Apex Predator - Chap 45

Qu Moyu polished off six bowls of noodles in one go, which really gave Shen Dai a fright.

Though he knew that the appetites of Alphas would escalate significantly close to rut, he had never been closely acquainted with any Alphas growing up, and so had no firsthand experience in this regard.

After finishing their meal, the two of them held hands and took a walk in the area surrounding the school. At every intersection, Qu Moyu would point out where each road led, with a thing or two to say about every neighbourhood and building. Even though it seemed as if he were simply explaining things to Shen Dai, he was in fact also sharing his memories with him.

Shen Dai listened with great interest, from time to time asking him a few questions about his childhood. Slowly and gradually, a vague impression of the young Qu Moyu that he had never seen before began to take shape in his mind.

He had the impression that both of them — both their hearts, were once again drawing much nearer.

Seeing that Qu Moyu was in a good mood, Shen Dai took the chance to advise him not to use medication to shorten the duration of his rut.

Inhibitors had already gone through centuries of iterations. Except for the stronger doses that required injecting, the side effects of the standard doses had become minimal and were more easily metabolised. But to forcibly shorten or halt the effects of heat and rut once they had already started would require the use of strong medication. He really hoped that Qu Moyu wouldn’t resort to a method that would harm his body in exchange for just a few days of time.

Qu Moyu said solemnly, “There are a lot of important meetings to attend over the next few days. I have a business trip, and there are still people I need to meet. So many things are going on, yet I don’t want to take inhibitors either. I’ll just have to look at my schedule.”

“Can you predict when your rut will start and clear your calendar for then?”

“I can guess it with a margin of error of around three to four days, which means it will likely be next week. Without an exact date, I have no way of planning my schedule.”

Shen Dai felt helpless. He grasped Qu Moyu’s hand quietly, thinking to himself: During such a busy period, Qu Moyu still ran all the way here for a bowl of noodles, and even took the time to walk with him. It had to be that he was stressed and needed a brief moment of respite.

He wanted so much to help Qu Moyu, just like how he had helped him, wanted so much to help the person that he liked. Yet all he could manage was a powerless “Everything will work out.”

“Yeah. When all these matters are settled. I’ll go take a nice holiday,” Qu Moyu asked, “Did you still want to go to South Africa?”

“Not for now. The Professor is already on his way back.” Shen Dai laughed. “He can’t wait any longer. Says the food there is awful.”

“That’s fine as well. When Professor Liu gets back, I’ll invite him out for a meal.”

Unable to conceal his happiness, Shen Dai replied, “Alright!” The professor was to him both a teacher and a father. If Qu Moyu wanted to invite the Professor for a meal, it naturally was for his sake. This had the same feeling as him wanting to meet his parents. How could he not feel overjoyed?

Qu Moyu took a look at his watch, then peered through the fence at the empty sports field of the elementary school. Pausing for a moment, he said, “Let’s head back. I still have an online meeting to attend this evening.”

During the next two days of work, Shen Dai kept feeling like his heart was elsewhere. It was mostly because he was worried for Qu Moyu. People would often call it “premonition”. Though he considered himself an atheist and a philosophical materialist, at this moment, he couldn’t find any better words to describe the uneasiness he was feeling.

In the afternoon, Shen Dai suddenly received a call from Shen Qin saying that his grandmother was feeling unwell with dizziness and nausea. The anxious tone of her voice made him impatient to go home at once. Immediately, he set aside what he was working on and called a taxi.

Seeing him, his grandmother was surprised. “How come you’re back? Don’t you have work today?”

“Weren’t you feeling unwell?” asked Shen Dai. He immediately went up to her and put his hand over her forehead to feel her temperature. “What happened? Did you catch a cold?”

“Aiyo, it’s nothing. Just a bit of a headache. Must have been watching too much television. Why did you waste your time coming back in the middle of work?” But even these words coming out of her mouth could not hide her smile. “Won’t your pay get cut if you do this?”

Shen Dai let out a sigh. “It’s fine. Since the Professor isn’t around, I’m considered the one in charge of the laboratory. There’s nobody to cut my pay.”

“My baby is so outstanding!” said his grandmother, pulling his hand, “Since you’re back, why not have dinner here before leaving? You’re so busy you hardly ever come back these days.”

Shen Dai felt a bit guilty. In fact, what his grandmother said was true. He had been going back less and less frequently lately. The first reason was Qu Moyu, and the second, was Shen Qin. And now that his grandmother’s condition had stabilised, he often would not spend the night at home on weekends.

“It’s been too busy recently,” he said, placating her, “But today, I’ll keep you company.”

Shen Qin came out carrying a backpack. “You guys have a chat. I’m off to buy some groceries.”

The both of them chatted, at the same time discussing what they should get up to that evening.

After a while, Shen Dai instinctively reached for his mobile phone. There often were important messages in the work chat group, and he had to keep checking it occasionally. However, after searching for a long time, he still couldn’t find it.

“Is something wrong?”

“My phone. Have you seen it?” Shen Dai thought it over, “Did I leave it on the shoe cabinet when I was on my way in? Or maybe the coffee table?”

“That’s so you, always leaving your things around,” his grandmother nagged. “Go get my phone in my room and use it to call yourself.”

Using his grandma’s phone, he dialled his own number, then carried the phone with him while searching for the sound of ringing. But after going through all the rooms of the small apartment, he still couldn’t find it. He was starting to feel anxious. Could he have lost it? Maybe he left it in the taxi? But then again, he clearly remembered bringing it back home.

He kept calling. On the third try, the line was finally picked up. He hurriedly said, “Hey, hello? I…”

“A-Dai?” came Shen Qin’s voice from the other end of the line. “Oh dear, why is your phone with me?” he exclaimed softly. “Did I take it with me by mistake?”

Both of their phones were from the same brand but of a different model. Apart from the camera, their external appearances were really quite similar.

Shen Dai took a deep breath. “As long as I didn’t lose it, it’s fine.”

“I was buying groceries so I didn’t hear it. Just give me a moment, I’ll be right back.”

As Shen Dai held his phone in his hand after Shen Qin had returned, he had the persistent feeling that something was amiss. Yet switching it on to check, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. It must have been just the anxiety of having his privacy invaded playing tricks on him. In reality, there was no way for Shen Qin to unlock his phone at all, and furthermore, there wasn’t any money or confidential information on it.

After having dinner with his grandmother, Shen Dai returned to the Qu residence.

Qu Moyu hadn’t returned yet. Auntie Lan and Uncle Heng were presently helping him pack his “luggage”. What was called “luggage” was actually more like a small-scale home relocation: Four large suitcases in total, evidently prepared for Qu Moyu to spend his rut at the safe house

Looking over at all the daily necessities that had been prepared to the very last detail, Shen Dai asked, “Won’t this be too much?”

“Not at all. We’re afraid that the young master won’t have what he needs during that time. He won’t be able to see anyone in those few days.” Both of them were very meticulously checking off the list of items.

“Then….do you need any help?”

“No need, it’s about done.” Auntie Lan suddenly thought of something. “When the young master comes home, you can ask if he’ll need a few of your things. The pheromones of people close to him will be able to help comfort him. But…you better ask him first.” Obviously, she was thinking of the time she took the initiative to encourage him to prepare lunch for Qu Moyu, only to be reprimanded for it.

Thinking of it as well, Shen Dai replied, “Alright.”

Had this been back then, there was no way he would have asked, with their relationship steadily heating up these days, he started to have a bit more confidence.

After washing up, he still ended up helping them pack a little. The two of them kept entering and leaving the room looking for things, making it impossible for him to read his book or go to sleep.

Just then, Qu Moyu returned home as well, and he gave Auntie Lan a few things to take care of. It appeared that his impending rut was making him a little nervous.

Then, a sharp ringing sound suddenly pierced the air from within the room. At first, no one reacted to it, but after it had rung several times with no one answering, Shen Dai suddenly realised that it was his own phone. He picked it up to look. It showed an unknown number. But his ringtone had always been the default one set by the system, and he had never changed it to this unfamiliar one before.

Qu Moyu slowly turned his head to look at Shen Dai, a stunned look on his face, his eyes filled with confusion.

Shen Dai answered the phone, but the other end went silent for a few seconds before hanging up.

He was brimming with suspicion, but as soon as he put down the phone, it started to ring again; Still the same number, and still the same ringtone.

He picked it up. Once again, the other side hung up.

Now, he was annoyed. He added the number to his phone’s blacklist. But not long after, it started to ring again, still with an unknown number.

All of a sudden, a muffled groan escaped from Qu Moyu’s throat, and he staggered backwards by two steps.

Uncle Heng was the first to notice that something was off. “Young master, what’s the matter with you?”

The phone just kept ringing. Hanging up or blacklisting the number hadn’t worked. This unusual disturbance was starting to irritate Shen Dai. As he listened to the sound, he also turned to look at Qu Moyu.

Qu Moyu had his head lowered, his complexion growing increasingly pale. The blue veins on his forehead stood out prominently, and his facial muscles were trembling, as if there was something he was trying to suppress.

In what seemed like the next instant, ebony wood pheromones burst out uncontrollably. Before Shen Dai had a chance to even process it, his sympathetic nervous system and hormones reacted. His legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor.

At the exact same time, all the glass and porcelain in the room had also shattered in response! Shards of glass flew in all directions. The room was a scene of utter chaos, like an explosion had just gone off.

The overwhelmingly powerful pheromones that he had never experienced before swept across the air in one fell swoop. It was like there was a hand which had seized him by the throat and thrown him down into the coldest hells. He couldn’t budge. It was hard to breathe. He stared at Qu Moyu, his eyes wide. Terror spread through his heart like a creeping vine

Never in his whole lifetime had he truly experienced pheromone suppression like this – what words could he even use to describe this icy coldness, pain, fear and despair? He was wishing he could just die.

“Oh no, we’re done for.” said Uncle Heng, his eyes red with panic. “What on earth is happening!”

It wasn’t that Betas were immune to Alpha pheromone suppression, but they were still less susceptible to it than Omegas. Though both Auntie Lan and Uncle Heng felt like vomiting, it wasn’t to the extent of being completely unable to move. But this crisis that they had never faced before, left them utterly at a loss for what to do— Qu Moyu had suddenly gone into rut!

Qu Moyu collapsed to his knees with a thud, pressing his hands against the floor for support. Willpower clearly in conflict with his body, he crawled forward two steps and grabbed Shen Dai’s phone, crushing it to pieces.

All of a sudden, that sharp and ear piercing ringing came to a halt.

Ever so slowly, he raised his head and gazed intently at Shen Dai, his pair of eyes bloodshot.

Vicious, hungry, cold, bloodthirsty — those were the eyes of a beast stalking its prey.

“Get out—” a guttural roar like thunder sounded from Qu Moyu’s throat.

Uncle Heng and Auntie Lan were both overwhelmed with fear, shaking from head to toe. Exchanging glances, they rushed to pull Shen Dai up by his arm and haul him out of the room. But sharp splinters were strewn across the entire floor, and Shen Dai was completely limp and drained of energy, seeming to have lost all of his autonomy.

Qu Moyu resembled a beast on the prowl, hunched over towards the floor, yet the muscles of his body were stretched tight. His fingers were grasping the woolen carpet. His body was violently trembling. He couldn’t stop letting out hoarse sobs.

Just as the two of them finally managed to drag Shen Dai to the doorway, Qu Moyu lunged forward, single-handedly snatching Shen Dai back and hurling him to the ground. Shen Dai had already grazed his leg from all that shattered glass, but even the pain seemed insignificant to him in his current state. He was already on the verge of collapsing from terror.

Amid Uncle Heng and Aunty Lan’s cries of surprise, Qu Moyu pounced on him, tearing his clothes to shreds.