Sir, do you want the pheromones? - Chapter 6

Pei Xingyu raised his eyebrows, glanced at Jin Ran, and said, “Jin Ran, S-grade pheromone, reassignment…”

As soon as Commander Pei’s cool voice was heard, everyone was shocked and turned to look at Jin Ran. Wasn’t he supposed to be lacking pheromones? How could he still have S-grade pheromones!

Luo Xinyang shivered a little. With Jin Ran having S-grade pheromones, he might now become the captain of the Celestial Action Team! It’s over. He had enmity with this lunatic Jin Ran; surely, he would be targeted now. It’s over, it’s over.

Ignoring the murmurs, Pei Xingyu finished the second half of the sentence amidst the noisy whispers.

“Reassigned as the Commander’s adjutant.”

The crowd erupted in surprise, and Jin Ran looked up abruptly. Pei Xingyu’s cold and indifferent voice reached his ears, and his heart turned slightly cold, “Is there any objection to the arrangement?”

He didn’t look at Jin Ran when he said this. No one dared to object; just being in Ziwei Yuan was their greatest honor, so how could there be any objections?

Zhong Guan hesitated, not knowing what to think of Jin Ran, while Song Sishen tilted his head and said softly to Jin Ran, “Do you know Commander Pei?”

Jin Ran didn’t answer but rather curled his lips, then looked up at Pei Xingyu and said meaningfully, “The Commander’s personal arrangement, subordinate…”

Their gazes met.

Jin Ran’s voice was deep and low in the space cabin, with a hint of faint mockery, “Obey orders.”

Pei Xingyu looked quietly at Jin Ran.

Jin Ran’s graduation record showed he was top in physical skills and starship piloting and command, but his final score was low due to pheromone deficiency.

Now that his pheromone had been induced, revealing the rare S-grade pheromone and his strong overall abilities, it was inappropriate to eliminate him. Even staying in K7 would be a challenge for him to be assigned duties.

The adjutant has no military power and stays by his side, so he won’t cause too much trouble.

After issuing the reassignment order, the new recruits were abuzz, and Meng Ruqian was stunned.

“Commander!” Meng Ruqian waved his hand to silence the virtual amplifier and asked in a low voice, “Wasn’t it agreed that Jin Ran would be eliminated? Keeping him in K7 is like keeping a wolf by the pillow. What if he really has issues with Lian Jinfeng…”

Pei Xingyu said, “I know what I’m doing.”

Meng Ruqian was extremely shocked, unable to grasp the situation, “So… Jin Ran stays?”

“Yes.”

Meng Ruqian remained silent for two seconds, looked at Jin Ran, and asked Pei Xingyu, “Commander, wasn’t he supposed to be lacking pheromones? How could he still have S-grade? Induction only maximizes his pheromones, it shouldn’t make him stronger.”

Pei Xingyu suppressed the urge to rub his aching brow. His chest churned with an indescribable feeling, and he frowned slightly, “Just now… he…”

“What… what happened!?” Meng Ruqian exclaimed, then quickly lowered his voice, asking cautiously, “Then you just…”

Pei Xingyu clenched his hand, feeling a slight pain on his hand, “It’s nothing.”

In the ecological cabin earlier, Jin Ran, affected by the sudden burst of pheromones, couldn’t escape the mechanical arm’s control. Instinctively, he followed the scent of Pei Xingyu’s Dendrobium orchid pheromone and bit his hand.

The canines pierced the skin, mixing with the Dendrobium orchid pheromone, causing excitement. Jin Ran licked and bit Pei Xingyu’s flesh with increasing force. Pei Xingyu didn’t resist, allowing him to draw blood for a while.

Pei Xingyu’s pheromone could calm Jin Ran down, and only when he felt Jin Ran’s pheromone becoming overwhelming did he swiftly knock him unconscious.

Meng Ruqian was still confused. Even if Jin Ran was affected, he shouldn’t have had such strong pheromones from the start, should he?

Pei Xingyu: “His pheromone isn’t strong under normal circumstances. If he loses control when emotional, it could be disastrous for both sides if he ever goes to the battlefield.”

Meng Ruqian gaped, “This pheromone-blocked man… is truly terrifying.”

—

After the unit assignments, Meng Ruqian lightly cleared his throat and said, “Let’s go have lunch. We’ll meet here in half an hour, and I’ll show you around Ziwei Yuan.”

“Yes, Captain Meng!”

Everyone followed Meng Ruqian out, and Jin Ran walked at the end. As he reached the door, Pei Xingyu called out to him.

“Jin Ran.”

Jin Ran turned around, tilting his head, “What is it, considering a divorce?”

Pei Xingyu’s expression didn’t change at the sarcasm; he simply said, “Don’t mention the incident in the ecological cabin to anyone, and don’t bite me when you go mad…”

He was interrupted.

“Order me? Or are you begging?” Jin Ran walked back, casually pulling Pei Xingyu’s slender waistbelt from his uniform and drawing him closer, “Or are you begging me?”

Pei Xingyu grasped his hand and pushed him away, stepping back, “If you really don’t want to stay in Ziwei Yuan, I can send you back to your father. Let him teach you properly!”

Jin Ran exploded at the mention of his father, raising his eyebrows in cold mockery, “Complaining to him, huh? Why didn’t you marry him back then? You wouldn’t have to…”

“Smack!” Pei Xingyu slapped him across the face.

Jin Ran licked his lips, smiling, “What’s this? Angry because of shame, or did I hit a nerve?”

Pei Xingyu clenched his hand, his chest heaving with anger, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t acknowledge our marriage. I never intended to acknowledge you as a husband. Such words can’t insult me.”

As they passed each other, Jin Ran saw a trace of anger and embarrassment on his face and felt a surge of vengeful pleasure.

Still tasting the faint scent of Dendrobium orchid in his blood, Jin Ran licked his canines, feeling a strange irritation rise within him.

Damn.

—

In the afternoon, Meng Ruqian led the recruits on a “tour” of the entire Ziwei Yuan.

When they arrived, they had directly jumped through space from the transit station and didn’t get a chance to see anything. Now, seeing Ziwei Yuan for the first time was a shock.

“Ziwei Yuan” was much larger than they had imagined. The silver hull shimmered in the starry river, and its size was over ten times larger than the aircraft carriers they had seen in the military textbooks at “Huo’er.” It was like an endless space castle.

The recruits, not used to the weightlessness of space, tiptoed awkwardly on the pitch-black deck like performing ballet. Meng Ruqian, somewhat embarrassed, averted his gaze and cleverly used gravity to conserve energy.

“This is the Ziwei Yuan fleet commander’s office, which is also my office. Although technically you shouldn’t report issues beyond your level, you can come to me with problems you can’t solve.”

Meng Ruqian floated forward, opened the door to another room, and said, “This is the operations room. If there’s a battle, the commander will plan the operations here, so don’t wander in here unless necessary. Got it?”

Everyone responded, “Yes, Captain!”

Meng Ruqian nodded and Luo Xinyang suddenly asked, “Captain, does the commander stay on the ship every day? I heard the commander doesn’t always stay at the operational unit.”

Meng Ruqian glanced at him, “Curious?”

Luo Xinyang nodded vigorously. Commander Pei looked so cold and frightening. If he were there every day, it would feel like walking on thin ice, uncertain when one might be frozen in place.

Meng Ruqian smiled gently, “If you’re sent back to Huo’er, you won’t see him. Do you want to go back?”

Luo Xinyang shrank his neck.

“If you don’t want to go back, then stop asking silly questions.”

Meng Ruqian turned and continued to introduce the new recruits to the destroyer fleet, cruiser fleet, anti-submarine fleet, and the interstellar space monitoring center. Finally, he led them into the last room.

“This will be where you’ll have classes for the next three months.”

Jin Ran, who was at the back, looked at the room disinterestedly. From the first room to the last, all were equipped with holographic displays. The pale blue light surrounded white numbers that flickered, with a lock symbol in the lower right corner, indicating that not everyone could access these displays.

He needed to verify the user’s permissions.

The room was trapezoidal, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The intermittent operation screens on the walls and the pale blue light due to gravity imbalance made the white walls appear extremely clean.

“These will be where you live and fight in the future.” Meng Ruqian glanced at the recruits, trying to adjust his voice and demeanor to be as indifferent as Commander Pei’s. He cleared his throat and said, “Ziwei Yuan has strict military regulations. Commander Pei will not tolerate idleness, and neither will I. Anyone who violates military discipline will be severely punished. Understood?”

“Understood!”

Meng Ruqian nodded, gestured as if pulling up a holographic map, and said, “Before officially entering your departments, I will be in charge of your classes. Classes start tomorrow morning at 7:00 particle time. Dismissed.”

Meng Ruqian wasn’t used to lecturing seriously. He wasn’t as naturally cold and adept as Commander Pei and quickly left, leaving the recruits awkwardly tiptoeing on the deck.

“Xinyang, you’re really bold to ask if the commander is always at the operational unit in front of Captain Meng. Are you seeking death? Be careful he doesn’t find out and send you back to Huo’er.”

“I’d be careful if I were you. I’m not in the Celestial Action Team, but Xinyang, you’re in trouble. Hahaha.”

“Seriously, Commander Pei is so cold. Just a glance makes me feel chills and goosebumps. Xinyang, you should be careful not to say anything that might offend Commander Pei. You won’t even know how you died if you provoke him.”

Luo Xinyang was unconvinced and somewhat embarrassed, “Don’t you want to ask? I’m asking for your sake. Stop gloating. If I’m targeted, I’ll drag you all down with me.”

“Forget it. You’re the one who wants to ask,” Que Zimo said with a grin, putting his arm around Luo Xinyang’s shoulder, “Hey, did you hear? Commander Pei seems to be a traitor to the Interstellar Federation. You see him staying at the operational unit, but do you think he doesn’t want to leave? Actually, he might be imprisoned here.”

Gu Jinggen, who was close by, became curious, “Is this true? I heard that he might be the mastermind behind the destruction of the ‘Tianji’ ship, causing many deaths, just to seize control of Ziwei Yuan.”

“Imprisonment seems to be true. I heard Commander Pei has to communicate with the Interstellar Federation every day. If he’s even a second late, all his permissions will be frozen. Could he really be the murderer who caused the deaths of hundreds on the ‘Tianji’ ship?”

Luo Xinyang tilted his head, glanced at the silent Jin Ran, and asked, “Jin Ran, do you think Commander Pei is a traitor?”

Ziwei Yuan is a garden