Chapter 80: Adam’s Apple

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Zhou Yunchen and Lu Yao already knew the adaptation training routine by heart. When they met in Elaine’s consultation room, they wasted little time before moving into preparation. From a technical standpoint, scent adaptation training was not much different from pheromone adaptation training. The only added requirement for Lu Yao was that he wear a scent stimulator.

Elaine handed him a bundle of fresh catnip and a few pieces of guaiacwood. After he sat down on the sofa, she guided him through the headset. “According to molecular analysis, your pheromone scent overlaps with catnip at 80%. General Zhou’s pheromone scent overlaps with guaiacwood at 92%. Start by smelling the catnip. Try to remember it as clearly as you can.”

Lu Yao lifted the sprig of catnip closer and inhaled. The sharp, fresh greenness of the herb surged into his sinuses. He glanced up at Zhou Yunchen. “Do I really smell like this most of the time?”

Zhou Yunchen leaned down, using Lu Yao’s own hand to catch the scent for himself. “Your pheromones are very similar to this, but sweeter. Though, day to day, the way you smell isn’t exactly the same.”

Omega pheromones always carried some trace of sweetness, no matter if they smelled like mustard, hotpot broth, or savory tofu pudding.

“What do I usually smell like, then?” Lu Yao frowned. “Sometimes I get machine oil on my hands. That isn’t pleasant.”

“It isn’t machine oil. You… you smell good.”

“Oh.” Lu Yao’s voice softened, almost fading out. Zhou Yunchen’s blunt honesty made him lift his water glass, hiding his reaction in a sip.

Outside, Elaine rested her forehead in one hand, waiting for the couple to finish their little interlude. “Shall we continue? Lu Yao, pick up the guaiacwood branch now. Smell it, then tell me what you feel.”

Lu Yao lifted the stick to his nose. The dry wood fragrance drifted through the air, seeping into his mind. His expression shifted. Zhou Yunchen’s fingers dug into the sofa arm, leaving faint grooves behind. It should have been a mild, warm scent of wood. Instead it struck his chest like a stone, dragging him down into an endless fall.

“I feel… uneasy. My chest is tight.” Lu Yao tried to pull the branch away. Zhou Yunchen’s pheromone scent was far too close to guaiacwood. It threatened to unravel his memories.

“But what you’re holding is only a branch,” Elaine coaxed gently, her voice calm and steady. “It has its own unique smell and texture. Touch it. Feel the rough surface. The scent you’re experiencing doesn’t come from anywhere else. It’s only this one piece of wood in front of you.”

Lu Yao tried again, leaning down to sniff lightly. He fixed his eyes on the sharp line of sunlight on the floor, forcing himself to separate the smell from memory. But the unease clung to him like a shadow.

Elaine quietly instructed Zhou Yunchen, “General, begin releasing pheromones. Not too much—just enough to be detectable.”

Seconds later, Lu Yao’s head snapped up. “You started releasing pheromones, didn’t you?”

Zhou Yunchen hesitated, then nodded. Lu Yao’s lashes trembled. His pheromones were distinctly different from the branch’s. They carried the freshness of living wood, green and damp, with a sharp edge from moisture that cut clean through the air.

The dry branch, unburned, smelled thin and muted in comparison. To be fair, compared to the aggressive pheromones of so many alphas, Zhou Yunchen’s scent was unexpectedly pleasant—chill and biting, yet wrapped in a clean, soapy note, with a faint bitter-vanilla tang that lingered in the throat. It was like the resin and sap drawn out of stretched wood fibers.

Keen. Steel was keen. The muzzle of an energy rifle left behind a scorched bitterness. The stench of blood, like rust, clung thickly to batons, floors, and prison uniforms. Smells and memories piled together, growing heavier, sharper. Lu Yao struggled to raise his head toward Zhou Yunchen, but his vision fractured into shards, dragged into a whirlpool. Images spun. Shouts, curses, explosions roared back into his ears. He saw a blood-soaked silhouette reaching to hold him tight.

That person wanted to save him, but fire and pain devoured him whole. The sharp guaiacwood scent tangled with the blood until the two were inseparable. Every touch became terrifying, every breath unbearable.

“Lu Yao!” Zhou Yunchen’s heart slammed with alarm when he saw Lu Yao’s eyes glaze over, the veins in his neck standing out. He lunged forward just in time to catch him as he collapsed.

Lu Yao’s hands trembled violently, his fingertips turning bluish. His eyes were open, but he could see nothing. The last pheromone training had only roused desire. This time, the scent had dragged him into terror carved deep into memory. He felt like he was drowning in a world of gel, every breath, every sound clogged and suffocated.

—The scent you’re smelling isn’t anything else. It comes only from what’s in front of you.

—Touch it. Feel the rough surface.

Lu Yao knew he couldn’t let himself sink. The faint, faraway voice pierced the suffocating gel. His fingers twitched, searching, until they caught hold of fabric. He remembered—he had once gripped a collar the same way.

Shaking, he dragged his hand higher, until he brushed something warmer, smoother. Without hesitation, he pressed his palm against it. The realness of touch became his anchor, steadying him like a ship against the storm. He had touched Zhou Yunchen’s throat, his thumb brushing the strong rise of his Adam’s apple.

—Do you know what your pheromones smell like? …Catnip.

—You smell good.

The voice in his memory gradually grew clearer, yet pain and despair still surged in waves. The clearer that voice became, the stronger the despair felt in contrast. The tides of the gel-like world poured down, drowning Lu Yao completely. The force of the waves drove him straight into the depths of unconsciousness.

“Dr. Elaine, Lu Yao fainted!” Zhou Yunchen shouted. The next moment, the door flew open. Elaine rushed in holding a syringe. “I know!”

Just seconds earlier, the detector had shown a violent fluctuation in Lu Yao’s vitals. Elaine had reacted at once, pulling out a sedative and plunging the needle into his arm. Half a minute after the liquid was pushed in, Lu Yao’s convulsions finally began to subside. Yet his hand still clung stubbornly to Zhou Yunchen’s collar. Cold sweat soaked the back of Lu Yao’s shirt. Elaine checked his breathing, and once she was certain he could breathe on his own, she told Zhou Yunchen to carry him to the adjoining medical room. There, they laid him down on a bed and started an IV drip.

“General Zhou, how are you?” Elaine asked, panting a little after the chaos.

“I’m fine,” Zhou Yunchen answered quickly, though his eyes stayed on Lu Yao with deep concern. “Dr. Elaine, does this mean today’s training failed?”

Elaine looked at Lu Yao’s tightly drawn sleeping face, her tone complicated. “Not completely. At least this time Lu Yao didn’t immediately enter a forced estrus. The data showed he resisted for a while, though his body couldn’t fully hold out. That means the previous pheromone adaptation sessions had some effect. Now, as long as Lu Yao can unlock the chains in his mind, he can succeed in adapting.

“But that’s not easy. His memories are far too painful and helpless—there’s almost no chance he can escape them on his own. At first, I tried to use the natural scents of two plants to cover up his traumatic memories. But it seems the new scene we created wasn’t strong enough. He’ll need an even more powerful substitute memory.”

“What kind of memory?” Zhou Yunchen asked.

“Anything warm and joyful. But in human memory, happiness rarely defeats pain. Even the smallest trace of sorrow can drag someone down into loneliness and despair,” Elaine said. “Let me think… General Zhou, given the situation, the next training should be spaced farther apart. During this week you’re staying on New Blue Star, we won’t do another one. When you return from your next voyage, we’ll discuss timing and content again.”

Zhou Yunchen nodded, swallowing his worry. “Can I stay with him?”

Elaine glanced at Lu Yao, then reached over to remove the olfactory stimulator from the back of his head. “Yes. Company brings comfort.”

But when Lu Yao awoke, his behavior left Zhou Yunchen feeling both doubtful and guilty. Lu Yao looked at him once, then quickly averted his gaze. Later, when Zhou Yunchen tried to kiss him before sending him home, Lu Yao dodged again.

The fear hadn’t faded so easily. The emotions still lingered in every nerve and limb of his body. For a moment, Zhou Yunchen felt almost relieved that Elaine’s call the night before had interrupted everything. If he and Lu Yao had gone further, he truly wouldn’t have known how to face Lu Yao’s current pain.

He stood at a distance, watching as Lu Yao boarded his flyer. When it started, the craft jolted against a pillar, startling Zhou Yunchen. But soon, the flyer steadied and continued smoothly—it must have switched into autopilot.

Zhou Yunchen exhaled, then pulled his own controls to follow. Only after ensuring Lu Yao had safely reached the mountain villa did he finally leave. As the slanting rays of sunset sank into the mountains, Zhou Yunchen still remembered the kiss Lu Yao had evaded. Of course, he couldn’t blame him. But now, Lu Yao had left him unbearably greedy.

The next moment, Zhou Yunchen opened a comm line. “Zhao Minghe, I want to change back into the snow leopard. Send me to Lu Yao’s place.” The ever-dutiful aide replied, “Yes, General. Right away.”

By nightfall, Lu Yao was sitting blankly in the courtyard when a delivery arrived from Zhao Minghe—the snow leopard. The big cat pounced on him at once, pinning him down with irresistible force and licking his face.

Lu Yao nearly hit the column behind him, unable to escape the shower of slobber. Yet he couldn’t help laughing. “My sweet darling. Just a few days without me and you’ve missed me this much? Such a good boy.”

“Arroo~” Zhao Minghe, unable to bear watching, slipped away in embarrassment.

The second round of the Hephaestus Tournament had already begun. The sixteen teams who advanced from the previous round now faced simulated battles to decide which four would move on. Each team needed to compete twice. Lu Yao was busy with preparations for the matches and hadn’t gone to see Zhou Yunchen again.

According to the draw, NTL’s first opponent was Torchwood, a mecha from Firewheel Mecha Company. Firewheel was a newer enterprise with decent technology, but their focus was on exploration-type mechas. They weren’t considered strong opponents, so Lu Yao let Shen Zishen take the lead.

As expected, in the simulated asteroid belt environment, NTL easily defeated Torchwood. Technicians and researchers at the control panels cheered and high-fived. Lu Yao stood behind them, arms folded, overseeing the room with no visible shift in expression—though his posture was relaxed.

Just then, a staffer walked in, pushing a small transport robot. The team members perked up. “A trophy already?”

“No,” the staffer said. “This is a delivery specifically addressed to Chief Engineer Lu. I’m just the messenger.”

“For me?” Lu Yao raised a brow. He couldn’t remember arranging for anything to be sent here.

“Yes.”

Lu Yao lifted the robot’s lid and found a two-tiered box inside. Before he even picked it up, a young technician exclaimed, “Smells amazing!”

What? Lu Yao took out the box, feeling its faint heat against his fingers. A vague premonition tugged at him. When he opened it, a small card fell into view.

Yao Yao, here’s your lunch. Try a little of everything. If you can’t finish, just leave the rest—don’t force yourself. —Zhou Yunchen

Inside, the compartments held grilled sea fish, pan-seared beef, chilled shredded chicken, blanched broccoli, egg pudding, and other dishes. Steam rose from them, carrying rich aromas straight into Lu Yao’s nose.

 

 

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