CR CH3

An energy grid flashing with mechanical light enveloped the sky above the base.

“Identity verified.”

The aircraft scan was approved, and the entrance to the high-altitude defense energy grid opened.

Not long after, the warship landed smoothly at the hover station. Its cold, deep blue energy flickered for a moment before slowly extinguishing.

A group of people was the first to descend the long ramp, led by a man with striking white hair. The soldiers stationed there, their expressions solemn, immediately saluted.

“Commander!”

“Mn.”

Ling Kongmiao nodded, raising a hand to lightly return the salute, his gaze shifting to the researchers walking toward them.

“Captain Ling, long time no see.”

“Dr. He.”

–

Meanwhile, inside the warship.

A squad member pushed open the interrogation room door and handed him the clean clothes in his hand.

“The medical team is ready. I’ll take you over shortly.”

Jiang Tianji licked his dry lips and nodded.

He quickly put on the uniform and followed behind the squad member. Every mechanical door required identity verification; military control was incredibly strict indeed.

Jiang Tianji followed silently, feeling like an unregistered citizen with no identity. Just this morning when he opened his eyes, he had only been a student waiting to be fed.

The two walked down the long ramp and were greeted by a refreshing, cool breeze. After breathing in the fresh air, Jiang Tianji’s tense nerves finally relaxed a bit, and he couldn’t help but survey this place that was so highly mysterious in the eyes of the outside world.

The combat base was larger than he had imagined. Not far away stood densely packed high-rise buildings, reflecting a cold luster under the light. They were perhaps military dormitories and prisons; as far as he knew, most heavily sentenced criminals were locked up in combat bases.

“Jiang Tianji, right?”

A team of researchers in white uniforms walked toward them. The leading demi-human had a pair of sheep horns on her head, and a gentle aura lingered around her.

“Hello, I’m He Qian from the Genetic Research Institute. You should be aware of the situation by now. Cases of delayed differentiation like this are very rare, so we need to give you a comprehensive examination.”

She pushed up her glasses and asked,

“I had a brief chat with Captain Ling just now. He mentioned that you cannot perceive your own pheromones, nor do you reject the pheromones of other Alphas. Is this correct?”

Jiang Tianji withdrew his thoughts and scratched his hair.

“I really can’t perceive my own… pheromones, but I don’t know if I’d reject other Alphas’ pheromones.”

He Qian’s hand, which was flipping through the files, paused slightly before she rephrased: “Then just now on the hovercraft, did you smell anything?”

Jiang Tianji nodded immediately, trying his best to describe it: “There was a light fragrance, like jasmine. It smelled really good.”

It didn’t seem like an ordinary scent; smelling it was actually a bit addictive.

He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but right after he said this, the expressions of the group turned peculiar. They looked at each other, and one young man even revealed a trying-not-to-laugh expression.

Jiang Tianji didn’t understand why, but he was relatively good at reading the room, so he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No.” He Qian shook her head. Seeing his thoroughly confused look, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “It really is a rare case. Come with us first; we’ll have to see the test results for the specifics.”

As she spoke, she raised a hand to jot something down on her clipboard.

—Unknown case, does not reject Alpha pheromones, tentative.

Jiang Tianji followed them into the medical wing. The mechanical doors closed behind him. He looked up at his surroundings and instantly felt an urge to turn tail and run.

The testing equipment in the basic examination room was already intimidating enough, but the mechanical doors that opened past that seemed to stretch on endlessly. Behind every single door stood several doctors ready to assist with the examination, and they were all staring right at him in unison.

Jiang Tianji’s scalp went numb, and he took a step back almost instinctively.

Fortunately, He Qian noticed his unease in time and made a gesture forward. Her assistant immediately nodded, stepped up to the master console for the mechanical doors, and closed all the open ones.

Jiang Tianji let out a heartfelt sigh of relief. But before he could even finish exhaling, he saw He Qian looking at him with a beaming smile.

“Alright, Student Jiang, please cooperate with our work now. Step one: take off your clothes first.”

Jiang Tianji felt everyone’s gaze land on him. He couldn’t help but grip the clothes he had just put on, his voice growing quieter and quieter.

“Do I have to take them off…?”

He Qian: “Yes, you do.”

Jiang Tianji sighed and swiftly took off his shirt.

He Qian: “The bottom half too.”

Jiang Tianji: “…”

Jiang Tianji placed his hands on his belt, his eyes filled with struggle. At the end of the day, he was only a twenty-year-old young man; suddenly “streaking in public” was still too difficult for him.

“Don’t feel burdened by it. We are professionals, and everyone has to do this when undergoing a comprehensive examination.”

The assistant chimed in to comfort him, and the others voiced their agreement.

Forget it, today couldn’t possibly get any worse anyway.

Jiang Tianji felt too embarrassed to keep acting coy. After all, so many people were waiting, and hesitating any longer would only waste everyone’s time.

Gritting his teeth, he swiftly took off his pants.

“Good boy.” Looking at the young man’s bright red ears, He Qian smiled and patted his shoulder. “Go lie down in the medical pod first. We need to monitor your vitals. You must be feeling very uncomfortable right now; you need treatment.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Tianji kept his head down and walked toward the medical pod.

The moment the pod door closed, the sounds of the outside world faded away. Not far away, a group of people huddled around a screen, seemingly analyzing his baseline data. He took one glance and then withdrew his gaze.

“Initiating recovery system.”

A smart voice echoed by his ear, followed immediately by He Qian’s gentle voice.

“You must be quite tired. We’re going to pump some anesthetics into the pod now. When you wake up, the comprehensive exam will be over, so don’t worry.”

Jiang Tianji nodded slightly. In the confined space, it was so quiet that only his own breathing remained. The temperature inside the medical pod was very comfortable, and combined with the effects of the medication, his body gradually went limp.

Drowsiness washed over him. He didn’t fight it, obediently closing his eyes.

All his thoughts gradually faded, drifting further and further away. For the first time in a long while, Jiang Tianji had a dream.

Leaves swayed gently, casting a dappled shadow.

“So unreasonable.”

A boy sat by the roadside. It was a small path with no one else around.

He wore a backpack, his sitting posture rebellious, and his face looked extremely sour.

The boy clutched a certificate in his hand, his brows furrowed as he thought about who knows what, looking incredibly unhappy.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes, and he subconsciously looked over.

“Meow.”

A little cat stretched a short distance away, then paced elegantly over to nuzzle into the boy’s lap, warm and soft.

The boy stiffened slightly and didn’t immediately reach out. Who knew if this was a purebred beastman pretending to be cute!

Some purebred beastmen absolutely loved to gossip. They would disguise themselves as unawakened little animals, not only freeloading food but also eavesdropping on people’s private matters to go back and edit story compilations.

Especially since the little cat in front of him had a piece of candy in its mouth, which it dropped right into his palm.

Those big round eyes stared at him, as if very worried about the two-legged beast in front of it.

“Are you a purebred beastman?” his voice was stiff, looking as if he’d bolt immediately if it dared to answer.

The little cat couldn’t understand his words. It let out a few lazy “meows” and found a comfortable spot in his lap to lie down.

It didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives. The boy couldn’t help but reach out and stroke its smooth fur.

Having pent up quite a bit of emotion in his heart, he tried to hold it in, but ultimately let out a soft sigh.

“Little cat, do you have any friends?”

“Do your friends feel insecure because you catch more fish than they do?”

The boy’s eyes were somewhat lost; looking closely, a hint of sadness was hidden within them.

“Meow~”

The little cat’s eyes were like round gemstones, looking incredibly pure.

They didn’t possess overly complicated emotions, and naturally, they didn’t have overly complicated troubles either.

“I don’t think I have any real friends.”

“When we were still strangers, everyone immediately acknowledged my grades. But once we became friends, they’d constantly compare themselves to me… and get angry when they couldn’t measure up.”

“We aren’t real rivals, and excellence isn’t exclusive. First place is excellent, and so is second place. Me doing better doesn’t mean you’re doing badly.”

“I thought we were like-minded, that it didn’t matter who reached the finish line first. Everyone’s abilities are different; rankings are just an order, not a measure of worth. Isn’t it better to have more excellent people?”

The boy’s voice grew quieter and quieter, falling into a brief, low silence.

“Whatever. Maybe it’ll be fine once we grow up.”

“Mom says that in the future, I can be just like her—become really strong and protect a lot of people.”

By that time, I should have friends, right?

His tone became hesitant, as if he himself was a bit unsure.

“Can I really…” become that kind of person?

A rustling sound came from behind a tree not far away, like someone had lost their footing and slipped, carrying a hint of panic.

Jiang Tianji immediately stood up, holding the cat, and said vigilantly,

“Who’s there?”

When he looked up, he only saw a shadow flash by. It might have been a wandering little animal nearby.

Jiang Tianji didn’t pry any further. He leaned back against the tree, holding the little cat again, absentmindedly stroking its soft fur while staring blankly at the candy in his hand.

He peeled open the wrapper and tossed it into his mouth. The sweetness of lychee spread throughout his entire mouth.

It was just that when a gust of wind blew by, it allowed him to catch a whiff of jasmine.

The little cat in his lap stepped on his stomach and stretched, fluffy and warm. A faint fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, seemingly possessing the power to dispel worries. The boy’s head began to bob, and he fell into a deep, good sleep under the tree.

Dreaming a sweet, worry-free dream, filled entirely with the scent of jasmine.