After Marking the Omega Officer Who Was Pretending to Be an Alpha - Chapter 18

Shao Enzhuo silently repeated the six words “pheromone monitor” in her heart. The image of that small machine suddenly surfaced in her mind. So that thing was the pheromone monitor.

She had lived at home for a month and had never noticed that a pheromone monitor was installed in the corner of the ceiling. Its mechanism also seemed similar to a restriction ring. As long as it sensed an Alpha’s aura, it would flash red and sound an alarm.

Such a high-tech pheromone monitor was actually installed in her home? She raised her eyes and looked at the vanguard, unable to help asking, “Why would my home have a pheromone monitor installed?”

The vanguard was clearly somewhat speechless. “What do you think?”

“I… Sorry, I don’t know why, but I suddenly lost my memory some time ago,” Shao Enzhuo smiled and could only use the same old trick again. “So I don’t remember anything…”

The vanguard said, “Is that so?”

From his expression, it was obvious he did not believe her at all.

Shao Enzhuo nodded sincerely.

The vanguard felt there was no need to lie about this kind of thing, so he half-believingly answered, “Every household has a pheromone monitor installed. It can sense the aura of Alphas and Omegas. You differentiated into an Alpha, so our Reconnaissance Department received the alarm signal. If you had differentiated into an Omega, the City Guard Department would have received the alarm signal.”

So that was how it worked.

Shao Enzhuo gave a thoughtful “oh.”

“Since you’re awake now, let’s begin the next step,” the vanguard said, examining Shao Enzhuo. “Does your body feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Shao Enzhuo said, “No.”

“Since your body isn’t uncomfortable, then we’ll give you the drug injection in a while,” the vanguard said, looking straight into Shao Enzhuo’s eyes. “Wait here for me.”

Shao Enzhuo asked, “Drug injection?”

The vanguard said, “Yes. Did you forget this too?”

Shao Enzhuo froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered what Ren Qiruo had told her before. It was probably the drug that Alphas had to inject. “I haven’t forgotten that. But… I want to ask, how long did I sleep?”

“You were brought to the camp yesterday,” the vanguard answered truthfully. “You’ve already slept for a day.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “Oh…”

The vanguard asked, “Do you have any other questions?”

“What about my family?” Shao Enzhuo had differentiated at home alone at the time, and she was worried that Shao Lanzhi and Ren Qiruo did not know. “Do they know I came to the camp?”

The vanguard said, “They know.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “That’s good.”

The vanguard asked, “Any other questions?”

Shao Enzhuo said, “No.”

“Then wait here for a while,” the vanguard said as he walked toward the door. “I’m going to the pharmacy to get the medicine and syringe. Before I come back, you’re not allowed to leave the room.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “Okay.”

The vanguard walked out of the room and closed the door.

Shao Enzhuo raised her hand and touched the back of her neck, discovering that something similar to a medicated patch was stuck there. It was probably the legendary suppressant patch. She lowered her hand, lifted the blanket, got out of bed, and walked to the window beside the door to look outside.

Outside was a very quiet long corridor.

There were not many people.

Shao Enzhuo stood by the window and felt there was nothing interesting, so she returned to the bedside and sat down. With nothing else to do, she looked around at the furnishings in the room. She actually quite liked the simplicity and comfort here.

A short while later,

the vanguard pushed open the door while carrying a tray.

Shao Enzhuo’s gaze fell on the tray.

On the tray were a syringe and a small dark-brown glass medicine bottle, along with cotton balls, a bottle of iodine disinfectant, suppressant patches, and a document.

The items were quite complete.

The vanguard walked over and placed the tray on the table. Then he pulled out the stool under the table and said, “I’ll inject you with P8049 fusion agent now. Sit on the stool.”

Shao Enzhuo sat on the stool and looked at the vanguard.

The vanguard picked up the document on the tray, opened it, and looked at the information on it. “Your name is Shao Enzhuo. You’re eighteen this year. Your pheromone is water-lily fragrance. Your rank is S-rank.”

Shao Enzhuo nodded blankly.

“I didn’t expect a little girl like you to differentiate into such a rare S-rank Alpha,” the vanguard said, closing the file and placing it back on the tray. “But after you’re injected with the P8049 fusion agent, you’ll become the lowest rank, an E-rank Alpha like me.”

Shao Enzhuo did not care much about rank.

The vanguard said, “Turn around. Face away from me.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “Oh.”

After saying that, she obediently turned her back to the vanguard.

Without another word, the vanguard directly tore off the suppressant patch on the back of Shao Enzhuo’s neck. Her pink gland was immediately exposed to the air. He began handling the syringe and medicine bottle on the tray. “The P8049 fusion agent is injected through the gland. You also know the gland is a very fragile and sensitive place. If you can’t bear the pain, you can shout.”

Injected through the gland?

Hearing this, Shao Enzhuo inexplicably felt nervous.

She pressed her lips together. “Okay.”

Very soon,

the sensitive gland at the back of Shao Enzhuo’s neck was gently wiped with a very cool cotton ball. Immediately after, a sharp pain came from the gland. Her brows instantly tightened, and she let out a muffled groan.

It hurt.

It felt as if her gland was about to burst.

Amid the intense pain continuously coming from her gland, cold sweat began to break out all over Shao Enzhuo’s body. She frowned and clenched her teeth tightly, forcing herself not to make the slightest sound.

“You’re quite good at enduring pain.”

The vanguard’s smiling voice came from behind her.

Shao Enzhuo endured the pain and did not speak.

The drug injection ended.

The vanguard pulled the syringe out from the gland on the back of Shao Enzhuo’s neck. Shao Enzhuo let out a deep breath of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. However, her gland still hurt so badly that her heart trembled.

“You just injected the fusion agent, so the pheromones in your body will be somewhat unstable,” the vanguard said, picking up a new suppressant patch from the tray and placing it on Shao Enzhuo. “Next, you’ll stay in the camp for three days. After three days, you’ll be allowed to go home.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “Okay.”

The vanguard said, “Mm.”

Shao Enzhuo slightly turned her head, and her gaze unconsciously landed on the bottle of P8049 fusion agent. “Alphas inject this fusion agent to lower their pheromone concentration to the lowest E-rank, so they’ll no longer be affected by heat periods, right?”

The vanguard said, “Yes.”

“What about Omegas? Don’t Omegas also have heat periods?” Shao Enzhuo raised her eyes and looked at the vanguard curiously. “Don’t Omegas inject fusion agents?”

The vanguard said, “Omegas don’t.”

“Why don’t Omegas use them?” Shao Enzhuo gradually recovered from the pain in her gland. “If Omegas were injected with the fusion agent, wouldn’t they also no longer be affected by heat periods? Is there no fusion agent for Omegas?”

“There is an S4206 fusion agent for Omegas,” the vanguard answered calmly. “It’s just that Omegas aren’t qualified to use it, so Omegas aren’t given fusion-agent injections.”

Shao Enzhuo froze slightly.

Not qualified to use it?

“Why aren’t Omegas qualified to use it?” Shao Enzhuo truly could not understand why Omegas were not qualified to inject the fusion agent. “Omegas are all survivors of the Capital of Hope too. Why aren’t they qualified to receive the fusion agent?”

“Those qualified to inject fusion agents are Alphas who have joined the Hope Organization,” the vanguard answered calmly. “Omegas haven’t joined the Hope Organization, so of course they don’t have the qualifications to inject the fusion agent.”

Shao Enzhuo: “…”

The vanguard said, “Why are you…”

“Since joining the Hope Organization grants the qualification,” Shao Enzhuo said, remembering the two Omegas who had knelt before Han Yilü and begged bitterly, “some Omegas also want to clear out walking corpses. Wouldn’t it be good to let Omegas join the Hope Organization?”

“Omegas don’t deserve to join the Hope Organization. They only deserve to bear children for vanguards and continue the bloodline. This is something everyone accepts,” the vanguard said, looking at Shao Enzhuo with displeasure. “Why would you still say something like that?”

Shao Enzhuo froze.

She truly found it hard to believe these were words she had personally heard from a vanguard. “But there’s clearly a fusion agent that can stop Omegas from being affected by heat periods, yet because they can’t join the Hope Organization, they aren’t qualified to receive the fusion agent. Isn’t that deliberately making Omegas…”

Suffer?

She swallowed the last three words and did not say them.

“Why are you suddenly so agitated?” The vanguard’s gaze became somewhat cold and sharp. “You little girl aren’t an Omega, so why are you speaking up for Omegas like this?”

He paused, then raised his brow slightly, his expression turning a little strange. “Could it be that you have an Omega lover?”

Shao Enzhuo clenched her teeth and fell silent.

“I advise you to break up with that Omega as soon as possible. Who knows which vanguard will draw their serial number? When that time comes, no matter how reluctant you are, you’ll have no choice but to separate from that Omega,” the vanguard said as he tidied the items on the tray. “Listen to your senior’s advice. Split up early and take back your heart while you still can. That way, it won’t hurt as much when the time comes.”

Shao Enzhuo did not speak.

The room suddenly became quiet, with no one saying anything.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first. You just injected the fusion agent, so rest well,” the vanguard said, picking up the tray from the table. “Later, I’ll take you to measure your height, weight, and three measurements to prepare your uniform.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “Mm.”

The vanguard turned and left the room.

After the vanguard closed the door, Shao Enzhuo withdrew her gaze and looked out the window. She could not describe her current mood with words. Everything she had seen and heard in the Capital of Hope made her feel that vanguards suffered a lot of inhumane treatment. The vanguards were clearly in pain too, yet they still viewed Omegas, who were suffering just as much, that way. Everyone was clearly a survivor trying to live in the apocalypse, and rebuilding their homeland was everyone’s shared wish.

Why did people still have to be divided into ranks?

This twisted world made her feel sorrowful.

—

Three days later.

The time had come for Shao Enzhuo to leave the Reconnaissance Department camp after injecting the fusion agent. Under the vanguard’s guidance, she arrived at the camp entrance. From far away, she saw Ren Qiruo waiting ahead, smiling and waving at her.

“Rest well after you go home today,” the vanguard said, stopping and looking at Shao Enzhuo. “The fifth of next month is the day when the 255th batch of Hope Organization trainees gathers. Don’t forget to come to the Reconnaissance Department to report then.”

Every year on July 5, the Hope Organization would gather a new batch of differentiated Alphas. These people would become trainees of the Reconnaissance Department and enter the department for training.

Shao Enzhuo said, “Okay.”

The vanguard said, “And don’t forget to bring your identity plate.”

Shao Enzhuo said, “I’ll remember.”

The vanguard said, “You can go now.”

Shao Enzhuo nodded, then turned and walked toward Ren Qiruo, who was waiting not far away. After not seeing Shao Lanzhi and Ren Qiruo for several days, to be honest, she felt a little unused to it.

Ren Qiruo ran excitedly up to Shao Enzhuo.

“Ah Zhuo, you’re finally out.”

“Why did you come here?” Shao Enzhuo did not see Shao Lanzhi and asked, “Where’s Grandma?”

“I knew you were leaving the Reconnaissance Department today, so I came here specially to pick you up,” Ren Qiruo said, linking arms with Shao Enzhuo and walking forward. “Grandma knew you were coming home, so she bought some good food and is cooking at home while waiting for you.”

The corners of Shao Enzhuo’s lips curved.

“How was the Reconnaissance Department these past few days?” Ren Qiruo asked curiously. “Are you used to life in the Reconnaissance Department?”

Shao Enzhuo said, “It was alright.”

“You’ve already differentiated into an Alpha now. On the fifth of next month, you’ll enter the Hope Organization,” Ren Qiruo said as they walked. “Ah Zhuo, you’ll be able to go to the four outer cities. I really want to go to the four outer cities too.”

“Why do you say that?” Shao Enzhuo did not quite understand. “You can’t go to the four outer cities?”

“We residents of the outer twelve districts are not qualified to enter the four outer cities, and we definitely can’t enter the main city, the City of Light,” Ren Qiruo said, looking ahead with some helplessness. “You’ll have the qualification to go there in the future.”

Shao Enzhuo had always thought that apart from Alphas, Omegas, and Betas being divided into higher and lower status, there could not be any even more absurd rules. She had not expected that residents of the outer twelve districts were not qualified to enter the four outer cities or the main city.

How could this be…

“When you come back from the four outer cities in the future, you must tell me what it’s like there. My mom went to the four outer cities before,” Ren Qiruo said, her eyes shining with envy. “My mom said the four outer cities are very different from the twelve districts. I really want to go see the four outer cities too.”

“Why aren’t residents of the twelve districts qualified to enter the four outer cities?” Shao Enzhuo felt very uncomfortable as she looked at Ren Qiruo. “Qiruo, don’t tell me this is the fate of residents of the twelve districts.”

“Congratulations, you guessed right.” Ren Qiruo sighed with regret and helplessness. “This is the fate of us twelve-district residents. People like us just don’t deserve it…”

Shao Enzhuo had simply had enough of so-called “fate.”

There was no such thing as deserving or not deserving.

The various twisted rules of the Capital of Hope made her feel so uncomfortable she could hardly breathe. Clearly, everyone’s goal was to save the world, yet the Hope Organization divided the survivors into ranks and implemented all kinds of inhumane rules.

Sacrifice had to have meaning.

She could not see the meaning behind the Hope Organization doing any of this at all. If nothing changed, things might continue like this forever. “Qiruo, what would it take for residents of the twelve districts to be qualified to enter the four outer cities?”

“Maybe the Watchtower would have to change the rules?” Ren Qiruo smiled. “The Watchtower won’t change them…”

Shao Enzhuo asked, “The Main God can change them, right?”

“You could think of it that way, but this rule has existed for many years,” Ren Qiruo said. She had never held any hope. “Ah Zhuo, the Main God won’t change any rules. And we aren’t qualified to make the Main God change them.”

Shao Enzhuo looked toward the direction leading to the four outer cities.

It was already set in stone that she would join the Hope Organization and become a vanguard of the Reconnaissance Department. If changing this twisted world required reaching the highest position,

then why not make entering the Watchtower her goal?

She would work hard to survive.

Just as Ren Qiruo had said, she would live this life full of meaning, so that she would not have come here for nothing.

She did not have a system, which meant she was not bound by one.

She was free.

The fact that she had seen her own name in the book meant she was a supporting character in Dawn. Even if she was an insignificant passerby, she had her own role in the book.

What if she was actually the protagonist of Dawn?

Although she did not know the direction of the plot in the book, and there was no system to guide her,

her actions in the Capital of Hope were completely free. Perhaps she could change the world inside the book.

Things had already come to this point. There was no way to keep running away.

She might as well face it bravely.

Since she did not belong to this apocalyptic world, then she would enter the role and blend into this world. At the very least, she had to make the version of herself in the book live meaningfully.

That way, she would not have come here for nothing.

Wasn’t that right?