Chapter 3: Wen
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The moon disappeared into the clouds. In an instant, the earth was shrouded in a dim and obscure darkness.
Wen Mo’s eyelids twitched, without any warning, he opened his eyes.
The electronic clock on the bedside emitted a faint blue light, displaying the time as three in the morning. Wen Mo stared at it without blinking for a long while, as if he were an emotionless machine. After an unknown amount of time passed, he finally closed his eyes slowly. A faint cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
When he opened his eyes again, Wen Mo had already sat up. He casually picked up the cigarette that the man had dropped at the bedside earlier, with a snap, he lit it. The flame illuminated half of his face.
Amidst the swirling smoke, his eyes gradually grew colder, causing the intense feeling on his body to fade away. There was no trace of the appearance of someone who had been beneath another person.
He sniffed slightly and reached for his pants on the side. From them, he pulled out a basic model of a popular cellphone, its screen marked with some scratches, indicating long-term use. Wen Mo turned on the phone, opened the contacts, and found only one number saved there.
He held the cigarette and quickly typed a line of text, then paused briefly and pressed send.
This seemingly ordinary message wouldn’t trigger the base’s monitoring system to filter or capture, but Wen Mo still immediately pulled out the SIM card and used the remaining half of the cigarette to burn it. The SIM card was made of a special material that ignites upon exposure to fire, and a pungent smell gradually filled the air. Soon, the small piece melted within the high-temperature ember of the cigarette end. Wen Mo casually extinguished it in the ashtray.
Dragging his legs, he made his way to the bathroom, took out a pillbox, and tossed a birth control pill into his mouth without drinking any water. He swallowed it dryly.
Sitting on the toilet seat, he quietly waited for the nausea caused by the pill to subside. Compared to this mild discomfort, the excessive abuse from the previous night was even more distressing. The stickiness on his body was equally unpleasant. He figured the person wouldn’t come back tonight, so Wen Mo simply took a shower in the bathroom. When he emerged, he found he was no longer feeling sleepy. He wrapped himself in a blanket and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window.
The moon had disappeared somewhere, leaving the outside in pitch darkness. Only occasional sounds of the sea tide could be heard. There wasn’t much to see, but Wen Mo just sat there quietly, gazing into the dense ink-like darkness. He waited until the morning star hung in the sky before a glimmer of light touched his heart. He then bathed in this faint light and fell asleep.
*
When he woke up again, the daylight was already strong, the dazzling sunlight made it hard for him to open his eyes. He couldn’t help but use his forearm to shield his eyes.
After a while, he slowly lowered his hand. Standing before him was a Beta base steward dressed in a white uniform. The steward’s expression was calm as he slightly bowed toward Wen Mo by the floor-to-ceiling window, “Good morning.”
Without a change in expression, the steward picked up a torn piece of underwear from the corner and tossed it into the trash bin, then replaced the trash bag.
Wen Mo checked the electronic clock and found that it was already eight in the morning. He pulled his robe from the side and wrapped his mottled body in it, making space for the steward to clean up.
After washing up in the bathroom, the disheveled bed had been completely refreshed with new bedding, and the steward had vanished from sight. On the dining table, there was a smoked meat sandwich and milk, which constituted his breakfast.
However, Wen Mo had no appetite. He only took a couple sips of milk before setting it aside. He inserted another SIM card into the phone’s slot, dialed a number, and called.
At that moment, Zhang Qian was waiting at the entrance of the conference center. He heard the vibration of his phone, glanced down, and couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. He then nonchalantly surveyed his surroundings before walking to the window and answering the call.
A gentle voice came from the other end of the phone, “Hello, Captain Zhang.”
Zhang Qian’s Adam’s apple moved, and he asked, “What’s the matter?”
The other person’s voice remained soft, “I’d like to visit the Wen family. Can you arrange a car for me to return before 12 o’clock noon?”
——It wasn’t for anything else.
Zhang Qian couldn’t express whether he felt regret or relief. The tension in his back muscles eased, and he took a moment to keep his tone calm and steady, “Sure, what time?”
“Fifteen minutes from now, is that okay?”
“Sure.” Zhang Qian inquired, “Anything else?
“Nothing else.” There was a pause before the voice added softly, “Captain Zhang, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Hanging up the phone, Zhang Qian retreated a few steps against the windowsill as if he had lost strength. The sunlight outside streamed through the cracks in the tree branches, casting mottled patterns on his face. In the midst of this halo of light, he slowly closed his eyes, although his fist by his side was gradually clenched.
*
Ten minutes later, Wen Mo appeared downstairs ahead of schedule. The driver had yet to arrive. He checked his watch and walked to a self-service coffee machine, ordering an espresso.
The machine buzzed to life, the coffee didn’t come out as quickly as he expected. Bored, Wen Mo raised his gaze, focusing on something in the distance.
The base was situated on higher ground, and from here, he could see a coastal resort area to the east. Due to the distance, the expansive area appeared no larger than a coin’s size.
In the later stages of the anti-rebellion war, the frontline soldiers gradually withdrew from the battlefield. Several leisure areas were planned within the resort, with the S Zone and A Zone designated for higher-ranking federal officers and lower-ranking soldiers respectively. This meant that Omegas were not allowed in these two zones. However, in order to silence Omega activists, a separate F Zone was designated for Omegas to relax and play. However, after many years, that area had turned into the most famous red-light district in the Federation, known as “Soft Village.”
A beeping sound pulled Wen Mo’s attention back. His paper cup was now filled with steaming coffee. He grabbed it just as the driver arrived.
He got into the car, fastened his seatbelt, and suddenly spoke, “Can we take the coastal route?”
“Huh?” The driver was a bit confused.
The route to the S Zone didn’t require taking the coastal road, so this was quite a detour. Although he was just an Omega, following orders was a soldier’s duty, so he didn’t say anything, just nodded and followed the route Wen Mo indicated.
After driving about two kilometers from the base, they entered the coastal road. Several Alpha soldiers patrolled along the way, wearing pheromone isolation masks. The resort area the size of a coin slowly expanded, he finally passed by “Soft Village.” True to its reputation as the largest red-light district in the Federation, it still exuded a dazzling nightlife aura even in broad daylight. Under the dazzling neon signs, there were Omegas with varying degrees of exhaustion or flirtatiousness. The air was laden with an air of lethargy and decadence.
Wen Mo looked into the distance, where the sunny S Zone stretched out. Several Alpha soldiers sat at the bright bar counter by the window, chatting and laughing.
Wen Mo took a sip of his coffee and withdrew his gaze.
*
Inside the city center, C Zone.
The jeep made a few turns and stopped in front of a new and bright villa. After the rebellion was quelled, the prices in this villa area skyrocketed, reaching a point that would take generations for an ordinary family to afford. The Wen family’s villa was located here.
Wen Mo hopped out of the car, glanced at the gate adorned with flowers, and ascended the steps before ringing the doorbell.
Soon, the slightly older face of a woman appeared through the crack of the opening door. She frowned slightly upon seeing Wen Mo, but quickly replaced it with a courteous smile.
“Young Master Mo is back!”
Wen Mo entered as if he hadn’t seen her, walking past the woman.
The woman, Mrs. Sun, hesitated for a moment before making a few cursing gestures behind him. She hurriedly followed him inside.
Wen Mo walked directly through the front door. Five people sitting around the dining table all looked up. Looking at Wen Mo with various expressions, a six or seven-year-old boy among them lit up with joy and clapped, “Big brother Ma, my big brother Ma!”
Zhao Lan looked embarrassed and scolded the child with a laugh before turning to Wen Mo with a smile, “Ah, it’s Xiao Mo. What a coincidence, it’s just in time for breakfast. Mrs. Sun, set an extra pair of tableware.”
Mrs. Sun went to do as instructed.
Wen Mo bowed slightly, “Father, Mother.”
Zhao Lan’s husband, Wen Congjie, raised an eyebrow. With a light cough, he said indifferently, “You’re back. Why didn’t you say so?”
“Since it’s his own home, he can came back whenever he wanted to. Why bother saying anything?” Zhao Lan scolded teasingly with a smile. She warmly held Wen Mo’s hand and laughed, “It’s been over a year since we last saw you. You’re looking much better. Sit down, why are you standing?”
The familiarity made it seem like they were welcoming a long-lost child.
Wen Mo didn’t stand on ceremony, he pulled out a chair and, after sitting down, he seemed to remember something and smiled slightly, “Xiao Yi, long time no see.”
Wen Yi removed the mask from his face and threw it aside, revealing a naturally proud and handsome face. At the moment, it was as if he hadn’t heard Wen Mo’s greeting at all. He picked up a spoon and vigorously stirred the clam chowder in his bowl.
“Mrs. Sun, I hate parsley. Why did you put it in!”
Everyone could detect the irony in Wen Yi’s tone. Wen Congjie cast a glance at Wen Mo and adopted a stern expression, “What are you making a fuss about so early? If you don’t want it, just ask Mrs. Sun to cook another bowl for you.”
Wen Yi rolled his expressive eyes and made a dismissive noise.
Wen Mo didn’t mind. He just lowered his head and started sipping the clam chowder from his bowl.
Wen Yi’s companion, his fiancé, Shang Xinjian, was sitting beside him. Although he’s an Alpha, he had an unusually gentle temperament. He smiled and whispered something in Wen Yi’s ear, then meticulously picked out the parsley from Wen Yi’s bowl, coaxing, “There, it’s gone. Have a go.”
Reluctantly, Wen Yi allowed Shang Xinjian to feed him a spoonful of the soup.
Undoubtedly, Wen Yi was an incredibly fortunate Omega. His fortune lay in his family, the people he met, and the love he had, which shielded him from nearly all the suffering most Omegas would experience in their lifetimes—his spoiled elegance was unlike that of an Omega.
A faint smile tugged at Wen Mo’s lips. He put down his spoon, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and took a card out of his bag, sliding it over to Wen Congjie.
“Father,” he said, “last time we agreed on fifteen million, please transfer it to this account.”
Wen Congjie’s expression shifted slightly. He didn’t look at the card, casually responding, “Alright, I’ll transfer it to you later.”
Wen Mo shook his head, his tone resolute, “No, it must be in the account by 12 o’clock tomorrow.”
Wen Congjie’s face darkened at once.
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