Temporary marking

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There were many methods for temporary marking. At its core, it required the Alpha to release [Claiming Pheromones].

Yu Chen slowly licked his back teeth. There was a small, sharp, protruding fang there, hollow inside, its structure and function similar to a viper’s fang. This special marking fluid was stored within it.

Ordinary alphas would simply open their mouths wide, like a viper striking, and inject the pheromones from that small fang into the omega’s gland. The gland was fragile, densely packed with nerves and blood vessels beneath the skin, and a bite could easily cause inflammation. This was why society taught omegas to rest in bed after any marking, permanent or temporary.

But his little bird had a competition in two days, and there would undoubtedly be media using long lenses to ‘bird-watch.’ He felt that the freely soaring little bird should be the star of the competition, not some random tooth mark. Therefore, using the more troublesome and slower method of surface temporary marking was necessary.

A normal temporary marking required just one bite, lasting only a few seconds. Surface temporary marking required the alpha to exercise extreme self-control, slowly applying the marking pheromones from the fang tip through kisses, letting it seep into the skin bit by bit. This process could take up to an hour. For any physically healthy alpha, it was akin to delicate, prolonged torture.

The omega’s skin was scorching hot. Even through the rusty iron bars of the muzzle, he could feel the tender softness of the nape. Unlike Marine species, Avian bloodlines maintained a constant body temperature of 40°C, even higher when sick, hot enough to seemingly melt a person.

Yu Chen held Bai Ling loosely around the waist. He couldn’t see, but he could imagine that pale neck flushing red, gradually trembling with the kisses. His own state was becoming increasingly precarious.

The back of his black shirt was soaked through. The palm supporting the omega’s lower abdomen sweated. He needed to frequently lift his head, turn away, and snatch breaths where the air wasn’t so thick, just to barely suppress the itching in his fangs, the urge to savagely bite down.

During a pause, Yu Chen suddenly lowered his proud head, touched foreheads with his little bird, and sighed softly. “I’m sorry, darling. I failed to take good care of you.”

The stubborn little white fluff bit his lip hard, lowered his eyes and suppressed his emotions. He couldn’t stop himself from wanting to say… Actually, you took very good care of me. What you did far exceeded anything I could have expected… Without you, that lonely fledgling, far from family, would have died long ago from hunger and cold. He wouldn’t have survived until now, wouldn’t have been able to see you.

But the words seemed stuck in his throat, sour and sticky, refusing to come out. It was as if he were facing a parent, a caregiver, and had frozen up, feeling a fundamental inability to express himself honestly to someone he should be close to.

Finally, he only managed to squeeze out, trembling, “Please don’t say that word anymore.” The spell that controlls the fledgling.

Yu Chen rested his chin in the crook of his neck, lifted his eyelids, and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Which word? Darling.”

Bai Ling suddenly turned his head. Like a begging fledgling, he bit down recklessly on Yu Chen’s Adam’s apple.

Scrape… scrape… The sound of teeth grinding against iron bars echoed in the room, grating on the ears.

Yu Chen tasted the bitterness of rust in his mouth and only then realized he was uncontrollably gnawing on the muzzle. Reason told him to stop immediately, but the little bird lunged forward, cupped his face with both hands, and, through the cage, kissed the mottled teeth marks on the bars, kissed the rust, and finally, kissed his slightly parted lips, open in surprise.

My little bird. My little dandelion puff. My little fluff-flower. Sending me a passionate kiss through the bars of a cage.

He desperately wanted to crush the little bird in his arms. He finally tasted the omega’s pheromones. Sour and dry, lacking moisture, like the pulp of a fruit struggling to grow in a sun-scorched desert. Not sweet, but enough to drive a conquering ruler mad—the tenacious, thorny delicacy of sea buckthorn.

The AI’s camera lenses glowed with an eerie red light. It pressed itself against the door crack, observing and learning diligently. Looks like Master is really enjoying this simulated marking game with the little simulation bird.

That’s more like it. At the end of his rut period, after dealing with a pile of troubles, he should use a highly capable, beautiful mechanical little bird to lubricate… ahem, according to human terms, it should be to ‘nourish’ his body and mind.

Even machines needed to recharge and rest, let alone the frail flesh-and-blood hybrids. Moreover, for an alpha constantly expending high levels of mental energy, the ‘rest’ required was far more than just sleep.

Few people knew that besides emotionally sensitive omegas, aalso needed ‘soothing.’ This soothing wasn’t just simple kisses and hugs, but trust, affirmation, and reliance from a partner or society. This would cause the alpha’s pituitary gland to secrete biological hormones, endorphins, producing an analgesic and euphoric effect similar to morphine.

The safest way to obtain these hormones was undoubtedly to become a guardian, establish a stable relationship with one’s omega, and achieve a social rating of 7 or higher. Thinking of this, the AI’s camera lenses dimmed.

Its poor Master didn’t have his own little bird or little seafood. The Polluted Species Merfolk bloodline was too domineering. Once his state became unstable, his mental power could easily escape and harm others. That was why, even after abdicating, Master still shut himself away in the palace. This was his habitat, but also his self-imposed cage of thorns.

The AI had once suggested, based on calculations, that he pair with an omega remotely, thus avoiding harm. Master had put this off intermittently for decades, until last year, when he unexpectedly received a sincere letter from an online acquaintance:

[We have played chess in the chatroom for four years. This is my first private message. Your guidance has benefited me greatly, and I understand you are an upright gentleman. I have an impudent request— If possible, could you temporarily become my guardian and help me sign a travel permit? I will apply for anonymity protection; you do not need to reveal your true identity to me. If this troubles you, please feel free to ignore this message. I will find another way. ID: Lodestar, sent]

The message was too polite and considerate. Given Master’s personality, there was no reason not to help. Thus, Master and the unknown omega formed a temporary pairing. Their relationship was purely formal, nothing more.

Recently, however, the Master discovered that the omega’s profile picture had turned gray. This meant the restriction ring system had registered them as deceased…

That day, Yu Chen had been plagued by nightmares. His condition sharply plummeted. By merely stepping onto the outer terrace to gaze out, his grief-stricken mental state could affect the entire planet, even triggering a pheromone storm tide of astonishing intensity.

The AI found it too strange. It was just an online acquaintance passing away, someone he had barely exchanged proper words with… why would it cause such a massive chain reaction to its Master? The AI ran the calculations on its mainframe tens of thousands of times, nearly boiling water with its CPU, but in the end, it could only produce one meager line of results—Its Master might have reached the brink of exhaustion, was beginning to lose his mind, and was beyond saving.

The little robot pressed against the door, watching Yu Chen fasten the muzzle’s cage under his jaw and tie the knot behind his head. It felt something akin to relief itself. …Since he’s was beyond saving anyway, let Master play however he wants. Yes! It would be best if he did all the things he hadn’t done before with the little simulation bird. Beep! Caring Experience Card Activated!

A timer chimed. Only then did the AI remember that Master hadn’t taken his mental nourishment tonic today. It peeked again. The mechanical little bird was gnawing on Master’s muzzle. Master looked like a caged beast having its fur ruffled, endured it with a mixture of pleasure and pain. It decided to go in and interrupt, to give the ‘suffering’ Master some relief.

“Master, your medicine is here~” Even the well-mannered Yu Chen almost snapped, “Get lost!” But he forced the words back and said impatiently, “Put it there. I’ll take it later.”

“But you’ve been very inconsistent with your medication lately, that’s why you keep having nightmares…” The AI silently ‘twiddled its fingers’.

“What medicine? Let me see.” Bai Ling suddenly looked up, frowning slightly, and beckoned to the AI with his hand.

Seeing that he cared about this, the AI’s internal fans inexplicably started whirring loudly. It happily rushed the medicine over to the mechanical little bird’s hand.

Bai Ling held up the pill, squinting as he held it to the light, trying to make out the imprinted code on its surface.

DH-9645,  A high-energy spiritual tonic.

In his previous life, there were several alphas in his team who loved to burn their energy to control the field, so they often took out loans to buy this thing to eat.

They needed a loan because its production is low and its price is expensive, similar to the ancient Earth’s stroke medicine [Angong Niuhuang Pill], which costs 50-60000 interstellar coins per unit. Eating it in time can save lives.

Wait a minute, isn’t that how Izsu Paraiso went bankrupt?

No wonder the interior of this bedroom has not been renovated for decades.

Bai Ling held the capsule and asked Yu Chen coldly in a bad tone, “Aren’t you going to eat it?”

Yu Chen looked unafraid of boiling water and said, “Eating an hour late won’t be a big deal

Bai Ling: “Then I’ll eat it.”

After speaking, he flicked his finger and threw it into his mouth.

Yu Chen’s face changed as he was about to scold the little bird for not stuffing anything messy into his mouth. Suddenly, he was pulled down the back of his head by the claws of a raptor.

The leather strap of the anti bite device snapped in response to the sound.

The mouth cage clattered between the two people, then bounced under the couch and rolled to the feet of the AI.

The AI picked up the small pliers and lifted the camera, but the screen vibrated slightly. Because the mechanical bird straightened its owner’s face, held the medicine in his lips and fiercely feed it to that handsome face.

The AI processor wildly burned, and the search bar automatically matched and stayed on one keyword.

“Filial retribution.”

Master, I can only help you up to this point.

The author has something to say:

Today is the feeding fledgling who released the wild beast from the cage

(Sending a new group of birds with complete feathers that have not been damaged by rua)

The explanation of endorphins comes from an online encyclopedia