NOVEL NEXT 43
Chapter 43
With a thunderous sound, winter finally passed.
The thick ice on the frozen river had not yet melted, but it was no longer safe to walk on it. The ice had started to become brittle. Often, naive little zergs would fall into the water, floundering around for fun.
When the female father pulled them out of the ice, they could only show a timid smile.
And then they would receive a beating.
Lu Xi reluctantly pulled back his foot.
Wearing a mask and scarf, relying on the fact that no one recognized him, his dignity as an adult zerg had long been thrown out the window, almost following those children onto the ice.
Seeing them fall, he quickly called a nearby female zerg, preventing the child from drowning.
On the moist ground by the riverbank, some tender green grass had sprouted, with tiny white dots at the tips of the stems. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t snow; it was new flower buds.
The flower buds swayed with the breeze, and the female zerg carrying the child walked towards him. His dark face slightly softened. “Aren’t you going to thank your brother?”
He had beautiful light golden hair that shimmered.
The cub held back tears: “Th-thank you, big brother.”
Lu Xi waved his hand: “Be more careful next time.”
The female zerg pondered for a moment, then took out a communicator from his pocket. Lu Xi immediately understood what he meant and quickly waved his hand: “No need, I’m not short on money.”
“It’s not about money.” This female zerg, though looking delicate, had a stubborn look in his eyes that made it clear he was quite determined. “It’s about points.”
Lu Xi: “…Ah?”
What does he need points for?
The female zerg smiled: “I’m already married, so these points are useless to me. My husband treats me well—aren’t you unmarried?”
In this era, points are more important than money. Points usually require female zergs to make certain contributions to the zerg tribe, often accompanied by some level of danger. With points, female zergs can apply for opportunities to meet male zergs.
Although Lu Xi indeed wasn’t married…
The cub, wrapped in its mother’s thick coat, peeked out from a gap, revealing a pair of round eyes, curiously looking at Lu Xi.
Lu Xi hesitated slightly, and the female zerg naturally thought he had agreed, saying, “Good male zergs are scarce. You have to apply several times.”
Lu Xi couldn’t help but laugh and cry: “No…I really don’t need…”
He hid his pheromones.
Just a day ago, Lu Xi couldn’t have imagined that in this changing era, he would one day be forced to hide the pheromones he had so hard to stimulate.
—It was really necessary. He underestimated the zerg tribe’s desire for male zergs in this era.
Thinking back on the experiences of these days, Lu Xi couldn’t help but curl his lips.
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【Last night】
Lu Xi sat by the window, holding a cup of clear tea in one hand, calmly taking a sip as he watched the bustling crowd below.
The clock on the wall showed it was three in the morning, when even the dogs were asleep and the roosters hadn’t yet risen. Despite it being midwinter, Lu Xi felt as if there was boiling magma below, with the steamy enthusiasm making him break out in a cold sweat.
“Lu Xi!!! Lu Xi!!! I want to be your dog!!! Ah!!!”
“I can’t live without you, Lu Xi!!!”
“Lu Xi——————Ah ah ah ah——————”
Lu Xi: “…”
No, he was really scared.
What was going on in this era?
He put down the cup, expressionless as he peered out a bit, looking down. With his sharp eyes, he immediately recognized several familiar figures in the crowd—classmates who had studied hard with him and had a fairly good relationship with him before.
These classmates were now struggling to push through the crowded throngs, their faces slightly flushed from the exertion.
Lu Xi was moved for a moment.
Indeed, they were his good classmates, coming to share his troubles in such a critical moment! Even though their efforts might only be a drop in the bucket, Lu Xi still deeply felt the warmth of spring.
But such a crowded crowd was prone to stampedes. Lu Xi diverted some of his mental energy to investigate the situation below…
“Get lost!! Lu Xi is our classmate, if anyone’s going to eat him, it’ll be us first! Get out of here!!”
“Do you have no shame? Are you students here to snatch male zergs?”
Lu Xi: “…”
It was a bit different from what he imagined.
Where was the camaraderie among classmates?
As soon as he peeked out, he was spotted by the eager female zergs below, and for a moment, screams rang out deafeningly, waves of sound crashing one after another.
This scene of deafening noise, Lu Xi had only heard of it in his previous life from the homeland of his male father, where he heard that it was when their national football team won the World Cup.
The small dormitory building, how could it withstand such an impact that could exterminate a whole enemy when released? If it weren’t for the large number of police forces outside barely maintaining order, it would probably have been overwhelmed long ago.
For a moment, Lu Xi felt like a fool wasting public resources for no reason, filled with guilt.
He slammed the door shut with a snap and turned to meet the eyes of Xia Baiyuan.
Xia Baiyuan raised an eyebrow at him, his azure eyes filled with teasing and mockery. “Lu Xi is really popular, huh?”
Lu Xi: “…”
He even stopped using “you” and used his name in the third person.
Help…
Xia Baiyuan leaned closer to the window, looking at the crowd below, his lips slightly curling up. “A top male zerg emerges out of nowhere, and overnight the entire zerg tribe is in an uproar. Those who used to look down on him must be regretting it deeply.”
Lu Xi: =口=
No no no, what top male zerg? Shut up!
—And nobody looks down on him! What weird things do you usually watch?
Xia Baiyuan chuckled lightly. “He stands at the pinnacle of the crowd, and at this moment, the zerg tribe realizes that he is actually the one who has never been valued—”
Lu Xi: !!
His scalp tingled, and he quickly reached out and covered Xia Baiyuan’s mouth.
He was so ashamed he was about to faint.
Under his slightly messy bangs, Xia Baiyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, reflecting Lu Xi’s slightly flushed face.
Lu Xi pursed his lips, avoiding eye contact with him.
“Ahem… Let’s move.”
————————
Lu Xi still suppressed the urge to take off his mask, fiddling with a small box in his pocket.
Inside was the ring he wanted to give Xia Baiyuan.
Moving out was a pretense; actually, getting Xia Baiyuan out of the way was the truth. Lu Xi wanted to give him a surprise.
But how exactly should he refuse the kindness of this female zerg? Lu Xi had a headache.
The female zerg looked down at his cub, his hair dripping with water, but apparently the cub didn’t feel the cold.
Female zergs in the zerg tribe were quite tough from a young age, otherwise this female father wouldn’t have been so confident in letting the cub run around everywhere.
He said, “Moreover, do you know Lu Xi?”
Lu Xi stiffly opened his mouth, “…Huh?”
Σ(⊙▽⊙＂What’s wrong with me?
He instinctively tightened his mask.
“Don’t you want to try getting closer to Lu Xi?” The female zerg grinned, “It’s been so many years since we’ve seen such a good male zerg—If I didn’t already have a male lord, I would definitely try.”
The cub held in his hands looked shocked, “Fe-Female father…”
The female zerg lowered his head, “Ah, don’t tell your male lord.”
He began relentlessly promoting Lu Xi to Lu Xi, and Lu Xi’s heart felt like it was being fried in a pan, his fingers fidgeting with the ring box in his pocket.
When the female zerg mentioned “I heard Lu Xi’s XX is XX centimeters”, Lu Xi finally couldn’t hold back, his face flushed as he said, “Sorry, I like female zergs.”
“…” The female zerg finally stopped talking, dryly saying, “Ah, you like female zergs, huh.”
“Well, that’s not bad either.”
Lu Xi forced a laugh.
He was about to say something to deal with this overly enthusiastic female zerg, but a commotion came from nearby, drawing their attention.
Lu Xi squinted and saw a male zerg standing on the riverbank, his eyes full of hatred.
His mental fluctuations were weak, his physique not particularly strong, and his face was a strange waxen yellow color.
Genetically deficient male zergs couldn’t maintain a long period of peak strength like higher male zergs. As they entered middle age, their decline could be seen from their appearance.
This male zerg was glaring hatefully at the female zerg in front of him.
Unlike him, the female zerg had smooth skin and fluffy brown hair. Although his features were ordinary, his vigorous vitality could be seen, like a thriving tree.
Vaguely, there were some similarities between these two zergs—they should be brothers.
“Get over here.” The male zerg pointed to the river, squeezing out two words from between his teeth.
The female zerg raised his eyes, glanced at him, then glanced at the river, standing silently in place as if rooted to the spot.
The river couldn’t even support the cub, let alone a strong female zerg?
There were murmurs all around.
“I heard he ran away from marriage… and got caught again.”
“Their two families are close, but now it’s turned sour. This female zerg must be out of his mind.”
“So many female zergs are willing to be concubines, but he’s a consort. Hmm, who knows what he’s thinking.”
“It’s a pity.”
The ground was still frosty, but the female zerg stood barefoot on it, the soles of his feet bright red.
The male zerg pushed him, but he didn’t budge. His face grew even uglier, “Even like this, do you still want someone else to act? You’re going to disgrace our family!”
With this push, the muscles on the female zerg’s face twitched, and sticky blood trickled from his wrist, seeping out of his sleeve.
Despite the cold weather, cold sweat oozed from his face. In the end, he couldn’t stand steady and stumbled, half kneeling on the ground.
The snow on the ground had already been trampled into mud, mixed with the female zerg’s blood, becoming increasingly dirty.
“It’s disgusting…”
The female zerg standing beside Lu Xi pressed his cub back into his clothes, covering his curious gaze, his voice tinged with a bit of frustrated anger, “Since you ran away, be more careful, okay? With so many planets, if you’re careful enough, who can catch you? Right—what are you doing?”
Lu Xi turned his head, holding a communicator, “Calling the police, what else?”
The female zerg: “…”
Lu Xi: “…”
He silently retracted the communicator, “Ah, I was joking.”
The blonde female zerg immediately showed a face that seemed to say, “I really want to scold him, but considering he saved my cub, I’ll hold back,” and after a while, he forced out a sentence, “You’re really humorous.”
He looked at the female zerg who had fallen to the ground, a thick puddle of blood accumulating beneath him, and the anger on his face gradually faded.
Rubbing his own hair, he gave a helpless smile, “This really sucks.”
Lu Xi pursed his lips, “Then let’s kick this male zerg into the river and drown him.”
The female zerg’s breath hitched, feeling his blood pressure rise, “That’s easy for you to say. If you’re so capable, why don’t you do it?”
“Okay.”
The blonde female zerg was furious, his head buzzing with anger. Just as he was about to retort, he looked up and saw the wind happen to lift the fringe of this zerg’s hair, revealing the eyes hidden underneath.
Bright red, like jewels.
“You…”
Everyone stared at the two brothers, no one noticing Lu Xi pushing through the crowd, gradually approaching the center of attention.
“I let you run, so run!”
He finally grew tired of kicking, but even as he panted, his gaze remained fiercely locked on his younger brother, his eyes filled with venom.
There was a faint trickle of blood at the corner of the female zerg’s mouth, likely internal injuries sustained before he arrived.
The male zerg crouched down, unhesitatingly pulling out a tactical knife. The blade flashed coldly in the sunlight, easily cutting through the fabric on his brother’s back, revealing a hidden mark.
—That was where the female zerg usually tucked away his wings.
The brother, already weak, widened his eyes and began to struggle frantically, his ten fingers clawing at the blood puddle, leaving behind a trail of marks.
But he was severely injured, and the male zerg easily pressed him down with his knee, saying cheerfully, “What’s the hurry? After cutting off your wings and limbs, sinking will be faster and you’ll suffer less.”
The surrounding female zergs couldn’t bear to look.
There was no female zerg who could tolerate damage to their wings, as it was as important to them as their dignity.
But for some male zergs, breaking a female zerg’s wings always brought supreme satisfaction.
The male zerg raised the knife high, a twisted smile on his face, “Don’t blame big brother, big brother is doing this for your own good.”
The younger brother stared blankly at his brother’s face, suddenly ceasing his struggles.
He had also once stood atop a high mountain, soared in the sky, gazed upon the sun, moon, and stars, but no one cared about the storms that had once raged in the heart of an ordinary female zerg.
He closed his eyes, awaiting his fate.
But the anticipated pain didn’t come. Instead, he heard his brother’s voice, filled with shock and anger.
“Who! What are you doing!”
The younger brother opened his eyes, and what he saw next made his blood run cold.
“Although I’m not a law student, and I don’t know which prison scum like you should be sent to, I assure you—your punishment will be far more severe than this.”
The tall zerg stood against the light, the winter sun casting a long silhouette behind him. He stood in front of himself, and with one foot, he snapped his brother’s wrist.
“Crack.”
His brother let out a sharp scream, desperately trying to push away the foot with his hand, but he couldn’t move it an inch.
“Let go of me! Help! Help!!”
Lu Xi moved his foot, looking surprised, “What, did I step on you? I’m terribly sorry, I’ll take care of you right away.”
The male zerg hugged his hand, tears streaming down his face, “You’re finished! You’re dead, I’ll kill you!”
Lu Xi gasped, “Oh my, please don’t do that, are you in a lot of pain?”
He lifted his foot and kicked the male zerg in the abdomen, sending him straight onto the ice surface, which cracked almost instantly upon impact, and the icy river water engulfed him.
Lu Xi retracted his foot, politely, “When injured, one should apply cold compresses.”
Ah, that feels better.