ITF Chapter1

Bai Heting suddenly snapped his eyes open.

The silvery radiance of the full moon poured into the tiny wooden cabin no bigger than a palm, while the sound of crashing tides filled the air and the fully opened window groaned noisily beneath the force of the sea breeze.

He stared blankly at the low wooden rafters for a long while. Only after the lingering cold from his dream was chased away by the warmth coursing through his blood did he tug at the front of his short-sleeved shirt, damp with cold sweat, rise to his feet, and step onto the chilly floor.

At that exact moment, there was a soft knock on the door.

Almost instinctively, he slipped a hand beneath his pillow. Then the person outside the door called out once more, “Jiang Xu.”

This was the name Bai Heting was currently using. He withdrew his hand and replied, “Come in,” before the person gently pushed the door open.

Jiang Han had always been a light sleeper, and the wooden house had poor soundproofing. Not long after he lay down, the familiar sound of muttering drifted over from the neighboring room. Standing stiffly in the doorway, he used the moonlight to make out Bai Heting’s face clearly.

Even after three years of painstaking recuperation, this Omega still bore a sickly look of exhaustion, and over that sickly complexion now rose an unusual, feverish flush.

After completing their secondary gender differentiation, Omegas had to suffer through this once every month. Without a word, Jiang Han walked to the wooden box on the small table by the door, took out a syringe, then crossed to the bedside and slowly injected the suppressor into the vein at Bai Heting’s cubital fossa.

This task was incredibly simple for Jiang Han. Having finished administering the suppressor, he was about to turn and leave, but Bai Heting suddenly grabbed him tightly by the arm.

“Don’t make a sound.” Bai Heting said in a low voice.

As the two of them fell silent, the room instantly plunged into a dead stillness, making even the surging tide and the sound of the wind feel bizarre and eerie. Beta cannot smell pheromones. Before Jiang Han could even ask, his gaze suddenly froze—

A three-inch blade caught the moonlight, reflecting a cold and menacing gleam.

He had no idea that Bai Heting had hidden a sharp, unsheathed short dagger beneath his pillow.

*

This was a small fishing village far away from the capital city.

The country had been rather unstable over recent years. Every single Alpha in the village had been conscripted, and since Omegas were already scarce in number, they had all married into the surrounding wealthy towns after the Alphas left. Over time, only Betas remained in the village.

But this was not a bad thing; instead, it made this little village peaceful and secure.

Although Betas’ physical capabilities were far inferior to Alphas’ and they were not as easily impregnated as Omegas, they were not bloodthirsty and warlike like Alphas, nor were they plagued by heat cycles. This spared them a lot of unnecessary trouble. Bai Heting had lived here under an assumed identity for three years, and he was absolutely certain that it was impossible for so many high-grade Alphas of that caliber to appear in this place at the same time.

He felt his way through the darkness to the main door, pressed his back against the wall next to it, and raised the dagger to his chest. At that moment, the suppressor had only just started to take effect, so faint traces of pheromones could still seep out. However, in close-range combat, an ordinary Alpha would not stand a chance against him.

What’s more, the opponent might lower their guard precisely because they saw him as a “frail” Omega—

The old wooden door had barely opened a crack when a wind-cutting blade thrust straight for the newcomer’s neck. The other party’s movements were unexpectedly even faster; he nimbly retreated backward while his right hand shot forward at the same time, instantly gripping his throat.

A heavy thud rang out as his back slammed into the wooden wall, and the dagger he hadn’t managed to properly adjust plunged straight into the man’s left shoulder.

Dark clouds shrouded the moon as towering waves crashed against the shore, and the other party’s gaze met Bai Heting’s eyes directly.

The last time they had met each other’s gaze like this was in the dungeon beneath Bai Heting’s official residence. Back then, Bai Heting had carried out brutal torture, and Luo Congye had endured an entire month of torment; his body drenched in blood and beaten beyond anything humanly recognizable.

Three years later, the once-dying young man had not only survived but had even undergone a complete transformation. His expression was full of arrogance with not a single trace of his former submissive appearance at all.

Yet, it also made him look even more handsome.

Luo Congye lifted his injured left arm, signaling the people behind him to hold position, and the right hand that had been gripping Bai Heting’s throat eased its pressure slightly.

Through the skin, he slowly caressed that violently throbbing pulse.

Perhaps because he no longer needed to be exposed to the wind and sun on the training grounds, this man’s skin was actually much softer and more delicate than before.

His martial skills, however, had regressed terribly.

Luo Congye narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully examining this face that had occupied his thoughts day and night, yet also twisted his heart with agony. At last, his gaze settled on the small mole just beneath the corner of those narrow eyes, and he let out a faint, soft sigh.

“Your blade went wide.” He leaned in close to Bai Heting’s ear and spoke softly in a voice only the two of them could hear, “General.”

Bai Heting finally snapped back to reality.

His gaze unobtrusively swept over the dozen or so people behind Luo Congye. They were highly disciplined, moving without making a sound, and each of them carried at least high-grade pheromones. It was a well-trained elite squad of Alphas.

He tilted his head to avoid the Alpha’s burning breath and glanced sideways at him. “You still dare to come back?”

Luo Congye’s head was worth a fortune. Anyone in this country had the authority to execute him on sight. Yet, this youth; who was wanted nationwide, merely twitched his lips indifferently and reached out to touch Bai Heting’s right hand, which was gripping the hilt of the dagger.

Bai Heting looked up in astonishment.

This wolf pup, who had died once before, had completely cast aside all manners of status and respect.

Just as he was about to counterattack, Luo Congye suddenly tightened his grip, seized his hand, and forcibly tore the short dagger straight out of his own shoulder!

Bai Heting’s pupils constricted sharply—

Along with the splashing of warm blood, an intense and bitter tequila pheromone instantly exploded into the air, causing the heat that had been pacified by suppressants to begin acting up in his body once again.

The wound on his shoulder was deep enough to see bone, yet Luo Congye seemed to have lost his sense of pain. Throughout the entire process, from being wounded to yanking the blade out, he didn’t let out a single groan, and instead even curved the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.

Three years earlier, General Bai Heting, the supreme commander of the infantry corps, had died suddenly from a severe illness. The king granted him a grand state burial, and a massive memorial ceremony was held in the capital for seven days and seven nights; an event known throughout the entire nation.

But at that moment, Luo Congye finally had his wish fulfilled, once again catching the familiar, sweet, and unruly scent of silver fir pheromones.

“How could I not come back?” He let out a soft chuckle as he reached up and tore the suppressor patch from the back of his neck, then released his pheromones to suppress the few Alphas behind him who were beginning to grow restless.

“I have someone to find, and a vendetta to settle. And by the way…” He took a deep breath, sighing again with satisfaction as he wiped away the blood that had just splattered onto Bai Heting’s lips with his finger.

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