Medal of Freedom

Some time has passed since the military went to Planet Kasluo to eliminate the Alien Beasts. It wasn't too long, yet not too short. Chu Sui worked at the Military Department during the day and was busy researching the Alien Beasts' weaknesses at night. The pitifully small amount of remaining time was basically spent sleeping.

When a person is busy, they have no time to care about other things. It was only when he saw the video message coming in that Chu Sui suddenly realized Arno had been gone for a long time.

He froze for a second, then reacted and immediately pressed the answer key. His fingers were inexplicably a little stiff, and he unconsciously rubbed them together.

After the communication request was accepted, a translucent blue light screen popped up in mid-air, clearly displaying the figure of a silver-haired Military Female. The other's face was refined and handsome, his eyes as cold and clear as the moon, with a hint of imperceptible fatigue between his brows. When his gaze met Chu Sui's, the icicles in his eyes melted away in an instant, leaving only warmth.

"Male Master..."

He uttered this long-unheard title in a low voice, which held an inexplicable sense of lingering affection.

The situation on Planet Kasluo was far worse than imagined. The Third Army and the Fourth Army had worked together sleeplessly for over ten days just to barely cordon off a safe zone around the Crystal Mine. The evolved Alien Beasts were simply too ferocious. Without discovering their weakness, they could only temporarily station themselves there; otherwise, it would cause too many unnecessary casualties.

Unsure if it was an illusion, Chu Sui felt that Arno had lost a lot of weight. He sat in his chair and unconsciously adjusted his posture. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Arno suddenly say in a low voice, "You've lost weight."

'Is that so?'

Chu Sui thought, 'Isn't he saying it backward?' He unconsciously touched his own face but didn't feel any change. His gaze returned to Arno, only to see that the background behind him was a tent used for temporary military encampment. "How are things on your end?"

Arno, through the light screen, carefully examined his features. An indescribable emotion, both full and empty, and quite contradictory, suddenly welled up in his heart. "The elimination mission is still in progress, but there are no major problems. You don't need to worry."

Chu Sui would be a fool to believe him. In his previous life, the army had suffered heavy losses. He unconsciously scratched his hair, pondering how to bring up the results of his research on the Alien Beast hide from that afternoon. After all, it was rather strange to inexplicably go and study such a thing.

Arno was far away on Planet Kasluo; it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried about Chu Sui, his concern covering all aspects of life. "Is the food made by the Housekeeping Robot to your liking?"

'Like hell it is,' Chu Sui thought. That little piece of trash hadn't cooked a single meal, only fobbing him off with Nutrient Solution every day. He pursed his lips. "I can cook for myself."

Although it's not very good, it's barely edible.

Hearing this, Arno's pupils constricted slightly, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. He seemed to want to say something but didn't know how to begin. After a moment of silence, he finally asked, "You cooked personally?"

That wasn't what he really wanted to ask.

How could Chu Sui possibly cook personally...

He rarely even set foot in the kitchen. Those hands had never even held a kitchen knife. The heaviest thing he had probably held at home was a pair of chopsticks. Arno couldn't imagine what Chu Sui would look like cooking personally.

He didn't know that Chu Sui had not only cooked at home these past few days but had also messed around with all the controlled knives: daggers, saws, electric drills, machetes—any one of them was heavier than chopsticks.

Chu Sui was still a little proud of learning to cook. Hearing the question, he raised an eyebrow slightly and gave a somewhat aloof "mm," then remembered the matter of the Alien Beasts and asked, "Are you stationed on Planet Kasluo?"

Hearing this, Arno glanced out the window without a trace and then retracted his gaze. "Yes, right near the Crystal Mine."

Chu Sui: "Show me."

Arno seemed long accustomed to his impulsive nature. He smiled at the words, a hint of gentle warmth in his expression. He got up from his seat and walked outside the tent. Chu Sui's intention was to see the ferocious Alien Beasts, but Arno aimed the Light Computer directly upwards, letting him see an entire vast night sky.

Planet Kasluo was deserted, but no one could deny that when standing on this land, as far as the eye could see, there was a river of stars. Countless stars adorned the night sky, so brilliant it was breathtaking. A line of the Milky Way split the heavens, tapering from wide to narrow, imperceptibly dividing time and space.

Arno walked out of the tent. A cool breeze lifted the corner of his clothes and slightly messed up the tips of his hair. The air was filled with a faint smell of blood. He walked past the saluting sentries, his military boots crunching on some broken crystal fragments. His deep voice was not very clear in the wind, yet it carried a blurry gentleness.

"The starry sky here is beautiful, I wanted to show you."

There was only a dim lamp in the study, with most of the area plunged into darkness. The light screen was translucent, presenting a brilliant starry sky before his eyes. In a daze, Chu Sui almost had the illusion that they were in the same place.

Chu Sui watched for a moment, then leaned back into his chair and hummed, "It's quite nice."

Not far ahead was a safe zone cordoned off by a reinforced protective net. Countless Alien Beasts roamed the perimeter. Some were building nests and laying eggs, some were foraging. The crunching sound of them gnawing on the Crystal Mine was like humans biting through bone, and occasionally, their dinosaur-like roars could be heard.

Chu Sui finally remembered the important matter, a beat too late. "The Alien Beasts are outside, aren't they?"

Arno nodded. "Five hundred meters away."

The Third Army and the Fourth Army had been working together to eliminate them for so long, yet they had only managed to push them back by a mere five hundred meters. Moreover, the protective net probably wouldn't last much longer before being breached.

'Just five hundred meters away,' Chu Sui thought. 'One could get eaten by an Alien Beast in their sleep and not even know it.' He recalled the experiment he did in the afternoon and was still hesitating between lightning and fire. "Do you have fire?"

Arno was puzzled, "Fire?"

Even though he was usually good at seeing through Chu Sui's thoughts, he couldn't guess the purpose of this question now. A Military Female's constitution was not afraid of the cold, and there were energy lamps for illumination. Strictly speaking, they wouldn't carry something as superfluous as fire.

Arno thought for a moment. "Yes, I do. Is there something you need me to do?"

'This Male Monarch is really too considerate,' Chu Sui thought. He pondered for a moment, then said, "Go over to the safe zone and show me the Alien Beasts."

Arno naturally complied, even though he didn't understand Chu Sui's intentions.

The protective net was still active at night. Powered by ample energy, the dense mesh shimmered with a faint light. Through the gaps, one could vaguely see swarms of Alien Beasts outside trying to breach the net, only to be blocked by an invisible force. They roared in low, unwilling voices, lingering and refusing to leave.

Chu Sui now wanted to verify his guess, still feeling a little uncertain inside. He said to Arno, "The Alien Beasts might be afraid of fire. Give it a try."

'So that's what he wanted to say...'

Arno understood. He was a little puzzled as to why Chu Sui would say that. He took a small energy lamp from his pocket and dismantled its casing. Chu Sui couldn't see clearly what he was doing, only that Arno pulled out a red wire from inside and snapped it. The now-scrapped energy lamp sputtered with small sparks.

Arno used the casing as tinder. When a flame ignited, he took a few steps back and forcefully threw the ball of fire toward the swarm of Alien Beasts. At that moment, something astonishing happened. As the fireball traced a parabola and landed on the back of one of the Alien Beasts, it suddenly stretched its neck and let out a sharp wail. It then violently shook its body, flinging off the still-burning energy lamp.

With a clatter, the fireball tumbled to the ground. The other Alien Beasts, as if they had seen something terrifying, scattered like birds and beasts avoiding a plague. A vacuum was created outside the protective net. It was not until the fireball gradually extinguished that they dared to cautiously approach again.

Arno's pupils contracted sharply. He subconsciously looked at Chu Sui.

How could this be...

The patrol team, having heard the unusually frantic cries of the Alien Beasts, rushed over, only to see Arno standing by the protective net. They quickly halted and saluted. "Lieutenant General, the Alien Beast swarm seemed to have a commotion just now."

Arno covered the Light Computer with his hand, turned, and strode towards the tent, his deep voice tossing out a sentence, "Go inform them, there will be an emergency meeting in half an hour."

In a sense, the Zerg Race's way of thinking was somewhat rigid, not as flexible as humans'. The research personnel had been dedicated to developing powerful, destructive weapons but had never considered that the thing the Alien Beasts feared was merely a small ball of fire.

Chu Sui confirmed that his guess was correct and finally breathed a sigh of relief. This period was definitely the most arduous time in his lazy life. He had run back and forth to the library more than a dozen times; no one would believe it if he told them.

But as long as it yielded results, it was barely worth it...

Arno returned to the tent and slowly removed the hand covering his Light Computer. The light screen popped up again in mid-air, clearly showing Chu Sui's face.

The Male Zerg was probably in a good mood. Even his posture had returned to its usual lazy manner, one knee slightly bent, his fingertips resting on it, tapping lightly now and then.

Arno watched him quietly, his mood suddenly a bit complicated. After a moment, he finally asked hesitantly, "How did you discover this?"

This lie wouldn't be easy to smooth over.

But Chu Sui wasn't afraid. Arno would believe anything he said anyway. "I just guessed randomly."

Hearing this, Arno smiled. A faint smile appeared in his blue eyes. As always, he didn't press for details, merely praising in a low voice, "You are amazing."

If Chu Sui had a fox tail, it would be sticking straight up to the sky right now. He propped his head on his hand, not speaking, but not denying it either. His expression was bold and unrestrained; as always, he loved hearing Arno praise him.

Such a vivid and lively appearance was rare among the Zerg Race.

Arno said in a low voice, "The Imperial Capital has been too turbulent recently. If possible, please stay at home and try not to go out. I will return to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible."

He had heard about the Female Zergs on StarNet demanding a revision of the law. Unlike Alvin's irrepressible excitement, Arno didn't want to involve Chu Sui, whether it was a change in political power or a reform of the system. Even though it was impossible for a Male Zerg to extricate himself from this whirlpool, he was currently far away on Planet Kasluo. Even if he wanted to do something, his reach was too short.

Also...

"I miss you very much."

Whether it was because they hadn't seen each other for too long, or the greetings and concerns, or even the major discovery of the Alien Beasts' weakness, none of it could change the fact that the truly important content of this video call was just these five words.

Through the light screen, although Chu Sui was reluctant to admit it, it seemed he probably did miss Arno a little bit. After all, they hadn't seen each other for a long time. He adjusted his posture in the chair and gave an emotionless "mm." Remembering something, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have any childhood photos?"

Arno froze for a moment, a trace of bewilderment in his eyes. "?"

Chu Sui repeated, "Childhood photos."

Honestly, he was quite curious. With Arno's personality, he wondered if he was like a prim little old man as a child. The more Chu Sui thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and a spark of interest ignited in his heart. "Send me a copy of your childhood photos."

After he finished, remembering that Arno seemed to have a Military Department meeting to attend, he didn't continue the chat. Just before cutting the communication, he reminded him, "Don't forget."

Arno opened his mouth as if to say something, but the other party cut the communication too quickly. The light screen swooshed back in mid-air, and the words on the tip of his tongue were stuck in his throat.

Childhood photos...

Arno unconsciously pursed his lips. The tips of his fair ears were suddenly tinged with a faint blush and felt a little warm. After a long moment, he hesitantly reached out, opened the database on his Light Computer, and began to search, one by one, for photos from his time as a Zerg Cub.

It seems... it seems there aren't many...

Chu Sui couldn't sleep anyway, so he sat in his chair and flipped through the thick book of imperial laws, focusing on the protection system for Male Zergs. From his outsider's perspective, it was indeed excessively harsh on the Female Zergs.

For example, the marriage law stipulated that after a Female Zerg married a Male Zerg, all of their wealth and property would belong to the Male Zerg. Only a Male Monarch could retain twenty percent of their property.

Another example: a Male Master must be greeted on one's knees upon his return home, and his requests must be unconditionally obeyed. If a Male Master was injured in an accident, his Male Monarch and Female Attendants had to undergo an investigation by the Male Zerg Protection Association and receive corresponding punishment. There were also some unwritten rules that were practiced in private but not openly stated: a Male Zerg could punish his Male Monarch and Female Attendants at will, even trade them like goods. As long as no one died, The Empire basically turned a blind eye.

But in fact, quite a few deaths occurred, they were just suppressed.

Chu Sui read a few pages, his thoughts unknown. At least in this life, he was more clear-headed than in his last, and his life wasn't too muddled. Or perhaps, his reason had always been telling him clearly that this social system was deformed and incorrect. It was just that, as the biggest beneficiary of this system, Chu Sui had selectively ignored this fact.

When Chu Sui was in school, his teacher had them read "A Madman's Diary" for extracurricular enrichment. There was a passage in it that went like this: I opened up a history book to check. This history had no chronology. Scrawled crookedly on every page were the words "benevolence, righteousness, and morality." I couldn't sleep anyway, so I read it carefully for half the night, only to see between the lines that the whole book was filled with two words: "Eat people."

Although the spatio-temporal context was different, this sentence was equally applicable to the Zerg Race.

Chu Sui pulled a pen from the pen holder, drew a red line through the sentence "A Female Zerg's property all belongs to their Male Master," and crossed it out. After thinking for a moment, he crossed out the words "all belongs to their" and changed it to "thirty percent."

Regardless of time or place, the foundation for a country's stability requires the two words "fairness" and "balance."

But the ratio of females to males in the Zerg Race was too disparate. Since absolute fairness was impossible, the only option was to maintain balance to the greatest extent possible.

When the great catastrophe occurred many years ago, the status of Male Zergs was perhaps no better than that of the Female Zergs today. Their Pheromones, aside from soothing Female Zergs, offered no power to protect themselves. This led to Female Zergs fighting over and plundering them for reproduction and lust, even imprisoning them. Male Zergs died in droves, nearly causing the extinction of their race.

Later, when the turmoil subsided, the alliance councilors who redrafted the legal code, in order to prevent such incidents from happening again and to curb the excessive power of the Female Zergs, established a series of strict laws. But they overcorrected, going beyond the necessary limits, faintly heralding a repeat of another tragic history.

Chu Sui suddenly felt that revising this error-ridden imperial law was a massive undertaking. Protecting Male Zergs was justifiable, and so was suppressing the power of Female Zergs. But those laws that existed merely for venting abuse and cultivating servility were completely unnecessary.

Chu Sui twirled the pen nimbly between his fingers, then drew a heavy cross under the lines "A Male Master must be greeted on one's knees" and "A Male Zerg may punish his Male Monarch or Female Attendants at his discretion."

Unless the number of males and females becomes equal one day, equal rights are basically impossible. The only way is to appropriately narrow the scope of protection and preferential treatment for Male Zergs within a reasonable range, while at the same time relaxing the suppression of Female Zergs.

One must know that when a spring is suppressed for too long, its rebound is astonishingly powerful.

Although the book was very thick, it seemed to have been read from cover to cover countless times by its owner. The pages were not very flat, and some corners were curled up. Chu Sui didn't pay it any mind. After reading for a short while, the Light Computer on his wrist suddenly vibrated. The terminal indicated that Arno had sent two pictures.

Seeing this, Chu Sui raised an eyebrow slightly, tossed the pen in his hand aside, and leaned lazily back into his chair. He chose to receive the message and then opened the pictures, only to find that Arno had actually sent his childhood photos.

The first picture was probably of Arno during his Zerg Cub period. He was only a little taller than Chu Sui's knee, with a pair of moist blue eyes. His silver hair fell obediently across his forehead. His ears were slightly pointed, his features delicate, and his face looked soft and squishy, like a little milk bun.

Ah...

So fucking cute.

Chu Sui inexplicably let out such a sentiment. With a slip of his hand, he looked at the second picture. It should be from when Arno was in elementary or middle school. His figure had already shot up, tall and slender, with the look of a young nobleman. His features were handsome and refined, and he had an extraordinary air, but his blue eyes seemed somewhat cold.

Chu Sui's lips curled. 'I knew it.' Arno must have been a big iceberg as a child. After all, an iceberg isn't cultivated overnight. He clicked save, his gaze lingering on the picture of the little milk bun for a long time before he finally looked away and turned off the Light Computer.

Shifting his gaze back to the law book on the desk, which was thick enough to kill someone, Chu Sui's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. So thick, he'd be reading it until the year of the monkey. As expected, being a lazy bum was the most comfortable.

Faced with such a thick book, Chu Sui casually flipped through it and did what most people would do: he turned directly to the last page. He scanned it briefly and was about to look away when the corner of his eye suddenly caught a wing-like totem drawn in the bottom-right corner by someone. His pupils contracted sharply—

The Medal of Freedom?!!

Chu Sui was stunned. Wasn't this the totem of the Freedom Alliance? How could it appear in this book? Not believing it, he looked again carefully and finally confirmed that the pattern on it was indeed the insignia worn by the Freedom Army.

An abstract human figure was in the center of the totem, its wings spread behind it and then half-folded in front. Above its head hung a sun, symbolizing light and freedom. It was the new military insignia established by the Freedom Alliance when they overthrew the system in his previous life.

So, the question was, why was this pattern in this book?

Because the owner of the book was very likely a member or the leader of the Freedom Alliance.

Then another question arose: whose book was this?

Arno's.

Chu Sui: "..."

The author has something to say: Chu Sui: Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit

Author: Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit

System: Wow

Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution between 2021-02-03 21:52:11 and 2021-02-04 21:21:44~

Thanks to the little angel who threw a Rocket Launcher: Gu He 1;

Thanks to the little angels who threw a Grenade: Song Yuanshan 2; Yun Bai, Gu He 1;

Thanks to the little angels who threw a Landmine: Yun Bai 5; Yuan Yu. 3; Yu Shan, A Fat Cat 2; dooriya, 48569675, Er Ji Du Fan, Yezi Yezi Ah, Liu Mingyan, Zhou Gu, Xiao Gua Xin, Zhi Jie Gao, aug, An, Shen Mi, Hua Qing, Suo Yi Yin Wei, Su Qing, Nian Chao, 41776797 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with Nutrient Solution: Ji Wangshu 100 bottles; Si Shui Liu Nian 45 bottles; 4486915 30 bottles; Yun Xuan 26 bottles; Yun Bai, Qi Yue Wu Yi, Feng Xiu Ge, Like cxf 20 bottles; Du You 19 bottles; Zan Yi Jiao Qiao 18 bottles; Cheng Ge Cheng Ge School Grass Yi Ke 15 bottles; ^_^, Sheng Jiang Hong Tang, An 11, HSQ, Fu Yun, rainy, Chloe, silverwoolf, Mu Yu Wan Gui, Fei Ye, Hua Qing, Tang Tian Tian Tian Tian Da, Xiao Lan Gui 10 bottles; Qi Yue An An, Lue Lue Lue, Hua Ti Zhong Jie Zhe? 9 bottles; Lu Hui Guo 8 bottles; San Sui, De Ha Zhen De Jiu Shi Le 7 bottles; Ying Ting 6 bottles; Mu, Chen Xing, Xi Si Wei, Ze Mu Er Qi, Bu Shi Wei Zhi Shu, 30078578, Hope my hair is lush next year, Li Zi Chi Chi, Zi Bo 5 bottles; Xiao Dao 4 bottles; Pai Pai, You Zi Qi Shui, Hua Mei Gua Zi, Yu Ni Hou Hou Nai Lu 3 bottles; You Xixi Chong Ya!, Da Da Jia Geng Nai Bi Sheng Suo Yuan, Q Qiu Qiu Q, Pa Da Pa Da, Xixi, Jiang Ren Shen Juan Xie Ci Wo Nan You., sherley 2 bottles; La Mian Jiu Jiu, Bai Yun Shen Chu, Yu Guan, wwesd~...d, Lin, Hong Zao Zongzi, Xiao Xiao, You Zhi, Qian Bian, Lan Ai Wan Qi, 47444958, Luo Yi Yu, Gu He, Ah Zhu, Ah Ran, Ge Wu, Tell myself not to use my brain while reading, Xi Xi Che, Chun, Feng Hui, Zhi Shang 1 bottle;

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