Devon sighed and stuffed his gloves into the analytical instrument. He skillfully adjusted the parameters, and the machine started up with a roar, sending vaporized mist rising within the container.

Devon pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Lenon. "Don't get your hopes up too high for the analysis results. The molecular structure of a high-grade Male Zerg's pheromone has always been a technical difficulty, not to mention that time is tight right now."

This was only the initial marking, yet Lenon's dependence on the pheromone was already showing its first signs. Once he was deeply marked, all the injections on the market would become ineffective for him.

Lenon was expressionless and only said, "You still kept that production method from the black market, right?"

Devon's operating hands paused, but he quickly lowered his eyes and continued with his work. "I kept it, but you have to think clearly about the consequences of using that stuff."

The injections from the black market had huge flaws. The brief relief would only last for a few years, and after a few years, there would be a backlash hundreds or thousands of times worse. It was like drinking poison to quench your thirst. In the early years when it was circulating, quite a few Female Zergs from the Third Legion had accidentally bought it and ultimately died struggling.

Lenon, however, said, "A few years' time is enough."

The analysis room was quiet; for a moment, no one spoke.

Devon rubbed the center of his brows and changed the subject. "Passing by the exhibition hall just now and looking at the date, I suddenly realized that the Zone 35 Expulsion Battle's third anniversary is coming up soon."

Lenon sighed softly, "Time really flies."

He didn't like the exhibition hall; the atmosphere there was too heavy. If it weren't for Lin You's visit, the doors to this hall wouldn't have even been opened.

"Yeah, really fast." Devon clicked open the calendar, where there was a small red dot marked with the words 'pay respects'.

He pulled out a stool and sat down in front of Lenon. "Right, Commander, I'm planning to take annual leave and take a trip to the border, just in time for the anniversary, to go to the Graveyard."

The so-called Graveyard was the planetary ring of a massive planet at the border of Zone 35. When aircraft were shot down in space and lost power, the deformed and caved-in metal acted like coffins, wrapping around the remains of the pilots and drifting aimlessly in the universe. When they wandered near the planet, they would be captured by the planet's gravity and, along with rock fragments and cosmic dust, form a magnificent planetary ring.

The ring's structure was complex, with countless sharp fragments moving irregularly. No one could venture deep inside to bring their comrades' remains out, so they stayed permanently within the ring. Space lacked oxygen and moisture, making it difficult for even corpses to decay. They would be frozen with their expressions at the time of death, whether terrified or serene, slowly rotating with the planet's gravitational tides, turning into the most solitary graves in the universe.

Every year on the anniversary, Devon and Lenon would pilot an aircraft and rotate along with the Graveyard. Then, they would load a small cruiser with flowers and wine and remotely pilot it into the ring to express their grief.

Lenon said, "The situation is special this year, so I won't go. Take my wine and send it over together with yours."

Devon nodded. After a bitter smile, he patted Lenon's shoulder. "I hope that when I come back, I'll be able to receive the good news of your marriage to the Third Prince."

No one could say for sure whether marrying a prince with an unknown personality and unknown preferences was a good thing or not, but for Lenon, this was already the best outcome.

Upon returning from the Third Legion, Lin You immediately dove into his bed.

After pretending to be an aristocratic prince all morning, his social battery was completely drained. Right now, he just wanted to get a good sleep. System 55 poked its corpse-like host and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Lin You rolled over, and his lower back was poked by a hard object. He took it out; it was Lenon's brooch.

The brooch had a complex pattern, with thorns and irises entwined. The silver-white metal gleamed with bursts of cold light, icy and chilling, reminding the holder that its owner was a major general with illustrious military achievements.

Lin You pinched it, flipping it over and over as he looked at it. He remembered that he had wanted to use this to make a 3D model as an accessory for his virtual wife. Then he recalled that having changed worlds, his game saves were no longer there, so he sighed. "Speaking of which, are there no similar games in this world?"

He had few hobbies, and his favorite way to kill time was usually playing video games.

The System asked, "Do you mean the shooter-hegemony genre like Interstellar War? Please wait a moment, I will search for you."

It connected to the star network and manipulated crawlers to extract keywords. A moment later, it replied, "Hello, no, but I found something similar. It's the military's training system. By connecting to the brain through the sleep pods you saw today, you can battle against other soldiers and officers. The system has built-in shooting modules and aircraft control modules. At the same time, to protect the soldiers' privacy and prevent retaliation, the models can be customized during the matching phase. It's about seventy percent similar to Interstellar War."

Lin You: "."

He wasn't crazy enough to sneak into the military department to play with their training system. After lamenting the lack of entertainment options for the Zerg, he gave up on playing games and lay back down on the bed.

System 55 floated out at the right time and asked, "Would you like to watch a movie? I have hundreds of them stored."

They were all masterpieces carefully selected and reviewed by it and its previous host, Xie.

Lin You nodded and picked a brainless romantic comedy. Halfway through watching it, his optical computer beeped.

Lenon's message popped up: "Pardon the intrusion, Your Highness. It has been half an hour since you left; have you arrived home safely?"

He was still dutifully cosplaying as a fanatic suitor.

If said in person, Lin You would definitely get goosebumps all over his back. But when said through the phone, it gave the illusion of text roleplaying.

The System said, "Host, according to the original text, you need to say, 'Don't bother me.'"

Lin You replied instantly: "Don't bother me."

Before Lenon could formulate his words, he immediately sent another message, adding: "It's late, I'm going to sleep."

These words were ambiguous. They could be interpreted as "never bother me again," or "it's too late today, text me tomorrow."

Lenon's movements paused.

He completely couldn't keep up with Lin You's typing speed. The tone of the Third Prince's two sentences was vastly different. The first was irritated and irascible, while the second didn't sound angry at all. He had no choice but to delete his carefully edited apology and change it to: "Then I wish you a good night, Your Highness."

The System glanced at the chat interface and clicked its tongue. "How scheming. He even changed his profile picture."

Lin You opened the chat interface. Lenon's profile picture was a photo of him arranging fruits in the kitchen. This photo was clearly meticulously staged. Sunlight slanted down from a 45-degree angle, the arc of the person's smile was just right, his sleeves were rolled up to reveal the most beautiful section of his forearms, and his apron was tied extremely tight, perfectly cinching his waistline. The fruits on the plate were kiwis, tangerines, and grapefruits, presenting a rich yet harmless color palette.

The System: "He might have referenced A Guide to Male Zergs' Favorite Colors. I extracted the exact same color scale from this book as the one in the photo's color palette."

...Looking solely at this photo, Lenon really seemed like a perfectly virtuous wife and good mother.

Lin You scrutinized it closely, deep in thought. "Then what did his previous profile picture look like?"

This profile picture was completely unlike Lenon's usual style in the novel.

The System accessed big data, dragged one out from some obscure corner, and placed it on the display screen. "This one."

Lenon in the photo was wearing a pure white uniform, equipped with a gun. His silver hair was tied high at the back of his head and blown about by the biting fierce wind. His expression was aloof and indifferent, like a goshawk circling over a cliff. He only showed his side profile and didn't look at the camera, yet naturally exuded a chilling and murderous aura.

Lin You: "Wow..."

He was a little bit hooked.

Switching back to the optical computer, looking at the current photo of him cutting grapefruit was unpleasant no matter how he looked at it. Thus, Lin You pondered for a moment, opened the chat box, and instantly sent another message, saying meaningfully, "The photo is very beautiful."

— He was referring to the previous one.

The System looked at him sideways. "You aren't socially anxious anymore."

Lin You said, "It's just chatting online."

Who was he? He was a streamer who was constantly called 'wife' by others and who also called countless people 'wife'. He didn't dare to speak recklessly face to face, but when it came to typing, he wasn't afraid at all.

"..."

The optical computer had no activity for a long time.

Lenon paused for a long while, seemingly not expecting Lin You to notice the photo so quickly. He then carefully deliberated his reply, maintaining his usual poetic tone: "Thank you for your praise and liking. Next time you visit, I will make sure to prepare welcome fruits for you."

Lin You could imagine that if Lenon said this face to face, his tone would definitely be noble and refined, his etiquette meticulous, like the most well-bred aristocrat. But typing it out on the optical computer made it somewhat hilarious.

At this point, the other side was still showing 'typing...'.

Lin You didn't reply, simply watching at his leisure to see what else Lenon could say.

Perhaps Lin You's positive response gave him the chance to press his advantage, and the Female Zergs of the Colette Family were always good at seizing every opportunity. Lenon even shamelessly added: "Cooking is an essential skill for Female Zergs. This is my daily life at home. I look forward to the day I can present a meal to you."

"Pfft—"

Lin You closed his optical computer, laughing so hard he couldn't straighten his back.

He pounded his pillow a couple of times, admired that serious and aloof side profile photo for a moment, and saved it to his collection. Just as he was about to take a shower and sleep, the optical computer beside his hand rang abruptly again, popping up a call invitation.

This time it wasn't Lenon. The contact name read: Father.

The System reminded: "Oh, it's the original owner's female father, the joint leader of the Seventh Legion and the First Legion, one of the three existing generals in the military, Admiral Hoyle. In the original novel, you two are about to meet. This should be a plotline automatically filled in by the world."

The original text only mentioned that the two were going to meet; the intermediate contact process was naturally omitted.

Lin You paused slightly. Hearing this string of titles gave him a headache.

The System: "You don't need to be nervous. The original owner's female father is busy with military affairs and only recently returned to the capital. He doesn't have a close relationship with the original owner, so he won't see through your identity issue."

Lin You said oddly, "If our relationship isn't close, then why is he calling me so late at night?"

He pressed accept.

A middle-aged man with a proper and stern face appeared in the video. Dressed in a navy blue uniform, he seemed to have just returned from the military headquarters, his shoulders adorned with epaulets. He was no longer young; strands of silver-white were mixed into his grayish-blue hair. His gaze was sharply intimidating. At a glance, it was obvious that he was someone holding a high position, wielding the power of life and death.

Lin You was the first to greet, "Female father, good evening."

The man's gaze fell upon him and instantly softened.

He looked Lin You up and down, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. "My Youyou has finally come of age."

At the beginning of the story, the Third Prince had just come of age. For the Zerg, coming of age was a major hurdle, where both appearance and personality would undergo changes.

The System: "Admiral Hoyle just returned to the capital; he hasn't seen the adult you yet."

Lin You thought about it and planned to reply with, "Indeed." Then he heard his female father suddenly let out a long sigh and say wistfully, "Youyou has also reached the age to get married and take a female consort."

"..."

Lin You was suddenly startled, revealing an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Although he had already transmigrated, these words were eighty percent similar to parents urging marriage when returning home for the holidays. Lin You reflexively broke into a sweat on his forehead and then laughed awkwardly, "Ah? Is that so?"

There was no such segment in the plot, so he could only improvise.

Hoyle suddenly changed the topic and said, "I heard you've been getting quite close to Major General Lenon of the Colette Family recently?"

"...Yes."

Hoyle revealed a hint of disapproval. "He is not a good choice."

"I've seen Lenon in the military headquarters before. That child might be a good general, deeply calculating and acting cautiously at every step, but he isn't suited for domestic life or content with staying at home. He has too many thoughts of his own and his intentions are too complicated. Although the Colette Family's wealth is indeed covetable, in this regard, you still need to consider it carefully."

Hoyle paused for a moment and added, "You won't be able to control him."

Lin You naturally knew he couldn't control Lenon, nor did he want to. The major general in the novel was just like the thorn-entwined iris; the deeper the mundane dogmas bound him, the more he bloomed. If he were suppressed, he wouldn't be Lenon anymore.

Lin You had originally been quietly listening to Hoyle speak. The Empire's Male Zergs didn't need to be this respectful to their female fathers, but he still retained the habits of his past life. However, hearing this, he couldn't help but interrupt, "With all due respect, I don't think these are flaws."

He frowned. "Not suited for domestic life, not content with staying in the back rooms—but military Female Zergs shouldn't be like that in the first place. Father, when you were young, you probably never thought of sacrificing everything to dedicate yourself completely to my male father, right?"

"..."

Of course, no one was born thinking of sacrificing their lives for someone else. It was just that Zerg pheromones were too overbearing, rooted deep in their flesh and blood, leaving them with no other choice.

Lin You pursed his lips. "Besides, I've seen Lenon fire a gun, and it was beautiful."

The implication was that he didn't want Lenon to change a thing.

Hoyle paused.

The Empire's general pressed the center of his brow, feeling somewhat melancholy. After a moment, he finally said, "You've indeed grown up."

The spoiled prince had suddenly changed after coming of age. Hoyle observed him, unable to say whether he felt relieved or sentimental.

He sighed. "I haven't seen you in a long time either. Call Lenon, and let's have a meal together."

Since his child had quite a favorable impression of Lenon, he had to personally vet him.

When Lenon received the invitation, he was just preparing to send Devon off to the spaceship for his annual leave.

The Third Legion was not subordinate to any of the three current generals, but constrained by their status, all three generals had the authority to command him. Admiral Hoyle's message was sent directly to his optical computer, the wording freezing cold and devoid of any emotion. It simply said: "Next Friday, dine with me."

He didn't even use the word "please."

Lenon quickly closed the message, but it was still caught squarely by Devon. Devon was slightly taken aback: "The Third Prince's father?"

Lenon gave an expressionless "hmm." "Probably here to establish his authority."

He had been courting the Third Prince in such a high-profile manner, and the rumors about the rose and iris had stirred up a storm across the city. Now, people were discussing it on the gossip boards of all anonymous forums. It was impossible for the Third Prince's father not to know.

Devon pondered for a moment and clicked his tongue. "Next Friday. With this chosen date, you're probably going to have a hard time."

After the initial marking, the lengthy period of discomfort lasted up to two months. And nearly half a month had passed since Lenon had last come into contact with Lin You's pheromones. The residue on his gloves and coat had completely dissipated, forcing Lenon to increase the dosage of his injections.

At this time, forcing him to be in the same room with Lin You was already going to be incredibly agonizing.

Lenon said, "I just hope he won't make me kneel beside the Third Prince for four hours."

This was an ancient authority-establishing custom of the Zerg. Much like how backward mountainous regions of the human race liked to make brides sit in a winnowing pan under the guise of tempering their character, quite a few Male Zergs were also keen on establishing authority this way.

Kneeling for four hours was no big deal; he wasn't that fragile. The critical issue was that the Male Zerg's pheromones would permeate the air, creating a fatal attraction for him. However, that tiny bit of pheromones, aside from arousing his body, would be far from enough to satisfy him. It would only make his agony more agonizing and the unbearable more unbearable. Suppressing his instinctual urges under such circumstances while maintaining etiquette before a superior officer would be no easy feat.

But once he breached etiquette, the marriage would face even more severe obstacles.

Devon teased, "That's not even the worst of it. The worst part is you kneeling for four hours, and then the general tells you that you're not suitable and tells you to stay away from his child."

Lenon was noncommittal: "It's not impossible."

With the Colette Family's wealth, Lenon was confident he could get Lin You to accept him. Moreover, given the Third Prince's recent behavior, even praising his photo, he should still have a favorable impression of him. As for the uncontrollable twists and turns in between, he would simply have to endure them one by one.

Speaking of this, Lenon suddenly said, "Devon, your aesthetic taste isn't bad."

Devon was taken aback. "?"

Lenon: "The Third Prince really liked the photo you picked."

Devon smiled smugly. "Of course. It's the result of data analysis on Male Zerg preferences."

Time passed like flowing water. Lenon handled his official duties day after day, and in the blink of an eye, Friday arrived.

He meticulously groomed his appearance, tying his silver hair up strand by strand. He chose a low-key, fail-safe formal suit and injected three more doses into his veins—this was the maximum dosage allowed pharmacologically. Only then did he carry a bouquet of pure white irises and gracefully board the aircraft.

During the trip, he repeatedly confirmed the address Hoyle had given him.

Royal dinners were usually held in private residences, but Admiral Hoyle had chosen a commercial district in the bustling city.

Lenon flew the aircraft near the commercial district, frowning slightly. The people coming and going here were all young people dressed in casual clothes, amidst the bright neon lights and heavy traffic. In contrast, he, dressed in a formal uniform with medals on his shoulders, looked completely out of place.

This didn't look like a venue a general would choose at all. Thus, the one who picked this place could only be the young and youthful Third Prince.

Lenon secretly speculated on the Third Prince's taste. He smoothed out the wrinkles on the hem of his clothes and thought to himself, 'I hope these two aren't absurd enough to make me kneel in public at a mall.'

Otherwise, he would secure the front-page headlines of all forums the next day.

He arrived at the reserved restaurant, which had already been cleared out in advance. The service staff verified his name, smiled, and said, "Please follow me."

Lenon nodded and entered, quietly observing the interior decoration.

— A floor paved with bamboo mats, which wouldn't be uncomfortable to kneel on. The indoor ventilation was smooth, and the air circulation was normal, so pheromones could quickly dissipate.

The waiter led him to the innermost private room.

The two sliding doors opened outward, revealing the scene inside. The Third Prince and the general were sitting on opposite sides. There were no chairs in the room; both were kneeling on futon cushions, surrounding a small bronze hot pot that was bubbling and gurgling.

The System: "Host, your line."

"Mhm."

Lin You tossed a slice of meat into the hot pot and, amidst the rising steam, waved at Lenon: "Major General, kneel down."

He added with a smile: "Kneel on this cushion next to me."

— Just for this line, he had deliberately spent two hours choosing before finally picking this restaurant with tatami mats.