I’m Addicted to your Pheromones from the First Moment We Met - Chapter 25

There is nothing new under the sun, and there is no room for sophistry in science. Behind similar phenomena in physics, there must be underlying principles that can be integrated and understood.

According to basic chemical principles, similar properties often hide similar functional groups. If both pheromones and mental power can be artificially released and absorbed, then they must share a common essence.

Yu Zhouyao recalled what the self-proclaimed “Mecha Grandma” had said during mecha class: “Your mental power is quite tasty.”

Tasty? Why use a word associated with eating?

As carbon-based lifeforms, humans can compare and exchange pheromones, an act akin to “consuming” information. If one assumes a mecha is a silicon-based lifeform, then a silicon lifeform devouring a carbon lifeform’s mental power could also be viewed as a specialized form of feeding.

Yu Zhouyao’s mind was a chaotic swirl. She felt like she was missing a crucial link. Existing scientific research had only verified the correlation between pheromones and mental power through indirect means; the specific interaction mechanism remained unexplored. The general consensus was a vague “positive correlation”: the stronger the pheromones and mental power, the higher the physical constitution rating. For instance, she herself was a suspected SS-rank.

She dove deeper into the thought.

Take herself as an example: assuming her rating was accurate, both her pheromones and mental power were exceptionally strong. When Mu Mingyue’s mental power went out of control, Yu Zhouyao was able to withstand the pressure and save her. This supported the existing logic.

By that same logic, Mu Mingyue’s levels should be on par with hers. Even the “Mecha Grandma” had acknowledged this, noting that “Mu Mingyue is constantly in a state of Mental Blood-Burning.”

So why was there such a massive difference in physical endurance between two Alphas of the same rank?

Setting aside social background and family status, the only physiological difference lay in the scent of their pheromones. Yu Zhouyao shook her head. No, that wasn’t quite right. Pheromones are, at their core, hormones—the dominant complex hormones in the human body. Given the differences in internal and external environments, everyone’s hormonal makeup should naturally be diverse.

“Why are your pheromones in the Omega spectrum?” Dr. Pei had asked.

Bingo! That was it.

Yu Zhouyao caught the flashing light in her mind. Once the variables were controlled, the difference in pheromone spectrum seemed to be the only potential influence. According to biology textbooks, non-Beta humans produce and receive pheromones. Alphas and Omegas typically stay within their respective spectrums.

But what determines the Alpha or Omega spectrum? Or rather, what determines the classification of “Alpha” or “Omega” to begin with?

Yu Zhouyao felt a cold sweat on her back.

Suppose just suppose that the Alpha/Omega classification was judged by the pheromone spectrum. In that case, why hadn’t Dr. Pei classified Yu Zhouyao as an Alpha, given her strength? Because she was a counterexample, a proof by contradiction: the classification wasn’t determined by the pheromone spectrum. The existing spectrum was merely a collection of observations based on long-term experience, a “set of common mistakes” compiled by human society.

Yu Zhouyao made a bold hypothesis: the Alpha/Omega classification is determined by mental power, and pheromones are simply a material externalization of that power. This would explain why a silicon lifeform and a carbon lifeform viewed the issue from different angles.

She let out a long breath. She felt as though she had accidentally opened a Pandora’s box. The hypothesis was too shocking it sounded more like the drug-induced dream of a novelist than the precise conclusion of a researcher. She tucked these thoughts deep in her heart, planning to study them further when she had the chance to prove or disprove them.

The electronic screen flickered. Dr. Pei notified her that the experiment was over; she had collected enough pheromones.

Yu Zhouyao stepped out of the lab. Mu Mingyue and Pei Xian were waiting for her.

The young miss offered a small smile. “Zhouyao, Zhouyao, how do you feel?” “Fine. I didn’t feel much of anything.” Mu Mingyue touched her forehead. “Mm-hm. Even if nothing is wrong, you still need to rest well~” Yu Zhouyao: “…Okay.”

Dr. Pei typed a command at the console. A series of mechanical arms extended within the sterile lab to collect the airborne pheromones. Yu Zhouyao leaned back in her chair, letting her mind go blank and her eyes lose focus as she stared at the glass wall. She was still trapped in her earlier theoretical deduction.

Pheromones are hormones. Inside the body, they exist as liquids or ionic groups. Released into the air, they are gases—usually colorless but scented. Researchers collect these gases in airtight spaces, then purify and compress them to obtain a mimetic liquid for study.

Could the same experimental steps be applied to mental power research?

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Mu Mingyue waving a hand in front of her face. It took several calls from the young miss to snap her out of it.

“Zhouyao?” “Ah, sorry, sorry! I was just thinking. What’s up, Mu Mingyue?” Mu Mingyue pouted. “Hmph, fine. If Yu Zhouyao ignores me, I’ll ignore her too.” Yu Zhouyao quickly apologized. “Miss Mu, I was wrong, I was wrong! I wasn’t ignoring you, I was truly thinking about something.” “What were you thinking about?” “Well… about mental power.”

Pei Xian chimed in, “What? Is our star student so dedicated she’s obsessing over studies even on her day off?” Yu Zhouyao rubbed her nose. Maybe, probably, possibly, this isn’t exactly a school-sanctioned research task.

She decided to take the opportunity to ask a physiology expert. “Dr. Pei, I was wondering… how is a person’s mental power level specifically detected and visualized?”

Pei Xian returned to her desk, multitasking between processing data and replying. “Visualization? In a hospital, we usually perform a physical constitution test. I’ve done it for you twice already.” “What are the specific steps of that test?” “Collecting various data from your body physical indicators, blood samples, pheromone samples and then throwing it into a complex formula for the AI to calculate.”

The margin for error in that method sounds huge, Yu Zhouyao thought. She rested her chin on her hand. “Are there… other ways to test it?”

Pei Xian smiled. “The military system has its own methods, of course. Come to think of it, has the academy given you your comprehensive physical yet?” “No.” Mu Mingyue added, “I saw a notice on the ‘My Dawn’ app. There’s a unified physical exam at the end of the semester. Classes will be reshuffled based on those results and our grades.”

Yu Zhouyao nodded. “Why the sudden interest?” Pei Xian asked. Yu Zhouyao replied casually, “I was just curious about what my actual level is hahaha.”

The young miss leaned in close. “Zhouyao, your mental power must be super strong! You were the first one to fly during mecha class!” “Haha… that was just luck…” Yu Zhouyao didn’t want to linger on the topic. “Hmm… really? You looked like you were having a lot of fun up there.” Yu Zhouyao chose to surrender. “Then it’s you who flies higher and further, Miss Mu. Wasn’t I just trailing behind you the whole time? Ha?” “Hmph!”

The test results came out in less than two hours. The three of them reviewed the hard copy and destroyed it immediately. “Your data looks perfectly normal,” Dr. Pei said, looking puzzled. “I’ll study it further later.”

Yu Zhouyao thought for a moment but decided not to share her small discovery with Dr. Pei. The two girls walked back to school together. At the campus gate, Mu Mingyue boarded a luxury shuttle likely a private Mu family vehicle.

“Bye-bye, Zhouyao! See you next week.” “You’re not staying on campus?” “Nope! There are some family events this week I have to attend to keep up appearances.” “Oh, I see. Well see you next week.” “Okay! Thank you, Zhouyao~”

Yu Zhouyao waved and watched the young miss drift away. Her heart felt a slight ripple of emotion. The Eldest Miss really was something.

She spent the rest of her time in the library. Besides finishing her incredibly difficult homework, she searched the database for relevant literature. One paper caught her eye:

A Preliminary Exploration of the Properties of Mental Power: Is Mental Power Consumable?

The content matched her own research topic perfectly. According to the author, mental power can be consumed. To put it more elegantly, one can “taste” the flavor of their own and others’ mental power.

It sounded a bit gruesome. Yu Zhouyao scratched her head and read on.

The introduction detailed stories the author had observed or heard regarding the consumption of mental power. However, the most critical part of the argument the actual proof was blacked out. Forty or fifty pages were missing from the main body, and the references and endnotes were redacted. Even the author’s name and the research institute had been obscured.

Yu Zhouyao’s heart skipped a beat. When she tried to refresh the page, the document was gone. The search bar clearly read: “No matching items found.”

Shit. Now it looks even more real.

Yu Zhouyao immediately switched her device to offline mode and placed three layers of encryption on the downloaded file. She swallowed her mounting confusion and headed back to her dorm.

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