Forcibly Marking the Ultimate Alpha - Chapter 1

Hong Kong. On the eve of the passing typhoon, Victoria Harbour was drowning in a sticky, humid darkness.

The rain fell with a vengeance, like countless icy serpents slithering down neon signs, swallowing the city whole. The air was thick with the brine of the sea, the smell of congealed grease from roast meat shops, and the stench of low-grade pheromones in the back alleys always ready for a fight or a mating.

Mong Kok. Back alley of the Golden Dragon Tea Restaurant. Basement.

Thwack!

Shen Xiuming, the second young master of the Shen family, was kicked through the air like a dead dog. His spine slammed into a plastic crate filled with empty beer bottles. His face was a mask of blood, and his pathetic shrieks were choked back in his throat.

“Crying? Now you know how to cry? Why weren’t your hands shaking when you took the money?”

Sang Biao sat shirtless on a grease-stained folding stool, the dragon tattoo sprawling across his shoulders seeming to writhe with every twitch of his muscles. He toyed with a knife, the tip skewering a piece of dripping char siu.

He chewed the meat, muttering indistinctly, “Second Master Shen, do you think guys like us are just trash? Easy to fool because we didn’t go to school?”

“B-Biao… Brother Biao…” Shen Xiuming trembled as he lifted his head from the shards of glass, his face smeared with snot and tears. He bore no resemblance to a wealthy scion. “It was an accident… truly! That shipment at Kwai Chung Pier…”

“Accident, my ass!”

Sang Biao swallowed the meat and ground his boot into the back of Shen Xiuming’s hand. “I’ve run that line for two years! I know the police shift changes better than my own family tree! And suddenly this batch of specialty goods goes missing?”

He leaned down, his tobacco-stained breath hitting Shen Xiuming’s face. His voice turned sinister. “Shen Xiuming, do you have any idea who that shipment was for? It was headed to Deep Water Bay a gift for the eldest master of the Fu family to use at next month’s gala!”

At the mention of the “Fu Family,” Shen Xiuming’s pupils shrank. The fight left his body, and he slumped onto the floor like a man with no bones.

In this corner of Hong Kong, if you cross the police, you can find a lawyer. If you cross the Fu family, there won’t be enough left of you to put in an urn. The name Fu Sihan was synonymous with the King of Hell’s ledger.

“I spent my life savings on that cargo just to get on the Fu family’s good side!” Sang Biao’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. “Now the goods are gone. What am I supposed to feed Master Fu’s appetite? My own life?!”

“I’ll… I’ll pay! I have money! The Shen family is rich!” Shen Xiuming wailed, clawing at the muddy ground.

“Money? What the hell do I want with your money? Can money buy back the Fu family’s face?”

Sang Biao let out a cold laugh, his eyes turning murderous. “Since the job was botched, someone has to pay the price according to the rules of Hong Kong. I don’t have time for ‘three blades and six holes’ with you.”

“I’ll just take your right hand. I’ll send it to the Fu family in a box and hope it helps Master Fu cool his temper!”

“Hold him down!”

Two thugs immediately stepped forward, roughly pinning Shen Xiuming onto a blood-stained butcher’s block. Shen Xiuming struggled frantically, his voice cracking:

“Help! Brother! Save me!!”

Sang Biao raised the bone-handled knife high. He was desperate and had no intention of holding back.

Just as the blade was about to fall, the oilcloth curtain shielding the alley was tilted back by the tip of a black umbrella.

The person who entered was far too “clean.”

He wore a charcoal-black suit tailored by the old masters of Central impeccably cut. His striking silver hair shimmered with a cold light. From his groomed locks to the tips of his leather shoes, he radiated the exquisite detachment of one who has long held power.

Sang Biao narrowed his eyes, glancing at the silver hair and the black umbrella the man used for support. He bared a row of yellowed teeth and sneered.

“I wondered who would make such an entrance. If it isn’t the Shen family’s famous ‘Sickly Beauty’.”

He didn’t put down the knife. Instead, he slapped the flat of the blade against Shen Xiuming’s cheek, his gaze raking over Shen Yanzhou with slimy, suggestive intent.

“You’re a looker, alright the kind only a rich nest like Central could breed. What’s the matter, did the Eldest Master drag his crippled leg into this rat hole just to plead for his brother with that pretty face?”

The thugs erupted into lewd laughter. The room’s air grew heavy with the aggressive, taunting pheromones of several Alphas.

Shen Yanzhou, however, acted as if he couldn’t smell a thing. He didn’t even flinch.

“Move,” he said, his voice cold and clear.

The thugs blocking the way were stunned by his inexplicable aura and instinctively stepped aside. Shen Yanzhou walked to the butcher’s block, ignoring the sobbing Shen Xiuming. He looked directly at Sang Biao.

“Brother Biao, if shouting could bring back the cargo, what would we need the police for?”

“You can get the goods back?” Sang Biao’s face twitched. “The cargo was seized.”

“Not seized. Intercepted.”

Shen Yanzhou pulled a tablet from his bag with an elegant motion and swiped twice before pushing it toward Sang Biao.

“Kwai Chung Pier, Bonded Warehouse No. 2, Container W-709.”

Shen Yanzhou’s tone was flat. “An hour ago, I used a first-class freight forwarding clearance to change the bill of lading’s security key. The container is now under ‘Administrative Freeze.’ No one can pull it out, and no one can seize it except me.”

Sang Biao’s eyes widened as he stared at the flashing red word: LOCKED.

The goods were still there! As long as they existed, he wouldn’t be dumped into the sea by the Fu family.

“Give me the password!” Sang Biao’s breathing grew heavy. He dropped the knife and reached for Shen Yanzhou’s collar.

Shen Yanzhou stood his ground. He didn’t dodge, but merely tilted his head to avoid the filthy hand, his eyes reflecting unmasked disgust.

“This tablet is connected to my private cloud.”

“If my heart rate drops to zero, or if the tablet stays offline for more than five minutes, the key will self-destruct. Simultaneously, the true manifest of the cargo will be sent directly to the private email of the Commissioner of Customs.”

Shen Yanzhou looked up, his grey eyes reflecting Sang Biao’s stunned face. “Brother Biao, you know exactly how many illicit goods are in that shipment. Do you think Fu Sihan will pick a fight with Customs to save you, or will he mince you up and feed you to the sharks?”

The basement, previously filled with murderous intent, became so silent that only the roar of the storm outside could be heard.

“Are you playing with me? If the goods are in your hands, why did the status show an anomaly?” Sang Biao rasped.

“You should ask the ‘loyal dog’ you keep.”

Shen Yanzhou tapped the screen, pulling up an encrypted chat log and a wire transfer record.

“Your lieutenant, Ah Bao, contacted the Vietnamese gang privately. He altered the bill of lading to steal the shipment and flee with the profit. If I hadn’t locked it down, your cargo would have been converted into US dollars on the high seas by now.”

Ah Bao, who had been playing dead in the corner, turned deathly pale.

“Boss! Don’t listen to his nonsense! This cripple is framing me”

“I think you’re looking for a grave!!”

With the evidence undeniable, Sang Biao roared. He snatched the knife and charged like a mad bull, stabbing it clean through Ah Bao’s calf.

“Aaaargh!!”

The scream was blood-curdling. Blood stained the floor instantly, mixing with the dirty water and flowing toward Shen Yanzhou’s feet.

Shen Yanzhou frowned slightly and took a half-step back, seemingly worried about dirtying his expensive shoes. He was tired of this low-level bloodbath.

“You can finish cleaning your house at your leisure, Brother Biao.”

He walked to the trembling Shen Xiuming and kicked him sharply in the back of the knee.

“Get up, you waste.”

Shen Xiuming scrambled up and hid behind him, not daring to glance at Sang Biao. Shen Yanzhou turned his back on the room full of outlaws.

“Five minutes after I exit this alley, the key will be sent to your phone.”

At the exit, he paused, his pale, exquisite profile catching the light. His eyes remained devoid of emotion. “Brother Biao, you owe the Shen family a favor. As for the ’emotional distress’ fee.”

He glanced at the screaming Ah Bao on the floor, and his lips curled into an exceptionally cruel smile. “I think that leg of his is a fair trade.”

“I am no cripple but after tonight, someone else certainly will be.”

With that, he opened his black umbrella and stepped into the storm.

Only after the umbrella vanished into the rain did Sang Biao collapse into his chair, realizing his palms were slick with cold sweat. He stared at the dark alleyway and spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

“Damn… what a mad beauty.”

The Shen Estate, Mid-Levels

The glittering lights of Victoria Harbour spread out like a carpet at the foot of the mountain.

When Shen Yanzhou returned home at 2:00 AM, he had already discarded the suit that smelled of the basement’s mold and smoke. He took a hot shower and changed into a silk robe.

His composure in the basement had been a mask. Without pheromones of his own, being exposed to high concentrations of Alpha pressure had caused his central nervous system to throb with needle-like pain.

However, when he stepped into the brightly lit living room, he wasn’t met with gratitude, but a flying teacup.

Smash!

The fine porcelain shattered at his feet. Scalding tea splashed his ankle, instantly reddening the skin.

“You dared to provoke a mad dog like Sang Biao? Do you have a death wish, or do you want the whole family to be buried alongside the triads? There are rules in the underworld! You broke them—who will dare to do business with the Shens now?!”

“If Xiuming wasn’t lucky, you would have gotten him killed today!”

Shen Yanzhou stood still. His gaze moved past his raging second uncle to his cousin, Shen Xiuming, who was huddling on a leather sofa under a blanket, playing the victim.

“Sometimes I think human hearts are filthier than that muddy basement,” Shen Yanzhou sneered. “Uncle, instead of screaming at me, you should check what your precious son actually did.”

He pointed at Shen Xiuming. “For a bit of black-market kickback, he dared to smuggle high-risk, prohibited suppressants on the Shen family’s official merchant ships! Do you know the penalty for that?”

“If Customs had found out, the shipping license we’ve held for three generations would be revoked instantly! Thousands of containers would be stranded! The damages wouldn’t be fifty million—it would be five hundred million! The entire family would be forced into bankruptcy liquidation!”

“If I hadn’t intercepted that cargo, do you think he’d be crying at home, or picking up soap in Stanley Prison?”

Shen Hong’s mouth hung open. His face turned pale as he looked at his pathetic son, unable to find words.

“Enough.” The patriarch, Old Master Shen, who had been sitting in his armchair with his eyes closed, finally spoke. He opened his eyes, scrutinizing his most capable grandson.

Beauty, intelligence, cunning, and ruthlessness Shen Yanzhou had it all. A pity… he was an “inert” Omega with no scent.

“The matter was handled cleanly.” The old man’s voice was low and raspy. “But Yanzhou, living on the edge of a blade is no long-term solution. You are twenty-nine. Your body…”

The same topic again like a festering wound being reopened.

Shen Yanzhou rubbed his temples. “Grandfather, I will adopt a child. I will train an heir…”

“That is unreliable!” the Old Master interrupted, his tone turning forceful. “The head of the Shen family must have a powerful backer. Especially with a body like yours. Without a strong Alpha’s protection, the wolves of Hong Kong will tear you apart the moment I die! Which of the shareholders would follow an Omega who can’t even go into heat?”

“And so?” Shen Yanzhou looked up, his silver eyes flashing with a cold light.

“Alliance,” the old man uttered.

Shen Yanzhou let out a derisive laugh. “Who is it this time? The idiot from the Su family who only knows how to play with models? Or the coward from the Tang family who faints at the sight of blood?”

“The Su family? The Tang family?” The Old Master snorted, the speed of his prayer beads increasing. “Those small fry are no longer enough for the Shen family’s appetite.”

He stared at Shen Yanzhou, his clouded eyes gleaming. “It is the Fu Family of Hong Kong. Fu Sihan.”

The air froze. Even the sound of the rain seemed to vanish.

Fu Sihan. The eldest master of the Fu family. So, they had hooked a whale.

But rumors said he had once thrown his own uncle to the sharks. He had discarded countless Betas and Omegas after breaking them.

“So, Grandfather wants me to go to my death?” Shen Yanzhou’s voice trembled not from fear, but from rage.

“It is your best option.” The Old Master avoided his gaze. “The Fu family proposed this themselves. He doesn’t mind that you are an odorless Omega. In fact, he specifically requested you. Yanzhou, this is the only value that ‘skin’ of yours has left. Don’t waste it.”

Requested him? Fu Sihan, a man he had barely met?

The Old Master walked over and patted his shoulder. “The engagement is on the tenth of next month. You will meet in a few days. If you refuse, then those shipping lines your father left behind. I will have to let Xiuming manage them.”

Another threat using his parents’ legacy.

Shen Yanzhou’s hands clenched at his sides, his nails digging deep into his palms. He looked at the old man talking about “family duty,” and the sneering uncle and cousin beside him.

This home was rotten to the core.

Since you want to push me into the fire, certain that I will be a weak Omega at your mercy.

Shen Yanzhou took a deep breath. His tense shoulders suddenly relaxed. He lifted his head, and a stunningly beautiful, yet terrifyingly dangerous smile bloomed on his pale face.

“Fine,” Shen Yanzhou said softly.

“Grandfather, since Mr. Fu thinks so highly of a ‘cripple’ like me” He walked to the Old Master and intimately straightened his collar, his eyes as deep as a dark abyss.

“Then I shall marry.”