Chapter 20: Her Lover, the Deceiver Part 1

Qin Bing, the newly appointed principal of the Imperial Fourth Military Academy?

Zhen Yan shifted her gaze to Qin Bing’s face. She had a handsome and beautiful appearance, with light, subtle makeup that effectively masked her true age, misleading first-time observers into thinking she was just a young female officer. But her actual age was likely not insignificant.

She had really differentiated into a female Omega. This fact sank Zhen Yan’s heart. So what if she had S-rank mental power? It still couldn’t change the fact that she had become an Omega.

All she knew was: she was an Omega. Therefore, the love and career she had originally planned for could never be realized.

Zhen Yan’s mood was clearly much lower. But standing before her was the principal of the academy she had always dreamed of. Zhen Yan still straightened her back and shook Qin Bing’s outstretched hand.

Zhen Yan’s peripheral vision subtly swept over the rank insignia on Qin Bing’s shoulder: golden olive branch with three gold stars.

A General.

This was the highest-ranking person Zhen Yan had ever met in her eighteen years of life.

Zhen Yan nodded: “General Qin, hello. My name is Zhen Yan.”

General Qin’s gaze was sharp, and her mental power, among the strongest within A-rank, spread through this corridor.

In just a few seconds, Director Qi and Dr. Zhang, who only had C-rank mental power, were already weak-kneed, leaning against the tiled wall in agony. Yet Zhen Yan merely furrowed her brows slightly.

General Qin instantly retracted the mental power she had released. A warm, spring-breeze-like smile appeared on her face: “Go help them up.”

“Yes, ma’am!” The one female and one male Alpha officer standing behind her nodded steadily.

“As expected of S-rank.” General Qin smiled lightly. “Genetic talent is truly enviable.”

“Do you have time to talk with me now?” General Qin’s eyes sparkled, her gaze fixed intently on Zhen Yan.

Zhen Yan frowned. She saw the word ‘danger’ in General Qin’s eyes. And within that danger, there was an authority that brooked no refusal.

Zhen Yan nodded: “I can.”

A General’s request—how could she dare refuse?

“Director Qi, could I trouble you to take us somewhere quiet?” General Qin turned and asked with a smile.

Director Qi, being supported by the officer, panted: “If you don’t mind, my humble office is reasonably quiet.”

“Then please, lead the way,” General Qin smiled.

Director Qi thanked the officer assisting him, then forced himself to walk ahead and guide them. Dr. Zhang, who wasn’t used to such scenes, had already been taken downstairs by a soldier to rest.

Director Qi led the group into his office. After serving them all tea, he got up and left the office that now belonged to them.

On the two large sofas in the office sat a single person each.

The Majors—two bars and one star—stood silently behind General Qin, backs straight, eyes sharp, fixed on the wall behind Zhen Yan, so as not to make her uncomfortable.

“Student Zhen Yan, I heard that while still a minor, you passed our academy’s basic tests and received our early admission letter?”

General Qin’s eyes were now much gentler, even holding warmth. With a raise of her hand, the female officer standing behind her placed an admission letter imprinted with the Fourth Academy’s Qilin emblem onto General Qin’s hand. General Qin offered it to Zhen Yan.

“This is our academy’s official admission letter. I hope you will join us, becoming a part of our academy, and through study and training within, enhance your control and application of mental power,” General Qin said with a smile.

Zhen Yan’s pupils contracted slightly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes: “But I’m an Omega.”

Aren’t the Imperial Four Major Academies exclusively for Alphas? Since when do they also accept Omegas?

“You are an Omega. But before your Omega identity stands something even more important—your top-tier mental power.” General Qin smiled slightly. “You just experienced differentiation today. The mental power within your body is constantly expanding. It will invisibly oppress your nerves and organs. That Omega physique of yours probably won’t allow you to maintain this state for long.”

“You need someone to teach you how to guide and channel that formidable mental power within you. And we simply wish to teach you.” General Qin’s words were pleasant, but whether true or false depended on whether Zhen Yan believed them.

S-rank mental power users were too rare. The energy they contained within their bodies was too terrifying—almost unimaginable.

If Zhen Yan were an S-rank Alpha, the Empire would surely pour all its resources into cultivating her into an invincible war god on the battlefield. As long as she lived, she would be the hope and assurance of the entire Empire.

But Zhen Yan was an S-rank Omega. Her Omega gender negated many things for her.

Upon receiving the news, the Marshal and Generals of the Fourth Legion held an online meeting. In the end, they assigned the Principal of the Fourth Military Academy—who was also a General of the Fourth Legion, Qin Bing—to go to the An City First People’s Hospital and bring Zhen Yan to the Fourth Military Academy for mental power control and application training, so that one day she could serve the Empire on the battlefield, opening the door to a new journey for the Empire.

Even so, someone suggested having the Third Princess of the Empire, Mo Siyi, who had just come of age, interact with Zhen Yan. They were of similar age. If both agreed, emotional ties could develop. But this proposal still needed the Emperor’s approval before it could be carried out.

And to report to the Emperor, it absolutely had to be after Zhen Yan became a member of their Fourth Legion.

Zhen Yan had difficulty conceiving, not sterility—it was still possible. As long as she successfully bonded with an Alpha possessing A-rank mental power, any child born could potentially be S-rank! If they could successfully produce several S-rank Alphas, the Empire’s strength across the entire galaxy would skyrocket!

Looking through history, the last S-rank Omega had been forcibly taken by an Alpha who wanted to impose a permanent mark. The S-rank Omega’s internal pheromones went berserk. That Alpha died then and there, bleeding from all seven orifices. And all the Alphas in that city simultaneously entered their susceptible periods, falling into a frenzy. The entire city descended into slaughter. It took an entire day of suppression by external military forces to rescue the surviving Betas and Omegas. Most Alphas died in the mindless frenzy.

And that S-rank Omega also died on the bed—burst apart by his own mental power.

Therefore, regarding an S-rank Omega, one must gently coax and guide. Force and coercion must absolutely never be used.

Zhen Yan was skeptical of General Qin’s words. But she still accepted the admission letter with both hands. Opening it, the name of the admitted was indeed hers.

So fast. Barely two hours since her gender test, and these high-ranking officers had already done so much. Truly, different status meant different attitudes towards the value of time.

“Why let me enter the Fourth Military Academy? Do you need me to do something for you?” Zhen Yan closed the admission letter and placed it on the coffee table, asking.

“Rather than helping us do something, it’s more about doing something for yourself.” General Qin lifted her teacup and took a light sip, then set it down. “It’s gone cold.”

The officer behind her immediately stepped forward to replace the tea. Even though the cup still emitted heat, if General Qin said it was cold, then it was cold.

Zhen Yan understood. General Qin was bluntly showing her: Power.

The higher the position, the greater the power.

A heavy atmosphere permeated the office. Zhen Yan met General Qin’s gaze without the slightest fear.

“I can join your esteemed academy,” Zhen Yan said. “But I have one condition.”

The two officers behind her both had a flicker of astonishment cross their faces: She actually dares to make conditions in front of General Qin.

Yet General Qin seated across from her revealed a warm, friendly smile. She even personally replaced the tea for Zhen Yan.

“Speak. I’m listening.”

It was Zhen Yan’s first time negotiating conditions with such a high-ranking officer. She was actually a bit nervous.

“I hope you can conceal my identity as an S-rank Omega from the public, and declare me to be… an Alpha.”

Zhen Yan’s proposed condition made General Qin raise an eyebrow slightly. She hadn’t expected that even knowing her mental power was the pinnacle S-rank, Zhen Yan still harbored such aversion towards her cross-gender Omega identity.

However, Zhen Yan’s words also let General Qin breathe a sigh of relief internally. She had originally planned to require Zhen Yan to hide her Omega identity and enter the Fourth Military Academy as an Alpha. This suited her perfectly.

General Qin nodded: “We can agree to this condition.”

General Qin’s agreement brought a sliver of relief to Zhen Yan’s utterly dismal mood since today’s differentiation.

An official gender change meant she could hide it in front of Jia Hua for a longer time. She would have more time to stay by Jia Hua’s side as her lover.

The gland at the back of her neck was defective, hidden beneath the skin. As long as she promptly injected Omega Inhibitors during her heat, she believed she could still keep it hidden from Jia Hua!

Zhen Yan, who had just gotten her first love, truly didn’t want this relationship to end so quickly. She knew she currently liked Jia Hua. Or rather, she had only ever liked Jia Hua.

She was the person she wanted to strive to be with for a lifetime.

But fate had played such a massive joke on her.

At most, she would hide it until high school graduation, then tell the truth. Then, she would leave it to Jia Hua to decide whether this relationship should continue. Whatever the outcome… she would accept it.

If only she had just differentiated into a Beta…

“Your request is done. Now it’s my turn, right?” General Qin smiled faintly.

Zhen Yan’s previously unfocused eyes gathered light again, looking towards General Qin.

General Qin smiled warmly: “Student Zhen Yan, we hope you can report to the Imperial Fourth Military Academy as soon as possible.”

Zhen Yan nodded: “After I graduate high school, I will report to the Fourth Academy.”

Unexpectedly, General Qin slowly shook her head: “No, we hope you can return to the Fourth Military Academy with us today.”

Every extra second Zhen Yan spent outside was a risk that the other three military academies might snatch her away. Although they were the first to learn Zhen Yan was an S-rank Omega, the hospital had too many people. Who knew where or when information might leak?

This S-rank mental power user absolutely must come from the Imperial Fourth Military Academy, the Fourth Legion!

Hearing the demand that she leave with them today, Zhen Yan immediately refused: “Absolutely not. My family and my girlfriend are here. I can’t just leave with you like this.”

General Qin’s brows knitted slightly: “You have a girlfriend? Forgive my presumption, but is she a female Omega?”

Since Zhen Yan had lived eighteen years as a female Alpha, the girlfriend she found should be a female Omega.

Zhen Yan pressed her lips together tightly and nodded: “Yes, I like her very much.”

General Qin was about to speak when the ringtone of the phone in Zhen Yan’s pocket sounded. She took it out for a glance and said apologetically to General Qin: “Sorry, it’s my girlfriend calling. May I take this call?”

Zhen Yan phrased it as a request, but her hand tightly clutched the phone, making it easy for General Qin to see that this call was one Zhen Yan absolutely had to take.

“Naturally, you may. Go ahead,” General Qin nodded with a smile.

Zhen Yan held the phone and walked out onto the balcony to answer.

Watching Zhen Yan’s departing back, General Qin’s eyes grew slightly solemn. She hadn’t expected Zhen Yan to already have a girlfriend. And to love her so much. Though luckily, right now, they were both female Omegas… destined to break up someday.