Pain

Around noon, Capet was released from the Interrogation Room. Although he hadn't been subjected to any punishment due to being a Male Zerg, spending a whole night in the narrow, cold interrogation room was a different kind of torture for his long-pampered body.

On the way home in the hovercar, Capet was viciously cursing Chu Sui. When his anger flared, it would pull at the wound on his head, and his hatred inevitably deepened. Unfortunately, at this moment, no one would proactively ask him if he was alright.

He was out, but all of his Female Attendants remained in the Interstellar Prison. Even Dike was under investigation.

Capet had a thick bandage wrapped around his head. Coupled with the intermittent feeling of weightlessness in the hovercar, he felt a tightness in his chest and waves of nausea. He managed to sit up straight, only to see an unfamiliar landscape outside the window. It was all dense forest, as if in the wild. He kicked the back of the driver's seat. "Damn it, do you know the way or not!"

The driver didn't turn around or speak, just continued to pilot the hovercar forward.

After a long wait with no reply, Capet saw the surroundings become more and more desolate. A wave of panic rose in his heart, and he finally realized something was wrong. He stammered, "Stop… stop… I told you to stop, can't you hear me!"

The driver turned a deaf ear and drove a little further before landing. Ahead was a bottomless cliff, with messy rubble piled up on the roadside. It was clearly the middle of nowhere. Capet was incredibly panicked and finally thought to use his Light Computer to call for help, but no matter how many times he clicked, it was just a garbled mess. The signal had obviously been jammed.

The driver got out of the hovercar, then dragged Capet out. With no regard for his status as a Male Zerg, he grabbed him by the hair and pulled him away from the vehicle. The movement tore the wound on his forehead, and blood quickly soaked the gauze. Capet cried in pain, unable to speak clearly, "What do you want… I can give you money… lots and lots of money… just let me go…"

The driver paid him no mind, took a control button out of his pocket, adjusted it with one hand, and then pressed it with a click. The hovercar Capet had just been in suddenly shot towards the cliff as if out of control, then fell with a bang, followed by a massive explosion.

Capet was startled by the noise and asked, trembling, "What are you trying to do… What on earth are you trying to do…"

The driver finally looked at him. His face was unremarkable, with a clear line dividing the skin tones at his neck, as if he were wearing a mask. Hearing his words, he said with great interest, "Ah, the honorable Lord Capet, are you very curious why I did that? But if I don't, how will they believe you've died without a complete corpse?"

Capet's face showed sheer terror at his words. Before he could recover from the phrase "died without a complete corpse," a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck, and his vision went black as he lost consciousness.

This place was far from the city, and at night, beasts of prey would roam. Usually, only training armies would come here, which showed how desolate it was. When the hovercar lost control and plunged off the cliff to explode, the "frail" and "precious" Male Zerg would, of course, not even leave a body behind.

As for why Capet came here and how he died, who would care? The oppressed and tormented Female Zergs? Or the greedy and indifferent Male Zergs?

A light breeze rustled the treetops, the leaves whispering. Aside from the faint smell of gunpowder from the explosion lingering in the air, everything was as usual. No one could have guessed what had just happened here.

When Capet woke up again, he felt a sharp pain in his head. He groggily opened his eyes and instinctively moved, only to hear the sudden clanking of iron chains. His wrists were tightly bound by something cold, hard, and icy, grinding painfully against his bones and shocking him fully awake.

Capet's hands were locked in chains and he was hung high, like a victim of suffering. He looked around in panic and saw that his surroundings were a sterile white. The scent of disinfectant filled his nostrils. Through a transparent glass wall, he could vaguely see unknown medical instruments outside, as well as Female Zergs in white protective suits and transparent goggles, covered from head to toe so that their faces were obscured, holding test tubes and conducting research—

They had just extracted a sample of Capet's Pheromones.

"Tsk, it's been a day and a night. Has Lord Capet finally woken up?"

Looking towards the source of the voice, he saw that there was another Female Zerg in this completely sealed room. It was none other than Alvin, sitting on a chair, staring motionlessly at Capet, lost in thought.

Capet's pupils shrank, and he began to struggle instinctively, the chains clattering. "Alvin, you dare to kidnap me? This is a felony in The Empire!"

Alvin raised an eyebrow, then stood up from the chair. He walked slowly to Capet, then, without warning, punched him in the abdomen. Though he only used thirty percent of his strength, Capet let out a muffled grunt, his eyes widening in pain as he gasped for breath, unable to even speak.

Alvin shook his hand. "What, you're used to treating Female Zergs like slaves to be trampled underfoot? Now that the roles are suddenly reversed, is it unbelievable?"

As he spoke, he threw another punch, his tone grim as he chuckled, "Is it fun to torment us? Huh? Today, it's your turn to taste those torture instruments. I just wonder how long you can last."

Alvin was an A-rank Female Zerg. Although he wasn't using his full strength, just a few hits were enough to make Capet cough up blood. He was about to strike again, but his arm was grabbed in mid-air, and a cold voice sounded by his ear, "His life is still useful."

Alvin looked back and saw it was Arno. He had no choice but to withdraw his hand, his anger still simmering. He then casually picked up a dagger from the table and threw it to him. "He won't die. Stab him a couple of times to vent."

Arno instinctively caught the dagger. Its blade was as cold as ice, clearly reflecting his blue eyes. Capet heard their conversation and shook his head weakly, choking on blood and coughing, "No… don't… cough cough cough… don't kill me… I beg you…"

Arno looked at him at his words. The tip of the blade, through the fabric, slid slowly over Capet's heart, as if confirming the location of his organs. With just a slight push, blood would spurt out in the next second.

"Clatter—"

Arno hadn't even moved yet, but Capet was so frightened he nearly wet himself. His face pale, he struggled desperately. As his body swayed, he brushed right against the edge of the blade, leaving a long gash on his chest. He screamed in pain and, under the multiple stimuli, fainted directly.

Arno was unmoved. He glanced at him, then looked away, tossing the dagger back onto the table with a clatter. He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and checked Capet's Pheromone release. A moment later, he said to Alvin, "Activity is 0."

It had long been proven that Male Zergs could not produce Pheromones when stimulated or in a state of extreme fear.

Alvin was not surprised. "Yuli is already speeding up the research. Now that we have this bug to experiment on, a suppressant drug can be developed soon."

After a Female Zerg entered the Bloodline Riot Period, if they could not be soothed by a Male Zerg's Pheromones, they would enter a hardening period. Starting from their hands, their muscles would become progressively stiffer and harder, eventually spreading throughout their body. When their heart stopped beating, their life would come to an end.

Alvin was on the verge of entering the Bloodline Riot Period. His temper was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, and his entire being was filled with an air of irritability and unease. Arno glanced at him and suddenly asked in a low voice, "Are you really not planning to find a Male Zerg to be your partner?"

Even if it wasn't for love, not for loyalty, but simply to live.

Just to live…

These words seemed to strike a sensitive nerve in Alvin. His face suddenly became expressionless as he kicked the table. "I would rather die than kneel at the feet of those bugs to eke out a living. They have been high and mighty for too long, and have forgotten who sacrificed their lives for the current peace and tranquility."

Arno seemed to think of someone. His gaze drifted for a moment as he walked to the window. "Alvin, maybe not all Male Zergs are like Capet."

Alvin looked at him upon hearing this, a trace of crimson still lingering in his eyes. He reminded him, word by word, "Chu Sui is an exception."

He said, "Arno, Chu Sui is just an exception."

"Back then, you didn't want to marry Capet and insisted on becoming partners with Chu Sui. I tried to persuade you, but it turns out you might have made the right choice." Alvin got up from his chair and walked to his side, his gaze fixed on the distance, where a seemingly unreachable future lay. "But you cannot deny that the vast majority of Male Zergs are just like Capet…"

Arno said nothing, because he could not refute it.

He had once felt despair for this world, unable to see any path forward. He also couldn't imagine how he would teach his child to survive in such a world, should he ever have one.

To live standing tall and with dignity, not kneeling at the feet of a Male Zerg, struggling for survival.

Perhaps one day they would kneel, but it would have to be willingly, ready to dedicate their lives and loyalty to the other.

Alvin's gaze on Arno's back seemed to solidify, peering through the layer of clothing at the crisscrossing scars on his back. He said, with a tone of both ridicule and irony, "Getting injured for a Male Zerg… forgive my bluntness, but that's a very stupid thing to do."

Arno unconsciously touched his shoulder upon hearing this. Thanks to the heaven-defying recovery ability of Female Zergs, his wound had already scabbed over. Even through his clothes, he could still feel the slightly uneven texture. "He's different."

Arno said, "Alvin, he's different."

Alvin sneered. "You poor thing. A Male Zerg gives you a tiny bit of favor, and you treat it as a great grace, full of gratitude. This is not just stupid, it's utterly pathetic."

In Alvin's heart, Chu Sui might be slightly better than other Male Zergs, but only slightly. For the most part, there was no difference.

Arno was about to say something, but he swallowed his words back down. He unconsciously adjusted the button on his collar, thinking, 'Why am I arguing about this with a single Female Zerg who doesn't have a Male Master.'

After Chu Sui discovered his injury yesterday, Arno had been forcibly ordered to rest at home. He checked the time and realized Chu Sui should be getting off work from the Military Department soon. If he didn't go back, his absence would be noticed. He straightened up, then glanced at Capet, who was no different from a dead Zerg. "Although the Fourth Army is responsible for investigating the disappearance, try not to leave any traces."

He meant for Alvin to be careful and not let the outside world find any clues.

After speaking, he added, "I'm leaving first."

As Arno finished speaking and turned to leave, Alvin's voice sounded from behind him, "The Alien Beast tide has broken out again on Planet Kasluo. Those creatures have completed a new round of evolution and are not easy to deal with. The Third Army has already requested to be sent into battle."

The implication was that this was a good opportunity to earn military merit. He was probing Arno's intentions. The position of Admiral of the Fourth Army was vacant, making it a prime opportunity to climb the ranks.

Arno paused at his words but did not answer immediately. He only said, "I'll think about it," then pushed the door open and left.

Alvin probably hadn't expected his friend, who had always fought alongside him, to hesitate on such a matter. After a moment of shock, he frowned, walked over to Capet, and punched him in the abdomen with a look of disgust—

'As expected, Male Zergs only slow down their fighting speed!'

Arno timed his return, arriving home half an hour before Chu Sui's quitting time. However, when he got there, he found Chu Sui sitting on the living room sofa watching a StarNet program, with a Female Zerg in a suit and leather shoes sitting opposite him.

"Lord Chu Sui, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. The information form has been sent to your terminal. Regarding my suggestion just now, I still hope you will consider it carefully."

After the Female Zerg finished speaking, he nodded his head to leave, but as he turned to exit, he ran right into Arno. He glanced at the medal on Arno's shoulder and couldn't help but greet him with a smile, "If it isn't Lieutenant General Arno, long time no see."

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. The last time they met, Arno had just been promoted to Major General. To become a Lieutenant General so quickly, he was truly a young talent.

Arno hadn't figured out how to explain his absence to Chu Sui yet and was thrown off balance by the other's sudden words. He looked at the Female Zerg in front of him and only then recognized him. "Director Laijin, long time no see."

Laijin was the administrator responsible for matching single Military Females in The Empire with partners. To put it in simpler terms, he was the equivalent of a marriage introduction agency on Earth. His mission was to help Military Females get out of singlehood and encourage Male Zergs to take more Female Attendants, contributing to the propagation of The Empire.

For a non-single Military Female to see him in their home was generally not a good thing.

Arno didn't even need to ask why he was visiting. He slightly turned his body to make way, his attitude polite and impeccable. "Director Laijin, please take care. I won't see you out."

Laijin: "…"

Laijin was stunned for a moment, then, realizing, he smiled a little awkwardly. "Lieutenant General, I'll be leaving then. We'll meet again next time."

He said his goodbyes and left.

Arno watched his back disappear from the garden, then closed the door and locked it with a firm click. Just as he was pondering the reason for Laijin's sudden visit, a lazy voice sounded by his ear, "You two know each other?"

Arno turned around and saw Chu Sui looking at him. He panicked for a moment, then forced himself to calm down. He walked over and quietly knelt by Chu Sui's leg, placing the pastry box in his hands on the coffee table. "Male Master, I'm sorry, I went out to buy some things and wasn't here to wait for you…"

Chu Sui suddenly spoke, "Get up."

Arno didn't react. "?"

Chu Sui frowned and glanced at his knees. "Get up."

Only then did Arno understand what he meant and slowly stood up from the floor. Chu Sui actually hadn't made him kneel for some time now. Arno's action just now was purely a subconscious move out of a daze.

Chu Sui glanced at the pastry box on the table and saw it was from the place he frequented. "You just went out to buy pastries?"

He had returned at one in the afternoon and had been sitting at home for a full four hours. Even if Arno had gone out to buy pastries, it wouldn't have taken that long. Moreover, the other man looked as if he lacked confidence.

Thinking of this, Chu Sui unconsciously touched his head. 'Damn it, he didn't actually cheat on me, did he?' His tone was suspicious. "It took you that long to buy pastries?"

He was, after all, just a simple-minded rich young master. His questions were direct, with no attempt at subtlety. Military Females who had served in the armed forces had all undergone special interrogation training. Compared to them, he was like a novice facing a grand wizard.

Arno didn't really want to lie to him. He paused for a moment, then explained in a low voice, "I'm sorry, they were sold out when I got there, and I had to wait in line, so it took some time."

Chu Sui thought to himself that the pastries from this shop did seem to be quite popular. You couldn't get them without queuing for several hours. He reluctantly believed his words and then asked another question, "You and that… that guy…"

He couldn't remember Laijin's name for a long moment. Arno reminded him, "Is it Director Laijin?"

Chu Sui remembered. "That's him. Are you two close?"

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Arno felt that Chu Sui's question carried a slightly different tone. He paused, then smiled gently. "We met once before, but we are not very close. Did he come to see you about something important?"

The last sentence carried a faint hint of probing.

At this moment, Chu Sui was suddenly not as easy to get information from as before. He opened the pastry box, found that it was a bit cold, and put it back. He changed the channel a few times with the remote, then looked at Arno and asked with interest, "You want to know?"

Arno paused, then placed his hand on Chu Sui's knee and said earnestly in a low voice, "I want to know everything about you."

Chu Sui hissed. 'How come I never noticed before that Arno is so good at sweet-talking?' He took an apple from the fruit bowl, took a crunchy bite, and only after swallowing did he casually say, "Oh, he said he wanted to introduce some Female Attendants to me."

'As expected…'

Arno's heart sank at his words. Chu Sui was an A-rank Male Zerg and, according to the law, could have at least fifteen Female Attendants. The last disappearance incident had indeed had an impact. Arno had military duties and couldn't follow Chu Sui around to protect him every moment. But if he had Female Attendants, the security problem could be largely solved.

Moreover, Chu Sui only had one Male Monarch, which was far, far too few compared to other Male Zergs. So, it was only a matter of time before Director Laijin came knocking.

Arno had been mentally prepared for this on the day he formed a partnership with Chu Sui, because that was how society was. But when it actually happened to him, he felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart, as if he couldn't breathe.

Chu Sui had already unknowingly eaten most of the apple. Arno finally couldn't hold back and asked tentatively, "So… how did you answer him?"

The hand he had placed on the Male Zerg's knee had begun to clench unconsciously, but he was unaware of it.

Chu Sui faintly raised an eyebrow, glanced at his knee, and then said ambiguously, "How else would I answer? I just answered that way."

He was as carefree and unconcerned as ever, not taking anything to heart. Arno paused, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. He no longer fixated on the previous question and said to Chu Sui, "I'll go prepare dinner for you."

With that, he bent down, picked up the cold pastries from the table to heat them up, and walked into the kitchen.

From the corner of his eye, Chu Sui saw him leave. He threw the apple core in his hand towards the trash can, but his aim was off, and it rolled onto the floor with a clatter. The Housekeeping Robot immediately lit up and slid over, like a diligent little bee, "Trash, trash, I love trash."

Chu Sui couldn't be bothered with it. He propped his chin on his hand, lost in thought, his mind drifting back to two hours ago.

Although Laijin claimed to be a director of some department in The Empire, in Chu Sui's eyes, he was like a pimp. He not only showed up unannounced, but also enthusiastically presented a thick stack of information booklets for him to choose Female Attendants from. And not just one, but five.

"Lord Chu Sui, you only have one Male Monarch by your side, it's truly difficult to attend to all your life's needs. Why not marry a few more Female Attendants? They can take good care of you and also contribute to the propagation of The Empire. It would be even better if a male Zerg cub could be born."

When Laijin visited, Arno was not at home. He only saw Chu Sui sitting alone on the sofa, munching on an apple, looking desolate and lonely, with a slight sense of tragic desolation like a wife guarding an empty boudoir. He secretly felt that Arno was not doing a competent job as a Male Monarch, so his persuasion became all the more vigorous.

Laijin: "You are a noble A-rank Male Zerg. Within your capacity, you can have at least fifteen Female Attendants. Of course, given that you currently have only one Male Monarch, it's better to proceed gradually. I have an information booklet here, which records the data of all single Female Zergs with outstanding looks and character in the Imperial Capital. You can choose as you please…"

He rambled on endlessly, much like a salesman in a shopping mall. Chu Sui was working today and had heard that the bug Capet had gone missing and fallen off a cliff. He was in a rare good mood and didn't bother to argue with him. He patiently listened to Laijin's chatter for a long time before finally interrupting, "No need, my kidneys are weak."

Laijin was stunned for a moment. "Huh?"

Chu Sui raised an eyebrow at him, and repeated seriously, word by word, "I said, my kidneys are weak."

The anatomy of the Zerg Race was not much different from that of humans. Weak kidneys meant a certain kind of dysfunction. When Laijin realized what Chu Sui meant, and that he didn't seem to be joking, the entire Zerg was in a daze.

'Lord Chu Sui is so young, how… how could his kidneys be weak…'

'Truly, you can't judge a Zerg by its appearance…'

Thanks to Chu Sui's words, Laijin finally stopped his long-winded speech. He hesitated for a moment, offered a few words of comfort, then gave Chu Sui the contact information of a famous doctor in The Empire before taking his leave.

His thoughts slowly came back to the present. Arno was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Unlike his usual careful and steady self, he seemed somewhat absent-minded this time. He was halfway through chopping vegetables when he realized the soup in the pot was about to boil dry, forcing him to start over.

The kitchen was quiet. Arno could even hear his own breathing. He lowered his eyes and continued to chop vegetables, guessing how many Female Attendants Chu Sui would marry.

One, or two?

Or perhaps more…

In the dead of night, the Male Zerg might embrace a new Female Attendant, kissing them just as he had once kissed him, then they would entangle intimately, doing all the most private things.

No one knew how long a Male Zerg's novelty would last.

Arno was lost in thought, his fingertips tightening slightly. He unconsciously applied too much force, and only when a dense, stinging pain came from his fingertip did he realize he had cut his hand. A thin layer of blood stained the knife's edge.

An S-class Military Female, proficient in all kinds of firearms and weapons, actually cutting his hand while chopping vegetables. If word got out, it would probably become a laughingstock.

The vegetables on the cutting board were no longer usable. He pushed them into the trash can with the knife. Arno lowered his eyes, hiding the flash of darkness in their depths, and quietly rinsed his wound. But then, Alvin's words from today suddenly echoed in his ears, and his movements unconsciously paused.

"Getting injured for a Male Zerg… forgive my bluntness, but that's a very stupid thing to do."

"You poor thing. A Male Zerg gives you a little favor and you treat it like a great grace, full of gratitude. This is not just stupid, it's utterly pathetic."

Pathetic?

Stupid?

Perhaps it was neither. It was just that he had become greedy.

The water was still flowing, gradually washing away the blood that beaded on Arno's fingertip. Chu Sui happened to wander into the kitchen and saw Arno standing by the sink, looking dazed, as if he was spacing out. He was about to pat him, but then remembered the injury on his back and retracted his hand.

Chu Sui snapped his fingers by his ear. "What are you spacing out for?"

The crisp sound by his ear jolted Arno back to his senses. Realizing what was happening, he instinctively pulled his hand back. The faucet's sensor was no longer triggered, and the water flow gradually stopped. "Male Master, why did you come in…"

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized it might be because he was taking too long. He paused. "I'm sorry for making you wait."

The cut on Arno's hand started bleeding again. He subtly hid his hand behind his back, but Chu Sui's sharp eyes caught it. He grabbed Arno's wrist, pulled it in front of him with a slight force, and examined it for a moment before clicking his tongue. "How'd you get hurt again."

The wound on his back hadn't even healed, and now there was another one on his hand.

Arno didn't know why, but he just looked at him without speaking. Chu Sui instinctively glanced around, looking for the first-aid kit. "Where's the medicine?"

Arno usually prepared all the household things. It would be a miracle if Chu Sui, a pampered young master who was useless with his hands and couldn't tell one grain from another, knew where it was. After he spoke, he realized Arno's finger was still bleeding and subconsciously asked, "Does it hurt?"

He thought Arno would say it didn't hurt, or shake his head and smile at him, saying in his gentle voice that it was just a small injury. After all, he had suffered much more serious wounds.

Who would have thought that the other would be silent for a moment, then, after a long pause, say in a low, hoarse voice, a single word, "It hurts…"

The author has something to say: Author: Pain, hug, understand?

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrient solution during 2021-01-28 22:00:25~2021-01-29 20:47:10~

Thanks to the little angel who threw a grenade: 非也 x1;

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Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard