Forcibly Marked by My Fiancé’s Best Friend - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Seeing Lian Xu remain silent, He Yu begrudgingly assumed he was thinking about his fiancé again. With a flash of irritation, he grabbed Lian Xu’s ankle and yanked it upward, resting half of the Omega’s leg over his own shoulder.

He leaned in and nuzzled the soft, supple flesh of Lian Xu’s calf.

Most soldiers trained their muscles to be incredibly dense and tight. An Omega like Lian Xu, with a naturally lithe and soft physique, possessed a distinct disadvantage—it was traditionally very difficult for them to operate high-difficulty mechs with ease.

Such machines required extreme physical coordination and limb dominance. The joysticks inside a mech required immense wrist strength, and the foot-operated acceleration engines were even more demanding. The more sophisticated the mech, the harder these components were to manipulate.

Any Omega capable of piloting a mech onto a battlefield usually had to work a hundred times harder to build enough muscle to reach their physical limit, just to handle complex maneuvers.

He Yu had seen Lian Xu’s records. His raw wrist strength barely met the passing grade, yet he was able to pilot various high-difficulty mechs effortlessly by relying on a unique, clever use of leverage and “soft” technique.

This was why Lian Xu had given up on bulk-training his muscles, focusing instead on technical application. Consequently, his body lacked the bulging, discordant muscle mass typical of his peers.

Yu slowly kneaded Omega’s calf.

Lian Xu had just come off the battlefield; his body was wracked with soreness, particularly in his arms and calves. His heat had arrived at an inopportune moment, but being wrapped in the soothing scent of White Camellia and massaged by He Yu’s gentle hands brought him considerable relief.

Taking advantage of this, He Yu grew more brazen, his hand sliding toward the base of the thigh, beginning to rub in circular motions.

Without a second thought, Lian Xu landed a sharp slap across his face. Smack.

He Yu stared at Lian Xu with a look of mock grievance. Omegas in heat were truly difficult to serve—completely unreasonable.

Even so, he found the experience sweet.

Lian Xu was so exhausted that he didn’t even notice He Yu later gazing at his legs with undisguised hunger. He drifted into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, his military uniform had been washed and hung on the balcony to dry, and the food on the table was still steaming. He Yu couldn’t cook; he must have ordered it from someone.

Lian Xu ate and then lay back down to sleep. The bastard had some conscience after all—he had left a trace of White Camellia pheromones behind, making the night much more bearable.

…

The next day, before he had fully recovered, Lian Xu received his training orders.

Three months was neither long nor short. The Lakala command staff were all cunning old foxes; if reinforcements arrived early, a surprise attack was entirely possible.

The priority was to train a new elite force capable of withstanding the next offensive in a short amount of time.

This training would be led entirely by the newly appointed Head of the Military Operations Group.

On the training grounds, the new recruits had already assembled. Lian Xu felt more nervous than the trainees standing before him.

The Commander was standing right beside him.

Shen Zaizhou. A male Alpha. Admitted to the Star Tower Military Base as an exception at age 14. First took to the battlefield at 16, using a D-class flight mech to penetrate the enemy’s main camp and annihilate them. At 17, he joined the campaign against the Man-Star invasion and the suppression of Lakala. At 18, he took over the operational command of the Lakala mission. A year later, Lakala was forced into a ceasefire to wait for rescue.

Last month, he had just turned 19.

Just thinking about this record made Lian Xu hold his breath. A D-class flight mech was considered the worst model among all mechs, yet under the Commander’s control, it displayed power it shouldn’t have possessed. During the Lakala mission, he had driven a mangled combat mech straight into the enemy headquarters.

He was a terrifying Alpha; no wonder the Cabinet was wary of him.

Standing next to an Alpha a head taller than himself, Lian Xu felt the pressure piercing from his crown to his heels, making the very air feel stagnant.

Rumble— Rumble—

The sky was thick with dark clouds and rolling thunder; it wasn’t a good day for outdoor training. But the Commander stood still, like a mountain rising from the earth.

Nervousness aside, training could not be delayed. Looking at the fresh blood in front of the stage, Lian Xu suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit. In three months, these people would be the newest elite army, breaking through the encirclement under his leadership to completely wipe out Lakala.

Lian Xu calmed his mind and waited for the Commander’s orders. His gaze shifted, and he was stunned to see He Yu standing among the crowd below.

Why was a five-star General, who was loyal to the Cabinet and close to its core members, at this training ground?

An uneasy thought took root.

Before the Command Center was established, all officers took orders from the Cabinet. However, a year ago, when the Lakala operation took an unexpected turn, the Commander had dropped into the battlefield with his own plans. The various generals seemed to realize then that the tides of the future were shifting.

Unbeknownst to many, they had split into two factions. One remained deathly loyal to the Cabinet, while the other followed the Commander’s orders implicitly.

Of the hundred or so survivors from the last battle, less than a fifth were still loyal to the Cabinet. Some, like Lian Xu, followed orders but didn’t take sides.

But now, he had to choose. As the Head of the Military Operations Group for the Command Center, he could not betray the organization.

Yin Zhuo was the Prime Minister; He Yu was his brother-in-arms. It was obvious where He Yu’s loyalties lay. Furthermore, the entire galaxy knew the He family was loyal to the Cabinet. That was an unchangeable fact.

The sky grew darker, and a wild wind picked up.

Shen Zaizhou finally spoke: “Good morning, everyone.”

“Good morning, Commander!” The hot-blooded youths, aged seventeen or eighteen, shouted back. They came to the Star Tower with dreams of restoring peace to the Empire, ready to endure the harshest training just to step onto the battlefield and pilot a mech to slay the enemy.

The Commander nodded slightly and continued the introduction: “The person beside me is the Head of the Military Operations Group, Lian Xu. Over the next three months, he will work tirelessly to formulate training tasks and conduct strict evaluations.”

Lian Xu stepped forward with a smile: “Group Head Lian Xu. My greetings to you all!”

“Greetings, Group Head Lian!”

Lian Xu’s eyes softened. Once upon a time, he stood in the crowd just like them, enthusiastically greeting his training officer.

“And the man before you,” Shen Zaizhou continued, “is a five-star General and your future Chief Instructor for this training—He Yu.”

“Greetings, Instructor He!”

Lian Xu: “?!”

What?! He Yu was… the Chief Instructor for this training?!

Has the Cabinet and the Command Center reconciled?

No, that was impossible. Even if the Command Center wanted to, the Cabinet would never settle. Was He Yu here to help the Commander train his troops by invitation, or was he here to incite a larger conflict between the two sides?

Lian Xu shook his head, driving the intrusive thoughts away.

Setting the Cabinet aside, He Yu was undoubtedly the best candidate for an instructor.

With the introductions over, training officially began.

Thunder crashed, and rain began to pelt down. Within minutes, everyone was soaked.

But training would not stop because of the weather. They didn’t have time for a gradual ramp-up; they were destined for extremity from the start.

Lian Xu clenched his fists and glanced at the Commander. Seeing no reaction, he braced himself and issued the command: “A fifteen-kilometer weighted run. I will wait for you at the summit.”

At their feet were pre-prepared sandbags. Soaked by the rain, their weight had doubled. The recruits were momentarily stunned.

Was Star Tower training always this inhumane?

Fortunately, no one quit. They were high-quality soldiers who had passed through layers of selection to enter the Star Tower. Perhaps a 15km weighted run was just an appetizer.

As the Chief Instructor, He Yu was the first to strap on his sandbags and move. The recruits followed behind him, beginning their first task.

Lian Xu saw that most had left and prepared to depart himself.

The Commander suddenly spoke: “As a core member of the Command Center, you must first be strong enough for others to believe in and follow you. If you doubt your own decisions because of a single word or a look, you don’t need to wait three months—you can leave now. Gender has never been a barrier, especially for the Command Center. I want an absolutely formidable, all-around elite army, and the person leading them must have operational and command capabilities that command respect.”

Lian Xu’s heart skipped a beat.

When he heard the appointment, he truly had suffered from self-doubt because of the disdainful looks of others. He questioned if his abilities were truly up to standard.

He was an Omega. He wanted to break the shackles of gender and make those arrogant Alphas look at him with new eyes.

The Commander’s words pierced through the fear hidden deep in Lian Xu’s heart.

Gender was not a barrier. The fact that the Command Center had opened its doors to him said everything.

Lian Xu’s gaze turned resolute. He looked up at Shen Zaizhou’s back: “Yes, I understand!”

“Group Head Lian Xu of the Command Center Military Group guarantees that in three months, the team I lead will be the most formidable elite army the Empire has ever seen!”

Shen Zaizhou smiled slightly. “Good. I’ll be watching.”

With that, he left the grounds. The training didn’t require the Commander’s constant presence; he had something more important to do—re-manufacturing a new batch of advanced combat mechs.

Lian Xu watched the Commander’s departing figure and suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders grow immensely due to his own bold declaration. Since he had made the boast, he would work himself to the bone to see it through. He believed in himself, and he believed in his team.

Though, there was still the headache-inducing He Yu to watch out for.

Lian Xu rubbed his temples and left the training ground for the agreed-upon summit.

The summit was wide and open; without cover, the wind and rain were even more violent.

An Omega’s body was naturally not as resilient as an Alpha’s. Combined with the lingering effects of his heat, Lian Xu was swaying slightly as he stood at the peak. But seeing the recruits running toward him, he felt he could persevere.

He Yu was the first to arrive. Three Alphas followed closely behind him. They were exhausted to the point of collapse but could still stand, though they lacked the energy to speak.

The ones who arrived later couldn’t even stand straight, crashing into the lines and falling in heaps.

Lian Xu kept the time. When the last recruit reached the summit, they were three minutes over the limit. Perhaps due to the weather, the first physical training session at the Star Tower was lackluster. But on the battlefield, the enemy wouldn’t pick a sunny day to fight. Surprises could happen anytime, especially in extreme weather.

“Three minutes over. Everyone is penalized!”

“Huh? What?!” The crowd reacted as if they had heard something absurd.

Only three minutes, and in this weather!

Despite the complaints, no one dared to disobey.

“Two hundred single-arm push-ups,” Lian Xu said expressionlessly.

“What?!”

This time, the anger was palpable.

“What do you take us for?! In this extreme weather, we accept being punished for being late, but two hundred single-arm push-ups? Forget about doing them while we’re half-dead—even you probably couldn’t do them!”

Someone noticed Lian Xu was an Omega and took the lead in questioning him.

Unexpectedly, Lian Xu didn’t even look at the man. He dropped down and began doing push-ups—single-armed.

“This…”

Lian Xu did three hundred. Not to show off, but to prove to those questioning him that even without a massive physique, an Omega could do what an Alpha could.

The push-ups were just another appetizer.

Seeing this, He Yu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Everyone down! Two hundred single-arm push-ups. No one eats until they’re finished!”

As the words fell, He Yu walked over to Lian Xu and whispered like he was seeking credit: “So, am I a competent instructor?”

Lian Xu didn’t look at him. “Say one more word and I’ll double it.”

Yu shrugged and obediently dropped down to do his push-ups.

Instead of being grateful, Lian Xu decided to make things difficult for He Yu. He walked over and stepped on the Alpha’s shoulder, deliberately finding fault: “Instructor He, your form isn’t standard.”

“That’s not standard?” The recruits peeking at their instructor’s perfect form began to doubt themselves because of the Group Head’s comment.

It looks… exactly the same as the ones Group Head Lian just did.

“Not standard?” Yu’s shoulder tensed as he tried to rise, but Lian Xu’s foot pressed him back down.

Lian Xu’s lips curled up. The kick he didn’t get to land last night was finally delivered today.

But he had provoked He Yu.

Yu grabbed Lian Xu’s ankle and gave it a sudden yank, causing the Omega to lose his balance and tumble backward. Immediately, He Yu seized the opportunity to flip over and pin the Omega down, his palm covering the nape of the neck to squeeze the hot gland.

Lian Xu felt an odd sensation in his gland and refused to endure it. He grabbed He Yu’s wrist and twisted it in the opposite direction. A sharp crack echoed—He Yu’s arm was broken.

It was an undeniable fact that an Omega’s wrist strength was inferior to an Alpha’s. Few Omegas could break their limits to reach extreme strength, and Lian Xu hadn’t. But he used leverage. He used the same clever mechanics he used to pilot mechs to snap the arm of a distracted Alpha.

He Yu arched an eyebrow. “A sneak attack?”

“On the battlefield, the enemy won’t delay their attack because you’re distracted,” Lian Xu said reasonably.

In the next second, he grabbed the Alpha’s shoulder, locked his legs around He Yu’s neck, and used the momentum to flip up from the ground, straddling the other man.

He Yu’s head was pinned firmly by Lian Xu’s thighs, unable to move. So, he opened his mouth and bit down hard on the inner part of Lian Xu’s thigh.