Mr. Si
The red light over the operating room hung glaringly before Siqi's eyes like a bead of congealed blood. Outside, the howling wind and snow, mingling with the harsh roar of engines, drew closer. He took a deep breath, the cold air mingling with the smell of disinfectant filling his lungs, but it couldn't suppress the searing heat boiling within his glands. Sandalwood pheromones dissipated uncontrollably, thick and sharp, carrying a warning of asserting sovereignty and a fight to the death.
He walked to the building's only entrance, leaning against the cold concrete wall. He listened to cars braking, doors opening, and the sound of boots crunching snow. There were at least five people there, well-trained and steady.
"Mr. Siqi," a voice, processed by a voice changer, came through the loudspeaker, cold and inorganic, "We know you are in there. Hand over Shao Wei, he is a valuable 'project asset'. Resistance is pointless."
Si Qi didn't respond, instead compressing and condensing his pheromones further, like a bowstring ready to be released. He felt a sharp, needle-like pain in the glands at the back of his neck, a sign of overexertion, but he didn't care.
"Break the door." The voice outside ordered.
The heavy battering ram struck the metal door with a deafening thud, shaking the doorframe and sending clouds of dust cascading down.
Just as the second impact was about to happen, Si Qi flung the door open! The battering ram, carrying the two men in black, stumbled in, only to be met with Si Qi's full-strength fist. The muffled thud of bones colliding and a suppressed groan of pain echoed simultaneously. Si Qi lunged out like a cheetah, his pheromones like a physical shockwave, slamming fiercely into the men waiting outside the door.
The wind and snow instantly blurred his vision. With the physique of a top-tier Alpha and his now-rapid fighting instincts, Si Qi weaved and engaged several men in black. His movements were unpretentious, each strike aimed squarely at the vital points, delivered with the ruthless determination to fight for his life. The opponent's pheromones—a blend of aggressive scents like saltpeter and rust—tried to suppress him, but were forcibly torn apart by his sandalwood storm.
However, the enemy outnumbered them and their coordination was seamless. Soon, Si Qi's body was covered in wounds. A stun baton grazed his left arm, leaving it numb. He panted heavily, his back against the building's outer wall. Snowflakes landed on his bloodied brow bone and quickly melted.
"Your resistance is futile, Mr. Siqi." The cold voice echoed again, and a figure dressed in a white snow combat uniform and a full-face helmet stepped forward, holding a strangely shaped pistol. The muzzle was pointed not at him, but at the building behind him. "We just need a little 'stimulus' to make Mr. Shao Wei come out on his own."
The man pulled the trigger and a tiny needle shot into the wall. In an instant, a high-frequency sound wave spread out, which was almost impossible for the human ear to detect, but Si Qi felt his glands twitch suddenly and a sharp pain came.
Almost at the same time, the sharp alarm of the instrument and Shao Wei's uncontrollable and extremely painful roar were heard in the operating room!
"Shao Wei!" Si Qi was shocked and his eyes were bloodshot.
Just as he was distracted, the man in the white combat uniform raised his gun and pointed it at his leg. In a flash, a dark shadow swooped down from the side and violently knocked the gunman away!
It was Dr. Li! Her hair was disheveled and her face was bruised. She had obviously escaped from the cabin and was chasing after him.
"Hurry up and get in!" Doctor Li shouted to Si Qi while tightly clinging to the gunman. "The chip must be removed! Otherwise, he will die!"
Si Qi no longer hesitated and rushed back into the building. The lights in the operating room were still red, but Shao Wei's roars had become intermittent, mixed with painful gasps.
Dr. Chen's voice came from inside, with unprecedented urgency: "No! The chip has a stress response to the sound waves and is releasing neurotoxins! The operation must be accelerated, but his body can't withstand such deep anesthesia!"
Si Qi rushed to the door of the operating room. Through the small window, he saw Shao Wei convulsing violently on the operating table. Several researchers were holding him down desperately, and blood was oozing from his nose and ears.
"Is there anything I can do?!" Si Qi slapped the glass, his voice hoarse.
Dr. Chen suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing the glass and locking onto Siqi. "Connect! Use your Alpha to permanently connect! Your pheromones may be the only thing that can stabilize his vital signs right now! Come in, hold his hand, and no matter what happens, don't let go. Use your willpower to 'cover' him!"
The door of the operating room slid open, and Si Qi rushed in desperately, ignoring the principle of sterility. He rushed to the side of the operating table and tightly grasped Shao Wei's cold hand that was trembling due to spasms.
"Shao Wei! Look at me!" Si Qi growled. The pheromones were no longer released in an attacking manner, but transformed into a dense, thick barrier with a strong sense of comfort and protection, wrapping Shao Wei layer by layer.
Miraculously, Shao Wei's violent convulsions subsided slightly, and his dilated pupils struggled to focus, meeting Si Qi's gaze. Deep within those icy blue eyes, there was endless pain, yet also a faint, familiar light.
"Si...qi..." He uttered two words in a broken voice.
"I'm here." Si Qi clenched his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force. "I'm here. Hang in there, do you hear me? You've been spying on me for three years, now it's my turn... I won't let you die like this."
His voice was deep and firm, carrying an undeniable power. Pheromones flowed like a warm tide into Shao Wei's collapsing body, resisting the toxins released by the chip and the interference of external sound waves.
Dr. Chen seized this precious opportunity and scalpel fell with precision: "Now! Silver Fox, prepare for extraction!"
The operation was performed in an extremely dangerous balance. Si Qi could clearly feel Shao Wei's life slipping away, and he could also sense the love and unwillingness that Shao Wei had endured for years, transmitted through their connection. Those deliberately forgotten details—late-night coffee, the post-susceptibility period cleanup, the silent gaze through the crack of the study door—now transformed into tangible strength, supporting him and Shao Wei.
Time seemed to be stretched, and every second was like walking on the edge of a knife.
Finally, Dr. Chen breathed a sigh of relief and picked up a silver chip the size of a grain of rice and stained with blood with tweezers.
"It's out."
Almost at the moment the chip left Shao Wei's brain, the irritating external sound wave interference disappeared. Shao Wei's body suddenly relaxed and he fell into a deep coma, but the numbers on the vital signs monitor began to stabilize.
Si Qi knelt down beside the operating table, exhausted, his forehead resting on their clasped hands, sweat soaking his temples.
At this moment, there was a new commotion outside the building, including the sounds of gunfire, fighting, and an old but extremely majestic voice:
"That's enough! This farce of 'Watchmen' ends here!"
Si Qi looked up suddenly. Dr. Chen walked to the window and looked outside, a complicated expression on his face: "It's him... He's finally here."
Through the frosted window, Si Qi saw a white-haired old man in an old-fashioned general's coat, standing in the snow, guarded by a team of elite soldiers. He held a cane in his hand, and with a simple pause, the once aggressive "Watchers," including the leader in white combat uniform, paused, appearing respectful and fearful.
The old man raised his head, his gaze like lightning, piercing the wind, snow, and glass, landing directly on Si Qi's face, then slowly shifting to the unconscious Shao Wei beside him. There was no scrutiny or calculation in his eyes, only a deep, inexpressible feeling of guilt and sorrow.
"Siqi," Dr. Chen's voice rang out from behind him, trembling with relief. "Let me formally introduce you. The man outside is Shao Wei's biological grandfather, and the original initiator and investor of the Twin Alpha Project—General Shao Qing."
"And he," Dr. Chen paused, looking at Si Qi with a complicated gaze, "is your great-uncle by blood. Shao Wei's mother is your mother's sister. You... are cousins."
The wind and snow seemed to stop at that moment. Si Qi stared out the window at the imposing old man, then looked down at Shao Wei, whose face was as pale as paper, lying on the operating table. The fog in his mind, about his life, about the project, about all the unusual concerns, seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, revealing a more shocking and chilling truth.
It turns out that the roots of this meticulously planned marriage, this entanglement filled with indifference and forbearance, this terminal illness that only revealed true love on the brink of death, were far deeper and more profound than they had imagined. And he and Shao Wei, from their embryonic stage, had been nothing more than two involuntary pawns in this vast chess game.
Now, one of the chess players finally appeared in person.
The wind and snow seemed to freeze at that moment. Si Qi felt a chill run down his spine, far more biting than the icy cold outside. Cousin? General Shao Qing? Project sponsor?
These words were like heavy hammers, smashing his cognition of the past thirty years.
He lowered his head, staring at Shao Wei's bloodless face. The hand he held tightly, its knuckles slender and cold. Three years of marriage, they slept in the same bed, yet the distance between them was as vast as the Milky Way. What he had considered a "formal marriage," what he had defined as "cold mutual respect," turned out to be a filthy and immoral secret.
"Why?" Si Qi's voice was hoarse. He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the glass of the operating room, fixed on the white-haired general outside the window. "Why did he do this?"
Dr. Chen removed his gloves and rubbed his brow, a mixture of fatigue and relief. "To create a 'perfect' heir, for a paranoid idea of continuing the family's glory and power. The Shao family has been in the military for generations, with top Alpha bloodline, but by your mother's generation, a 'flaw' appeared."
"flaw?"
"Your mother chose love over the arranged marriage of her family, and died of depression after giving birth to you. And Shao Wei's mother, your aunt, fell in love with a Beta." Dr. Chen's voice dropped. "In General Shao Qing's eyes, this is an unforgivable fall, a pollution of the bloodline."
"So he created us himself? Two 'perfect' Alphas? He even let us... unite?" Si Qi almost squeezed out the last two words from between his teeth.
"No, not initially." Dr. Chen shook his head. "The original intention of the Twin Project was to extract the best genetic sequences from your parents and cultivate a single Alpha individual that surpassed all limits. However, during the early embryonic stage, a fertilized egg accidentally split into identical twins. The General believed this was providence, a double dose of perfection, so he changed the plan. He raised you separately, implanting you in different families, observing and guiding you, ensuring that you grew along the trajectory he had set."
Si Qi thought back to his childhood, that omnipresent feeling of being manipulated by an invisible hand. He thought it was his own perceptiveness, but now he realized it was the self-awareness of a puppet.
"That 'accidental' encounter, the business partnership, and even the eventual marriage were all orchestrated by him," Dr. Chen continued. "He needed you to be together. He needed to observe whether top Alphas could develop stronger bonds and produce superior offspring. But he underestimated human nature, and also underestimated... the power of pheromones themselves."
Dr. Chen looked at the unconscious Shao Wei with a complicated expression. "Shao Wei fell in love with you first. This was not part of the plan. Your indifference and resistance disrupted everything. When Shao Wei was diagnosed with pheromone disorder, when the connection did not bring about the expected 'optimization' and instead could lead to the demise of one party, the general believed that the project had failed and Shao Wei had become a 'defective product.'"
"So 'Watchmen'..." Siqi's heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand.
"The 'Watchers' are the General's cleanup team, responsible for handling 'failed projects' and 'potential threats.' Shao Wei's 'terminal illness' is largely the result of long-term drug intervention and low-frequency chip stimulation. They originally planned to let Shao Wei die 'naturally' and then... retrieve you for the next round of 'optimization' attempts." Dr. Chen's voice trembled slightly. "I could no longer tolerate this inhumane behavior, so I defected and have been looking for an opportunity to expose the truth and rescue you."
The operating room was dead silent, save for the rhythmic ticking of the instruments. Si Qi felt a wave of nausea. He let go of Shao Wei's hand, stumbled back a step, and held onto the cold wall, barely holding himself up. He remembered the words in Shao Wei's notebook: "Life is inherently meaningless." He remembered the back of him quietly cleaning up after each sensitive period. He remembered the almost relieved calm in his icy blue eyes when he diagnosed the terminal illness.
It turns out that all his pain, all his forbearance, all his world-weariness stemmed from a cruel calculation that began before he was born. And he, as another manipulated pawn, had become the heaviest shackle imposed on him.
"Does he...know?" Si Qi asked, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible.
Dr. Chen was silent for a moment. "Shao Wei is very smart. He may have vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but the chip suppressed his deep memory and logical reasoning ability. He only knew that something was wrong with his body, and that... you didn't love him."
Si Qi closed his eyes, the huge regret and anger almost tore him apart.
At that moment, the operating room door was gently pushed open. The white-haired General Shao Qing, leaning on a cane, walked in. He remained tall and straight, his shoulders broad beneath his military coat, carrying the oppressive air of a long-time leader. But his eyes, now fixed on Shao Wei, were complex, filled with scrutiny, disappointment, and perhaps even a faint, deeply concealed pain.
"How is he?" Shao Qing asked, his voice old but filled with unquestionable majesty.
Dr. Chen replied respectfully but distantly, "The chip has been successfully removed, but the neurotoxin has caused some damage, which will take time to recover. The long-term pheromone disorder has also put a strain on the organs. The prognosis... remains to be seen."
Shao Qing nodded, and finally turned his gaze to Si Qi, his gaze sharp as a hawk: "How about you? You don't look seriously injured. The quality of a top-level Alpha really didn't disappoint me."
Si Qi stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His pheromones surged uncontrollably again, and he asked with strong hostility, "Why?"
Shao Qing met his gaze without the slightest evasion: "For power, for inheritance, for the Shao family to never fall. This world is cruel, Siqi. Only the most powerful bloodlines can reach the pinnacle and protect what must be protected. Your union could have created an unprecedented miracle."
"Miracle?" Si Qi sneered, pointing at Shao Wei on the operating table. "You call this a miracle? Turning him into a test subject who needs chips and drugs to maintain life and could die at any time, you call this a miracle?!"
"The price is necessary." Shao Qing's voice was cold and hard. "His will was not strong enough, and he actually developed emotions that he shouldn't have, which weakened his essence as an Alpha. And you," he paused, "your indifference protected you to some extent, but it also led to an unstable connection. You have disappointed me."
"We are not tools for you to realize your ambitions!" Si Qi growled, and the sandalwood pheromones hit Shao Qing like a storm.
However, Shao Qing simply narrowed his eyes, and a deeper, more powerful pheromone, reeking of rust, blood, and fire, spread out, easily dispelling Si Qi's attack. It was the pressure of a top-tier Alpha, battle-tested and steeped in decades of battlefield power, as heavy as a mountain and as sharp as a knife.
Si Qi felt his breath catch, and his body instinctively tensed. For the first time, he felt so clearly the overwhelming power gap that came from the source of his bloodline.
"Tools?" Shao Qing approached slowly, tapping the ground with his cane, making a soft thumping sound. Every step felt like it was treading on Si Qi's heartbeat. "Without me, you wouldn't even exist. Si Qi, you've enjoyed everything the Si family has to offer: top-tier education, resources, status. Which one of these isn't based on your status as the 'perfect alpha'? And this status stems from my choices, my shaping."
He stopped in front of Siqi, close enough to see each other's reflection in each other's eyes. "Do you think your indifference is natural? It's just the 'role model' I showed you—a leader who is unmoved by emotion and absolutely rational. I just didn't expect Shao Wei to deviate so completely."
Si Qi clenched his teeth, his gums practically bleeding. He couldn't argue with that; his past life had indeed seemed like a set routine. Marriage was a formality, his vulnerable period a routine. He had never even truly understood the "partner" who quietly existed on the margins of his life.
"Now, the game should end." Shao Qing's gaze swept across Shao Wei and back to Si Qi. "The chip has been removed, and his value is almost gone. But you, Si Qi, you still have a chance. Come back with me, forget everything that happened here, and forget him. You will become the true heir of the Shao family, with power and authority beyond your imagination."
Si Qi was stunned. He had not expected Shao Qing to make such a straightforward request. Using Shao Wei's "abandonment" in exchange for his "return."
"You... want to give up on him?" Si Qi's voice trembled with disbelief.
"It's not giving up, it's cutting losses." Shao Qing's tone was flat. "The best way to deal with an uncontrollable component that could endanger the core is to remove it. This is the law of survival on the battlefield, and it's also the law of survival for the family."
At this moment, an extremely faint but clear voice came from the direction of the operating table:
"I...don't agree."
Si Qi and Shao Qing turned their heads suddenly at the same time.
Shao Wei hadn't known when he opened his eyes. His icy blue eyes, now pale in color from his weakness, resembled a melting glacier, yet the light within them was sharper, more resolute than ever before. Gone was the forbearance and silence of the past, replaced only by a clarity and resolve that had broken through the ice.
He struggled, supporting his upper body with his elbows. His gaze passed over Shao Qing and fell directly on Si Qi. There was even a faint, mocking arc at the corner of his mouth.
"So... the person I was peeping at was my cousin." His voice was soft, but it pierced the stagnant air in the room like an icicle. "It was truly... a completely ridiculous show."
"Wei Wei Shao..." Si Qi subconsciously wanted to step forward.
"Don't come over here." Shao Wei raised his hand to stop him, his gaze turning once again to Shao Qing, the man he should call grandfather. "General, 'defective goods' also have their own will."
Shao Qing frowned, obviously surprised by Shao Wei's sobriety and attitude: "It's good that you can wake up. But don't make any more meaningless struggles. Your body has already..."
"I know my own body." Shao Wei interrupted him, his breathing a little rapid, but his tone unusually steady. "You've taken away what you've placed in my head for over twenty years. Those false memories, those forced emotions... Now, it's my turn to make a choice for myself."
He looked at Si Qi with a complex expression in his eyes. There was pain after knowing the truth and anger after being deceived, but deep down, there seemed to be something that had not been completely extinguished even after going through hardships.
"Siqi, you say... now it's your turn." Shao Wei said softly, "Have you seen clearly? I was a mistake and a conspiracy from the beginning. Is it still worth watching me?"
Si Qi's heart felt like it had been struck hard. He looked at Shao Wei's pale, stubborn face, at his eyes that seemed to see through everything, yet held a glimmer of desperate anticipation. Every little detail of the past three years, those details he had overlooked, those interactions he had defined as "formalities," now took on a new, weighty meaning.
It’s not that he doesn’t love him, it’s that he doesn’t dare to love, he can’t love, and the possibility of love is strangled by an invisible hand.
And now, that hand stands here, attempting one last harvest.
Si Qi took a deep breath, ignoring Shao Qing's suddenly icy gaze, and walked towards the operating table, approaching Shao Wei. He didn't answer Shao Wei's question, but reached out and gently brushed away the sweat-soaked hair from his forehead, his gesture more gentle than ever before.
Then he turned around, protected Shao Wei behind him, and faced Shao Qing.
His pheromones were no longer violent, but became calm and heavy, like an eternal snow-capped mountain, completely enveloping Shao Wei and isolating him from all pressure from Shao Qing.
"Whether he is worthy or not is for me to decide." Si Qi spoke, his voice was not loud, but it was full of unquestionable power. "And you, General, you are not qualified to decide anyone's worth."
Shao Qing's eyes turned completely cold, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. "You want to disobey me? For a 'failure'?"
"He's not a failure," Si Qi said word by word. "He's Shao Wei. He's my legal spouse. He's... someone I've only seen clearly over the past three years. He's someone worth protecting with everything."
He paused, met Shao Qing's almost icy gaze, and did not flinch:
"As for the heir of the Shao family, that power and authority... you can keep it for yourself. From today on, I have nothing to do with Shao Wei, the Shao family, or you."
The moment he finished speaking, Si Qi felt Shao Wei's hand on his back tremble slightly, and then, very lightly, he grabbed the corner of his blood-stained clothes.
It was like finally catching a faint but real ray of light in the endless darkness.
Shao Qing fell silent. He looked at the two men standing side by side, at the invisible yet resilient connection between them, his eyes shifting unpredictably. Anger, disappointment, and perhaps a subtle... shock.
The wind and snow howled outside the window. Inside the research station, the clash between old and new forces unfolded like a clash of ice and fire, silent yet breathtaking. And at this moment, it seemed as if the curtain had just been torn off the heavy curtain of Si Qi and Shao Wei's true lives. The road ahead was uncertain and filled with thorns, but at least, for the first time, they stood on the same front.
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