Registration concluded swiftly. After An Ming was assigned a military wrist-mounted light-computer, he found himself with nothing to do.
His suitcase had already been moved back by Number Nine. The million-credit account remained, but unfortunately, there was nowhere to spend it for the time being all the living and entertainment facilities on the Phoenix, including the restaurants, swimming pools, and barbershops, were entirely free of charge.
An Ming didn’t want to return to the room to face LAN so early, nor did he wish to disturb his sleep. Therefore, when Number Nine suggested a tour of the ship, the little merman readily agreed.
The feeling of suddenly belonging to an organization one whose members were all elite and friendly was a strange one. He felt a sense of wonder, yet remained generally calm.
Number Nine first took him to the bridge at the very top of the ship. Inside the rising light-elevator, there was no one else around.
“The Boss’s mental sea is having some issues,” Number Nine said vaguely. “But the soldiers aren’t entirely clear on the details, and there’s no need for everyone to worry about him.”
“What I told them was that you and LAN are in love, and that the previous incident on Planet Ounte was just a lovers’ spat.”
“Understood,” An Ming caught on instantly, asking no further questions.
Number Nine’s expression and tone were serious, and he was indeed discussing a critical issue, but An Ming’s earlobes still turned a faint red.
“But you two really do have to live together,” Number Nine added. “The Phoenix only has one extra-large bathtub; the rest of the dorms have standard sizes. LAN stayed next door for one night and complained to me about it eight hundred times.”
Eight hundred times? Number Nine certainly knew how to exaggerate.
“Do you two bathe together?” Number Nine asked again. “There are research papers showing that marking senses in hot water is more stimulating, especially since you’re a fish and a dragon. However, I suggest you stay in human form; otherwise, even the largest bathtub won’t be big enough.”
The little merman: “……”
Stop talking! My ears are red enough to bleed!
“What about Evan? Doesn’t he need a custom setup?” An Ming changed the subject, thinking of the Zerg’s long, sharp limbs in his alien state and his three-meter-long bone wings.
Number Nine glanced at the little merman: “Secret.”
The little merman, once again: “……”
Hmph.
Arriving at the bridge, there was only one soldier on duty.
“Hi,” the soldier greeted them, then went back to staring at the flight screen.
An Ming replied with a “Hi,” but the other party didn’t look back again.
The little merman had prepared himself for a warm welcome, so being suddenly snubbed left him feeling a bit awkward.
Perhaps it’s just inconvenient to be disturbed while on duty, the little merman thought.
Number Nine pulled An Ming forward.
“Oh, you’re here for a tour?” The duty soldier finally reacted, politely beginning the introduction. “We are currently in warp-speed flight mode. The Cloud Whale Constellation has long been left two light-years behind. Next, we will soon arrive at an uncultivated desolate planet, where we will stop briefly to continue surveying for energy minerals.”
He proceeded to show them the navigation panel, the holographic map, and the control equipment, then fell silent.
An Ming was happy while listening, but seeing how cold the duty soldier was, he tactfully said, “We’ve disturbed you. Thank you for the wonderful explanation. Number Nine, let’s go.”
“Mhm.” Number Nine didn’t notice anything unusual.
As the two left the bridge, what the little merman didn’t see was the duty soldier behind them quietly clutching his chest and letting out a long, shaky breath.
The light-elevator went down two floors to the combat room.
The combat room was divided into two areas: one held various equipment and sandbags for weightlifting, while the other was a plastic-floored open space for sparring.
When they entered, six people were paired off into three groups, practicing 1v1 combat. They were swinging with muscle and sweat, showcasing the characteristic strength and beauty of Alphas. An Ming stood to the side with Number Nine, watching intently without blinking.
Until they left, those six people showed no intention of stopping.
Training requires consistency; that must be the reason, the little merman thought silently.
What he also didn’t know was that as soon as they left, the practicing soldiers stopped immediately, picking up white towels to wipe their steaming sweat.
“Agh, I’m exhausted!”
“It was just sparring, why did you hit so hard?”
“I was giving it my all!”
The light-elevator continued downward.
Recalling the training scene, An Ming’s eyes were full of envy. “They look so powerful, all that muscle. You can tell they’re great fighters.”
The little merman squeezed his own arm and sighed.
Number Nine was curious. “You like muscular men?”
“Yes,” the little merman replied, seriously imagining himself. “But they don’t have to be too bulky. It’s best to have muscle but still look lean.”
Number Nine misunderstood: “Muscles all over when naked, but looks lean with clothes on? That’s LAN. Because he’s an Omega, his muscles aren’t too bulging they look like a thin layer, but his strength is terrifying. Only Evan can hold him off for a while.”
Number Nine smirked. “You can feel them for yourself tonight.”
An Ming: “……”
The light-elevator stopped, and they went to the theoretical classroom.
After leaving the classroom, they toured the adjacent holographic sand-table area.
Then came the public infirmary, the mental power testing room, the confinement room…
Unknowingly, most of the day had passed.
In all these places, there were either no people or very few, and their reactions to seeing the little merman were all rather muted.
But clearly, when they had parted this morning, these people had been so reluctant to see him go.
An Ming felt a sense of loss in his heart.
The spaceship was sailing silently through space; outside the porthole was an endless eternal night. An Ming checked his new watch according to the 24-hour system, it was just past noon.
Seeing this, Number Nine said, “It’s twelve o’clock. Shall we go have lunch?”
An Ming shook his head. He had eaten a lot in the morning and wasn’t hungry at all.
“Come on, come on,” Number Nine insisted on the arrangement. “Eating and sleeping schedules must be regular. Everyone follows them, especially LAN, who is very strict. You need to get used to it.”
The little merman thought this made sense, so he followed.
The dining area was on the lower-middle deck of the Phoenix. This was his second time here. Last time it wasn’t mealtime, so the dining area was empty, which was understandable.
But now it was noon, and Number Nine had just said everyone was disciplined so why was it still empty, with not even the lights turned on?
Just as An Ming was completely baffled, Snap! Snap-snap! The restaurant ceiling lights flickered on in succession. A large group of Alphas suddenly appeared, followed by the pop-pop of wine bottles opening and a wave of cheering that erupted like a giant tide.
“Hi! Little brother! We really did meet again!”
“We’re so happy you’re staying!”
“We’re brothers from now on, we’ll take good care of you!”
“Woo-hoo~~!”
“Wulala~~~!!”
Everyone was shouting, one after another, mixed with clapping, finger-snapping, and whistling… wine was spraying everywhere. Every smiling face was incredibly sincere. An Ming recognized the duty soldier from the bridge, the big guys from the combat room, and the previously injured Hawke and Xiao…
Ivan was actually there too, a faint smile on his lips.
An Ming: “……”
Suddenly, his eyes welled up.
Transmigrating as a cannon-fodder merman who only existed because of the plot settings, his mind had initially been filled with only one thought: how to survive, and how to avoid losing his precious second life right at the start.
When LAN threatened to chop off his tail, he was truly furious how could he be so unlucky!
He never imagined that in this completely strange world, he would meet such a group of lovely people and feel such immense kindness.
The little merman wiped away his tears.
“Hey, hey, why are you crying?”
“The universe is my witness, we didn’t bully you!”
Everyone was worried sick, oh dear, oh dear!
An Ming laughed through his tears. “Hi, hello everyone.”
“Don’t cry,” they comforted him.
The buffet layout was much like a canteen. An Ming was pulled to a table and enjoyed lunch with everyone. To celebrate, the lunch was very lavish. Besides the staples and meats, there were precious whole green vegetables and thumb-sized, crisp-sweet little apples.
The alcohol supply was also plentiful, with various strengths and flavors spicy, sweet, and mild; they had everything.
After eating, everyone crowded around again, with items appearing in their hands like magic tricks.
“Little brother, I made this sun-lamp myself. It’s for you.”
“A mechanical gun I scavenged, it has gears. Take it to play with.”
“My private stash of heat-period spray, peach-scented.”
“Stupid! With the Boss around, why would the little brother need spray!”
An Ming was caught off guard, suddenly stuffed with a pile of things, not knowing what to say.
Evan said calmly from the side, “It’s the old rule. To help a new member adapt quickly, the veterans will give a little something as a gesture of care.”
Oh… the little merman thought. So that’s how it is. He decided to accept them.
“This is my part.” The Zerg also placed a small box on the mountain of gifts.
The box was transparent, containing an incredibly ugly little merman charm.
“Time was too short,” the Zerg coughed.
“……Thank you too,” An Ming said sincerely.
“I dragged him to do crafts!” Number Nine signaled a mechanical arm to come over and set down another small box. Inside was an incredibly delicate little golden dragon, with small black wings and a little tail on its back.
It turned out they were a pair.
A suspicious blush stained the little merman’s cheeks. Fortunately, the crowd had already dispersed, and with so many gifts blocking the view, no one noticed.
Finally, Evan led everyone away, leaving only Number Nine.
Number Nine told An Ming, “We’ll arrive at the target desolate planet tonight. The surface temperature during the day on this planet reaches up to 233°C, so it’s more suitable for night work. Everyone will be at the flight bay this afternoon doing preparations checking the survey instruments, adjusting parameters, and so on.”
“Mhm,” An Ming nodded.
There were many gifts of various sizes. It wasn’t realistic for the little merman to carry them back himself, so Number Nine called over a small meal cart, piled the items on the circular top, and ordered it to follow behind.
He escorted the little merman to his room door and then vanished.
The joy in An Ming’s heart faded slightly, replaced once again by the gloom of being alone with LAN.
Was LAN still sleeping? If so, would he sleep tonight?
He said they would live together, but there was only one bedroom. Did that mean they would be sleeping in the same bed from now on?
To make it easier to smell his scent?
……Ah, this feeling is so weird!
An Ming suppressed the turmoil in his heart. He ordered the meal cart to wait outside, then cautiously opened the door and tiptoed into the living room.
The bedroom door was open.
Eh? Has he already gone out?
An Ming thought for a moment; this was his bedroom too, nothing to be afraid of. So, he walked over to check.
The bed was indeed empty, still bearing the traces of someone having lied there.
An Ming breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside.
Just then, the bathroom door suddenly slid open with a shua. LAN walked out, drying his hair. He was completely exposed, his black dragon tail, covered in scales like a long serpent, was hooked around his waist, the tip flicking up and down.