Yú Chén had also asked Péi Xíngtíng this question before, and Péi Xíngtíng’s answer was—it’s related to medical confidentiality agreements, so he couldn’t say anything. Even if he could, the specifics were quite complicated, and he himself only had a vague understanding, unable to explain it clearly.

In the end, Péi Xíngtíng summarized, “We just need to have him come into contact with the 3S mecha. Besides, I’m a beta, so I can’t sense his pheromones, nor will I be affected by his pressure. Instead of asking me, you might as well stand in front of him and experience it for yourself; an alpha’s instinctive reaction will tell you the answer.”

When he asked this question, Yú Chén was just an ordinary alpha officer among the seven legions of the Galactic Empire. He had seen Yún Xúnlán many times, but each time, they were separated by thousands of people and tens of thousands of meters. The esteemed Third Prince of the Galactic Empire would never cast his gaze upon such a small corner as Yú Chén’s.

However, on July 10, 7018 of the Galactic Federation calendar, the day after the Third Prince of the Galactic Empire turned eighteen, Yú Chén, as a royal guard, finally stood in front of Yún Xúnlán, just a few steps away.

So this time, after finishing his salute and raising his eyes, he met a pair of shimmering golden eyes. They were so brilliant, like a blazing G-type main-sequence star. The moment he was captured by their gaze felt like being ensnared by its gravity.

Thus, even though there was no scent of pheromones in the air and no pressure emanating from a high-level alpha, Yú Chén still felt his throat tighten a bit, and his heartbeat gradually quickened under the influence of adrenaline.

All of this was due to the physiological instincts of an alpha reacting accordingly, reminding him that if he were a planet, he would soon be subjected to the powerful gravitational torque of this star, ultimately becoming tidally locked.

Just as Péi Xíngtíng had said, the answer was already revealed: regardless of anything else, in terms of pheromone level alone, Yún Xúnlán was undoubtedly SSS, and he was among the highest tier of SSS.

So high that Yú Chén needed to lower his gaze and hold his breath, avoiding any contact with the aura of Yún Xúnlán, in order to suppress his own warlike nature as a high-level alpha and refrain from attacking the young man before him.

“I’m sorry, my sensitivity period just ended.”

Seemingly sensing their unusual behavior, the prince raised his hand to touch the back of his neck, which was also covered with a military-grade strong suppression patch. His tone was gentle, but his voice carried a lazy huskiness, like a harp softly playing on a hot summer night, each gentle pluck not only stirring the strings but also making it hard for people to look away from him: “Is there any residual pheromone making you uncomfortable?”

In truth, there wasn’t, but the suppression of levels between alphas was hard to overcome. Among the guards meeting Yún Xúnlán, aside from Yú Chén and Commander Díkè, who could maintain their composure, the other alphas were sweating to varying degrees.

Díkè immediately assured Yún Xúnlán, “They will get used to it soon, Your Highness.”

Yún Xúnlán smiled, “It’s okay, take your time.”

After saying this, he slightly turned to the side, lifting his chin to signal Nǐ Chūn.

Seeing this, Nǐ Chūn walked over to the group, holding a tray.

On that black velvet tray lay ten small gem pins of various colors. The alpha guards were not unfamiliar with them; these were high-precision miniature satellite communication devices recently developed by the Third Military Experimental Base. They could ensure communication even in strong magnetic storms and high-altitude nuclear explosion conditions, with strong anti-interference capabilities. Normally, they could be worn as ordinary accessories, serving as cufflinks, collar pins, or ear studs, making them less noticeable than conventional throat mics or in-ear wireless headphones.

Yú Chén picked the only deep blue gem communication device from the tray.

No one competed with him; they were all vying for the bright golden and silver-white communication devices, after all, those two colors resembled Yún Xúnlán’s eyes and hair.

Yún Xúnlán lowered his eyelashes, silently watching them finish selecting the gem communication devices before he softly spoke, “On the day of the guard selection interview, I was in my sensitivity period and couldn’t attend in person. However, I watched the live stream of everyone’s interviews—”

The following speech had been repeatedly verified by Yún Xúnlán and the system, ensuring it was both serious and dignified: “So I know that you are all the Empire’s top warriors.”

“I admire each of you. I believe you can showcase your strengths, like every shining star in the galaxy, bringing infinite brilliance and glory to the Empire.”

“Now, I hope you can say your oath again in front of me, swearing that you will always be loyal to the Empire and to me.”

The silver-haired youth’s voice was low and magnetic, truly pleasant to hear. It seemed that even the most difficult words, when spoken from his mouth, would sound as melodious as a bard’s song. However, the alphas below felt a bit confused.

Oath? What oath?

Díkè, as the commander personally chosen by Prince Yún Xúnguāng, was naturally sharp and quickly guessed the answer: “Your Highness, the ‘oath’ you mentioned refers to the answers they gave to the last question from the examiner during the interview, right?”

Yún Xúnlán nodded with a smile.

That could indeed be considered an oath. Díkè remembered that several alphas had answered passionately and sincerely, making him feel both excited and proud.

So he immediately ordered, wanting the Third Prince to take pride in the Empire’s top, most loyal, and bravest alpha warriors, and pointed to Yú Chén, who had the highest overall score: “Quickly repeat the oath you made during the interview, loud enough for His Highness to hear! Starting with Yú Chén.”

Yú Chén: “…”

Although Yú Chén didn’t look up, he could feel Yún Xúnlán’s gaze on him, a gaze that seemed almost tangible, brushing over him like a touch, making it hard to ignore.

In that moment, he recalled his life like a revolving lantern: from the time he entered the Anluos Military Academy at eighteen to now at twenty-seven, he had been in the military for nearly ten years. He was a soldier, a warrior, and he thought he would die on the battlefield. But he never expected that social death would come before that.

If time could turn back, Yú Chén would be willing to go back to the interview and copy Fù Yánxī’s answer word for word, offering his life and absolute loyalty and obedience to the Third Prince.

But no matter how much Yú Chén regretted it in his heart, he could only obey the order now, controlling the muscles on his face to maintain a neutral expression under Yún Xúnlán’s gaze, and calmly recite his “oath”—

“I can turn anyone into a dog that can only kneel and beg for mercy.”

Díkè: “…”

As soon as Yú Chén finished speaking, the other alphas present had to start controlling their facial muscles to prevent themselves from making a fool of themselves in front of the Third Prince due to their expressions twisting.

They didn’t know if Yú Chén would shine and bring infinite brilliance and glory to the Empire in the future; they only knew that Yú Chén would definitely bring himself an extremely embarrassing moment of social death.

Díkè was also speechless!

He was so happy to see the Third Prince that he momentarily forgot that although Yú Chén had the highest practical assessment score, his answer during the interview was different from everyone else’s!

What kind of oath was that?

It had nothing to do with loyalty to the Empire or to the Third Prince!

At this moment, Yú Chén was also cursing himself for not being mute.

Especially after the silver-haired alpha heard his words, he expressed his trust in a tone of astonished admiration, making Yú Chén wish he could sew his mouth shut: “Major Yú Chén, your oath is truly special. I believe you can do it.”

Yú Chén: “…”

Please, don’t believe it.

If Yú Chén had to describe the current situation in two words, it would be: terrifying.

If he had to use four words, it would be: extremely terrifying.

Fortunately, his mental fortitude was strong enough; if it were someone else, Yú Chén wasn’t sure how they would endure this torturous situation.

Finally, after listening to all the alphas’ oaths, the Third Prince waved his hand, signaling them to retreat.

But Yú Chén felt that things were not over yet.

As he pressed the blue gem pin against his ear, using it as an ear stud, he waited for Yún Xúnlán to summon him again—for a makeup lesson.

Sure enough, as soon as they walked out the main door, Nǐ Chūn chased after him, blocking his way: “Major Yú Chén, His Highness is looking for you.”

Yú Chén reported to Díkè, requesting to leave the team.

Díkè agreed: “Go ahead, don’t keep the Third Prince waiting.”

Yú Chén left under Fù Yánxī’s envious gaze, soon encountering that tall figure again.

He stood silently in the blood-red twilight, bathed in the hazy light filtering in from the window, looking as noble as a deity descending to the mortal realm.

Yú Chén lowered his head and saluted him: “Your Highness.”

“Major Yú Chén.”

The silver-haired alpha called his name, walking towards him from the glow of the sunset, stopping just a step away on the stairs.

Yú Chén didn’t look up, but he could sense the young man’s gaze lingering on him. He guessed that Yún Xúnlán’s next words would likely mention the makeup lesson on “War Psychology.” But what he ultimately received was a cool touch on his ear— the young man’s fingertip was resting there.

“Major Yú Chén, are you bleeding?”

Yú Chén paused at the words.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the prince take a step down the stairs, reaching out to wipe away the small drop of blood that had seeped out when he pierced his ear with the blue gem pin, rubbing it between his fingers.

It should be noted that alpha pheromones not only exist in the glands but also in bodily fluids. Therefore, when Yún Xúnlán smeared that little bit of red on his fingertip, a scent more humid, metallic, and salty than blood began to spread wildly between them, like a tsunami quickly engulfing them.

—That was the scent of the ocean, as well as the scent of Yú Chén’s pheromones.

“So pungent.”

The prince softly commented, his voice consistently rich with seductive huskiness: “Major Yú Chén, it turns out your pheromones smell like the sea.”

Yú Chén never looked up, but at the moment the young man finished speaking, it was as if he could see the handsome prince gently flaring his nostrils, inhaling the scent of his pheromones.

“Yes, Your Highness, the scent of my pheromones is like the breath of the tide.” He swallowed hard, and only after answering did he realize his voice was a bit hoarse too.

The silver-haired alpha seemed not to have noticed this subtle change, raising his hand once again to touch his ear, like a musician controlling the strings, gently caressing the skin beneath his fingers.

…What was Yún Xúnlán doing?