After Transmigrating into an ABO World with My Nemesis (BL) - Chapter 20

In a cramped, enclosed space, a lone Omega had stumbled upon an Alpha in the middle of a Rut.

Even Jiang Zhou knew how serious this was; one didn’t need to think twice to guess what might happen.

He knit his brows and turned to his other two roommates. “Lin Le is still on the second floor. I’m going up to check. You guys wait outside.”

The roommates hesitated, worry etched on their faces. “But you, alone…”

Jiang Zhou waved them off. “It’s fine. I’m just going to see what’s going on. You guys head out first.”

With that, he turned and headed upstairs, firing off a message to Lin Le as he went. Unsurprisingly, there was no reply.

The second-floor restroom was at the end of the corridor corner. A crowd had already gathered there, and several waitresses were busy trying to disperse them.

“Please don’t crowd the area!”

“There is an Alpha in a Rut inside! Please stay back to avoid being affected by pheromones!”

“Alpha and Omega customers, please move away for the time being—”

A Rut causes a massive pheromone surge for the Alpha and is extremely likely to cause harm to any nearby Omega. More importantly, Alphas naturally repel one another; when struck by another Alpha’s pheromones, most Alphas experience a severe stress response that leads to violent brawls—to say nothing of a crowded restaurant!

If all the Alphas and Omegas here got affected, this shop would probably hit the trending searches at rocket speed and then be forced to close its doors forever.

The crowd dispersed, people scurrying downstairs. The waitresses were running in circles, bowing and scraping as they promised compensation, all while frantically spraying pheromone blockers on the second floor.

One waitress spotted Jiang Zhou approaching and was about to shoo him away when he beat her to it: “My friend is still in the bathroom!”

“You… your friend?” The petite girl blanked. She clearly hadn’t expected this. She trembled and stammered, “Y-y-y-your friend is…?”

“An Omega,” Jiang Zhou finished.

The girl nearly fainted. She whipped her head around and screamed, “Boss! There’s an Omega in the bathroom!”

The restaurant owner was a balding, chubby little man. He was currently standing in front of the restroom, dripping with sweat and clutching an Alpha-grade suppressant. He kept rattling the doorknob, but the door was locked from the inside and wouldn’t budge.

In the middle of his frantic attempts, he heard the employee’s shout. His heart nearly stopped, and he almost tripped over his own feet.

By law, any large dining establishment should have a dedicated isolation room for emergencies. However, in recent years, it was rare for an Alpha or Omega to go into heat unexpectedly in public. With better tech, most people monitored their pheromone levels and took suppressants beforehand if they were fluctuating.

This shop had clearly been cutting corners. Its infrastructure was substandard; even the restroom was tiny and narrow, and there was no separate isolation room. If something happened here, the future of his business was pitch black.

The owner frantically wiped sweat from his brow, his hands shaking so much he couldn’t open the door.

Jiang Zhou felt a surge of irritation watching this useless display.

“Ahhh—!!” A muffled yet piercing scream rang out from inside.

Jiang Zhou couldn’t take it anymore. He’d learned how to administer suppressants from the films, so he snatched the Alpha suppressant from the owner’s hand and kicked the door open.

“Yikes!!” The owner clutched his head with his fingers splayed, letting out a high-pitched shriek.

The door slammed heavily against the wall. Instantly, a thick cloud of Alpha pheromones rushed out. The people lingering at the door were all Betas; while they couldn’t “feel” pheromones, the concentration was so high it made them feel slightly nauseous. They instinctively scattered back like oil being blown across a bowl of soup.

Jiang Zhou braced the rebounding door and looked inside.

The restroom was incredibly cramped, featuring only two stalls with frosted glass doors and a black vanity. The mirror above the vanity was shattered, shards littering the floor, some stained with blood.

An Alpha was leaning against the far wall with his back to the door. He was tall and broad, almost completely obscuring Lin Le beneath him. One could only tell someone was being pinned by the messy tangle of legs and feet.

Sensing he was being disturbed, the Alpha breathed heavily, his eyes bloodshot as he looked back.

An even more ferocious surge of pheromones struck. Jiang Zhou’s gland instantly flared with sharp pain. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed, forced to bite his lip hard to let the pain keep him conscious.

An Alpha in a Rut without suppressants or soothing is nothing but a beast that has lost its mind. High aggression, high destructive urges—the crime rate in this world was driven largely by uncontrolled Alphas in Rut.

Only the owner and a few waitresses—all Betas—remained at the door, huddled together, too afraid to move.

Lin Le was pinned against the wall, his limbs limp, struggling weakly. Sensing the movement, the Alpha gripped the back of Lin Le’s neck with a warning force. Lin Le let out a pained whimper and slumped down, motionless.

It was obvious this Alpha could no longer be reasoned with. He glared at the people at the door like a lion whose territory had been invaded. His chest heaved violently, and his injured hand dripped blood onto the floor, emitting a pungent pheromone scent.

The Alpha’s knees bent slightly, his back arching—a posture ready to attack.

Jiang Zhou turned and whispered to the owner behind him, “You help me pin him down. I’ll find a chance to inject the suppressant.”

The owner pointed at himself. “M-m-m-me?!”

Jiang Zhou: “Duh. You expect me to pin him down alone?”

This Alpha was built like an ox; no matter how reckless Jiang Zhou was, he wasn’t that stupid.

Normally, one would just call the proper authorities, evacuate the crowd, and wait for professional rescue. But the owner’s renovations weren’t up to code; he didn’t dare call anyone, fearing a massive fine. He had thought he could just handle it quietly with the suppressant, never imagining an Omega was inside!

If he didn’t handle this now, he was finished. He let out a sharp intake of breath and hissed to his employees, “Go up and pin him down!”

the employees looked at each other; no one moved.

Jiang Zhou’s gland was hurting more and more. He instinctively repelled this Alpha’s pheromones; his body was restless, every cell screaming for him to run! He endured it, his voice growing weak as he said to the owner, “You… can’t you go? Do you want to keep this shop open or not?”

The owner was so nervous he didn’t notice Jiang Zhou’s condition. After a frantic internal debate, he gritted his teeth and said to the waitresses, “I’ll rush him first, you guys follow me. Be smart about it. Everyone gets a raise tonight!”

With that, he closed his eyes and rushed in screaming. Sometimes, people just need a leader. Seeing the boss go, the employees swarmed in as well. Seven or eight people crowded the tiny restroom, and Jiang Zhou was squeezed into the corner by the sink.

But an Alpha in a Rut possesses freakish strength. With a swing of his arms, the Alpha blocked the entire group.

The scene turned chaotic. People were shouting to “pull him back” while others wailed “I can’t hold him!” and the owner shrieked “Don’t step on my feet!”

The Alpha let out a roar of rage. Waves of thick, massive pheromones crashed over them. This Alpha’s grade was clearly not low—at least higher than the one Jiang Zhou had met in the alley.

The air was thick with a pungent, alcohol-scented pheromone. It was highly irritating. Jiang Zhou felt dizzy and blurred, as if he had fallen into a whirlpool. All sounds rippled toward him like waves—slow, delayed, and indistinct.

The owner and staff were pinning the Alpha with a messy flurry of limbs, repeating a cycle of half the group being shoved away while the other half held on, only for the roles to flip once the first group rushed back.

Finally, the Alpha reached his limit. With a massive surge of strength, he threw everyone off. The balding owner lost his footing on the glass-covered floor, slipped, and slammed right into Jiang Zhou, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Shards pierced Jiang Zhou’s palm. The sudden surge of pain cleared his mind slightly.

The pheromones in the blood were exceptionally potent. The Alpha’s nose twitched; like a predator, his gaze instantly locked onto Jiang Zhou on the floor.

Jiang Zhou caught the stare and cursed inwardly.

The Alpha shook off the remaining people and lunged toward Jiang Zhou. The owner, also on the floor, saw this and immediately scrambled away on all fours, crying for his mother.

For a split second, Jiang Zhou wanted to scream an insult, but the Alpha was already upon him. He could only suppress the curses and focus everything on the threat. Adrenaline spiked. The pain in his neck, the weakness in his body, the muffle in his ears—everything vanished. As the Alpha lunged, Jiang Zhou’s reflexes kicked in, and he delivered a sharp kick to the Alpha’s unprotected stomach.

It didn’t cause much damage, but it made the Alpha pause in hesitation, looking down at his midsection.

And that hesitation was all Jiang Zhou needed.

His reaction was faster than ever. Without a moment’s doubt, he slammed the suppressant into the Alpha’s upper arm and pushed the plunger.

The Alpha’s body stiffened. He stopped moving.

Jiang Zhou didn’t dare relax. He held his breath, staring unblinkingly to ensure there were no further movements.

There were none. Two seconds later, the Alpha’s eyes closed, and he collapsed sideways onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Jiang Zhou let out a massive sigh of relief.

“Oh my god!!” The owner was moved to tears, clapping from behind him. “You are truly a hero!”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Whatever.

Jiang Zhou staggered to his feet and went to check on Lin Le in the corner. Lin Le was completely dazed. His gland had been attacked by the Alpha’s pheromones, and he was now leaking Omega pheromones frantically.

It smelled like sweet cream. If Jiang Zhou had been even a minute later, he would have been induced into a Pseudo-Heat.

Jiang Zhou crouched in front of him and asked weakly, “Are you okay?”

Lin Le’s eyes were vacant, only focusing when he heard the voice. Seeing it was Jiang Zhou, his soul returned. Tears flooded his eyes, and he lunged into Jiang Zhou’s arms with a wail.

Just as Jiang Zhou was about to soothe him, Lin Le cried out in a piteous, post-trauma rage, “Wahh—that son of a bitch! I’m going to report this shop for bad safety measures! Waaaaah—”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Jiang Zhou smiled, wanting to agree that the shop deserved a report. But he opened his mouth and found that no sound came out.

Huh?

Why does my tongue feel so heavy? Why can’t I speak?

Why am I so tired?

So sleepy…

Jiang Zhou’s vision turned into static like a poorly connected TV—first grey snow, then a flash of white light, then silence. He blacked out completely.

By the time Jiang Zhou woke up, the world outside was pitch black. The room was dim, illuminated only by the faint glow of streetlights outside.

He opened his eyes, and his senses returned all at once. A dull ache in every part of his body, accompanied by the smell of hospital antiseptic, slowly washed over him. Jiang Zhou hated that smell; his nose wrinkled in distaste.

He moved his head, using the dim light to assess his situation. A drip hung on his left side, about half-full. He grumbled to himself: I just gave an Alpha a shot, how did I end up in a hospital bed?

Jiang Zhou struggled to sit up, but the movement triggered a sharp pain that yanked him back onto the mattress. He could only continue to turn his neck, looking around.

Then, on the other side of the bed, he saw a dark figure sitting there. Jiang Zhou jumped, his heart skipping a beat.

Looking closer, the silhouette was familiar. The air held the faint, crisp scent of Forest Snow. Jiang Zhou’s tense body finally relaxed.

“Cheng-y Bing, why are you sitting there scaring people?” Jiang Zhou’s voice was weak and raspy, sounding quite pitiful.

A long silence followed. No one answered. Jiang Zhou keenly sensed a hint of danger.

“Cheng Bing?”

He tried to force himself up, but as his right palm touched the bed, his wrist was seized and lifted. Jiang Zhou fell back obediently.

Cheng Bing’s fingers were cold—chillingly so, despite the warm weather. Jiang Zhou shivered. He saw that his hand was wrapped in gauze.

“Jiang Zhou.” Cheng Bing sat with his back to the light, his expression buried in shadow. He held Jiang Zhou’s thin wrist under his gaze, staring at the bloodstained gauze on his palm. His voice was light, almost airy, but it held a cold edge that made Jiang Zhou flinch.

Inexplicably, though he couldn’t see Cheng Bing’s face, Jiang Zhou could feel it: his eyes were cold, heavy, and somber.

Jiang Zhou realized immediately: The person in front of me is angry.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Cheng Bing spoke again, his voice flat yet chillingly cold.

“What did you promise me before?”