Forcibly Marked by My Fiancé’s Best Friend - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The three-meter lightweight humanoid mecha is the most common combat unit on the Imperial Planet. It features moderate operational difficulty and exceptional agility, making it ideal for breakthrough maneuvers.

Lian Xu remembered this model. During the decisive battle against Lakala, these small mechas leveraged their physical flexibility to weave through enemy crowds. The waist-mounted rapid-fire cannons could deal lethal damage to enemies within ten meters.

They were the backbone of the battlefield.

However, the mecha he saw now was slightly different from those on the front lines. The exterior hadn’t changed much, but the core output had been modified. The rapid-fire cannons on the waist had been removed, and a protruding device resembling a laser light had been added to the silver metallic hull.

“What is this?”

The technician, who was welding an arm onto the mecha, poked his head out from behind and replied, “This is the new mecha modified by the Commander. Pretty cool, right?”

This was Lian Xu’s first time inside the SCA base. The staff here didn’t recognize him, so the interaction lacked any obvious sense of social hierarchy.

He nodded in agreement. “It is quite cool.”

“This thing that looks like a laser… what is it?”

“Oh, that? I heard it’s called a Plasma Fire-Rate Shell.” Speaking of this, the technician beamed with pride. “You wouldn’t believe it, but the newly appointed Commander is a total genius! He designed this shell himself. It’s incredibly powerful, though the specifics of how to use it are still unclear.”

Lian Xu felt a sense of awe listening to the description.

“Where is the Commander?” he asked.

The technician thought for a moment and said, “He should be in the headquarters conference room. I heard the boss say they’re discussing something big; they’ll probably be in there all day. If you need him, you’d better come back tomorrow.”

Lian Xu didn’t leave immediately; instead, he persistently asked where the headquarters was.

The technician looked at Lian Xu, finding him a bit strange.

“You’re not from our base, are you?”

“No,” Lian Xu answered honestly. “My name is Lian Xu, the head of the Military Group.”

“Oh! You’re Group Leader Lian from the Military Group!”

The staff at the SCA base were mostly Betas and Omegas. They rarely paid much attention to the outside world, immersing themselves instead in the research and manufacturing of top-tier combat weapons. However, the establishment of the Command Center and the division of territories had forced them to take notice of this recent appointment and reform.

Thus, at the mention of the Military Group, the technician immediately thought of the young Omega.

“Group Leader Lian, I finally get to see you in person! I’m an Omega too!” the technician said excitedly, even waving his welding tool in the air. “Many people at the base know about you. You’ve really brought pride to us Omegas. We all admire you greatly!”

Lian Xu felt his cheeks flush slightly. It was the first time he had heard such words.

“Is… is that so?”

“You have no idea. The base used to be under the Cabinet’s control. The supervisors were always Alphas sent directly from the Star Tower who could no longer fight. They looked down on us Omegas.”

The technician didn’t need to say more for Lian Xu to guess the rest. It was the usual story of Alphas using their gender advantage and the lingering prestige of the Star Tower to abuse their power and exploit their Omega subordinates.

Omegas were naturally not as assertive as Alphas. Furthermore, since the SCA base had no strict combat requirements for technicians—requiring only a basic assessment for a pass—mecha manufacturing was their sole focus.

Obtaining a technician’s certification was much harder than getting a basic security pass.

As the first Omega in history to hold command over the military, Lian Xu was a role model and a goal for countless bullied and oppressed Omegas longing for equality.

The establishment of the Command Center signaled the end of the Cabinet’s era of autocracy, and Lian Xu’s appointment opened a new world for Omegas in power.

Lian Xu thought back carefully; he was indeed the only Omega to date to command the Star Tower’s forces. The technician’s admiration wasn’t flattery or a whim—it was genuine joy for a fellow Omega.

No wonder on the day of his appointment, the people around him looked as if they wanted to skin him alive. The position of Military Group Leader, coveted by everyone, had fallen onto his shoulders.

It was indeed enough to provoke resentment.

But so what?

Lian Xu believed he was qualified. He could do better than anyone else, just as he had promised the Commander at the training grounds. His hard work was for the sake of standing higher and wielding greater power.

The Commander’s appointment had simply given him the opportunity.

Standing on the elevated platform, the technician blinked at Lian Xu, unsure if his words had been heard. He climbed down, put away his welding tools, and approached the Omega.

Perhaps because Lian Xu exuded a gentle aura, his status didn’t make the technician feel intimidated. Instead, there was a long-lost sense of familiarity.

The technician leaned in, tilting his head. “Group Leader Lian, what are you thinking about?”

Lian Xu snapped back to reality, startled by the Omega’s proximity. His shoulders jerked involuntarily as he forced himself to stay calm. “Nothing.”

The technician gave an “oh” and, remembering Lian Xu was there to find the Commander, hurriedly used his hands to describe the exact location of the headquarters conference room so as not to delay him.

Although it wasn’t the best time and his business wasn’t urgent enough to be handled today, the technician’s mention of the Commander discussing “something big”—likely regarding mecha manufacturing—piqued his curiosity.

After bidding farewell to the technician, Lian Xu resolutely headed toward the headquarters. When he looked back, the Omega technician was already climbing back up to weld the mecha.

He scanned the surroundings and noticed that almost every mecha was handled by only one person.

Before he could think further, the activity at the base building drew his attention.

Lian Xu found the conference room as described. The door was ajar. Just as he hesitated whether to knock, a cold voice drifted from inside.

“Since you’re here, come in.”

For some reason, Lian Xu’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He took a deep breath and stepped into the room. The people inside turned as one to cast scrutinizing gazes at him, except for one person who sat with downcast eyes, seemingly indifferent to his arrival.

Once inside, the heavy atmosphere grew even more oppressive.

The air pressure in the room was so low it was almost suffocating.

“So it’s you, our new Group Leader!” A blonde man with his arms crossed leaned against the conference table in a rakish, informal manner.

He was one of the Vice Commanders who had read out the appointment results that day.

Shen Zaizhou was playing with a metal gear, his other hand resting casually on the table, his fingertips tapping rhythmically. He never once looked up at Lian Xu.

Facing so many eyes, Lian Xu felt somewhat at a loss.

“Group Leader Lian, welcome!” One of the men smiled and extended a hand toward him.

Lian Xu instinctively reached out and shook it.

For years, he had been the one reaching out to others; this was the first time someone had initiated the gesture.

Following this small interlude, the eyes of the others became more amicable.

“The meeting ends here. We’ll discuss the specifics once the parts are ready,” Shen Zaizhou said calmly.

The others began to leave.

The man who had shaken Lian Xu’s hand said before departing, “Group Leader Lian, I’m the base supervisor, Chao Yuan. Come visit us when you have time!”

He didn’t have any scent of pheromones; if they weren’t hidden extremely well, he could only be a Beta. Faced with the man’s enthusiasm, Lian Xu was a bit overwhelmed and could only nod in response.

Chao Yuan, sensing that Omegas are usually sensitive, immediately explained, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m just inviting you to tour the base.”

“I’m a Beta,” he added.

Lian Xu nodded. He was indeed a Beta; he hadn’t guessed wrong.

Due to the unique nature of his differentiation, Lian Xu was highly sensitive to pheromones. Even with a powerful blocking patch, he could catch the unique scent of others—it was especially obvious with Alphas.

Chao Yuan smiled at Lian Xu, his expression looking a bit strained as if he wanted to chat more. But in the conference room, with the Commander still sitting there, he didn’t dare linger and hurried away.

The vast conference room was suddenly left with only three people.

Shen Zaizhou looked up, staring at the blueprints that occupied almost an entire wall, and asked calmly, “Did something happen at the base?”

Lian Xu wasn’t sure if this counted as an “event” in the Commander’s eyes, so he hesitated to speak. Then, he heard the other say: “I believe that no matter what happens, you have the ability to solve it.”

“Is He Yu giving you trouble, or did Yin Zhuo make you feel that this position is a bit hard to sit in?”

Lian Xu’s heart skipped a beat.

He knew everything.

“That’s not good. You were handpicked by us!” The Vice Commander joked. “You aren’t going to let us down this quickly, are you?”

Lian Xu didn’t quite understand the Vice Commander’s meaning.

“Your Highness, it’s time for the inspection,” Shen Zaizhou said.

Your Highness?

Lian Xu tilted his head slightly toward the blonde man. Unluckily, the other was also staring at him with a half-smile. He immediately retracted his gaze, his body stiffening as if frozen in place by that look.

The Vice Commander put on a resentful expression and called out to Shen Zaizhou, “Darling, we agreed to go together. How can you go back on your word?”

Shen Zaizhou lifted an eyelid. “If you don’t want to go, go back to the Command Center and let someone else take your place.”

“What?!” the man cried out. “No way! I only want to go with you! Fine, I’ll go check. Wait for my good news!”

After the Vice Commander left, Shen Zaizhou shifted his gaze to the seemingly lost Lian Xu.

“Prince Lan Jia has always been like this. Don’t mind him.”

“Al… Alright.” Lian Xu relaxed and began to recount everything that had happened at the training ground that morning.

Shen Zaizhou remained expressionless, his thoughts unreadable. But when he heard that there was a problem with the assessment results, his eyes darkened.

“You suspect his identity?”

Lian Xu nodded and continued, “A person’s pheromones cannot undergo such a massive change in less than a month. If the assessment results weren’t tampered with, then his identity must be false.”

Tampering with assessment scores was a severe violation of Star Tower regulations. Being caught meant facing a military court. The consequences were dire; most people wouldn’t dare.

Thus, Lian Xu leaned toward the latter possibility.

“You want me to step in just to prove the results couldn’t have been a mistake, so they’ll lose their composure?”

Lian Xu pursed his lips. He knew this was a bit unrealistic; the Star Tower assessment was the most rigorous testing system on the Imperial Planet. The probability of an ordinary Omega replacing someone to enter the Star Tower was almost zero.

“Fine, we’ll do as you say.” Shen Zaizhou agreed to Lian Xu’s plan. “But you’ll have to put in more effort. If he can impersonate a student, it means the Star Tower’s loopholes aren’t limited to this. There will be more people like him lurking in the shadows. To root them all out, you will inevitably offend some people.”

“You mean, the Star Tower might…” Lian Xu didn’t finish his sentence.

The information Yin Zhuo had inadvertently revealed that day suddenly resurfaced. He couldn’t help but wonder what forces were hidden within the Empire that allowed him to be so arrogant and unscrupulous.

“Lian Xu, do whatever you want to do. You are smart; I believe it won’t be long before you understand my purpose for placing you in the Command Center. Some things cannot be achieved solely through the identity of the Prime Minister’s fiancé, and self-deprecation is not a long-term solution. A wolf in sheep’s clothing will eventually show its tail, don’t you agree?”

Lian Xu lowered his eyes. Ever since that explosion, every step he took felt like licking blood from a blade. Even if he was misunderstood as using unsavory means to beg for a title, he had to complete his mission. He never felt regret, but Shen Zaizhou’s words made him reconsider.

What he had always needed was a dignified and powerful authority.

Now that he had the status of an Operations Group Leader, those shameful labels could be torn off completely, allowing him to be himself with dignity.

The Cabinet wouldn’t dare clash head-on with the Command Center; his identity was his shield.

Lian Xu smiled. He finally understood the words General Pei had said to him before leaving: “The Commander… he is like a savior.”