NOVEL NEXT 41
Chapter 41
“I’m experienced. Don’t worry.”
Xia Baiyuan stood up straight, the black fabric absorbing the moonlight, his gaze shallow.
Compared to the cell, a dessert shop would be more suitable for them. Xia Baiyuan seemed to be standing in front of the counter, contemplating which dessert suited his taste.
Lu Xi sat on the ground, propping up his cheek, lifting his eyelids to look at him.
Xia Baiyuan asked, “Any questions?”
Lu Xi looked at him. With one hand in his pocket and the other holding the whip, the whip’s tail swayed around in circles on the ground.
The words spoken by Xia Baiyuan indeed carried credibility.
But how could Xia Baiyuan become a fugitive?
Lu Xi wished he could give Xia Baiyuan the best of everything—Fugitive? Oh, come on, what a joke?
He put down his hand supporting his cheek, and the folds on his face quickly disappeared. Lu Xi grinned, “What are you thinking?”
He reached out to hold Xia Baiyuan’s hand.
Xia Baiyuan raised his chin, looking down at Lu Xi, and quickly realized that Lu Xi’s mind was elsewhere—he hadn’t considered his plan at all.
So Xia Baiyuan rejected Lu Xi’s closeness. He couldn’t possibly sugarcoat it at this moment.
He waved his hand, the whip making a loud whistling sound in the air, and said half-jokingly, “Behave yourself!”
Lu Xi opened his mouth and let out a lazy, miserable scream. “Ah, ah, ah.”
That kind of rebelliousness, that kind of arrogance, was almost overflowing.
Xia Baiyuan couldn’t help but laugh.
He had never seen Lu Xi look so indifferent, which puzzled him greatly.
This was the best plan. Lu Xi wouldn’t die, and they would always be together, resiliently surviving in every corner of the zerg world.
He couldn’t understand why Lu Xi wouldn’t cooperate with him.
Xia Baiyuan threw away the whip, squatting in front of Lu Xi with a half-crouch, their eyes level. The silver-haired female zerg had a cold expression.
He reached out with both hands, pinching Lu Xi’s cheeks and pulling them apart forcefully.
Lu Xi’s face looked sharp, but when pulled, it revealed astonishing elasticity.
Xia Baiyuan: “Quick, say, you promise.”
Lu Xi resisted stubbornly, responding in silence.
Xia Baiyuan squinted, exerting a bit more force with his hand: “Lu Xi, why are you being stubborn?”
Physiological tears accumulated in Lu Xi’s eye sockets, his neck stiffened in refusal to yield.
How could you be a fugitive?
You should be at the pinnacle of the zerg race, you should be famous, so that all zergs know your name.
Science and education textbooks may change, but they will never delete your era.
Lu Xi stared straight at Xia Baiyuan’s eyes like this, Xia Baiyuan couldn’t stand him looking at himself like this, and finally gave in.
He hesitated for a moment, and finally let go.
But because the matter was urgent, Xia Baiyuan said coldly, “You are clearly not the type to be fooling around.”
There were very obvious red marks on Lu Xi’s fair cheeks, showing that Xia Baiyuan had used quite a bit of force.
He rubbed his cheeks silently, but instead of the red marks disappearing, they spread out like ink wash paintings.
Lu Xi knew he was in the wrong, and he couldn’t even muster the courage to speak. He just looked at Xia Baiyuan with his bright eyes, and then looked away.
At that moment, with his expressionless face and slightly red eyes, there was a hint of grievance in Lu Xi’s demeanor.
This scene made Xia Baiyuan unavoidably think of a stray dog he and his female father had encountered when they were wandering in a certain city in the past.
With its yellow fur and one ear missing, it always lay on a certain garbage pile, whimpering whenever it encountered people, pitifully—so passing people would give it some food.
Who could have imagined that such a dog would turn out to be a street thug?
Xia Baiyuan looked coldly at Lu Xi, biting down on his teeth: “What should we do then?”
There was a subtle hint of compromise in his tone.
There was no way, understanding theory and practical operation were never the same thing.
Xia Baiyuan himself had not hesitated to give bread to that stray dog, what could he do?
It’s all because Lu Xi was excessively good-looking.
Lu Xi naturally sensed Xia Baiyuan’s hesitation and reached out to touch Xia Baiyuan’s slightly sweaty palm: “The officer who caught me is named Officer Huang.”
Xia Baiyuan snorted and interrupted him: “Clearly not a good zerg at a glance.”
Lu Xi couldn’t help but laugh, and after a pause, he said, “He chatted with me for a while, guess what he said?”
Xia Baiyuan: “What?”
Lu Xi cleared his throat and imitated Officer Huang’s tone: “Don’t worry, based on my experience, without solid evidence, the worst that will happen to you is a beating. We female zergs are tough-skinned and thick-skinned, we can endure it.”
He imitated him perfectly, even capturing that smooth and slippery old demeanor.
Xia Baiyuan looked at him quietly: “Oh? Are you a female zerg again now? Are you cured?”
Lu Xi: “…”
Alright, after hiding this burden for so long, it shook out at this critical moment, it’s unreasonable.
Lu Xi hugged Xia Baiyuan, his waist was slender and flexible, hugged in his arms, real and close to Lu Xi.
Lu Xi pressed his chin into the silver-haired female zerg’s shoulder, suddenly feeling a satisfying sense of contentment.
He squinted, sighed, “Don’t worry, there will be a way…”
Xia Baiyuan’s stiff muscles finally softened little by little.
He reached out and hugged Lu Xi’s shoulders, his tone slightly cold, “If such words were effective, my female father would have been fine long ago.”
Lu Xi was unconvinced, “But I said it, and he got better.”
Xia Baiyuan fell silent.
What Lu Xi said was a fact, and he couldn’t refute it.
To give a… simple example, his decades of life at a certain point were abruptly cut in half.
The first part occupied the vast majority of his life, dark, damp, twisted, painted with a heavy purple-black color, and the female father was the only thing that supported him to keep going.
The latter part, in comparison, was so short, even just a few months. But this short segment of life was like a lively and sweet concerto, stirring up waves in the golden air of the concert hall.
And this turning point was Lu Xi.
Xia Baiyuan closed his eyes, filled with the scent of Lu Xi in his breath.
They used the same shower gel, Xia Baiyuan liked a cooler scent, which kept his mind clear. But Lu Xi smelled warm, like the scent of a fireplace in the snow, it was hard not to be immersed in it.
When the probability of something happening approaches zero, people call it imagination.
When something with a near-zero probability finally happens, people call it a miracle.
Miracles don’t happen over and over again.
“It will take a little more time,” Lu Xi’s voice was close to Xia Baiyuan’s ear, “It will be fine soon.”
Xia Baiyuan’s earlobes twitched slightly.
If miracles happen over and over again, there must be an unknowable power among them.
“Alright,” Xia Baiyuan whispered, “I’ll wait for you.”
Perhaps the zerg god finally favored him, Xia Baiyuan was willing to believe Lu Xi—believe that every word he said would come true.
—
Lu Xi: “Ah…”
Xia Baiyuan: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Xi: “I screamed so well, when those four people come back later and see me all intact, isn’t it a bit strange?”
Xia Baiyuan: “Ah, I’ll do that—look very serious, but actually not painful scars.”
Lu Xi: “…Good idea.”
Xia Baiyuan: “I have a lot of experience, don’t worry.”
His face didn’t show it, but his tone sounded quite proud.
—
After an eventful night, to this day, we still don’t know the feelings of those four respectable female zergs guarding outside the house. But judging from their kind gesture of bringing ointment and breakfast to Lu Xi the next day, these four female zergs still had a soft heart.
“Eat more, so you’ll have the strength to withstand the beating later.”
“Thank you.”
Lu Xi’s wrists were shackled with black electronic handcuffs, which could emit high-voltage electric currents. It is said that even the top-tier female zergs couldn’t withstand it, and would faint on the spot.
Of course, like Lu Xi, a “low-level” female zerg wouldn’t be given such high-spec handcuffs. He was wearing the basic model found in prisons.
Simple, plain, nothing special, it looked like a useless iron ring, not as cool as seen in TV dramas.
It was also lightweight. Lu Xi accepted the ointment, but he didn’t eat the boxed meal. How could you expect a “beaten all night” zerg to have a hearty appetite the next day? That would ruin the character setting.
The weak zerg with black hair and red eyes leaned against the wall. His body was covered in wounds, his lips were bruised, and his bright red eyes were filled with a melancholic mist.
But he still managed to lift his head and force a smile at the officer standing outside the railing. “I feel much better now.”
Oh my!
The officer clutched his heart: this little zerg is so young, just barely an adult! Look at his thin little body, how could he withstand the sadistic beating from Luo Ke? Look at his delicate little face, how could someone be so heartless to lay a hand on him?
How could such a obedient little zerg be a criminal? It must be a mistake!
The officer glanced at Lu Xi, then at his own well-developed biceps, feeling that Lu Xi was like a fragile piece of glass.
A trace of blame rose in his heart towards Luo Ke. Originally, Lu Xi was supposed to endure a beating, but the verdict hadn’t been handed down yet, so this beating couldn’t be considered a punishment.
With new injuries added to old ones, how could he endure this?
The officer turned his head, discreetly glanced at Luo Ke.
The bandaged female zerg standing there in a windbreaker, quiet and composed, gave no indication that he could stoop to such low acts.
Pah!
The officer whispered to Lu Xi, “Eat a bit more, you’ll need it later…”
The black-haired zerg paused for a moment, as if understanding something, and reluctantly picked up the boxed meal from the ground, eating it with difficulty, occasionally gasping for air due to the pain from his wounds.
The officer sighed helplessly, what a tragedy.
The sun gradually climbed to the zenith, and the sunlight became warmer, finally dispelling some of the chill.
Nine o’clock was the time to set off. All suspects related to the Adler case would be gathered in the waiting hall, awaiting the final judgment.
Normally, it wouldn’t be so soon, after all, Adler was just a low-level male zerg, and there were many other cases waiting to be judged.
But this case had too much impact, and they had to make an early judgment.
Not long ago, a video circulated online, exploding like a bomb and igniting the outrage of the masses.
In the video, the male zerg lay on the bed, quietly asleep, his peaceful sleeping face looking so pure and beautiful, while the female zergs screamed and frantically took screenshots.
A rough hand reached out from the side, that was his female father’s hand, accompanied by a call, “Adler, wake up, it’s time to get up.”
The male zerg furrowed his brows, turned over sleepily, his naive expression melting the hearts of countless female zergs.
Countless female zergs vowed on the spot to protect this male zerg in the future.
But when this male named Adler opened his eyes, the adorable everyday scenes the audience anticipated did not come.
The haze in the male zerg’s eyes gradually faded away, and as he finally woke up, immense fear twisted his face into a grimace. He screamed hysterically and crawled frantically into the corner.
Anyone could hear the terrifying agony in his screams, unable to imagine what kind of horrific treatment this male zerg had endured to become so crazed.
The female zerg guarding Adler grabbed his hand, trying to comfort him desperately. “Adler, look at me, I’m your female father!”
“With your female father here, no one can hurt you anymore—”
But Adler’s struggles became more intense, fear turning into despair. His gaze grew emptier and emptier. Finally, he gave a bitter smile and forcefully slammed his head against the wall, passing out in his female father’s shock.
The entire room was filled with the sobbing voice of the female father.
“My Adler, he’s so obedient, so kind. He’s kind to the extent that he voluntarily went to the Nansheng Military Academy. He said the military protects the zerg race, so he wants to protect the military.”
“Although I worried, he insisted on not giving up. I thought, it’s the Nansheng Military Academy, my son will be fine, so I let go. But who knew—”
“My son, he was scared insane at school!”
The camera turned to focus on Adler’s female father’s face.
His eyes were red, evidently filled with endless grief for his son, but he still appeared strong in front of the camera. “Please help me, we must ensure that the perpetrator receives the appropriate punishment!”
A stone stirred a thousand waves.
Which male zerg wasn’t a treasure of the zerg race? Moreover, this was such a lovely male zerg?
Among them, military females were especially indignant.
“The military protects the zerg race, so I want to protect the military.”
This sentence brought tears to the eyes of military females. Although military females held high status, hardly any male zergs liked them.
They were too strong, too clumsy. Male zergs married them mostly for their property and their stronger reproductive abilities.
But this male zerg, he said he wanted to protect the military.
What a kind male zerg! They were willing to give everything to him!
—But it was too late.
Before they knew it, this male zerg had been destroyed!
What kind of creature would commit such insane acts?
—
This video continued to ferment for several days, eventually forming an unstoppable wave, putting pressure on everyone.
But Adler had gone insane too thoroughly. After expending a massive amount of manpower and resources, there was still no progress. Hearing the name “Lu Xi” from Adler’s mouth was already the limit, but everyone knew, how could that be considered evidence?
Looking at Lu Xi, the officer shook his head helplessly.
Unlike the puzzled civilians, they, more or less, knew some inside information.
They often heard colleagues complaining, “Damn, the kindest male zerg ever. I went to the school gate to ask casually, no one said a good word about him. As soon as they heard I was investigating him, they wouldn’t even give me a good look, damn!”
“Same here. I was even kicked out. That change in attitude… tsk.”
“I… the one I encountered almost got into a fight with me. He said his brother was crippled by Adler, and he looked like he wanted to fight me when I mentioned the investigation. If you had the time to do that, why didn’t you come report earlier?”
Complaints aside, they also knew that female zergs wouldn’t report such incidents.
Useless, the officer didn’t even have the authority to arrest Adler.
The clock struck nine, pulling the officer out of his contemplation. It was time.
Next, he wouldn’t be responsible for Lu Xi anymore. Lu Xi would be led to the waiting hall by Luo Ke.
Luo Ke floated over like a ghost, and the officer instinctively stepped aside. No one here wanted to provoke Luo Ke.
He took out an iron chain from his waist. The chain was shaped like a “Y,” with both ends connected to the handcuffs on Lu Xi’s wrists, and the final end connected to a special wristband on Luo Ke’s right wrist.
Luo Ke lowered his hand, his cloak covering it, leaving only a iron chain connecting the two.
Lu Xi looked down at his hands, his voice weak. “Officer, I can’t walk.”
Luo Ke’s figure stiffened.
The officer beside him couldn’t help but show sympathy. The sound of last night’s whipping was louder than ever. He had never heard Luo Ke be so ruthless before. Lu Xi still hadn’t passed out. He truly admired him.
In the past, prisoners were basically not conscious the next day.
Lu Xi sighed again. “I’m in a lot of pain, and I can’t walk. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold on halfway and will faint on the ground.”
Luo Ke: “So?”
Lu Xi cleared his throat. “So, this way it’s fine.”
He reached out his right hand, reaching under Xia Baiyuan’s cloak, and grabbed Xia Baiyuan’s wrist.
Xia Baiyuan stared at him fiercely. Lu Xi innocently looked at him. “Officer, aren’t you leaving?”
…The warmth from Lu Xi’s palm spread through his wrist. Xia Baiyuan could clearly sense the shape of Lu Xi’s fingers.
He muttered vaguely, “Let’s go.”
The bandages covered all expressions, which was the only lucky thing.
The officer beside them was almost dumbfounded.
The two passed by him, one in front and one behind. Luo Ke lowered his head and walked straight ahead, while Lu Xi’s eyes were slightly curved, staring at Luo Ke as if he could see something through the gap in the bandages.
The officer sniffed.
He seemed to smell a sour smell.
He couldn’t help but shudder, gritting his teeth. Ugh, so disgusting!
The journey took less than half an hour, and after a few turns, they arrived.
Wherever they went, officers and prisoners avoided them from a distance.
Some bold ones who bumped into them head-on showed a smile uglier than crying, “Oh, Luo Ke, why are you so well-behaved today?”
Before the words even finished, they realized their slip of the tongue. The young officer froze in place, awkwardly smiling as if mourning for himself, with a wrinkled face.
Xia Baiyuan couldn’t say much. Things happened too hastily, and he didn’t have time to understand Luo Ke’s speaking habits. He simply said, “Hmm.”
Then he passed by the young officer without hesitation.
The young officer was extremely surprised. He had never seen Luo Ke so gentle before. Was he in a good mood?
Coincidentally, at that moment, the black-haired suspect behind Luo Ke turned his head and glanced at him.
A faint smile flickered in his crimson eyes. When they locked gazes, the suspect raised an eyebrow.
The young officer stood still.
After a long while, he scratched his cheek and thought to himself—
Wow, this suspect is strangely good-looking.
…
As they stepped into the waiting hall, a wave of noise overwhelmed Lu Xi.
On the huge screen, the video that caused all the public outcry was playing.
The male zerg in the video had a twisted face, extremely terrified. Anything would make him tremble; he was completely insane.
In his ears echoed the sorrowful and righteous declaration of Adler’s female father.
“My son was injured. Although I am grieving, besides grief, I feel fear.”
“Male zergs are everything to the zerg race, but a male zerg was injured in the safest school. How many such perpetrators are hidden in our society?”
“If he is not caught this time, how many male zergs will feel fear and coldness? Therefore, no matter what, we must catch this perpetrator and prevent the tragedy from happening again!”
Lu Xi scratched his ear. Oh, it was still in surround sound; it made his head buzz.
The two watched for a while, the video looping Adler’s terrified expression.
At first, Lu Xi could still maintain his composure, but gradually he couldn’t control his emotions. He trembled slightly, holding Xia Baiyuan’s hand, his tremor growing stronger.
Of course, Xia Baiyuan felt his trembling. A dark flame was burning in his heart, growing stronger and stronger.
Why did this female zerg dare to distort right and wrong like this?
What did Adler do at the Nansheng Military Academy? Didn’t he know?
For the first time, a clear anger emerged in his heart.
Xia Baiyuan rarely got angry. He didn’t care about others’ opinions of him.
Whether they called him arrogant, indifferent, or said he was scheming and artificial, these opinions didn’t have much impact on him. Furthermore, he didn’t have the energy to properly handle others’ goodwill towards him. It was better to maintain the status quo than to disappoint others.
Di Yan had once asked him, “You’re obviously not like that, why don’t you clarify?”
Xia Baiyuan remembered his response at the time: “Who gave you the misconception that I’m a good zerg?”
Di Yan was so angry with his attitude that his eyes almost shot flames. After grumbling for a long time, he only managed to say, “Idiot.”
Female zergs from prestigious families don’t even know how to curse.
By the thirty-eighth time he rehearsed in his mind how to drag out the zerg on the screen and slowly torture them until they lost consciousness with his unspeakable means, Xia Baiyuan realized—
—he was already so angry that he was about to lose his sanity.
Xia Baiyuan closed his eyes and slowly exhaled a sigh of frustration.
Lu Xi was right; they shouldn’t have just run away like that.
How could Lu Xi be a wanted criminal?
He was the best zerg in the world, his most cherished beloved.
Xia Baiyuan wanted to pick the most beautiful flower in the world for him, offer him the most precious gemstone. He deserved everything best, nothing could compare to him.
He couldn’t bear to see Lu Xi being treated like this, and his previous calmness and indifference were completely gone at this moment.
Every drop of blood in Xia Baiyuan’s body was roaring, and he subconsciously pressed his cheeks with his hands. Even through the bandages, he could feel the warmth of his flushed cheeks due to anger.
It felt like there was a giant beast inside him, urging him, pushing him to do something, and his heartbeat was like a drumbeat.
The sensation from his wrist became more and more real. Xia Baiyuan reached out and grasped Lu Xi’s hand. He had never comforted anyone before, and his words came out awkwardly, “Lu Xi, I know, you’re not—”
Lu Xi let out a dreamy voice, “Wow, did I really do this?”
Xia Baiyuan was stunned, “What?”
“Look!” Lu Xi raised his head, his face flushed, just like a big red lantern hung during the New Year, radiating joy. He pointed and gestured at the screen, speaking in a tone that only they could hear, “The thing I did, it can be called a masterpiece.”
Which male zerg could do something like this?!
Without leaving a trace of physical injury, he completely shredded the entire spiritual realm, embedding terrifying imprints into every inch of it—not to boast, but even his male father couldn’t do it so thoroughly!
There was no physical pain, but there was no more brutal mental agony.
The so-called survival at all costs, it probably looked like this.
Three thousand years later, someone would probably condemn him for lacking humanity, for being a complete killing machine.
But this was three thousand years ago.
Lu Xi felt no shame but rather pride, he was very pleased with himself.
He looked at Xia Baiyuan, raising his chin proudly, a posture reminiscent of his male father, “The most regrettable thing in the world is when you complete an unparalleled masterpiece, and it’s permanently sealed away, never to be admired again. It’s great that I can come here today; this way, I can truly appreciate my masterpiece.”
His eyes were almost intoxicated, this was probably the joy of an evildoer reveling in their own evil deeds.
Xia Baiyuan: “…”
Distracted by this, his intense anger floated aimlessly, unable to find a place, like a fire losing its fuel gradually extinguishing. His once anger-dominated rationality finally gained the upper hand.
Xia Baiyuan deeply glanced at the screen, engraving the face of that female zerg into his mind, his blue eyes appearing darker.
Compared to blatant and unrestrained anger, the fury guided by reason would slowly burn down all enemies.
In the hearing room, there were a dozen or so female zergs. Compared to the lively Lu Xi, they all looked extremely despondent.
Some sat in chairs, burying their faces deep in their palms.
Some leaned against the wall, staring at their shoe tips, not uttering a word.
Their postures varied, but it was obvious that they had all been crushed.
They were forced to watch the condemnation of this incident on the internet, enduring torrents of abuse. Although they had done nothing, the police were under pressure to release their information.
After the video finished playing, red words appeared on the screen.
【Because of you, these innocent female zergs have faced so much scrutiny. If you hate male zergs, then your goal has been achieved. But these female zergs are innocent. If you have a shred of kindness left, come forward voluntarily, don’t be a coward!】
Lu Xi squinted, scanning the female zergs around him.
The painful atmosphere pervaded the surroundings. The next moment, Xia Baiyuan reached out and covered his eyes.
“Lu Xi, this isn’t your concern.”
“…”
Xia Baiyuan’s palm was warm, his voice steady.
Lu Xi tilted his head, revealing one eye from the side, nervously saying, “My image is collapsing, my image is collapsing, my image is collapsing…”
Fortunately, no one around noticed the commotion here, otherwise this “Lu Xi” would have been exposed.
He seemed completely unaffected. Xia Baiyuan was taken aback.
Lu Xi leaned back, wanting to put his hands in his pockets in a rogue-like manner, but the handcuffs restricted his movement. He clicked his tongue and reluctantly crossed his arms, confidently saying, “They don’t think scaring me like this will work, do they?”
The information was released by him?
Was he the one cursing people?
As a male zerg who had harmed so many female zergs, Lu Xi had already shown some restraint out of humanitarianism.
If he was going to be blamed for this too, then he could only borrow a line from Qianshan—
Lu Xi cleared his throat, confidently stating, “The one at fault is not me, it’s this world.”
Xia Baiyuan looked at Lu Xi steadily, then turned his head away after three seconds, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth under the bandages.
He finally understood where Lu Xi’s unique vitality came from.
He had his own principles—a set of principles that didn’t align with the zerg race. He remained loyal to these principles, and thus gained complete freedom.
Lu Xi: “What are you laughing at?”
Xia Baiyuan quickly straightened his mouth: “Nothing.”
Lu Xi lifted his chin: “You must like me even more in your heart now.”
Xia Baiyuan: “…”
He forcefully suppressed the urge to reach out and touch his cheek, lamenting in his heart:
Perhaps, Lu Xi has gone too far with his freedom.
Oh, Zerg God, how does he do it? Why can he easily say such things?
At a critical moment, the sound of the door opening again caught everyone’s attention.
Lu Xi turned to look, only to see a tall and chubby female zerg wearing a neat uniform enter the hearing room.
It’s rare to describe a female zerg as chubby, but this one had creamy white skin, no beard on his face, and healthy blushes on his cheeks.
Small eyes, small nose, small mouth, everything small, evenly distributed on his round face.
The officer extended his hand, his fingers also very plump. With this well-maintained hand, he made a gesture of “take them away” and said, “Take them all to the court.”
The faces of all female zergs (except Lu Xi) darkened even more upon hearing this sentence.
Being taken to court was the last step, they were going to be convicted.
From now on, they would no longer be able to defend themselves, and those overwhelming curses would accompany them for the rest of their lives.
…