“Did something unpleasant happen at school today, Luo?”
At five in the afternoon, aboard the aircraft, Gu Yuan, who had once again left the military headquarters early in order to pick Luo up from school, looked toward the little male zerg who was obviously lost in thought and asked the question gently.
Luo had originally been staring blankly out the window of the aircraft. Hearing the question, he immediately snapped back to reality.
“Nothing unpleasant happened. I was only worried about the classroom I destroyed…”
As though he himself also found the excuse somewhat unconvincing, Luo stopped halfway through speaking. After hesitating for a long moment, he finally asked:
“Yuanyuan, what kind of zerg do you think His Majesty the Insect Emperor is?”
Gu Yuan smiled faintly.
“So Luo met His Majesty today and suddenly became curious about him?”
“Our Insect Emperor is the most legendary figure among the zerg race. Though born into nobility, he rebelled against convention and stubbornly insisted on entering the Empire’s First Military Academy…”
The exact same speech again.
Luo had already lost all patience for hearing these rehearsed lines repeated over and over. He interrupted directly.
“Then does Yuanyuan know what the Insect Emperor’s name is?”
Sitting in the pilot’s seat, Gu Yuan behaved as though he had not heard Luo’s question at all. His speech did not pause in the slightest as he continued smoothly onward.
“He achieved glorious military merits throughout his life, never losing to any military female and in the end led the zerg race to expand their territory across the stars…”
Luo lowered his eyes and stopped speaking.
At last, he had finally discovered what was wrong with the zerg race.
If it had only happened once or twice, he could still dismiss identical introductions as coincidence but no matter where he went, whenever anyone mentioned the Insect Emperor, every single zerg used those exact same passionate words to describe him.
That could no longer be considered coincidence.
The similarity was simply too precise.
It was almost like game NPCs repeating pre written dialogue word for word without the slightest deviation.
Previously, Luo had also tried asking Ye Wen and Charles about the Insect Emperor’s name yet every single time, they acted as though they had not heard the question at all and directly ignored it.
At first, Luo thought they were deliberately pretending not to hear because they either did not dare mention the name or were unwilling to speak it aloud.
But now even Gu Yuan ignored the question.
That could only mean one thing,
They truly could not hear it.
And the Insect Emperor’s strangeness did not stop there.
Luo remembered very clearly that just moments ago, he had still been agreeing to connect the communication call yet the next time he opened his eyes, school had already ended and Gu Yuan had arrived outside the academy to pick him up.
Every zerg present at the scene naturally believed that Luo had already spoken with the Insect Emperor.
According to all of them, His Majesty had warmly and kindly expressed concern for Luo, worried that he might have been frightened and stated that he held great expectations for him. In the end, the Insect Emperor had even invited Luo to attend a banquet at the imperial palace, which Luo had supposedly accepted happily.
But Luo himself, as the other main character of that entire “conversation”, had absolutely no memory of any of it.
What sort of power could casually tamper with the memories of an entire race like this?
What kind of existence could even manipulate time itself, causing everyone to firmly believe in the existence of this so called “Insect Emperor”?
As Luo thought about this, he suddenly straightened upright and called out:
“Yuanyuan!”
“Hm?”
Gu Yuan answered gently, patiently waiting for Luo to continue.
“Luo Xiwede.”
“Can you hear what I just said?”
A trace of confusion flashed across Gu Yuan’s face yet he still cooperatively replied:
“You just called for me. What’s wrong?”
Luo repeated himself once more.
“Luo Xiwede.”
Gu Yuan still wore the same puzzled expression, seemingly wondering why Luo had suddenly fallen silent again.
Only then did Luo finally realize something.
Without hesitation, he used his tentacles to yank Little Black, who had been secretly hiding nearby, straight out into the open. Wrapped up by the tentacles, the squeaking little black creature dangled back and forth right in front of Gu Yuan’s face.
Even though Little Black’s shrill “jiujiu” cries echoed repeatedly throughout the cockpit, Gu Yuan continued piloting the aircraft calmly as though he neither saw nor heard anything at all.
Luo lowered his gaze toward the little black ball caught within his tentacles and frowned.
“Luo Xiwede… what exactly is it?”
Was it his name?
But he vaguely remembered that his name only consisted of two characters.
Little Black was kneaded and squashed back and forth by the tentacles like a lump of soft clay, making miserable “gujiji” noises before finally managing to speak.
“M.. M…. Milord! Luo Xiwede is the honorific title used for you in our language!”
Luo immediately fell silent.
Gu Yuan could not see Little Black, nor could he hear the honorific title or the strange language being spoken, just like how he seemed incapable of realizing that the so called Insect Emperor might not even exist at all.
A bold speculation suddenly surfaced in Luo’s mind.
The Insect Emperor… came from the same place as him.
Luo knew the guess sounded somewhat absurd but at the moment, it was also the most reasonable explanation he could come up with.
Meanwhile, the perceptive General Gu Yuan remained completely oblivious to the fact that Luo’s tentacles were currently dangling a small black creature directly in front of him. Instead, he only asked with mild confusion:
“What are you asking about? I didn’t hear clearly just now.”
Although he could not understand the language of the aberrations, Luo had still used the common language when speaking to Little Black earlier, so Gu Yuan could hear that much.
Luo hurriedly responded:
“I was asking what we’re eating when we get home.”
Gu Yuan smiled.
“I bought sweet shrimp today. I’m planning to fry some potato strips as well. Does Luo want to try dipping fries into cheese?”
Luo’s eyes instantly lit up.
“All right! I want cheese!”
Although the zerg race was extremely strange, cheese was simply,
too delicious!
Night.
Facts proved that fries dipped in cheese truly were delicious.
Gu Yuan kept the cheese heated inside a small pot the entire time, allowing it to remain thick, smooth and steaming hot so that Luo could dip fries into it whenever he wanted.
The fries themselves were freshly fried as well, golden, crispy and fragrant.
Luo ate them one after another with obvious satisfaction.
These foods brought him tremendous enjoyment on the tip of his tongue while also placing absolutely no burden on his body, allowing him to indulge freely without needing to worry about losing his figure the way other male zerg often did.
Under Gu Yuan’s slightly worried gaze, Luo finally stopped eating only after finishing enough fries and sweet shrimp to equal the appetite of at least two adult male zerg.
“Luo… should we start eating lighter meals from now on?”
“No!!”
Luo protested immediately.
“I want cheese!”
How could Yuanyuan try to take away the joy of eating from him?!
That was far too cruel!!!
Gu Yuan let out a half resigned sigh. In the end, he still chose not to continue arguing with Luo. As he quietly cleaned up the dishes, he silently began planning how to prepare lower calorie foods for Luo in the future.
Because of Luo’s arrival, the kitchen, which had originally contained nothing except cold nutrient solutions, had gradually become filled with all kinds of cooking utensils.
Gu Yuan tossed the plates into the dishwashing robot before heading off to prepare bathwater for Luo. Meanwhile, he listened to the little male zerg chatter endlessly beside him, enthusiastically recounting how he had learned to control his spiritual tentacles during class today and how he had narrowly managed to keep all of his classmates alive during the spiritual power rampage.
Luo’s command of the common language had improved considerably.
Although he still stumbled slightly whenever he spoke in long sentences, he was already capable of expressing himself relatively fluently.
Even though Gu Yuan had long since learned everything through his earlier communication with Charles, he still listened patiently from beginning to end.
He quietly listened as Luo rambled nonstop, from losing control of his spiritual power, to complaining about the annoying Male Protection Association and then suddenly becoming cheerful and proud while talking about how he had protected Ye Wen from the Association’s punishment.
Finally, after finishing his bath, Luo dragged his still damp long hair behind him and reached out with fingers still carrying traces of warmth from the hot water, lightly hooking onto Gu Yuan’s finger.
Tilting his head upward, he wore an expression that practically screamed praise me.
“Yuanyuan, was Luo very well behaved today?”
Gu Yuan: …
A sudden ominous feeling rose in his heart.
Sure enough, in the very next second, Luo continued:
“Then does Luo get a reward now?”
…So after all that buildup, this single sentence had been the real purpose all along.
Gu Yuan did not know how he should respond.
He simply fell silent, kneeling half upon the floor like a fierce beast that had long since been tamed into obedience, allowing Luo’s slender, soft fingers to slowly touch the leather collar around his neck.
Slipping beneath it.
Then awkwardly and unskillfully tugging it loose and removing it.
The collar had originally been worn to prevent Luo from casually biting his gland.
Yet at this moment, it resembled something indecently intimate instead, a suggestive object that made the already complicated and unclear relationship between them grow even more ambiguous.
Steam filled the bathroom air.
At some point, neither of them knew who had accidentally bumped into the shower switch first but water immediately cascaded down, soaking Gu Yuan completely through despite the fact that he was still dressed in nothing but a white shirt and black trousers.
The endless sound of falling water concealed the indistinct noises between them.
Mist rose thickly through the room, veiling the entire bathroom in hazy, luxurious intimacy.
He should not be doing this…
Gu Yuan thought vaguely.
Yet the moment that thought surfaced, he was once again dragged down into the abyss by the little male zerg’s dissatisfied bite after noticing his distraction.
By the time the words of refusal reached his lips, they had already softened into boundless gentleness instead.
“Good boy… bite more lightly…”
…
No one knew how much time had passed.
Gu Yuan, who had been forced to take a bath together with Luo, finally carried the already sleeping little male zerg out of the bathroom with unsteady steps.
He had nearly drowned within the overly concentrated male pheromones filling the entire room.
After hurriedly placing Luo onto the bed, he escaped almost as though fleeing from something, retreating all the way to the study. Only after breathing in the clean, cool air there did he finally feel as though he had barely come back to life.
After repeatedly taking deep breaths and painstakingly calming his emotions, Gu Yuan finally sat down beside the desk.
Honestly… it had only been a gland bite.
What exactly had he been thinking about all this time?
Work.
He needed to start working immediately.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Luo, who should have already been asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
He had suddenly remembered something.
If Gu Yuan could not see Little Black, then why were the military females stationed at the border able to see the existence of the aberrations?
Logically speaking, all female zerg should have been incapable of perceiving anything related to the “aberrations” or “Luo Xiwede.”
As this thought surfaced, Luo could no longer suppress his curiosity. He immediately lifted the blanket and prepared to go find Gu Yuan for answers.
Barefoot, he jumped down from the bed and pushed open the bedroom door, following the scent of Gu Yuan’s pheromones all the way to the study.
It was already well past midnight.
Yet faint light still spilled through the crack beneath the study door.
Why was he still working this late?
Thinking this, Luo first attempted to connect through empathy with the tentacle he had earlier left attached to Gu Yuan’s body, wanting to see what Gu Yuan was doing before entering.
Luo was Yuanyuan’s good boy.
If Yuanyuan was busy working, then asking tomorrow would also be fine~
The instant the empathic connection formed, Luo heard Gu Yuan’s voice.
“Delis, take the Third Squadron around Small Planet B739 from the rear flank. Resolve this wave of aberrations in the shortest time possible and do everything you can to relieve the pressure on the main forces.”
“No matter the cost. No matter the casualties. You must hold back every aberration!”
Luo froze completely.
Ah…?
Was Gu Yuan commanding a war right now?
His vision shifted upward through the tentacle connection and sure enough, he saw the communication screen in front of Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan himself clearly had not expected the sudden emergency at the border either. He had not even had time to change out of the sleepwear from earlier before immediately joining the communication conference.
This was something that had never happened before.
Even for online meetings, Gu Yuan would always change into full military uniform beforehand and face matters with complete seriousness.
The fact that he was currently handling military affairs dressed like this could only mean one thing,
The battle situation had already become so urgent that even he no longer had time to change clothes.
And these aberrations…
These disasters…
He was the one who had brought them here.
The moment Luo realized that, the hand he had originally raised to push open the door slowly curled inward.
Unable to stop himself, he took several steps backward.
He was the one who had brought all of this.
He was also the one who had dragged Gu Yuan and all of his subordinates into this dangerous situation.
Could he somehow find a way to make up for it?
…Even if only a little?
Bad news: it’s not a ghost story. It’s a cosmic horror story.
When I said in the synopsis that there would be some cosmic horror elements, I was serious! If I said there’d be cosmic horror, then there’d definitely be cosmic horror!
Putting up another shield in advance: I really softened and heavily modified a lot of the Lovecraftian elements, so this is genuinely very different from orthodox Cthulhu mythology!! Please don’t beat me up, Cthulhu fans, quq.
Also,
Who understands this?!
This line, “good boy,” was never in my outline originally! It just suddenly appeared while I was writing, almost like Yuanyuan said it himself.
Seriously.
I love the way he calls Luo “good boy” so much!!!!
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
✧ Your mission, should you choose to accept it: FEED THE TRANSLATOR. ✧
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · It’s Hatching!Chapter 2 · Mealtime!Chapter 3 · Angry!Chapter 4 · F.. Found Out!Chapter 5 · SpeakingChapter 6 · RiceChapter 7 · Live BroadcastChapter 8 · XiongbaohuiChapter 9 · Bullet CommentsChapter 10 · I’m sleepyChapter 11 · WrongedChapter 12 · Going to SchoolChapter 13 · ChoiceChapter 14 · Knock KnockChapter 15 · NoisyChapter 16 · AccidentChapter 17 · WingsChapter 18 · CrowChapter 19 · General is blushingChapter 20 · RiotChapter 21 · The Insect EmperorChapter 22 · Good BoyChapter 23 · UnconsciousChapter 24 · DisappearanceChapter 25 · Tail HookChapter 26 · ReturningChapter 27 · DepartureChapter 28 · ReunionChapter 29 · Played with by tentaclesChapter 30 · Moist, Damp EyesChapter 31 Part 1 · Gu Yuan, do you like me?Chapter 31 Part 2 · Gu Yuan, do you like me?Chapter 32 · Don’t cry, sweetieChapter 33 · Reproductive tentaclesChapter 34 · Even if you kill me, I won’t grow backChapter 35 · Lord Evil GodChapter 36 · Why not refuse?Chapter 37 · He can cry; he’s not a monster.Chapter 38 · Some alternative ways of boiling waterChapter 39 · Why aren’t you kissing me?Chapter 40 · Here, my command is the highest orderChapter 41 · The Evil God’s Disguise Makes its Grand DebutChapter 42 · Be the breeding ground for my eggs.Chapter 43 · Carrying EggsChapter 44 · MasterChapter 45 · CryingChapter 46 · InterrogationChapter 47 · LikeChapter 48 · The TruthChapter 49 · ConfessionChapter 50 · Identity ExposedChapter 51 · BackgroundChapter 52 · SuspicionChapter 53 · The Feeling of HungerChapter 54 · SleepingChapter 55 · The NameChapter 56 · Memories (1)Chapter 57 · Memories (2)Chapter 58 · Memories (3)Chapter 59 · Gu YuanChapter 60 · A Falling KissChapter 61 · MonsterChapter 62 · RabitChapter 63 · Bathroom