…

Post 13: Um, Secretary Luo was present both times… Oh no, I’ve just imagined an angsty drama! #IPersonallySentYouIntoSomeoneElse’sArms

…

Post 17: What’s wrong with the person above?! Is this really an angst story? Why not imagine that the General is deliberately making his secretary jealous? That would be so sweet! /covers face/

After glancing at the forum, Luo Ran saw that people had stopped focusing on the prince and Lucas, so he stopped reading.

Honestly, if he kept browsing this forum and reading these netizens’ analyses and wild fantasies every day, he was going to start believing that he and Lucas were actually a couple.

They made it sound so convincing.

After returning home, Luo Ran checked his terminal, then buried himself in bed and went straight to sleep. The first day of his heat passed without incident.

The next day, Lucas was scheduled to attend the military inspection.

Lucas inspected the troops once a week to evaluate the soldiers’ training progress, and Luo Ran always accompanied him.

Before returning home the previous night, Luo Ran had taken out Lucas’s military uniform, carefully ironed it, and hung it outside Lucas’s room. When he arrived at the office early that morning, he saw that Lucas was already dressed.

Lucas wore his military uniform, complete with white gloves and tall black boots. Epaulettes with tassels rested on his broad shoulders, while metallic buttons and military insignia adorned his chest. The leather belt around his waist gleamed brightly.

Standing there, the towering man looked like an impenetrable line of defense for the Empire itself—a symbol of absolute strength.

Perhaps it was because those bizarre fanfictions had influenced him, but Luo Ran found himself looking at Lucas a few extra times.

He really was handsome. In fact, Lucas might well have been the most handsome Alpha Luo Ran had ever seen. It wasn’t just his face, either. There was also that overwhelming presence about him, like a mighty lion.

No wonder the forum was so obsessed with him.

“Let’s go.”

…

The Empire’s military camps were scattered across countless locations, each housing elite imperial troops. From outside, a camp looked like little more than a vast expanse of densely packed, unadorned buildings and training grounds. Only those inside knew just how formidable and meticulous its defenses really were.

The moment Lucas entered the military camp, it was as though he had become a different person.

In everyday life, Lucas had a short temper and seemed indifferent to everything, rarely bothering to get involved in anything himself. He was careless about life, sometimes even disdainful of it.

But once he entered this place that was practically a battlefield, his nature took over, and he bared his claws completely.

The camp was filled with tall, muscular male Alphas and Betas. Yet when they saw Lucas and Luo Ran, every one of them behaved with the utmost respect.

Lucas removed his cloak and tossed it to Luo Ran before climbing up the ladder and into his mecha.

Lucas’s personal mecha was an enormous machine, much larger than ordinary mechas. Its silver body was decorated with pale blue metal plates, and the mecha engineer had engraved a golden-striped lion emblem onto it. The design glittered brilliantly in the sunlight.

This was the Empire’s renowned mecha, famous far and wide and powerful enough to strike fear into all who faced it: Lion No. 01.

The enormous machine rose to a towering height when it stood upright, reaching toward the clouds. Across the entire Empire, few Alphas possessed the mental strength required to operate such a massive mecha.

Seeing Lucas begin tactical drills and formation exercises with the other soldiers, Luo Ran turned and headed to the office.

He also had his own weekly inspections to carry out, including documents, warehouse inventories, and weapons reports that could not be taken outside the military headquarters.

The person assigned to assist him was Lu Cheng, Lucas’s adjutant. As Lucas’s deputy, Lu Cheng was also an exceptionally capable Alpha. He had strong, rugged features, and when he smiled, he looked like a sunny, cheerful young man.

The moment Lu Cheng saw Luo Ran, he straightened and saluted.

“Mad—”

Then his voice abruptly cut off.

“What’s wrong?” Luo Ran was inspecting the weapons in the warehouse, holding a rifle in his hand as he turned toward Lu Cheng in confusion.

Lu Cheng thought to himself, I’m screwed.

The big, easygoing men in the military camp had grown accustomed to calling Luo Ran the General’s wife. He had simply let the words slip out without thinking.

“Ma—Military adjutant Lu Cheng reporting for duty!” Lu Cheng saluted again.

“Relax. I’m not the General,” Luo Ran said with an amused, helpless smile.

“Yes, sir!”

It seemed his heat really was affecting him after all.

Luo Ran continued his inspections throughout the afternoon. By evening, he began to feel dizzy.

Normally, he could work for twenty-four hours straight without any problems. Even during his previous heats, the symptoms had never been this severe.

Luo Ran frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Cheng noticed that Luo Ran seemed unwell and immediately grew anxious.

“I’m fine.” Luo Ran glanced at the checklist in his hand. “We’re almost done anyway. We can finish the rest tomorrow.”

He decided not to push himself any further.

“Yes, sir!”

Luo Ran and Lu Cheng left the warehouse area and arrived at the open grounds in front. There, they saw Lucas standing on a raised platform, directing the troops.

The towering man stood high above the others, silhouetted against the light, his face stern as he issued military commands.

Holding a stack of official documents, Luo Ran stood to one side and watched him with a bright smile.

Lucas noticed Luo Ran and crooked a finger, beckoning him to come up.

Luo Ran took a step forward, but without warning, the world began spinning around him.

Lu Cheng saw Luo Ran suddenly stumble and was startled. He immediately reached out to catch him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Luo Ran struggled to steady himself and waved a hand. “I…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking before he truly couldn’t hold on any longer. His head felt heavy, his feet unsteady, and all strength drained from his body.

“Secretary Luo…!”

In his hazy, half-conscious state, Luo Ran felt as though someone had caught him.

He struggled to force out a few words.

“Find… Xia Zhi. No one else.”

Then he passed out.

……………

When Luo Ran opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a wooden ceiling.

Before he could fully gather his thoughts, he heard Xia Zhi’s voice.

“Ranran, you’re awake…! You fainted in the military camp! What on earth is wrong with you? Didn’t I tell you to take good care of yourself? Yes, your body is in great shape, and your mental strength is still SSS-ranked, but you’re an Omega, for heaven’s sake! An Omega in heat! And you’re still pushing yourself through such an intense workload? Have you lost your mind?!”

“You need to understand that you’re in the vulnerable stage of your heat. You’ve also been temporarily marked, but your Alpha hasn’t given you enough intimacy or pheromones. On top of that, you’ve been refining UNK recently. Those two people at the research institute were injured the first time they came into contact with it, and you still dare to work at such an intense pace?”