At the break of dawn, there came a knock at Kaxiu’ door.
This was Zerg tradition. On the first day after a successful match, the newly bonded female did not have to work. Instead, a designated escort would arrive to take him to the estate of his future male lord.
In this world, males were always wealthy, always powerful. Their residences were places ordinary Zerg could not even set foot in, let alone approach.
Without an official guide, even drawing near was nearly impossible.
Strictly speaking, in such a highly automated society, this archaic custom of physically escorting a female could have been easily handled by machines.
But for the sub-females assigned to the job, this was the perfect duty, something no machine could ever replace.
After all, it wasn’t just about bringing a female to meet his future male. Every one of them secretly harbored another hope: that they themselves might catch the eye of the male, and perhaps be chosen as his female servant, or even his slave.
Jossen, the one assigned to fetch Kaxiu, certainly had that thought in mind.
And this time, the female being matched had landed none other than an A-rank male.
The most exalted existence in the entire Zerg race!
Just imagining being noticed by such a being made Jossen’s heart thunder in his chest. His breathing grew shallow, and a faint blush crept over his cheeks.
His partner shot him a look of disdain, curled his lip, and strode ahead without waiting.
Flustered, Jossen scrambled after him, not daring to be left behind and stranded on the roadside while the hovercar left without him.
The two followed the navigation system toward Kaxiu’ residence but the further they drove, the more Jossen frowned.
He checked the map again and again, certain he hadn’t made a mistake.
Yet the hovercar had already left the clean, bustling city behind and was heading straight toward the slums.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
A female matched to an A-rank male… lived here?!
Even his partner, Cole, was visibly startled. The two exchanged looks, both wearing the same expression of stunned disbelief.
It wasn’t really their fault.
Among the Zerg, a male choosing his partner always took the female’s economic condition into account. After all, once a female became a male’s servant or slave, all of their assets would belong to the male anyway.
That was why females desperate to be chosen would pour every effort into accumulating wealth to improve their chances of catching a good match.
But this one… this one didn’t seem to fit the rule at all.
Still, no matter the reason, their orders had come directly from the Male Association. The task had to be carried out.
Carrying their doubts with them, Cole finally stepped forward and knocked on Kaxiu’s door.
Inside, Kaxiu raised his head.
He had sat through the entire night in his empty living room, sleepless and heavy-hearted. And now, with the knock at his door, the reality of being matched to a male finally sank in.
But his face showed not a trace of joy.
Of course he knew of Gu Lin.
Most females were obsessed with him. He wasn’t just extraordinarily handsome, he was also an incredibly rare A-rank male. With the possibility of advancing further through evolution, there was even a chance he could become one of the legendary S-rank males.
And across the entire Zerg race, the number of S-rank males could be counted on one hand, fewer than five.
Such a being was more than enough to drive the female population into madness.
There had even been speculation that Gu Lin’s eventual partner would have to be S-rank themselves. Marshal Hicks, an S-rank, had long been considered one of the strongest contenders.
But Kaxiu knew the darker rumors too.
Gu Lin’s behavior was reckless, arrogant, and utterly without restraint. He had injured female after female; the number who had suffered at his hands was beyond counting.
Worse, he had a reputation for mocking and ridiculing females openly on StarNet, his words so sharp and cruel that even strangers had wished to drag him out and beat him.
Yet no one dared to touch him. To harm a male was one of the gravest crimes of all, it carried a sentence of exile to the barren stars, a punishment as good as death.
Kaxiu lowered his gaze, surveying his sparse home with quiet melancholy. A faint sigh slipped from his lips.
He had always known this day would come.
As an A-rank female with no assets to his name, it was inevitable. If no male chose him, then once time ran out, the system would simply assign him to a C-rank male as a servant.
And when that male inevitably failed to provide spiritual comfort, his partner would eventually go mad. At that point, Kaxiu would be discarded, shipped off to a barren star, left to fend for himself until he perished.
So yes, he was leaving.
But was this new fate truly any better?
Becoming a male’s servant meant surrendering everything, property, time, even life itself.
If his male ordered him to quit his work, he would have no choice but to obey.
He would lose everything.
Including the freedom he had never dared to hope for in the first place…
*Knock*
The sound at the door jolted him from his spiraling thoughts.
Kaxiu pressed his lips into a thin line. His body was taut, his nerves strung tight.
And yet, when he rose to his feet, his back was as straight and unyielding as a pine tree.
At the same time, Gu Lin had just finished digging through the data sent by the system.
Only now did he finally understand how this so-called “forced allocation” actually worked.
To safeguard reproduction rates, every male in the Zerg race was required to have at least one partner within six months of reaching adulthood.
If they did not, the system would intervene and assign one for them.
Just yesterday, he had reached exactly six months past adulthood.
Originally, the body’s former owner had been planning to casually pick one of his many suitors to serve as his female servant.
But that was before Gu Lin arrived in this world.
He wasn’t familiar with Zerg customs at all and with his mind and heart entirely consumed by mechs, he had completely overlooked this compulsory matching rule.
The result? A giant mess.
The system, meanwhile, was practically giddy with delight. Watching the shifting expressions flicker across its host’s face, it found the sight endlessly entertaining.
By now, the system was certain of one thing: its host was definitely a hidden boss.
Terrifying spiritual power.
Exquisite mech piloting skills.
Eyes and instincts on par with the Zerg Marshal himself…
And when combined with the vague fragments of information Gu Lin had occasionally let slip, the system felt more and more sure that it had, by sheer luck, managed to “kidnap” a world-destroying big shot for itself.
Watching a big shot crush enemies, overturn the tables, and slap faces left and right? That was fun.
But watching a big shot stumble, flounder, and suffer little indignities? That was even better.
The system looked at Gu Lin’s conflicted face, and recalling how he had reacted to the original owner’s ridiculous username, a wild thought popped into its mind:
【No way… Host, don’t tell me, you can’t possibly be that pure, right?】
The system immediately slapped a hand over its nonexistent mouth, a prickle of danger running down its circuits. If it kept talking, it was going to get itself into serious trouble.
But Gu Lin’s response was immediate, blunt, and brutally honest
【Correct. I’ve never been in a relationship. No experience. And now, out of nowhere, I suddenly have a wife.】
His voice carried a helpless edge, his expression tinged with reluctant melancholy.
Among the Zerg, female spiritual power was notoriously unstable.
Without a male to comb and soothe their energy, their condition would deteriorate over time, gradually becoming more violent.
Until their wild instincts devoured them completely, transforming them into nothing more than mindless berserkers bent on destruction.
And for those who had already succumbed to madness, there was only one solution: exile to a barren star, abandoned to die alone.
For that reason, a female who had already been matched, even if he had never actually done anything with his male, could never hope to be chosen by another.
The pride of males was absolute. None of them would ever accept a female discarded by someone else.
【So, what does Host plan to do?】the system asked cautiously.
Honestly, the most logical “villain route” would be to dump the female outright. Maybe even abuse him a little first, then toss him onto some wasteland planet. That was exactly how villains usually operated.
But Gu Lin’s answer was calm, steady.
【I plan to keep him.】
The system jolted in surprise.
Gu Lin’s expression didn’t waver.
【This was my mistake. I overlooked the forced matching system. It’s my responsibility. I should be the one to bear the consequences.】
He had already gone beyond surface-level understanding. Not only had he learned the rules of compulsory pairing, but he had also researched deeply into the actual living conditions and social status of females within Zerg society.
The system wasn’t exactly shocked, but it still felt a pang of exasperated amusement.
【Host, did you forget your role here? You’re the villain, remember? In the Zerg world, a male who treats his female kindly is a rarity, practically a mythical creature. Think about the story’s protagonist gong that’s exactly why he was worshipped and put on a pedestal.】
【I’ll handle it,】Gu Lin replied, offering no further explanation.
【Besides, I intend to access the original owner’s memories.】
The system nearly short-circuited. It knew better than anyone how fragile the body was. If Gu Lin made even a slight mistake while trying to force open those memories, his body would collapse completely, leaving no chance of rescue.
【I won’t fail,】Gu Lin said firmly.
【Besides, I still have you, don’t I?】
The system’s circuits buzzed nervously. His playful tone made it feel oddly flustered.
【I… I can’t really help much. I’m just a beginner system.】
In truth, it should have been keeping track of important things like forced matching deadlines. It should have noticed sooner, maybe even warned him before it came to this.
But it had overlooked it, and its host had ended up in a bind because of it.
Realizing its negligence, the system lowered its head in shame. And when it remembered how it had laughed at its host earlier like some silly melon, the system wanted nothing more than to travel back in time and strangle its past self.
Gu Lin, however, had no intention of blaming it. His voice was light
【Don’t you also have a system store? We earned a thousand points. I can exchange them for what I need.】
The system understood immediately and pulled up the interface.
Gu Lin scrolled through the list from memory until he found the item he was searching for in the medicine exchange window.
A bottle of Spiritual Stabilizing Potion.
Three hundred points per vial. Capable of temporarily calming one’s mental power.
This world had something similar, potions used by females. Without the comfort of a male, the effect was limited, but it could still provide some relief. The problem was that the cost was astronomical, far beyond what most females could ever afford.
And the higher the female’s rank, the harder such potions were to produce, the more resources they consumed.
Yet the effects were never guaranteed. For high-level females, a male’s soothing touch was far more valuable than any medicine.
But whether female-made medicine would even work on males remained unknown. Without proper testing, it was clearly safer to rely on the system’s potion.
【Host, do you really have to use it?】
The system’s heart ached. Yes, it technically earned commission when points were spent, but still watching its host burn through his hard-earned points made it feel guilty, like it was robbing him.
If only its data-gathering and analysis skills were stronger, then Gu Lin wouldn’t have to waste points at all!
But Gu Lin only smiled faintly, not bothering to scold. He bought the potion, stretched out on the bed, and set up every possible precaution first activating the defensive system and raising security to the highest level.
Only then did he swallow the potion and settle down to wait.
His original plan had been to accumulate a larger pool of points first. With enough potions, he could have directly stabilized himself, accessed the original memories, and gotten a clearer picture of this world.
But plans never kept up with reality. And now, thanks to the forced match, he had tripped over his own carelessness.
Thinking about the fact that he suddenly had a wife now, Gu Lin’s head throbbed faintly.
How on earth was he supposed to live with someone else?
But as the effects of the potion gradually took hold, Gu Lin stopped dwelling on the problem.
He closed his eyes. His focus sharpened. And slowly, carefully, he began to read the original owner’s memories…
The night passed without sleep.
By the time Gu Lin opened his eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.
A small service robot rolled to his bedside with quiet whirs.
Before it could even speak, the system slipped into its control protocols and took over.
The robot’s round eyes blinked, and its voice came out sweet and mechanical:
“Host, your female servant is waiting for you outside the estate~”
Gu Lin: …
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ a little coffee would be lovely
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Crossing OverChapter 2 · KaxiuChapter 3 · Social DeathChapter 4 · Female Servant/WifeChapter 5 · ConfusedChapter 6 · MysteryChapter 7 · CamouflageChapter 8 · AcquaintanceChapter 9 · Man in a ShellChapter 10 · FoodChapter 11 · RemunerationChapter 12 · GossipChapter 13 · TaskChapter 14 · CoverdaleChapter 15 · Mission AccomplishedChapter 16 · ExchangeChapter 17 · DreamChapter 18 · DelicateChapter 19 · ReasonChapter 20 · SpecialChapter 21 · 2 Dose of VialChapter 22 · Night WatchChapter 23 · One NightChapter 24 · GratefulChapter 25 · ContestChapter 26 · FortChapter 27 · RecordChapter 28 · SealChapter 29 · MissedChapter 30 · Treasure TroveChapter 31 · Battle SpiritChapter 32 · IllusionChapter 33 · PhotosChapter 34 · DifferentChapter 35 · Heartfelt wishesChapter 36 · TeasingChapter 37 · InterestChapter 38 · TrappedChapter 39 · Borrowing a knifeChapter 40 · SecretChapter 42 · ConditionChapter 43 · QuestionChapter 44 · AnswerChapter 45 · CoreChapter 46 · MeetChapter 47 · WeirdChapter 48 · DifferentChapter 49 · Spiritual SeaChapter 50 · ConceptsChapter 51 · RoefellerChapter 51 · Hicks Return!Chapter 53 · 10 thousand points!Chapter 54 · RedemptionChapter 55 · ChangeChapter 56 · ReceiveChapter 57 · Side QuestChapter 59 · It seems like a old FriendChapter 60 · TrainingChapter 61 · MoodChapter 62 · ConfusedChapter 63 · Children’s PlaygroundChapter 64 · GiftChapter 65 · ApproachingChapter 66 · ThreatChapter 67 Part 1 · Do you have any objections?Chapter 67 Part 2 · Do you have any objections?Chapter 68 · MaintenanceChapter 69 · Thank youChapter 70 · UndercoverChapter 71 · VisitChapter 72 · FrenzyChapter 73 · TransactionChapter 74 · ReminderChapter 75 · ArenaChapter 76 · InterestingChapter 77 · CuteChapter 78 · SecretChapter 79 · CompareChapter 80 · StrategyChapter 81 · CrisisChapter 82 · ProtectChapter 83 · Blind SpotChapter 84 · SafetyChapter 85 · Mission ObjectiveChapter 86 · DeterminationChapter 87 · Grave DangerChapter 88 · GuessingChapter 89 · Chess PieceChapter 90 · EmotionsChapter 91 · Guardian’s HeartChapter 92 · A Dangerous FigureChapter 93 · FrustratedChapter 94 · BullyChapter 95 · NegotiationChapter 96 · ChallengeChapter 97 · RejectionChapter 98 · PlantingChapter 99 · Thank youChapter 100 · LeveragingChapter 101 · ChaosChapter 102 · SubmitChapter 103 · ThoughtsChapter 104 · Good news and bad newsChapter 105 · MadmanChapter 106 · CooperationChapter 107 · Just drawingChapter 108 · It was a pleasure working with youChapter 109 · StargazingChapter 110 · GuideChapter 111 · Plant FlowerChapter 112 · White WolfChapter 113 · SterilisationChapter 114 · CollarChapter 115 · RunChapter 116 · GenerousChapter 117 · ImageChapter 118 · FriendlyChapter 119 · LostChapter 120 · TasteChapter 121 · System upgradeChapter 122 · Transfered FromChapter 123 · Keep dragging it outChapter 124 · CategoryChapter 125 · DemolitionChapter 126 · I want to cry but can’tChapter 127 · Upgrade completeChapter 128 · Tears streaming down my face in the windChapter 129 · Strange luckChapter 130 · UnknownChapter 131 · Dog plant flowersChapter 132 · Contest of Wits and Silent UnderstandingChapter 133 · ColinChapter 134 · AmbushChapter 135 · DullChapter 136 · BattleChapter 137 · Post-WarChapter 138 · Return ToChapter 139 · Strength EnhancementChapter 140 · Is this a staged accident scam?Chapter 141 · ToolChapter 142 · ProcessingChapter 143 · CluesChapter 144 · MemoryChapter 145 · UnderstoodChapter 146 · I want to hug youChapter 147 · Differential treatmentChapter 148 · So DifficultChapter 149 · Going to farChapter 150 · Real or FakeChapter 151 · ResponseChapter 152 · The truthChapter 153 · Let’s chat Causally?Chapter 154 · A Way to RelaxChapter 155 · ConversationChapter 156 · Daily MissionChapter 157 · A QuarrelChapter 158 · NamelessChapter 159 · ProbingChapter 160 · A Good HelperChapter 161 · ConfirmationChapter 162 · DiscussChapter 163 · ForgottenChapter 164 · TraceChapter 164 · TraceChapter 165 · Contact