Chapter 59: A+A (VII)

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Chapter 59: A+A (VII)

Rhine stopped in front of Shang Ke, his overwhelming presence bearing down on him and locking him firmly in place.

Shang Ke stepped back until his body met the icy metal bed frame. He was just about to speak and break the silence when his expression abruptly changed. A domineering wave of pheromones forcibly broke through his defenses and invaded his senses.

Rhine stepped between his legs and pulled him into his arms with one hand. Their bodies pressed tightly together, close enough that they seemed able to feel the heat of each other’s blood and the pounding of each other’s pulse.

Shang Ke raised his arms to block him, but Rhine pressed forward instead of retreating, forcing his legs apart while holding his waist firmly to prevent him from escaping. Powerful pheromones laden with overwhelming desire surged through Shang Ke.

Shang Ke let out a muffled grunt, fury blazing in his eyes as he glared at the man before him. He refused to believe Rhine would actually dare assault him inside the training camp.

But Shang Ke had clearly underestimated the arrogance and privilege enjoyed by powerful Alphas. Ordinary rules placed almost no restraint on someone of Rhine’s status. Moreover, throughout the Empire’s history, there had never been a recorded case of one Alpha forcing himself on another. Even if Rhine actually did it, probably no one would believe Shang Ke.

The anger in Shang Ke’s eyes acted like a detonator, instantly igniting Rhine’s desire. Rhine abruptly seized his lips and swallowed his breath.

Pinned against the bed frame, Shang Ke could barely move. Every attempt to resist only provoked a fiercer response. Rhine’s pheromones occupied his body little by little, pleasure and humiliation assaulting his mind at the same time. As Shang Ke gradually lost strength, he was once again forced to recognize just how great the difference between their abilities truly was.

I refuse to accept this!

Shang Ke clenched his fists and desperately resisted the pheromones rampaging through him. Rhine had not physically taken him, yet his scent had already claimed every part of Shang Ke’s body, leaving traces across every inch of skin.

It was even harder to endure than the real thing.

Shang Ke suddenly grabbed the bed frame above him, heaved himself upward, bent both legs, and kicked forcefully toward Rhine’s chest.

Rhine crossed his arms to block, but Shang Ke’s full-powered kick still drove him back half a step.

Unfortunately, the dormitory was too cramped for Shang Ke to make full use of his movement techniques. Moments later, Rhine caught him around the waist, cut off his attack, and forced him down onto the bed.

With both his arms and legs restrained, Shang Ke’s fury erupted. He sank his teeth into Rhine’s neck so viciously that he nearly tore off a piece of flesh.

Rhine’s gaze darkened. He turned Shang Ke over and pulled aside his already loosened clothing, exposing the scars covering his back. His movements paused when he saw them, but when Shang Ke struggled again, Rhine pinned down his arms and lowered his head to bite his lower back.

A violent shudder ran through Shang Ke. “Rhine, what are you doing?!”

“Marking you.”

Scalding pheromones seeped into Shang Ke’s skin through the bite. The needlelike pain made him cry out involuntarily.

“No!” Shang Ke struggled with all his strength, his pheromones surging violently in resistance.

Their Alpha pheromones clashed, causing Rhine’s marking attempt to fail. His gaze darkened as he leaned close to Shang Ke’s ear and said quietly, “Do you want me to take you right now, or will you behave and let me mark you?”

“I don’t want either!” Once marked, the marker’s pheromones would remain on his body. It would practically announce to everyone that he, an Alpha, had been claimed as the property of another Alpha. If he carried another man’s scent, how could he possibly face him later?

“Then I’ll decide for you.” Rhine hauled him up, turned him around, pressed him against the headboard, and leaned over him.

Then Rhine happened to catch sight of Shang Ke’s expression and stopped.

Conquering the Alpha before him undoubtedly gave Rhine an indescribable thrill. Yet the humiliation and anger in Shang Ke’s eyes made him hesitate. Seeing Shang Ke distressed caused an inexplicable irritation to rise within him as well.

In this world, only a powerful Alpha truly had the right to say “no.” Controlling and being controlled, conquering and being conquered, marking and being marked—these were all treated as natural laws. Rhine did not believe he had done anything wrong.

And yet, what he wanted from Shang Ke seemed to be more than this…

“You’re still too weak.” Rhine’s fingers brushed the corner of Shang Ke’s eye as he murmured quietly. If this man had been an Omega, he probably would have surrendered to their biological instincts long ago. Rhine could not understand why Shang Ke insisted on resisting when both of them experienced pleasure.

“Give me time. I’ll become stronger!” Shang Ke swore that even if it had nothing to do with his mission, he would become strong. This godforsaken world had no reason or fairness to speak of—status and strength were everything!

“I’ll wait.” Rhine slowly sat up, then fixed him with a cold, piercing gaze. “But remember this: you belong to me. I won’t allow anyone else’s scent on you.”

Shang Ke remained silent.

“Clean yourself up. Prepare for training tonight.” Rhine straightened his slightly disordered uniform and left Shang Ke’s dormitory.

Shang Ke was practically stripped bare while Rhine walked away looking perfectly respectable. Worse, Rhine’s scent still lingered inside him, leaving him with the unpleasant feeling of having been thoroughly taken advantage of.

Fuck! Ever since arriving in this world, Shang Ke’s frequency of swearing had skyrocketed.

He decided to temporarily put his search for him aside and focus entirely on training. He needed to become strong enough that anyone who tried to top him would end up impotent!

From then on, Shang Ke poured almost all his energy into training. He woke earlier than everyone else, trained longer than everyone else, and endured far more hardship—yet his progress remained slower than theirs.

Quite a few people mocked his poor aptitude behind his back and occasionally taunted him to his face, but Shang Ke ignored them all. His restraint only made them look down on him more, while also leaving them disappointed. This was the “hero” everyone outside praised? He had neither strength nor backbone. Maybe surviving Via City really had been nothing but luck.

Rhine heard the soldiers’ criticism but did nothing to interfere. Shang Ke had to earn their respect through his own ability; otherwise, every step he took in the future would be difficult.

“First Lieutenant, I’ve seen footage of you fighting at Via City and greatly admired your skill. Now that we’re assigned to the same unit, would you mind sparring with me for a few moves?” An officer who also held the rank of First Lieutenant approached Shang Ke and asked in a seemingly sincere tone.

Shang Ke had just finished the team’s daily training. Everyone else still looked relatively relaxed, while his face was pale, sweat streamed down his body, and he appeared almost completely drained.

Shang Ke glanced at the teammates gathered around to watch the show, slowly set down his canteen, and replied, “Sure.”

The lieutenant paused in surprise before smiling and gesturing toward the training area. “Please.”

The two entered the training ground. One assumed a textbook military combat stance, while the other was so exhausted that even his steps seemed unsteady.

Quiet laughter rippled through the spectators.

The lieutenant suddenly wondered whether challenging Shang Ke had been a mistake. Wasn’t this basically bullying an invalid? Even winning would bring no satisfaction. Better to finish it quickly.

His gaze sharpened, and he charged straight toward Shang Ke, throwing a heavy punch directly at his face. The strike generated a fierce gust of wind. Even the spectators could feel its power—if it landed cleanly, Shang Ke would be severely injured even if it did not kill him.

Shang Ke appeared to have no intention of dodging. Just as the fist came roaring toward him and everyone assumed he was finished, his figure abruptly vanished from the lieutenant’s line of sight. The punch struck empty air, and the lieutenant stumbled several steps forward with the momentum. Before he could regain his balance, numbness shot through his knees, forcing his legs to buckle. A heavy blow then struck the back of his neck. His vision spun, and he collapsed helplessly to the ground.

The entire exchange lasted only two or three seconds. It was over before anyone had time to blink.

The training ground fell completely silent.

Shang Ke stood with his back to the unconscious lieutenant. His complexion remained deathly pale and his body still looked weak. Sweat slowly slid from his temple and traced past his vivid red lips. He casually wiped it away, his eyes slightly lowered and a hint of languor softening his features. Standing alone in the open training ground, he looked fragile yet was unmistakably strong, creating an indescribably distinctive presence.

Shang Ke waited for a moment. When the lieutenant showed no sign of waking, he finally turned and walked away.

“Holy shit! One move—he knocked Isaac out in basically one move!” The moment Shang Ke left, the entire training ground erupted.

“Did anyone actually see what he did just now? How was he that fast?”

“The surveillance cameras should’ve recorded it. We can pull up the footage later.”

Defeating a First Lieutenant was nothing extraordinary in itself. What shocked everyone was how effortlessly, cleanly, and quickly Shang Ke had done it—while visibly exhausted and physically weakened.

When Isaac woke up, his face flushed scarlet. “I refuse to accept that! I want another match with him!”

Someone nearby kindly informed him that Shang Ke had gone to the medical room.

Isaac immediately chased after him.

When he reached the medical room and raised a hand to knock, he suddenly heard voices from inside.

“First Lieutenant Filmore, I have to remind you again: your body suffered severe systemic damage. Even ordinary physical training can leave you in pain for three days and nights, let alone more than ten hours of intensified training every single day!” the doctor scolded furiously. Shang Ke had already become a regular visitor to the medical room, and every examination made the doctor’s heart jump. Extreme physical depletion, muscle spasms—he could barely walk steadily, yet somehow he still kept training!

Sitting on the bed, Shang Ke smiled. “Thanks for worrying about me. I’m fine.” At this point, he was practically the legendary masochist—the more suffering he endured, the more determined he became. Hehe.

“‘I’m fine, I’m fine’—you say that every time!” The doctor brought him medicine and snapped, “Listen carefully. You are resting tomorrow. Otherwise, I’m putting you on sleeping medication myself.”

“Doctor, that is a blatant threat,” Shang Ke protested.

“Hmph. Yes, I’m threatening you. Go file a complaint!” The doctor badly wanted to throttle him, but couldn’t bring himself to do it and could only stew in frustration.

“All right, later I’ll…” The doctor abruptly stopped speaking.

At some point, Shang Ke had already fallen asleep against the side of the bed.

Looking at the scars covering Shang Ke’s body and his peaceful sleeping face, the doctor could not suppress a pang of sadness. Outsiders saw only a hero’s glory. How many people ever cared about the suffering that glory had cost?

The doctor sighed softly and gently covered Shang Ke with a blanket.

Outside the door, First Lieutenant Isaac lowered his head and silently turned to leave—only to discover Rhine standing soundlessly behind him with a dark expression. He nearly pissed himself in fright.

Isaac hurriedly saluted. Rhine said coldly, “A weighted fifty-kilometer run, followed by five hours of cross-country combat-aircraft training. Effective immediately.”

Isaac’s face collapsed in despair as he trudged away to carry out his punishment.

Rhine entered the medical room. The doctor saluted upon seeing him, then tactfully withdrew.

Rhine stood beside the bed and watched Shang Ke quietly for a while. Then he bent down and lightly pressed a kiss to his lips.

For once, Shang Ke obeyed his doctor and took the next day off. He planned to visit his Omega father and pick up some daily necessities while he was out.

He had only just left the training camp when he spotted Ryan standing not far away. Shang Ke assumed Ryan had come to see him and was wondering whether he should go over and say hello when Ryan suddenly ran in another direction.

It turned out he was meeting Zeka.

Shang Ke shrugged. No need to greet him, then. He could simply get on with his own business.

He turned around and cheerfully walked away.

Just as Shang Ke turned away, Zeka raised his head and watched his departing figure. Then he looked back at Ryan and smiled. “Filmore’s been training pretty hard lately. Aren’t you going to check on him?”

Ryan gave him a reproachful look. “You know perfectly well I don’t like him.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Zeka smiled faintly. Not long ago, Ryan had been extremely close to Filmore. There had even been rumors that the two had established a relationship, and Zeka himself had been considering competing with Filmore for him. How had Ryan suddenly stopped liking him?

When had that changed?

Hmm… wasn’t it right around the time rumors spread that Filmore’s strength had greatly declined?

The smile remained on Zeka’s face, but his eyes revealed boredom and faint mockery.

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