Cassian suspected that he had already been left behind by the times.
Otherwise, why was it that he understood every word on the screen individually, but once they were put together, he had no idea what they meant?
Cassian browsed through the words on the screen and, together with the screenshots and discussions below, finally managed to piece together what was going on.
€€€€It was a plot from a novel.
The Federation upheld freedom of speech, and entertainment in particular was extremely unrestricted. There were countless novels fantasizing about being together with some high-ranking Male Zerg. But one with such overwhelming popularity was rare.
Cassian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good. It was only a novel.
He had almost thought that his well-behaved and adorable younger brother had secretly gotten married behind his back.
Though... probably not, right?
Suddenly, Cassian felt a trace of unease.
Xi'an had already been in the Ninth Military Region for three years.
Their family had been involved in politics for generations, but they lacked military influence and connections. In the past, they had suffered painful lessons because of that.
Thus, the family rule had been passed down that every generation must have at least one member enter the military.
In their generation, it should have been him, the elder female Zerg brother.
But he had fallen in love with an albino Male Zerg with a genetic defect.
He possessed S-class talent, while the Male Zerg was only C-class. When they first fell in love, the Male Zerg's level had been even lower—F-class, the lowest of all.
The gap between them was simply too great. The other party was destined to be unable to perform psychic soothing for him.
If he had been in any other profession, it wouldn't have been much of an issue. As long as he kept his mental score above 80, it would be fine.
Above 80 points, a female Zerg's psychic domain could heal itself without depending on a Male Zerg's psychic soothing.
But that was obviously unrealistic for a military female Zerg who needed to fight on the battlefield.
Unless he spent his whole life doing logistics and never stepped onto the front lines.
But that wasn't what the family wanted, nor something a female Zerg with ambitions and aspirations could accept.
Just as Cassian was facing pressure from the family, nine-year-old Xi'an suddenly announced to everyone that he would join the military when he grew up.
The entire family had been shocked by his sudden declaration.
The family needed someone to enter the military world, yes, but not to the extent of placing that responsibility on a Male Zerg child.
When it came to Male Zerg children, every Zerg family shared the same attitude—
As long as they could grow up happily and healthily, that was enough.
Families with slightly higher expectations only hoped that the Male Zerg wouldn't grow up crooked.
And the standards for "not growing up crooked"...
Were ridiculously lenient.
Because of this matter, the entire family took turns trying to persuade Xi'an. They coaxed and reasoned with him repeatedly, assuring him that the family's affairs were not something a little Male Zerg needed to worry about. A little Male Zerg only needed to be happy.
But Xi'an didn't care.
He was joining the military.
He would enter military academy with excellent grades, smoothly join the military, become an outstanding military Male Zerg, climb the ranks, reach the peak of bug life, and marry the male god of his dreams!
The entire family: Ah... such adorable little Male Zerg thoughts.
They had assumed it was only childish talk, something he'd forget after a while.
Yet Xi'an had really followed the path he planned, becoming a military Male Zerg and even choosing the Ninth Military Region on the frontier.
Toward this younger brother, Cassian always felt guilty.
He believed he had escaped the responsibilities that belonged to him as both a female Zerg and the eldest child, leaving his young Male Zerg brother to shoulder everything.
Thinking of this, Cassian dialed Xi'an's communication with a complicated and guilty heart.
The call went unanswered.
Xi'an was probably busy.
Cassian switched to leaving a message, asking about Xi'an's recent situation.
€€
StarNet was incredibly lively tonight.
An Ruo was like a weasel running wild in a melon patch, darting everywhere with his head down.
Checking novel discussions over here, watching Male Zergs curse the new law over there, then admiring the creative ways female Zergs used to comfort Male Zergs.
Both the Male Zergs and female Zergs were endlessly entertaining.
Female Zergs were liking posts supporting the new law.
Praising the law, praising Marshal Ulysses, praising the Federation.
Then they'd turn around and rush into Male Zerg posts to comfort them.
"The Federation forcing psychic soothing is so inconsiderate of the feelings of His Male Zerg Highness."
"My heart aches the most for His Male Zerg Highness."
"I'd never let my Male Lord work so hard."
They said all that without even bothering to change their IDs.
Meanwhile, Male Zergs cursed loudly on StarNet, yet were genuinely afraid that law enforcement might come knocking over such a small matter. They hurriedly called over all the female Zergs in the house and groomed them one by one until they were exhausted.
Giving psychic soothing to female Zergs was like regularly bathing pets at home.
Sub-females or female Zergs working desk jobs were like small dogs. Washing them was easy, and Male Zergs happily dragged them over and rubbed them around when they were in a good mood.
Military female Zergs, however, were large dogs.
Very difficult to wash.
Especially those in poor condition. One wash took half a day and left Male Zergs utterly exhausted, so they generally disliked doing it.
But not washing them at all wasn't an option.
Leave them alone too long and they'd become filthy and start tearing up the house.
As responsible Male Zergs, paying attention to the mental condition of every female Zerg in the household was the most basic requirement.
As for those Male Zergs with limited ability who had married huge numbers of female Zergs—
They only wanted to curse the heavens.
After one round of psychic soothing, they were nearly drained dry and experienced the despair of being gang-banged inside their own homes.
There were also Male Zergs firmly resisting.
No matter what laws were passed, they absolutely would not perform psychic soothing for female Zergs. This was an infringement on Male Zerg rights, and they would resist to the end!
If the Federation had the guts, then arrest them and make them professional psychic soothers!
The discussion surrounding the new law was so intense that An Ruo was bouncing around everywhere eating melons when he suddenly discovered that his novel had fallen to second place.
Compared to something as nationwide as the new law, his novel really couldn't compete.
But if it dropped further, it might not even stay in the top three.
Missing out on such traffic would be a huge waste.
An Ruo decided to release an extra chapter.
He made some minor edits to the draft he'd finished yesterday and published it with one click.
#Extra Chapter of Instructor#
#Instructor Updated#
StarNet tonight was as lively as New Year's.
Female Zergs who had just finished discussing the previous chapter saw the extra update and immediately swarmed over.
Male Zergs who had been busy cursing the law were stunned.
Pause the arguments. Intermission.
Read the update first, then go back to fighting.
Even countless melon-eating passersby who had no idea what was happening clicked in.
【Blood covered the floor of the cockpit.
The metallic floor had been dyed completely red, a scene straight out of a nightmare.
Xi'an was only a spirit body now and technically possessed no sense of smell, yet the stench of blood assaulted all his senses in an instant.
Blood soaked the female Zerg's legs. His military pants were completely torn apart, and his thighs were covered with layer upon layer of wounds that healed and split open again.
Xi'an seemed to hear a shrill scream ringing inside his mind.
"Claire!!!"
His shout overlapped with the piercing scream in his head.
Xi'an teleported to Claire's side.
Within this psychic domain, his thoughts were as fast as he was.
Inside a female Zerg's psychic domain, a Male Zerg was a god capable of repairing worlds, creating life, and accomplishing anything.
Yet his hands were trembling.
His face was deathly pale, even his lips shaking.
Xi'an stared at the wounds on Claire's legs, blood flowing even as his powerful regenerative ability continuously healed them. He stared at the old and new scars surrounding them.
His mind became blank.
He almost lost the ability to think.
He even forgot that he could use psychic power to repair everything.
Instinctively, he wanted to cover the bleeding wounds with his own hands.
But he was afraid of hurting Claire.
He didn't even dare touch him.
Only tears fell patter by patter.
Claire hadn't expected the "illusion" to appear now.
Perhaps his sanity had already reached its limit and could no longer maintain consciousness.
Seeing that face identical to Xi'an's crying made his heart clench all the same.
"Don't cry. I'm alright. Did I scare you? Don't be afraid. Female Zergs heal very quickly. I'll bring you safely back to the military region."
The moment those words came out, Xi'an cried even harder.
So this was the truth.
This was how Claire had maintained his sanity under the influence of pheromones and brought him back to the military region.
This was the truth the entire Ninth Legion had hidden from him.
Xi'an knew that all this had truly happened to Claire.
It was an unchangeable past.
He wasn't just crying over the wounds before him.
He was crying over everything Claire had experienced back then, while he had remained completely unaware.
Xi'an even thought of something more terrifying.
This was Claire's inner psychic landscape.
Which meant—
Every single day, Claire relived that escape.
Repeatedly injecting inhibitors.
Cutting open his own flesh.
Fighting the Tianga.
Enduring agony from Xi'an's pheromones and his own body's pain.
And never finding release.
The real Claire had brought him back to the Ninth Military Region.
But Claire's soul had been trapped forever in that day.
Never finding a way out.
Large tears rolled down.
Xi'an buried himself against Claire's knee and cried silently.
"Xi'an, don't cry, don't cry. I'll take you home..."
Claire completely panicked.
He even forgot about the Tianga pursuing them behind. His remaining sanity hurriedly switched the mecha to autopilot before trying to comfort the Male Zerg.
His reason told him this was only an "illusion."
But his emotions robbed him of all judgment.
Nothing else mattered.
"I'll bring you home. I'll bring you home..."
Claire knelt in the sea of blood, holding his Male Zerg, repeating those words over and over.
He only wanted his Male Zerg to stop crying.
For that, he was willing to give everything.
Even his life.
Female Zergs had pitifully few ways to comfort Male Zergs.
Those with intimate relationships would offer their own bodies, dragging the Male Zerg into lust so he had no time left for sadness.
Those with power and wealth would shower the Male Zerg with treasures to make him smile.
Neither method worked in the current situation.
Claire's mind was in complete chaos.
Had the Male Zerg not still been inside the mecha and needed his care, he might have detonated his own core and fought the Tianga to the death.
"Claire... we've already gone back. You've already brought me back..."
Buried in Claire's embrace, Xi'an felt as though knives were cutting his heart.
He wanted to hold Claire tightly.
To feel his warmth and heartbeat.
Even if this was only a fragment of consciousness inside his psychic landscape.
Hearing Xi'an's words, confusion flashed through Claire.
Fragments of memory surfaced in his mind, only to vanish again.
He shook his head hard.
"Give me a little more time. I promise I'll bring you back safely."
As he spoke, he returned to the pilot seat and grasped the controls.
Seeing that he was completely unable to understand, like an NPC immersed in his own scenario, Xi'an couldn't bear watching him remain in constant pain and tension.
Gritting his teeth, he climbed onto Claire's lap and cupped his face.
He carefully avoided touching the injured leg, even though the wounds had already healed.
"Listen to me. You've already brought me back safely. You protected me very well. Now it's my turn. I'll repair your psychic domain and... those Tianga behind us."
As Xi'an spoke, his gaze sharpened and killing intent overflowed from his words.
Claire's inner psychic landscape extended beyond this mecha.
The pursuing Tianga behind them were also part of it.
They never tired.
No matter how many warships Claire destroyed, they would reappear.
But they weren't real Tianga.
They were manifestations of the dangers hidden in Claire's heart.
He feared danger would hurt Xi'an and take their lives away.
So his mind never relaxed for even a moment.
Xi'an understood.
Compared to repairing the mecha, eliminating those Tianga mattered far more.
Psychic power surged like a tidal wave.
Countless psychic threads rushed toward the Tianga warships behind them, crushing and shredding them all.
One warship after another dissolved into black mist beneath the onslaught.
Even the remnants were devoured by the Male Zerg's psychic power.
Only after a long time did the storm finally cease.
Within the vast sea of stars, only a single crimson mecha remained standing.
Destruction had given birth to life.
"My mecha is called Nirvana... It means rebirth through flames, rebirth from destruction. And I will bring you new life too..."
Xi'an lowered his head and kissed Claire's face with solemn tenderness.
Claire sat dumbly in the pilot seat, looking completely stunned.
Xi'an lovingly kissed the corner of his eye again.
Knowing Claire needed time to recover, he quietly withdrew from the psychic domain.
Before leaving, he erased all traces of blood—
On the floor.
On the pilot seat.
And on Claire himself.
...
Xi'an's psychic power returned to his body.
They were still on the bed in the master bedroom.
Claire wore only a bathrobe. His expression was blank, yet filled with deep satisfaction and exhaustion.
"Your Highness..."
Even though his eyelids were fighting each other, Claire still forced himself to look at Xi'an, wanting to explain.
Xi'an leaned forward, hugged his head, and whispered:
"Sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
After receiving psychic soothing, female Zergs often became deeply relaxed, satisfied, and sleepy.
Simply put—
They got drowsy.
Hearing those words, the string in Claire's mind snapped.
Unable to hold on any longer, he sank into deep sleep.
Xi'an quietly held him.
After a long time, he buried his face in Claire's neck and exhaled deeply.
Then he kissed his chin and forehead before rubbing his beautiful silver-white hair.
After seeing everything inside his psychic landscape, Xi'an no longer cared about being kicked by Claire.
All he felt now was heartache and guilt.
After rubbing and kissing him for quite a while, Xi'an suddenly remembered something and opened his terminal to check Claire's condition.
【Mental State: 70 Points】
Only seventy.
Xi'an wasn't satisfied with the result.
But Claire's condition had been too severe.
Even he couldn't completely heal him in one go.
Fortunately, the hardest part was over.
From now on, with slow and steady nurturing, Claire would gradually recover.
Xi'an exited the interface and noticed several unread messages on his private account.
They were from his family.
Xi'an suddenly remembered what he'd forgotten.
€€€€He'd forgotten to tell his family that he was married.
It couldn't be helped.
Claire's condition had been so terrible. Between marrying him and performing psychic soothing, he simply hadn't had time to think about anything else.
Besides, it was perfectly normal—and even encouraged—for an adult Male Zerg to marry a female Zerg.
No one had the right to criticize him.
Xi'an only felt guilty for a second before convincing himself.
Once Zerg children reached adulthood, they became independent.
Even Male Fathers and female fathers couldn't forcibly interfere with their children's marriages.
As an older brother, Cassian had even less right to do so.
Holding Claire in one arm, Xi'an lazily tapped the screen with his finger and casually replied:
"I just got married. I'm on my honeymoon. Don't disturb me. We can talk later."
That sounded a bit too cold.
So Xi'an added:
"When my Female Lord's condition improves, I'll bring him home to meet Male Father and female father."
Though that would have to wait at least another month.
Honeymoons were important!
...】