Omega Manual chapter 77

Grand Finale Starting Over

The day they went to the cemetery was overcast, and the slightly rising temperature of late spring was scattered by this sudden spring rain.

Even Irey changed from short sleeves to long sleeves, not so much for warmth, but perhaps more because he wanted to wear the more expensive suit Shelley had bought him for a few more days.

With a sharp suit and a glossy black umbrella, Irey standing next to Shelley looked more like a mourner than he did.

The cemetery was quiet, perhaps too early for visitors, and there was no one else in the yard except them.

Following the path, Shelley passed rows of tombstones and found the one he was looking for according to the number his sister had mentioned on the phone.

For some reason, the tombstone was in the farthest corner of the cemetery, standing desolately with a bunch of flowers that had long withered, even rotten, in front of it. The tombstone was covered in mud, perhaps due to the rain, and perhaps because not many people had come to sweep his grave.

The tombstone was exceedingly simple, with just a few concise words: “Lutus Manta’s Tomb”. There were no pictures, no biography.

Anyone seeing this tombstone would never think it belonged to the former chairman of the once glorious Manta Corporation.

Shelley squatted down in front of the tombstone, wiped the mud off with his hand, took a deep breath, and couldn’t help but laugh.

During the years of being estranged from his father, he often thought of his stern and terrifying face, remembered his severe tone when he used to discipline him, and recalled the call he received after the division.

Occasionally, he would wonder what kind of life his father led after leaving him, whether he continued to be stern in his new company, whether he supported younger family members “more promising” than him, adhering to his understanding of the Manta spirit, and maintaining the noble glory of the family.

He had thought of many possibilities, but he never imagined it would be like this: his father also differentiated into an Omega after the disaster. Not long after he made that phone call to him back then, he hanged himself in his bedroom. It wasn’t until two weeks later, when the villa emitted a foul odor, that an employee passing by discovered the body.

Because he had differentiated into an Omega, everything was handled simply. A hasty cremation, a hasty burial, no funeral, just a simple tombstone in the corner of the cemetery. All his achievements, all his survival-of-the-fittest jungle beliefs were buried in the ground, no longer cared for by anyone.

His father’s life finally became a huge joke. In the end, the man was gone, and the house was empty, with no one to attend.

“It feels quite satisfying, huh?” Irey kicked the tombstone in front of him with his toe. “He said so much crap to you, and in the end, he became an Omega himself. I’d say, this is karma.”

“Perhaps,” Shelley replied.

“Now he can’t crawl out of the ground to insult you anymore.” Irey placed his hand on Shelley’s shoulder, gently squeezing twice. “He was a complete failure, and a coward.”

“I was once a coward too.” Shelley looked up, meeting Irey’s eyes. “Irey, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”

“So, what do you say, don’t you plan to reward your benefactor a little?” Irey lowered his voice, leaning in closer.

“When will you ever have some decency!” Shelley, both annoyed and amused, pushed him away, but Irey shamelessly moved closer again.

“I don’t ask for much,” Irey whispered. “I can do without dignity, even life, as long as I have a bit of your love.”

Shelley thought he had become completely immune to Irey’s random flirty remarks after spending months together, but he didn’t expect that, even now, a single sentence from Irey could still defeat him.

His cheeks turned visibly redder and redder. Just as Irey was planning to quit while he was ahead and say something playful to diffuse the situation, Shelley softly spoke:

“Not a little bit. All my love, past, present, and future, is with you.”

It was as if an arrow had pierced Irey’s heart. He took a deep breath, embraced Shelley, and kissed him.

The umbrella wobbled in the wind, eventually being blown several meters away.

But this little mishap did not disturb the intimacy of the couple. They kissed under the sky, freely and tenderly, letting the rain fall on their faces.

Like tear tracks, or like twinkling stars.

….

On the thirty-first day of their return to Nantes, Irey went to a jewelry store, bought a ring, and proposed to Shelley.

It wasn’t any special anniversary or anyone’s birthday. Irey hadn’t even made the slightest proposal plan, catching Shelley completely by surprise.

The reason was simple. He noticed the ring Shelley carefully stored in a wooden box, woven from foxtail grass, had already turned black and yellow, crumbling at a touch.

Shelley admitted that he was quite moved at the moment he saw the engagement ring, until he saw the receipt for the ring.

“So, you used my money to buy me a ring and then proposed to me with it, right?” He sighed.

Irey didn’t bat an eye. “Those are just details. Don’t sweat it.”

Shelley feigned annoyance. “You think such little sincerity can persuade me to say yes?”

“Yes, it can.” Irey looked completely justified. And indeed, it could.

After all, as soon as they returned to Nantes, they had already gone to the relevant institution to book a date for their marriage registration, only hindered by the institution’s inefficiency, making them wait until now.

They didn’t hold a wedding, nor did they notify anyone. On an ordinary Saturday morning, they simply went to the institution building and collected their two plain certificates.

In today’s era of secondary gender differentiation, marriage registration had almost become a service project exclusively for the Beta group. Most Alphas choose to establish their absolute possession of Omegas through marking, disdaining the need for a more equal marriage relationship.

Because once a marriage certificate was obtained, the Omega would share many rights with the Alpha, including joint funds and property, the right to enter specific venues, and an Omega with a marriage relationship couldn’t participate in free trade.

On their way home from the registration office, Irey and Shelley encountered a long queue of Omegas.

There were both men and women in the queue, one closely following another, the oldest appearing around forty, the youngest not even eighteen.

Their expressions were all numb and hollow, eyes downcast, staring at the ground, as if bound by invisible shackles, mechanically following the Alpha in uniform at the front of the line.

They couldn’t help but stop, watching until the entire queue had passed, without a single Omega lifting their head to look at them.

The zombie-like procession slowly disappeared at the edge of the street.

“Today is Offering Day,” Irey said softly.

Shelley didn’t respond. They walked home in silence.

Shelley held the small marriage certificate in his hand, staring at it for a long time, the diamond on the ring reflecting sunlight, casting a brilliant shadow on the wall.

Irey hugged him from behind, like a large, spoiled canine, rubbing his chin against his neck.

“How does it feel?” he asked softly, “Being a married man?”

Shelley laughed, his chest vibrating slightly in Irey’s embrace. He turned his head, nibbling lightly on Irey’s nose, “Very, very happy.”

Irey laughed and tackled him onto the bed. Shelley wrapped his arms around Irey’s neck, the little red book tossed casually on the bed, soon covered by the clothes and pants thrown over it.

“Don’t be too sad, there will always be a way.”

The bluish moonlight poured through the window, illuminating the bedside where Irey held his boyfriend.

“I don’t know if the world will become a better place in the future, but one thing is certain,” Irey whispered, “As long as we keep living, there will always be hope.”

Irey’s deep, magnetic voice brushed past Shelley’s ear, sending a shiver through his body.

Shelley leaned his head down towards his Alpha’s chest, “Irey.”

“Yes?” Irey responded lazily, reaching out to tuck the hair covering Shelley’s eyes behind his ear.

“Let’s travel,” Shelley said, “Leave Nantes, go to cities we’ve never been to, experience different kinds of lives. Since I have survived, I should decide my own future.”

Irey smiled, as if he had expected this answer. He bent down to give Shelley a brief but deep kiss, then bit his earlobe, “No problem, wherever you want to go, this driver and bodyguard is at your service.”

On the thirty-fourth day back in Nantes, they had almost finished packing for their long trip.

This time, they were much more experienced than the last trip, bringing enough supplies and preparing adequate contingency plans. Shelley even bought a brand-new off-road vehicle, with a trunk spacious enough for three people to lie down side by side.

Non-essential items were all left in Nantes.

Before starting the engine, Irey made one last trip to the villa to check if anything had been missed. In Shelley’s bedroom drawer, he found a worn “Omega Manual.”

He took the booklet out of the drawer, quietly gazing at the unsettling bunny on the cover and the numerous highlighted sections within its crude print.

Every line, every word, was like a sharp blade, dissecting Omegas in public, with blood gushing out.

“That is…” Shelley coughed lightly behind him, “When the regulations were first issued, people would come to check Omegas’ understanding of the new rules. Probably because I was relatively famous in Nantes, I was checked frequently, so…”

Before Shelley finished speaking, Irey had already picked up the booklet and began tearing it into pieces in front of him.

He then raised his hand, and in the sunlight, the fragments fluttered like snowflakes, drifting into Shelley’s blue eyes.

Irey Harlton showed a mischievous smile.

“Shelley, you are you. You don’t need to follow these bullshit rules.”

Today, I will take you to roam beyond the world.