Can Alpha Also Be A Wife? - Chapter 17
Chapter 17 Polar Ice Crystal…
Thanks to the Empire’s top-tier military-grade stealth system installed on their vehicle, they had no fear of being picked up by Hillier’s planetary surveillance net.
Lu Shihuai deliberately chose an isolated route. The vehicle’s sensor system was on full alert—whenever another ship came close, the AI would detect it immediately and adjust their path to steer clear.
So, throughout their journey over Hillier Star, no one noticed an unidentified aircraft silently gliding across the skies.
Once Lin Fansheng had admired Lu Shihuai’s manual piloting skills, the other switched to autopilot.
“Fu Mingxi decoded a message last night…” Lu Shihuai began, summarizing what they had learned.
They were about to infiltrate the mining zone. Fu Mingxi would forge their new identities. Lin Fansheng and Lu Shihuai would gather intel from the inside, while the others offered external support.
As they spoke, they both received a message simultaneously—Fu Mingxi again.
In addition to false identity credentials, he had also attached an updated map of the mining site and a recruitment notice issued by the local government.
Yes, a formal directive, red header and all.
The energy source—classified academically as IX-6—was dubbed by most as polar ice crystal. These could only be extracted beneath thick glacial layers, their origin still a mystery, like a gift dropped by the cosmos.
Hillier Star wasn’t large and had limited mineral deposits. It was considered a backwater world—nobody thought it would yield anything valuable.
Which is why this discovery had flown under the radar—even the Empire had only assigned two squads to monitor things.
If it weren’t for Lin Fansheng’s unplanned arrival here, they might never have discovered that the Alliance had extended its influence all the way to a planet this insignificant.
Because the find was made through official means, the government oversaw the recruitment of miners. They’d even publicized it openly in hopes of drawing in more able-bodied adults.
No surprise—any energy resource labeled rare essentially screamed profit. Even selling a mere portion of it would wipe out budget concerns for the local government for a decade.
So if someone on the inside was conducting shady deals with the Alliance, it was purely driven by greed.
Alliance buyers offered competitive prices—enough to entice the wrong kind of ambition. Unfortunately, the one in charge of the mine happened to be that kind of person.
Though his signal encryption was amateurish, he did know how to cover his tracks. Fu Mingxi hadn’t been able to pull any hard evidence from the comm logs—just vague conversations that could be dismissed or blamed on “hackers.”
That’s why Lu Shihuai decided to go in and collect the proof himself—bringing Lin Fansheng along. Fu Mingxi would handle the tech, Jiang Shuran the field security.
Their roles were clearly defined. As for Lanros, who had been dumped in the storage closet—no one was really concerned about his status, as long as he didn’t keel over.
After hearing all this, Lin Fansheng asked, “Do you really think Benson has the power to sell 80% of the mine?”
“Not him, no. But money does,” Lu Shihuai replied. “Think about the people living on this star—what do you suppose they want most?”
Lin Fansheng understood. It all came down to personal gain.
Sell the mine, rake in the credits, and live luxuriously for the rest of their lives—maybe even escape this desolate rock.
“Even the guards?” he asked, troubled.
Lu Shihuai shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Some might be involved, others might not. But one thing’s for sure: the crystals will be sold.”
Once the Alliance gets involved, even the guards might become a liability.
If the mine is rigged to collapse, all evidence would be buried beneath tons of ice and rubble. After all, who cares about a remote star no one’s even watching?
“We’ll get that evidence,” Lin Fansheng said firmly.
They would expose the rot and clean out the corruption from the inside.
His eyes were steady and determined—just like the first time Lu Shihuai met him ten years ago.
Lu Shihuai’s heart skipped a beat.
Later, at the recruitment checkpoint—
“Move it! Line up! All of you get scanned!”
A booming voice barked orders as recruits lined up, one by one stepping through a scanning machine.
The device was simple: stand still for two seconds, activate your contactor, and the system would retrieve your basic stats.
Ahead of the line, a scrawny, pale-skinned boy stood out like a sore thumb among the burly crowd.
With little else to do, people began to gawk—and then chuckle.
“Hey, kid, did you get lost on the way to your mama’s kitchen? What are you doing here at a mining site?”
Laughter erupted as more eyes turned toward the boy.
Someone jeered, “Don’t tell me you’re an Omega?”
The boy, clearly humiliated, lifted his head and glared, red-eyed like a furious bunny.
“I’m an Alpha!” he barked in a voice that still cracked with youth.
“Sure you are,” a burly Beta said, flexing his arm and making his biceps bulge. “You don’t even have more muscle than I do!”
The boy’s eyes welled up, and he repeated, voice trembling, “I am an Alpha!”
They kept laughing.
That’s when the young man ahead of him turned around.
With a gentle smile, he said, “You go ahead.”
The boy blinked, only then realizing he was at the scanner.
The older youth gave him a small nod. “If they don’t believe you, prove them wrong.”
Tears still brimming, the boy stepped forward.
Two seconds later:
“Scan complete. Name: Yu Heng. Male, Alpha. Physical status: approved.”
The crowd behind him murmured in surprise.
“No way… he’s actually Alpha?”
“Damn, Alphas really come in all shapes now…”
Yu Heng ignored them. He waited near the scanner for the young man’s turn.
Soon, the scan read:
“Scan complete. Name: Lin Sheng. Male, Beta. Physical status: approved.”
Yu Heng silently mouthed the name.
Lin Sheng.
“Ah Huai, sorry to keep you waiting,” Lin Fansheng said, walking toward Lu Shihuai.
Now operating under aliases—Lin Sheng and Lu Huai—both had assumed Beta identities.
Alphas and Omegas were rarer, and Betas blended in more easily.
Pheromones weren’t an issue either—Lu Shihuai had acquired suppressants that lasted a week per vial.
Lu Shihuai’s gaze flicked to the smaller Alpha—Yu Heng—who still hadn’t dared lift his eyes.
“Let’s go,” he said curtly.
But Yu Heng wasn’t ready to let them go. Gathering courage, he rushed after them, stepping into their path and fidgeting nervously.
“H-hi,” he squeaked. “I’m Yu Heng. Can I… come with you?”
Lin Fansheng gave Lu Shihuai a helpless look.
Oops. Picked up a stray.
Lu Shihuai gave Yu Heng a once-over—fingers, wrists, waist, limbs. Yep. Pure Alpha, zero combat skill.
He gave a subtle nod.
Lin Fansheng smiled warmly. “Sure. Stick with us.”
Yu Heng’s voice cracked with excitement: “Th-thank you!”
It still came out barely above a whisper.
They managed to arrange their dorms together. Four bunks, a shared bathroom, and a balcony. Even the most desolate world had some basic standard in the interstellar era.
The fourth roommate never really showed up—he checked in on day one, left without any belongings, and never returned.
Someone eventually said he was in a relationship and just popped in for check-ins.
So really, it was just the three of them.
Yu Heng was careful never to disturb them.
He’d wanted to get closer to Lin Sheng at first… but on day one, he noticed every little thing of Lin Sheng’s was handled by Lu Huai—even his bed linens.
They must be very close, Yu Heng thought.
Then on day two, he accidentally opened the bathroom door and saw the two of them in there—together.
His mind short-circuited.
Two male Betas. Together. In the bathroom?!
He turned bright red, mumbled something about being hungry, and ran.
From then on, it was obvious to him—they were a couple.
It wasn’t uncommon for two Betas to be together. They didn’t have the complications of Alphas or Omegas. No one judged them.
And the way the two of them moved together—silent glances, wordless gestures—it was a rhythm forged from years of shared living.
Yu Heng never doubted again.
Around them, he tried to disappear. He even breathed more softly, afraid to intrude.
When Lin Sheng wasn’t around and only Lu Huai was in the dorm, Yu Heng didn’t even dare stay in the room.
He couldn’t explain why—but Lu Huai terrified him.
Only when Lin Sheng was present did Yu Heng feel safe enough to speak. To ask questions. To chat about little things.
And in that quiet, Yu Heng’s admiration quietly grew.