Over the next few days, Lin You was deeply troubled.

The abusive plot points in the novel progressed layer by layer. If the chapters before the coming-of-age ceremony were about torture, then the chapters after were about destruction.

Next, he had to strip Lenon of his military power and confine him in the prince's residence, imprisoning him like a boy toy.

In the original text, the Third Prince fed Lenon the addictive pheromone, but threw him back to the Third Legion without providing any comfort, wanting to see Lenon beg for mercy in pain.

However, Lenon's reaction was very strange. For the first few days, he did not say a word, nor did he send a single message begging for help, making the Third Prince doubt the effect of the addictive pheromone. Yet, on a certain day, his attitude drastically changed. He suddenly let go of his pride and became the exact submissive appearance the Third Prince desired, begging softly, spouting dramatic, aria-like pleas one after another.

The original text described it as: "The Third Prince nodded in satisfaction. It seems that even the most unyielding and outstanding major general of the Third Legion could not withstand the agony of pheromone addiction."

But Lin You felt that wasn't the case.

Lenon must have received some piece of news that day, something he absolutely had to do—something so important that it was worth sacrificing his dignity, putting aside his pride, and compromising himself to curry favor.

And after Lenon begged for mercy, the Third Prince was immensely proud of himself. He subsequently brought Lenon to his own residence. By then, Lenon was completely devoid of strength and could not even hold a gun steadily. Naturally, a major general who couldn't hold a gun steadily was unfit to command the Third Legion. So, after a hasty handover, Lenon was stripped of his military authority, completely becoming a pet kept in the Third Prince's back rooms.

This was the plotline they needed to act out now.

Lin You knocked on his head with a headache. "How am I supposed to say this?"

Just a couple of days ago, they had been lingering intimately in bed together. Unbeknownst to his own fate, Lenon had taught Lin You how to pilot an aircraft and even changed his profile picture to a devout knight's salute. Yet now, Lin You had to ask him to relinquish his power and retire?

55 hesitated. "Just say it directly?"

Lin You looked at it blankly. "Say what directly? Just say, 'Stop caring about the Third Legion, hurry up and give up your power, and come be a male pet in my back rooms'?"

He punched his pillow, feeling irritable. "What kind of scum is this!"

But no matter how outrageous the plot was, Lin You still had to follow it. He opened the chat interface, found Lenon, typed, and deleted. After tossing and turning for half an hour, he hadn't sent a single sentence. Instead, the other side showed a typing indicator and sent a message first.

The major general let out a very light sigh. "Your Highness? Is there anything I can do for you? Please, don't hesitate to ask."

Lin You gripped his blanket. The more cooperative Lenon was, the guiltier he felt. After struggling for a long time, he finally steeled his heart. "Major General, I want you to move into the prince's residence."

He tried to be as tactful as possible. "Sometime this month, please hand over your power to your subordinates and temporarily leave the Third Legion."

"..."

No matter how tactfully it was phrased, seizing power was still seizing power.

Asking a general to give up his lifelong career to come live with the prince was a truly excessive demand. Yet, he held Lenon's weakness against him, leaving Lenon no choice but to agree. In an act of escapism, Lin You turned his light brain face down and buried his head into his pillow.

55 poked him. "Host, stop playing ostrich. The major general replied to you."

Lin You took a deep breath and flipped his light brain back over.

Lenon replied quickly: "Of course."

His tone was relaxed, seemingly without any objections: "I am at the Third Legion right now. Would you like to send someone to pick me up?"

In fact, Major General Lenon of the Third Legion had been staying indoors and keeping a low profile, completely out of sight for three whole days.

His orders continued to be issued one by one, and the combat readiness training of the Third Legion proceeded in an orderly manner. The upper echelons underwent a series of personnel changes, with many old faces transferred out and new faces promoted. Meanwhile, Colonel Devon, who had been away on annual leave, rushed back.

There was frequent private discussion within the Third Legion, and quite a few rumors spread, saying that Major General Lenon had been so severely tortured by His Highness the Third Prince that he was too weak to even get out of bed.

These remarks were meticulously recorded by individuals with ulterior motives, and the very next day, they were placed on the desks of certain high-ranking Zerg officials.

Some nodded in satisfaction, while others felt slightly regretful. But everyone was certain of one thing: Lenon had taken the addictive pheromone—this once dazzlingly brilliant genius of the Third Legion was truly ruined.

When Devon rushed back, it was right when the rumors and gossip were at their peak.

As he walked toward the major general's residence, carrying his suitcase and looking travel-worn, Lenon had just finished taking a shower.

The major general was drying his long hair with a large bath towel, even applying some hair care products to his silver locks with keen interest—he was certain that the Third Prince liked his long hair.

Afterward, he examined the face in the mirror and couldn't find any faults. He was as beautiful as ever. Only then did he change his clothes, tie his hair up neatly, and walk out into the main hall.

Devon looked him up and down suspiciously, not seeing the slightest hint of haggardness on his face. "Are you really completely fine? Then where did the cuts on your wrists come from?"

There was indeed a layer of gauze wrapped around Lenon's wrist, with traces of blood seeping through.

Lenon said, "Thanks to the grace of His Highness the Third Prince, I am fine. I cut my wrists myself."

He wasn't stupid. That glass of liquor, so similar in color to the addictive pheromone, as well as the camera on the glass screen and the bug on Lin You's collar, all clearly indicated that the First Prince wanted him dead, but the Third Prince wanted to protect him.

Although he didn't know where the Third Prince's partiality came from, Lenon would return the favor and wouldn't show the slightest flaw in front of the First Prince.

As soon as he returned to the military headquarters, he claimed to be ill and asked for leave, putting on the appearance of being bedridden and on the verge of death. He even mixed a large amount of blood-stained tissues into his daily trash to create the illusion of coughing up blood. Even if someone with ulterior motives rummaged through it or even tested the DNA, they would only conclude that the blood indeed belonged to Major General Lenon and that he was suffering from heart failure and complete exhaustion.

After that, Lenon spent three days wrapping up all his affairs in the military. He then became idle, just waiting for the Third Prince to speak up and take him in as a pet.

—A major general who couldn't even hold a gun steadily shouldn't command a legion. To finish acting out this play and completely convince the First Prince, he couldn't stay in the military headquarters. He had to go to the Third Prince's side and forge the illusion of being imprisoned.

But Lenon waited and waited, and Lin You just wouldn't say anything.

Not only did he not say anything, but he also completely ignored Lenon. No matter what Lenon sent via his light brain, he didn't reply.

Lenon secretly speculated about the Third Prince's plans, but couldn't figure out the reason behind them. He inadvertently swiped to the chat interface and found that the other party had been lingering on the editing screen for half an hour, typing and deleting, deleting and typing, as if troubled by something.

Lenon couldn't help but ask. Lin You's side hesitated for a long time again, before finally asking slowly, "Can you move into the prince's residence?"

"Stop caring about the Third Legion."

Just those few short sentences took him half an hour to compose. He even phrased the relinquishing of power so tactfully, as if afraid that Lenon would be saddened by it.

Through the light brain, Lenon could almost imagine the Third Prince poking at the screen, weighing every word carefully. His cold and aloof features unconsciously softened, and a certain part of his chest was suddenly filled up, feeling incredibly soft.

...Why would he do these things for him?

Once he handed over the Colette Family, he would be nothing but an abandoned piece to the prince. Why would Lin You rack his brains over an abandoned piece?

Devon looked at his old friend, taking in his expression completely, and clicked his tongue. He pulled out a chair and sat down. "It's good that you're fine. You've half-crossed this hurdle, which counts as good news. By sheer coincidence, I happen to have two pieces of good news here as well."

Lenon raised an eyebrow. "Is there some progress regarding Zone 35?"

Devon lowered his voice. "Yes, I found the address of the 'pheromone factory'. Your assumption was correct; it's set up right next to the 'Graveyard'. The 'factory' is covered with a stealth coating that blocks electromagnetic waves, so it took quite a bit of effort. I intercepted their movement tracks, visitor lists, and their latest research direction. I'll send it to you later."

Lenon nodded. "That is indeed good news. What's the second?"

"As for the second, I've managed to create a synthetic replica of the Third Prince's pheromones using black market methods. You understand the side effects and all that, so I won't say much. In short, it can hold up for a year at most, after which your body will collapse."

Devon looked him up and down. "Although it seems like you don't really need it, take it with you just in case."

He took a black leather case out of his suitcase and pushed it over to Lenon. Inside were 48 neatly arranged injection vials. The liquid was a highly saturated ice-blue, resembling a melting glacier.

Lenon nodded. "Thank you."

At that moment, a massive mechanical roar came from the distance. Lenon and Devon simultaneously looked off into the distance. In the sky, the faint silhouette of an aircraft appeared, its exterior painted with the crest of the Royal Family—it was exactly the one commonly used by the Third Prince.

Devon stood up. "It looks like His Highness's people have arrived. I'll take my leave now."

Lenon nodded. "I have to get ready as well."

Lenon was half-carried out of the Third Legion by the attendants.

His face was pale as gold leaf, and his lips lacked the slightest trace of color. Bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down endlessly, dampening a patch of his shirt so that it clung to his body. His beautiful azure eyes were tightly shut. As he was dragged by the attendants across the four-hundred-meter-long front plaza of the Third Legion, his footsteps were unsteady and staggering. The attendants' movements were rough, showing no regard for his status as a major general, dragging him as if he were a piece of cargo.

The soldiers of the Third Legion, who had been training, now turned their heads one after another. They had more or less heard about what happened to Lenon. Many of them showed expressions of sorrow as they silently made way, watching the major general get dragged onto the spaceship.

Once his figure disappeared from sight, another wave of lamentation sounded out.

Once the spaceship's hatch had lowered, cutting off all outside lines of sight, the attendants let go. Lenon stood up straight, not showing the slightest trace of his previous wretchedness. He nodded in greeting to the butler and politely asked, "May I have a moment to freshen up?"

Lenon's face was still as ghastly pale as a ghost, but his posture was relaxed and upright. The butler opened the bathroom door. "Please go ahead."

He then turned on the water valve and washed off the makeup powder decorating his face. Once all his disguises were removed, he smoothed out his flowing silver hair and carefully tied it up.

Thirty minutes later, the aircraft landed at the prince's residence.

The butler led the way for Lenon and pushed open the heavy door with one hand. "This is the guest room His Highness has prepared for you. We will deliver all of your luggage shortly. Please rest well."

This was a very high-standard guest room. The furnishings and decor were exquisite, and even the murals on the walls were painted by famous masters. The attendants had swapped in a brand new, pure white mattress and bedding, and had cleaned the entire room so that every corner was spotless. Judging by the room alone, he was undeniably an honored guest valued by the host.

Lenon didn't mind these details, merely asking, "Where is His Highness?"

The butler kept his eyes looking straight ahead. "I cannot disclose His Highness's whereabouts."

Lenon asked again, "Then when will His Highness summon me?"

He missed the scent of citrus.

The butler maintained a strictly business-like demeanor. "I am unaware. That depends on His Highness's wishes."

Lenon had no choice but to say, "Then I will respectfully await him here."

This waiting ended up lasting for several days.

The esteemed Third Prince seemed to have forgotten that there was such a guest in the residence, yet none of the necessary food and clothing were lacking. Whenever it was mealtime, a steady stream of food would be sent to the room. Lenon briefly assessed it and found that it was completely prepared according to a prince's standard.

His movements were not restricted either. Lenon tried stepping out of the room, walking out of the palace, and finally stopped in the garden. Throughout the entire process, not a single attendant stopped him. They merely bowed slightly when passing by Lenon, politely addressing him as "Major General."

Lenon was certain that he was indeed the most honored guest at the prince's residence, but this guest was unable to see the host, not even for a moment.

Over these few days, Lenon had stopped the butler several times to ask about Lin You's whereabouts, but he only received a single reply.

"Apologies, His Highness has not summoned you, and I cannot disclose his itinerary."

In the study, Lin You let out a long sigh.

The system was lying on the windowsill watching a movie. "Host, this is already the eight-hundredth time you've sighed today. Are you really not planning to go see the major general?"

Lin You: "Let's wait a bit longer."

Lin You felt that what he did was quite unfair. Having a night of passion and then turning hostile in the blink of an eye, comforting him one moment and swiftly seizing power the next—it made him seem like he was having a psychotic breakdown.

And at this stage of the novel, there were still a few extremely outrageous lines that he had to say, which would make him sound even more like a psycho when spoken out loud. He hadn't figured out how to break the deadlock, so he simply played ostrich and avoided seeing him.

These past few days, Lin You had been cooped up in the study, constantly reading through the original text of the novel. The more he read, the worse his headache got. He even made bits and pieces of notes, yet he still remained completely clueless.

No matter how the upcoming plot was acted out, it was going to be difficult to endure.

First, the First Prince would visit in a few days and explicitly ask to see Lenon. There were quite a few indescribable scenes in between.

Then, the Third Prince would take Lenon in as an attendant, but without holding a wedding or any other ceremony. He roughly took over the proudest eldest son of the Colette Family, treating it as if he were receiving a cheap piece of cargo.

Finally, although he was granted a pardon through marriage, at the First Prince's request and the Third Prince's tacit approval, Lenon still had to attend the trial. He had to wear handcuffs like a criminal, stand in the center of the courtroom, and listen to the judge read out crimes he had never committed under the gazes and scrutiny of everyone present, and publicly confess to his guilt.

"..."

Lin You tightly gripped the draft in his hands.

Seizing power, imprisonment, humiliation—after going through this entire sequence of plots, how could Lenon not hate him?

Even though the original owner was a villainous character and Lin You had always played the part as such, when it actually came to this point, he still felt awful.

55 lay to the side out of pure boredom, letting out a big yawn. "Host, the major general sent you another message. Are you really not going to look at it?"

Every morning and evening, Lenon still sent him greetings at a fixed time. The wording was intimate and polite, just like before, as if Lin You hadn't stripped him of his power and imprisoned him, and as if he harbored no grudges whatsoever.

The more Lenon acted like this, the worse Lin You felt. In the end, he simply put the chat application aside—out of sight, out of mind.

They lived together in this residence but completely avoided crossing paths in their daily routines, making it seem as if the intimacy from a few days ago was merely an illusory bubble.

Seeing the date of the First Prince's visit in the plot drawing closer and closer, Lin You hadn't spoken a single line of the dialogue he had hoarded. Not only was Lin You restless, but the system was also growing anxious.

This stalemate lasted until one afternoon when the butler knocked on Lin You's door.

The silver-haired old gentleman bowed respectfully. "Your Highness, I wish to report that the major general said he is unwell and may need to call for a doctor."

Lin You immediately paused. "Where is he feeling unwell?"

The butler hesitated; "The major general is unwilling to elaborate, but he looks to be in immense discomfort."

Lin You furrowed his brows.

Lenon was incredibly enduring. If he showed even one part of discomfort, it meant he was feeling ten parts of agony.

He approved the request to see a doctor and instructed the butler to bring in a trustworthy military doctor from Admiral Hoyle's side. While waiting for the doctor, he unconsciously paced over to the second floor, and at the end of the second-floor corridor was Lenon's guest room.

The heavy wooden door was shut tight, but traces of the scent of iris flowers seeped out—that was the scent of Lenon's pheromones.

Unlike the wild, passionate, and ostentatious pheromones of Male Zergs, the pheromones of Female Zergs were always clear and light. If Lin You didn't deliberately suppress his own, he wouldn't be able to smell Lenon's.

The Male Zerg walked lightly to the door of the guest room.

He hesitated for a moment. "55, go take a look for me."

The system obediently floated through the door and shared the indoor data.

The lights in the room weren't turned on, leaving it pitch black. A human-shaped outline bulged on the bed. He was covered with a thick blanket, his cheek buried in the pillow. His body was curled up unnaturally, and he was trembling slightly.

Lin You pinched his sleeve.

He had to follow the plot, but outside of the plot, he didn't want Lenon to suffer.

55 clung to the headboard, quietly looking at Lenon. "He looks so miserable."

Lin You stood at the door. "Can you match the cause of the illness?"

55: "I'll try. Analyzing, attempting to match, match results..."

"Huh?" It flew a circle in confusion. "The symptoms aren't very typical, and there is no perfectly matching illness. The system's preliminary analysis is that it's a problem caused by pheromone abnormality."

Lin You's footsteps paused.

A problem with pheromones was not something a doctor could treat. Only Lin You, who had marked Lenon, could resolve it.

The original text didn't have this part, but at that time, the issue with the addictive pheromone was even more severe. Presumably, even if Lenon was in pain, he wouldn't have said it out loud.

The major general on the screen was sleeping soundly, seemingly exhausted due to the pheromone abnormality. Lin You took a deep breath and placed his hand on the door handle.

The brass handle turned, the lock cylinder clicked into place, and a soft click sounded. Light from the corridor shone through the crack of the door, faintly illuminating the dark bedroom.

The Third Prince walked into the bedroom.

Lenon quietly hid his arm, which bore a needle mark, and revealed a slight smile.

He had injected a little of the pheromone syringe Devon brought, keeping it right at the threshold of what his body could metabolize without triggering the side effects.

This injection would be a comfort to a Male Zerg lacking solace, but it wasn't for Lenon. The inferior pheromones clashing with his abundant body would cause a temporary high fever, but it wasn't severe. After about two days, once the drug was metabolized, the high fever would also subside.

He needed to exchange intelligence with the Third Prince and express his loyalty. If he could also beg for some intimacy, it would be even better. But the Third Prince was avoiding him, so Lenon had no choice but to resort to this bad plan.

He had bet right. Not only was Lin You partial to him, but he was also very soft-hearted.

If he wasn't soft-hearted, how could he drop everything he was doing and appear at his door the moment he received the news?

Lin You had already walked up to the side of the bed.

He sat down very lightly on the edge of the bed and reached out to test the temperature of Lenon's forehead. After feeling his feverish cheek, he paused for a moment and slowly released his pheromones.

The scent of citrus spread through the bedroom. The concentration wasn't high; it was a level that would make a Female Zerg feel comfortable without being overly stimulating.

Afraid of waking Lenon up, Lin You was as careful as possible, only lightly brushing the major general's skin with his fingertips to transfer the pheromones. But halfway through, Lenon proactively rubbed up against him, pressing his cheek into his palm.

Lin You was startled, but he saw that Lenon still had his eyes closed and his face flushed, showing no signs of waking up. The other party pressed against his palm and nuzzled affectionately, over and over again, like some kind of pet acting spoiled.

Although he knew this was the instinct of a Female Zerg drawing in pheromones, Lin You still couldn't help but chuckle slightly. He gently pinched his cheek and raised the concentration of the pheromones a bit. He stood there for about seven or eight minutes, and sensing that the heat in his palm was gradually fading, he wanted to pull his hand back, turn, and leave.

He was pulled back.

A pair of arms silently climbed up and embraced his arm against his chest. Lenon held on tightly, much like a giant dragon guarding its treasure. Lin You cast his eyes down. The major general had opened his eyes at some point. His azure pupils were still vacant and not quite lucid. His unfocused gaze fell on Lin You, as if doubting who the visitor was.

Lin You breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the major general was still sick and in a dazed state. In this dazed state, Lenon wouldn't question him or demand an explanation from Lin You. Therefore, Lin You leaned over and said softly, "Major General, you have a fever, and it's quite high."

"I've already given you some pheromones. You should feel better in a while. The doctor is coming right away, so you should go back to sleep first."

He tried to pull his arm out.

Lenon silently resisted and hugged it even tighter.

Lin You thought to himself that indeed, no matter what race, people acted like children when they had a fever and needed to be coaxed. He let Lenon continue holding him. "Alright, loosen up a bit. I won't leave."

He sat down on the edge of the bed once more and spaced out into the darkness.

"..."

Lenon closed his eyes, concealing the overly complex emotions in them.

—Not only was the Third Prince partial to him and soft-hearted, but he was also highly indulging.

55 poked its host. "I say, the First Prince is visiting in two days. Those lines you couldn't bring yourself to say, how about you hurry up and say them right now?"

"Since the major general is unconscious anyway, it's fine even if you spout nonsense. If you wait until he's awake tomorrow, you'll be even less able to say them."

The system no longer held any extra expectations for its host's professional capabilities.

Lin You: "That makes sense."

The moment he nodded, 55 immediately switched its screen, displaying the lines on it.

This was a humiliating set of lines. In the original text, the Third Prince was still not satisfied after taking Lenon into his back rooms, insisting on saying awful things to provoke him. A few typical lines were: "When my royal brother comes tomorrow, do you know what you'll face?", "Did you think presenting the Colette Family to me would get you a wedding?", and "Judgment Day will proceed as usual, you know."

It could be described as a villain gloating, despicable to the extreme.

With one arm being held and unable to move, Lin You casually scooped up a lock of silver hair with his other hand, twirling it idly.

He scanned the screen and spoke softly, as if afraid of waking the dreaming person. "Lenon, Royal Brother is coming tomorrow. Do you know what you will face?"

His tone was very calm, sounding like sorrow, yet also like helplessness.

"You presented the Colette Family, but we won't have a wedding."

"Even Judgment Day... I can't erase it for you. It will also proceed as usual."

The last few words were almost inaudible, practically scattering into the wind.

"..."

Lenon sighed, thinking to himself, 'So he was hiding from me just because of this?'

The First Prince feared him, and those rumors were not enough to reassure him. He would inevitably visit the prince's residence again, and there would be a humiliation at that time. This was within Lenon's expectations.

The Third Prince was being monitored by others. It was impossible for him to show goodwill towards Lenon. No wedding? That was also to be expected.

As for Judgment Day, White and the families behind him were pressing him step by step. They had already expressed dissatisfaction at Lenon escaping punishment. If a lightweight trial could get them to drop the matter, it would be an incredibly worthwhile trade. This, too, was still within expectations.

Just because of these insignificant, trivial matters, Lin You felt awful?

Lenon found it hard to describe his feelings. He parted his lips, wanting to laugh but unable to. The beating heart in his chest felt sour and tight. He urgently wanted to embrace the Male Zerg, to kiss him, to die intoxicated in the citrus-scented pheromones. He wanted to touch, to press against him, to entangle with him until death. He urgently wanted to accommodate the other, to fill that collapsed, barren void.

But he couldn't.

He was still pretending to be sick. It would frighten Lin You.

But the citrus scent beside him was truly sweet and refreshing. Lenon's fingertips twitched, and he couldn't control himself from snuggling up to him. He rubbed against Lin You's side, feeling the heat from the other's skin. Finally, he gently raised his hand and wrapped it around the Male Zerg's waist, forming a plausible yet subtle embrace.