The moment the words left Jiang Yu’s mouth, Li Po froze slightly, tightening his grip on Jiang Yu’s sleeve.

It wasn’t until the black combat uniform was wrinkled that he finally realized what he was doing and loosened his hold.

In the next second, he lowered his gaze, hiding the unnatural look in his eyes, and smiled sweetly at Jiang Yu, “Got it.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Yu didn’t say anything more, but his brow furrowed ever so slightly. Li Po was standing too close to him, and the scent of roses was growing stronger, even a bit abnormally intense.

After thinking for a while, Jiang Yu spoke up to remind him, “Put on your inhibitor patch.”

“…?” Li Po was startled for a moment.

Then, he quickly realized what was going on, and his ears turned red. He reached back to touch the inhibitor patch on the back of his neck.

Weird, it hasn’t fallen off.

Could it be that it’s expired?

That wasn’t entirely impossible. Although he always remembered to change the patch every three days, it was possible that he might have missed it once or twice.

Thinking about this, he looked at Jiang Yu with a bit of awkwardness, “Officer, do you have any spare inhibitor patches?”

Alphas didn’t need to use inhibitor patches, so Li Po didn’t expect Jiang Yu to have any. He was just asking casually, without much hope. He didn’t want to disrupt his plans—after leaving Black Tower, he was planning to go to the training grounds, and it would be inconvenient without an inhibitor patch.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yu’s answer surprised him: “I do.”

Li Po’s eyes lit up.

But then, he thought of something and his expression turned a bit sour. “Officer, you’re really considerate, even having inhibitor patches prepared for Omegas in your office.”

Jiang Yu didn’t catch the sarcasm in Li Po’s tone. He simply opened a drawer in his desk, took out an inhibitor patch, and handed it to him.

This patch had been left behind by Bian Lu during his last visit. At the time, Bian Lu had insisted on leaving the patch with Jiang Yu, with a mysterious remark: “Remember to be gentle.”

To this day, Jiang Yu still didn’t understand what Bian Lu had meant.

Seeing that Jiang Yu wasn’t going to say anything, Li Po felt even more upset. He quickly tore off the old patch from the back of his neck, not being gentle at all, and the soft skin turned red almost immediately.

Once the patch was removed, his pheromones, no longer blocked, flooded the room like a dam breaking.

Li Po couldn’t smell it himself, but Jiang Yu, standing nearby, visibly reacted, his face darkening slightly.

Yet, the person responsible remained completely unaware. He took the new patch and was about to apply it when something seemed to cross his mind, and his eyes narrowed.

The next moment, he walked over to Jiang Yu and handed him the patch. “Officer, can you help me put it on?”

At that moment, Li Po was completely oblivious to the fact that his pheromones were much stronger than usual. He still thought they were faint, like before. As for why he was asking Jiang Yu for help… who knows? He was just in a bit of a bad mood.

Sure enough, Jiang Yu coldly refused, “No.”

“Then I won’t bother putting it on.”

Li Po showed no obvious reaction to the rejection. He simply walked over to the trash can, preparing to throw the patch away. After all, he couldn’t smell the pheromones, and once Jiang Yu kicked him out, he could always sneakily apply the patch outside.

The strong scent of roses was a bit overwhelming for Jiang Yu. He watched Li Po’s movements, a complex emotion flashing in his usually icy eyes. Just as Li Po was about to toss the patch, Jiang Yu finally relented, “Come here.”

At that moment, unseen by Jiang Yu, a slight smirk tugged at the corner of Li Po’s lips, and a hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

He quickly composed himself, turned around, and handed the patch to Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu glanced at him, his expression unreadable. His fingers took the patch, and the sticky residue from the previous one still clung slightly to Li Po’s skin. Li Po pulled his hand back and turned around obediently, lifting the hair at the nape of his neck.

Truth be told, Li Po trusted Jiang Yu completely.

Back in the weapons depot, Jiang Yu had remained calm even when Li Po was in heat. Now, it was just applying an inhibitor patch—nothing to worry about. Li Po thought that if there was an Alpha in S District who had zero interest in him, it would undoubtedly be Jiang Yu.

With this thought, any lingering hesitation disappeared. To make it easier for Jiang Yu, he even thoughtfully lifted his hair higher, fully exposing the back of his neck.

This was the first time Jiang Yu had ever looked so closely at an Omega’s neck. Li Po’s skin was pale, with the glands slightly reddened from his rough handling. His messy black hair was lifted by a slender, pale hand, creating a striking contrast between black and white that left a strong visual impact.

Jiang Yu’s usually calm eyes darkened slightly. He restrained himself, lowered his gaze, and raised his hand to apply the patch, placing it directly over the Omega’s gland.

His fingers were cold, and the moment they touched the back of Li Po’s neck, even through the patch, Li Po frowned in discomfort. He reflexively tried to pull away but ended up causing Jiang Yu’s fingers to slip, directly touching the gland without any barrier.

“Mm…”

Li Po trembled.

His ears turned red instantly, and even his legs felt a bit weak. He wanted to question Jiang Yu for touching him inappropriately but quickly realized it was his own fault for moving. He couldn’t blame Jiang Yu for that.

Feeling guilty, Li Po clenched his fists, biting his lip to resist the strange sensation.

Jiang Yu’s fingers quickly moved away.

His expression was unreadable as he rubbed his thumb against his other fingers. His canine teeth itched slightly, and he pressed his tongue against them until the sensation faded. Then, he smoothly finished applying the patch and… gently pressed it down with his thumb.

“It’s done.”

His voice was calm.

Li Po couldn’t muster the strength to respond. Having his neck touched by someone else for the first time sent an unfamiliar tingling sensation down his spine, far stronger than when he touched himself.

His eyes reddened, and a layer of moisture formed as he struggled to calm himself. After taking a few steps forward to put some distance between them, he finally turned around and tried to act composed. “I’ll get going then, Officer. You carry on with your work.”

“Wait.”

Li Po froze mid-step. His eyes were still red, making him look like a little rabbit.

Jiang Yu glanced at his red-rimmed eyes but said nothing. He walked over to the water dispenser, poured some warm water into a disposable cup, and handed it to him.

“Drink.”

Li Po, confused, took the cup. He was indeed a bit thirsty, but how did Jiang Yu know? He couldn’t figure it out and just sipped the water slowly.

After finishing, he placed the cup on the table and made his way to the door.

This time, Jiang Yu didn’t stop him.

After Li Po left, Jiang Yu stared at the disposable cup on the table, his expression unreadable. A few seconds later, he stood up, took a new cup, and poured himself a drink.

This time, the water was cold.

With an impassive face, he drank the cold water and suddenly understood what Bian Lu’s cryptic remark had meant—

The “gentle” referred to biting gently.

…

Even though he had applied the inhibitor patch, Li Po’s plans were still disrupted.

He didn’t go to the training grounds but instead headed back to the dormitory.

After leaving Black Tower, most of the rose scent from his pheromones had dissipated, but his shirt was still wrinkled. Li Po guessed it must’ve gotten messed up when he leaned against Jiang Yu earlier.

Thinking about Jiang Yu’s pheromone control, Li Po suddenly paused, and his expression darkened.

Had his patch really failed?

Could it be that Jiang Yu had lost control of his own pheromones because of him?

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He bit his lip, feeling a surge of frustration, but it didn’t last long. Although Jiang Yu had touched him inappropriately, it hadn’t been too uncomfortable—quite the opposite, actually. So, he decided not to dwell on it.

With that settled in his mind, Li Po continued walking.

But after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, his expression turning cold in an instant. “Why are you following me?”

Behind him, a figure froze, stiffening slightly.

Li Po turned around and smiled faintly when he saw who it was. “Is this how you gather dirt on me? By stalking me?”

Zong Mao’s face darkened immediately upon being caught. He no longer bothered hiding and stepped in front of Li Po, sizing him up.

Suddenly, a scent filled the air.

Zong Mao took a deep breath, inhaling deeply. But the moment the smell hit his nose, his expression changed drastically, and he took a big step back. “Did you just sneak off to fool around?”

“…?” Li Po gave him a bewildered look, as if he were an idiot.

Zong Mao wasn’t fooled by that look. He was certain he had smelled a strong Alpha’s aggressive pheromones on this Omega. And the scent was overwhelming—it wasn’t something that would cling for just a short while.

Alphas had a strong territorial instinct, especially when it came to Omegas. When marking an Omega, Alphas would unconsciously release pheromones that lingered on the Omega. If another Alpha came into contact with that Omega, their pheromones would react aggressively, repelling any Alpha that approached.

The scent Zong Mao had detected was exactly that kind of territorial marking. It was so dominant that it had pushed him back half a step and filled his body with a sharp, prickling pain.

Zong Mao’s face twisted in discomfort. From that moment of pheromone attack, he knew that the person who left this scent was of a higher mental power level than him—he even suspected that person might have an S-level mental power.

“While other combatants are training, you’re out seducing Alphas? What, did you enjoy being marked?”

A look of disdain flashed across Li Po’s eyes. He sneered, “Go look in the mirror. Don’t assume everyone is as filthy as you.”

“You!” Zong Mao was furious but hesitant to move closer because of the overwhelming scent on Li Po. “You’re such a slutty Omega! If Jin Mu finds out you’ve been marked by another Alpha, what do you think he’ll do? Will he still listen to you?”

As Zong Mao’s words sank in, Li Po suddenly realized something. He subtly sniffed the air and caught the lingering scent of a pheromone that wasn’t his.

Damn, how careless!

How could Jiang Yu’s scent still be lingering after all this time?!

Seeing Li Po’s expression change, Zong Mao’s anger began to subside, thinking that Li Po was afraid of him reporting this to Jin Mu. So he continued, exaggerating, “Don’t bother trying to deny it. I’ve worked with Jin Mu before. I know what his pheromones smell like. And this scent… I’ve smelled it somewhere before. S District takes Alpha-Omega relationships seriously. I’ll make sure to drag your lover into this and report you to the higher-ups!”

If Zong Mao had any real evidence of Jin Mu and Li Po’s relationship, he would have reported it already. His current threats were empty, but he could still use Jin Mu to put pressure on Li Po.

Li Po found it hilarious, looking at Zong Mao like he was watching a monkey at the zoo. “Oh really? Since when does a combat officer care about this?”

“Of course,” Zong Mao’s eyes flickered with fear when he mentioned the combat officer. “The combat officer hates it when combatants mess around with Omegas. He’s disgusted just looking at you!”

After hearing this, Li Po gave a long, thoughtful “Oh,” as he played with the candy in his pocket, suddenly smiling to himself.

“What are you smiling at?!” Zong Mao grew angrier when he saw Li Po’s calm demeanor. “Just wait until I tell Jin Mu. Let’s see if you can still smile like that.”

Zong Mao wasn’t lying. He truly felt that the scent on Li Po was familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had smelled it before. In S District, every Alpha’s pheromones were distinct, and it was rare for two to smell alike. The fact that Zong Mao remembered this scent meant that the Alpha who left it was either unique or someone important.

But… who was it?

Just as Zong Mao was racking his brain, Li Po’s light, breezy voice floated over, “Go ahead, tell him.”

Li Po glanced at him indifferently, as if he couldn’t care less. “I’m not bothered.” After all, Jin Mu had nothing to do with him.

With that, Li Po didn’t bother giving Zong Mao another glance and walked away.

As he left, the hem of his shirt stirred the air, sending the lingering Alpha pheromones directly into Zong Mao’s face.

In that instant, Zong Mao felt like his entire body was being sliced apart by invisible blades. The pain was so intense he wanted to scream, but he could only glare at Li Po’s departing figure, cursing under his breath. Unfortunately for him, Li Po had already walked far enough away that he didn’t hear a single word.

•

Back at the dorm, Li Po took off the shirt that carried Jiang Yu’s scent. Holding it in his hands, he hesitated for a moment.

A few seconds later, he buried his face in the shirt and took a small sniff.

The faint, cool scent of a mountain spring filled his nose, making him feel comfortable and at ease. He couldn’t understand why Zong Mao had reacted so strongly to this scent—it didn’t smell bad at all.

Although he was reluctant, the shirt needed washing. After cleaning it, Li Po sat on his bed and picked up his communicator.

After thinking for a moment, he sent Jiang Yu a message: [Officer, do you dislike me?]

He knew he was just stirring up trouble for no reason. But he was bored and wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to entertain himself.

There was no reply for a long time. Just when Li Po thought Jiang Yu wouldn’t respond, the communicator suddenly lit up.

Li Po opened the message, and his mood soured immediately.

The reply was just: [?]

What’s that supposed to mean?

Li Po frowned and typed: [Is the officer silently agreeing?]

It seemed like Jiang Yu was getting tired of his pestering because the next reply came quickly: [No.]

Seeing that “No,” Li Po finally felt satisfied. He had expended so much emotional energy today that he soon drifted off to sleep, wrapped in his blanket.

…

Unlike the carefree Li Po, Jiang Yu, on the other hand, was surrounded by a heavy, tense atmosphere.

One of his subordinates handed him a stack of documents and suddenly noticed something in the air. Sniffing the air curiously, he asked, “Officer, it smells really nice in here. Did you spray some rose perfume?”

The combat officer was always cold and distant, so this subordinate had been looking for a way to get closer to him. Now, thinking he’d discovered something about his superior’s preferences, he hesitated to leave. Boldly, he asked, “Officer, this rose scent is really unique. Where did you get it? I’d love to buy some.”

This subordinate was a straightforward Alpha who didn’t know how to read the room. He didn’t notice that Jiang Yu’s expression was growing colder. He kept talking, praising the rose scent for not being as overpowering as other perfumes, commenting that it had a refreshing quality.

“Get out.”

Jiang Yu cut him off coldly.

“…Huh?” The subordinate was stunned. It wasn’t until he saw the icy look on Jiang Yu’s face that he panicked and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry for talking too much, sir. I’ll leave right away.”

After that, he practically fled the room.

Once the subordinate was gone, Jiang Yu pressed his fingers to his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

He expressionlessly opened his communicator and pulled Bian Lu out of his blacklist, sending him a message: [Come to Black Tower and clean up the pheromones.]

As he scrolled down, his gaze landed on Li Po’s earlier message. He hadn’t planned on replying, but knowing how sensitive Omegas could be, he figured if he didn’t respond, Li Po might overthink it, so he answered.

…

Bian Lu quickly arrived.

Jiang Yu heard him before he saw him.

“I just finished surgery! You have no idea, White Tower’s patients keep piling up. Oh, by the way…” Bian Lu’s words were suddenly cut off.

He widened his eyes, sniffing the air in disbelief.

“You…”

He hurried over to the trash can, put on gloves, and started rummaging through it.

The deeper he dug, the more alarmed he became.

In the trash, he found an old inhibitor patch, scattered vials, and blood-stained tissues…

His hands trembled as he picked up the bloodied tissues, still carrying traces of Omega pheromones. The moment the rose scent hit him, Bian Lu’s pupils dilated in shock. He looked at Jiang Yu with an expression of utter disbelief.

“Dude, are you serious…?”

Jiang Yu: “…”

“Omega glands are fragile! Didn’t I tell you to be gentle? Other Alphas don’t go as rough as you do—normally, there’s just a little blood, and licking it stops the bleeding. But you… there’s so much blood you needed tissues? Did you tear up his glands?”

Jiang Yu, thoroughly annoyed: “Shut up.”

Bian Lu was still in shock, especially since Li Po was one of his patients. If something went wrong, he’d be held responsible as the doctor. “I get that you’ve been holding back for 25 years, but couldn’t you have waited just a bit longer? I gave you so many hints, and you ignored them all. Now, what do you expect me to do? Where’s Li Po now? You didn’t even send him home after marking him?”

Jiang Yu cut him off coldly, “I didn’t mark him.”

“…”

Bian Lu froze like a duck with its neck wrung, unable to speak.

He held up the bloody tissue, wordlessly asking: Then what’s this?

“My pheromones got out of control and hurt him.”

“…”

Bian Lu’s face immediately turned serious. He threw the tissue back into the trash can, glanced at the empty vials, and said nothing.

The scent in the room was faint, not like the overpowering scent of a heat. Bian Lu quickly and thoroughly cleaned the air, leaving no trace of the pheromones behind.

After tidying everything up, he walked back to the desk, removed his gloves, and tossed them in the trash. Then, leaning on the desk, he looked at Jiang Yu seriously. “I told you before, you need a teammate.”

Jiang Yu said nothing.

“You’re going on too many missions. You used to go out twice a week, but now you haven’t been back to S District in half a month. What are you trying to do? I know you’re an SS-level mental powerhouse, very strong, very capable, but no matter how strong your body is, it can’t handle this kind of strain.”

“You know better than anyone why your pheromones are out of control. If you keep draining your mental energy like this, no one will be able to save you.”

“I’ve already told you how to fix this. First, reduce the number of missions and find a teammate at your level to share the load. Second, find an Omega with over 90% compatibility to soothe you with their pheromones.”

“The second option is nearly impossible, I know. I tested your blood—you don’t even have many Omegas with 50% compatibility, let alone 90%. Plus, your SS-level mental power makes it even harder. But the first option isn’t that difficult, right? S District has plenty of S-level Alphas. They’d love to team up with you. Let them help you, isn’t that better?”

Bian Lu rambled on, getting more frustrated as he went. By the end, he was almost angry.

He was parched from all the talking, and when he spotted a disposable cup on the table, he grabbed it and started filling it with water.

At first, Jiang Yu didn’t notice Bian Lu’s actions, but as soon as Bian Lu finished pouring and was about to drink, Jiang Yu reacted. “Don’t drink that.”

“…?” Bian Lu paused mid-motion, looking at Jiang Yu in disbelief, feeling hurt.

“Are you seriously not going to let me have a sip of water?”

Jiang Yu found him insufferable. “He used it.”

“…”

Bian Lu understood immediately. He quickly put the cup down, placing it neatly on the desk, not daring to touch it again. Meanwhile, he pointed to the other cup. “What about this one?”

“Mine.”

Bian Lu sulked and retracted his hand. Knowing about Jiang Yu’s cleanliness habit, he gave up and rummaged through the desk drawer for a new disposable cup to get his drink.

As he drank, he grumbled about why Jiang Yu still had Li Po’s used cup sitting on his desk.

After finishing his drink, he walked back over to Jiang Yu. This time, his expression was no longer joking—he was serious, his tone firm and professional as a doctor. “Jiang Yu, you need to seriously consider this. Your physical condition can’t handle you being reckless anymore. Do you want to end up like the previous four combat officers, dying young?”

Jiang Yu remained silent, not answering.

“S District is dealing with an unprecedented wave of pollutants. You have to understand that no matter how hard you push yourself, you can’t change everything alone. How long does it take for S District to produce an SS-level mental powerhouse? With your abilities, you should be making a much bigger impact, not wasting all your energy cleaning up a few stubborn pollutants. You need to think long-term, you know?”

“I know,” Jiang Yu responded impassively.

Seeing his attitude, Bian Lu knew he hadn’t gotten through to him. He sighed in exasperation, giving Jiang Yu another glance before smiling. “You need something to keep you grounded, something that’ll make you take care of yourself.”

Jiang Yu shot him a warning look.

Bian Lu ignored it and continued, “If you ever fall in love with an Omega, wouldn’t that give you a reason to care for your body? You wouldn’t be so reckless then.”

Jiang Yu coldly dismissed the idea, “That won’t happen.”

“Oh, come on. You never know. Li Po seems like a great match.” Bian Lu was watching Jiang Yu closely, hoping to catch a reaction, but to his disappointment, Jiang Yu’s expression didn’t change at all.

“Alright, then…”

Bian Lu sighed again, staring at the spotless floor of the office with a sense of melancholy.

“But honestly, Li Po’s a good kid—sweet and thoughtful. If he were the one taking care of you… or rather, if you were taking care of him, it wouldn’t be so bad. I just worry that if you push yourself too hard now, you’ll regret it later when your body can’t keep up with your Omega’s needs. And don’t come to me for Viagra prescriptions when that happens.”

Before Jiang Yu could react, Bian Lu hurriedly made his exit, not daring to look at his cold expression.

Once he was gone, Jiang Yu stared at the reagent box on his desk, his thoughts unreadable.

After a while, he suddenly felt frustrated and picked up the water cup from the desk, taking a sip.

The moment he finished, his expression froze.

It was too late—he had already tasted the faint rose scent lingering on his tongue.