Forcibly Marked by My Fiancé’s Best Friend - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lian Xu hissed as the pain flared.

“A puppy that only knows how to bite,” he muttered under his breath, though the Alpha, with his keen hearing, caught every single word.

Yu grabbed Lian Xu’s wrist, his thumb rubbing against the tiger’s mouth (the web between thumb and index finger). He squinted slightly, one eyebrow quivering. His ice-blue eyes—vast and ethereal like the aurora—seemed to pierce through Lian Xu’s soul. A flash of cunning and playfulness flickered in his gaze, silently mocking the Omega’s transparent little schemes.

“Who are you calling a dog?”

“Whoever’s asking,” Lian Xu replied with airy indifference.

He Yu let out a helpless, frustrated laugh.

The recruits lay flat on the ground, staring open-mouthed at the pair in their bizarrely intimate yet hostile position. The atmosphere was a strange mix of tension and ambiguity, making them momentarily forget they were being punished on a wind-swept, rain-drenched summit.

Their instructor was pinned down with a broken arm—this was a direct strike to the dignity of an Alpha General.

With a sharp crack, the Omega straddling the Alpha easily popped the dislocated arm back into place. Lian Xu’s lips curled into a wild, arrogant smirk, looking down at the Alpha beneath him with the air of a true superior.

An Imperial Five-Star General, an Alpha with a legendary war record, had been effortlessly neutralized by an Omega.

At that moment, the recruits could only think: As expected of the Military Group Head. Badass!

They didn’t know Lian Xu well; they only knew him through the Commander’s brief introduction. They had heard rumors about the Command Center and its high-profile leader, but rumors were nothing compared to the deep impression left by He Yu, the Empire’s youngest General. Seeing Lian Xu subdue him was a shock to their systems.

Caught up in the heat of the moment, someone even started clapping.

Lian Xu frowned slightly, realizing he might have taken the “play” a bit too far.

He Yu, however, had other ideas. Amidst the cheers, he clamped his hands around Lian Xu’s waist and hoisted him upward. As the gap between them widened, he suddenly threw his arms outward, slamming the Omega toward the ground.

Lian Xu might be an Omega, but his combat experience rivaled any Alpha’s. Sensing the tension in He Yu’s right shoulder, he knew a heavy punch was coming. He guarded his face with his forearms and rolled across the wet ground, narrowly dodging a strike that carried a thousand pounds of force.

The punch hit nothing but air. Yu smiled, showing no surprise, looking as composed as if everything was following his script.

As He Yu knelt on one knee, Lian Xu seized the opening. He sprang up and delivered a vertical axe-kick toward the Alpha’s right shoulder, moving as fast as a lightning strike. The recruits watched with unblinking eyes, yet they still couldn’t fathom how Lian Xu had transitioned from the ground to a high-velocity attack in a split second.

But even a strike that fast couldn’t escape the Alpha’s senses. Yu caught the movement in his periphery and snatched Lian Xu’s ankle. The attack stopped abruptly, less than a centimeter from his temple.

Yu originally intended to use the momentum to stand up and pin the Omega against a nearby boulder. But his eyes flickered as a thought occurred to him, and he stared at Lian Xu with a half-smile.

He yanked the ankle toward himself, causing Lian Xu to tilt forward and fall onto him. The leg intended for the attack ended up draped directly over the Alpha’s shoulder. Had it not been for Lian Xu’s exceptional flexibility, that move would have snapped his leg.

After the exchange, their positions shifted subtly.

Lian Xu’s back was to the recruits, and he shielded most of the kneeling He Yu from view. In that hidden space, the Alpha’s nose brushed against the base of the Omega’s thigh.

The scent of Cedar had been diluted by the rain, leaving only a faint dampness—a fact that clearly displeased the Alpha. Beneath his nose wasn’t the soft flesh he expected, but a hard, leather-like buckle. He had felt this obstructing object earlier when Lian Xu had him pinned.

A non-slip buckle or a thigh garter?

Before he could process it, Lian Xu’s cold voice rang out: “Let go.”

“Or do you want to be pinned to the dirt again?” Lian Xu added with a hint of mockery. “The recruits are watching, Instructor He.”

He Yu narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t deny it—he was intrigued. Even though it insulted his dignity as a General, that position had been excellent. He wanted another chance to find out exactly what was on that leg.

But Lian Xu wasn’t the type to use the same trick twice on the same person in such a short window.

So what if one leg was restricted? He had more than one limb at his disposal, and He Yu’s shoulder provided the perfect leverage point.

Lian Xu’s foot on the ground shifted. In an instant, he pushed off, kicking up a flurry of gravel like a volley of arrows straight at He Yu’s chest. Yu dodged the stones but couldn’t dodge the man; he took a solid kick to the chest. The Omega then flipped over his head, breaking free of the hold.

Rumble—

He Yu and Lian Xu stood facing each other, the air between them torn apart by a flash of lightning.

Lian Xu suddenly lowered his center of gravity, sliding across the ground in a low-profile dash. He delivered a sweeping kick like a steel whip, aiming for the Alpha. Bone met muscle as a roll of thunder boomed overhead.

Lian Xu’s eyes darkened—He didn’t dodge?

Though the impact nearly knocked He Yu over, he used his hand to brace against the ground at the last moment of imbalance. Leveraging his core strength, he twisted violently. His long legs, clad in the black military uniform, snapped upward like a scorpion’s tail, aiming straight for Lian Xu’s jaw.

A top-tier soldier reacts instantly. Years of brutal training and the savagery of the battlefield had honed Lian Xu’s reflexes to the absolute limit. Even if his eyes couldn’t track the trajectory or his brain couldn’t process the math, his body moved instinctively.

That kick was a kill-shot. He managed to tilt his head, but his shoulder took the full, heavy brunt of it.

Lian Xu stumbled back, finally steadying himself, but the Alpha’s fists followed like shadows. Every strike aimed for the temples, the solar plexus… the vibrations from the blocks echoed through Lian Xu’s entire body.

The Star Tower’s annual assessment scores were public. Yu’s manual strength was legendary. While Yin Zhuo could hit a terrifying 20,000 mark, He Yu was often higher. The two best friends were always secretly competing in these metrics.

The recruits weren’t just shocked by the instructor’s precision; they were captivated by Group Head Lian’s reaction speed and durability.

After those few punches, any strong Alpha would be rolling on the ground in pain. Yet this delicate-looking Omega blocked them all and even had the audacity to flash a mocking smirk.

That expression, which many would find punchable, seemed to taunt the Alpha: Is that all you’ve got?

But He Yu didn’t take the bait. He suddenly stopped, tilting his head as he watched Lian Xu.

Seeing the opening, Lian Xu didn’t hesitate. He delivered a kick that sent He Yu flying. With a loud thud, the Alpha’s body shattered the massive boulder behind him.

Lian Xu felt a surge of triumph.

You stopped? Then it’s my turn to use my feet!

“On the battlefield, any hesitation can be fatal. Being soft-hearted toward the enemy is being cruel to yourself. Seize every possible opportunity to counterattack. Don’t think sneak attacks are dishonorable; the enemy will always be more dishonorable than you!” Lian Xu lectured loudly.

Yu laughed, propping himself up from the ground.

“Your Group Head is right. You can’t be soft on the enemy.”

The recruits gave a knowing, long-drawn-out “Oh.”

But some were unconvinced. They felt the fight was just a performance. When the instructor attacked with his fists, the Omega only dodged or blocked, eventually winning by a “sneak attack.” What was the point of that? Real men should fight head-on.

One Alpha recruit, his muscles bulging so much his training gear was strained, couldn’t hold it back anymore. He stepped out and asked bluntly, “Instructor, are you just putting on a show?”

He Yu looked over.

The Alpha didn’t even look at Lian Xu; he only had eyes for the instructor, looking down on the Omega from the bottom of his heart. He was confident he could give the instructor a “real” duel—one better than the “dodge-and-hide” display he’d just seen.

A seventeen-year-old can’t hide his thoughts. Yu saw right through him and warned, “You want to fight Group Head Lian? You’re not qualified.”

The Alpha was indignant. Who said he wanted to fight an Omega?

“Instructor, I want to fight you!”

The crowd: “…”

Uh oh, we’ve got a suicide mission here.

Of course, many others also wanted to see a “real” fight, hoping the Alpha would push the instructor to his limits.

But He Yu simply said, “What’s the fun in fighting me? I can’t even beat your Group Head. If you’re going to challenge someone, challenge the strongest. Don’t tell me an Alpha is acting like a coward.”

Lian Xu’s heart skipped a beat. It felt like He Yu was actually standing up for him.

However, the recruit wasn’t entirely wrong—there was an element of performance. Lian Xu had mostly wanted to annoy He Yu, and He Yu had been holding back, refusing to engage in a full-force frontal collision. Lian Xu’s attempt to provoke a “real” fight had essentially failed.

He felt a bit of regret.

The Alpha recruit was now in a bind. The instructor wouldn’t give him the time of day and kept protecting the Omega. He didn’t want to hit an Omega and be accused of bullying if the person lost. After all, Lian Xu was an instructor handpicked by the Commander; he had to show some respect.

Yu rubbed his nose and took a few steps back.

“How are we doing this?” the Alpha asked.

“Any way you want,” Lian Xu replied flatly. “Use your full strength.”

The Alpha paused, then said, “Fine.”

As the recruit took an offensive stance, Lian Xu stood opposite him with casual ease, even asking thoughtfully, “Are you ready?”

The Alpha was confused—he was clearly in a fighting stance. But out of politeness, he replied seriously, “I’m ready.”

Lian Xu let out a microscopic smile, his deep eyes filled with a strange sort of pity.

He actually liked this recruit; the kid had muscle and spirit. But what a shame.

The Alpha gritted his teeth and lunged. As the distance closed, Lian Xu didn’t move an inch.

Is he frozen in fear? the Alpha wondered.

But in the next second, his eyes bugged out. With a deafening boom, the Alpha was sent flying over ten meters. Thanks to his trajectory, the second of the two massive boulders on the summit was pulverized into dust.

He sat on the ground like he’d lost his soul, his blood running cold and his limbs numb. He even forgot to breathe. Only the searing, tearing pain in his back proved he was still alive. A powerhouse Alpha who had entered the Star Tower with top-tier scores had been kicked into oblivion by the “delicate” Omega he’d looked down on.

The more arrogant he had been moments ago, the more pathetic he looked now. Blood from his forehead trickled down his cheek. His body felt shattered; he couldn’t even lift a finger.

What just happened?!

The recruits were baffled.

How did he fly ten meters in a blink?!

Those who had been watching closely saw the Alpha’s charge, but no one saw how Lian Xu managed the strike. They only saw Lian Xu slowly lowering his raised leg after the impact.

Judging by the state of the shattered boulder, that force was terrifying.

Those who had been worried for Lian Xu were now feeling sorry for the Alpha. They finally understood the weight of the instructor’s words.

“Holy shit… is that really an Omega?”

“I’d believe it if you told me Group Head Lian was an Alpha! That kick was terrifying!”

He Yu smirked. No one knew better than he did the massive power hidden in those “soft” legs. Lian Xu was an incredibly smart Omega; knowing he couldn’t out-punch an Alpha, he had trained his legs to become his primary weapons.

“Well?” Lian Xu’s voice broke the eerie silence. “Does anyone else want a challenge?”

The crowd immediately scrambled backward, dropping to the ground in perfect unison to finish their remaining push-ups.

Lian Xu nodded with satisfaction, then turned to He Yu. “Instructor He, are you not doing yours because you want another round?”

Before the other could answer, Lian Xu added with newfound interest, “Beat me, and everyone’s punishment is waived.”

This sounded like a lifeline. The recruits actually looked up, their eyes pleading with Instructor He.

It’s two hundred single-arm push-ups! Instructor, you can win, right?!

However, their light of salvation never came. Instead, they watched their instructor drop to the ground like an obedient dog and begin performing textbook-perfect push-ups.

Lian Xu wasn’t quite finished. He took two steps toward him, but before he could do anything, He Yu whispered in a low, dangerous tone:

“If you touch me again, I will pin you to the ground right in front of your students and f*** you senseless…”