Chapter 33: Stress Response
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Suddenly, Gu Liyu stepped forward, covering An Lan’s nose, and Xu Xingran furrowed his brow, turning away.
“What’s going on? Who’s releasing pheromones randomly?” Xu Xingran’s gentle voice turned abruptly cold.
Xie Huai stumbled out, looking very displeased. “It’s… Xiao Chen and Xiao Nan! They had a dispute in the changing room…”
So, these two were back to emitting pheromones again?
Didn’t the coach warn them not to misuse pheromones in the shooting range?
“An Lan, take Ye Yun and leave. Letting an omega sense aggressive alpha pheromones is extremely uncourteous,” Xu Xingran signaled An Lan to go.
On the surface, it seemed like Xu Xingran was asking An Lan to protect Ye Yun. However, Ye Yun, being a high-quality omega from a prestigious family, undoubtedly underwent strict training since childhood. His resistance to alpha pheromones might be stronger than An Lan’s.
Using his keen sense of hearing, An Lan had already faintly heard what Xiao Chen and Xiao Nan were saying.
“What are you proud of? Do you really think winning the shooting competition against me means you can become the heir of our Xiao family? If it weren’t for Xiao Yun’s weak heart, when would it be your turn!”
Xiao Chen just sneered, “Xiao Yun, Xiao Yun, Xiao Yun… Does the leader of the White Lotus Sect Leader often feed you spiked drinks?”
“You d*mn wild dog—if it weren’t for Xiao Yun speaking well of you to his mother, you and your sister would never have set foot in the Xiao family!”
“Oh? Did Xiao Yun ever tell you why he persuaded his noble mother to let me and my sister return to the Xiao family?” Xiao Chen’s voice carried a kind of cruel indifference.
“Of course, it’s because he’s softhearted!”
“With such a weak heart, of course, he’s softhearted. My sister and I are his heart cultivation vessels. He’s just waiting for the day to reclaim my heart.”
“You trash!” Xiao Nan’s fist swung.
Xiao Chen just leaned to the side. The punch hit the locker in the changing room, and the metal made a tremor that bewildered the mind.
“To save you, Xiao Yun is still in the hospital—”
“Hahaha!” Xiao Chen laughed as if he had heard an extremely funny joke. The laughter was seven parts mocking, three parts desolate. “Save me! Do you think my shoulder injury came from nowhere?”
“You jerk! You’re not allowed to speak ill of Brother Yun!”
“Just go ahead and be a brainless fan of Xiao Yun yourself. I have a brain; don’t drag me into it.”
Xiao Chen effortlessly avoided Xiao Nan’s attacks. He even twisted Xiao Nan’s wrist, pressing him against the locker. Xiao Nan, unable to resist, released his pheromones in stimulation. Xiao Chen chuckled, accompanying Xiao Nan in a mutual pheromone showdown.
Xiao Chen had long mastered the art of targeted suppression. He released all his powerful pheromones onto Xiao Nan.
Pressured to the point of almost vomiting on the spot, Xiao Nan, in his stimulated state, unleashed his pheromones in all directions. Although he hadn’t reached the level of a high-quality alpha, Xiao Nan’s pheromone concentration, due to the Xiao family’s genes, was much higher than that of an average alpha. In the shooting range, any alpha or omega with a functioning nose should be able to smell it.
The changing room door opened, and Xu Xingran and Gu Liyu walked in.
“Xiao Chen, that’s enough,” Xu Xingran grasped Xiao Chen’s wrist, applying pressure to his wrist bone.
Xiao Chen remained unfazed. “Xu Xingran, either you crush my wrist today, or you use pheromones to suppress me, or else I’ll make this idiot exhaust all his pheromones.”
Xiao Nan, half a year younger than Xiao Chen, was still in his growth phase. If, for some reason, he forcibly released an excessive amount of pheromones, it could potentially harm his alpha pheromone secretion nerves.
But at this moment, in his rage, Xiao Nan, thinking of going down together with Xiao Chen, couldn’t care less.
Gu Liyu lowered his eyes, his cold gaze fixed on Xiao Nan.
Xiao Nan had heard about the abnormal concentration of pheromones in the Gu family. When Gu Liyu looked at him like this, he felt as if he weren’t a living being but some dispensable thing.
“Rein in your pheromones.”
Gu Liyu’s voice was cold, causing Xiao Nan’s brain, filled with explosive emotions, to freeze as if coated with a layer of frost.
Even if his hatred ran deep, Xiao Nan knew he couldn’t be a match for the three of them.
He turned his face away, suppressing his voice.
Finally, the overflowing pheromones calmed down.
Without showing any signs, Xu Xingran exhaled a breath. He released Xiao Chen’s wrist, and Xiao Chen also let go of Xiao Nan.
“Today’s matter won’t end like this. If you dare slander Xiao Yun in front of me, I’ll tell aunt about this.”
“Go ahead. Besides snitching, what else can you do?” Xiao Chen was indifferent.
Grabbing his sports backpack, Xiao Nan walked away quickly.
Xu Xingran sighed, looking at Xiao Chen. “You know he’s brainless. Why provoke him?”
Xiao Chen shrugged. “Can’t help it. I can’t stand idiots. Hearing Xiao Yun’s constant clamoring about Xiao Yun every day, I’m almost nauseous.”
An Lan felt the pheromone concentration in the air weaken, and he couldn’t help but exhale.
Ye Yun comforted him, saying, “Don’t worry too much. Although the Xiao family is an alpha aristocratic family, in Xiao Chen’s generation, there are only two high-quality alphas left. Xiao Nan is not Xiao Chen’s match.”
The air purification system in the shooting range was currently diluting the pheromones left by Xiao Nan.
An Lan’s nerves relaxed. At this moment, Xiao Nan, carrying a gun, walked past them briskly. When he saw An Lan, his belly full of anger had no place to vent, so he ruthlessly bumped into An Lan.
An Lan was bumped against the wall, and Xiao Nan’s not completely dissipated pheromones rushed towards An Lan.
Xiao Nan’s pheromones had a hint of tobacco, and in his enraged state, it carried a dry, almost bursting heat.
An Lan coughed, feeling like he was choked, followed by an unprecedented heat rushing to his heart.
“An Lan, what’s wrong?” Ye Yun worriedly supported him.
An Lan’s legs seemed to have lost strength, and he was about to kneel to the ground. Ye Yun quickly shouldered him.
“An Lan… An Lan!” Ye Yun patted An Lan’s cheeks, trying to wake him up.
An Lan started to sweat, as if he were submerged in a desert. Both the air and Ye Yun supporting him felt dry and coarse, filled with a gritty sensation. There was no trace of moisture. An Lan swayed, seeking something moist, even a hint of humidity.
However, his sense of touch and smell seemed to be sealed within this desert, unable to escape.
Ye Yun lifted An Lan’s chin, looking into his bewildered eyes, couldn’t help but ask, “An Lan! Are you in heat? An Lan, do you have suppressants?”
But An Lan showed no response.
Gritting his teeth, Ye Yun intended to release his omega pheromones to soothe the alpha in heat. However, he discovered that An Lan had no reaction to his pheromones. Instead, his body temperature rose, and a pink hue appeared on his skin from the neck to the cheeks. Wearing a heavy shooting suit, bound uncomfortably, An Lan kept tugging at the collar.
Seeing this, Ye Yun quickly pulled open his shooting suit, and the T-shirt inside was already soaked with sweat.
Curled up, An Lan looked at Ye Yun. Suddenly, Ye Yun realized… this didn’t seem like an alpha’s heat full of aggression but more like…
Ye Yun needed to find suppressants for An Lan immediately, but he couldn’t leave An Lan in this special state alone. What if someone had malicious intentions?
“Coach Lin! Coach Lin, are you here? An Lan is in trouble!”
Ye Yun shouted loudly.
The three people still in the changing room heard Ye Yun’s voice and rushed out all of a sudden.
The air carried a faint bamboo leaf fragrance, mixed with the freshness of grass and tender shoots, as if adorned with dewdrops throughout the night, tempting one to take a sip.
It had just that little bit, yet it was full of allure, making one want to pluck the tender leaves in the most decisive manner, bite down fiercely, leaving the most profound mark, swallowing it into the throat, preventing it from raising its innocent head towards the sky in front of others.
“Ye Yun, what’s wrong with An Lan?” Xu Xingran asked.
His voice lacked its usual warmth, lowered to the point where his original voice couldn’t be recognized.
Ye Yun’s alertness instantly increased. He stood in front of An Lan, making it impossible for the three of them to see An Lan’s condition.
“I called for Coach Lin! The three of you, go as far away as you can!”
“Ye Yun, what’s gotten into you? Didn’t you say something happened to An Lan?”
Xiao Chen took another step forward. The almost scentless fragrance in the air carried an irresistibly attractive force, seeming to control Xiao Chen’s legs, making him step forward like a puppet.
“I’ve said it, don’t come any closer!” Cold sweat trickled down Ye Yun’s forehead.
Even though An Lan’s pheromone concentration was very low, so faint that even Ye Yun, a high-quality omega, had to get close to smell it, for some reason, these three high-quality alphas seemed to have a keen recognition of his pheromone scent. Standing ten meters away, they could still smell it.
“We won’t do anything to him.”
Suddenly, Gu Liyu pushed aside Xiao Chen’s shoulder and quickly walked over.
“Gu…”
Gu Liyu bent down, easily picking up An Lan. “We must go to the hospital immediately. Only the doctor can save him. We can’t replace the doctor to determine whether he’s in heat or in a susceptible period.”
Although Gu Liyu’s voice was cold, it was like a piece of ice being roasted on hot coals. Ye Yun could almost feel the warmth in his throat.
At this moment, Coach Lin ran over. “What happened? What’s going on!”
“Coach Lin, we need to go to the hospital right away. You drive,” Gu Liyu said coldly.
“Alright! I’ll drive! Let’s hurry to the hospital!”
Xiao Chen suddenly realized something and shouted, “You guys get in the car first. I’ll go get the suppressant!”
Looking at An Lan’s condition, Ye Yun, who had lost his previous composure, said, “Suppressants might not necessarily work for him!”
“They work for us!” Xiao Chen replied.
Gu Liyu carried An Lan into the elevator, and they rushed to the underground parking lot.
An Lan began to run a fever, sweating profusely. His whole body felt like it was immersed in hot water, and his blood seemed eager to escape the constraints of his body and evaporate outward.
He tightly clung to Gu Liyu’s shooting suit, pressing his cheek against his chest, seeking something but never finding satisfaction.
Xu Xingran opened the car door, and at this moment, Xiao Chen, drenched in sweat, came running frantically, throwing out two inhibitors.
Gu Liyu placed An Lan in the back seat and said to Ye Yun, “You take care of him.”
“Okay.” Ye Yun nodded and got into the back seat.
Xu Xingran opened the suppressant, unhesitatingly injected it into his own arm. Gu Liyu dismantled another one and injected it into himself.
Coach Lin didn’t say a word, stepped on the gas, and rushed out of the underground garage.
Ye Yun hugged An Lan. An Lan was clearly in a special state, with three high-quality alphas following them, in case they couldn’t resist the temptation and all pounced on him, Ye Yun could imagine how terrifying the scene would be.
However, strangely… these three guys made Ye Yun feel… like the safest option.
Coach Lin opened all the car windows, and the wind rushed in.
An Lan, on the other hand, couldn’t hear any sound. He only knew that his heart was like a punctured hole, making a roaring sound. He wanted to grasp everything he could, sealing that hole.
An Lan was hugged by Ye Yun, but he used his strength to clutch the front seat.
There was something there that attracted him.
Throughout the journey, except for Coach Lin lowering the rear view mirror to check on An Lan’s condition, the others, as if by some unspoken agreement, never turned their heads to look at An Lan or glanced at the rearview mirror.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the hospital, and medical staff who received the news rushed over with a stretcher.
Ye Yun went to the other side, just opened the car door, and An Lan collapsed.
Xu Xingran quickly supported An Lan. Compared to the medical staff’s efforts to pull An Lan out, Xu Xingran smoothly half-carried him out with a single hand. The other hand went around his legs, lifting him onto the bed in one go.
“Where to go? We’re faster!” Xiao Chen said.
“Go to the elevator on the other side and head to the third floor!”
Gu Liyu directed while Xiao Chen pushed the stretcher. Fast and decisive, they reached the stairs. To save time, they didn’t take the ramp but lifted the stretcher with the person straight up, entering the elevator without any swaying.
The attending doctor, aware of An Lan’s situation, was already waiting at the elevator.
As soon as the door opened, he conducted various basic tests on An Lan. When Xu Xingran and the others wanted to follow, the attending doctor raised his hand to stop them.
“You all wait outside. I’ll find you in a while!”
After saying that, the emergency room door closed.
The five of them sat on chairs waiting.
Coach Lin still didn’t understand what had happened, but looking at the others’ gloomy faces, he didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Xu Xingran leaned against the chair back, even though he tried hard to restrain himself, the wrinkled brow revealed his inner irritation.
Xiao Chen clenched his fists against his chin, his left foot continuously tapping on the ground. He was restless and guilty.
“If it weren’t for my pheromone rivalry with Xiao Nan… he probably wouldn’t be in trouble…” Xiao Chen said.
Gu Liyu held a phone in one hand, constantly sending messages, but the other hand remained clenched into a fist. He was very nervous.
Ye Yun was the first to break the silence, asking, “You all told me that he would differentiate into an alpha… but his condition doesn’t look anything like an alpha. I almost used my suppressant on him, but considering that you said he was in the differentiation period, I held back and decided to come to the hospital for the doctor to make the decision.”
The question was asked, but the others were still in an anxious state. This kind of anxiety, in Ye Yun’s view, was like their coveted omega about to be taken away.
After a long time, Xu Xingran spoke, “If nothing unexpected happens, he was supposed to differentiate into an alpha. But during this special differentiation period, he was injected with eve’s apple at triple concentration.”
Hearing the name of that banned drug, Ye Yun’s fingers trembled a bit. He, too, was a victim of this banned substance.
The fear of losing control and seeking liberation everywhere surged in Ye Yun’s heart once again.
And An Lan was injected at a concentration three times higher than his own.
“Because the concentration was too high… did it forcibly change his differentiation direction?” Ye Yun asked with a trembling voice.
If so, this drug was too terrifying. It would change not only the differentiation direction of a person but their entire life.
“The specific situation, you’ll have to ask the doctor,” Xu Xingran replied.
It involves differentiation, and there will be quite a few checks.
The whole corridor was very quiet. Coach Lin asked Xu Xingran for An Lan’s parents’ phone number and went to the end of the corridor to contact An Lan’s parents.
Over ten minutes passed, and the attending doctor still didn’t come out. Instead, two men in black suits with work badges escorted a freezer to the outside of the emergency room.
“Who are you people?”
Ye Yun stood up very alertly.
Xiao Chen’s face changed. He was about to stand up but was pressed down by Xu Xingran.
“Are you from the Alpha Management Committee? What are you here for?” Xu Xingran asked coldly.
“Don’t be nervous.” One of the men in black showed his work ID to them. “We are here to deliver the neutralizing agent. A research institution has provided an antidote for eve’s apple, but since this antidote is a controlled substance, it must be approved by the Alpha Management Committee before it can be used. It can only be delivered by us.”
The door of the emergency room opened, and An Lan’s attending doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two men in black.
“Great, you’ve arrived,” the attending doctor immediately accepted the neutralizing agent brought by the other party. Then, carrying the frozen medicine box, he went back into the emergency room.
The author has something to say:
An Lan…..En…. entered the hospital again.
Perhaps little An Lan will become… little A? This way, Coach Lin can assemble four A’s and create a bomb.
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