Omega Manual chapter 51

Boiling

When Shelley woke up, Irey was already up.

The sunlight slanted onto the snow outside the inn, and there seemed to be a group of children playing in the snow. The joyful noise came in from the window, mixed with the headache-inducing screams.

Shelley’s head felt like it weighed ten pounds. It took him a long time to sit up from the bed, and then he smelled a strong tobacco smell. He frowned, pulled open the curtains to open the window wider, only to find that the window frame was stuck by an old condom, instantly feeling nauseous and letting go.

Looking down, he saw a pile of cigarette butts at the foot of the bed, estimated to be around twenty or thirty.

No wonder he could smell such a heavy smoke as soon as he woke up.

At that moment, the door of the room was opened from the outside, and Irey walked in carrying a shopping bag.

“Awake?” He put the shopping bag on the table.

“Did you have a drug binge last night, smoking so many cigarettes?” Shelley frowned, pressing his temples.

“I smoked unconsciously too much. I’m tidying up now.” Irey leaned over and opened the window with force, letting the cool breeze flow into the room, dispersing the choking smell, “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

Shelley looked at the bedside table, “Did you go out to buy food? So early?”

“Not that early, boss, it’s almost nine o’clock, rare for you to sleep this long.” Irey spread out the bag and took out the items one by one, “Sandwiches, roasted pancakes, mashed potatoes, soy milk. Non-irritating, non-greasy, no meat products, no heavy seasonings, tailored to your needs.”

After saying that, Irey made a “please” gesture, “If it’s not up to par, I could arrange a plate for you.”

Shelley smiled lazily and beckoned to Irey as if petting an animal.

The latter lowered his head in puzzlement, and Shelley rubbed his head like petting a pet, “Hmm, forgiven for the sake of food.”

“…Thank you.” Irey sighed helplessly.

During Shelley’s meal, Irey swept the cigarette butts into the trash bag, and then tidied up the room a bit. When he saw Shelley’s phone, he hesitated for a moment, then put it into his carry-on bag along with the matching charging device.

He zipped up the black zipper, as if locking away all the sad, thick past.

“Halton, I’ve been thinking.” Shelley’s voice suddenly sounded, “Let’s take the train and continue forward.”

“Hmm?” Irey threw the packaging bag of the food he had finished eating into the trash can, “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“The villa incident caused such a commotion that the bishop will definitely talk about it everywhere.” Shelley lowered his gaze slightly. “If I’m recognized as an Omega when buying the car, it will implicate you, so let’s forget it.”

Irey paused in his actions.

Shelley ultimately decided not to register under his name, which was typical given his boss’s personality.

“It’s possible, but the next train leaves tonight,” Irey said. “If we want to catch that train, we need to leave now because the station is not in the city; we’ll have to ride there.”

Shelley looked up at Irey, whose emotions were too obvious: leave immediately, ride a horse, do you really want to choose this?

He didn’t understand what Halton was thinking, but sometimes he really underestimated him.

“Then let’s leave now.” Shelley threw off the blanket and began to dress. “Pack the luggage, and let’s go.”

Irey had a look as if he had swallowed a fly. After a while, he smacked his mouth in a spot Shelley couldn’t see.

Luckily, the snowstorm had stopped since last night. Although it was still very cold outside, the weather was clear and sunny.

But everywhere was covered with a thick layer of snow, reaching almost to the calves when stepped on. Apart from those shoveling snow at their doorsteps, almost no one ventured out on such a day.

Just the short walk from the inn to the station left both their pant legs and shoes soaked through.

The station manager was still sleeping and only came out yawning after they knocked for a long time.

“Didn’t expect anyone to go out in this weather.” The manager gave them a once-over, lingering a bit on Shelley. “Golden hair, you must be…”

Irey cut him off, pointing to a corner of the stable. “That brown horse.”

The manager didn’t say anything more, but when he brought the horse out, his eyes held a trace of disdain. Shelley handed him the deposit, and he didn’t even want to touch Shelley’s hand, instead gesturing for him to put the money in a drawer, which he then locked before going back inside.

Shelley’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but before he could say anything, Irey spoke first.

“We can’t stay in this dump any longer.” Irey kicked the hut’s outer door and shouted loudly, “Everyone here is a complete idiot.”

No one inside responded. Irey even went up to the window and gave a middle finger, stopping only when the curtains were drawn with a swish.

Shelley inexplicably wanted to laugh. The gloomy feeling like dust covering his heart seemed to be blown away by a gust of wind, disappearing lightly.

The brown horse witnessed all this but merely flicked its tail disdainfully, as if all human actions were beneath its notice.

Irey walked over and patted the horse’s back. Once he confirmed it wasn’t resistant, he skillfully mounted it, leaving Shelley still standing in the snow, staring up at the huge four-legged creature.

A mischievous smile gradually spread across Irey’s lips.

Shelley was too familiar with this expression and instinctively began to back away. “Halton, I’m warning you—”

The tall and strong Alpha clearly had no intention of heeding the warning. He grabbed the reins with one hand and reached out with the other, easily wrapping an arm around Shelley’s slender waist and lifting him up before he could escape.

“Halton!” Shelley screamed in protest. Before he could struggle further, Irey had already hoisted him onto the horse, holding him firmly in his arms.

“Hold on tight, boss!” Irey whistled and tugged the reins. The horse, responsive to his command, effortlessly leaped over a patch of snow, landing steadily on the clear road and headed out of town.

Shelley’s heart pounded in his chest. As he nervously tried to grasp something, he felt Irey take his hand and never let go.

Warmth radiated from behind him, merging with the sounds of wind, hoofbeats, and breathing. Duhaat City slowly receded, eventually disappearing at the edge of his vision.

The church bells rang out, distant and hollow. Shelley knew this would be the last time they heard this unique sound.

The demon despised by God finally left the city of God. Henceforth, only wind, snow, and death would accompany him. People could pop champagne in celebration—they had driven away the offspring of greed and deceit.

If there is a god in this world, by what criteria does it choose, making some people fortunate and others unfortunate?

If there is no god, then who is toying with fate, arbitrarily manipulating the world’s cries and sorrows?

The earth was pure white, the sun sliding from the eastern sky to the west. On the roadside, dead stray dogs attracted birds to peck at their remains.

After running for a while, the horse also succumbed to the deep snow, slowing down to a walk. The vast expanse outside Duhaat was thoroughly buried in snow, obscuring the road’s outline. Irey had to rely on GPS to navigate, frequently pulling the horse back on course.

Since leaving the city, Shelley had hardly spoken, seemingly drowsy and unable to muster any energy. His chin kept nodding and lifting, nodding and lifting again.

Irey found it amusing and put a hand under Shelley’s chin. As expected, within seconds, Shelley’s chin fell into his palm.

“Hmm?” Shelley made a confused sound and turned to Irey. “Are we there?”

“Far from it.” Irey casually pinched Shelley’s cheek. “Already sleepy? Didn’t sleep well last night?”

“Mmhm…” Shelley made another indistinct sound, unclear whether he was answering or just making a noise.

It was then that Irey realized something was wrong.

He remembered Shelley had fallen asleep early last night without taking those random pills and woke up late this morning. He shouldn’t be this tired at this time.

Irey frowned, suddenly realizing something. He forcefully turned Shelley’s face, pressing his palm to his forehead.

Sure enough, the touch from earlier was not an illusion; his body temperature was alarmingly high.

“Boss,” Irey frowned, “are you running a fever?”

Shelley’s response was slower than usual, taking a couple of seconds before he answered, “Yeah, maybe.”

“When did it start?”

“Not sure…” Shelley closed his eyes, continuing to nod his head slowly. “Maybe last night.”

Irey could hardly understand Shelley’s vague and indifferent attitude. “What do you mean maybe? Your fever is so high, didn’t you feel it? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Shelley blinked and looked confused. “Why should I tell you?”

Irey was left speechless, unable to comprehend why his boss would give such a non-human-like response.

“It’s nothing serious. It won’t affect anything. I’ll be fine in a few days, and it won’t delay any work,” Shelley yawned. “I’ll just be sleepier and less efficient than usual…”

Irey couldn’t hold back any longer and interrupted, “Have you never told anyone before when you were sick?”

“No, why would I? Telling someone doesn’t make it go away.”

“You don’t rest, don’t take leave, and no one at home takes care of you?”

Shelley looked puzzled for a moment after hearing Irey’s words, then shook his head and muttered, “Getting sick means I was careless. When I was young, if my family found out, I’d get scolded. Taking leave was even less likely; being sick already makes me less efficient, and if I rest, I won’t finish my work at all.”

Irey frowned, silent for a while.

“So, it’s fine. Just let me sleep for a bit…” Shelley’s voice grew smaller and smaller until it was indistinct.

Half-conscious, he heard the rustling of fabric and felt something warm covering him.

He opened his eyes and met Irey’s displeased but focused gaze.

“We’re not catching that train today,” Irey said. “Sick people should rest and be taken care of properly.”