Omega Manual chapter 1

 Cold Night

The night was so cold it could freeze a person to the bone.

Around the construction site, there were only a few pieces of tattered iron plates, which, apart from creating a few terrifying noises when the wind blew, served next to no purpose in keeping anyone warm.

The only source of light on the railroad tracks was a single illuminating lamp, but it was now positioned under the train for inspection.

Fortunately, the moonlight that night was still quite bright; just by lifting one’s head, a blue moon could be seen hanging in the sky.

Five years ago, that moon was silver, but now, due to the effects of meteor showers altering the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere, the moon appeared blue.

However, the few maintenance workers gathered around the train were oblivious to this common knowledge. They were simply resting against the train during their breaks, smoking and chatting idly.

“Damn it, not a single good day all year round,” a tall, skinny man spat out his cigarette and cursed. “Why does some blind fool have to crash into the train? Brains splattered all over the place, can’t even pick them up, and now the damn thing won’t start. If you want to die, just jump off a cliff, damn bad luck.”

“The nearest cliff is over a hundred kilometers away from the Lansai border. If he had the ability to fly over, he wouldn’t need to seek death,” mocked a short and chubby man with yellow hair.

“Then couldn’t this guy just gas himself at home? Hang himself? Buy a gun and blow his brains out?” the tall, skinny man exploded in anger. “Why does he have to come here and cause trouble for others?”

“He’s turned into a meat patty. Show some decency,” a worker in overalls said from a distance as he scraped off the remaining dirt on the railroad tracks. On this cold night, the dark blood had frozen into chunks of ice, mixed with bits of flesh that required a shovel to remove. “Besides, it’s a woman, not a ‘guy’.”

The tall, skinny man and the chubby man fell silent, while the worker in overalls continued diligently scraping the last bits of black-red ice chunks into a nearby plastic bucket.

“So what?” The tall, skinny man threw the butt of his cigarette rudely to the ground, stomping on it before taking out a new one from the pack. “You talk as if the world still cares about gender. This might as well be an illegally escaped Omega. If she crashes and dies, she deserves it.”

“Kelson.”

Irey Halton suddenly popped his head out from under the train, the illuminating lamp moving with him, immediately brightening the surroundings, even to the point of being dazzling.

This man was tall, with long, muscular legs, and his arm holding the lamp was perfectly proportioned. Despite some grime on his face, his handsome features were still evident from his brow.

“Spanner,” Irey said, reaching out his hand to the tall, skinny man.

Kelson, as he was called, had to pause his previous conversation and fetch the spanner from the toolbox. “Hex or plum?”

“Plum,” Irey said.

Kelson tossed the spanner to Irey, who caught it effortlessly, then slid back under the train, taking the light with him as it vanished.

Irey removed an obstructing spring, placing it in his mouth, then, using the light, lifted his head to screw in the missing bolt with the spanner.

Kelson and the others hadn’t stopped talking about the Omega, and their conversation seemed to be gaining more momentum.

“Speaking of which, today is Offering Day, right? It’s ridiculous to make us work like slaves on Offering Day. Where’s the justice in that?”

“Give it a rest,” the chubby man sneered. “As if not working entitles you to anything.”

Kelson straightened up, his back stiff. “I’m an Alpha, aren’t I? Why shouldn’t it be my turn? There are plenty of Omegas; it should have been our turn in Lansai after one night!”

“Do you really think Offering Day operates on a rotation?” the chubby man scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain for Kelson’s ignorance. “The Omegas ‘offering’ are the big shots in the Upper City. The rich don’t even know how many they’ll sleep with in a night, let alone giving you a turn.”

“I heard Alphas in the Lower City have to bribe the management half a month in advance to get on the Offering Day list,” the worker in overalls said, leaning the shovel against a wall and gesturing towards them. “At least that’s the rumor.”

Kelson almost jumped up from the ground, “Are you insane? Why not just go and snatch one!”

“Or maybe those who snagged Omegas a few years back are swimming in wealth now,” the chubby man counted on his fingers. “At least a hundred thousand for one Omega, and some even fetch millions. Even if you rent them out, you could earn thousands in one night, never having to worry about food and drink for the rest of your life.”

“Back when the division happened, Omegas were everywhere on the streets!” Kelson kicked a nearby iron plate in frustration, the fragile metal echoing weakly. “Damn it, if I had grabbed a few back then, I wouldn’t need to freeze my ass off in this godforsaken place!”

The volatile pheromones of the Alphas permeated the air, resembling a group of sweaty uncles sitting together. Thankfully, this wasn’t a confined space; otherwise, everyone around would suffer.

The worker in overalls carried the plastic bucket filled with filth towards the corner of the construction site’s garbage pile. With a splash, the frozen blood and muck poured onto the scrap metal and kitchen waste.

Anyway, someone would come to collect it the next day, and it wasn’t their obligation as temporary workers to keep things tidy.

At that moment, Irey slid out from under the train, dusted himself off, threw the wrench into the toolbox, and said, “Alright, let’s go try the driver’s cabin.”

“So soon?” Kelson looked at Irey suspiciously, and Irey handed him the flashlight, nodding towards the front of the train.

“Irey, have you ever dealt with Omegas?” the chubby man shouted.

“No.” Irey took the spring out of his mouth, bent one end of it, and held it in his hand. “It’s something only the upper class plays with, not for someone like me.”

“Damn.” the chubby man sighed regretfully. “Do you think we’ll all be extinct in the future? This messed up world—actually, I had a wife before. But when this damn meteor hit, she turned into a Beta. It’s been three years and she couldn’t get pregnant, so we had to divorce. How great would it have been if she had turned into an Omega back then? Then I wouldn’t have to suffer like this every day.”

“What are you planning to do if she turned into an Omega? Sell her for money?” Irey interjected, while using his fingertips to press the front end of the spring. It was very sharp and the shape was just right, more discreet than ordinary weapons, suitable for many purposes.

“Bro, do you think of me like that? Would I sell my own girlfriend?” the chubby man said indignantly. “But when the family needs money, can’t we at least rent her out? Thousands in one night without losing a piece of flesh, easy money!”

Irey didn’t respond this time. He walked straight to the small table behind the iron plate where all the temporary workers’ personal belongings were placed. The chubby man and Kelson’s bags were placed prominently on top.

The bags were made of the cheapest fabric, easy to tear apart.

“Hey, what do you guys think? If we pool our money together, can we rent an Omega for a night?” the chubby man pondered. “Three hundred each, we could get a good one. There are eight hours in a night, we each take one hour—”

Before the chubby man’s proposal could be agreed upon, Kelson popped his head out from the train cabin and interrupted him, “Irey! What are you doing? The engine still won’t start!”

“Try again.” Irey replied casually, while stuffing everything from the bags into his own coat pockets.

Kelson suspiciously withdrew his head, about to check again, when suddenly he realized, “What the hell are you doing?”

Irey didn’t hesitate for a second. As soon as he heard Kelson’s words, he bolted.

The chubby man and the others didn’t react in time. When Kelson rushed out of the cabin, they were still standing there inexplicably, leaving Kelson furious, wishing he could slap each of them.

“Bag! That jerk is stealing our bags!” Kelson yelled.

Only now did everyone snap out of it and immediately started running after him. However, Irey’s speed was astonishing; with two long legs, he easily leaped over the half-meter-high platform. Not only was he agile and fast, he was also extremely familiar with the terrain.

The chubby man and the others were soon thrown out over ten meters, with only Kelson, who reacted first, still in hot pursuit, cursing a long string of consonants whose exact meanings were unclear.

Irey didn’t care, accelerating his escape. But Kelson was also fast, and at one point, he almost reached the edge of Irey’s coat.

But in the next moment, Irey charged towards the highway. A freight truck whizzed by at least 80 miles per hour, and without slowing down, Irey lowered his body and slid, narrowly brushing against the side of the truck.

Amidst the blaring horn of the truck, Kelson was blocked on this side of the road.

“You son of a bitch! You damn bastard! Rot in hell!” Kelson’s cursing was soon drowned out by the incessant flow of vehicles on the highway, and soon it was completely inaudible.

Irey whistled, slowed his pace, and leisurely walked forward. He took out what he had grabbed from his coat pocket, casually threw away items like ID cards and keys into the trash can, counted the cash, totaling over five hundred.

“Poor bastards,” Irey mocked.

He stuffed the cash back into his pocket and strode across the street.

In the dimly lit corner of an alley where the streetlights couldn’t reach, there was a bar. Half of its storefront was smashed during the disaster, and the sign was also falling down, leaning crookedly to the side. Most of the shops here didn’t have the financial means to renovate, so what it looked like five years ago remained the same today.

Tom with the pockmarked face stood at the door of the shop, wearing a worn-out cowboy hat, his small eyes wandering aimlessly around, and two seconds later, he met Irey’s gaze as he approached.

“The boss is back to make a fortune?” Tom’s pockmarked face smiled lecherously, the pockmarks on his face even more prominent.

Irey couldn’t be bothered to respond to him. He counted out two banknotes from his pocket and stuffed them into Tom’s pockmarked face. Tom eagerly took them, licked them with saliva, glanced at the dim street lamp, and then put them into his pocket.

“Next time there’s a good place, I’ll let the boss know first!” Tom lowered his voice.

“Hurry up and scram,” Irey said.

Tom closed his mouth, pressed his worn hat knowingly, and slipped away. Irey pushed open the door of the bar, and the deafening music and noisy chatter instantly flooded his ears, shutting out all the cold and hardship behind a small wooden door.

【Author’s Note】

• This story is set in a fictional background and has no association with any real-life characters or events.
• Both parties are non-canon, and the romantic history is only mentioned. Both characters have their own traumas, making it a story of mutual redemption.
• It’s a happy ending; they will both find happiness.