Nuo Wei rarely said he liked something, causing Chu Ci to pause his rejection, then he accepted the gemstone.
He held the box in front of him; the gemstone, nestled in its velvet-lined casing, glimmered with an alluring light. Despite its beauty, the amber stone had never been a favorite of Nuo Wei’s in the past—those small, pretty trinkets were not his style, but evidently, they had caught the eye of the Major General.
Chu Ci placed the box into his pocket and nodded at Admiral Erwen, signaling his thanks, “Thank you, Admiral, for your generosity.”
“All right.” Admiral Erwen stood up. He had come to check on Nuo Wei’s situation, and since everything was fine, he had no reason to linger further. “I have pressing matters. I’ll take my leave now. Nuo Wei, you decide whether to show Chu Ci around or if you prefer to take him home first.”
Chu Ci stood up, “I’ll go home first.”
Though the Zerg species was generally more tolerant towards males, the military department was still a place of power and duty. Nuo Wei had a pile of files on his desk, which would require a significant amount of time to review. If Chu Ci stayed now, it would only lead to Nuo Wei having to work overtime later, something Chu Ci didn’t want to cause. He stood up, “I’ll drive home; no need for you to send me.”
Admiral Erwen exchanged a meaningful glance with Nuo Wei.
In such a situation, any well-mannered female would be eager to show ‘no trouble, no trouble,’ express their gratitude for not being a disturbance, offer to see the male to his transport, and even hold the chair for him as he left. The more favored ones might even hold his hand, subtly releasing a little of their own pheromones in the process.
With so many females and so few males in the Zerg species, each female needed the support of pheromones to avoid social unrest. If they didn’t make moves to win favor, their lives could be limited to technological pheromones.
Nuo Wei didn’t even notice Admiral Erwen’s glance; he silently looked at the male, not saying a word.
Admiral Erwen furrowed his brows, “Nuo Wei, how have you been learning your female duties? You should at least see off Chu Ci.”
“No need.” Chu Ci stood up. He had been walking to and from school alone since junior high, and with the automated flight system, getting home only took a few minutes. There was no need for anyone to accompany him.
He looked at Nuo Wei, “You can continue with your work. I’m leaving.”
Chu Ci and Nuo Wei had been sitting close together, almost shoulder to shoulder, sharing a comfortable warmth. When Chu Ci stood up, that heat source vanished. Nuo Wei’s fingers moved slightly, brushing against the hem of the male’s clothing before pulling back like a thief. He quickly withdrew his hand into his sleeve and nodded slightly, “…Yes.”
Admiral Erwen: “?!!”
Just a simple ‘yes’?!
He could hardly believe there was a female this foolish in the world, and even worse, this female was one he had taught himself. And with Chu Ci still there, Admiral Erwen didn’t dare express his frustration too openly. He barely managed to maintain a polite and composed demeanor as he opened the door for Chu Ci, “I’ll see you out of the military department.”
Chu Ci didn’t want Admiral Erwen to see him off, but repeatedly declining would be impolite. So, he walked out the door, “Then thank you, Admiral.”
Admiral Erwen escorted Chu Ci to the military department’s entrance, enthusiastically praising his flying vehicle. The vehicle was fluorescent purple with green accents on the front, resembling a floating mutated eggplant. Chu Ci politely responded, “Haha, is it really that good?” “Is my taste really that great?” “Thank you, thank you.”
After some polite exchanges, Chu Ci finished his small talk, rolled up the car window, and let out a long sigh.
As soon as Chu Ci closed the flying vehicle’s door, Admiral Erwen’s expression suddenly turned cold.
He watched Chu Ci’s vehicle disappear into the distance, then opened his communicator, searching for his tutor, clicking into the interface, “Xier Fu, are you there?”
Xier Fu was one of the most popular females among the Zerg, a teacher at the Imperial Central University teaching tea ceremony and electromagnetic wave theory. Admiral Erwen had learned tea ceremony from him; he was adept at understanding the minds of males, always in high demand among noble females to instruct them before marriage to solidify their place in the minds of males.
Xier Fu’s cursor flickered, “What do you want?”
Admiral Erwen replied, “It’s all because of my stupid nephew.”
He briefly explained Nuo Wei’s actions, his head pounding, “The male may have temporarily changed his attitude, but if this continues, it won’t be long before he angers the male, leading to exile to a barren planet. Besides, the seven-day trial is imminent. Tonight, I need you to guide him properly.”
Xier Fu: “I will do my best, but with such a short time, it will depend on Nuo Wei’s fate how much he can learn.”
In the flying vehicle, Chu Ci adjusted his seat to a comfortable position and opened his light brain, ready to play a few games.
The haste of his earlier arrival meant the light brain was still open on a website he hadn’t closed; now, the browser was still on Kaier’s matching interface. Chu Ci had little interest in the Zerg matchmaking websites and was about to close it when he couldn’t find the close button.
Thanks to the appalling matchmaking rates among the Zerg, the close button on this interface was harder to find than on human ad websites. One wrong click could easily trigger it. Chu Ci fumbled with the website, and the cursor suddenly froze.
He saw a name he didn’t expect.
Admiral Erwen Atlans.
The Atlans family was one of the most prestigious in the Empire, and Admiral Erwen was a well-known figure, almost impossible to have a namesake. Chu Ci stared at the name for several seconds and clicked into the details interface.
Admiral Erwen’s photo on the matchmaking website was not as warm and approachable as his real-life persona. His silver-gray hair was neatly combed back, and his piercing blue eyes were coldly staring at the camera, almost arrogant and disdainful. Chu Ci nervously clicked on it, scanning through it quickly, confirming this was indeed the Admiral’s personal information.
He glanced to the right, where there were usually two buttons—one to send an invitation to match, used by males of insufficient rank to invite a female, and one for forced matching, used by males of a rank above the female to enforce marriage. Chu Ci’s rank was A, and the forced matching button was greyed out, but if an S-ranked male appeared, he could forcibly demand the Admiral’s hand in marriage.
Chu Ci remembered S-ranked males were rarer than pandas, and he quickly backed out, searching on the Star Network: “How many S-ranked males exist in the Empire?”
The Star Network updated almost instantly: “Currently, there are 0 S-ranked males in the Empire.”
There weren’t even any.
Chu Ci let out a sigh of relief. He simply couldn’t imagine Admiral Erwen being forcibly matched.
Although the Admiral had always appeared gentle and refined in front of him, he was known as an Iron-blooded Admiral in the military. He didn’t show mercy during training exercises and his inherent coldness and severity couldn’t be suppressed. Chu Ci had always been a bit afraid of him—not just because of the Admiral’s role as foster father, but more so because of the aura he carried, a sense that was hard to articulate, as if a prey animal encountered a predator, an ingrained fear embedded in his instincts.
He lifted his light brain, took a screenshot, and sent it to Nuo Wei, asking, “What’s going on? Is this the real deal?”
Nuo Wei quickly replied, “Admiral’s Male Lord passed away fifteen years ago. His mental instability reached its peak. According to Imperial laws, any female zerg who has lost their male monarch for over ten years and with a mental instability rating of ‘danger’ or higher must undergo forced matching.”
Chu Ci found it hard to imagine, “Does the Admiral have to choose a new male master?”
Zerg males were all brutish fools, and facing Admiral Erwen like this, Chu Ci couldn’t bear to picture it.
Nuo Wei said, “Not necessarily. It’s just according to Imperial law. The Admiral has no intention of remarrying, and currently, there are no S-ranked males in the Empire. If the Admiral does not want a new male master, there won’t be one.”
Chu Ci nodded, “I see.”
He took a deep breath, finally finding the exit key. He quickly exited the interface without further distractions.
Just as he closed the browser, Chu Ci’s inbox chimed with a new message.
He clicked on it, revealing a bunch of emails. Glancing at the top, the first email was a notification of successful interview and an invitation to join a company.
The Zerg offer was straightforward, with clear terms on salary and responsibilities. Although the gaming industry wasn’t booming among the Zerg, it was still a top-tier company within the industry, offering a decent salary package—enough to potentially buy a flying vehicle within a year.
Although it wasn’t on the same level as Nuo Wei’s, Chu Ci was still satisfied. He happily wrote a reply, asking, “When can I start?”
The other party quickly replied, “We can start the process anytime here. If it’s convenient for you, you can begin the formalities tomorrow.”
Chu Ci said, “Then tomorrow it is.”
Although he’d often thought about retiring early while on Earth, now that he was truly idle, Chu Ci found himself bored. He logged onto Star Netword and began shopping for disguise stickers for female zergs.
Female stickers were mostly used as adornments, helping camouflage unattractive zerg patterns. There were all kinds of styles available, with some female zergs using stickers to mask their not-so-pretty patterns. Chu Ci placed a tentative order, and two hours later, they were delivered to his doorstep. Upon opening them, he found the craftsmanship decent, but the colors were dull and the transitions awkward, far from realistic.
Chu Ci sighed and sent a request for remote work to the company.
Most Zerg females needed to cater to their male master’s needs, so if the males were at home, the females couldn’t be out working all day. Therefore, many jobs could be done from home, and as soon as Chu Ci sent the email, someone from the company confirmed it via video.
“Hello, Mr. Chu Ci, we just noticed your request for remote work. Could you tell us the reason?”
Chu Ci hesitated for a moment, then said, “Uh, I’m here to serve the male master.”
He added, “I just got married, and my male master needs my care.”
The colleague on the other end of the video showed an envious expression, saying, “Congratulations to you! I wish you and the male master a happy life together.”
Not every female zerg has the qualification to serve a male master closely, so this new colleague must be a favored one.
After Chu Ci confirmed his employment, the person he was working with added him to Star Network. After a round of small talk, the colleague sent him company documents and an employee handbook and invited him to a welcome event for new employees.
Although he couldn’t be away from home for long, females who were allowed to work still had personal time, so attending a welcome event was not a problem.
Chu Ci awkwardly grasped the collar of his uniform, saying, “Uh, my male master is very clingy; I might not be able to leave.”
The colleague on the other end let out another envious sigh.
The colleagues were all amazed at the good fortune of this female zerg, who must have been very favored to receive such attention. They didn’t press the issue, offering their congratulations and not saying much more after that.
For the rest of the time, Chu Ci quietly read the company’s orientation materials and employee handbook. When Nuo Wei returned, they had lunch together, chatting briefly. Afterward, Chu Ci went back to his room to continue researching his proposal.
At 9:55 PM, the lights in the male zerg’s bedroom were turned off, and Nuo Wei looked away, sitting quietly on the sofa without turning on the lights, leaving the living room dim.
Nuo Wei had changed out of his rigid military uniform into a comfortable robe, sitting upright with his fingers neatly placed on his knees, unconsciously gripping the fabric of the robe.
At 10:00, his light brain emitted a soft sound.
Nuo Wei opened the door, and the tutor stood at the doorway, holding a ruler and a mirror, nodding slightly towards Nuo Wei.
“Hello, Major General, I’m here to guide your study today.”
Nuo Wei pressed his lips together and stepped aside. “Please come in.”
