Forbidden Zone Rose - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Can Neither Smell Nor Secrete Pheromones…

After finishing the call with his mentor, Su Zhi was already so sleepy his eyes were blurry. He managed to return to his apartment with the last shred of consciousness, washed up, and collapsed into his soft bedding, falling into a deep, heavy slumber.

By the time he woke up, it was already afternoon.

The first thing Su Zhi did after waking was rush to the flower shop to check on the status of experimental sample 0409.

It had only been half a day since using the Red Stone Extract No. 173, but the yellowing and withered state of 0409’s leaves had already begun to alleviate.

Su Zhi verified the data several times. Confirming that 0409’s condition was improving, he finally let his heart settle.

Inside the conservatory, the instruments hummed softly. Su Zhi put down the recorder and let out a faint, relieved smile.

He turned on his phone, intending to handle the miscellaneous chores that had piled up over the past few days.

It had been four days since 0409 first showed signs of distress; during this period, Su Zhi had been so rushed that he basically hadn’t managed any of the flower shop’s business.

Although the shop had average foot traffic and was usually quiet, there were still trifles to attend to.

Some plants in the shop were flagging due to lack of care and needed tending; the delivery platform needed to be put back online; and he had to coordinate with the suppliers…

Su Zhi was planning these tasks one by one in his head when he turned off “Do Not Disturb” mode. He was immediately jolted by dozens of notifications popping up.

Clicking in, he saw they were all from his senior, Wu Yong.

“It’s good that you’re okay. Where are you now? How are you? Are you injured anywhere?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect this kind of thing to happen. It’s all my fault.”

“Xiao Zhi, have you returned to your apartment?”

“[Missed Call] [Missed Call] [Missed Call]”

After Su Zhi reported his safety the previous night, he hadn’t replied again. For some reason, the other party was very anxious, sending dozens of messages throughout the entire day. They filled the dialogue box, and several calls had been placed.

However, since Su Zhi had his phone on “Do Not Disturb,” he hadn’t received them.

Su Zhi: “…”

Su Zhi was a bit stunned.

Hadn’t he already reported his safety?

Although he had forgotten to reply more later—which was indeed a bit impolite—it wasn’t a huge deal. He had his own work to do, and he wasn’t particularly close to this senior anyway. When Su Zhi was under their mentor, Wu Yong had already graduated for several years; they had only met twice when the latter returned to visit the school, exchanging polite greetings.

Ultimately, their only real interaction was this trip to the restricted zone.

Why was he being so intense?

Su Zhi remembered that some Alpha classmates or friends in the past had also behaved or spoken with this kind of inexplicable agitation. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of a psychological shadow.

The emotions of most Alphas were indeed too unstable.

Worse still, Su Zhi couldn’t even fathom the reason behind their sudden outbursts; it was completely baffling.

As Su Zhi hesitated over how to reply—or whether he should reply at all—Wu Yong happened to send a new message.

“Xiao Zhi, I’m arranging my work schedule. I’m coming to Z-City to see you.”

Su Zhi: !

Su Zhi stopped hesitating and replied immediately: “No need.”

Once he replied, he had to finish the thought.

Su Zhi organized his words, trying to maintain a polite refusal: “I’m sorry, I’ve been busy handling experimental samples. I am very safe and not injured. Thank you for your concern, Senior. There is no need to make a special trip to Z-City. Once I return to the Capital, I will surely thank you for your help this time.”

The other side displayed “is typing” for a while. He didn’t say whether he was still coming, but only said: “I’m sorry, I was too careless in my arrangements this time.”

Su Zhi: “…”

How did the topic come back to this? Isn’t it already over?

This would go on forever at this rate, so Su Zhi decided to pretend he didn’t see it.

Though a bit rude, he decisively cut through the knot and skipped over that sentence, replying directly: “Senior, I have to go deal with the shop’s business now.”

Then, ignoring whatever the other party replied, he swiped left to close the chat and returned to the message list.

Su Zhi’s gaze drifted downward and immediately landed on the row for Xie Yi.

Su Zhi didn’t have many contacts on his messaging app to begin with, and even fewer he spoke to regularly. Despite it being several days, Xie Yi’s chat was still on the first page.

The chat box sat quietly in the list. Aside from the automated notification of becoming friends, it was still a total blank.

He wondered how things were at the mining area and if Xie Yi’s injury had been treated properly.

He had looked carefully several times before leaving and hadn’t seen any obvious wounds on Xie Yi, so it shouldn’t be serious… Su Zhi thought uncertainly.

Z-City Restricted Zone.

After the tunnel collapse accident, work for the exploration team was temporarily suspended. The entire mining area had to undergo a risk assessment before work could resume.

The atmosphere in the exploration team was somewhat subtle. Aside from the impact of the accident itself, Captain Zhou’s strange, sudden use of weapons that night had left a considerable sense of unease and confusion in their hearts.

Alphas are creatures very adept at avoiding risk. They didn’t know the reason behind that night, but that didn’t stop them from realizing more deeply that this technical consultant was absolutely not someone to be trifled with.

They were already a bit afraid of Xie Yi before; now, they even detoured around the tent where he lived.

However, Xie Yi didn’t spend much time at the camp.

While most team members were resting, Xie Yi was not idle. He spent almost the entire day at the mines, inspecting several tunnels and discovering many more fresh traces.

On the third day after the accident, a new team arrived in the restricted zone—specialists brought in for a professional sweep of the area.

Xie Yi’s subordinate Alpha also entered the zone, finding Xie Yi’s silhouette in a mine tunnel: “Sir.”

The subordinate Alpha was named Zhan Yunchi. He hadn’t come when Xie Yi first arrived at the mines because he had his own assignment: gathering intelligence outside the restricted zone.

Currently, his public identity was an employee of a nearby company.

With the accident at the mine, Xie Yi needed to hand over certain confidential documents. Zhan Yunchi had disguised himself and entered with the specialist team.

Xie Yi’s expression was very focused. The blindingly white searchlight in the tunnel hit the rock wall and was refracted back onto his face by the transparent crystal minerals. This made his dark eyes look even deeper and heavier, while his high nose bridge cast a shadow over one side of his face.

He gave a faint “mhm” to acknowledge the presence.

Zhan Yunchi reported the situation of the past few days in a low voice.

After hearing it, Xie Yi’s expression didn’t fluctuate: “Look into Fengxing Mining.”

Zhan Yunchi was stunned for a moment: “That company is very small. It isn’t on Z-City’s officially announced cooperation list.”

Xie Yi: “The second-largest actual shareholder behind Fengxing Mining also controls Ruihuan Technology. Ruihuan Technology has partnerships with multiple mining technology companies in Z-City, most of which are on the official list. Several research institutes under Ruihuan Technology involve fields that require Red Stone consumables.”

The scale of theft at the restricted zone mine was not small. Eight tunnels in total showed traces of mining from recent months. Besides Red Stone Mine No. 8, a Gray Crystal tunnel was also a major casualty; the depletion in the other tunnels was not as severe.

Although Red Stones are rare, the market for them is actually quite small because their lack of purity makes them unsuitable for jewelry. Instead, they are used as research materials, mainly supplied to major institutes and tech companies. Gray Crystals serve similar purposes.

If the goal were purely economic profit, stealing only these two types of ore seemed too coincidental.

The Z-City restricted zone was no small place. Anyone with the guts to eat away at a military restricted area wouldn’t be a small mouse; there was bound to be a massive web of connections behind it.

The inconspicuous shell of Fengxing Mining didn’t matter; the connections hidden beneath the shell were what counted.

Zhan Yunchi pondered for a moment, feeling a chill: “Understood.”

Out of an intelligence officer’s keen intuition, he guessed that if they dug deeper into these connections, they might trace them all the way to the giants dominating the technology sector.

And coincidentally, the Capital Research Institute was currently embroiled in an investigation due to some sensitive incidents.

The two matters were beginning to show a vague connection.

Zhan Yunchi remembered that Beta researcher from the flower shop a few days ago and suddenly had a realization.

Su Zhi himself might not be involved in these struggles, but his mentor, Mu Qing, held a high position in the Capital Research Institute, and his senior, Wu Yong, worked at Ruihuan Technology. It was very coincidental. Su Zhi had entered the restricted zone using Ruihuan Technology’s connections.

He was a point of intersection connecting the two parties.

Such a person indeed had value in terms of intelligence and was worth approaching.

No wonder!

He had been wondering why his superior had gone through such trouble to get the other’s contact information—it turned out he had foreseen this long ago.

—Even though the accident at the mine hadn’t happened yet, Zhan Yunchi smoothly categorized this as a form of superior insight.

Thinking this, Zhan Yunchi took a cold-sealed box out of his briefcase.

Zhan Yunchi handed the box over: “The item you requested.”

Besides handing over intelligence, his second purpose for coming to the restricted zone was to fulfill Xie Yi’s command to bring him something.

Xie Yi opened the reagent box. Amidst a faint cold mist, he took out the injection, attached the needle, and rolled up his forearm sleeve.

Opening it with one hand, the cold metallic needle pierced his firm forearm and was pushed in without mercy. The dark liquid flowed into the light blue veins, surging rhythmically before settling into stillness.

Zhan Yunchi’s brow twitched as he watched.

Xie Yi was injecting a pheromone suppressant.

The ingredients were common Alpha pheromone suppressants, but the concentration was seven times higher than ordinary ones—a special military version not available on the market. In fact, it couldn’t be sold.

Such a high concentration injected into an Alpha’s body would have a high probability of causing immediate hormonal imbalance shock, becoming life-threatening.

Only an Enigma could withstand a suppressant of this concentration.

For an Enigma, a single dose of seven-times concentration was just a daily requirement.

As an Alpha himself, Zhan Yunchi looked at this brutal method of injection and recalled the cold, oppressive sensation every time a suppressant entered his own body; he couldn’t help but feel a sympathetic discomfort. Especially with such a high concentration, the level of pain would increase exponentially.

No matter how strong an Enigma’s physique, they were still flesh and blood with pain-transmitting neural circuits.

Yet Xie Yi showed no reaction whatsoever, not even a flinch, as if he couldn’t feel the pain or discomfort at all.

Once Xie Yi finished the injection, Zhan Yunchi packed away the used syringe to take it out of the zone later, leaving no trace.

Zhan Yunchi suddenly thought of something: “That Beta was also present during the tunnel accident the day before yesterday. Are you planning to…”

If Xie Yi intended to get close to that Beta researcher, surviving a mine disaster together was a perfect opportunity. Xie Yi had previously placed a reservation for S-grade White Camellias at the flower shop; it was the perfect time to use that.

However, the agreed-upon date was approaching, and Xie Yi still had to deal with the mine situation. He didn’t know if he could make it in time. If he couldn’t, did he need Zhan Yunchi to go pick them up instead?

Xie Yi suddenly looked up at him, a chill flashing through his pitch-black eyes.

The air went silent for a moment. Sensing danger, Zhan Yunchi’s words stalled, and he swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Xie Yi lowered his eyes, hiding the coldness within. His deep voice carried an underlying warning: “You don’t need to worry about his business.”

Zhan Yunchi’s breathing slowed: “…Yes, sir.”

Was it his imagination? Why did his superior feel so temperamental lately?

It wasn’t the usual gloomy edge Xie Yi always carried, but a more restless, aggressive aura. Since he started following Xie Yi, he had never seen the man in such a state.

He didn’t know the specific habits of Enigmas, but based on his experience, if he had to put a name to it, it was a bit like an Alpha in their mating period—driven by excessive possessiveness and hostile toward the entire world.

…?

Such a speculation only flashed through his mind for a moment. Given an Enigma’s oppressive presence, Zhan Yunchi didn’t dare think too much in front of him.

Before leaving, he took a bold look back.

The high-concentration suppressant worked quickly, taking only a few minutes. By now, Xie Yi’s expression had become extremely indifferent. He stood straight against the rock wall, his aura cold and heavy, like a finely polished, extremely self-disciplined machine.

The fleeting, light-hearted restlessness from before had vanished.

Yet, Zhan Yunchi felt that the current Xie Yi looked even more terrifying.

A calm, mad beast, forcibly suppressing a surging irritability. No matter how hard he tried to push it down, he couldn’t hide the gloomy aura leaking from the edges.

Had the tube of suppressant he just injected actually worked? Zhan Yunchi suddenly had strong doubts.

Zhan Yunchi was actually very curious as to why Xie Yi’s pheromones were fluctuating at all.

Xie Yi had just rested for half a year; logically, his pheromones shouldn’t be fluctuating so soon. Such uncontrollable fluctuations usually only appeared during a mating period.

But a mating period needs a trigger.

During this time, the only person Xie Yi had been in close contact with was that Beta researcher.

It couldn’t possibly be that Beta?

Although he was indeed very beautiful and had a stunning temperament…

But Betas were not within an Enigma’s choice of partners.

Zhan Yunchi didn’t know much about Enigmas; based on his limited knowledge, an Enigma’s partners were always Alphas or Omegas. The former could use their strong physical constitution to withstand an Enigma’s demands, while the latter could use their inherent softness to soothe the Enigma to the maximum extent.

The probability of an Enigma choosing a Beta as a partner?

—Zero.

For an Enigma, a partner who cannot engage in pheromone exchange cannot alleviate any of their pain; it would only add to their suffering in vain.

Alphas can still use technological means to regulate hormones and bond with Betas. But for Enigmas, whose pheromones are far more powerful and violent than an Alpha’s, they inevitably experience pheromone riots even when bonded with Alphas or Omegas. Bonding with a Beta would be no different from a slow death.

A Beta who can neither smell nor secrete pheromones is like a colorless, odorless rose in an Enigma’s eyes. Though beautiful, one cannot scent its fragrance. Touchable, yet unreachable.

Spending a day resetting his biological clock, Su Zhi then carefully trimmed the plants in the shop that had lacked care. The flower shop finally regained its vitality and tidiness, ready to open.

He organized his orders and noticed that the S-grade White Camellias he had ordered previously were scheduled to arrive in the afternoon.

Looking at the delivery information on the platform, Su Zhi once again thought of Xie Yi.

He wondered how he was doing…

Furthermore, Xie Yi’s coat was still with him. He had already sent it to the dry cleaners and needed to find a chance to return it.

After a moment of hesitation, Su Zhi picked up his phone and typed a line of text.

In the previously blank chat box, Su Zhi’s avatar blew a bubble, sending the first message: “Mr. Xie, the White Camellias you ordered have arrived. Is it convenient for you to come pick them up?”

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