Wu Yuan looked like he had lost his mind, his pupils had gone almost entirely white whereas his canines grew out, snapping and biting at whatever he could find.

The mask He Juan put on him had been thrown aside somewhere and it seemed like he had decided that He Juan was a perfect target for his canines to sink into. He Juan tilted his body to avoid being bitten on his shoulder while Wu Yuan used the full force of his weight to slam him against the container wall!

He Juan let out a breathless gasp, feeling as if his spines were breaking apart. No, he could no longer chalk this up as a mere figment of his imagination – Wu Yuan was indeed getting stronger and stronger with each passing second! A few minutes ago, He Juan could still hold him down, but now the teenager was starting to overpower him!

"Wu Yuan!" Gritting his teeth, he let his pheromones explode out of him in an attempt to force Wu Yuan to submit. This was the only method he could think of to bring Wu Yuan under control. As for the consequences that would follow, it would be a problem for the future He Juan to solve. Right now, he had to stabilize Wu Yuan as soon as possible!

The overbearing rosewood and whiskey filled the air, clashing with the smokey and bitter scent belonging to Wu Yuan. But much to He Juan’s surprise, he found that his pheromones had no effect on Wu Yuan at all! How... How could it be possible?!

Sensing the superior Alpha’s pheromones around him, Wu Yuan’s pupils shook and came into focus for a brief moment. He also knew... these pheromones were supposed to intimidate him, they were supposed to subdue and conquer him. Yet as soon as they touched his skin, they immediately dispersed like a small flicker of flame doused by icy water. Tears welled up in Wu Yuan’s eyes as he threw his head back in a crazed laughter, his voice was shrill and muffled around his canines, "Teacher He... he is right! He is not lying to me. All of the things he told me... they are nothing but the truth!" He kept laughing and laughing with tears streaming down his face. It was as if the last blow had been dealt on him, and now he was utterly breaking apart from within.

"Wu Yuan, what..." He Juan’s lips parted. He had no idea what Wu Yuan was talking about, but he instinctively knew that it would not be anything good. Before he could think of what to say—

BANG!

A gunshot echoed in the air, startling the two of them. He Juan turned to find the scarred man – the same man who had tossed him the gun – returned to the scene. He had fired the first shot to the sky, and seeing that He Juan had noticed him, he lowered his arms and aimed... at Wu Yuan!

"No!" He Juan hollered before he could even process what he was saying. "Don’t shoot! I forbid you to shoot him!!"

The man’s face crumpled in frustration. "Boss!"

He Juan sensed vividly when a strung-out nerve inside his head snapped with a pop and for one fleeting second, He Juan was overcome by a wave of déjà vu. It was as if somewhere in the past, he had also been in this kind of position before, desperately protecting an innocent person who was not supposed to be dragged into this mess, frantically shouting for the other party not to shoot, but in the end...

He Juan snapped back to his senses when he heard Wu Yuan’s growl beside his ear.

Hearing the gunshot, Wu Yuan’s eyes turned glazed again and he snarled at the scarred man, trying to pounce on him. He Juan grabbed Wu Yuan’s shoulder before he could do so, twisted his arm behind his back and pinned his body to the container, reversing their position in an instant!

He took a deep breath to alleviate the throbbing pain on his head, neck and literally his entire body. Alas, before He Juan could even let out an exhale, the corner of his eyes caught sight of something – someone – that sent utter dread down his spine.

— Mu Yuze.

Mu Yuze was here, running straight toward him.

How...? Why was he here? What about Jia Molei?!

Intense horror and panic crashed over He Juan like a tidal wave. No... the pheromones... the pheromones in this area were the thickest and most destructive. Mu Yuze would not be able to bear it with his traumatized gland!

The image of the pale and unconscious omega crossed his mind and before he knew it, He Juan imbued commanding power to his words and roared, "STAY! Do not move even one step from there! You are not allowed to come near!!" Only superior Alphas were able to imbue such power in their words with the intention to control and dominate. He Juan had never expected that he would use it one day, on his omega on top of that. But he would rather die than to let the same tragedy happen to Mu Yuze again for the second time.

And as soon as his words settled in the air, Mu Yuze’s entire body was locked in place. His expression instantly twisted and he growled in rage, "HE JUAN—!!!" His already pale complexion became ghastly, making his bloodshot eyes stand out even more. He looked like he was struggling to free himself against He Juan’s command, yet it was all for naught. He could not even move his fingertips. "How dare you... How dare you do this to me again!"

Chest heaving, He Juan forced himself to look away as he swallowed past the lump on his throat. He dared not look at Mu Yuze for fear that his resolution would crumble to dust.

Presumably realizing that He Juan would never lift the command, Mu Yuze started to plead, begging for him to let go. "Gege... Juan-gege, please... don’t do this, okay?" His voice was shaky, and he sounded like he was on the verge of bursting into tears.

He Juan flinched as if someone had splashed him with boiling oil. He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed deeply and the line of his jaws tensed. Oh God, it hurts... How could it hurt so bad?

"Sorry..." he said tremblingly, his voice drained and hollow. "Sorry, Xiao Ze. I’m so sorry..." He wished he did not have to do that. He wished he never had to resort to such a cruel move. But he was left with utterly no choice now. He could not take a risk when it came to Mu Yuze’s safety.

"Argh—!" Wu Yuan suddenly let out a frenzied howl as he tried to throw He Juan off him. Gritting his teeth, He Juan could only use his entire body to hold Wu Yuan down. He could feel another surge of blood on his throat which he forcibly swallowed down. He could not let Mu Yuze worry about him more than he already did.

Instead, he turned his head and shouted at the scarred man, "Come here and help me restrain him! Do not shoot, do you hear me!" The fact that he could still be standing here unaffected meant that he should be a Beta. It was the safest bet He Juan could take rather than let Mu Yuze do it.

The scarred man – Chen Youzhi – frowned and glanced at Wu Yuan warily. But in the end, he still obeyed He Juan’s words and jogged forward. Alas, he had not even taken two steps yet when his head snapped to the side – the blind spot in He Juan’s current position – and He Juan watched as his eyes widened in terror and fear. Not only him, Mu Yuze was also showing the exact reaction.

He Juan’s heart gave a lurch. What...?

"RUN!" Chen Youzhi started to sprint toward him, panic-stricken. "Get away from there!!"

He Juan only had a split second to hear alarm bells going off inside his head when all of a sudden—

BOOM!

An ear-deafening explosion erupted from the container in front of him. Pillars of crimson flame rose to the sky and illuminated the dark, roaring like a fire dragon that had come to life. He Juan’s eyes flew wide as a powerful momentum slammed into him with the force of a train wreck, sending him flying tens of meters away. A sense of weightlessness overcame him and the agonizing pain struck his whole body numb. He did not even realize when he had let go of Wu Yuan.

The whole world spun in front of him and in one suspended second, his gaze collided with Mu Yuze’s eyes in midair.

[I will come back.]

He Juan only had a microsecond to be relieved as he noticed that the explosion did not reach Mu Yuze when in the next second, he perceived the sheer terror in the omega’s eyes. The sight seared through his heart like a burning spear and burned into his soul like a brand. ’Oh...’ He Juan’s eyes welled up in tears. ’I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Xiao Ze... Even though I have promised you that...’

[My precious, I will definitely come back to you. And when that time comes...]

He Juan’s eyelids started to droop as gravity sent him plunging into the depth of dark and icy ocean, and the last moment before the violent waves engulfed his whole body, he heard Mu Yuze’s raw and gut-wrenching cry echoing in his ears,

"NO—!!"

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[When that time comes, let’s get married, okay?]

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Volume 1 – The End