Starry Rebirth: The Warden and the Outlaw’s Interstellar Revenge | Chapter 54 | A Calculated Draw | Novela.app

When the holographic combat system announced the final result as a draw, Ji Yeran, still inside the simulation pod, let out a long, heavy sigh of relief. He was grateful it was finally over. To face a combat fanatic like Xu Yi and maintain a plausible draw without being found out—even for a future Interstellar Prison Warden like Ji Yeran—was no easy feat. One had to understand that from the moment Commander Xu had conscripted him for this "spar," Ji Yeran’s brain had been working at full capacity to engineer this perfect outcome. Achieving a result where both sides exhausted their energy simultaneously, triggering an automatic system draw, was the product of Ji Yeran’s meticulous calculation and constant scheming. He had barely managed to restrain himself from striking too hard; after all, he was far too used to beating Xu Yi in his past life. Constantly holding back now required a high level of self-control. As Ji Yeran stepped out of the holographic pod, he was immediately met with a pair of eyes burning with fanaticism. Commander Xu was delighted (☆w☆): Winning or losing didn't matter. What mattered was that he had finally found someone who could trade blows with him without him having to pull his punches! In truth, the reason the Warden had found fighting Xu Yi so exhausting in his previous life was largely because Xu Yi, a natural-born violence-monger, only felt he didn't have to hold back when fighting the Warden. Being beaten black and blue was irrelevant; the thrill of the fight was everything! Setting aside future grievances for a moment, Ji Yeran faced Commander Xu’s blatant "Young man, let’s go another round~" expression with a wooden, stony face. He ignored him with cold, ruthless, and utterly unreasonable silence. Ji Yeran: "..." Something must have gone wrong! Why did a draw only serve to ignite a brute's lust for battle?! The Warden felt a flicker of frustration, but he refused to admit his judgment had been flawed. Given that Ji Yeran was still a "child" in his eyes, Commander Xu, who still possessed a shred of shame, didn't push verbally. Instead, he continued to use his eyes to persistently and "subtly" convey his desire (☆w☆): *Young man, you’ve got talent. I’ve got my eye on you. Let’s go again!* "..." Feeling bone-weary, Ji Yeran turned away. Ignoring the burning gaze boring into his back, he maintained a firm, unshakeable pace as he quickly exited the holographic combat room. He was using his actions to tell the other man: *Another fight is impossible. There will be no next time! Absolutely not!* However, the moment the Warden stepped out of the room, a familiar gaze pinned his feet to the spot. A huffy Omega stood there, eyes wide. The slight upward curve at the corners of his beautiful eyes made them look remarkably like a cat's—half-angry, half-pouting—and his tightly pressed lips screamed his displeasure. Feng Zhixi glared at the culprit who had caused him to lose his bet. Ji Yeran actually dared to settle for a draw! "???" The bewildered Warden had no idea how he had offended Feng Zhixi again. Had this delicate little thing been getting angry more frequently lately? Ji Yeran felt a massive headache coming on. What were the odds that their partnership would collapse simply because he couldn't decipher his companion's thoughts? Just as Ji Yeran feared their cooperation was facing a unilateral crisis, the appearance of a "sweet angel" provided an unexpected turning point. "Why is it so lively here? Senior~ let's go take a look, okay~?" The cloying voice had a distinct upward lilt. The speaker’s unconscious coquettish tone made the "okay" tremble like a lover’s whisper. Just from the sound, one could tell it was a naive and cute little Omega. The voice arrived before the person, and with it came an enhanced scent of rotten eggs that drifted through the air. Both Feng Zhixi and Ji Yeran, caught off guard, were profoundly shaken. Feng Zhixi: "?!" Ji Yeran: "?!" Why was the "stink bomb" back again? He was like a ghost that refused to be exorcised! In an instant, the two of them became allies again, temporarily shelving the minor issue of the bet to face the sudden appearance of the upgraded "stink bomb." Feng Zhixi: "..." Ji Yeran: "..." Accompanied by light footsteps, a petite male Omega appeared before everyone. The "cutie" who walked in had an innocent, harmless appearance. His golden hair was soft and fluffy, his emerald eyes sparkled like jewels, and his red lips were slightly pursed in surprise. His looks were just as sweet and lovely as his voice. As Hill revealed himself, a faint, cloying sweetness began to permeate the air. It was thick and sugary. Clearly, this "clumsy" Omega had once again failed to properly apply his pheromone blocking patch, allowing his syrupy pheromones to leak out. Wisps of the fragrance drifted through the air, seemingly at random. The scent was sweet and provocative, inviting infinite fantasies and making people unconsciously lose themselves in it. Feng Zhixi: "..." Ji Yeran: "..." Had the "stink bomb" evolved after just a few days? This smell—nearly twice as strong as before, capable of penetrating specialized scent-shielding equipment—this horrific stench of rotten eggs... what on earth was it? Was it truly an ultimate biological weapon?! Faced with the "stink bomb" whose potency had doubled, Feng Zhixi’s face nearly turned black from the stench. If Ji Yeran hadn't sensed something was wrong and stepped forward to shield him, the irritated Omega might have lost his temper and punched someone. Quietly shielding Feng Zhixi, Ji Yeran released his own pheromones. The scent of green plums, tart yet sweet, rippled out to surround the delicate Omega, bringing him under his protection. Despite his internal disdain for the sour-sweet smell, Feng Zhixi couldn't help but lean closer to Ji Yeran, voluntarily entering the protective pheromone barrier the Alpha had raised. *So sour!* The two-faced Omega grumbled inwardly, while simultaneously making sure he was well-hidden behind Ji Yeran. Meanwhile, the sudden arrival, Hill, stood grandly in the combat room crowded with Alphas, carrying a scent no one could ignore. Following a prompt from his System, Hill’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Ji Yeran. His poorly hidden pheromones seemed to be triggered by something; they surged forth like a tidal wave, rippling toward his intended target. "?!" The Warden’s face turned green as he was hit full-force by the unexpected wave of rotten eggs. The stench was so thick and nauseating that words failed to describe it. Yet, strangely, no one else around them seemed to notice anything wrong. It was as if this biological bomb was a precision-guided weapon, specifically targeting him for a directional sniper strike. Ji Yeran: "..." It stinks. I want to hit someone! Right now! Just as Ji Yeran was being enveloped by the overwhelming "sweet" pheromones and his temples began to throb from the stench, he suddenly felt a light tug on the back of his hand. It was a very gentle pressure, like a kitten lightly batting him with its soft paw pads, claws retracted. It was a bit ticklish. Ji Yeran froze. A hint of crisp, strong liquor reached his nose—sweet, mellow, and domineering. It forcefully walled off the disgusting rotten egg smell trying to invade his senses. At that moment, Feng Zhixi, who had been hiding behind Ji Yeran, lazily shifted his step. The black-haired, black-eyed Omega tilted his head and shot Hill a cold glance. His gaze was like ice and snow, carrying an unabashed arrogance. Just as Alphas' pheromones repelled one another, Omegas' pheromones actually possessed a similar rejection response. It was just that most known Omega pheromones were sweet, soft, and soothing. An aggressive, mutated pheromone like Feng Zhixi’s—caused by congenital underdevelopment—was an absolute anomaly among Omegas. In this moment, seemingly provoked by the upgraded stink bomb, a sense of offense—the feeling that someone was coveting the Alpha he had claimed—led Feng Zhixi to instinctively discover a second use for his pheromones. *This one is mine!* The scent of strong spirits, mingled with the aroma of green plums, arrogantly encircled his Alpha. Asserting his dominance, the powerful Omega’s thick, overbearing scent of liquor felt almost tangible. It swept forward like a crashing wave, screaming at the intruder to *get lost!* Caught completely off guard by the mental "beating," Hill was stunned: "?!!" Why did this person always ruin his plans?! Hill shocked his "System," demanding to know why it hadn't warned him that this dangerous individual was also here! He had never had the chance to get close to Ji Yeran, his core mission target. Today, he had finally seen the Alpha and had spent a fortune to use a "High-Level Skill" exchanged from the System. He never expected it to fail so miserably! Gritting his teeth, Hill fiercely questioned the "System" in his mind. Why was this high-level skill so useless? Hadn't it promised that unless there was an Omega with mutated pheromones, even an Alpha with a permanent mark would fall for it? And now? It was completely ineffective! However, in the face of Hill’s interrogation, the "System" fell into an uncharacteristic silence. No matter how Hill questioned it, the usually responsive "System" offered no reply, as if it had suddenly crashed. The Warden, having escaped the ordeal, let out a soft sigh of relief. He glanced back casually, his eyes brimming with a warmth like a spring breeze. *Thank you,* Ji Yeran mouthed silently, grateful that his companion had set aside their previous grudge to save him from being poisoned by the enhanced stink bomb. *So, the little delicate one can be quite loyal sometimes...* The self-reflecting Warden decided he shouldn't always complain about the fussy one being an ungrateful little white-eyed wolf. Meanwhile, Feng Zhixi, who had accidentally triggered the second use of his pheromones, was lost in confusion. Wait, what had he just discovered? Feng Zhixi cast a subtle glance at Hill. Just a moment ago, had he captured some strange energy fluctuation coming from that Omega? Inspired by the "Spiderweb"—the little toy he had acquired—Feng Zhixi had written a new piece of code for his "toolbox" to capture and analyze abnormal energy fluctuations. It was still just an experimental tool. But just now, his "toolbox" had alerted him: *Energy fluctuation anomaly detected!* How could this kind of energy fluctuation, which should only exist in deep space, suddenly appear inside a starship—and on an Omega, no less? Feng Zhixi was perplexed. Furthermore, why did he find this pattern of energy fluctuation so familiar? It was as if he had seen it somewhere before.