Johnsen lay on a bed in the pitch-black darkness, his hands and feet tightly bound by alloy chains. In truth, it was an unnecessary precaution, as he had no strength to struggle.
He didn’t know what kind of drug Qi Sheng had injected him with, but he was now weaker than an omega, drowsy all day long. Only Qi Sheng’s pheromones could rouse his spirits and make him feel like a person again.
No, not even a person.
He had become Qi Sheng’s plaything. Although Qi Sheng constantly told him how much he loved him, he was nothing more than a toy.
The moment Qi Sheng’s pheromones appeared, he would grow as excited as a wild beast. But what could a bound beast do?
He went from roaring to begging, until Qi Sheng finally finished pouring out his heart to him.
From this, Johnsen learned that J.K. was now firmly in Qi Sheng’s grasp. Qi Sheng had unilaterally severed their partnership with Warm-O, and his life’s work was on the verge of collapse. Even if he regained his freedom, he would only face the furious retaliation of the Third Princess.
Qi Sheng had hidden it well. To this day, no one knew he was missing. An alpha with a similar build, doused in pheromone perfume, was making a mess of his life.
No one suspected a thing. After all, standing beside that alpha was the one who loved him most, Qi Sheng.
“My dearest Johnsen, rest assured, I haven’t let that alpha lay a single finger on me.”
“You are the only one I love,” Qi Sheng would still say with deep affection.
Johnsen was terrified, but his body wouldn’t allow him to be.
His body was in heat.
Yes, it turned out that this word, typically reserved for omegas, could also be applied to an alpha. It was laughably absurd.
Johnsen lost track of time. He tried to count the seconds with his heartbeat, but he kept falling asleep. Eventually, he gave up on that method and started counting time by Qi Sheng’s visits.
After Qi Sheng’s fifth visit, light finally filled the dark room.
Several betas walked in, wearing the uniforms of a home security system maintenance company, but their sharp demeanor was unlike that of honest workers.
Before Johnsen could get a clear look at their faces, he was knocked unconscious and carried away.
This was, of course, Tang Jianxi’s handiwork. After several rounds of negotiation with Marco, Tang Jianxi had learned of Qi Sheng’s scheme. She guessed that her previous statements in front of Qi Sheng had likely cost her his trust, so she didn’t try to approach him directly.
In the ABO era, it wasn’t difficult to imprison someone. Many intelligent, automated devices could satisfy a captive’s physiological needs.
But under the Empire’s tight surveillance network, making a person vanish without a trace was nearly impossible.
Qi Sheng must have secured Johnsen before striking a deal with Spartacus. This meant that Johnsen had been locked up by Qi Sheng ever since he returned from the auction that day.
In that case, it was highly likely Johnsen was still in his own home.
Tang Jianxi sent people to discreetly observe Qi Sheng and discovered that the scent of alpha pheromones on him grew stronger every two days.
She used the expensive hacker she’d hired to breach the surveillance and security systems of Qi Sheng’s home. Then, on the day Qi Sheng went to attend his mother’s birthday banquet, Tang Jianxi sent her people to rescue Johnsen.
Johnsen went from one basement to another, now facing the omega he had only met twice.
His hands and feet were still bound, but without the effects of the drugs, he finally had a bit of strength back.
He leaned against the wall, trying to discern from the expressionless omega’s face why she had saved him.
After thinking it over, only one possibility remained. “Miss Tang, thank you for your help. J.K. will serve the Tang Group from now on. I am willing to provide Blue Cherry Steel to the Tang Group at cost.”
The alpha, eager to pledge his loyalty, did not receive the pity he expected. Even his current wretched and weakened state failed to stir the slightest emotion in Tang Jianxi.
“You will certainly need to repay me, but what I want isn’t Blue Cherry Steel. I want Glory.”
Johnsen’s pupils trembled. He subconsciously tried to deny it. “Glory is an alpha club. You’re an omega, what do you have to do with Glory?”
“Qi Sheng told me,” Tang Jianxi lied calmly. “But he wanted to protect you, so he didn’t fulfill his end of our agreement. However, looking at you now, it seems he didn’t take very good care of you.”
Remembering that sunless period, Johnsen began to tremble reflexively. This was probably karma. He had played with an omega, and now an omega had played with him.
He would absolutely not allow himself to fall back into Qi Sheng’s hands.
He would rather die. That kind of life was simply too disgusting.
The quiet basement was filled only with Johnsen’s heavy breathing. The red marks chafed onto his wrists and ankles were a stark reminder of his situation. Johnsen said, “So what do you want me to do?”
Tang Jianxi stood three meters in front of him, the overhead light blurring the contours of her features. She seemed to smile, but Johnsen couldn’t be sure.
“I once installed a small device on your back and recorded some short videos of the auction. And I believe that while you may not have videos on your comm, you have something similar.”
“Mr. Kerry, are you willing to report Glory and expose their evil deeds to the public?”
“No…” Johnsen’s hand twitched, tracing chaotic patterns in the air. “Miss Tang, I can’t afford to offend these people. If you truly understand, you should know what a massive organization it is. If I talk, I won’t live.”
“Oh?” Tang Jianxi showed no disappointment. She kindly pointed out his current alternative. “What do you think Qi Sheng will do to you if I send you back to him right now?”
Johnsen stared daggers at Tang Jianxi. This was the second terrifying omega he had ever met. In his thirty-plus years of life, he had only encountered two, but those two had ruined his life.
He knew he had no choice. Tang Jianxi was ruthless, and Qi Sheng was a madman.
“What do you want me to do?” Johnsen lowered his head, reflecting for the first time on his past actions. If he had been a little more careful, or not so foolish as to think he had Qi Sheng completely under his thumb, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.
“I will hold an online press conference shortly. All you have to do is truthfully recount everything you’ve participated in.”
After getting down to business, Tang Jianxi finally remembered to soothe this precious cooperating witness. “The Tang family will protect you.”
Johnsen gave a bitter smile. The Tang family was powerful, but behind Glory stood more than half of the Empire’s noble houses. Sooner or later, they would tear him to shreds, a fate worse than death. At this thought, Johnsen began to shrink back. He knew a little about the methods some nobles used for torture; compared to them, Qi Sheng could be considered gentle.
But Tang Jianxi added, “And the Chu family. As long as you’re willing to be a cooperating witness, the Chu family will not stand idly by.”
Johnsen’s eyes lit up, but then a look of suspicion crossed his face. Hadn’t the Chu family always stayed out of politics?
As if sensing his doubt, Tang Jianxi sneered at the alpha who still thought he could escape. “Did you think that this massive affair you’ve created is as simple as upper-class alphas buying a few playthings? You’ve trampled the Imperial Constitution into something cheaper than toilet paper. Those in the know have kept silent only to leverage the situation for greater gain, but you, Johnsen, are definitely not one of the bargaining chips they’re willing to negotiate over.”
The Imperial Constitution?
That’s right, Article Three of the Imperial Constitution: 【The three genders of ABO shall enjoy equal rights and responsibilities. Alphas and omegas are strictly forbidden from infringing upon the personal rights of the other.】
A cold sweat broke out on Johnsen’s face. What had he done?!
Tang Jianxi wasn’t making empty promises. She had already reported the matter of Glory to her grandmother. At the time, her grandmother had been silent for a moment before sighing and telling her to do as she saw fit.
The alpha’s remorse did not stir any sympathy in Tang Jianxi. She only found it pathetic.
Can people only truly understand a victim’s pain when they become victims themselves?
It was true for Johnsen, it was true for Spartacus, and it was true for Jisan, the omega they had rescued.
On the third day of her freedom, Jisan had started secretly using a communicator to contact Johnsen. Of course, Johnsen’s comm had long been under Qi Sheng’s control, so her actions would have only sent her back into the fire.
Thankfully, Winona had noticed in time. She saw the unusual panic on Jisan’s face as she claimed to be calling her family to tell them she was safe. Winona snatched the communicator away and made up an excuse to placate Qi Sheng, who had answered the call.
Afterward, Jisan began to scream and shout, yelling that they had ruined her life. She had a wonderful alpha, she claimed, but they just had to rescue her for the sake of some damned freedom.
In that house, besides Helen and Winona, was another omega named Chen Xiuxiu. She had just completed her first round of treatment, but that didn’t mean she was healthy. Thanks to Johnsen’s abuse, she would be unable to walk independently for the next year.
She was incredulous. “Why would you think he’s a good alpha? He’s clearly a demon!”
Jisan glanced at her guiltily, then declared with righteous indignation, “He was bad to you, but he was good to me!”
Winona and the others couldn’t convince her. They could only lock her in a bedroom for the time being and decide what to do after the dust settled.
When Tang Jianxi heard about this, she was stunned into silence for a long time. Yun Chuji was in much the same state. They sat across from each other without a word for an entire afternoon.
The evil of the real world was as complex as a tangled mess of yarn, seeming to fill every crevice of human nature. Only then did Tang Jianxi understand that although she had stepped into society, her spirit still resided in an ivory tower.
That night, as they leaned against each other watching the stars, gazing at the pale violet night sky of Cangxing, Yun Chuji told Tang Jianxi the story of her grandfather.
“After my grandfather slammed his head against the pillar, the entire court was shaken. The scholar-officials submitted memorials one after another, demanding the execution of the evil eunuchs. The area outside the Imperial Palace was clamorous night after night. The three court poisons, fearing the public outcry, retreated to their homes and dared not go out.”
“The Emperor hesitated to make a decision. So, the students of the Imperial Academy raided the residences of the three poisons by night and slaughtered their entire households.”
“Afterward, all the students of the Imperial Academy were executed after the autumn assizes. But the scourge of the eunuchs in our dynasty was finally resolved. In later generations, no eunuch ever again dared to defy public anger and overstep their authority.”
Tang Jianxi turned her head to look at her. “Are you saying that to cleanse the air, a price must be paid in blood?”
Yun Chuji shook her head, her dark eyes shining with the brilliance of gemstones. “No. I mean that some people will do good things, some will do bad things, and some will do things that are half-good and half-bad. We can’t control any of that; those are other people’s choices. But what we can do is raise the cost of doing bad things, and try our best to influence their choices.”
Tang Jianxi said, “I feel like those are actually the same thing.”
“The former is technique, the latter is the Way. To pursue a result is technique; to act according to one’s principles is the Way.”
In the Imperial language, the word “Way” had a very complex meaning. It not only meant direction but also referred to profound spiritual experiences and the origin of all things.
At the time, Tang Jianxi had tilted her head, thinking to herself that only her little antique could say something like that.
Now, Tang Jianxi looked down at the pathetic alpha. He had clearly been tortured to the brink of insanity, agreeing to backstab the terrifying monster that was Glory without her needing to waste much breath.
And so, she said to the alpha who had brought this upon himself, “I hope you can remember your pain. After all, it is the same pain that nearly every omega who was sold has had to endure.”
Johnsen shuddered.
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