After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The cold potion flowed into the half-damaged gland, causing only a slight sting and no other discomfort. Instead, it eased the burning sensation at the back of her neck. In less than ten minutes, the drug’s effect was already so noticeable that Fang Lingyun suddenly felt a surge of confidence. Her trust was mainly in Zhou Yutao. If even her medicine didn’t work, then, as Qi Lin had suggested, the only option would be to cut out the gland entirely. For Fang Lingyun, this wasn’t the worst outcome.

Zhou Yutao, however, wasn’t as optimistic. Although the injection had reduced the intensity of the two pheromones emanating from Fang Lingyun, neither had completely vanished. The zombies outside lingered, refusing to leave, but fortunately, the pheromone scent had weakened enough to stop attracting more of them. This allowed everyone to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

“Professor Zhou, is your medicine working?” someone asked.

“Is Sister Fang differentiating into an alpha or an Omega?” Tan Juan added, her curiosity evident.

At the same time, she felt a twinge of worry, fearing that any change in Fang Lingyun’s storyline might affect her own chances of returning home.

Zhou Yutao shook her head. “It depends on her fate.”

They couldn’t keep administering the drug; Fang Lingyun’s body likely wouldn’t withstand it. And even if she successfully differentiated, it didn’t mean she was safe. Because…

Zhou Yutao’s thoughts were interrupted as Fang Lingyun let out two pained groans. Suddenly, an overwhelmingly intense mango scent—ten times stronger than before the injection—burst from her body. The wine-like pheromone, however, was suppressed until it gradually faded away. Influenced by her pheromones, the zombies clinging to the vehicle grew even more frenzied. Fortunately, the car was designed for the apocalypse, or the zombies would have broken in long ago. Still, the occasional bloodied hand or disfigured face at the window sent chills through everyone.

“What… what’s going on?” someone stammered.

“Are we going to die here?” another voice cried.

“You venomous woman, did you cause this? Why are the zombies suddenly going crazy? Wasn’t it enough to harm Manman? Do you want to kill us all?” Wang Kang snapped, his composure shattering as the car shook slightly.

Unwilling to believe that the Omega he’d always called a vixen was the Professor Zhou he sought, Wang Kang immediately turned to accusations, trying to sway Xu Man to his side and turn everyone against Zhou Yutao. But in reality, no one paid him any attention.

“Shut up, or you’re dead,” Qi Lin said impatiently.

Tan Juan chimed in, “Ugh, we’ve got a sh1t-stirrer in here.”

Xu Er added, “One more word, and I’ll throw you out.”

Fuming, Wang Kang quietly edged closer to Xu Man.

Xu Man stepped away, her gaze on Fang Lingyun complex. “She’s differentiating into an alpha,” she said.

The book had described Fang Lingyun’s differentiation into an Omega, marked only by a wine-like scent. Now, with almost only the mango scent remaining, it was clear she was likely becoming an alpha. But, as Zhou Yutao had warned, even a successful differentiation carried risks. According to the novel’s setting, during differentiation, an alpha or Omega’s pheromones would spiral out of control, heavily affecting nearby alphas and Omegas. Trapped in the car without any suppressants, the situation was dire.

Within moments, Xu Man felt a discomfort at the back of her neck. Her aggressive urges seemed to intensify, and she felt an inexplicable desire to cling to Zhou Yutao. Clearly anticipating this, Zhou Yutao quickly grabbed Xu Man and headed for the bathroom. Just then, Fang Lingyun, lying weakly on the sofa, suddenly stood up, her eyes red as she grabbed Zhou Yutao.

“I’m in so much pain. Save me,” she pleaded. “Let me bite you.”

Xu Man, furious, struggled to push Fang Lingyun away. “This is my girlfriend. Find someone else to save you.”

With that, she pulled Zhou Yutao into the bathroom and locked the door. Still, Xu Man was livid. So what if Fang Lingyun was the protagonist? Did that give her the right to covet her girlfriend?

Under the influence of Fang Lingyun’s pheromones, Xu Man’s own pheromones showed signs of losing control, clouding her mind. Acting on impulse, she did whatever came to mind—like erasing every trace of another alpha’s pheromones that had accidentally clung to Zhou Yutao.

“Sister, you looked at Fang Lingyun’s gland earlier. I don’t like that,” Xu Man said, her voice thick with jealousy, barely aware of her own words.

“Oh, is that so? I looked at another alpha, and Manman’s jealous?” Zhou Yutao didn’t get upset. Instead, she chuckled softly, leaning close to Xu Man’s ear. “If that’s the case, how does Manman want to punish me? Anything’s fine.”

Xu Man’s last shred of rationality vanished. She kissed, then bit, slowly erasing every scent on Zhou Yutao that wasn’t hers. During a brief temporary marking, Xu Man gradually regained her senses, and they didn’t do anything more extreme in the bathroom. After all, the crisis wasn’t over, and there were others outside.

“Sister, what do we do now?” Xu Man asked, straightening Zhou Yutao’s disheveled clothes.

“We wait,” Zhou Yutao replied, leaning on her shoulder to steady her breathing. “We wait for Fang Lingyun to get through the early stage of differentiation. Hopefully, this car holds up until then.”

Xu Man held her tightly. “It will.”

No matter what, she would stay by Zhou Yutao’s side. Even if she died, Zhou Yutao wouldn’t. Besides, Fang Lingyun was the book’s protagonist—surely she had some main-character luck and wouldn’t be that unfortunate. They would all survive.

…

As soon as Zhou Yutao and Xu Man entered the bathroom, the others quickly reacted. Though Qi Lin couldn’t smell pheromones, she could guess Fang Lingyun’s condition. Seeing Fang Lingyun shift her attention to Tan Juan after losing Zhou Yutao as a target, Qi Lin felt an inexplicable surge of anger. “I think I should just cut out her gland,” she said.

“Alphas and Omegas, a bunch of creatures driven by pheromones—they’re the ones who haven’t fully evolved,” she added, her knife genuinely aimed at Fang Lingyun’s gland.

“Wait, Qi Lin, you can’t do that. You’ll hurt Sister Fang,” Tan Juan protested, unable to stand by and watch Fang Lingyun get harmed.

Fang Lingyun was key to her return to her original world. Though she hadn’t gleaned any useful information from her yet, what if Fang Lingyun was ruined and she couldn’t go back? Focused on returning home, Tan Juan didn’t notice Fang Lingyun’s advances toward her. Having never had issues with her own pheromones, she was unaware of how her Omega body was fatally alluring to an alpha in differentiation—or that her sudden discomfort was due to Fang Lingyun’s pheromones.

“Xu Er, help me!” Tan Juan called, knowing she couldn’t stop Qi Lin alone. “Trust me, your boss doesn’t want Sister Fang hurt either. She’s important to us all.”

Xu Er was busy tying up Wang Kang, who, influenced by the pheromones, had tried to make a move on their boss and Madam Boss. Before entering the bathroom, the boss had given him a look, which Xu Er took as an order to deal with Wang Kang.

Qi Lin’s forehead throbbed with veins, tempted to end the person in front of her. Did Tan Juan even realize she was an Omega? Or had she realized it and was seizing the chance to be with Fang Lingyun? After all, Tan Juan had always shown a liking for her, hadn’t she?

Qi Lin took a deep breath. As Xu Er stepped in to help, she pulled Tan Juan into her arms, holding her tightly, then kicked at Fang Lingyun, who was closing in. Fang Lingyun stumbled and fell to the ground.

Xu Er glanced between them, ultimately deciding to tie up Fang Lingyun—the source of their predicament—alongside Wang Kang. It took considerable effort. Fang Lingyun, already strong, was even more formidable in the early stages of differentiation, nearly overpowering Xu Er. But he managed to restrain her in the end.

As expected, the two disoriented alphas began fighting. Fang Lingyun had the upper hand, leaving Wang Kang crying out in pain, a large bump forming on his head from a collision.

Xu Er ignored them, turning his attention outside. The zombies were relentless, some even using tools. He was deeply worried—not for himself, but for his inability to protect Xu Man.

Meanwhile, Tan Juan, held tightly by Qi Lin, could barely breathe. She pounded Qi Lin’s arm several times before getting a chance to catch her breath.

“Qi Lin, are you insane? Are you trying to suffocate me?” Tan Juan snapped, ready to unleash a tirade. But as she spoke, she felt her body growing uncomfortable.

“What did you do to me?” she demanded.

That wretched woman—always pinching her face wasn’t enough, and now her neck ached and throbbed. Qi Lin must have secretly injected her with something when she wasn’t looking. Tan Juan glared at her weakly.

But soon, she sensed something was off. The car was filled with an enticing scent, one she wanted to inhale more of, and she felt an urge to have her neck bitten. Wait—her neck? That was where her gland was. She’d almost forgotten that when she arrived in this world, she’d inexplicably differentiated into an Omega while unconscious, so she hadn’t immediately registered her current state.

Glancing at the bruised and battered Wang Kang and Fang Lingyun, Tan Juan struggled to look away. No, this wasn’t her beautiful protagonist. She had no desire to connect with an alpha like this. As an Omega, being marked by an alpha could lead to pregnancy. Recalling the book’s many settings, Tan Juan felt utterly defeated. Yet she couldn’t resist her instincts, drawn toward Wang Kang and Fang Lingyun.

In her muddled state, Tan Juan grew frantic and said to Qi Lin, “Quick, knock me out.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Qi Lin looked at her like she was insane. With both alphas restrained, she loosened her grip on Tan Juan.

Panicking, Tan Juan’s mind blanked, and in a moment of impulse, she bit down on Qi Lin’s infuriating lips. Her only thought was that Qi Lin, who disliked being close to Omegas, would surely knock her out after being bitten. She didn’t consider that her actions might provoke Qi Lin to kill her, especially since Tan Juan’s rationality was nearly gone.