At this moment, at the entrance of the mansion, Admiral Lawrence glanced over Admiral Hoyle with gloomy eyes and spoke coldly, "It seems you have no intention of letting me search the mansion?"

Admiral Hoyle: "How could that be? You brought the Zerg Emperor's search warrant, so of course you can search."

He sighed with a headache. "It's just that my unworthy child hasn't gotten up yet. The room is a mess and nothing has been tidied up. It wouldn't look good for you to see it. He is a prince, after all. If the recorder captures anything untoward, it would more or less damage the prestige of the Royal Family."

Admiral Lawrence came to search, but whatever he found couldn't just be left to his baseless claims. He carried a law enforcement recorder pinned to his chest. When the court session began, the video in the recorder would be submitted as evidence for review.

Admiral Lawrence cast him a sidelong glance. "At this hour, and he's still not up?"

Hoyle smiled. "Yesterday he and Lenon fussed for a while. That child has an arrogant and willful temper, so he gets up a bit late."

He led Admiral Lawrence to the hall and signaled the servant to bring coffee and sake. "Please sit here for a moment. I've already had the servants go hurry him."

Having just lost his child, Lawrence's face was gloomy. "Fine, I will wait for two minutes. If I really find something during the search, you, for harboring a criminal—"

"So noisy." Before he finished speaking, someone yawned lazily, and a clear voice interrupted, "It's early in the morning, why is it so noisy? Aren't you going to let anyone sleep... Female Father?"

The two of them turned around at the same time and saw a handsome young man standing at the junction of the living room and the hallway. He was wearing a loose set of casual clothes, his posture lazy and casual. His black eyes were half-closed, barely awake. He was leaning against the wall, looking toward the living room with dissatisfaction.

Admiral Hoyle reprimanded, "This is Admiral Lawrence."

He turned to Lawrence and apologized, "The child is a bit spoiled. Please forgive him."

Lin You sat down on the living room sofa. With messy hair, he played the role of an arrogant, disrespectful playboy to the extreme. He greeted Admiral Lawrence perfunctorily, "Admiral, what brings you to my place?"

In terms of seniority in the military, Lawrence indeed suppressed Hoyle, but he couldn't suppress Lin You, who was a prince. He just kept a straight face: "The Eldest Prince was murdered, and your servant Lenon is highly suspected. I need to investigate."

Lin You let out a "Hmm," and asked in surprise, "Lenon? He is addicted to pheromones and can't even crawl out of my mansion, yet he assassinated the Eldest Prince?"

Lawrence: "Whether there was an assassination or not, I won't know until I investigate."

Lin You said carelessly, "Alright, then how do you want to investigate?"

His tone was frivolous, seemingly unafraid. Lawrence's eyebrows twitched slightly. "The Eldest Prince's guards injured his back. Summon Lenon and have him strip to let me take a look, then everything will be clear."

"Have him strip to let you take a look?" Lin You's tone was strange, and then he raised an eyebrow. "That won't do."

He played the willful temper of a Zerg prince to the extreme, saying arrogantly, "Lenon is my property now. I don't like others looking at my things."

System 55 clapped for him. "Host, your acting is quite convincing."

Admiral Lawrence had long heard that the Third Prince Lin You was highly possessive. As early as his coming-of-age ceremony, White was beaten up by Lin You just for speaking frivolously. It wasn't surprising to Lawrence that he would say this.

Lawrence was dissatisfied and coldly snorted, "Third Highness, I carry an Empire investigation warrant with me. Are you going to stop me?"

Lin You didn't care at all and clicked his tongue. "What's an Empire investigation warrant? Wait until I go into the palace to see my Male Father. When Male Father personally issues an edict, only then will I recognize this investigation..."

His Male Father was His Majesty the Zerg Emperor.

"Alright, Youyou!" Admiral Hoyle pressed his forehead, seemingly having a headache. He turned to Lawrence and apologized, "I've made a fool of myself in front of you. This child of mine has a bad temper. I will lecture him later."

Lawrence sneered. "The Third Highness's temper indeed needs to be properly taught. He doesn't even take an Empire investigation warrant seriously..."

Lin You also sneered at the same time. "I just don't take it seriously, what can you do about it..."

"Enough!"

Seeing the smell of gunpowder getting thicker, Admiral Hoyle quickly smoothed things over. "How about this, Admiral, Youyou, let's both take a step back. How about each taking a step back?"

He looked at Lin You. "The Admiral brought a search warrant, so he still needs to take a look."

He turned back to Lawrence. "But Lenon is in the Prince's bedroom, and hasn't cleaned up yet. He's covered in hickeys, and it's full of the scent of Male Zerg pheromones in there. It really is inappropriate for you to go in."

Having persuaded both sides, Hoyle said, "How about this? Let Youyou take the law enforcement recorder inside. Wherever you want to see, let him record it for you, and you can watch it remotely. Is that okay?"

"..."

Lin You reluctantly agreed, "Fine."

Admiral Lawrence remained silent, his eyes dark and gloomy.

Seeing this, Hoyle's tone also cooled down, carrying a hint of warning. "Admiral, I need to remind you that Lin You is also one of the heirs to the throne."

The Eldest Prince was already dead. The only ones left were Lin You and the Second Prince. The Second Prince's relatives were far inferior to Admiral Hoyle. And once Lin You ascended the throne as the Zerg Emperor, he wouldn't be someone Lawrence could afford to offend.

"..."

As a married Female Zerg, Lenon was now covered with Lin You's pheromones. It really was inappropriate for Lawrence to go.

Lawrence pinched the recorder on his chest, his expression dark and unreadable. This device was the most advanced recording instrument in The Empire. High-frame-rate and high-definition, the feed connected directly to his Light Brain. With its built-in analyzer, it couldn't be fooled by cheap tricks like misdirection or covering up.

Moreover, from the time he received the investigation warrant and rushed straight to the Prince's mansion, less than an hour had passed. There wouldn't have been enough time to prepare anything.

Lawrence nodded. "Acceptable."

So Lin You lightly took the law enforcement recorder and went into the room.

He turned on the light, placed the device on the table, slightly adjusted its position, and then sat on the edge of the bed, gently pulling the Major General out.

Lenon was heavily injured and had been drifting in and out of a coma. Being held in Lin You's arms, he blurrily saw the recorder opposite him. His pupils abruptly shrank, and his back instantly tensed.

Once the recorder captured his back, nothing could be explained clearly anymore. By then, Lin You would have to shoulder the charge of murdering the crown prince, whether he wanted to or not. Admiral Lawrence would absolutely not let him off easily, and the Colette Family would also suffer a catastrophic disaster.

The tensed muscles caused his wounds to tear, and the seeping blood soaked through his bandages.

Lin You raised his hand, and his fingertips felt a patch of wetness.

The Major General still had a fever. He leaned against Lin You, his body tensing unconsciously, unknown whether it was due to his injuries or his worry.

Lin You kissed Lenon's earlobe and soothingly stroked his long silver-white hair. Like comforting a sick animal, he whispered softly, "Don't be afraid. Trust me."

"...Okay."

Lenon had no strength in his body, his muscles sore and weak. He leaned against Lin You like a rag doll, his chin resting on Lin You's shoulder. He solely relied on Lin You holding his lower back to keep from sliding down. His azure eyes had also lost their luster, making him look extremely weak.

Fortunately, a Female Zerg addicted to pheromones would also look like this after making love.

Lin You raised his voice and asked, "Admiral, what do you want to see?"

Admiral Lawrence's gaze lingered on Lenon's face. There were no traces of replacement or forgery. His voice was cold and grim. "Turn him around and show me his back."

Lin You cooperatively shifted their position, letting the Major General's back face the law enforcement recorder. During this process, Lenon grew increasingly uneasy—no matter how one looked at it, this room was a simple bedroom with no hidden mechanisms, nor were there any props that could fool the law enforcement recorder. Reason told him that if Lin You said he had a way, he most likely did, but his body tightened uncontrollably.

Lin You frowned slightly.

Tensing up too much was bad for the wounds. He released soothing pheromones. The scent of citrus filled the bedroom, and his body heat transferred through their skin.

Lin You's fingers touched the buttons of the pajamas, and then deftly undid them.

In the living room, Admiral Hoyle and Admiral Lawrence held their breath at the same time.

Although Lin You had instructed Admiral Hoyle to cover for them, the incident happened in a rush, and Hoyle didn't know what method Lin You had. He helped cover it up, but he was somewhat unsure in his heart.

On the screen, Lin You slipped the clothes back, exposing Lenon's cold, white skin to the air. In an instant, a layer of goosebumps rose there.

His back was completely clean, save for a few faint hickeys.

Hoyle let out a long sigh of relief, while Lawrence's eyebrows twitched violently.

In the bedroom, Lenon clung tightly to Lin You, as if this was the only way he could draw a shallow sense of security.

He couldn't see the screen on the monitor, but the wounds on his back genuinely existed. As the quilt fell and his clothes slipped down, the wounds were exposed to the air, aching slightly. He felt like a clam being forcibly pried from its shell, forced to remove all disguise, only able to submissively bare his back and wait for the subsequent verdict.

Lawrence said coldly, "Third Highness, please touch the skin on his back."

Although no wounds were currently visible, if they were covered by some material, the texture would definitely be different from real skin. Once analyzed, it would be exposed.

Lin You still maintained a careless appearance. He reached out his hand and accurately landed on a patch of intact skin amidst a large area of abrasions, beginning to gently knead it.

Lenon paused, his shoulder blades trembling slightly uncontrollably.

His back felt cold, and amidst the large swaths of dull pain, only that tiny spot burned intensely hot. In order to show Lawrence, Lin You rubbed with great force, as if playing with a lump of clay.

Such an action uncontrollably affected the other wounds, but the pain wasn't obvious. Combined with the itchiness of the scabbing wounds, it instead transformed into a large expanse of undeniable numbness and tingling.

Lin You quickly noticed Lenon's trembling, nuzzled his cheek, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"..."

The citrus-scented pheromones were overwhelming. Lenon and Lin You hadn't seen each other for a week, yet his body felt as if it hadn't been saturated for a very, very long time. His skin wanted to press close, his flesh yearned for union, but he couldn't describe this strange feeling in front of the monitor. He could only hesitate for a moment before saying vaguely, "...Cold."

So Lin You hugged him even tighter.

The Third Highness raised his head and looked at the monitor with dissatisfaction. "Have you seen enough? If you've seen enough, I'll pull his clothes up. He's cold."

After these words were spoken, not only did Hoyle and Lawrence pause slightly, but even Lenon paused.

Female Zergs were never a delicate species, and Lenon was even less so. He had darted in and out of hails of bullets. Even bleeding and broken bones were trivial matters to him. But when he casually mentioned being cold, Lin You actually cared.

Beneath him was a soft quilt, and in front of him was a tight embrace. The temperature of the embrace was scalding hot and comfortable, making one unable to help but indulge in it. The Third Highness's arms loosely surrounded him, enclosing him within, almost like weaving a warm nest.

This was a protective posture, as if declaring: I will not allow anyone else to hurt him.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Lin You was a prince and had the right to be willful. He didn't wait for Lawrence's agreement. He re-buttoned Lenon's pajamas, tucked the Major General into the quilt, and then kissed those stunned blue eyes. He got out of bed, picked up the monitor, and without a word, turned it off.

In a place no one could see, he mouthed something to System 55.

"Beautifully done."

System 55 replied with a "Yay" emoji and said proudly, "Of course. I am a high-tech system from a higher-dimensional civilization."

It could even hack into the military's most advanced spaceship's security system. Hacking into a small monitoring device, modifying the inappropriate images, and turning the wounds on the back into hickeys was a very simple matter for System 55.

Lin You grabbed the monitor and tossed it into Lawrence's arms. "Admiral, we've verified it. You can leave now, right?"

"..."

Lawrence initially had an eighty percent suspicion toward Lenon, but the footage from the law enforcement recorder was irrefutable evidence. The other party's back genuinely had no scars.

Lawrence: "May I briefly search the other rooms?"

Lin You shrugged. "Be my guest."

He yawned and circled back to the master bedroom. "Just keep the noise down. I need to go back and catch up on my sleep."

Admiral Lawrence searched the mansion again but found nothing.

Admiral Hoyle saw the guest out with a fake smile plastered across his face and shut the main gate of the Prince's mansion.

Meanwhile, Lin You slipped back into Lenon's covers.

Reuniting after a long separation, only to have to deal with this crap, Lin You looked listless. He touched Lenon's forehead and found that he was still running a fever, so he whispered, "I'll call a doctor to look at you."

Lenon shook his head. "No, getting in contact with an outsider at this time will just add another layer of risk."

Lin You: "Don't worry, they are all my father's trusted subordinates. They've also come to check on you while you were sick. But if you're not at ease, we can call Devon instead."

Devon was also a military doctor for the Third Legion.

He pressed the call bell at the head of the bed.

Thirty minutes later, Devon arrived at the room.

Upon seeing the Major General lying safely on the bed, Devon's eyes grew slightly red. However, in front of the Third Prince, it wasn't good to show it, so he hurriedly lowered his eyes to hide it and connected the medical instruments to Lenon.

After the diagnosis, he sighed slightly. "Major General, your condition is not very good. The blood loss and wounds will take several months to recover from. And besides that, the damage to your wings is especially severe."

On the aircraft, Lenon had spread his wings to stabilize his body. Lin You still remembered that pair of silver-white wings.

Lenon wasn't surprised at all, not even showing any expression, just asking, "Then what should be done?"

Devon: "For now, we'll observe the healing progress and use antibiotics to prevent infection. But if the situation doesn't improve...", he observed Lenon's expression and said softly, "They might have to be amputated."

Lin You tightened his grip on his hand.

Lenon patted him reassuringly. "It's fine. It's no big deal."

He said lightly, "Then let's observe first. If it doesn't work out, amputate them."

Having already prepared himself for death, being able to return alive now was already extremely fortunate.

Lin You still wanted to ask more about the wings, but Lenon brushed it off. Compared to his ruined wings, he was clearly more concerned about another question: "Devon, how did my aircraft fly back?"

His first memory was still the desolate, vast universe, but the moment he opened his eyes, he was in the clean Prince's mansion. If Lin You wasn't vividly right in front of his eyes, this would have seemed like an illusion before death.

Devon: "?"

He said in astonishment, "Didn't you fly it? I watched the flight recorder. There were a few particularly beautiful evasive maneuvers. I even remarked on how skilled you were, pulling off such incredible operations despite losing that much blood."

Lin You: "."

Lenon frowned. "No, I had already lost consciousness at that time."

Devon: "But I checked that aircraft. There were only traces of your usage. If it wasn't you, who else could it be? Could a ghost have appeared in the cockpit?"

Lin You: "..."

Lenon pondered. "Strange."

He mused for a moment but couldn't reach a conclusion. He then looked at Lin You. "By the way, Your Highness, how exactly did you fool the law enforcement recorder just now?"

"..."

Two fatal questions arrived one after another. Lin You felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He looked left and right, and finally jumped up. "This is a secret, I can't say for now... Um, Lenon, what do you want to eat for dinner? I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare it."

As expected, Lenon didn't press the matter. He casually named two dishes, and Lin You strode out.

System 55 floated to the side, wiping its sweat guiltily. "Did he find out?"

Lin You also wiped his sweat. "I don't know."

The Major General had a sharp mind; perhaps he had noticed something.

Lin You still hadn't figured out how to explain, hurriedly walking to the small kitchen.

When he finished instructing the servants to prepare the food and returned to the bedroom carrying a glass of milk, he paused at the door.

The room was completely quiet. Lenon seemed to have fallen asleep.

The side of his face was buried in the pillow, his expression peaceful and his brows relaxed, as if he was having a sweet dream.

Lin You then set down the tray. "Let him sleep. I'll wake him for dinner."

However, until dinnertime, Lenon did not wake up.

He continued to sleep peacefully. The faint scent of Iris pheromones wafted out, clear and clean.

Lin You tried nudging him, but no matter how he called, Lenon wouldn't wake up.

Thus, in the evening, Devon was invited into the Prince's mansion again.

Carrying his equipment, the military doctor circled Lenon three times, looking left and right. Finally, with a solemn expression, he reached a conclusion. "Your Highness, the Major General has likely entered the nesting period."

Lin You was stunned. "Nesting?"

Devon: "This is a habit of the ancient Zerg. When the body suffers severe injuries that are difficult to heal on their own, they will fall into a deep sleep in their nest to repair their damaged bodies. By the time the Major General wakes up, his wings should be healed."

Lin You breathed a sigh of relief. "This really is good news."

Devon's gaze swept over him and Lenon, looking as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

Lin You: "Are there any other precautions to keep in mind?"

Devon: "No, you just need to wait peacefully for the Major General to wake up... It's just that..."

"Just what?"

"...It's just that nowadays, very few Female Zergs nest. During this period, their bodies are exceptionally fragile. Unless a Female Zerg feels absolutely safe, they will not nest."

Devon's expression was complicated.

—Absolutely safe? When would a Female Zerg ever feel absolutely safe?

Lenon grew up in the Colette Family, maintaining the strictest etiquette. Later, he joined the Third Legion, bathing in blood and fire. He walked on thin ice amidst power struggles. He had never relaxed for a single moment, always wearing a mask. Aristocratic etiquette was his best disguise. But now, in the Third Prince's mansion, beside an arrogant Male Zerg, he actually felt absolutely safe?

"..."

Lin You didn't know the winding thoughts in Devon's mind. He simply gathered the Major General's overly long hair. "Then when will he wake up?"

Devon pondered. "According to the customs of the ancient Zerg, about three to five months."

Lin You: "Three to five months..."

For a couple deeply in love, this was truly, truly far too long.

He looked up out the window. At the end of this floor-to-ceiling window was the towering imperial palace of the Zerg Main Star. When the weather was clear, standing here allowed one to see the rows of buildings within the palace. The pointed spire tops towered into the clouds, the towers decorated with complex carvings, dotted with huge, colorful stained glass windows. That was the most massive and complex architectural complex on the Main Star, the storm center of all power transitions in The Empire.

Lin You recalled the descriptions in the original novel, thought of the time the old Zerg Emperor passed away, and then thought of the Third Prince's ending in the original text, as well as the bits and pieces he had investigated these past few days, and let out a long sigh.

"You have to wake up quickly." Lin You touched Lenon's cheek and said wistfully, "Otherwise, you'll miss my enthronement and coronation ceremony."

—If his Female Consort was absent on the day of his coronation, Lin You would be regretful.