ISMW Chapter 114

Yu Chen complied and handed over all the weapons on his person.

Then the attendants brought over a metal detector gate and required Yu Chen to walk through it for security screening.

Although Yun Xunlan and Yu Chen had doubts about these requirements, they could still understand them. After all, Yun Xunguang was the Empire’s Crown Princess with a special status. However, after Yu Chen passed the security check and confirmed he had no other metal objects that could be used as weapons, just as he was about to enter the protective shelter with Yun Xunlan, Yun Xunlan was stopped.

“Third Prince…” The attendant smiled bitterly. “Please also go through security screening.”

Yun Xunlan looked at Yun Xunguang: “Imperial Sister, Yu Chen and I came to eat, not to assassinate you.”

Yun Xunguang crossed her fingers, resting her chin on them, and smiled: “Then just go through the security check.”

Yun Xunlan walked into the security gate.

The next second, the security gate emitted a “beep beep” alarm sound.

Yun Xunguang changed her sitting position during this alarm sound, her eyes slightly darkening, looking like she wasn’t so relaxed anymore.

The attendant also said with difficulty: “Third Prince, you still have… metal objects on you.”

Yun Xunlan looked at the attendant, then at Yun Xunguang, and finally glanced at Yu Chen before slowly extending his tongue tip—at the end of the young man’s wet, red tongue tip was embedded a blue gemstone the same color as Yu Chen’s eyes, refracting brilliant and beautiful fire under the sunlight.

That tongue piercing dazzled the attendant’s eyes and made Yun Xunguang raise an eyebrow. She waved at the attendant: “Oh, let him wear his crystallization of love.”

Of course, this sentence didn’t mean Yun Xunguang had made a compromise or concession. She still insisted on having the attendant use a handheld metal detector to scan Yun Xunlan’s entire body, confirming he had no other metal objects before allowing him and Yu Chen to enter the protective shelter.

Yun Xunlan and Yu Chen sat across from her.

The first thing Yun Xunlan said was: “Imperial Sister, have I really assassinated you before?”

Yun Xunguang actually nodded: “Good that you know.”

With her saying this, Yun Xunlan really had no way to continue.

When Yun Xunguang started calling for food to be served, he was even more amused.

Because what Yun Xunguang had served was a concentrated nutrient solution. The attendant gave each of them a straw, thoughtfully placing the silver one in front of Yu Chen and the blue straw in front of Yun Xunlan.

Yun Xunlan held up the nutrient solution: “We’re just eating this?”

“Haven’t you always had no requirements for food? When I ate with you before, you only drank some wine.” Yun Xunguang also held the nutrient solution between her slender white fingers, but she was just playing with it, showing no intention of removing her mask to drink. “Besides, this is the new lychee rose flavored nutrient solution from the company you and Jian Wenxi started. Yu Chen will definitely like it.”

Yu Chen: “…”

Yu Chen didn’t really want to like it.

But Yun Xunguang had already raised her nutrient solution to toast with him: “Try it?”

The Empire’s Crown Princess’s face couldn’t be ignored. Yu Chen inserted the straw into the nutrient solution bottle and after drinking two sips, Yu Chen felt relieved.

Yun Xunguang asked him: “How does it taste?”

“The rose flavor is a bit too strong, overpowering the freshness of the lychee.” Yu Chen gave an honest review. “It’s not very much like Lanlan’s pheromones.”

Yun Xunguang pointed at Yun Xunlan with her nutrient solution: “Remember, these are all areas for improvement in future products.”

Yun Xunlan: “…”

“Imperial Sister, let’s talk business.” Yun Xunlan put down the nutrient solution and got straight to the point without wasting words. “I want to undergo secondary differentiation early.”

Yun Xunguang was noncommittal, only asking: “Reason?”

“My alpha glands are currently in a condition not much different from being scrapped, and the susceptible periods, irritability, anger, impulsiveness and other physiological phenomena produced by alpha glands affect my precision in piloting mechas.”

Actually, these words were all Yun Xunlan’s nonsense, but there were too many things he couldn’t tell the truth about, or Yun Xunguang would make him get his brain checked and see a psychologist. Yun Xunlan could only make up these somewhat credible reasons.

He also knew that what Yun Xunguang most wanted to hear wasn’t these flowery excuses. What she wanted to hear, from beginning to end, was just one sentence.

Yun Xunlan said that sentence: “Imperial Sister, I still want to participate in the third forced landing plan, but I don’t want to die on the insectoid home planet.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Xunguang’s eyes indeed changed, very subtly, but Yun Xunlan keenly caught it.

He continued: “So I want to undergo secondary differentiation early, become a beta unaffected by pheromones, or become an omega only affected by Yu Chen’s pheromones. This way, my mecha piloting ability will also improve accordingly.”

Yun Xunlan faced those golden eyes almost identical to his own, speaking slowly but with firm and powerful tone: “I want to come back alive.”

After hearing this, Yun Xunguang remained silent for a long time.

After a long silence, she finally looked away, her eyes somewhat red around the edges, but she sneered mockingly at Yun Xunlan: “When I wanted to arrange guards for you, you were extremely unwilling. Now you’re showing off your love right in front of me.”

After saying this, she quickly adjusted her emotions, turned her face back to look at Yun Xunlan and asked: “Have you thought it through? After secondary differentiation, your secondary sexual characteristics will permanently change. Are you sure you’re prepared for everything?”

Yun Xunlan inserted the blue straw in front of him into the nutrient solution bottle and said to Yun Xunguang with a smile: “I’ve thought it through very clearly.”

“Then contact the doctor yourself to be hospitalized and prepare to start secondary differentiation.”

At this point, Yun Xunguang was finally willing to remove the pheromone-blocking mask from her face and drink the nutrient solution with them. However, she only took one sip before frowning in disgust: “The rose flavor is indeed a bit heavy. Sigh… I really can’t stand the smell of your pheromones. Only Yu Chen would like it.”

Anyway, she couldn’t develop any fondness for another alpha’s pheromones, even if that alpha was her brother.

“Thank you, Imperial Sister.” Yun Xunlan stood up from his chair, walked over and leaned down to hug Yun Xunguang. “I’m very happy to be your family.”

While saying words of gratitude, he deliberately released some pheromones to provoke Yun Xunguang, in response to her earlier disdain for his pheromones.

Yun Xunguang didn’t indulge him either, immediately raising her hand to punch Yun Xunlan’s shoulder to make him stay away, while raising her chin: “Don’t be happy too early. I said that if you can’t complete the condition I gave you, I won’t agree to let you participate in the third forced landing.”

Yun Xunlan picked up his unfinished nutrient solution and clinked glasses with her: “I will complete it.”

After “lunch” ended, before leaving, Yun Xunlan looked around at the protective shelter Yun Xunguang had set up with such preparation, and thought of Mu Xingyu who had knocked his head bloody yesterday as if facing a great enemy. In the end, he couldn’t help but ask Yun Xunguang: “Imperial Sister, what exactly did I do three years ago to make you and Imperial Brother so afraid?”

Yun Xunguang crossed her arms and leaned against the security gate, saying casually: “I already told you. You attempted to assassinate me to seize the crown prince position. Family scandals shouldn’t be publicized. Mu Xingyu was afraid of being forced by you to reveal royal secrets, getting involved in the succession struggle and then being silenced by me, so he fled to the hospital overnight to hide.”

At this point, she even shrugged as if watching the excitement: “But you’re also going to be hospitalized next, so I think he’ll probably continue to escape back to the palace to stay.”

Yun Xunlan was speechless: “…What an outrageous story.”

“I’ve heard even more outrageous stories.” Yun Xunguang looked up at him, seeming to hint at something, but then she smiled and said, “Lanlan, let’s have another meal together tomorrow?”

“No, I don’t want to drink nutrient solution anymore.” Yun Xunlan quickly took Yu Chen’s hand to leave.

Yun Xunguang called after him: “Then when you’re free, we won’t drink nutrient solution anymore, that should be fine, right? I’ll have the chef make you sea salt flavored cookies?”

Yun Xunlan didn’t look back: “We’ll see. I’m very busy recently and don’t have time.”

Due to the tight schedule, Yun Xunlan was admitted to the Imperial Medical Research Institute that evening.

The medical team drew his blood in the afternoon and conducted a series of physical examinations. After confirming that Yun Xunlan’s current physical condition was acceptable, they set the time for his secondary differentiation—8 AM tomorrow morning.

Yun Xunlan informed his good friend Jian Wenxi of this news.

After reading Yun Xunlan’s message, Jian Wenxi immediately replied:

[Jian Wenxi: ???]

[Jian Wenxi: Huh? What? You don’t want to be an alpha anymore?]

[Yun Xunlan: Yes.]

[Jian Wenxi: Huh? Why? Being an alpha shouldn’t affect your relationship with Yu Chen, right?]

Even though Jian Wenxi was Yun Xunlan’s best friend, he didn’t know about the insect venom. He only thought Yun Xunlan had a genetic defect disease, which was why his health had always been poor. Hiding these things from him wasn’t because Yun Xunlan didn’t trust him enough, but because the situation was complex, and knowing less could actually protect Jian Wenxi.

So Yun Xunlan used the same reasons he had given Yun Xunguang for wanting to undergo early secondary differentiation and told them to Jian Wenxi.

Jian Wenxi did know that Yun Xunlan had always wanted to go to the border battlefield, and he also knew that his way of piloting mechas was different from all alphas—he used mental power to pilot mechas. So from this perspective, it would indeed be better if Yun Xunlan could be an omega or beta.

After the shock gradually faded, what surged up was worry for his friend. Jian Wenxi, suppressing his fear of living people, typed to ask Yun Xunlan:

[Jian Wenxi: The timing is so rushed. Can I come see you now? Yu Chen won’t kill me, will he?]

[Yun Xunlan: You can come. Hurry up, Yu Chen isn’t here right now.]

[Jian Wenxi: I’m coming right away!]

Jian Wenxi quickly grabbed his mask and gloves and rushed out the door. In just ten minutes, he arrived at Yun Xunlan’s hospital room.

The black-haired omega first knocked on the door, then poked in a fluffy head, looked around the room, and only entered after confirming there was only one living person—Yun Xunlan—in the room: “Hi~ Yun Xunlan.”

Yun Xunlan used his sentence pattern to greet him: “Hi, Wenxi.”

“I brought you a gift.”

Jian Wenxi removed his mask, rummaged in his backpack, and pulled out a blue gift box: “Ta-da—! Sea salt flavored bath bombs.”

“Try them first. If your skin condition feels good after washing, we’ll launch a lychee rose flavored version in the second half of the year.”

Yun Xunlan: “…Okay.”

Jian Wenxi helped him place the gift box on the bedside table: “Anyway, I wish you a smooth secondary differentiation tomorrow.”

Yun Xunlan thanked him: “Thank you, Wenxi.”

“No need to thank me, we’re good friends.” However, Jian Wenxi was always a bit afraid of living people, so he cautiously inquired, “By the way, where did Yu Chen go? Can I…”

Yun Xunlan glanced at the time and told him: “He went to extract the pheromones needed for my secondary differentiation tomorrow. You can sit here for at least another half hour.”

“Then I’m relieved.” Jian Wenxi patted his chest and said sincerely, “I hope that after your secondary differentiation is complete, you and Yu Chen can get married soon, so my third uncle won’t bother with us two anymore.”

Yun Xunlan nodded: “We should get married after we return from the front battlefield.”

After saying this, he looked at Jian Wenxi’s expressionless face, smiled, curved his lips and said gently: “You seem to have known earlier than me that Imperial Sister agreed to let me go to the front battlefield?”

Jian Wenxi hummed: “The Crown Princess asked me for data on cocoon chamber devices last week and invited me to join the improvement design team for the new generation of cocoon chamber devices. I think if she didn’t agree to let you go, she wouldn’t have done these things. But she told me not to tell you in advance, so I didn’t say anything.”

**

 (advanced chapters available on kofi)