Xia Weizhen took a low-dose Suppressant injection and sat nearby to rest.
Mu Chenxing and the other two contacted each member of the Association who had gone through their Heat Period one by one, confirming the duration of their Pheromone dissipation.
The Association only had a handful of people who had experienced a Heat Period in total. In less than five minutes, they had compiled all the data.
Zhang Yunli glanced at the results and immediately summoned all the Omegas to his lab.
After collecting data from all a dozen or so of them, Mu Chenxing and the others were shooed away. They brushed past several familiar professors from the Medical College on their way out.
The Omegas grew anxious and uneasy.
“It’s a holiday today? So many professors?”
“Is it because of our data?”
“Besides, Teacher Zhang has never been this serious before. I’m scared.”
“What if there’s a problem?”
Mu Chenxing reassured them. “You have to trust our Teacher Zhang. He’s serious, sure, but not nervous at all. That means it’s definitely not bad news.”
Tong Xiao chimed in. “Exactly. Plus, your Heat Periods are all over now. Just eat and drink well, and you’ll be fine.”
The two of them took turns speaking, finally soothing the sensitive, overthinking Omegas.
The next day, even the Omegas who hadn’t entered their Heat Period yet were called in for checks—including Mu Chenxing.
Soon after, an email from the Medical College office went out first thing Monday morning, instructing all Omegas to head to the Medical Building for physical exams.
At that point, everyone relaxed instead.
One person with a problem? Terrifying. A few? Nerve-wracking. The whole group? Misery loves company—if we go down, we go down together.
Everyone stayed composed, and the matter slipped to the back of their minds.
Mu Chenxing didn’t think much of it either.
Over half a month later, an Omega who went to the Medical Building to pick up medicine posted in the group chat: “So many people.”
Attached photo: Several long queues of Omegas snaking in front of the Medical Building.
“Why so many Omegas?”
“They’re from off-campus. The dessert shop owner and the pastry shop owner!”
“And those waiter brothers from XXX Restaurant.”
“And…”
…
“We’re the Medical College—probably using them for drug testing?”
“But they don’t look sick.”
“Not necessarily treatment. Could be health supplements.”
…
Mu Chenxing and Tong Xiao exchanged a glance. They both thought back to the data collection from the Association Omegas last time.
They connected the call and huddled together, muttering for a while before starting to secretly keep records.
In the remaining less-than-two months of the semester, a few more Omegas from the Association went through their Heat Periods one after another.
This time, however, the Medical Office teachers controlled their Pheromone emission durations even more precisely: projected at seven days, not exceeding nine; projected at nine, not exceeding eleven. The margin of error was kept to just one or two days.
Everyone felt reassured.
But Mu Chenxing and Tong Xiao, the two secretly tracking the data, spotted an issue.
Sophomore year was the peak for Alphas and Omegas entering their Heat Periods. Freshmen and juniors were rarer, with the focus on sophomores.
Now, sophomore year was almost over, and fewer than half the people in their Association had gone into Heat.
Yet their college saw someone in Heat every day. Before finals week, at least 80% of Omegas in every class had successfully passed through theirs.
But the Heat Period count in their Omega Growth Association was still under half.
This data was far below the norm.
Mu Chenxing and Tong Xiao secretly went to find Zhang Yunli.
Zhang Yunli seemed extremely busy. When he saw them, he was still in his lab coat. He paused at their question, then laughed. “This shouldn’t be a bad thing. Don’t worry.”
“Right, tell the classmates in the Association who haven’t gone into Heat yet: If they’re not staying on campus over summer break, come to the Medical Office for a detection report and Suppressant usage guide. If their Heat hits during vacation, hand those two documents over to the hospital.”
Then Mu Chenxing and Tong Xiao were shooed away.
Though the classmates in the Omega Association didn’t understand, they obediently went to the Medical Office to pick up their detection reports and Suppressant guides before nervously diving into finals.
Sophomore nursing majors had already started human anatomy classes and various lab sessions. While the other Omegas trembled with fear and panicked through the adjustment period, Mu Chenxing calmly dissected simulated skin, flesh, organs, and small lab animals, acing every lab class.
Finals ended, and the former academic slacker—who’d ranked at the bottom as a freshman—officially shed that label in his second sophomore semester with a cultural studies grade of third in his year. First and second place went to Shen Mingshu and Tong Xiao, those two freaks he couldn’t beat.
Still, he was plenty satisfied.
With his strong transcript in hand, he smoothly graduated from sophomore year and advanced to junior year.
When junior year started, another batch of Omegas in the Medical College went through their Heat Periods.
But their Association only added seven.
The ones who hadn’t gone into Heat returned and started bitterly complaining in the group chat about force-fed nutritional supplements for two straight months—they were about to puke.
Mu Chenxing, who had gone to District 67 over summer break for a part-time gig and to keep Luo Chen company, joined in the griping for once.
“…If it was even tasty, fine. But it was so gross!” Mu Chenxing wailed in agony. “Even my dad’s cooking couldn’t save those awful ingredients.”
The crowd was stunned:
“Hahaha, Xingxing, you got force-fed nutrient meals too?”
“Makes sense—you haven’t gone into Heat either.”
“First time hearing you suffer. Kinda makes me happy! Hahaha~”
…
The Omegas who’d choked down supplements for two months did start entering their Heat Periods after school reopened. Finally, in the four months of the first junior semester, most of the Omega Growth Association’s inaugural 64 members passed through their Heat Periods.
Most.
One hadn’t: Mu Chenxing.
In fact, he was the last one in the entire Medical College yet to enter his.
Zhang Yunli had long predicted his Heat Period would be delayed to junior year due to overuse of Suppressants, so Mu Chenxing wasn’t worried at all.
But others didn’t know—especially Luo Chen.
After winter break, Mu Chenxing showed zero signs of entering his Heat Period. Even after he relayed Zhang Yunli’s assessment to Luo Chen, the guy still fretted nonstop. He force-fed him nutrients over break, and after school started, flew in weekly to cook up soups, stews, and medicinal meals until Mu Chenxing’s face turned green.
Even so, by the end of the second junior semester, Mu Chenxing’s Heat Period still hadn’t arrived.
This time, not just Luo Chen was fired up—Zhang Yunli was too.
Somehow, the two of them teamed up. Over summer, they wouldn’t let him take a part-time job, instead keeping him pinned to studying, training, resting, eating nutrient meals, and getting checkups.
Even Pei Yao, far away at the Border, messaged to ask about his health.
That’s when Mu Chenxing learned Pei Yao had shipped back his Pheromone Extract ahead of time for Zhang Yunli to make custom Pheromone Suppressants.
…Yeah. Omega Suppressants were mainly synthesized from the active components of extracted Alpha Pheromones.
And vice versa.
Mu Chenxing was too lazy to roast Pei Yao over it.
Suppressants were everywhere—why ship back his Pheromones to make custom ones? What kind of move was that?
Still, he hadn’t expected their long-distance thing to last over two years.
These past two years, he’d been swamped with studies and training. Only in the dead of night did he occasionally miss that guy’s cheeky grin and embrace… just occasionally.
Separated so long, he’d kinda forgotten what the other felt like.
Pei Yao probably had too.
Their chats and talks had dwindled who-knows-when. Pei Yao was still as flirty as ever, asking about his training and grades.
But he couldn’t ask about Pei Yao’s side.
He respected the soldier’s code. He knew tons of military System stuff was off-limits.
No questions from him, and conversations fizzled.
Their exchanges often boiled down to Pei Yao teasing with a couple flirty lines, asking about training, him replying twice, done.
Monotonous. Dull.
They felt more like teacher and student than lovers.
By the last junior semester, talks had shrunk to once every ten days or half a month.
Mu Chenxing had even started planning to transfer or sell that house near school back to Pei Yao before his senior internship.
Turns out, the guy shipped his Pheromone Extract from a thousand miles away just so Zhang Yunli could turn his Pheromone Extract into custom Suppressants for him.
Mu Chenxing’s heart settled right then.
His did, but everyone else’s ramped up.
Zhang Yunli checked him every few days.
Luo Chen flew in weekly, shelling out premium express fees for nutrient deliveries daily.
Pei Yao even video-called Luo Chen to book him a full-body checkup package and strong-arm him into going.
Even the Omega Association folks treaded carefully around him, afraid his mental state was fragile.
Mu Chenxing was miserable.
Luckily, in his second month of senior year—which was also right before the All-Alliance College Arena Tournament qualifiers—his Heat Period finally hit.
With Pei Yao’s high-grade Pheromone Extract, after two-plus hours of pain, Mu Chenxing smoothly transferred to a regular ward. He lay there a day and got discharged.
Even his Pheromone emission lasted only three days.
Mu Chenxing had questions. “I saw Xia Xia and the others’ data. Seems like the better their stamina and physique, the longer the emission. Why’d mine, with my build, only last three days?”
Zhang Yunli said, “Because you used the highest-grade Pheromones. Your three days equal their seven or eight times over.”
Mu Chenxing got it. “So my physique’s decent?”
Zhang Yunli blurted, “Yeah.”
He paused, then turned. “How’d you know physique ties to emission duration?”
Mu Chenxing blinked. “Two years ago, didn’t you collect data? Tong Xiao and I compared it across the whole college. Easy guess.”
Zhang Yunli: “…”
Mu Chenxing figured it was just casual talk and put it out of mind, focusing on prepping for the All-Alliance College Arena Tournament.
He’d planned to enter in junior year, but with droves of Alphas hitting Heat Periods in sophomore and junior years—their physiques and stamina surging—he’d realized his old training intensity wouldn’t cut it. He needed to ramp up.
After discussing with Pei Yao, he postponed to senior year.
He just hadn’t expected his Heat Period to come so late.
Gland maturation brought some body changes.
These two years, he’d trained at the Land Warfare Academy and mentored newbie Omegas, often sparring post-Heat Alphas. Back then, he’d clearly felt his shortcomings.
Post-Heat, though, his condition improved massively.
Strength and speed both leaped up.
No one had ever told him Omegas got physique boosts after Heat.
Tong Xiao, who sparred Precision Strikes, variable hurdles, and obstacle sprints with him, was speechless. “We told you ages ago. You insisted it was a qualitative leap from long-term training.”
Xia Weizhen, tagging along, grinned. “Anyway, even if we get stronger, we’re still no match for you. You wouldn’t notice.”
Mu Chenxing: “…Is that how it is?”
Tong Xiao patted him. “Don’t stress. It’s just puberty turning into peak adult form. Normal. Adapt slowly.”
Mu Chenxing: “…”
No time for slow. Qualifiers were ten-odd days away. He had to adjust to the new power and speed, recalibrate balance in that timeframe… The upside? Upward adaptation meant more match confidence.
Still, before the All-Alliance College Arena Tournament, the Alliance Government and Military District awarded their whole Association first.
At the annual school celebration assembly, the Alliance Vice Chairman and Central Star Military District Vice Admiral presented the awards together in front of the entire school.
The Omega Association’s inaugural 64 members received Outstanding Contribution Awards and a collective First-Class Merit. Every one of them got promoted ahead of schedule.
Meaning these 64 Omegas, not even graduated, jumped from regular soldier reserves to upper-class privates.
The whole school was stunned.
What the hell did these Omegas do??
Not just them—the Association Omegas were baffled too, totally clueless.
