Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 12/15/2024
Edited Date: –/–/—-
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Kaier on the business card had a stunning smile, captured in what appeared to be his admission photo for the Imperial Military Academy. The young man, brimming with pride and ambition, beamed confidently at the camera.
In contrast, Nuo Wei didn’t know how to smile. Having grown up alongside Admiral Erwen, their relationship was less like that of an uncle and nephew and more akin to a commanding officer grooming a subordinate. Recognizing Nuo Wei’s exceptional talent, Admiral Erwen meticulously prepared him as a successor. From an early age, Nuo Wei’s schedule was calibrated down to the minute, packed with countless lessons and training sessions. When he later joined the military, the relentless burden of orders and duties further shaped him into someone who never learned how to truly smile.
Before marrying Chu Ci, a married female zerg had tried teaching Nuo Wei how to win a male’s affection. They spent days just on the art of smiling. Eventually, the instructor sighed, pushed a mirror in front of Nuo Wei, and asked, “Major General, do you think this smile looks good?”
It didn’t. Not at all.
Holding the business card in hand, Nuo Wei leaned on the edge of the sink, staring blankly at his reflection for a moment. Finally, he attempted to mimic Kaier’s expression, curling his lips into a semblance of a smile.
But it wasn’t a smile—it was more like a resigned, bitter grin.
Meanwhile, the expensive suit soaked in the softening solution had become pliable, the fabric draping smoothly as it hung. Nuo Wei rinsed away the remaining solution, activated the drying machine to finish the job, and then carefully returned the business card to the male’s pocket.
He felt as though he had figured out what Chu Ci was planning. The male wanted to replace him as the household’s female monarch.
In the Empire, female monarchs held a relatively secure position, as their status was often earned by military females through contribution points. Frequent dismissal or replacement of female monarchs could incite unrest among the ranks, so laws were enacted to protect their standing. Unless a female Zerg had committed a grave mistake, as Nuo Wei once had, divorcing and replacing them was challenging.
However, if a female monarch remained consistently neglected, it signaled the male’s disinterest. Once the seven-day grace period passed, the correctional facility’s staffs would inevitably detect the deterioration in his mental sea. At that point, the male could easily use this as justification to push for a new monarch.
The union between Nuo Wei and Chu Ci was the result of a system match. Due to Nuo Wei’s frequent deployments on the battlefield, the state of his mental sea had deteriorated significantly. Under Admiral Erwen’s direction, Nuo Wei submitted an application to the mainframe to initiate a mental wavelength compatibility test. However, because of his exceptionally high rank, the pool of matches was exceedingly small. The only viable candidate without a female monarch at the time was Chu Ci.
Chu Ci didn’t just lack a monarch—he also had no attendants or servants. Having just reached adulthood, this male had only recently moved out of the nursery. When Nuo Wei used his contribution points to apply for the match, the male agreed without hesitation.
Nuo Wei even suspected that Chu Ci had never looked at his photo, let alone knew how his official ID picture turned out.
Expressionless, devoid of any hint of a smile, the image projected a cold, lifeless indifference.
If, at the time, Chu Ci had just left the nursery, unfamiliar with suitable female Zergs and inadvertently accepted the match, it would be understandable that now, after meeting more charming candidates, he might want to replace his female monarch.
Unbeknownst to Chu Ci, his female monarch’s thoughts had spiraled completely off-track. Before going to bed, Chu Ci listed a few particularly gaudy flying vehicles on the second-hand market, hoping another Zerg with equally questionable taste would take them off his hands. Since these vehicles were limited editions and fairly priced, one had already sold by the time he drifted off. Seeing a small uptick in his account balance, Chu Ci contentedly put down his light brain and fell asleep, clutching his soft blanket as he ventured into dreamland.
The next morning, an hour before the Zerg Empire’s designated workday officially began, Chu Ci woke up.
Staring at the ceiling, he called out, “San San, are you there? How many flying vehicles have I sold?”
The robot rolled in from the doorway. “Good morning, Master. You’ve sold two.”
Chu Ci opened his light brain to check and saw that the two ugliest vehicles had been sold. While baffled by Zerg aesthetics, he still maintained a good seller’s etiquette. He opened private messages from the buyers and asked each one, ⟦ How would you like to pick up your purchase?⟧
One buyer responded quickly, saying they were very busy and asking if Chu Ci could deliver the vehicle to them, offering to pay extra for the service. Since Chu Ci had no plans for the day, he agreed. ⟦ Sure.⟧
The buyer soon sent over an address—not far, just next to the Central Hospital.
After confirming the delivery time, Chu Ci got dressed and went downstairs, where Nuo Wei had already prepared breakfast.
The buyer mentioned they needed to be at work soon and hoped Chu Ci could deliver the vehicle before then. Chu Ci hurriedly took a few bites of breakfast and waved goodbye to Nuo Wei. “See you tonight.”
Not wanting to bring up the flying vehicles in front of his female monarch—doing so would only remind him of his foolish purchases—Chu Ci didn’t explain where he was going. Nuo Wei, naturally, wouldn’t question the male’s whereabouts. He simply nodded quietly, his fingers gripping the silver spoon in his hand so tightly it was nearly bent out of shape. “See you tonight.”
Chu Ci entered the underground garage and unlocked the three vehicles that had been sold. He set them to follow mode and designated his favorite silver-and-white flying vehicle, the 《Galaxy S-915》, as the lead. After linking the control systems of all four vehicles, he pressed the auto-pilot button, set the destination, and watched as the 《Galaxy》 sped forward, hugging the ground before climbing swiftly into the air and leveling off at a steady altitude.
Turning to look out the rear window, Chu Ci saw the three sold vehicles lined up neatly behind the 《Galaxy》, trailing in formation.
At precisely 9 a.m., Nuo Wei arrived at the military headquarters.
The polished military boots encased Nuo Wei’s muscular calves, and a white-and-gold uniform was draped over his arm. His expression was cold and stern as he nodded in acknowledgment to the adjutant who approached him. The austere demeanor paired with his immaculate attire made it difficult for anyone to associate him with the somewhat fatigued figure seen in the hospital.
Standing beside him, Yi Ta held a stack of documents. “Major General, it looks like you’ve made a full recovery.”
He opened the office door for his superior. “Major General Lin En is already waiting for you. The handover materials are in the folder I’ve placed on your desk.”
Nuo Wei gave a curt nod. “Thank you.”
As he stepped into the office, sure enough, a blonde female Zerg sat in one of the chairs. Major General Lin En, the same age as Nuo Wei, had slightly fewer achievements to his name. He had been recently promoted and originally had several training missions to complete before taking command of the First Army. However, when Nuo Wei encountered an unexpected situation, Lin En had been temporarily assigned to step in.
Upon seeing Nuo Wei, Lin En nodded politely and began to explain the recent developments in detail. But halfway through his explanation, Nuo Wei interrupted him with an abrupt question.
“Lin En, how have you felt during this time filling in for me?”
Lin En, puzzled, replied, “Pretty good, I suppose?”
Nuo Wei continued, “If you were asked to permanently take over my position, would you be willing?”
Startled, Lin En blinked his piercing blue eyes in disbelief. “Nuo Wei, what are you saying?”
Nuo Wei was indisputably the cornerstone of the younger generation, and his team formed the very core of the First Army. The idea of him voluntarily relinquishing his position was inconceivable.
Nuo Wei spread out the handover documents. Lin En had performed admirably over the past few days, earning respect from even the most critical voices under his command. As Nuo Wei scanned Lin En’s record, his gaze lowered as he remarked, “Your resume and achievements are outstanding. Even my adjutant speaks highly of you. If you were to take over my team, I don’t think anyone would raise objections.”
Nuo Wei’s demeanor was unsettlingly similar to someone making final arrangements. Lin En frowned slightly, puzzled. “But if I take over, where will you go?”
Nuo Wei didn’t answer. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes wearily.
Lin En’s brow furrowed further. Leaning forward, he braced his hands on the desk, meeting Nuo Wei’s gaze directly. “Why this attitude? Didn’t your male master already sign the pardon order? And didn’t he agree to let you continue your work? Are you seriously thinking of abandoning this position yourself?”
“Stop it.”
“Your return to the military is what everyone’s been waiting for—your adjutant, your subordinates. Don’t you realize that?”
“Lin En, I said stop.”
“Nuo Wei, the ninth expedition is just around the corner! Yesterday, Yi Ta and Yi Si were telling me how much they were looking forward to following your lead and achieving glory. And now you’re thinking of handing your team over to me? What on earth is going through your mind?”
“Enough!”
Nuo Wei’s voice suddenly rose in volume. For a moment, the room fell silent. Then, he slumped down, his fingers lightly pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke in a softer tone, “Lin En, I might not make it past the seven-day review period.”
Lin En stared at him, dumbfounded.
After a moment, Lin En’s voice trembled. “Why? If they didn’t intend for you to pass, your male shouldn’t have let you out in the first place.”
Nuo Wei gave a bitter smile and pulled out his lightbrain, bringing up a tracking interface. A small red dot was bouncing steadily forward on the display.
“This is my flight craft,” Nuo Wei said, his finger trailing the red dot. “My male went out today and took my craft.”
Lin En blinked in surprise. “And? What’s the big deal?”
It wasn’t unusual for a male to use their female zerg’s property—it was, after all, considered shared. A male using their female monarch’s flight craft was nothing remarkable.
Nuo Wei shook his head. “It’s different. He doesn’t usually like this one and never uses it. He has his own preferred craft. But here…” He tapped the map at a location marked Central Hospital. “Perhaps there’s someone there who’s made him change his preferences.”
“…What do you mean?”
Nuo Wei looked up, sunlight catching in his cyan eyes, creating a shifting play of light and shadow. “Yesterday, when I was doing my male’s laundry, I saw a business card. It was from the attending neurologist at Central Hospital. The face on it was delicate and gentle.”
He continued, his voice calm but carrying a faint weight. “This morning, my male got up early. He usually sleeps until noon—never wakes early. But today, he got up and went to Central Hospital.”
Lin En stammered, “Even if he likes someone, he could just bring them home. Adding a female zerg servant isn’t a big deal. That doesn’t mean you’ll fail the seven-day review…”
“I will fail,” Nuo Wei interrupted, his tone steady as he gazed directly at Lin En. “I am certain of it. I will fail.”
“Why?”
Nuo Wei asked calmly, “A male who is willing to wake up early for him, willing to change his preferences for him, and willing to go to Central Hospital just to meet him—would such a male only make him a female zerg servant?”
No, he would be the male’s female monarch.
Nuo Wei’s expression remained indifferent, his tone equally flat, as though he were discussing something entirely unrelated to himself.
Lin En stared at him in a daze. “How could it come to this?”
Replacing a female monarch was no trivial matter. Even for a male, it required considerable effort and might not even succeed. But now, there was a perfect excuse: failing the seven-day review. Once the zerg was confined to the correctional facility, the position of female monarch would naturally be vacated, leaving the male free to choose anyone they liked.
Nuo Wei had always known that his male master could be kind. The blame for his failed protection had been forgiven without much fuss, and there were no subsequent reproaches. But he hadn’t realized that when Chu Ci truly liked someone, he could become so extraordinarily attentive.
He gave up sleeping in, abandoned his flashy tastes, and piloted a flight craft to Central Hospital early in the morning—just to win the favor of a single female zerg.
How lucky that female Zerg must be to receive such passionate affection.
Reining in his wandering thoughts, Nuo Wei shook his head slightly and said softly, “Lin En, I might not have many days left. Before that, I need to hand over everything about the First Army to you.”
Lin En straightened instinctively, his face growing serious. “Go ahead.”
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Author’s Note:
Nuo Wei: To receive such passionate affection, how lucky that female must be.
Chu Ci, who has been delivering goods: “?”
Kaier, who has been in surgery, busy as a dog: “?”
[Thanks for the invitation. I’m at the central hospital, just off the aircraft/surgery table. Don’t cue me.]
