Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 1

 Chapter 1: Forced Marriage

Ren Zhong would never forget that day for the rest of his life.

It was not only the first time he met his assigned marriage partner, but also the day they had officially been married for exactly one month.

The Alpha who was now his legal spouse cleared his throat and said,

“According to the Mandatory Marriage Matching Regulation, couples are required to have at least one legally recorded sexual encounter per month under the surveillance of the national AI monitoring system. And it’s been thirty days since our marriage became effective.”

“In other words, by 11:59 tonight, we are legally obligated to fulfill this duty.”

It was their first meeting, and yet they were expected to star in an intimate film together.

As for how this absurd situation came to be — it all started two months ago.

…

Two months earlier.

“Ren Zhong! You—You—You’re going to be the death of me!”

The scorching sun was enough to melt flesh right off the bones.

At that moment, a middle-aged military officer was furiously pointing at a young man doing abdominal bar spins on the high bar, practically wishing his finger could jab that brat straight into another dimension.

“Ren Zhong, if you’ve got the guts, don’t come down from there! Just keep spinning! Don’t stop!”

His voice was like thunder, booming across the entire training field for all the soldiers to hear.

“Are you going to get married or not?!” the officer shouted, so angry that even spit flew from his mouth.

But even that couldn’t compare to the sweat flung off by Ren Zhong.

The young soldier on the bar, dressed in camo uniform, spun round and round with impeccable form, his back straight, speed quick, sweat spraying off with each centrifugal turn like steel pellets hitting the ground.

Suddenly, the spinning stopped.

A flushed face came into view from the exertion. He had a healthy tan, strong brows, but unusually seductive eyes that drooped like the refined ladies from classical paintings — yet when opened wide in anger, they carried the fierce intensity of a snarling wolf.

Just when the officer thought Ren Zhong was about to cave from exhaustion…

“I’d rather die than marry!”

Good lord. The words were sharp as a blade, not even the tail end of the sentence wavered.

The officer’s chest rose and fell with fury. His muscles strained so tightly that his uniform looked like it might burst.

“Fine. Fine. Fine!”

He ground his teeth, repeating the word three times before rolling up his sleeves, ready to take that rebellious brat down himself.

“Old Chen.”

A hand landed on the officer’s shoulder.

“Colonel!” Officer Chen nearly choked with anger. “This kid is stubborn as hell! I swear I’ll—”

But the colonel raised a hand, signaling him to stop.

He stepped forward and looked up at the young man still spinning on the bar.

“Ren Zhong.”

“Sir!”

The colonel’s tone was calm and measured — unusually gentle for a military man.

“You were supposed to be resting from your injury. Why are you out here spinning on the bar in this heat?” His voice held the warmth of an elder speaking to a younger relative.

Ren Zhong replied between spins,

“Commander asked me to get married. I refused. So he told me to do ten thousand spins.”

The colonel turned to Officer Chen and said,

“Old Chen, your approach was misguided. Xiao Ren just returned from a mission with a second-class merit and is still recovering. You can’t treat an injured soldier like this.”

But now it was Ren Zhong’s turn to be scolded.

The colonel continued,

“Marriage is your legal obligation. According to the Mandatory Marriage Matching Regulation, any Omega over sixteen with a mature gland must enter the national database and be assigned a match. You should’ve been married a long time ago.”

“I’m a soldier on active duty. My deferred marriage application was already approved,” Ren Zhong replied politely.

And then, he kept spinning.

“Xiao Ren, you’re already twenty-six. Your deferment has long expired,” the colonel said patiently.

Ren Zhong paused. His arms trembled — his body had almost reached its limit. But he still clung tightly to the bar and gritted his teeth.

“Then I’ll submit a new deferment request. I can still serve my country.”

“Of course you can,” the colonel agreed, “But you also need to think about yourself. You’re not young anymore, and you’re injured. You need someone to care for you.”

Unexpectedly, Ren Zhong rejected the kindness outright.

“I don’t need that. My personal life has nothing to do with my superiors.”

Officer Chen couldn’t take this kind of attitude toward the colonel.

“Ren Zhong, stop twisting words! Don’t act so unreasonable!”

Ren Zhong’s response was simple — he just kept spinning, forcing Officer Chen to lose sight of his face and miss his target finger-pointing entirely.

“You little punk!”

Fuming, Officer Chen was about to charge forward.

“Old Chen,” the colonel said again, stopping him.

He sighed, “Xiao Ren, I understand how you feel. You want to continue serving, you’re unsure if you can adapt to life outside the military, and you don’t want to get married or have children. But you also have to understand us.”

Ren Zhong suddenly stopped and looked down from the high bar.

“Xiao Ren, you’ve already applied for a deferment three times. To get those approved, Old Chen here pulled every string he could — even dragging his prosthetic leg around to make connections and shield you from pressure. Would you really let him be punished for your sake?”

Soon it would be time to submit promotion applications.

Refusing to marry was a major offense on his record — not only would it block Ren Zhong’s chance of promotion to full captain, but Officer Chen might also be reprimanded for “poor command,” ruining his chances of advancement and possibly facing sanctions.

The colonel’s voice turned somber,

“Xiao Ren, I know this sounds like emotional blackmail. But this isn’t something you can ignore — it’s a legal requirement. You’re our soldier. How could we bear to lose you? But if you don’t get married soon, even your military status might be revoked!”

At that, Ren Zhong stopped moving.

He shifted his position, hooking his knees over the bar and hanging upside down.

As if letting the bl00d rush to his brain would help him think more clearly.

The colonel could tell — Ren Zhong felt guilty.

Ren Zhong was a man of loyalty. Officer Chen had mentored him for years, not just a superior but a friend, someone who had once risked his life for him on the battlefield. Ren Zhong would rather suffer himself than let a comrade pay the price.

Seeing the opening, the colonel pressed on.

“Our duty as soldiers is to follow orders and protect the country and its people. Marriage is a mandatory obligation. You can’t escape it.”

Ren Zhong didn’t respond, arms folded behind his head, face cold.

“Don’t worry, Xiao Ren,” the colonel said warmly. “We would never set you up to fail. I know you’re fearless — but we’re scared. What if you end up with someone terrible? Where am I going to find another soldier like you?”

His lips tightened.

But the colonel could tell — he was close to winning.

“We’ve already spoken to the matchmaking system. With your record of merit, you’ll be given preferential treatment. You’ll get your pick of high-quality Alphas — good background, good personality. Just fill out the questionnaire. Whatever your preferences, we’ll do our best to meet them, alright?”

A minute later, Ren Zhong came down from the bar. Still recovering from surgery, he couldn’t even stand properly — he practically collapsed off it.

“Good kid. Go rest now. Heal up properly — don’t let your injury become a permanent issue,” the colonel ordered someone to bring a stretcher.

Ren Zhong rolled onto the stretcher and muttered,

“First I’m ‘too old,’ then suddenly I’m ‘still young.’ So which one is it?”

“Ah, this kid…” the colonel sighed. “Such a sharp tongue.”

Watching Ren Zhong carried off, the colonel sighed again.

“Old Chen, you too. Aren’t you supposed to be the elder here? Can’t you be more level-headed? Xiao Ren’s not one to respond well to force. He just had surgery — both ankles. Has to learn how to walk again. And you made him spin on the bar?”

Officer Chen groaned, already feeling regret. “It’s my fault, my fault. Got too emotional. The moment that kid grabbed the bar, my temper just exploded.”

“Forget it,” the colonel shook his head. “Xiao Ren’s future is serious business. We can’t treat it lightly. Let’s invite someone from the marriage allocation department to dinner. Find him a good Alpha — preferably someone patient enough to handle that temper of his.”

Officer Chen clicked his tongue thoughtfully, “Shouldn’t be hard. Xiao Ren’s got looks, strong build, and a top education. He even gave that speech on TV before his surgery — the internet’s full of praise.”

“You’re biased,” the colonel said helplessly. “But don’t get too optimistic. The internet’s praising him as a soldier, not as a spouse. Marriage isn’t like training new recruits — who’s looking for an Omega with a ‘strong build’?”

At that, the colonel just shook his head.

“We’ve got a real headache ahead of us, Old Chen.”

When it came to forced marriage, the iron-willed Ren Zhong finally surrendered.

But this… was only the beginning of a series of bizarre events.