Farewell

Chu Sui’s mind went blank for a few seconds before he calmed down. No wonder Arno was acting so strange today; it was because of this. To say Chu Sui wasn’t angry would be a lie, but throwing a tantrum would make him seem classless. His face was as steady as an old dog, but inside, he was furious. He forced himself to drink a glass of cold water and said in a flat tone, "If you want to go, then go."

'Go, go, go! The moment Arno leaves, I'll marry eight or ten Female Attendants right after. Piss him off!'

Chu Sui probably didn't know that whether he was happy or angry, it was all written plainly on his face, impossible to hide. Watching him sulk, Arno's gaze suddenly became tender and reluctant. He said softly and earnestly, "I will hurry back to see you as soon as possible. Don't be angry with me, okay?"

Chu Sui nonchalantly pulled his hand back, crossed his legs, and sat lazily on the sofa, looking quite nonchalant. "I'm not angry."

Arno didn't mind. He took his hand again. "We can video call when I have free time on the battlefield. Planet Kasluo is very close to Saide Star—they say the soil there shines like gemstones. I'll bring some back for you to see, okay?"

The geology of Saide Star was unique. Its soil was crystal clear, brilliant, and beautiful. A handful of it was like holding a handful of diamonds. After being forged, it could be made into handicrafts that had been hyped up to exorbitant prices and were highly favored by wealthy families. But unfortunately, the purchasing rights were still controlled by The Empire, and it was heavily guarded by troops, inaccessible to ordinary people.

Chu Sui thought that Arno was coaxing him like a little kid. He wasn't a girl; he wasn't interested in gemstones at all. Getting angry didn't feel right, but not getting angry didn't feel right either. He simply lay down on the sofa, closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep. Out of sight, out of mind.

Chu Sui said, "If you're going, then go."

Arno squatted by the sofa, knowing he was truly angry. He was hesitating about how to coax him when a familiar figure suddenly appeared by the window. Fedi had a pained expression on his face and silently made a few hand gestures: Lieutenant General, it's almost time to depart. The troops are waiting.

Arno's eyes instantly turned cold and profound, making the latter break out in a cold sweat. He silently disappeared from the window. Arno withdrew his gaze and looked back at Chu Sui, only to see him with his eyes closed, not speaking. His cool fingertips brushed away the stray hairs on Chu Sui's forehead. "You must take good care of yourself. I will be back as soon as I can."

Although in Arno's heart, Chu Sui was already more outstanding than any Male Zerg in The Empire, he was, in fact, just a rich young master who couldn't take care of himself. The soles of his shoes were always spotless, never even having the chance to be stained with dust.

He couldn't cook, nor could he wash clothes. Even with the housekeeping robot, Arno still worried that he wouldn't be able to take good care of himself...

Seeing that the time was almost up, Arno finally withdrew his hand and went upstairs to pack his clothes. Chu Sui sensed his departure, tentatively opened his eyes, then threw the cushion onto the floor and sat up from the sofa.

...

It was common for Military Females to go to war. Arno had gone many times in his past life, and Chu Sui had never felt much about it. But now, he was inexplicably upset. He closed his eyes, silently ran his hands through his hair, and tried his best to recall how the Alien Beasts were wiped out in his previous life. But because it had been too long, his memory had become blurry, and he could only remember some insignificant things intermittently.

If he couldn't remember, he wouldn't think about it. Why make things hard for himself.

Chu Sui lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced upstairs. He heard some slight movements from the bedroom; it must be Arno packing. He sat there expressionlessly for a moment, lost in thought, then got up from the sofa and went straight upstairs.

He thought Arno was packing his clothes, and in fact, he was. But they weren't his own; they were Chu Sui's.

The tops and pants were all sorted and placed in different spots. Chu Sui never knew what to wear and always made a mess of the wardrobe. Arno had spare clothes at the Military Department and had little to prepare, so he simply put together outfits for him, one by one, and placed them all in one spot.

Leaning against the railing with his arms crossed, Chu Sui watched quietly for a while, then averted his gaze. He wanted to speak but felt like he couldn't bring himself to do it. After organizing the clothes, Arno's gaze inadvertently shifted to the doorway, where he discovered his presence. His blue eyes lit up. "Male Master..."

Chu Sui was silent for a moment, then, for the first time ever, gave a perfunctory "Mhm." He stuck one hand in his pocket and frowned as he walked downstairs. Seeing this, Arno put the clothes in his hand into the wardrobe and followed him.

The Military Department's Flyer was already parked outside. Chu Sui glanced out the window and did his best to console himself, thinking there was nothing to be angry about. The one going to the battlefield was Arno, not him. Even if something went wrong, he wouldn't be the one getting hurt.

Nothing to be angry about, nothing to be angry about.

Chu Sui repeated this over and over in his mind and finally seemed to have successfully convinced himself. He even walked to the entrance, took the initiative to pull the door open, then lifted his chin slightly and gestured outside, saying to Arno, "Let's go."

He looked as if he was kicking him out.

Arno looked at him, seemingly able to glimpse his awkward and utterly depressed soul beneath Chu Sui's calm facade. An imperceptible smile flashed in his eyes. "You're not angry anymore?"

'I wasn't angry in the first place,' Chu Sui thought. He didn't answer, just silently pulled the door open a little wider. The meaning was clear: If you're going, then go.

Arno glanced at him, understood, and walked towards the door. But just as he was about to cross the threshold, he suddenly stopped, turned to face Chu Sui, and looked at him quietly with his blue eyes. Usually docile and well-behaved, he hesitated for a moment before extending his hand, saying softly, "Male Master, can I have a hug?"

Chu Sui didn't speak, but his chest heaved slightly for a moment.

Arno maintained that posture. After about a few dozen seconds, seeing that Chu Sui still wasn't reacting, he finally, a beat too late, lowered his hand and smiled. "I don't know when I'll be back this time. You must take good care of yourself."

He kept repeating himself, his only advice being those two sentences. After speaking, he paused, then turned to leave. But suddenly, a pulling force came from his wrist, and in the next moment, he collided with a familiar embrace. The force was so strong that even the tip of his nose felt a dull pain.

Arno's pupils shrank. He subconsciously tried to look up but was held down by Chu Sui, unable to move. After a moment of silence, he stopped struggling and waited for what would come next.

Chu Sui didn't really have anything to say. He hated dawdling the most, but he thought, swords and blades on the battlefield have no eyes. What if... what if something happened? The one who would regret it then would probably be him.

'A hug is just a hug, it won't kill me...'

With that thought, he silently lowered his gaze and slowly tightened his embrace. After a long while, he let go, then gave Arno a little push out the door. Frowning, his face was still sour as he said, "You can go now."

After speaking, he decisively shut the door with a turn of his hand.

When Fedi saw Arno standing outside the door, he felt the urge to cry. He rushed forward, but then, as if realizing something, he quickly stopped and retreated three steps, ensuring he was within a safe distance. Only then did he give a military salute and stammer, "Lieu-Lieutenant General, the troops have assembled. We can depart."

Arno glanced at the closed door, finally retracted his gaze, and turned to leave. "Let's go."

Although the room was soundproof, the sound of the Flyer starting up outside could still be faintly heard. Chu Sui sat on the sofa without moving, turned on a StarNet program, and cranked the volume to the maximum, but his mood still didn't improve.

How to describe it? It wasn't exactly sadness, nor was it exactly anger. It was just a feeling of emptiness.

The housekeeping robot was cleaning the dust on the floor. With a whoosh, it passed in front of Chu Sui, only to have its path blocked. Chu Sui blocked it with his leg, lying on the sofa with a look of disinterest. "I'm hungry, go cook."

Receiving the command, the light on the housekeeping robot flashed. It then turned around and glided toward the kitchen. A minute later, it came out with food. "Cooking, cooking, I love cooking."

Chu Sui took a look and found that it had brought out a tube of Nutrient Solution. He frowned and said, "I don't drink Nutrient Solution."

Nutrient Solution tasted as bad as Chinese medicine; who besides a Military Female would drink it.

Hearing this, the light on the housekeeping robot flashed, as if analyzing his command. Then, it pushed the Nutrient Solution closer to him again. "Cooking, cooking, I love cooking."

...

Chu Sui stared at it for a moment. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

Arno had just left, and now it was bullying him.

The housekeeping robot's programming was set by researchers. Strictly speaking, it shouldn't be capable of intentional behavior, but Chu Sui just felt like he was being targeted. He found the power button on the robot's head, pressed it, and got up to walk to the kitchen.

Arno had made lunch, but Chu Sui hadn't eaten it. Anything left for over two hours would be automatically cleaned up by the housekeeping robot. In other words, he didn't even have leftovers to eat. There were vegetables in the fridge, but unfortunately, they were all raw.

Chu Sui looked at the clean and empty kitchen before him and fell into deep thought.

With Arno gone, he suddenly felt like he didn't know how to live anymore.

The System appeared in mid-air at some point, patting his head with its wings.【Ding, learn to do it yourself.】

Hearing this, Chu Sui glanced at it. He wasn't as resistant as before. He scanned the strange assortment of vegetables in the fridge and said honestly, "I don't know how."

It wasn't that he didn't want to do it; he really didn't know how.

In a sense, the System also had a search function. Hearing this, it thought for a moment and then projected a light screen in mid-air, densely packed with recipes.【Dear, just follow the instructions. You can pick whichever you like.】

Chu Sui had never cooked before, and there was no one else around. Since he was idle anyway, he looked at the recipes, then took out the few remaining vegetables from the fridge and washed them in the sink.

This kind of work required no technical skill, and Chu Sui didn't mess up. He slowly finished washing the vegetables and asked the System, "And then?"

The System looked quite proficient.【Pour oil into the pot, heat it up, and stir-fry.】

The Zerg Race had already abandoned heating with fire. Except for special circumstances, open flames were rarely seen. You just had to place the pot on the heating platform. Chu Sui reluctantly complied. Apart from being startled by the crackling sound of hot oil when he poured the vegetables in, everything else went relatively smoothly.

Chu Sui didn't panic and fumble as the System had imagined; he just looked a bit reluctant. Seeing that the vegetables were almost cooked, he asked the System, "How much salt should I add?"

The System looked at the recipe.【An appropriate amount.】

Chu Sui's eyelid twitched. "How much?"

The System looked at the recipe again.【An appropriate amount.】

'Who the hell knows what an appropriate amount is,' Chu Sui thought, the veins on his forehead throbbing. "How many spoonfuls?"

This time, the System finally gave a clear answer.【Three spoonfuls.】

Chu Sui had a faint feeling that something was wrong. He looked at the vegetables in the pot that were almost burnt and asked hesitantly, "Isn't three spoonfuls a bit little?"

System:【Then four spoonfuls.】

Chu Sui: "..."

A greenhorn half-wit and a master ball pretending to know what it was doing—one could imagine the resulting dish wouldn't be any good. Due to agonizing over the question of how much salt to add for too long, the dish got burnt. It was pitch black and completely inedible.

On account of having made it himself, Chu Sui forced himself to taste a bite with his chopsticks. It was just bitter and salty, tasting even worse than Nutrient Solution. He swallowed it with a blank expression, drank a large glass of water, and composed himself for a moment before looking at the System with an unfriendly tone, "Aren't you going to come over and have a taste?"

Hearing this, the System's floating form paused imperceptibly in mid-air. It tactfully refused,【No thanks, I don't have a mouth.】

As soon as it said this, the air fell into a subtle, stagnant silence.

'You don't even have a mouth and you dare teach me to cook?' Chu Sui thought. "Are you deliberately messing with me??"

The System thought it was perfectly normal.【The first time is unfamiliar, the second time is easy. Why don't we try again? There will definitely be progress~】

But they had already ruined all the vegetables in the fridge.

Hearing this, Chu Sui sat quietly for a moment, then got up from his chair without a word, walked to the door, and put on his shoes. Seeing this, the System flapped its wings and flew to his side.【Dear, are you going out to buy groceries?】

Chu Sui: "No, I'm eating out."

Why did he have to struggle with cooking? There were so many restaurants outside, he wasn't going to starve to death. Chu Sui put on his shoes and left directly.

This was an A-rank residential area, and the most prosperous commercial district in the Imperial Capital was located not far away. Chu Sui didn't take a Flyer. He wore a black mask that covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of slightly upturned and charming eyes. Coupled with being taller than most Male Zergs, he had an androgynous look at first glance.

Chu Sui rarely went shopping. He walked among the streets lined with towering buildings. The surroundings were lively and prosperous. The Zerg Race passing by had appearances and statures identical to humans. Shop clerks stood at the entrances, energetically promoting their goods and attracting customers. Even their way of doing business was exactly the same. For a dazed moment, he almost thought he had returned to that other world.

Chu Sui subconsciously looked up at the sun in the sky. It seemed to be the same one he had seen in his childhood, never having changed.

"Don't miss out! Limited edition strawberry muffins, come and have a taste!"

Not far ahead was a newly opened dessert shop. A Sub-Female clerk was attracting customers at the entrance. Business seemed to be quite good. A faint, sweet scent of cake drifted through the air, detectable even from a few steps away.

As Chu Sui passed by the shop's entrance, the Sub-Female clerk handed him a flyer. The clerk probably mistook him for a Female Zerg, smiling so widely his eyes curved, and enthusiastically introduced, "Our shop's new strawberry muffins and cheese tarts. Would you like to try some? If you become a member, you can get a 20% discount."

Hearing this, Chu Sui looked into the shop. Through the transparent glass door, he could clearly see the clean and elegant interior design. There were quite a few customers, but it didn't seem chaotic. He paused slightly, then took the flyer from the clerk's hand and walked inside.

The sensor door opened automatically and then slowly closed, isolating the noisy sounds from outside and firmly locking the sweet aroma within the room.

As soon as Chu Sui entered, a clerk guided him to a seat by the window and served him a complimentary cup of fruit tea. They were clearly professionally trained, their voice polite and courteous. "There's a self-service ordering machine here. You can place your order for whatever you need. Since the cakes are made to order, you might have to wait a little while."

If a Male Zerg was dining, they would receive special treatment, not only avoiding a long wait but also having private rooms upstairs. But Chu Sui didn't take off his mask, and the clerk in front of him, just like the one at the door, had mistaken him for a Female Zerg. After speaking, she went to attend to other customers.

Chu Sui roughly glanced at the menu, then ordered a few desserts and a fruit drink. After placing the order, he waited quietly for them to be served. While waiting, he took out a Crystal Coin from his pocket and carefully studied it for a moment.

The crystals from the Crystal Mines, after special forging and processing, became Crystal Coins. They were the size of a thumb, transparent and glass-like. The front was imprinted with The Empire's Rose Medal emblem, and the back featured a portrait of the Zerg God of War, Archibald. Through the sunlight, a wisp of purple, thin as a thread, could be faintly seen inside—

This was the special energy contained within the Crystal Coin. Alien Beasts fed on this energy, and after accumulating enough, they would complete a new round of evolution.

But what were Alien Beasts afraid of...

Chu Sui couldn't help but be lost in thought. For the first time, he felt that his parents hadn't given him a good brain. It was bad enough that he couldn't remember the answers when he cheated on exams as a child, but he couldn't even remember something so simple. Back then, after the successful eradication of the Alien Beasts, the researchers who published the report wrote a five-thousand-word research paper, filled with professional jargon that few normal people could understand.

As Chu Sui was pondering, his calf suddenly felt a weight, as if something had bumped into it. He subconsciously looked down and found a female Zerg Cub, only a little taller than his knee, with fair skin, delicate features, and a pair of large, bright, dark blue eyes.

He had probably bumped into him by accident. The moment their eyes met, he wasn't scared at all. He directly rested his soft face on Chu Sui's knee, then gave him a sweet smile, revealing a few small, white, milky teeth.

He was at an age like a blank slate, his eyes full of simple and pure curiosity about the unknown. He was not yet aware of the kind of world he lived in, nor how difficult the fate of a Female Zerg could be.

It had been a long time since Chu Sui had seen such clear eyes. After a moment of stunned silence, he let out a soft laugh. "Little rascal."

He didn't dislike mischievous kids, because when he was a child, he was the most mischievous one in the group.

Just then, the clerk brought over the pastries. Seeing the female Zerg Cub clinging to Chu Sui's leg, she quickly pulled him over and whispered with a frown, "Dahn, you can't be naughty."

Then she nodded apologetically to Chu Sui. "I'm so sorry to have disturbed your meal."

Chu Sui shook his head, indicating it was fine.

While they were talking, Dahn picked up the small leather ball that had fallen at Chu Sui's feet and was about to run up again. The clerk's expression changed, and she quickly pulled him back, saying in a serious tone, "Dahn, the manager said you can't go to the second floor, you know that?"

The first floor was for Female Zergs, and the second floor was for Male Zergs. If he ran around, it would be easy to cause trouble.

Dahn nodded blankly at her words, then obediently sat in the innermost corner of the stairs, playing by himself. Seeing this, the clerk finally let him go. After a few more words of caution, she went to attend to the other customers.

Chu Sui paid it no mind and continued to study the Crystal Coin in his hand. However, not long after, a clamor of footsteps suddenly sounded from behind him. Two Male Zergs came down from the second floor, followed by several Female Attendants. The leading Male Zerg was clearly in a bad mood, his face dark and grim. Seeing Dahn's small figure sitting in the corner, he kicked him away. "Damn Zerg Cub!"

His words seemed to carry an inexplicable hatred for the term "Zerg Cub." Although Male Zergs couldn't win a fight against Female Zergs, they could still inflict great harm on an underage Zerg Cub. Dahn was kicked and fell to the ground with a thud, his head hitting the corner of the wall with a muffled bang.

Disturbed by the commotion behind him, Chu Sui subconsciously turned his head, only to witness this scene. His pupils shrank, and he shot up from his seat with a whoosh, quickly helping Dahn up from the ground.

The other customers in the shop also heard the Male Zerg's angry curses and subconsciously looked over. For a moment, all sorts of gazes were focused on them.