Chapter 85
Admittedly, it might be faster and more direct to let Xing Tong climb along the Star Network, but Feng Ran didn't want to reveal the existence of this trump card. Efficiency is also an important measure of strength. Carlo and Ting Yun's abilities are already sufficient to some extent, so she wanted to be an ordinary person as much as possible.
The television reports had already shown the military's starship setting sail from the port, the grand spectacle was particularly striking, reminding Feng Ran of when she was at odds with the Empire in her previous life. Had they also tried to intimidate her with such a display of power? Looking at it this way, she was quite clueless about romance.
Feng Ran simply stood up: "That's the situation. You guys take your time to handle it. You can't possibly not even be able to handle something this simple. I'm starting my internship at the hospital tomorrow, so I'll head back now."
In fact, according to the normal schedule, Feng Ran should have taken the mid-term exam at the medical school this Friday and then started her internship at the hospital with the medical students next week. However, Shen Shiqian left in a hurry and was worried about leaving Feng Ran alone, so he asked the dean to let her go ahead and observe for a few days.
Carlo was slightly provoked by her words and successfully reacted: "Ha! I will definitely finish it and show you!"
Feng Ran was baffled: "Otherwise what? You expect me to help you?"
Tingyun closed her eyes: ...
My life is so hard, don't drag me down with you.
/
Fran, far away in Chengming Star, also felt miserable. He couldn't even recognize electronic components, yet he had to attend such advanced design courses. It was incredibly overwhelming. At the same time, he also had to advance the research on drugs for nerve damage. He even felt like dying.
The professors' courses are all concentrated in the morning, and the afternoon is their free time. The training location is at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. To use the laboratory, you have to apply to the person in charge or the school in advance. If you don't need to use special equipment, you can figure out most of the design and production on your own in the dormitory.
The training camp accommodations were for four people per room, but thanks to Xing Tong's special arrangement, Fran and Rosie were given a separate room. Since Fran was filling in for someone else, everyone assumed he was a Beta and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Even Rosie seemed indifferent and didn't seem to care much about it.
Basil wasn't surprised to see Fran at the venue, because Fran was a very frank person. On the way to Chengming Star, he had explained to him word for word that he was just there to make up the numbers and act as a messenger, and had no intention of getting involved in his training camp experience.
Seeing him begging Xing Tong to help him take notes while enumerating various data on the electronic board during class, Luo Le naively thought he was really a helper sent by Feng Ran. So after the first class, he asked him what his thoughts were on the design of the microprocessor. Fran frantically tried to flip through his notes but failed. Exhausted, he exhaled a resentful sigh and asked him if he could speak like a human being. Luo Le found this strange.
These were all very basic high school physics knowledge in his eyes. Since Fran was able to work in the wind and flame laboratory, he should be a highly educated person. Even if his major was not related to the job, he should not act so ignorant. Unfortunately, he tried to get Fran to do what he used to do, but he could not get anything out of him.
The temporary training dormitory provided by the university wasn't large, but fortunately, only two people lived in this room. If there wasn't enough room for the table, they could put it on the empty bed. Fran's bottles and jars, catalytic devices, and observation devices took up most of the space. In order not to disrupt the layout, he had been sleeping on the floor these days, which was somewhat unbearable for the usually orderly young master Basil.
Basil sat at her half of the table, working on the assignment the professor had given her for today's class, while watching him kneel in front of the bed organizing the reagents to be tested and analyzed: "Have you always been this casual?"
Fran didn't even turn his head; the clinking of glasses sounded like he was stacking goods. "Is there a problem?"
Basil: "Proper operating procedures are also a very important part of the experiment. You're prone to making mistakes if you do it this way. Your teachers should have covered this in high school lab classes, right?"
Fran ignored him. His memories of middle school were too distant, and besides, back then he was often bothered by pheromones and just wanted to avoid people, so his mind couldn't absorb any knowledge.
Being in the same room with an Alpha was quite oppressive for him, so he took out the protective barrier device that Feng Ran had given him, clipped it aside, and manually activated it, letting it slowly spray the soothing medicine. Although he had studied the drug's ingredients when he went to Laplace, he didn't know why the concentration and effect he could achieve were not as high as Feng Ran's. He asked Feng Ran and learned that it actually required mental energy to guide it, but since it was a machine designed to counter mental pressure, this setting was normal.
But the thought of Feng Ran's nerve damage gave Fran a headache. He remembered his mental breakthrough research, which had been repeatedly stalled. Feng Ran had even tested the drugs for him as the first test subject. He had also heard about Feng Ran's territory theory. Although Feng Ran drank the drugs calmly, Fran himself was still unsure about their effects. Sometimes, when Feng Ran was in so much pain that his face turned pale, Fran worried that he might have accidentally given the wrong drugs and poisoned him.
Feng Ran said that she was just a little overdrawn in her mental energy, and only then did Fran understand what she meant by long-term mental energy training. But mental energy overdrawn is never good for the body, just like pheromone overdrawn. If it is not recovered well, it can cause serious illnesses. So Fran asked her how serious the overdrawn state was, and she casually said that she had a little pressure inflammation.
Enigmas are truly terrifying madmen. Is their power, which defies common sense, due to their innate difference as Enigmas, or is it simply because they are exceptionally strong and resolute that they are worthy of the title Enigma? Fran dared not inquire too much about Feng Ran's affairs, at most offering a reminder when she abused her mental power to suppress others.
Fran couldn't hold back any longer until she heard Basil Sleika say that Fengran had old nerve damage and that she was only able to endure her hearing impairment through sheer willpower. It was as if the strength of Fengran that they relied on was a castle built on shifting sands, in danger of collapsing at any moment. Could Enigma really be such a fragile existence?
Fran didn't understand, but that didn't stop him from wanting to do something for Feng Ran. So, even though he actually disliked this pampered young master, he still accepted his invitation to cooperate.
He pulled out the breakthrough potion for mental strength, and after sitting for a long time, he stood up unsteadily from the ground. He took two samples that Feng Ran had personally selected, which had beneficial effects and few side effects, and gently placed them on the basil table: "Would you like to try this?"
Basil had always been critical of his face, which looked as if he were on the verge of sudden death. She took the bag and examined it cautiously: "What is this?"
Fran: "This is an experimental product for breaking through mental strength. Before the wind ignites, it will be consumed as a supplement. However, since you don't have mental strength, you don't know what the effect will be. Hopefully, it will increase the efficacy of the pheromone medicine a little."
Basil certainly knew about his pheromones; after all, Fran wouldn't beat around the bush or be polite. He fiddled with the two vials of potion: "Are you about to extract my pheromones?"
Fran turned away and continued working diligently: "Not yet. I still need to screen potential drug targets for experimentation. Moreover, for pheromones to function fully, they rely on potential receptors, and for that, we need to consider the compatibility of the experimental subjects' nerves. However, physical damage can only be removed by surgical reconstructing the connection. But with current technology, can we create reliable bionic neurons...?"
As Basil listened to his rambling, she considered the feasibility of his idea while also marveling at its audacity: "Your idea is quite bold."
Fran ignored him and opened another vial of reagent. This time, the scent of pheromones wafted from it. Fran then peeled away the disguise on his glands, tore off the barrier, and without blinking, inserted a needle to take a sample. The pheromone solution mixed with blood in the syringe turned pink. He quickly made a slide and placed it under the observation device to observe the potential effects.
Completely absorbed, utterly oblivious to everything else.
Until Basil's voice drifted up from behind:
"Is this what your pheromones smell like?"
Fran snapped out of his reverie: "Huh? Ah? Huh?!!" Realizing he had accidentally exposed himself, he frantically tore off a few more barrier tapes and stuck them on the back of his neck, glaring menacingly at Basil.
The air purifier in the room started running, and Fran grabbed the air barrier spray and began spraying it everywhere: "You...you didn't smell anything!"
Smelling an Omega's pheromones was indeed quite impolite, and although Fran was flustered, he didn't feel the shame or indignation that most people would feel. Basil felt a little dizzy from the barrier spray he had sprayed, and that ethereal, soft scent disappeared instantly, leaving a slight lingering feeling in his heart.
Basil, for some reason a little annoyed, stood up, leaned on the table, and met Fran's gaze. Then, he took a clip from Fran's collar, clipped it to his nose as he usually did, and said in a muffled voice:
"Don't look down on me. Even if you're in heat and beg me to mark you, I won't touch you. I'm saving my pheromones for Feng Ran."
Fran slowly calmed down, untied his hair and covered the back of his neck, calmly put the samples and slices he had just taken into a sealed bag, and then threw the whole thing into the waste bin: "Oh, really? That's good."
Basil: "But since you used your own pheromones as a sample for observation, it means it has some special medicinal properties, right? But you didn't tell me."
Fran was still holding the inhibitor that Feng Ran had given him: "It has nothing to do with you."
Basil: "But I'm part of the research project now, so it would be really strange if I didn't even know this crucial information. Who knows what strange effects your pheromones might have in the experiment... Wait, what's that you're holding!"
Just in case, Fran still drank it. Although Xing Tong told him not to waste it, he was still a little afraid of being alone in a room with an Alpha. Having an inhibitor would make him feel more at ease. As a result, he only took one sip before Basil snatched it away.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
Basil brought her nose closer and sniffed: "Why do you have wind-burning pheromones?!"
He got a little excited and released some pheromones. Fran curled her fingers, not really wanting to touch him, and rolled her eyes. "This is the suppressant she made for me."
Basil didn't ask him why he didn't use a regular suppressant; instead, she relentlessly accused him sourly, "How could you have the nerve to use her pheromones? Do you know how painful it is for her to collect them when she's already in poor health?"
Fran simply couldn't understand what was so good about someone as loud and boisterous as him. Compared to him, Shen Shiqian was far superior. Too lazy to explain, Fran turned around and hid in the bathroom by herself.
But Basil was still scratching at the door curiously from outside: "Do you need pheromone treatment because you have a glandular development disorder? But I just smelled your pheromones and they seemed normal, so it shouldn't be. Is it because of an allergic reaction to the inhibitor? Hey, can't you find a partner? I knew Fengran had to prepare inhibitors for you when you came all this way. I should have sent you back as soon as I saw you. Or is it related to the effects of your pheromone medication? If you're really that uncomfortable being with me, you should have just said so and gone back earlier..."
The school dormitory bathroom was cramped, and the semi-open balcony was outside the working range of the air purifier. As a result, all the smells gradually became clear in the sweltering summer air. Fran kicked the door without hesitation, and the loud noise interrupted Basil's incessant chatter.
Fran: "Give me back my inhibitor."
Basil had never been so rebuffed before, and his tone hardened: "Can't you be a little nicer to me? After all, I haven't done anything too outrageous to you, have I? Although I was the one who proposed the cooperation, no one forced you to agree. You should at least show some sincerity. It's one thing to keep everything from me, but you speak like a thorn in my side. Why should I have to accommodate you in every way?"
Fran immediately deflated: "Fine, whatever. I'll tell Feng Ran that we don't get along, and she'll make me go back to Qilia."
Basil got angry and kicked the door like he did, but he didn't expect that the door wasn't locked properly and he kicked it open.
Fran watched as Basil, brimming with rage, blocked the bathroom doorway. With nowhere to hide, all that remained in Fran's eyes was terror.
His glands, where pheromones had just been extracted, were burning with pain. The Alpha's aura was so powerful it left no room for argument. The surging blood and qi in his body, combined with the psychological shadow and fear, caused him to feel almost like he was going to collapse. He looked pitifully at Basil, almost crying: "I'm sorry, please don't be angry, okay? Your aura is making me feel terrible."
Basil stood at the door without moving: "Aren't you an Omega? Alpha pheromones shouldn't be aggressive towards you, especially since you just drank suppressants."
Fran huddled in the corner: "Please, can you stay away from me?"
Basil: "Want my help? Then show some sincerity."
Fran was baffled, feeling that the young master had suddenly become a stranger, until he could clearly smell the strong Alpha pheromones surrounding him. He cried out in his heart, "It's over, this guy is crazy too."
The quality of genes determines the order of gender, which makes it difficult for Omegas to resist Alphas, especially since the higher the quality, the more thorough the suppression. When Fran's pheromones were uncontrollably released, he no longer cared about what Basil wanted to do. All he could think about was that he was doomed and whether Feng Ran would kill him.
Omega pheromones have a soft and intoxicating scent. In the rich and intertwined atmosphere, all thoughts become sluggish. This is not what Basil thought. He originally wanted to use pheromones to soothe Fran as a condition for controlling him and induce him to tell the things he was hiding. He did not expect that the full release of his pheromones would have this effect.
It was as if the brain's cognitive judgment had malfunctioned, and the ethereal, sweet fragrance was the culprit that stimulated everything, arousing the Alpha's worst possessiveness and making him instinctively want to leave all sorts of exclusive marks on the Omega.
The intense sensory excitement made him feel suffocated all over, and even his marking teeth were itchy and numb.
Is this what Omega is? That's so strange.
The ambiguity in his perception made Basil momentarily unable to distinguish whether it was Fran or Fengran in front of him, but he clearly smelled Fengran's pheromones before. So, that fantastical scent changed according to his perception, turning into a warm and gentle aroma of wine.
He ignored Fran's calls.
He weakly resisted the approaching basil, his eyes red and swollen like a crying rabbit: "Please, don't... at least don't bite, waah..."
/
That's terrible.
Fran was in so much pain that he couldn't muster any strength, and his clothes were torn to shreds. Although he hadn't achieved a permanent mark, Basil bit him incredibly hard, like a madman. Fran thought he was about to die. Because of his previous mark, which hadn't been completely washed off, there were still remnants in his glands, so it would hurt a lot when he was marked by other Alphas. But Basil noticed those remnants and bit Fran even deeper, as if trying to cover them with his own pheromones. Fran was in excruciating pain.
He looked resentfully at the barely conscious Basil, his head throbbing with a pain that made him want to cry, wondering how he was going to explain this to Feng Ran.
Basil looked slightly taken aback: "I'm sorry."
He quickly became annoyed again: "Why didn't you say so sooner that your pheromones could cause hallucinations?"
Fran wore a pained expression, as if he were disgusted: "I don't know, it's probably the effect of the combined effects of our two drugs. Ha, biting me and calling Feng Ran's name, you're something else. Ugh, so annoying, if I had known it would be like this, I would have stayed in Laplace and never come back."
Basil also complained, "The combined effects shouldn't only work on me, right? Don't you feel anything?"
Fran reluctantly touched the bite marks on his glands, roughly scraping off the rotten barrier patch. The pheromones of another man filled his body, making him still a little confused: "Ugh...it hurts so much. I don't know. I'm a little sensitive to Alpha pheromones. When Feng Ran took me away, I almost had an anaphylactic shock from the suppressant. Since then, I've been using her Enigma pheromones as a suppressant."
Basil: "Have you ever had a partner before?"
Fran said quietly, "Given the effects of my pheromones, do you think that would make a partner?"
Basil: "...Sorry."
Fran ignored him, muttering to herself, "How am I supposed to explain this to Feng Ran? I told her before I came that Alphas aren't reliable, and she even gave me suppressants, but you insisted on taking it away. You can't blame me, right? I should be the one who's worse off, right? After all, if I go to get the mark removed, the doctor said there's a high chance of damage to my cavities, so it's better to just remove it. But after I finally made up my mind, the doctor said that the pheromones in my body still need to be metabolized by the glands, so it can't be removed. Ugh, what a burden..."
He suddenly looked up, somewhat nervously: "Huh? Did you just say something?"
Basil: "...No."
Fran, utterly exhausted, pulled out his terminal: "Maybe I should just confess and go back to Kiria. Feng Ran said she found a new test subject. Anyway, with Xing Tong around, we don't need me at all..."
Basil grabbed his hand: "No, I think you're still quite useful."
Fran struggled but couldn't break free, glaring at him with pure hatred: "Are you joking, or are you just trying to kill me by using me as a substitute?"
Basil choked for a moment, "I... I'm really confused right now. If you had told me sooner, things wouldn't be like this. At least I could have thought of a way to fix it."
Fran didn't want to hear him speak: "Star Eyes, what should we do? Can I still go back?"
A pixelated face of Xing Tong appeared on the terminal's projection screen, looking down at the two of them from a strange angle: "Anyway, this is definitely not my fault. You're too trusting."
Fran was exasperated: "That's why I don't want to go out!"
It sighed maturely: "Well, knowing my master as I do, she certainly won't blame Basil."
Fran: "That's true."
Basil, however, seemed to have been suddenly provoked. She held Fran's hand tightly and stared at Xing Tong, questioning, "Why? Didn't she already choose Shen Shiqian? Shouldn't what I do be none of her business anymore? Why are you still so biased towards me?"
Fran was baffled by his sudden outburst, feeling his wrist throb red from being gripped so tightly: "Huh? That's what I was thinking! What's so great about someone like you? Maybe her infatuation with you before was just because she was attracted to your pheromones, and she actually prefers someone like Shen Shiqian..."
Xing Tong: "Fran, shut up."
Fran: "Tsk."
Basil stared intently at Xing Tong: "Is that so?"
The expression on the screen remained unchanged; the lines were still cold and hard, as if the person was indifferent.
Fran shook off his hand: "You're not even on its access list, let alone trying to get Feng Ran's ideas. It won't answer you."
Xing Tong: "I always feel like my computing memory is insufficient, but I clearly have the highest level of cloud storage capacity. I can steal the entire empire's electronic information without any problem. Isn't that strange?"
Fran didn't know what it was trying to say, so he simply said, "You should have Fengran fix it for you in this situation."
Xing Tong: "Master will not blame Basil, but she will not punish you either, because it was her own decision. The hallucinogenic effect caused by the combined effects of the medicine was an unexpected deviation. She will prioritize comforting Basil, but she will not abandon you."
Fran said sullenly, "Of course I know that. Although she always argues a lot, she's a very nice person. I can tell the difference."
Xing Tong: "I will tell Master the truth about this matter. The collaborative research is also null and void. You will be able to return to Kiria soon. After that, you are not allowed to have any further contact."
Basil disagreed: "Why should it be nullified? Aren't my pheromones very useful? Don't you want to save Feng Ran anymore? The mixing of the drugs was clearly an accident. I'll accept compensation or responsibility, but can't we just pretend it never happened and continue? Can't we just give up on this kind of thing so easily?"
Xing Tong looked at him calmly: "Because doing this will only increase her debt to you. No matter how much you like her, I don't want your self-righteousness to affect her."
Basil was stunned: "Does this mean I have to give up completely?"
Xing Tong: "It's good that you understand."
Fran looked at the two people, one human and one machine, who were inexplicably at odds, and was somewhat troubled: "Don't provoke him like that, Feng Ran will be angry if he finds out."
Xing Tong was hit where it hurt, her data was a bit overloaded, and she became aggressive: "Ha, so what if I'm not important? Let me drop in rank, it's just a matter of formatting and correcting it. If you know what's good for you, stay away from her. When she was at her most volatile, Shen Shiqian almost died several times. Why should she have to control her emotions for you? Just because you like her? Just because everything you do is for her own good? Who cares? I've wanted to say this for a long time. If you hadn't taken those twenty energy stars to Feng Xiqiao for a marriage alliance, none of this mess would have happened."
Basil looked like she was about to break down. Fran didn't know which one to comfort first, since it was the first time he had heard the reason for Basil's rejection and he didn't know how to comment.
Fran stammered, "You two really aren't a good match. As far as I know, Feng Ran has wanted to throw Shen Shiqian into a brothel several times. She seems to be the type who can be very cruel to people she likes. For a while, she even wanted me to research a special supplement..."
Xing Tong asked fiercely, "How did you know?"
Fran frowned and explained, "She didn't really try to hide it. She picked up some goods from Kobana, and then the old man came to ask us who the target was. But she actually used that kind of thing on Shen Shiqian. Don't you think that's terrifying?"
Xing Tong defended Feng Ran without hesitation: "It's not useful to you anyway, so shut up."
Basil stopped talking, but his emotions were visibly out of control. Fran was dizzy from the shock of his surging pheromones and tried to grab his hand, but Basil grabbed it and bit it instead.
Tears streamed down his face from the pain: "I know you're in pain, but please don't bite me, I told you it hurts..."
The grief and despair surged into Fran's heart through his pheromones, choking him speechless. The blood flowing from the back of his hand gradually went unfelt, leaving him confused and disoriented, with only his instinctive urge to soothe the out-of-control Alpha remaining.
Something is being cleansed away little by little.
He wasn't sure, so he could only quietly let the basil bite him without letting go.
Xingtong sensed something was wrong and quietly retreated back into the terminal. After arguing with Basil, it had to think of a new solution, and patching one by one would never end.
Omega pheromones flowed through her blood, intertwining with the scent of lavender to create a fantastical dream. With teary eyes, Basil let go, gazing longingly at "Fengran," who had eyes like rubies.
He held the hand he had bitten: "Ranran, have I been doing something wrong all this time?"
"..."
"No."
Basil: "Then why...why did you do this to me..."
She didn't speak, so Basil could only hold her tightly. His eyes were dry and sore, but as soon as he closed them, the crisp, mellow aroma of wine was replaced by the sweet, soft scent of peaches. Fran gently embraced him.
"The effects of the medicine have worn off."
But Basil was still not satisfied. She hooked her arm around Fran and bit his neck again like a madman. Fran shuddered, hugged him, and released more pheromones in accordance with his wishes. But no matter how much he indulged in it, the person in front of him had never changed.
Fran said softly, "It's no use now. Your pheromones have washed away the other pheromone residues in my body, and the effects of the drug have been neutralized."
He touched the new bite mark on his neck and looked at him confidently: "It doesn't hurt anymore."
"You've already accepted this fact, haven't you? You're just unwilling to accept it, and you're using me as an outlet for your frustration. But my wounds don't hurt anymore, and neither will yours."
Basil shoved him away abruptly, as if his words were questioning the steadfastness of his feelings for Fengran.
Fran looked disheveled and miserable, dejected and exhausted. After being pushed away, he gently leaned closer and wiped the blood from Basil's lips.
Do you still want to continue this research?
"……think."
"Then let's continue."
Xing Tong interrupted them, "Don't act on your own."
Fran: "I'll get Fengran to agree."
"Now we're all even."
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