Three powerful M2 pheromones clashed and crushed against each other. The domineering, overwhelming alpha aura exploded and spread through Zhongling Street. Tourists wandering the bluestone alleys and browsing the shops abruptly stopped, drawn by the oppressive force, looking toward its source—curious, yet not daring to approach.
The pressure of high-tier M2 pheromones rolled in like dense storm clouds swallowing a city.
The omegas in the shops were struck by the sudden surge of alpha pressure, growing dizzy as they hurriedly shut their doors.
The owner of the flower shop where Gu Wei had just bought dried flowers happened to return. An omega, he had barely stepped onto Zhongling Street when the overwhelming pressure hit him head-on. He clutched his gland in pain and dropped to his knees.
“Gland hunters…? There are several high-level alphas nearby… It hurts… I can’t hold on…”
In the alley, many omegas covered their glands in panic, desperately resisting the trembling oppression. Some children in their arms burst into sharp, piercing cries.
Hearing a child crying nearby, Yan Yi set down the dried flowers and stepped between the three of them. “Stop it. Do you want to tear this whole street apart?”
Xia Jingtian was the first to stop, withdrawing his oppressive pheromones. He sat casually on the hood of his car and tilted his chin slightly at Yan Yi, as if to show how obedient he was.
“I don’t want to level this street with my M2 ability.” Xia Jingtian’s gaze swept past Lu Shangjin and landed on Shao Wenjing, a faint mocking smile tugging at his lips. “Where did this bug come from? I hate bugs the most.”
Lu Shangjin glanced sideways at Xia Jingtian. “What are you doing here? Your brother told you to get back.”
Xia Jingtian choked on his words, his gaze instantly turning sharp and hostile.
Shao Wenjing brushed the dust off his sleeve, slipped his hands into his pockets, and leaned against the wall. His lips curled, revealing sharp canine teeth. “Young Master Lu, long time no see. The other day on the cruise, you were holding some little celebrity all lovey-dovey. And today you’ve taken an interest in the little white rabbit by my mouth? Eating from one bowl while eyeing the pot?”
Lu Shangjin remained unmoved by Shao Wenjing’s twisted provocation, but Yan Yi was affected. He pressed his lips together, the light in his eyes dimming like a candle blown out. When he looked at Lu Shangjin again, there was only calmness and disappointment left.
So that time he didn’t answer the phone—he really had gone on vacation with Yuan Mi.
Seeing Yan Yi’s sincerity fading, Lu Shangjin suddenly grew extremely irritated. He slammed his fist against the car door, crushed his cigarette underfoot, and strode quickly toward Yan Yi.
“Get in the car. I’ll explain.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it.” Yan Yi wasn’t surprised. After all, back at home, Lu Shangjin would occasionally bring people back to have fun. He had long since grown accustomed to it.
Yan Yi wanted to help the shop owner load the dried flowers back into the car first. Looking around, he spotted Gu Wei about fifty meters away, sitting at an open-air hotpot restaurant at a safe distance, holding a bucket of popcorn and watching the scene like it was entertainment.
The moment Yan Yi turned back, his wrist suddenly tightened. Sticky spider silk wrapped around his right hand, and a powerful force yanked him backward. His back slammed into Shao Wenjing’s chest, his hands bound tighter and tighter by the tough threads.
“Let go!” Xia Jingtian leapt down from the hood. Shao Wenjing locked one arm around Yan Yi’s throat from behind, dragging him back as he chuckled teasingly. “Come on—let’s see if this little rabbit can withstand your gravity pressure.”
“I…” Xia Jingtian immediately withdrew his strength. Both his J1 and M2 abilities were area-based compression—not targeted at a single individual. A lop-eared rabbit omega would be crushed into dust instantly.
Lu Shangjin frowned.
He had met Xia Pingtian’s younger brother a few times. The young lion’s reckless, troublemaking temperament was even worse than his brother’s. No matter what disaster he caused, his brother would clean it up for him. When it came to fighting for dominance, he never hesitated.
Shao Wenjing lowered his head and inhaled the faint fragrance in Yan Yi’s hair, lifting his peach-blossom eyes toward Lu Shangjin with a curved smile. “Lend him to me for a couple of days. He’s something you don’t want anyway. Take another step closer and I’ll mark him right now.”
Lu Shangjin could almost hear the grinding of his molars.
“I don’t like the way you talk.” Yan Yi, his throat locked in a chokehold, raised his eyelids slightly. He grabbed Shao Wenjing’s hand at his neck, twisted his shoulder, and executed a clean over-the-shoulder throw in midair.
Even with his hands bound in spider silk, he braced himself on the ground and swung his long legs into Shao Wenjing’s abdomen. The force of the rabbit kick was several times stronger than when he had shattered Yuan Mi’s leg bones.
Shao Wenjing hadn’t expected the rabbit, whose gland was dormant, to unleash such strength. Caught off guard, he was sent flying eight meters away. Like a crawling spider, he planted himself against a vertical wall, then lightly stepped onto the rooftop.
Some species have a chance to gain additional companion abilities when their glands differentiate. Spider and gecko types can acquire “Wall-Crawling,” allowing them to stand and move on surfaces regardless of angle.
Yan Yi’s face turned pale. That strike had exhausted what little gland energy he had left. As he was about to collapse, Xia Jingtian caught his swaying body. When he checked his neck, bruised finger marks were clearly visible on the pale skin.
Lu Shangjin vanished from his spot in an instant, leaving behind a string of afterimages. He appeared on the low rooftop, seized Shao Wenjing by the throat, and slammed him hard onto the sharp, shattered tiles with a thunderous crash.
The speed was like lightning.
The peregrine falcon’s companion ability, “Seize,” allowed him to capture prey at a diving speed of 389 kilometers per hour.
“Don’t touch what’s mine. Was your godfather’s example not enough?” The muscles in Lu Shangjin’s arm tightened beneath his sleeve, the hostility in his eyes burning hotter.
Blood seeped from the corner of Shao Wenjing’s mouth, yet his eyes lifted in defiance. “Sooner or later, he’ll fall into my hands.”
With a kick, he knocked Lu Shangjin off the rooftop and vanished in an instant.
As the three M2 alphas withdrew, the suffocating pheromones dissipated from Zhongling Street, and the tense atmosphere faded from the bluestone alley.
“I’m fine. Thank you.” Yan Yi turned back, forcing a smile as he thanked Xia Jingtian, then stepped out of his arms and crouched to move the box of dried flowers for the shop owner.
His fingertips had just touched the box when it was suddenly kicked aside with an impatient thud. Startled, Yan Yi looked up. Lu Shangjin stood above him, his face cold as ice.
“Are you angry?” Yan Yi’s rabbit ears twitched slightly.
Lu Shangjin bent down, grabbed Yan Yi, and pulled him roughly into his arms, gripping his face as he kissed him hard.
“Come with me.”
He lifted Yan Yi and shoved him into the car, slammed the door, then walked around to the driver’s seat and sped off in a sharp turn.
Xia Jingtian instinctively took a few steps after them, watching the car fade into the distance, his gaze dimming.
If someone doesn’t love you, is it impossible to ever catch up?
“Hey, handsome, help me carry a box?” Gu Wei walked over, unfazed, bending to pick up the cardboard box from the ground. “You really can’t hire a rich family’s spouse as an employee. They’re probably just here to experience life.”
Xia Jingtian laughed in irritation and snorted. “You mutt want me to carry your box? Do you even know who I am?”
Gu Wei looked him up and down, rolled his eyes—
Then spun in a dramatic 540-degree turn, hoisted the box onto one shoulder, and walked off humming “Hero of a Chaotic World.”