SZAR Chapter 105

For a moment, Erwen thought he must be hallucinating from pain.

His vision blurred, pupils dilated, and in the all-encompassing darkness, there was suddenly that single lantern, softly approaching and settling beside him, casting light on his body.

By that lantern, Erwen saw clearly: a delicate, handsome male zerg stepping forward with the lantern, the long windproof cloak draping his form, a faint scent of mint floating around him. The dim candlelight traced the graceful lines of his jaw, like the elves in ancient myths, high in the forest, rescuing travelers in distress.

If not for a mythical elf, who could arrive at such a critical moment, saving him from danger?

Qu Xia knelt beside Erwen, cupping his face, pressing his forehead gently against Erwen’s. The raging mental sea was soothed in an instant. The faint pheromone scent of the male zerg reminded Erwen of a garden in summer, fragrant and subtle.

He couldn’t help but reach out, pressing the back of the male’s hand, murmuring, “Lock?”

The face before him was unmistakably Lock’s, yet it carried the scent of mint pheromones.

Qu Xia gave a wry smile. “I’m sorry… I lied to you.”

He muttered, “At least… since I saved you, don’t be so cold and impartial as to arrest me.”

Erwen, of course, couldn’t arrest Qu Xia. The turmoil in his mental sea left his limbs weak, and the pheromones from the male zerg made him gasp, unable to resist. Qu Xia pressed his forehead tightly against Erwen’s, releasing pheromones freely, soothing the mental sea while stirring unusual emotions. Erwen felt a familiar surge of impulse rise, and broken images from his dreams flashed through his mind. He grabbed Qu Xia’s hand and forced himself to stop, saying, “Enough… stop!”

Qu Xia complied, supporting Erwen’s shoulders and helping him lie down. Worried, he asked, “Are you okay?”

Erwen didn’t answer, only stared blankly. Excessive blood loss made him dizzy; his thoughts were nearly frozen. Only one thought spun in his mind: the little female zerg he’d raised had transformed into a high-rank male zerg, the very one he couldn’t find even after scouring all of Garbage Star.

Even in a dream, could there be a scene this perfect?

Erwen’s lips were pale as he held the male zerg’s hand; the warmth of the skin gave him some relief. He confirmed again, “Lock?”

“Yes,” Qu Xia said. “You can also call me Qu Xia, Qu, like the Quyuan Garden Breeze-Ruffled Lotus, and Xia, like summer.”

The male zerg’s personality was as lively as his name. The words rolled off Erwen’s lips, evoking memories of a brilliant summer just by speaking them.

Erwen stared at him intently, then said again, “Lock?”

Qu Xia replied gently, calmly.

After a moment, Erwen raised his hand to cover his eyes.

His eyes felt sore.

The problem in his mental sea had made the normally calm and cold Erwen fragile. Complex, tangled emotions swirled inside him like overlapping tides. Finally, he lowered his gaze and whispered, “It’s… so good.”

The male zerg on Garbage Star was fine. He had left Pamir and stayed safely on the main star, suffering no hardship. Lock had become a male zerg; he no longer had to worry about a painful marriage, could focus on research, and enjoy life carefree.

Erwen closed his eyes, thinking, ‘This… is truly the gentle mercy of heaven.’

Mercy he wouldn’t have dared hope for even in his dreams.

The Admiral had exhausted the last of his strength and rolled to the side. Qu Xia quickly caught him, holding him in his arms. His silver-gray hair spilled over, brushing against Qu Xia’s collar, soft and fluffy, a little ticklish.

Qu Xia carefully held him and looked at Erwen’s trapped leg.

The deformed cockpit was pressing down on it. Qu Xia stood and rummaged through the aircraft until he found a jack. He pried open the twisted metal. Then, he feel the bones in Erwen’s leg.

As expected, it was broken.

Qu Xia supported Erwen’s shoulders, trying to pull him up from the ground. “I’ll get you back to the military base.”

The Admiral’s condition was still precarious. His mental sea had only been relieved, not cured, and the mental sea issue suppressed his self-healing, leaving the wound in his leg still bleeding.

But Qu Xia was, after all, a delicate and innocent researcher, supporting Erwen’s weight alone was too much. The Admiral forced himself upright, bracing his arms against the cockpit, standing with a barely-there stability.

He didn’t put any weight on Qu Xia. Qu Xia shook his shoulders in mild irritation. “Hold onto me!”

Was Erwen planning to hop on one leg?

Erwen shook his head. From his upbringing, he knew that as an elder and as a female insect, he shouldn’t lose dignity in front of Qu Xia, nor should he lean on the male zerg.

Qu Xia frowned. “You’re limping. I’m not. What’s wrong with leaning on me a bit?”

Erwen said, “It’s… improper.”

Qu Xia rolled his eyes. He hated all those rules in Erwen’s household. Though the Admiral hadn’t insisted on them afterward, the memory of that brutal tea etiquette lesson was still vivid.

He grabbed Erwen’s arm, pulling him firmly to share some of the weight, muttering, “Improper? Forget that. Let’s get you back and treat your leg. That’s what really matters.”

Erwen paused slightly, saying nothing.

He lowered his gaze to Qu Xia. The male zerg’s pale face, lit by the lamp, glowed with a faint, flushed warmth. Each eyelash was sharply defined, and the candlelight reflected off them with an orange-gold halo.

Erwen’s heart softened suddenly. He whispered, “Qu Xia… there’s no male zerg like you.”

No male zerg like you would take in a blinded prisoner of war, neither whipping nor scolding him, letting him sleep naturally while even giving blood to help him heal.

No male zerg like you would hide his identity, just to ease an awkward moment at a banquet, extending a hand to him in the center of the dance floor, even though you can’t dance at all.

And no male zerg like you would travel hundreds of miles, descending from the dark, stormy night, risking a burning, exploding flight craft, just to save an injured female zerg.

Qu Xia said, “I don’t care what they’re like.”

He supported Erwen back onto his aircraft, struggling to push him up. Then, half-kneeling, he tore a section of his close-fitting clothing and carefully secured Erwen’s leg.

Qu Xia adjusted Erwen properly and strapped him in. The Admiral, drained from blood loss, was drowsy, like a large doll being handled. Qu Xia’s gaze lingered briefly over his chest and abdomen beneath the uniform before he cleared his throat and looked back at the cockpit dashboard panel.

He reached out and activated the aircraft’s autopilot, feigning composure: “Navigation, set course to the military base.”

The aircraft ignited and lifted above the dense forest, then automatically adjusted its heading toward the base.

Before the turn could complete, Qu Xia suddenly slammed the pause button.

His pupils reflected a towering inferno.

Flames had erupted in the direction of the military base. Cannon fire rained down like a skyfall of burning meteors, the long tails of fire illuminating half the sky. Erwen’s pupils shrank; he muttered a curse: “Damn it!”

Qu Xia turned, his voice trembling slightly: “Admiral… what should we do?”

After all, he was just a researcher from a peaceful era and had never seen a battlefield. Erwen could clearly feel the male zerg’s fear. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Let me down.”

Erwen propped himself up. “Return to the residential area on Pamir main planet. It’s only a few hundred kilometers from here. No matter what happens, do not head toward the war zone.”

He struggled to extend his hand and tapped the screen. “Here, this is the residential area of Pamir.”

Qu Xia turned his head. “And you?”

“I’m the commander. I cannot leave my post,” Erwen said.

He gripped the handrail tightly to keep from sliding down, but his weakened body made even this simple action feel nearly impossible. “My aircraft isn’t completely destroyed. With some repairs, it can still fly. I’ll pilot it back myself.”

Leading the First Army was his duty. Keeping Qu Xia away from the battlefield was also his responsibility.

Qu Xia’s teeth itched. He slammed the hatch shut.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered, exasperated. “What good will going back do? Are you made of iron?”

Speaking, he fired up the aircraft and slowly steered toward the flames.

Erwen’s eyes widened. “Lo… Qu Xia?”

Qu Xia replied, “We’ll skim the edge and see how things look. If it’s safe, I’ll hand you over to your subordinates.”

They flew along the edge of the artillery fire. Qu Xia raised the binoculars and scanned the ground in the distance. After a moment, he spotted a few patrolling soldiers in the rear.

The soldiers wore the First Army’s silver-white uniforms and carried iron equipment. Qu Xia was about to lower the aircraft and let them take Erwen for treatment, but suddenly the controls were grabbed.

Cold sweat coated Erwen’s forehead, veins bulged on his arms, and he stared unblinking at the ground below. His expression was utterly stern, and the weight of his presence was so intense that Qu Xia felt his heart skip a beat.

Erwen said, “They’re traitors. That box in their hands, it’s a detonator.”

The Admiral was no fool. After the crash of the aircraft on Garbage Star, he already suspected a traitor in the ranks. Later, when he returned to the First Army, he carried out a swift and thorough purge, rooting out many hidden agents within the military.

Yet some spies were buried too deep; a single purge could not eliminate them completely. Erwen’s recent sudden agitation of his mental sea was clearly a trap.

His eyes darkened as he remembered his adjutant’s warning.

At the time, when Matthew saw him preparing to go out, he tried repeatedly to stop him, clearly reluctant. And if Erwen hadn’t left the command post, if the male zerg hadn’t reached him in time, he would have already died from his mental sea collapsing.

Erwen took a deep breath. “Go back.”

Qu Xia froze. “Go back… where?”

“Your previous mining area,” Erwen said.

Leading the army was his duty, but observing the scene below, this was clearly an internal mess. The outer perimeter was completely sealed off by traitors, and his loyal forces’ whereabouts were unknown. If his suspicion was correct, the next step would be a smear operation: the traitors would fake an enemy attack, then strike Erwen down and defect at the critical moment.

Returning now would be like walking a sheep into a tiger’s mouth. It would only put him at a disadvantage.

Qu Xia didn’t fully understand all these twists and turns, but if Erwen said it, he followed. Instantly, he turned the aircraft and headed toward the mining pit.

They landed at the entrance. Qu Xia supported the staggering Erwen and helped him stumble into the lab, laying him down on the soft bed.

The little researcher cared about sleep quality. Money was no object, everything in the bed was the best. Wrapped in the blankets, Erwen’s weary body looked peaceful. Qu Xia took off his coat and said, “Sleep. I’ll go take a shower.”

The D767 lab had living quarters, and the water and electricity supply was still reasonably stable.

With that, he stepped into the bathroom.

The sound of dripping water came through. In a daze, Erwen opened his eyes and looked toward the frosted glass.

The male zerg’s shadow was dimly visible. And in that haze, Erwen suddenly realized one problem.

—This laboratory has only one bed.