SCOM - Chapter 46
Chapter 46
The infirmary always kept a supply of simple, disposable clothing for cadets to change into after an injury. Though they'd agreed to change, neither Ji Yuezhi nor Zuo Luohuan moved. They stood embraced, Ji Yuezhi's hand still resting on Zuo Luohuan's waist. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, flitting from one thing to another, yet settling on nothing but an instinctive reliance on his Alpha.
The higher the rank of an Alpha and Omega, the deeper the bond formed between them after marking. Even though theirs was only a temporary mark, for the next few days, Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi would be bound by a profound connection.
As it was now, from the moment the temporary mark took hold, Zuo Luohuan's every thought revolved around Ji Yuezhi. She felt an overwhelming urge to protect him at all costs.
Ji Yuezhi rested his head on Zuo Luohuan's shoulder for a moment, then softly said, "I need a pheromone patch."
Zuo Luohuan looked at him, her thumb gently wiping the sweat from his face. Instinctively, Ji Yuezhi nuzzled her palm, slowly opening his eyes. A gentle smile touched his lips as he gazed at her.
The Omega's docile appearance held an irresistible allure for the Alpha who had just marked him.
Zuo Luohuan's gaze fell on Ji Yuezhi's lips, still flushed from their earlier passion. Unable to resist, she slowly lowered her head.
Ji Yuezhi's damp eyelashes fluttered, and he closed his eyes.
But instead of a warm, soft touch, his lips met something cool and slightly rough. He opened his eyes in surprise to find Zuo Luohuan's thumb pressed against them. She looked down, gently massaging his lips, deepening their color. Then, with an almost imperceptible reverence, she kissed the back of her own thumb.
He couldn't deny a flicker of disappointment. After the temporary marking, his subconscious yearned for a more intimate connection.
As Zuo Luohuan straightened up, about to pull her thumb away, Ji Yuezhi suddenly parted his lips and took the tip of her finger into his mouth.
Zuo Luohuan froze, a frown creasing her brow. Ultimately, she couldn't bring herself to scold him, settling for a long, searching look.
Ji Yuezhi sucked on her fingertip before releasing it. "A little salty," he murmured.
Zuo Luohuan's embrace tightened involuntarily. She chuckled softly. "That's your sweat. There should still be a hint of sweet iris."
They stood holding each other for a few more moments before Zuo Luohuan softly asked, "Can you stand on your own?"
Ji Yuezhi nodded slightly. "Yes."
Zuo Luohuan released him, found an Omega pheromone patch, and tore open the packaging. She stepped back in front of Ji Yuezhi to apply it. Before she could, her eyes fell on the two bite marks on the nape of his pale neck. The strange possessiveness she'd been suppressing surged back, a desire to hide him away, to keep him all to herself, constantly by her side, offering himself to her with an almost sacrificial devotion.
When the patch still hadn't been applied, Ji Yuezhi turned his head and asked, "Is it on yet?" His voice held a subtle Omega's coquettishness towards his Alpha.
Zuo Luohuan snapped back to reality and applied the patch. The scent of the temporary mark on Ji Yuezhi vanished instantly.
"With all this time, the Capital must have noticed something," Zuo Luohuan said, stepping back and meeting Ji Yuezhi's gaze. "Change your clothes. I'll wait for you outside."
"Okay."
Zuo Luohuan found clean clothes and placed them on a nearby cot. She picked up Ji Yuezhi's uniform jacket and draped it over a chair. Then, taking an Alpha pheromone patch for herself, she walked out.
Only after Zuo Luohuan left did Ji Yuezhi collapse to the floor, his legs giving way. The Alpha's pheromones were overpowering, making it difficult for the marked Omega to be apart from her. He had to fight back the urge to call her back.
Thankfully, the infirmary's air circulation system had completely purified the air of pheromones, and they were both wearing patches. After about ten minutes, Ji Yuezhi regained his strength, cleaned himself up, and changed his clothes.
Zuo Luohuan waited patiently outside without urging him, until he finally emerged.
"Communications are back online. Instructors are already on their way," Zuo Luohuan said, taking the soiled clothes from Ji Yuezhi. "I'll go back to the dorms with you to get cleaned up."
The infirmary clothes were meant for patients. Once the instructors arrived, they would inevitably look for them, and they couldn't be seen in their current state.
"Okay."
They walked towards the Omega dormitory building in the south. Most of the cadets were likely gathered at the intersection between the north and south sections, or at the foreign student dormitory building. The south side was practically deserted.
Back in the dorm, Ji Yuezhi tossed his dirty clothes into the washing machine and turned to Zuo Luohuan.
"You can go shower. I'll wait here," Zuo Luohuan said.
Ji Yuezhi hesitated. "What about you?"
The mixed pheromones clinging to her, especially at their intensity, would attract attention the moment she stepped outside.
"I'll borrow some clothes from you after you're done," Zuo Luohuan replied.
…
It was a busy night in the Capital. Meetings ran one after another. The Military Council was in an emergency session discussing the northern border. All communication signals were blocked inside the meeting room.
Many of the Federal First Military Academy instructors were also in overnight meetings or already at home resting. Jia Hailan and the others were with instructors from the other three military academies, working on the second stage of the training exercise.
He Yue was called away by the Purifier Corps. They reported a suspicious individual and needed her to lead a team to apprehend them. Since Jia Hailan was in charge of the training exercise at the academy, He Yue's absence didn't have a significant impact.
As soon as she left, her optical computer regained its signal. She received another message from the Purifier Corps: the suspicious individual was likely one of the top ten on their most-wanted list. Half of the Purifier Corps had been deployed.
Throughout the Capital that night, for various reasons, all the forces capable of influencing the situation were either drawn away from the academy or temporarily cut off from communication.
A few instructors from the academy, resting at home, felt a vague unease. They looked towards the academy and saw something alarming: the rooftops of several buildings in the north section were ablaze.
It wasn't just the instructors. Patrols from the Military Council also noticed something was wrong and rushed to ring the alarm for the meeting room.
"What's happening?" Ji Xixiu was the first to emerge from the meeting room.
"It seems there's a fire in the north section of the Federal First Military Academy," the patrolman reported hesitantly. "Several rooftops are on fire."
Ji Xixiu strode outside, his sharp eyes scanning the distance. He issued rapid orders: "Contact all instructors at the academy. If you can't reach them, send someone to find them. Pull elite doctors from the Capital Hospital, Federal First Hospital, and United Hospital and send them to the academy. Lock down the Capital. Notify the Seventeenth Army to patrol. If they encounter any suspicious individuals, authorize lethal force."
He paused, then added, "Request the instructors from Yundong Military Academy, United Military Academy, and Northern Military Academy to go to the Federal First Military Academy."
The other members of the Military Council, just emerging from the meeting room, hadn't yet grasped the situation. "Something happened at the academy?" one asked incredulously. It was the Capital, after all, with the Seventeenth Army stationed right there.
Ji Xixiu didn't answer. He strode towards his transport, accompanied by a security detail, and boarded a flyer bound for the academy.
En route, he continued to coordinate troop movements, securing the entire Capital. He received reports that no one inside the academy could be contacted, suggesting a signal blockage.
By the time they neared the academy, Ji Xixiu had braced himself for the worst. But upon arriving at the foreign student dormitory building, he found a significant number of cadets standing guard, seemingly unharmed.
"Guan Xue, Guan Xue!" Qian Mao spotted the approaching flyers in the night sky and shouted to Guan Xue, "The rocket launcher! Quick!"
Guan Xue immediately grabbed her rocket launcher and tossed it into the nearby bushes.
When the cadets realized it was Ji Xixiu disembarking, they snapped to attention, as if energized, and saluted.
Regardless of the rumors surrounding Ji Xixiu, or the occasional glimpses of him as an ordinary father picking up Ji Yuezhi at the school gates, in the minds of most cadets, he was a figure of immense authority.
"Where is Cadet An Yingjing?" Ji Xixiu scanned the cadets, his gaze finally settling on Guan Xue.
"Uh…" Guan Xue felt a pang of guilt. A rocket launcher wasn't something that should casually appear at the military academy. She'd acquired it from the black market and had Qian Mao fix it up. It only had one round.
"He's right there," Qian Mao quickly pointed behind him, seeing the coldness in Ji Xixiu's eyes. "He's a little injured, but it's nothing serious."
Ji Xixiu walked towards the indicated spot, noticing several bodies lying on the ground. He turned to Qian Mao. "You fought with Gashro agents?"
"Yes, but one escaped," Guan Xue quickly added.
Ji Xixiu reached An Yingjing, who was sitting and resting. He appeared to be relatively unharmed.
"This was an oversight on the Capital's part," Ji Xixiu said, bending down to address An Yingjing. "Your pheromones attract the attention of the Gashro Empire. We should have assigned guards earlier."
"I-It's okay. The cadets from the Federal First Military Academy helped us," An Yingjing stammered, feeling a twinge of guilt as he remembered Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi leaving.
An Yingjing looked around and noticed that all the foreign students were standing at the front of the building, not having approached Ji Xixiu. The cadets from the Federal First Military Academy who had come were all Omegas and Betas. They were organized and efficient, handling weapons, medical supplies, and tending to the wounded. Clearly, someone had taken charge.
"Is Ji Yuezhi here?" Ji Xixiu suddenly turned and asked the cadets.
"Captain Ji was just over there…" Guan Xue pointed excitedly in a direction, then found nothing.
"Looks like he's gone," Qian Mao said.
Ji Xixiu's gaze fell on the clearly uneasy An Yingjing. "Do you know where he is?"
An Yingjing: "...He, he left with Zuo Luohuan. I think."
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