After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 33

33: Leader, I Will Take Responsibility for You

Lou Huaiche draped a knitted shawl over her shoulders, wearing a strappy nightgown, her deep eyes fixed on Jiang Youbai for a moment before suddenly raising her hand and turning off the light with a snap.

Her mind was in a daze, her thoughts scattered, and she swayed slightly as she stood. Everything before her eyes, except for Jiang Youbai sitting on the sofa, spun in a blur.

Subconsciously, she felt that something about the Jiang Youbai before her was off, so she turned off the lights in the room, not wanting to see her too clearly.

In truth, half a year was nothing compared to the seven lifetimes she had lived through—just a fleeting moment.

But the pain of loss was too sharp, and the pallor of Jiang Youbai’s face as she lay on the ground was too stark.

The words she had held in her lips, the affection she had been waiting to confess with joy, were all severed by the sharp blade of death, forever left unspoken.

Her brain and psyche, under such intense trauma, developed a kind of pathological stress response that plunged her into repeated depression and anxiety.

Lou Huaiche wandered endlessly through her memories, her mind compulsively flashing back to the scene of the fireworks that day.

A deep, beautiful blue, like a butterfly with broken wings, plummeting straight into the boundless sea.

Her attention often drifted, unable to distinguish when or where she was. The pain and the flashbacks made her unwilling to even try.

Her emotions were tossed high, then gently lowered, tugging at the edges of her sanity. If she ignored reality and let herself go, she could find rare moments of peace.

By not confronting it, the pain in her mind no longer felt so sharp, so bone-chilling.

So—

Now, with her drunken mind muddled, she instinctively avoided thinking about why Jiang Youbai seemed a little off.

Off?

It didn’t matter.

She had to seize something, tear this solace into pieces, and swallow it whole, heedlessly filling the hunger in her heart.

Lou Huaiche stood barefoot, her face flushed. Under the moonlight, her usual coldness and aloofness melted away, her eyes misty with desire, revealing a soft allure and a bewitching charm.

Jiang Youbai frowned.

The scent of snow cedar, cool and gentle, began to permeate the air.

The late April night carried a slight chill, making the snow cedar’s aroma even crisper and colder.

Yet, as the atmosphere grew thick with ambiguous, Lou Huaiche’s dazed eyes swept over her, and she let out a low laugh.

Swaying slightly, she circled around the coffee table, her body carrying the woody fragrance of perfume as she approached Jiang Youbai.

Jiang Youbai raised a hand to stop her, but the scent of pheromones in the air grew stronger. In just a minute, it had thickened into a fog.

If this continued, Jiang Youbai would slip into her heat cycle.

Jiang Youbai caught a whiff of alcohol and immediately realized Lou Huaiche was heavily drunk, releasing pheromones without a second thought, completely disregarding the fact that there was an Alpha in the room.

Lou Huaiche tilted her head, studying her, then bent down and nestled into her arms like a cat, her warm body pressing against Jiang Youbai’s.

Her skin was soft to the touch, and the scent of Omega pheromones filled Jiang Youbai’s nostrils. Struggling to push Lou Huaiche away, Jiang Youbai asked, “Where are the suppressants?”

Lou Huaiche, pushed away without mercy, looked at her in confusion before stubbornly wrapping herself around Jiang Youbai again. Her voice dropped, tinged with grievance: “Why look for suppressants? I’m in heat right now.”

Jiang Youbai found herself entangled, limbs and all. She tried to retreat, to distance herself from the seemingly irrational Lou Huaiche.

But the sofa was cramped. The moment she leaned back, she hit the corner, and Lou Huaiche took the opportunity to press closer.

Lou Huaiche lifted her chin, trying to kiss Jiang Youbai, who tilted her head back to avoid it, exposing the gland at the nape of her neck, just behind her ear.

Lou Huaiche giggled drunkenly, turning her head to curiously examine it.

Jiang Youbai pinned her down with one hand and sneered, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Lou Huaiche’s vision spun. Drunk and disoriented, her mind was too sluggish to process what was happening.

When she finally regained some clarity, she saw Jiang Youbai half-pinning her down and reached out to embrace her with affection and dependence.

Lou Huaiche’s long black hair cascaded beneath her. As she moved, her shawl slipped, revealing large stretches of fair, jade-like skin that gleamed seductively under the moonlight.

Exposed to the cool air, she shivered slightly.

Jiang Youbai gritted her teeth and asked, “Where are the suppressants?”

Lou Huaiche frowned slightly, her peach-blossom eyes hazy with moisture as she looked up at Jiang Youbai and retorted petulantly, “There aren’t any!”

“No, no, no! Just mark me already!”

Her voice grew louder, clearly devoid of any rationality, throwing a childish tantrum at Jiang Youbai.

The pheromones in the air were almost tangible. Jiang Youbai was beginning to struggle, her own scent of green tea starting to seep out.

After switching bodies, not only had her appearance changed, but her pheromones had shifted as well.

They bore some resemblance to the musky, woody perfume she used to wear but were fresher and could be easily distinguished with a little attention.

She was entering her heat cycle.

This body’s resistance to heat cycles was much weaker. In less than a minute, she felt a burning fire licking at her, quickly incinerating the thread of rationality.

A wicked glint flashed in Jiang Youbai’s eyes. She no longer concealed the innate cruelty and predatory instincts buried deep within her.

She cupped Lou Huaiche’s face and viciously bit down on her lips.

Lou Huaiche’s eyes welled with tears. She clung to Jiang Youbai, afraid this fleeting illusion of satisfaction would vanish, tilting her neck in an almost sacrificial gesture to endure this kiss devoid of any tenderness.

Jiang Youbai released her grip on Lou Huaiche, took a breath, then pressed her fingers against the gland behind Lou Huaiche’s ear, roughly kneading the sensitive, fragile flesh.

Lou Huaiche whimpered in pain, “It hurts…”

Jiang Youbai lowered her gaze, her eyes dark with turbulent emotions. She scoffed, her tone casual yet merciless: “Endure it.”

Lou Huaiche’s mind was foggy. Instinctively, she obeyed Jiang Youbai’s words, pitifully murmuring, “Okay.”

Jiang Youbai looked down at Lou Huaiche for a moment before bending over, her long hair lightly brushing down.

With one hand, she gripped Lou Huaiche’s chin and tilted it aside, exposing the Omega’s gland.

The motion was intimate, devoid of any tenderness.

Lou Huaiche hissed, seemingly pained by the action. Hearing this, Jiang Youbai’s lips curled into a cruel, delighted smile.

In a low, impatient voice, she sharply cut Lou Huaiche off: “Shut up.”

Her rationality, eroded by the heat cycle, had completely collapsed, revealing Jiang Youbai’s true nature beneath the gentle smiles.

Ferocious, merciless.

A hungry ghost thirsting for bl00d.

Lou Huaiche felt that the Jiang Youbai before her seemed no different from the one in her memories. Under the bright moonlight, Jiang Youbai’s madness clawed its way out, dragging behind her with an almost euphoric frenzy.

Lou Huaiche wanted to hold her tight. Jiang Youbai was undoubtedly a madwoman, just like her—the more rational the mind, the more unhinged the actions.

Her movements were halted by Jiang Youbai, who pressed her down, her expression barely visible except for a faint hint of displeasure. It was as if her arrogance had reached its peak, refusing to allow even the slightest resistance from her prey.

Satisfy the Alpha before her.

Satisfy her, and seize her.

In her haze, Lou Huaiche thought this and obediently assumed a meek, vulnerable posture.

Pleased with the Omega’s submission, every move perfectly to her liking, Jiang Youbai stroked the Omega’s gland before lowering her head and savagely biting into it.

The fragile gland was mercilessly ravaged by teeth and lips. Lou Huaiche’s fingers involuntarily curled.

Jiang Youbai gnawed at the soft, docile gland on the Omega’s neck until the thin skin bled, her rampant emotions finding immense satisfaction.

Only when the Omega, suffering from the heat cycle, began to whimper did Jiang Youbai inject her pheromones, performing a temporary mark.

Once the marking was done, the rationality stolen by the heat cycle quickly returned.

Jiang Youbai sat by the sofa, glanced at the thoroughly exhausted Lou Huaiche who was drifting into sleep, then looked down at her own fingertips.

Oh no.

What now?

Jiang Youbai pondered for a moment, then lifted the sleeping Lou Huaiche and shook her gently: “Leader, how about you bite my gland in return?”

Lou Huaiche swatted her hand away and curled up under the blanket.

Jiang Youbai: “…” Then what about tomorrow? Only Lou Huaiche had been marked. Once day broke, the furious Lou Huaiche would undoubtedly fight her.

After a long silence, Jiang Youbai decided to just sleep.

Lou Huaiche’s bedroom was already closed, and the only blanket in the living room had been claimed by Lou Huaiche on the sofa.

Jiang Youbai reached out, tugged half the blanket from Lou Huaiche’s grasp, and squeezed onto the sofa with her for half the night.

The sofa was cramped. Lou Huaiche, drunk, slept soundly, but Jiang Youbai wasn’t so comfortable. After a night of squeezing, she woke up early the next morning, her back aching.

When Lou Huaiche opened her eyes, she saw the Alpha named Li Sisi, who looked strikingly like Jiang Youbai, sitting on the coffee table, staring at her expressionlessly.

Lou Huaiche tried to sit up but winced as pain shot through her gland.

She had a habit of blacking out when drunk, remembering nothing afterward, so she had no recollection of what had happened the night before.

Lou Huaiche clutched her neck and sat up, looking at the Alpha. Before she could ask what had happened, the Alpha cut her off.

The strikingly beautiful Alpha spoke with a hint of grievance: “Leader, what happened last night wasn’t your fault… I’m also to blame. I shouldn’t have lost control.”

Lou Huaiche: “…” For some reason, the Alpha’s words felt off, but she couldn’t pinpoint why.

Jiang Youbai lowered her head, tears glistening in her eyes. She bit her lower lip, putting on a show of purity and innocence: “Even though this was my first time marking an Omega, I’ll take responsibility for you, Leader! Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of Alpha who would abandon you after taking advantage!”

Lou Huaiche’s head throbbed from the hangover, and the gland on her neck, bitten bloody by the Alpha, ached sharply.

She had been temporarily marked by an Alpha who wasn’t Jiang Youbai—likely because she’d been too drunk to tell them apart. Lou Huaiche was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

Irritated but unwilling to take it out on the innocent Alpha, she waved a hand dismissively: “It’s fine. It’s just a temporary mark. Let’s pretend it never happened.”

Jiang Youbai insisted urgently, “How can that be? You’re an Omega. After I marked you—”

Lou Huaiche cut her off, standing to return to her bedroom and change. As she walked away, she said, “A temporary mark has no lasting effects. That’s it. I’ll have Lou Chuxue prepare your things this afternoon and move you to the dormitory.”

Jiang Youbai thought she’d gotten away with it—Lou Huaiche truly remembered nothing when drunk.

She sighed in relief and smiled sweetly: “Of course, Leader.”

Lou Huaiche changed and freshened up before emerging from her bedroom. She tossed Jiang Youbai a card: “This is a meal card for the cafeteria. Lou Chuxue will deposit money into it regularly. Use it for meals and daily expenses—just go to her for everything. I have things to do, so I’ll head downstairs first.”

Jiang Youbai took the card. Lou Huaiche glanced at her, pausing briefly at the sight of those eyes identical to the Crown Princess’s, before shaking off her thoughts and leaving.

As she opened the door, Jiang Youbai suddenly remembered something and called out, “Leader, your gland—”

But Lou Huaiche had already stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Jiang Youbai swallowed the rest of her words.

Oh well. It wasn’t her gland that was bruised and battered, and it wasn’t her dignity at stake.

Lou Huaiche’s living room didn’t have a sink in the bathroom. Jiang Youbai washed up hastily using the kitchen water but still felt uncomfortable. She decided to head downstairs to find Lou Chuxue and arrange for her own lodging as soon as possible.

The fourth and third floors were empty, but by the time she reached the second floor, Jiang Youbai noticed a few people staring at her intently, as if trying to see through her.

On the first floor, the crowd grew, and the number of people eyeing her with a mix of curiosity and other emotions multiplied.

Almost everyone who passed by stopped to openly scrutinize her.

Even with Jiang Youbai’s strong nerves, it was getting hard to bear.

She stopped a passerby and asked politely, “Where’s Lou Chuxue?”

The Beta mercenary she’d stopped was caught off guard. After a pause, they replied, “You mean Lieutenant Lou? Just call her ‘Lieutenant’—she likes that. She’s probably in the meeting room right now. It’s to the right once you leave the building.”

Jiang Youbai nodded. “Thanks.”

As she turned to leave, the Beta’s curiosity got the better of them. They called out, lowering their voice conspiratorially: “So, you and the Leader… marked each other? The Leader’s been closed off, sworn off love, and is practically asexual. How’d you manage to seduce her?”

Jiang Youbai forced an awkward smile. “Haha.”

You wouldn’t believe it, but it was your Leader who seduced me with her pheromones.

Now she understood why everyone had been staring at her.

So the gossip about her and Lou Huaiche had already spread like wildfire.

The Beta mercenary winked. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I know it’s classified. I won’t spread it—I swear. I’m just curious.”

Under their intense gaze, Jiang Youbai brushed them off: “Uh, I don’t know. The Leader told me to mark her.”

Soon, Jiang Youbai experienced firsthand just how idle and gossipy the mercenaries in this organization were.

By the time she’d used her meal card to grab some food in the cafeteria and crossed the training ground to the meeting room, she’d overheard several people whispering behind her back.

“Hey, isn’t that the Leader’s new wife, Li Sisi?”

“Calling her ‘new wife’ is a bit disrespectful. None of the previous ‘wives’ got a second glance from the boss.”

“Say what you will, but Li Sisi is seriously gorgeous. No wonder the Leader fell for her. If I were an Omega, I’d be smitten too.”

“Hey, hey, you dare covet the Leader’s woman? Though, even as an Alpha, my heart skips a beat looking at Li Sisi!”

Jiang Youbai turned around. “Isn’t it rude to gossip about me right in front of me?”

The mercenaries grinned. One of them said, “Heh, we were talking behind your back. Not to your face.”

Jiang Youbai was stunned by the logic: “…Fair point.”

Before she reached the meeting room, she saw Lou Chuxue sprinting toward her: “Where’s the wife? The new wife? Didn’t she want to see me? Where is she? Li Sisi! Li Sisi—”

Lou Chuxue’s voice was sweet but loud, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Sensing trouble, Jiang Youbai tried to slip away unnoticed.

But Lou Chuxue spotted her instantly, dashed over, and grabbed Jiang Youbai’s hand. In front of the crowd, she declared something that sent chills down Jiang Youbai’s spine:

“Amazing! Just as I expected from someone I recruited—you’ve already charmed the Leader! Keep it up, make sure the Leader only has eyes for you!”

Jiang Youbai, subjected to Lou Chuxue’s breathless rambling, felt a torment worse than anything the old emperor had inflicted. She forced a smile and tried to deflect: “Lieutenant, let go of my hand first. We can talk properly.”

Lou Chuxue released her instantly: “Right, right. You’re the Leader’s woman now! I should keep my distance. I heard the Leader forced you to mark her, and you resisted to the death, saying something like—well, I don’t remember exactly. Anyway, the Leader said she wouldn’t force you and settled for a temporary mark.”

Jiang Youbai understood every word, but the narrative they formed made her want to faint.

She’d only spoken to one Beta, and in the time it took to grab some synthetic food from the cafeteria, the story had already spiraled into this?

What kind of place was this organization?!

How did Lou Huaiche manage these people?!

The usually unflappable former Alpha Crown Princess felt her composure crumbling in the face of such madness.

Her expression twisted as she interrupted Lou Chuxue’s tirade: “Let’s find somewhere private to talk, okay?”

Lou Chuxue whistled and turned to the onlookers: “Whoo! The wife is shy!”

The nearby mercenaries—Betas, Omegas, and even an Alpha—joined in without knowing the context, chanting: “The wife is shy! So shy!”

Jiang Youbai was stunned by the rowdy bunch.

Her face darkened. She grabbed Lou Chuxue by the collar, hooked an arm around her neck, and dragged her toward the meeting room: “Let’s go. We need to talk.”

Though Jiang Youbai’s grip was controlled, it was unyielding. Lou Chuxue flailed, trying to break free but failing miserably. She kicked her legs exaggeratedly as Jiang Youbai hauled her to the meeting room.

Peeking through the window, Jiang Youbai saw only Lou Huaiche and a few Betas inside, seemingly not in the middle of anything important. She pushed the door open, flung Lou Chuxue inside, and warned sternly:

“Lieutenant, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you want.”

Lou Chuxue, sprawled on the floor, sat up and retorted defiantly: “No! I can skip meals, but I can’t stop talking!”

Jiang Youbai: “Then I’ll go out there and tell everyone you’re in love with me. No Alpha will dare approach you after that.”

Lou Chuxue gasped: “You’re shameless!”

The others in the meeting room turned to stare, stunned. Lou Chuxue, though an Omega and petite, was exceptionally strong and skilled—even Alphas couldn’t beat her. That’s why she’d been able to kidnap so many people.

But this delicate-looking new “wife,” Li Sisi, had effortlessly subdued her?

Their gazes turned probing, studying Jiang Youbai intently.

Jiang Youbai noticed that these people were nothing like those in the Upper District.

The Upper District’s nobility wore masks of civility, their aristocratic status propped up by wealth and etiquette.

They acted indirectly, speaking in riddles, using convoluted language to flaunt their intellect.

Even when wary, they never showed it.

They might not be smart, but the mountains of resources at their disposal ensured they received the highest education. Even fools had some cunning.

The Lower District was different. They had no patience for pointless formalities. They were like wild beasts—instinctive, alert, and unrestrained in their growth.

Here, poverty and scarcity reigned, but unlike the Upper District’s refined stagnation, there was a raw vitality.

Jiang Youbai met their scrutinizing gazes head-on, nodding calmly before turning back to Lou Chuxue: “Lieutenant, if you’re shameless, so am I. Just you wait.”

Lou Chuxue scrambled to her feet, ready to fight: “Shut up! Don’t say such ambiguous things in front of the Leader!”

Jiang Youbai restrained her with one hand: “Get me a dormitory. That’s the Leader’s order. And prepare some warmer clothes—it’s getting cold, and I only have one set.”

Then, she opened the door and shoved Lou Chuxue out.

Facing the room full of stunned Betas, Jiang Youbai smiled faintly and addressed the silent Lou Huaiche: “Leader, I’ve noticed there’s a lot of gossip here… Could you do something about it?”

Lou Huaiche, though reluctant to interact with this Alpha, couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead, as if plagued by a long-standing headache:

“Can’t control them. It’s only been three months. If they’re not making major mistakes, it’s fine. They’re bored and love to chatter. As long as it’s harmless, let it be.”

Jiang Youbai said, “Really? But they’re saying you forced yourself on me, subjected me to all kinds of torment.”

Lou Huaiche pointed stiffly at the door: “Just go. Ignore it.”

It seemed even Lou Huaiche, born into Upper District nobility, couldn’t tolerate such lax discipline. But reality had worn her down, leaving her helpless against this unruly bunch.

Jiang Youbai nodded. “Understood. I’ll take my leave.”

As she opened the door, she found Lou Chuxue leaning against the wall outside, tracing circles on the ground with her foot and muttering:

“What’s the big deal? If you’ve already marked each other, why sleep separately?”

Jiang Youbai couldn’t resist replying: “It’s just a temporary mark, not a full bond.”

Lou Chuxue looked up, puzzled: “What’s the difference?”

This was basic physiology taught in elementary school, yet Lou Chuxue didn’t know.

Jiang Youbai patiently explained. Lou Chuxue’s eyes lit up with understanding: “Oh! So if your pheromones are highly compatible, will you have to move back in together? Maybe I shouldn’t assign you a dorm. Moving back and forth is such a hassle.”

Jiang Youbai found her naive straightforwardness oddly endearing, even as it veered into absurdity.

She chuckled, her eyes crinkling with amusement: “That won’t happen. It’s very rare.”

Lou Chuxue grumbled, “Fine.”

She reached out to grab Jiang Youbai, then remembered she was the Leader’s woman and withdrew her hand: “Come on, I’ll take you to your new dorm.”

As they walked side by side back into the building, Jiang Youbai endured the stares—some admiring, some skeptical—but quickly grew immune.

Casually, she asked the bouncing Lou Chuxue: “What’s the Leader’s name?”

Lou Chuxue gasped: “You don’t even know the Leader’s name?!”

“What is it?”

“Lou Huaiche.” Lou Chuxue added, “I took her surname. She said I’m like her child.”

Jiang Youbai: “Pretty sure the original wording was ‘little sister’…”

Lou Chuxue hummed: “Maybe. Doesn’t matter! I’m just her dedicated… uh, subordinate!”

She glanced at Jiang Youbai, relieved she hadn’t noticed the slip, and continued: “I’m going to be a general! When they write about the greatest generals in human history, my name will be first!”

Jiang Youbai listened with a smile as this airhead spilled secrets, probing further: “Oh? What’s this organization called?”

Lou Chuxue gestured: “The Leader said names don’t need to be complicated. So it’s the Banana Corps.”

Jiang Youbai: “Simple enough.”

Unaware that she was now part of this group, she drawled: “Why ‘Corps’? I thought it was a mercenary group.”

Only then did Lou Chuxue realize she’d said too much. She quickly changed the subject: “Oh, we’re almost at the fourth floor. Let me tell you, most Alphas in the Lower District who can leave, do. The few who stay are the useless ones, so the Alphas I kidnapped all want to cling to the Leader. But she ignores them!”

Jiang Youbai nodded: “I see.”

Come to think of it, that made sense.

She was beginning to grasp the disparity between Alphas and Omegas.

In the Lower District, Alphas could easily leave based on their secondary gender alone, while Betas and Omegas were trapped here. With Omegas being rarer, many were likely captured.

And what they were captured for went without saying.

Jiang Youbai had little interaction with Omegas growing up. Her tutors were Alphas or Betas, mostly Alphas. The nobles and officials she’d met were all Alphas.

Her impression of Omegas came from occasional online posts—fragile, delicate, helpless flowers who couldn’t survive without an Alpha.

But now, she’d met Omegas like Lou Huaiche and Ning Yunze, and in this base, she’d seen many Omegas who stood tall, their presence no less imposing than any Alpha’s.

It dawned on her why Chi Ruo despised Alpha nobles so much, and why Lou Huaiche loathed being marked by an Alpha.

When power inherently favors one side, the injustice isn’t relative—it’s absolute.

Following the Omega who aspired to be history’s greatest general, Jiang Youbai reached the fourth floor. Lou Chuxue led her to the “wives’ dormitory” and knocked on the first door.

A female Alpha opened it, saw Lou Chuxue and Jiang Youbai, and scowled: “This room already has three people. You’re stuffing another one in?”

Lou Chuxue chirped: “But you didn’t even have a place to stay before!”

Jiang Youbai stayed silent as Lou Chuxue fetched bedding and toiletries from the fourth-floor storage room, telling her to make her own bed before leaving.

The dorm was decently sized, housing three female Alphas. They were decent-looking but paled in comparison to Jiang Youbai.

Alphas didn’t openly compete over looks—they prided themselves on being Alphas, their focus on power and wealth, not vanity like Omegas.

But as Jiang Youbai settled in, male Alphas from neighboring dorms gathered to gawk. Seeing her superior beauty, they couldn’t resist sniping:

“Tch. An Alpha who looks like that…”

“Well, she’s stuck in the dorms like us. So much for the Leader liking her—dumped after one night.”

“Maybe she’s just bad in bed.”

“Hahaha, brutal.”

Jiang Youbai ignored them, which only egged them on. Once her bed was made, she glanced at them coolly and released her pheromones.

A top-tier Alpha’s pheromones radiated dominance and pressure, instantly distinguishing superiority.

The Alphas’ faces reddened. They stiffened, refusing to yield, but their trembling legs betrayed them.

Jiang Youbai clapped her hands, resting one on the doorframe, and smirked:

“Oh? Are some Alphas actually intimidated by little old me?”

Just as she was about to shut the door and leave them be, a Beta rushed upstairs, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out:

“You’re Li Sisi, right? Hurry! The Leader needs you to mark her—it’s an emergency!”

Jiang Youbai, who’d just finished making her bed: “…”

No way. Did Lou Huaiche go into heat again less than a day after the temporary mark?

If her heat cycles were this frequent, they’d have to move in together.