The main point is, there’s an Omega among the survivors. Zhou Rong sighed deeply, looking exhausted: “This kid was chased by zombies during the transfer and hit his head on a shelf, bleeding everywhere. That pheromone scent was something else. I was on guard outside, and in just a few minutes, Comrade Guo Weixiang almost committed an error worthy of execution…”
The teenager peeked over, seemingly wanting to know what they were discussing, but looking timid.
“Don’t come over! Stay away!” Zhou Rong immediately roared when he saw Guo Weixiang trying to approach.
Guo Weixiang wilted and returned to pulling grass.
Zhou Rong snorted, still angry.
“This child’s blood and pheromone scent is extremely strong. He’s entering sexual maturity and is about to have his first heat. We must take him with us, but soon, even without bleeding, his pre-heat pheromones will spread for miles, attracting hordes of zombies and exposing everyone to danger.”
“Either we leave immediately and quickly find him some suppressants, or we let him go through his heat and end it cleanly.” Zhou Rong patted Yan Hao’s shoulder sincerely: “The organization has carefully considered and wants to give you a chance to find a partner.”
Yan Hao immediately stepped back two steps, his feet swift – a completely different image from being weakly supported by Sinan earlier: “No no, Captain, Brother Rong! You’re the leader, so it’s better if you handle it personally.”
Chapter 34
“But Captain, you’re two months older than me. Your need to start a family is more urgent, so you’re the one who shouldn’t refuse!”
“I have Xiao Si, look how he was just looking in my direction. He’s clearly secretly in love with me but too shy to say it. How could I ignore his feelings?”
Zhou Rong and Yan Hao sat by the campfire, looking like underground party members meeting secretly. Everyone passing by kept ten meters away from them. Suddenly, they both turned back, focusing on Si Nan, who was wiping a military dagger by the armored vehicle, catching him off guard.
“Look,” Zhou Rong whispered: “He’s looking at me, totally entranced.”
Yan Hao suspiciously asked: “Isn’t he looking at me?”
Zhou Rong pressed down on his head: “You’re overthinking!”
Every time Si Nan almost convinced himself that his speculation about these two Alphas’ relationship was just wild guessing, they would do something shocking, completely blinding his interference battle vision.
He rubbed his brow, subconsciously trying to smooth out the fine wrinkle between his eyebrows, and let out a long sigh.
“Look, he’s sighing,” Zhou Rong said coldly, “Be careful, or I’ll beat you up!”
On the other side of the fire, Guo Weixiang was lying face down on the ground, carefully avoiding pressure on his buttocks, which had just been kicked by Zhou Rong.
“…I’m asking you,” he said weakly, “Have you forgotten there’s another Alpha in our team?”
Yan Hao sympathetically said: “You mean Da Ding?”
Zheng had to check on him regularly to ensure he was well.
“Look at him—he’s practically a child!” Guo Weixiang exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “How can you expect me to believe he can handle this?”
Dr. Zheng intervened gently, “He’s part of the team now, and every member has their role to play. We need to trust one another.”
Zhou Rong nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Teamwork is key, and we must support each other.”
Da Ding chimed in, “Right! Everyone’s got something valuable to contribute.”
As they discussed, the camaraderie among them started to strengthen, with jokes and light-hearted banter flowing freely, moments of relief amidst their serious tasks.
Zheng racked his brain but couldn’t find anything suitable for him to do, and finally could only have him wash some light clothes with Wu Xinyan. They didn’t even dare to let him wash the special forces’ clothes, as their Alpha masking agents only lasted two months and were now gradually losing effectiveness. They were afraid the residual pheromones on the clothes might trigger an early heat for Omegas – Zhou Rong felt helpless and could only squat by the river every day, smoking and scrubbing T-shirts.
They traveled south along the small towns by the highway, passing through Hebei and taking a route through Wuhan, trying to avoid zombie-congested highways and densely populated major cities. Whenever they passed a village, Zhou Rong would personally lead a team to search for survival supplies and sometimes rescue survivors. However, as time passed, the food they could collect and the number of people they could rescue became fewer and fewer because fewer and fewer living people remained.
The group of people brought out from the fertilizer factory, along with survivors rescued along the way, now formed a team of over seventy people. Zhou Rong said that if they entered a large town, they could definitely find more living people. However, they no longer had the time or ability to venture deep into high-risk areas to search for more survivors. No one knew if the original antibodies in their possession were stable enough or how much longer they would be effective.
If the South China Sea base was indeed waiting for them, and their journey delayed the critical moment of antiviral research, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Yan Hao lay behind the cover, squinting and looking through the sight at a zombie forty meters away: “Captain.” A soft whoosh, and the zombie fell.
Zhou Rong: “What?”
“I’ve been thinking for a long time,” Yan Hao said seriously, “I think you really need an Omega.”
Zhou Rong: “…Why?”
“You’ve been single for too long, your internal fire is strong, and your endocrine system is clearly having problems. Last time you almost suffocated Spring Grass while urinating in the grass. And last night, you pretended to be asleep to cuddle with Xiao Si, who avoided you several times…”
“I was sleepwalking,” Zhou Rong’s face remained unchanged as he steadily pulled the trigger, taking down a zombie sixty meters away. Yan Hao sighed. “Being stubborn won’t work, Captain,” he said sympathetically. “Deep-closeted Os need to come out of the closet. Moreover, that little Ren’s scent is getting stronger, and they haven’t found a pharmacy along the way.”
If this continues, he might go into heat and cause trouble for everyone. I think you should take the initiative…”
Footsteps were heard from behind. Zhou Rong maintained his prone position and turned to see Si Nan putting down the ammunition box on the ground, standing with arms crossed, looking down and observing the two of them. Zhou Rong instinctively wanted to pull out a fruit candy from his pocket to curry favor, but before he could, Si Nan coldly asked:
“Why not ask for their own opinion?”
Zhou Rong laughed as if hearing the most ridiculous joke: “Whose opinion?” Si Nan pointed back, where little Ren sat next to Dr. Zheng, clumsily helping to pluck chicken feathers.
“The Omega’s opinion?” Zhou Rong laughed: “What opinion does an Omega need to have? It’s just about marking and having children…”
“If he doesn’t find an Alpha, it’ll be hard for him to survive. And marking has never been up to the Omega,” Yan Hao quickly explained. “An Omega’s nature is to find an Alpha with weaker pheromone suppression, but if they continue to reproduce like this generation after generation, the Alpha system would weaken or even collapse. Many people now criticize so-called Alpha chauvinism, but this is the current social reality, and this is what we were taught in school textbooks.”
Si Nan’s eyes narrowed, and if observed carefully, the muscles on his face were slightly tense.
