Human evolution is such a fascinating thing. Today’s class focuses on the recent evolution we all went through after the Great Tera Virus Catastrophe. A small strand of the virus was able to alter human history as we know it.
The moment the bioweapon Tera Virus was deployed in Central City G on June 20, 2021, it killed almost fifty percent of the population on the first day. But as days went on, the death rate increased. To cope with the rapid changes, our human bodies evolved...
The history teacher’s dull speech echoed in the almost empty classroom. Even so, the old man was teaching with gusto as he flipped through the slides on the display.
Gory images of half-decayed human faces were displayed. "This was the initial reaction humans had to this Tera Virus. It first attacked our immune system, making it work against our bodies. Then, the virus built a nest in the head of the victim, turning them into ’walking dead.’ The virus is technically the victim inside out, and when the human body no longer had any nutrition to sustain the virus, it multiplied and started to affect those close to them. The infection spread through bites and..."
Lin Yunfeng zoned out during the boring history class. He anxiously bit his nails, unable to concentrate.
Jai pinched his forearm, gesturing for him to stop shaking his leg.
Lin Yunfeng sat up straight, peering at the teacher with rapt attention.
"A small virus was capable of altering our DNA so much that we developed the three genders we have today..." the teacher continued, pointedly looking their way.
"Yun," Jai glared at him. "Stop shaking."
"Sorry," he mouthed and sat up straight. "I’ll stay calm. I’m the epitome of calmness..." He took a deep breath to steady his nerves.
But staying calm was near impossible!
He tugged at his friend’s sleeve gently. "Do you also think I’ll be an omega?"
"Silence." The teacher momentarily glanced their way before continuing his lecture.
His best friend ruthlessly shook off his hand and continued taking notes coldly. "You better start taking notes. I’m not sharing my folder with you."
"You... Don’t be cold-hearted, my dear darling friend." He pulled the screen closer and started marking down the points his teacher was so keenly explaining. The word "omega" stood out in the text.
Biting his lips, he peered at his cold-hearted friend.
Before he could open his mouth, his best friend shot him a soft glare. "If you don’t shut up, I will not help you with your exams."
Lin Yunfeng aggrievedly closed his mouth and laid his head down on the wide-open display screen. "I don’t want to be an omega. Have you read what they did to them in the past? They were captured like pet canaries and kept in separate lodgings. They were FORCED to breed. Forced, Jai! I don’t want that to happen to me. I don’t want to carry a child. I can’t."
Jai’s slender hand reached out to him.
Expecting a comforting pat, Lin Yunfeng lowered his head, but to his surprise, Jai pinched his lips together—hard.
"Ow! Hmmm hmm...."
"I’ll sew your trap shut if you don’t shut up right now."
Lin Yunfeng instantly froze and nodded his head like pounding ginger.
"Jai Susi! Lin Yunfeng!"
Slowly, they turned to face the front of the class. Their history lecturer was glaring at them, panting hard.
"Stand up, both of you. Why is it always you two disrupting my class?" the old man growled as he adjusted his spectacles. "Do you think history is a joke? This is the vital stage of human history that established us as the superior race in the whole galaxy!"
Lin Yunfeng mentally rolled his eyes and zoned out of the man’s chatter.
"Sit down. The next time you disrupt my class, I’ll assign you both to the cadets!"
Lin Yunfeng meekly sat down.
Jai glared at him intensely.
’Oh god, he’s going to kill me...’ He silently sat there and zoned out again.
When the class ended, he rushed right out of there.
Sighing, Jai followed after him and grabbed him by the back of his collar. "Stop running in the corridor. Do you want another black mark on your record?"
Lin Yunfeng anxiously shifted on the spot. "I have to see the results... Jai, I can’t be an omega. My future will be completely bleak if I am. Can you imagine me being pushed down and dominated?" He shuddered with disgust.
Jai took a careful look at his friend from head to toe. To be honest, this chatterbox had a handsome face. Though, most of the time, his cute features and animated eyes attracted the wrong crowd. His younger years had been spent protecting this naïve guy from the dark.
Even as they walked down the corridor, Lin Yunfeng attracted countless gazes.
Most of them were from their seniors—alphas.
Every day, they would just ’casually’ stroll in front of Lin Yunfeng, hoping to catch his attention. Sadly, this dumb guy never even noticed their shadows.
Jai patted Lin’s shoulder with a sigh. "It’s good to be like you."
"Huh?" Lin Yunfeng shook his hand off. "Jai, can we actually change our gender?"
Jai shot him an annoyed look.
Sighing, Lin Yunfeng started to pace in circles. There was a high possibility that his test would come back positive for the third gender—omega. But there was a small chance he could be an alpha. After all, the first-ever alpha came from his family lineage.
Jai grabbed his shirt and redirected his pacing toward their next class.
Lin Yunfeng gazed at the men and women chatting happily in the hallway. The slender, beautiful omegas were surrounded by tall, handsome alphas. As for the betas, they kept to themselves, refusing to mingle with the other two genders.
This world was classified into three major genders: Alpha, Beta, and Omega.
Physical fitness and mental strength were the defining traits of alphas. But their most special characteristic was that each alpha had a unique ability. Only alphas retained the genetic mutation acquired during the Tera Virus outbreak.
Only about ten percent of the human population were alphas, and only one percent of them retained the special mutation.
The next gender was the betas. They weren’t as strong as alphas, nor did they excel in any particular regard. Their features were also considered dull.
The worst case was the omegas.
They were technically breeding stock. Ahem—they had the ability to bear children.
Two thousand years ago, in 2021, the Tera Virus bomb hit City G, affecting every human. The virus not only wiped out half the population, but it also left a lasting mark on the survivors. Some became alphas, while others became betas.
Soon, the population began to plummet. Alphas couldn’t reproduce. Betas could give birth, but the children were weak and often didn’t survive.
Humankind panicked.
After years of research, scientists discovered that certain individuals—regardless of being male or female—could carry children.
It was revolutionary.
That was how omegas came to exist.
Lin Yunfeng bit his already bruised lips again. "Jai...."
"Stop it. Even if you are an omega, you’ll be fine. They won’t capture you. They won’t impregnate you. It’s the 35th century, for God’s sake." He patted his head. "I’ll chase away all the alphas who come your way."
Lin’s glimmering eyes peered up at him. "You’ll do that for me?"
For a second, Jai froze. His heart rate spiked slightly. "Y-Yeah... Stop shoving your face at me." He pushed Lin’s small face away and rushed to their next class.
The day passed faster than expected. Lin Yunfeng didn’t even realize how he got home.
At the dinner table, he stared blankly at his plate of mashed potatoes and peas.
"Yunfeng, staring at your plate won’t fill your stomach. And when you’re hungry, you get grumpy," his mom gently pinched his chubby cheeks.
Lin Yunfeng turned to his right, gazing at his beautiful mother. Even in her forties, she looked like a teenager with her round cheeks and slender figure. "You’re beautiful...."
She blushed and playfully smacked his shoulder.
But his smile faded. "Isn’t anyone worried that I’ll be an omega—bred like cattle?"
The cheerful atmosphere froze. They all looked at him with varying levels of pity.
"You’re screwed," Hana chuckled. "No, literally—you’ll be screwed. Haha!"