Military Department Canteen

The Interrogation Room was in Area D, but because the Military Department was so big, it was quite a trek walking through an entire corridor. Chu Sui held a notepad in his hand, looking a bit more refined and gentle than usual. The Female Zergs passing by all turned to look at him, even forgetting to turn their heads back. Some even accidentally bumped into pillars, and the sounds of 'ouch' were endless.

Chu Sui silently pulled up his collar to cover his face, thinking, 'Just how scarce must males be in the Military Department?' unaware that those Zergs were simply stunned because they found him handsome.

While passing the Logistics Department, a Military Female walked past Chu Sui. Because the other was a bit short, he casually glanced over and was surprised to find it was a Male Zerg. His eyelid twitched, and he raised an eyebrow to ask Como, “You have other Male Zergs here?”

Chu Sui had thought he was the only one who'd made such a rash decision.

Como followed his gaze, recognized the person, and said, “Oh, that’s Lord Norman. He’s from the Command Department and doesn’t usually interact with us.”

Only then did Chu Sui learn that there were indeed Male Zergs in the Military Department, but they were very few, countable on one hand. Moreover, most of them were from commoner backgrounds, so they were relatively more hardworking and able to endure hardship. However, they didn’t necessarily come for the salary, but rather to find a Male Monarch of noble birth to raise their own social standing.

It was very normal. Nobles married other nobles, and Male Zergs from commoner backgrounds had basically no chance to meet them. The Military Department served as a large social network, a ladder to the heavens in a sense.

Chu Sui praised insincerely, “He’s quite impressive then.”

Like hell.

Como scratched his head and glanced at him a little embarrassedly. “Not necessarily.”

Norman usually had an arrogant attitude, had average looks, and was just an ordinary C-rank. Although he was quite sought-after in the Military Department, it was only among low-ranking soldiers. Military Females of noble birth wouldn’t associate with him. Unlike Chu Sui, who was polite and courteous, handsome, and a rare A-rank Male Zerg. When the two were compared, Norman didn’t seem like much.

It was a pity Como didn’t say this out loud, or else Chu Sui would have been smug enough to float to the heavens.

As they spoke, they had already arrived at the Interrogation Room. Before they even opened the door, they could hear angry shouting from inside, mixed with the 'thump, thump, thump' of a table being slammed. What a lively scene it was.

Chu Sui clicked his tongue, thinking, 'How fiery'. Como, on the other hand, was clearly used to it. He skillfully took a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. The room inside was divided into two small cubicles, with a Military Female sitting in each one. The chairs were specially made to restrict their movements. After all, both of them were Field Officer-level Military Females with explosive combat power, and they were both fuming. If they started fighting with bloodshot eyes, it wouldn't be fun.

On the left was a brown-haired Military Female with a robust build and a loud voice, clearly a hot-tempered one at a glance. “York, you stinking bug who only knows how to play dirty tricks! If you have the guts, let’s go to the Training Ground and have a real fight, so I can show you that the Second Army is no pushover!”

The Military Female called York sneered disdainfully upon hearing this and said with a chuckle, “Give it a rest, Nelson. Your Second Army only knows how to follow behind our Fourth Army and pick up scraps. We were the ones who did most of the work clearing out the Alien Beasts last time. You pitiful bugs only know how to roar impotently.”

Watching them curse at each other from a distance, Como felt a massive headache coming on. He tapped the wall with the notepad in his hand. “You two officers, please be quiet.”

Nelson was sitting in the inner cubicle and couldn’t see him. Hearing the voice, he tried to break free from the chair, and a clattering sound came from inside. “Damn it! Since you’re here, hurry up and release me! I’m going to knock all of that guy’s teeth out!”

York didn’t speak, because he was stunned for a moment when he saw Chu Sui. In front of such a handsome Male Zerg, it was believed that no Zerg would want to act impolitely. So, for once, he remained silent.

Como thought to himself that bringing Chu Sui along was truly the right decision. Given that York was more cunning and it was hard to get the truth out of him, he walked over to Nelson first and activated the soundproof cover to prevent the two from starting to argue from a distance again.

Nelson was still cursing non-stop, yelling 'stinking bug' at the top of his lungs. Chu Sui thought that his vocabulary of insults was much more monotonous compared to Earth's. He casually pulled up a chair to the triangular table and tapped it with his pen. “Quiet.”

Nelson cursed back instinctively, “You stinking bug, why should I… uh… a Male Zerg?!”

He probably never expected a Male Zerg to come to the Interrogation Room, and his expression was one of utter astonishment.

Como sat down beside them, and seeing Nelson’s unguarded mouth, he frowned and warned, “This is Lord Chu Sui. Insulting a Male Zerg is a violation of the law. Major Nelson, please watch your words.”

It was Chu Sui's first time taking a statement, and it felt as novel and exciting as a police interrogation on TV. Hearing this, he was uncharacteristically magnanimous and decided not to pursue the matter, waving his hand. “Forget it.”

Como's expression relaxed. While mentally praising Chu Sui’s generosity, he began to take the statement: “Major Nelson, may I ask why you got into a dispute with Major York?”

As soon as Nelson heard York’s name, his conditioned reflex was to slam the table and start cursing. But when he realized Chu Sui was also staring at him, his face grew hot, and he couldn’t help but swallow the curses that were on the tip of his tongue. He tried his best to lower his voice and stammered, “I… I was coming from the Training Ground today and ran into York. That stinking bug was extremely rude. Not only did he not apologize for bumping into me, he even said that the credit for clearing out the Alien Beasts last time all belonged to their Fourth Army. I got so angry that I started a fight with him.”

Chu Sui roughly wrote down the cause and process in his notebook. If there were any omissions, he could listen to the recording later and slowly fill them in.

Como thought that this wasn't easy. He used to have to painstakingly extract useful information from long tirades of profanity, but this time was much easier. “So, in other words, you were the one who struck first, correct?”

Nelson’s eyes widened, and he looked like he was about to fly into a rage. “Are you deaf?! It was that stinking bug York who bumped into me first and provoked me with his words!”

Como was so frightened by him that he shrank back. Chu Sui, the coward, also found him a bit scary and moved his chair back a little as well. He changed his approach and asked, “Because York bumped into you, you became very angry, and so you decided to teach him a lesson, is that right?”

This way of asking sounded much more comfortable. Nelson gazed at Chu Sui’s somewhat bewitching face, blushed, and stammered out a nod. “Ye… Yes.”

Having roughly understood the course of events, Como and Chu Sui went to the interrogation room next door. York was clearly much more rational and cunning. “I unintentionally bumped into Major Nelson and was about to apologize, but who knew he would grab me by the collar and attack me directly. I was acting in self-defense.”

He didn’t mention a single word about his own verbal provocation, and he kept sizing Chu Sui up subtly, feeling that he looked vaguely familiar. York came from a noble family and didn’t consider himself like those boorish low-rankers who hadn't seen a Male Zerg in eight hundred years, so he was comparatively more reserved and wouldn’t stare with his eyes wide open.

This wasn’t the first time these two had fought, so Como was clearly very familiar with their personalities. “But according to Major Nelson, you were the one who provoked him first, correct?”

York shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t remember clearly.”

Chu Sui was just enjoying the show and didn’t mind the drama, watching with great interest from the side. He took notes while listening to their war of words. Combining both of their testimonies, he finally got a rough grasp of the whole story.

Como packed up his things, ready to leave with Chu Sui, and pressed a buzzer to signal a soldier to come and unlock them. “I will report this matter truthfully to your commanding officer. I hope you two can remain calm and not let this escalate to the Military Court.”

After Como finished speaking, he gestured for Chu Sui to leave quickly, lest the two inside start fighting again once their Power-Suppressing Rings were removed. Who would have thought they were a step too late. Nelson chased right after them, but this time his target wasn’t York, but Chu Sui.

“Lord Chu Sui! Please wait!”

Nelson quickly caught up and blocked their path. Seeing that he was half a head taller than himself and had a strong build, Chu Sui subconsciously took half a step back. His eyelid twitched, and he suddenly felt like a weak little chick. “Do you… need something?”

Hearing this, Nelson actually became bashful. “Lord Chu Sui, I am Major Nelson of the Second Army. I’m about to have my second awakening and will soon be an A-rank Female Zerg. May I have your contact information?”

In the Zerg Race, this was considered a form of confession. Chu Sui looked at the other’s tough-guy appearance, yet he was acting all shy and awkward, which inexplicably gave him a toothache. Just as he was about to refuse, Como stepped in front of him. “Major Nelson, Lord Chu Sui is busy with his duties. Please do not disturb him, or I will report the situation to your commanding officer.”

'You've got to be kidding', Como thought. 'Chu Sui was the Male Zerg of their department. His own colleagues hadn't even gotten a piece of the pie, so how could he let a Military Female from another army cut in? Don't even think about it!'

Nelson glared at him, his fists cracking as he clenched them. “Are you threatening me?”

Como’s legs felt a little weak. “I… I must remind you, you already have three demerits on your record. If another assault incident occurs, you will likely be demoted.”

Every Female Zerg’s military merits were earned by risking their lives on the battlefield. Only a fool would jeopardize their future over such a small matter. Hearing this, Nelson had no choice but to lower his fists and leave reluctantly.

Chu Sui was utterly amazed and asked incredulously, “They get into huge fights over such trivial things every day?”

It was easy for him to say.

If someone had bumped into Chu Sui and provoked him, he would have definitely pinned them to the ground and beaten them until their own mother wouldn't recognize them.

Como explained, “It’s not entirely because of verbal provocations and physical altercations. Most of the generals in the Fourth Army are from noble families, while more of the generals in the Second Army are from commoner backgrounds. They can’t stand the sight of each other. On top of that, they were dissatisfied with the distribution of military merits from their previous joint operation to eliminate Alien Beasts. So, soldiers from both factions often get into major brawls. This is already the thirteenth time this month.”

There were deeper reasons behind this, such as the retirement of the Fourth Army's Admiral, which left them leaderless and shaken the morale of the troops. Many people were eyeing that position, and the Third Army also underwent large-scale personnel changes. These two legions had always been close, and it seemed that in order to balance the power between them, the higher-ups no longer had them cooperate, but instead ordered the Second and Fourth legions to fight together, with the First and Third legions providing support. They were still in a breaking-in period with each other.

However, Como was just a minor clerk and couldn’t figure out the thoughts of the higher-ups. He just had a vague feeling that the Military Department wasn’t very peaceful lately, that a turbulent undercurrent was hidden beneath the calm surface of the sea.

If he couldn’t understand it, Chu Sui understood it even less. There were actually benefits to being a bit foolish; at least you didn't have to worry every day.

Because the Military Department had a canteen, most of the Female Zergs had lunch there. Seeing that Chu Sui didn't seem to have any plans, Como extended an invitation, “Your Lordship, would you like to have lunch with us at the canteen?”

It was Chu Sui’s first day at work, and he had almost forgotten about eating. He was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded in agreement. He couldn’t possibly take a Flyer back home just for lunch, right? Although the journey wasn’t long, it just felt strange. It was better to just go with the flow.

The Imperial Capital was the central urban area of the nation, with a large number of troops stationed there, so one could imagine how large the canteen was. However, because they were all well-trained troops, the order inside was not chaotic. There were many types of food available. One only needed to select the desired food from an ordering machine, and the serving port would automatically dispense the meal.

Chu Sui casually chose two dishes. As he picked up his meal, he glanced inside inconspicuously and saw that they were all robots. He immediately lost interest, found a seat with his tray, and inexplicably felt like he was back in his university days.

Most Male Zergs would not dine at the same table as Female Zergs. Therefore, Como and the others did not sit opposite Chu Sui, but rather sat at a nearby table, keeping some distance.

Chu Sui’s eye-catching presence needs no further description. Even in the vast canteen, one could still clearly spot his existence with a single glance, as conspicuous as a pearl dropped into a pile of gravel.

The surrounding Female Zergs obviously felt the same way; even the food in their mouths became bland. They would be eating just fine, then inexplicably look over, either dazed or in a stupor.

Chu Sui was completely unaware of this, or rather, he was already used to it. He was looking down, poking at the food on his plate with his chopsticks, trying his best to distinguish what species the meat was from. He had no appetite and no intention of trying it.

Just then, another group of people suddenly entered the canteen, led by several generals from the Fourth Army, with Arno among them. Perhaps because they had just returned from the battlefield, the personal guards behind them looked exceptionally cold and detached. Their bodies exuded an invisible killing aura, and even the sight of a Male Zerg failed to cause the slightest ripple in their emotions.

Arno had just habitually scanned the canteen when he unexpectedly saw Chu Sui there. His gaze lingered on him for a moment. While signaling for the troops behind him to disperse and eat, he gave a slight nod to the Military Female beside him and said, “Lieutenant General, please excuse me for a moment.”

The robot-made food was quite terrible. Chu Sui listlessly poked at the rice grains, thinking that although they weren't the same species, the food in large canteens was equally bad. As his mind was wandering, a plate of fruit salad suddenly appeared in front of him. At the same time, a familiar voice sounded from above his head, “Male Master, have some fruit. It should suit your taste.”

Chu Sui came back to his senses and saw it was Arno. His eyes brightened imperceptibly. Seeing him standing to the side, he gestured to the seat opposite him. “Sit.”

Arno readily sat down opposite him. The way he spoke to Chu Sui in a softer voice was not as cold as before, carrying a hint of gentle warmth, like fine jade. “The food in the Military Department is coarse. You might not be used to it.”

Chu Sui was like a bratty kid. If you didn’t coddle him, it was fine, but the more you coddled him, the more he acted up. Hearing this, he picked up a piece of dark meat from his plate to show him. “It is a bit coarse. This is the worst. It’s hard, salty, and I can’t even chew it.”

After saying this, he ate a piece of fruit, managing to calm himself down. Finally, he commented, “Your cooking is still the best.”

Upon hearing this, a hint of a smile quietly flashed in Arno’s eyes. “Then I’ll go back and cook for you.”

For some reason, Chu Sui suddenly thought of the robust, hot-tempered Female Zerg from the Interrogation Room today. Then he looked at the Arno in front of him—tall and slender, handsome and elegant, gentle and refined, with a measured and appropriate demeanor. He inexplicably sighed in relief, a sense of belated gratitude welling up in his heart.

Fortunately, the Male Monarch matched by The Empire's database was Arno. If it had been a tall and burly Military Female with dark skin and fists bigger than sandbags, Chu Sui didn't even dare to imagine the scene.

Perhaps because of the comparison, Chu Sui suddenly found himself more and more pleased with Arno the more he looked. He felt that the other was full of virtues from head to toe. He speared a piece of fruit with a fork and held it to his mouth. “Try some.”

Many of the surrounding Female Zergs were secretly sizing them up. Before they could even digest the shock of Chu Sui’s appearance, they saw him personally feed Arno. They were all dumbfounded, their eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.

“Heavens, am I seeing things? That Lord is actually feeding Major General Arno. Doesn’t Major General Arno already have a Male Master?”

“Are you blind? That Lord is Major General Arno’s Male Master. I never expected their relationship to be so good.”

“How on earth did Major General Arno find such an outstanding Male Zerg? I’m dying of envy…”

It wasn't the first time Chu Sui had fed someone. Facing the various probing gazes from all around, Arno paused, then slowly lowered his eyes. In the end, he still ate the fruit Chu Sui offered. “Thank you.”

The surrounding Female Zergs were so jealous their eyes turned green.

Chu Sui was pretty much full after finishing the plate of fruit salad. He stood up from his seat, ready to go back and continue his work. Seeing this, Arno was about to stand up, but Chu Sui pressed him down by the shoulder.

Chu Sui said, “Sit and eat your food.”

He wasn’t that heartless. Besides, he wasn't a three-year-old kid who needed someone to walk him back to the office.

Arno hesitated, “But…”

Chu Sui said, “No buts. It’s not like I don’t know the way.”

He then got up and left, carefree and thoughtless as usual.

Arno rarely came to the canteen. Today was just a coincidence, and he hadn't expected to run into Chu Sui. He watched Chu Sui’s back disappear from sight, then rose from his seat. His adjutant, Fedi, only dared to approach at this moment, saying somewhat sycophantically, “Major General, should I follow him?”

Arno glanced at him faintly. “Follow what?”

Fedi said as if it were a matter of course, “Your Male Master, of course.”

He had to be watched closely. There were so many single, desperate flirts in the Military Department. What if the Major General’s Male Master got entangled with some thoughtless little vixen?

But Arno said, “No need.”

He didn't seem worried at all. On the surface, he was calm and detached, yet he gave off a feeling of having everything under control.

In the afternoon, the Military Court sent over a new batch of files on offending Military Females. Chu Sui was responsible for entering the archives into the Light Computer. Perhaps because he had been bored for too long, he adapted well to the sudden busyness. Those Military Females had either committed offenses by fighting or by drinking, in short, for all sorts of reasons. He just treated it all like reading the news.

Chu Sui was fast and soon reached the last file. He was looking at the document and entering the content when he suddenly stopped typing, as if he had seen something.

This case was different from the previous ones. It also involved a Male Zerg. It was said that a certain C-rank Male Zerg had taken a forbidden drug and, in a deranged state, had actually used torture instruments on his Male Monarch, who was pregnant with a Zerg Cub. Not only did this lead to the death of the Zerg Cub, but it also caused the Male Monarch to be severely injured. During the torture, his Male Monarch, unable to bear the pain, had his bloodline unexpectedly riot, causing him to enter a Zergified state and accidentally injure the Male Zerg. For this, he was brought before the Military Court.

The Male Zerg only suffered minor injuries. For causing the death of the Zerg Cub, he was only sentenced to three months of hard labor.

As for his Male Monarch, for harming his Male Master, he would have his Zerg Wings forcibly removed, receive forty lashes with a Light Whip, and be exiled to a Barren Star for service, never to return to the Imperial Capital.

Zerg Wings were a part of a Female Zerg's body, and on the battlefield, they were a weapon that helped them fly. To have them forcibly torn from the body was no different from having an internal organ dug out. Not only would it be excruciatingly painful, but they would also lose their combat ability, making them no different from a crippled Zerg. And on top of that, he had to receive forty lashes with a Light Whip.

Chu Sui looked at the lines of words on the judgment document. For some reason, a shiver suddenly ran through his heart. His scalp tingled, and his fingers went stiff, unable to type a single word for a long time.

He knew that the Zerg Race revered Male Zergs, and he knew that Male Zergs could beat and scold their Male Monarchs at will without receiving any punishment, but that had only been a formless, abstract concept.

A few dozen lashes, or being pushed to the ground and beaten up, was already a very severe punishment in Chu Sui’s mind. Anything more severe, he couldn't imagine.

Abusing a Male Monarch to the point of causing a Zerg Cub’s death—just thinking about that scene already pushed the limits of his psychological tolerance. When he was entering the first half of the case, he had thought the subsequent verdict would be the Male Zerg compensating the Male Monarch with some property or something else. He never expected this kind of result.

It was indeed a bit…

Fucking ridiculous…

Chu Sui was still human at his core, and he found it a little hard to accept such a thing. He felt that there had to be a limit to everything. Once a life was involved, a line had been crossed. Even in the ancient feudal era where men were superior to women, if something like this happened, the man would not escape a death sentence.

He complained endlessly in his heart. Who said Male Zergs were rare and weak? Weak, my ass. This was clearly more ferocious than a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Chu Sui’s simple brain finally began to vaguely sense that the social system of this world was actually twisted. The status of Female Zergs and Male Zergs was like a scale. When one side became heavier and heavier, the balance would completely collapse.

No wonder the Freedom Alliance would overthrow the system in his past life. Where there is oppression, there is resistance. When contradictions and hatred accumulate to a certain point, they will erupt in full force. But perhaps because he had already experienced it once, Chu Sui's heart was still relatively calm.

Yes, the calmness of a salted fish.

Chu Sui became lost in thought. He hadn’t finished entering the files when it was already time to get off work. He glanced at the dim yellow sky outside, then stood up to pack his things, planning to continue working at home.

He took the Light Elevator downstairs. Just as he was wondering whether he should go find Arno to leave work together, he saw a familiar figure at the entrance of the building. As he got closer, he saw it was Arno.

Chu Sui glanced at the time. “Are you off work?”

Arno took the file bag from his hand. His side profile was tinged with a gentle warmth under the setting sun, his eyes covered in a light layer of amber. “Yes, I just came downstairs. I didn't expect to run into you.”

Chu Sui didn’t overthink it. “Let’s go home then.”

That night at home, Chu Sui had dinner with Arno as usual. However, as he sat at his desk working after his shower, there were still some things he couldn't quite figure out. He turned his head and saw Arno tidying the bed, thinking that Female Zergs earned money and supported the family, while Male Zergs, apart from procreation, seemed to be truly useless.

According to the time, it should be autumn in the Zerg Race now, but unfortunately, the greenery outside was verdant all year round, making it impossible to feel the change of seasons.

Chu Sui suddenly sighed for no reason. Arno keenly caught his somewhat agitated mood, walked to his side, and asked in a low voice, “Are you unhappy?”

Chu Sui glanced at him, the words 'I'm not happy' clearly written on his face. He slumped in his chair, then beckoned to Arno weakly, puffing out his cheeks. “Come here.”

The latter understood and walked over. However, the next second, he was pulled into Chu Sui’s arms. Arno felt the strength on his waist gradually tightening and silently soothed his back. “Why are you unhappy?”

Chu Sui was sullen and pouted. “I’m going to die.”

Arno paused at his words. “You won’t.”

His long, slender fingers slowly combed through Chu Sui’s inky hair. Then he lowered his eyes and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, saying seriously in a low voice, “Arno will protect you.”

Damn it, Chu Sui’s eyelid twitched. 'You're the one who killed me in my past life', he thought.

For a moment, he recalled his past life, his expression a little strange, but he soon let it go, muttering to himself inwardly: 'Forget it. It's not like I didn't hit Arno a lot in my last life. Let's just call it even. My fate might have been even worse if I had fallen into the hands of those other Female Zergs. Besides, it didn't hurt at all when I died last time.'

Thinking of this, Chu Sui suddenly remembered the three leaders of the Freedom Alliance. He counted on his fingers. Besides that red-haired Alvin, who else was there? He wondered if it was too late to try and get close to them now.