“So hot!”
It felt like being trapped in a steamer, limbs turned soft and powerless. Ivan groggily opened his eyes to see the desolate, barren scenery of the mining zone blurring past. Beneath him, he felt Tuoweisi’s sturdy, broad back.
His head was foggy, and he asked in a low voice, “Where are we going?”
Tuoweisi had known the moment Ivan woke up, but he did not slow his pace. His face was flushed with exertion from running while carrying Ivan, and his breathing was ragged. “Out of the mining zone.”
Ivan frowned, wanting to ask why they were leaving and whether the poison had taken effect. However, he had no chance to speak before a wave of agonizing pain and itching swept through his body, causing him to black out once more.
When there was no more movement from behind, Tuoweisi’s eyes darkened, and he sprinted toward the perimeter of the mining zone.
When Ivan opened his eyes again, he saw the dark ceiling of the guesthouse. Outside the window, a brilliant white light shone; it appeared to be a clear, sunny day.
All the discomfort he had felt earlier had vanished. Not only did he feel refreshed and full of mental energy, but his vision had also sharpened, allowing him to see the Zergs working in the mines dozens of meters away.
It seems Tuoweisi brought me out and found a way to neutralize the poison, Ivan thought.
He rose slowly but felt a sudden, sharp ache in his lower back. He frowned as the quilt slid down, revealing his snow-white skin.
I am not wearing anything? Ivan’s brow furrowed deeper. He glanced to his side, and his eyes widened in shock—there was another Zerg lying in his bed!
He stared at Tuoweisi, who was also bare-chested, noticing the unmistakable, intimate red marks on his chest. Ivan’s heart hammered against his ribs as if it were lodged in his throat.
He scrambled to grab his clothes and dressed in a flurry, carefully trying to slow his movements to be as quiet as possible before sneaking out of the room.
The entire guesthouse was empty, even the Zerg clerk who usually manned the front desk was nowhere to be found. Dressed, Ivan sat in the lobby, his heart racing as he desperately tried to recall what had happened, only to find his mind a complete blank.
Did I sleep with Tuoweisi?!
Thinking of the marks on Tuoweisi’s body and the fact that his only discomfort was a sore back, he swallowed hard, forced to accept the fact that he had slept with Tuoweisi.
How did it come to this! Ivan slumped over the table, clawing at his hair.
“Young Master.”
Lotte’s voice came from behind. Ivan spun around, looking at him as if he were a savior. “What exactly happened? Why can I not remember anything?”
Lotte looked at Ivan’s distressed, pale face, patted his shoulder, and comforted him. “You underwent your secondary awakening.”
“Secondary awakening?” Ivan repeated blankly.
Lotte nodded. “Every male Zerg experiences it. You test your mental power at age eight and undergo the secondary awakening when you reach adulthood. Your mental power rank improves during this time, and you require the comfort of a Zerg during the process. This means you have truly reached adulthood.”
Lotte smiled. “When you first came of age and the awakening did not occur, the elders were worried sick. If they could see this now, they would be completely at ease.”
Ivan found this hard to digest. He opened his mouth to speak but, realizing nothing could be changed, swallowed his words and asked about the competition results instead.
Lotte said, “When Tuoweisi carried you out, you were already unconscious. Realizing it was your secondary awakening, he took you to the room, and I stood guard outside. Since you did not find the ore, you were disqualified. The first-place winners were the two Zergs from the Ais family who came out after you. A while later, the Hubai and Dorye families emerged. The Hubai family did not find the ore, and although the Dorye family did, they were too late. They all seemed injured—Jieli was the worst off, and he left Pingzi Star immediately after coming out.”
“By the next day, everything was settled, and they all left,” Lotte explained in detail.
Hearing about the events after the competition, Ivan frowned. “The next day? How many days have passed since I lost consciousness?”
Lotte smiled and held up a hand, palm open.
Ivan stared blankly at the five fingers. A crimson blush crept up his neck, and he covered his face in utter mortification.
Five days. Oh god, am I an animal?!
After spending half the day building up the courage, Ivan finally returned upstairs. To his surprise, Tuoweisi was already awake. Upon seeing the scene in the room, Ivan slammed the door shut.
Tuoweisi had been walking to the bathroom completely naked, his body covered in faint, mottled marks.
Ivan’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red. It felt as if his eyes were burning, and he looked away frantically. Snippets of forgotten, steamy memories flashed through his mind, making him feel even more flustered.
Tuoweisi heard the commotion and looked back, catching sight of Ivan’s head hanging low. A knowing, enigmatic smile flickered in his eyes before he walked into the bathroom as if no one were there.
Water began to run. Ivan let out a long breath. The room was a mess; Ivan, face burning, pulled the soiled sheets off the bed and cleaned up the chaos.
He tossed the dirty clothes and sheets into a basket and opened the windows until the air was clear. Only then did he sit in a chair to contemplate what to do next.
I have to take responsibility. I absolutely have to take responsibility. Ahhhhh.
As his internal struggle peaked, Tuoweisi came out, drying his hair.
Ivan immediately felt awkward, unsure where to look. Finally, he asked weakly, “What happened?”
Although Lotte had explained it generally, only Tuoweisi knew the full truth of what had transpired inside the mining zone.
Tuoweisi sat down, drying his hair while wearing a bathrobe. His long-suffering, restless mental state felt calm and soothed after the awakening. His expression was no longer cold, and his low voice carried a hint of gentleness. “After you fainted, your pheromones began to spread. I realized you might be undergoing your secondary awakening, so I brought you out immediately.”
“Before leaving the mining area, I ran into Jin Yi and Jin Er at the entrance. Following our agreement with the Kinsby family, I handed the ore to them.”
Ivan already knew the rest from Lotte.
After Tuoweisi finished, the room fell silent. Ivan clutched his palms and coughed lightly. “Thank you for your hard work these past few days. I will take responsibility for you.”
“Hard work?” Tuoweisi gave Ivan an enigmatic look, remembering how Ivan, having no strength left but still in the throes of his awakening, had to rely on Tuoweisi to do the work. “It was indeed quite hard work.”
Seeing Ivan’s neck turn crimson, Tuoweisi did not take the remark to heart. Helping a male complete his secondary awakening had provided him with a temporary respite from his own mental power riots; his mind had never felt so clear. In his view, he was the one who had benefited.
Thus, both parties believed they had gotten the better end of the deal, which made their interactions surprisingly more harmonious.
With the mining competition over and the results settled, they prepared to return to Hallye Star after resting. But the day before their departure, the guesthouse received another visitor.
“Hubaiguo.” Ivan stared coldly at the dust-covered Zerg, his expression hostile. Although Hubaiguo had not truly poisoned him, his behavior was still abhorrent.
Tuoweisi and Lotte watched the uninvited guest with guarded eyes.
Hubaiguo waved a hand. “Do not be so tense. It was a matter of necessity at the time. I am here now because I genuinely want to cooperate with you.”
Without waiting for Ivan’s reply, he continued, “In the mining zone, we burned our bridges with Yinsa, and Ais secured the mining rights. Right now, our only option is to focus on that planet where jade can be mined. We need enough financial backing to ensure Yinsa and his lot do not dare to act rashly.”
Ivan frowned. Hubaiguo was right; they had made an enemy of Yinsa, though it had not necessarily reached the point of life or death. “It was all a misunderstanding, and besides, there is bad blood between us.”
Hubaiguo was unfazed. “The fact that I dared to come here is proof of my sincerity.” He placed a document in front of Ivan.
“The administrator of Pute Star has deep ties to our family. That mining area is located there. Honestly, I do not want to cooperate with you either—if I mined it myself, I would keep all the profits—but we simply cannot handle a mining area that vast on our own. I am interested in your jade carving technique, which is why I am proposing this. How about it? Both sides have shown sincerity, have they not?”
Hubaiguo waited quietly for Ivan’s decision.
If Pute Star truly contained an undeveloped mining area as Hubaiguo described, Ivan knew the profits would be astronomical. The document detailed the size and value of the area, and Ivan felt a surge of excitement as he looked at the string of zeros.
“My trust in the Hubai family head is currently at zero. Fine words mean nothing. Why not take us to see it in person?” Ivan said, his tone sharp.
Hubaiguo did not mind. “Of course. If it is convenient, we can leave today.”
Ivan looked at Tuoweisi, who raised no objections. They had been planning to leave anyway; their destination had simply shifted from Hallye Star to Pute Star.
“Young Master, there are many matters piling up on Hallye Star, so I will return there first. May the Lord Zerg protect your safety.” Lotte spoke in a low voice.
Tuoweisi’s combat strength was legendary, and with Ivan having just completed his secondary awakening, Lotte felt completely at ease leaving him under Tuoweisi’s care.
“Alright.” Ivan nodded.
After parting ways with Lotte at the interstellar terminal, Ivan and Tuoweisi boarded the starship to Pute Star with Hubaiguo.
Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, Lotte watched the ship leave a white streak across the sky. He avoided the scattered Zergs in the terminal, walked to a secluded corner, and pulled out his communicator to dial a familiar number.
“Hello?”
“They have left. Is everything ready?”
A slightly distorted, gentle voice came through the communicator. “Everything is ready. Do not worry.”
“Good.”
Lotte hung up. He lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable, and strode toward another ship scheduled for departure.