Federal Slum.” It wasn’t right to expect high hygiene standards when eating here.
Perhaps a cloud passed by, and the lighting in the store became darker.
“Hello, I’m a sergeant from the Federal Central Military Department. I’m looking for Mr. Ji Ningyu.”
Yu Rong looked up. An officer’s ID and three tall Alpha men appeared before her eyes, making the already narrow store feel even tighter. She gave a signal to the employee cleaning the table to keep quiet, then smiled at the three Alpha men.
“Sir, what do you need from him? He’s usually very quiet and never causes trouble. His brother is even a martyr—there’s no reason for him to commit crimes.”
She calmly opened the drawer and stuffed a banknote into the pocket on the front soldier’s chest.
The soldier placed the banknote on the counter without a trace of emotion: “Please cooperate with our work.”
…“
Ji Ningyu took off his greasy apron and was led into the car by three Alpha males. As for why he was summoned, the leading soldier said it was a military secret—people would inform him once they arrived at the military district.
The military vehicle drove from a small restaurant in Block 7 to the military office building in Block 1. The streets changed from dilapidated to clean, and the roads became wider. At every intersection stood eight guards, and even the leaves looked freshly green, as if painted artificially.
Ji Ningyu was taken to a meeting room on the top floor of the building, where two Alpha males were sitting.
One of them introduced himself: “Hello, I’m a medical doctor from the Federal Military Academy, specializing in research on pheromone disorders. You can call me Qiao Mo, and this is General Lian Shan.”
Ji Ningyu looked at the two people before him. The one speaking wore thick glasses and appeared thin, not fitting the description of an Alpha. The other was tall and pale, and not even looked up at him since he entered the room.
Ji Ningyu cleared his throat and replied, “Hello.”
“Don’t worry. Bringing you here isn’t a bad thing. I believe you know that the Federation just won a victory in the Western War Zone. A lieutenant general at the military district suffered from a special disease during this battle. Through experiments, we found that your pheromones can help alleviate it.”
“Pheromone? Mine?” Ji Ningyu widened his eyes and pointed at himself.
“Yes, but the pheromone sample used for the experiment was collected 8 years ago when you started high school. Its stability might have changed, so now you need to release your pheromone. Let’s make a simple observation record first.”
“But I…” Ji Ningyu was about to speak, but the tall Alpha beside him interrupted him with a impatient look.
“Alright.”
Qiao Mo made a “please” gesture, sitting next to Lian Shan on the sofa, holding a notebook in his hands, and staring at him intently.
After about a minute.
Qiao Mo spoke to calm him down: “Don’t worry. We’ve all worn the suppression bracelets, so we won’t be affected. And this pheromone extraction is purely for medical research. So please don’t feel stressed.”
Another half minute passed.
Lian Shan sniffled impatiently: “It smells?”
Qiao Mo also sniffed: “It seems a bit. If I’m not wrong, your pheromone smells like a certain food?”
“Uh, that’s probably because I work in a restaurant.”
“…” Qiao Mo felt a chill of embarrassment.
After hesitating for a moment, Ji Ningyu said: “As you can see, I’m an Omega without pheromone. Or rather, I do have pheromone, but it has no smell and doesn’t have the effects of a normal Omega pheromone. The sample collected when you started school was just a symbolic sample.”
Ji Ningyu paused briefly, looking at the two people facing each other, and said, “So I think the military department might have the wrong person. If what’s needed is just pheromone, any Omega in Block Nine would be more suitable than me.”
Block Nine is the red-light area of the entire central city, where the most potent pheromones are gathered, serving powerful Alphas for their sexual needs. This isn’t a secret, as it’s simply Omega’s natural role—the more attractive the pheromone, the higher the Omega’s rank and value.
Omegas like Ji Ningyu, which have no scent, are the lowest in status.
Beta Omegas, on the other hand, have a much better situation, as none of them produce pheromone. This isn’t unusual, but Omegas without pheromone are considered abnormal and regarded as a disability.
Despite the slim chances, Qiao Mo still extracted a sample of Ji Ningyu’s pheromone as a symbolic act, for further experimentation.
Ji Ningyu was taken onto the military vehicle, and soon the car stopped in front of a villa.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Ji Ningyu smelled a strong explosion scent, which triggered deep memories.
“May I ask? Does the Major General’s pheromone be… firecrackers?”
Even the experienced steward, who has seen many scenes, was momentarily stunned by this guess, but he patiently explained, “It’s smoke from gunfire. The Major General’s pheromone is smoke from gunfire.”
“.” Ji Ningyu decided not to speak anymore.
“Apply this, and you can enter.” Qiao Mo’s palms held a suppression patch and a pair of headphones.
The suppression patch prevents him from being guided by Alpha pheromones during ovulation, while the headphones allow communication with the outside world. In case of emergencies, tapping the headphones twice will have someone come in to save him.
Opening the door, a sharp, burning smell hit Ji Ningyu’s nose. As he breathed it in through his trachea, he tried hard to hold back his cough, and physiological tears filled the corners of his eyes.
The curtains were drawn tightly, and Ji Ningyu blinked to adapt to the dim environment. The room was messy—things were scattered on the floor, barely visible, but it was clear there was a person of considerable size lying on the bed. Ji Ningyu moved carefully toward the bed.
“Clang—”
Something hit under his feet, causing Ji Ningyu to stop breathing. The next moment, he was pressed against the bed, with hands squeezing his neck. The warmth of those hands was intense, as if trying to burn through the skin at his neck.
“I came to help you… uh…” Ji Ningyu tried to speak to the Alpha, but the hands kept tightening, taking away his breath and voice.
“Try releasing your pheromones.” Through the headphones, Qiao Mo continued to guide him.
But now he couldn’t even control his breathing, let alone use those usually useless glands.
The scorching breath of an Alpha hit his face. Ji Ningyu felt a fear of being suppressed by a massive wild beast. He tried to stretch out his hand and press on the headphones, but the person pressing on him was like a huge mountain. He struggled, feeling like he might die here today. Tears flowed uncontrollably, rushing out first.
Ji Ningyu closed his eyes in acceptance, but the pressure on his neck gradually relaxed. He carefully opened his eyes, unable to speak, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably. After a few minutes—maybe just a few seconds—something rough and wet pressed against the side of his face, passing by his eye corners. The area touched by it felt electric, causing him to shiver. Soon, the Alpha inside him calmed down, and his breathing became steady.
He had actually fallen asleep.