Double A In Line Chapter 1

Chapter 1: First Encounter

It was noon, and the streets of Changhua Star’s District 3 were deserted. Shops on both sides were locked tight. If one looked closely through the semi-opaque glass doors, they could see the owners napping in lounge chairs. Under the eaves of a small restaurant, a cat and a dog lay sprawled out. Cheng Yan walked over, poked the belly of a large yellow dog, and gave its fluffy body a couple of strokes.

A light breeze brushed past his ears, lifting the stray hairs that partially obscured his eyes to reveal clear pupils and slightly upturned eyebrows.

“Good afternoon,” Cheng Yan said with a smile, raising a hand in greeting as the yellow dog cracked an eye open. In response, he only received a look of pure disdain.

Beep, beep, beep! The optical computer on his wrist emitted a piercing sound. Cheng Yan looked down to see a message from his father asking when he would be home.

I know. I’ll head back right after I finish touring the school.

After sending the message, Cheng Yan turned his attention back to the yellow dog, wanting to pet it a few more times. But just as his hand reached out, the dog, which had been ignoring him, stood up to escape his clutches. It gave its body a vigorous shake and silently walked to the shadows on the other side of the street to lie down again.

He had been rejected. Cheng Yan awkwardly withdrew his empty hand and stood up. He pulled up the map on his optical computer, comparing it to his surroundings several times before muttering to himself, “This should be the place.”

Even though no one was watching, he still acted as if he were very busy.

However, this was indeed his purpose for coming to District 3, so he wasn’t entirely making excuses for himself.

He had only recently discovered that his father and uncle’s business was connected to the legendary black market.

But… although his father hadn’t joined the military after graduation for various reasons, he was a legitimate military academy graduate. Cheng Yan had even seen that dusty graduation certificate when he was a child. Why would he be involved with the black market?

Was it because of the Li family? Cheng Yan didn’t know, but he felt he had to do something; at the very least, he couldn’t remain in the dark.

A teenager who had just reached adulthood was often fearless. Cheng Yan hadn’t considered the potential emergencies that could arise in the black market at all. He felt that since he had been admitted to the top academy in the Typhon Galaxy with a comprehensive ranking of fifth, there was nothing he couldn’t handle, even if he encountered danger.

“It should be…” He looked around and found a narrow alley. “Is it through here?”

Cheng Yan peered into the alley. It was narrow and cramped, with tall buildings on either side blocking the sunlight. Even at noon, the alley was dark. As the tail end of summer lingered, a draft blowing through the passage even made Cheng Yan feel a slight chill.

It was a scene that naturally induced unease. His interaction with the cat and dog hadn’t eased his tension; instead, the subsequent awkwardness made him feel as if he were being watched by many non-existent people, making him even more nervous.

His palms were constantly sweating, feeling uncomfortably damp and sticky.

He wiped his hands casually on his clothes and glanced back at the empty street. After confirming everything was fine, he cautiously stepped into the alley.

As soon as he entered, the cool air touched his skin, giving him goosebumps.

But fortunately, it was just a bit cold. It was normal to be in the shadows, Cheng Yan comforted himself.

The alley was eerily quiet, echoing only with his own footsteps. Cheng Yan’s heart was in his throat, fearing a sudden incident.

Fortunately, the path was safe until he reached the next corner.

“Whoa, what’s going on?”

Just as he turned the corner, he saw a scruffy middle-aged man with his hands pinned behind his back, being pressed to the ground by another person, groaning in pain.

The person pinning him down appeared to be a young man around his own age.

If not for the current scene, one’s first impression of this person would certainly be that of a student who had just reached adulthood.

A dense floral fragrance flooded his nose, and a faint sense of irritability surfaced in his heart. Cheng Yan frowned slightly.

It was the scent of pheromones, and the concentration was already high enough to affect him.

For certain special reasons, Cheng Yan usually didn’t react to high concentrations of ordinary pheromones. If someone could emit pheromones that even affected him, it meant the person’s pheromone disorder had reached a life-threatening level.

“You…” As he spoke, he quietly pressed the emergency assistance button for the Security Bureau while simultaneously turning on his optical computer’s recording function. If this person attacked him, he would have a record for the police.

Hearing the voice, Lin Sheng turned his head. He saw a youth about his age looking in his direction, his face still holding a look of shock he hadn’t had time to hide.

“Stay away from me,” Lin Sheng said, the words leaving his mouth without a second thought as he looked at the intruder.

He expected the person to be scared away after hearing his warning and seeing the scene, but to his surprise, the youth remained standing there.

“Get back, don’t come near me,” he added, his tone sharpening.

Controlling the man beneath him with one hand, Lin Sheng uncomfortably covered his forehead with his free hand. His mind was clouded; he only knew he had to stay away from anyone who posed a threat.

However, he couldn’t let go of the man under him either.

Consequently, he didn’t realize how terrifying he looked right now.

His face was flushed, and his eyes were bloodshot, with redness even creeping toward the slightly upturned corners of his eyes. His long hair, originally tied in a short ponytail, had mostly fallen loose, dampened by the sweat pouring from his forehead and sticking to his cheeks.

To force himself to stay conscious, Lin Sheng glared as hard as he could when looking at others. To an uninformed observer, it looked like he was in a rage. Combined with his distorted expression from trying to suppress the destructive urges rising from deep within, he looked extremely menacing.

Despite having a delicate and youthful face, anyone passing by would likely not hesitate to believe he was a criminal committing a mugging.

“Save me!” The man pinned to the ground saw Cheng Yan. After a moment’s hesitation, he exaggerated his already pained expression and shouted anxiously, “His pheromones are out of control!”

“I’ve already called the police,” Cheng Yan said, staying where he was. He didn’t dare move recklessly. An Alpha with a pheromone riot was dangerous; they would experience a massive physical boost in a short time and attack any creature that might be a threat. This was common knowledge.

Besides, this was on the way to the black market. Who knew who these people were?

However, he still didn’t retreat. It was fine; he was standing at the corner and could run at any time. For now, he would observe the situation.

Perhaps because he heard Cheng Yan’s words, the man on the ground felt a surge of hope. His struggling intensified, making the youth pinning him even more volatile.

“Save—argh!” A shrill scream rang out. Lin Sheng’s mind could no longer function properly; only the conviction that he couldn’t let the man escape remained. To achieve this, he directly snapped the struggling man’s arms.

He couldn’t let him talk nonsense. This thought flashed through Lin Sheng’s feverish mind. Lacking rationality, he chose the most direct method—strangling the man’s neck with one hand.

The man’s eyes widened, and he could only make muffled “ghh-ghh” sounds.

Cheng Yan was startled by this sequence of events. He could no longer afford to observe or wait for the police. If this continued, the man would be strangled to death before they arrived.

He had already observed that neither of them seemed to have weapons.

Save the person first.

Gritting his teeth, he rushed forward.

Seeing the enemy suddenly rush over to attack him, Lin Sheng, who had almost entirely given up on thinking, subconsciously dodged to the left. He then grabbed Cheng Yan’s incoming fist and twisted it hard.

However, this caused his control over the man on the ground to weaken.

“Cough! Cough!” After two violent coughs, the man on the ground endured the pain and stood up. Taking the opportunity to break free, he scrambled up, shoved past Cheng Yan, and ran toward the exit. The collision sent the already off-balance Cheng Yan stumbling, slamming him directly into the nearby wall.

Lin Sheng wanted to give chase, but the recovered Cheng Yan blocked his path. The alley was too narrow; he couldn’t get past with this person in the way.

“Are you an idiot? You believe whatever he says?” His brain was burning, making it difficult even to maintain a coherent thought. He could only roar at the person in front of him as if venting his rage.

The floral scent in his nose grew even more intense. Cheng Yan didn’t know what the fragrance was, but he could tell it was unnaturally heavy and cloyingly sweet.

Was that the issue? Big brother, if I don’t stop you, you’re going to kill someone.

But looking at the man’s flushed face, he decided to give up on reasoning. With pheromones rioting like this, the man’s brain was probably mush.

However, he felt a bit strange. In his experience, a loss of control of this level should result in a total loss of consciousness and indiscriminate attacks. Yet, while this person wasn’t being gentle with him, his target seemed to have always been the man who ran away.

With that thought, his movements slowed slightly.

“Move!” Lin Sheng looked at the youth, trying to shove him aside, but his arm was parried.

Cheng Yan grabbed Lin Sheng’s wrist and swept at his knee, trying to throw him to the ground. To his surprise, the man only swayed slightly. Instead, he pulled Cheng Yan aside and landed a punch on his chest.

“Ugh!” Having never been in a real fight, Cheng Yan instinctively recoiled and hunched over, clutching his chest.

This movement created a gap in his defense.

Lin Sheng took advantage of the moment Cheng Yan bent over to dart past him. He didn’t expect the person behind him to react so quickly, enduring the pain to grab his hem and halt his momentum.

Seeing the man about to burst out of the alley and vanish from sight, Lin Sheng grew anxious but was helpless due to the interference.

I can’t let him escape… I have to catch him.

This was the only thought in his chaotic mind. Just as the two were at a stalemate, a small whirlwind abruptly swirled within the alley. Soon, a semi-transparent, silver-grey giant wolf emerged from the vortex and lunged forward.

The man rushing toward the alley entrance felt a massive force hit his back. The momentum of his run combined with the force from behind caused him to lose his balance, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

He tried to push himself up with his arms but was pinned down, unable to move.

Turning his head with difficulty, his pupils suddenly contracted. A semi-transparent silver giant wolf stood there, one paw pressed against his back, looking down at him with its head held high.

The two people still in a stalemate were also stunned. Even Lin Sheng, whose vision had turned completely blood-red, regained a sliver of clarity.

What was that?

Just as the three were frozen by the sudden appearance of the giant wolf, the sound of noisy footsteps and anxious voices approached from outside the alley.

“Hurry, the signal is located right here.”