Lu Zhi’s eager grin was infectious as he held out his hand. "Do I get superpowers too? Your flas were quite aweso, bro!"
Yunfeng smiled slightly at his enthusiasm but focused as he took a sniff of Lu Zhi’s wrist. He waited, expecting sothing—anything.
Nothing.
Frowning, he sniffed again, this ti slower, more carefully. Still nothing. He even pressed his nose closer, inhaling deeply, but all he got was the faint scent of soap and sweat.
Yunfeng pulled back, shaking his head.
The excitent drained from Lu Zhi’s face in an instant. "Oh..." His voice was small, his shoulders slumping.
Yunfeng felt a pang of guilt, but he didn’t want to lie to him. "I don’t sense any pheromones, Zhi. I’m sorry."
Lu Zhi swallowed hard, trying to hide his disappointnt. "It’s okay... I guess I was just hoping, you know? Would’ve been cool to have powers like yours."
Yunfeng rubbed his temples. ’Was I wrong about all this...? If mutations were real, wouldn’t Lu Zhi have sothing too?’
He sat back, mind racing.
Then his gaze landed on Shao.
"It’s your turn."
Shao, who had been watching everything unfold with mild amusent, sighed and scooted closer. Without hesitation, he held out his hand. "Let’s get this over with, then."
Yunfeng leaned in, inhaling deeply—
A sharp, rich scent of agarwood flooded his senses. It was overwhelming, hitting him with a force that made his stomach twist. His nostrils burned slightly, and before he realized it, he let out a low, guttural growl in his throat.
Shao raised an eyebrow. "What? You slling the chocolate I had for breakfast?"
Yunfeng lifted his gaze, his eyes narrowing. There was sothing off about this scent. It wasn’t like Jai’s caral toffee, which had been warm and pleasant. No, this one felt wrong. His whole body tensed, his spine straightening involuntarily. His nostrils dried out as if rejecting the scent altogether.
Sniffing again, he instinctively moved back. "You sll like agarwood."
Jai’s eyes widened. "I knew it! I slled it too! It’s so strong, man. But honestly, I think it slls nice."
Muchen frowned slightly, intrigued. "Really?" He leaned in slightly toward Shao. "Let see—"
Before he could even get close, Yunfeng’s arms shot out, pulling Muchen into a protective hug.
A deep, territorial growl rumbled in his throat as he glared at Shao.
Shao blinked, surprised. "Whoa. Relax, dude. I’m not gonna steal your pregnant boyfriend."
Muchen, montarily stunned, blinked up at Yunfeng. "What the hell was that?"
Yunfeng barely heard him. His instincts were on high alert. Sothing about Shao’s scent scread danger. His muscles stayed locked, his grip tightening around Muchen.
"Back off," he muttered, his voice deeper than usual.
Jai, still watching curiously, leaned closer to Shao and sniffed the air dramatically. "Honestly, I don’t get why you’re so freaked out. The scent is pleasant. If I had to describe it, I’d say it slls... powerful. Like a king’s chamber or sothing."
Shao smirked. "I am quite the royalty, after all."
Muchen sighed, rubbing his temples. "Shao, please. Not the ti."
Yunfeng, still holding onto Muchen protectively, exhaled sharply. He didn’t know what it ant, but one thing was clear—Shao’s scent triggered sothing deep in his instincts.
And he did not like it.
This proved one thing very clearly—Shao was an alpha. And two alpha pheromones were always repulsive to each other.
Yunfeng’s fingers twitched slightly as he held Muchen close. His instincts weren’t just overreacting; his body was rejecting Shao’s presence like an opposing force, an undeniable confirmation of what he already suspected.
His eyes then fell on Jai, who had been watching him carefully.
Unlike Shao, Jai’s scent was soft, warm, and subtly sweet—like caral toffee lting over a gentle fire. An oga’s scent.
Yunfeng swallowed.
"Oh."
His best friend was an oga.
Jai caught the look on Yunfeng’s face and frowned. "Why are you giving that look?"
Yunfeng hesitated, his lips pressing into a tight line. How was he supposed to say this? Hey, buddy, surprise! You’re an oga! You can get pregnant! He doubted Jai would take that well.
So instead, he shook his head.
"Nothing."
Jai narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Nothing? Then why do you look like you just found out I have a terminal illness?"
Yunfeng quickly schooled his expression into sothing neutral. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Jai crossed his arms. "You absolutely do. Spit it out."
Muchen, still in Yunfeng’s hold, sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just tell him. Im curious too."
Jai’s frown deepened. "Tell , what is it? Seriously, what’s going on?"
Yunfeng looked between Jai’s confused face before exhaling in defeat. He hesitated for a second before finally saying, "Jai... You’re an oga."
"so what does that an huh .. another superpower?" Jai innocently smiled.
Yunfeng grimaced. "so.. technically you can get pregnant,"
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Bullshit."
Yunfeng winced. He expected so pushback, but Jai’s absolute denial was strong.
Jai barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "No way. No way in hell."
"It’s true," Yunfeng said, watching his friend carefully.
Jai scoffed. "No, it’s not. You’re ssing with . I don’t— That doesn’t even make sense. I’m a man how could I get pregnant."
"Your pheromones indicate you’re an oga. So technically you can get pregnant but only if you’re with a man like muchen here," Yunfeng said gently.
Muchen blushed deeply. "I do not enjoy being an example for this case,"
Jai opened his mouth to argue, but no words ca out. He shut it again, his jaw clenching. "so... if I have a girlfriend I don’t have any if this pregnancy bullshit?"
"yep... literally." He grimaced even further, "since you awakened you kind of loose... your ability to get a girl pregnant,"
Yunfeng saw the flicker of emotions in Jai’s eyes—confusion, disbelief, maybe even a little fear.
Jai rubbed his face. "No. No."
Shao, who had been watching this play out with mild amusent, finally spoke. "Hey, look at the bright side, Jai. At least now you know why you sll so delicious."
Jai turned to him with a look of pure horror. "Shut. Up."
Shao smirked but backed off, raising his hands in surrender.
Jai groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I hate this. I hate this so much."
Yunfeng smiled a little, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "Hey. It doesn’t change who you are."
Jai peeked through his fingers. "Says the guy who gave the ’I’m so sorry for your loss’ look five minutes ago."
Yunfeng coughed, looking away. "That was... reflex."
Jai groaned again, dramatically flopping onto the floor. "God, I need a drink."
Yunfeng turned toward Shao, watching him carefully. "You’re an alpha."
Shao blinked. Then, he shrugged. "Yeah, that makes sense."
Yunfeng narrowed his eyes. "That’s it? You’re not going to freak out like Jai?"
Shao snorted. "Why would I? I an, it explains why I always feel like punching people in the face."
Jai, still lying dramatically on the floor, raised a hand. "You do punch people in the face, Shao."
Shao smirked. "Exactly."
Yunfeng sighed but didn’t press the issue further. It was honestly a relief that at least one person wasn’t having a crisis over this.
Then, Hana excitedly held out her hand. " next! next!"
Yunfeng hesitated. "Do I have to?"
Hana pouted. "You sniffed everyone else!"
With a reluctant sigh, he leaned in and took a whiff of her wrist. Imdiately, the soft scent of honey filled his nose. Yunfeng grimaced slightly.
"Ew."
Hana gasped, smacking his arm. "Excuse ?!"
Yunfeng wiped his nose. "You sll like honey. It’s too sweet. Makes want to gag."
Hana huffed. "Well, you sll like citrus, and you don’t see complaining."
"That’s because citrus slls amazing," Yunfeng muttered.
Muchen smirked, leaning into Yunfeng’s side. "He’s right. It’s nice."
Hana rolled her eyes. "Whatever. So, what does this an? Am I an alpha too?"
Yunfeng shook his head. "Nope. You’re an oga."
Hana’s eyes widened. Then she let out a delighted coo. "Ooooh~ fancy~!"
Jai groaned from the floor. "Don’t get too excited. It’s a curse."
Hana ignored him, turning to Yunfeng with sparkling eyes. "So, what’s the actual difference between alphas and ogas? Besides the obvious, you know... pregnancy thing?"
Yunfeng thought for a mont before explaining. "Alphas are generally stronger, faster, and more resilient in fights. Ogas are also strong, but not as physically powerful as alphas. However, in ancient tis, they both worked together to fight off the zombies."
Hana frowned, tilting her head. "Ancient tis?"
Yunfeng’s breath hitched. He hadn’t ant to say that. His mind had wandered back to the stories he vaguely rembered—the historical accounts of early mutation, how certain alphas and ogas had led the first battles against the infected. But that wasn’t knowledge he should have.
"I—" He hesitated.
Hana’s frown deepened. "Yunfeng, what do you an ancient tis?
The room went quiet. Jai sat up, watching him. Even Shao’s casual smirk had disappeared, replaced with a sharp, assessing gaze.
Yunfeng clenched his fists. "It’s... nothing."
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