SZAR Chapter 110

“Xia Xia, do you want to be emperor?”

Erwen looked at Qu Xia. His gaze was gentle and tolerant, as if the moment Qu Xia nodded, he would help seize the throne for him.

Qu Xia paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

He didn’t want to.

The young researcher didn’t have such great ambition. His temperament was gentle and mild; he had no interest in fighting for power. He only liked studying the things he was passionate about.

Erwen lifted a hand from the nutrient solution, as if he wanted to pat Qu Xia on the head. But seeing his hand covered in nutrient solution, he lowered it again.

He sighed softly. Qu Xia’s choice was within his expectations. “If you’re unwilling…”

“But if you need it.” Qu Xia interrupted him. After hesitating, he spoke slowly, “I’m willing to give it a try.”

The Aettris family had been staunch supporters of the late emperor Glore. Later, when Glore passed away and the new emperor’s ascension became inevitable, the Aettris family followed the tide of events and became the new emperor’s subjects. For so many years, Erwen had acted with extreme caution, as if walking on thin ice. He had not taken a single wrong step, nor had he ever defied the new emperor. Yet even after doing all that, the Prince still did not trust the Aettris family and still wanted him dead.

And the Crown Prince happened to be foolish. Once the emperor died and he ascended the throne, it would be the same as handing the court’s power directly to the Prince.

Qu Xia didn’t want this, but he had no choice.

Erwen slowly closed his eyes.

Qu Xia was so clever. He knew that once he became emperor, he would have to spend his time dealing with endless trivial affairs and would no longer be able to freely do the things he liked. And yet Qu Xia was also so obedient, he had agreed so easily, not for himself, but only for the Admiral’s safety.

Because of that, Erwen felt deeply guilty.

“However…” Qu Xia scratched his head. “If I don’t know how to do it then, you’ll teach me, right?”

Erwen first chuckled softly, then nodded. After that, he made a solemn promise: “I will look for another turning point and see if there is any way to avoid this. But if it truly can’t be avoided, I will help you with everything I have.”

Qu Xia nodded.

His emotions came quickly and faded just as quickly. He never let worries last until the next day, and almost immediately pushed the matter out of his mind.

Erwen stepped out of the nutrient solution, went into the bathroom to wash himself clean, then changed into fresh clothes. As soon as he came out, he saw Qu Xia looking at him eagerly.

Erwen: “……”

Silently, he took a plump winter melon from Qu Xia’s hands, then grabbed a piece of meat from the refrigerator. Picking up a kitchen knife, he walked into the kitchen.

Erwen lit the gas stove. With a swift motion of his hand, the knife rose and fell. Meanwhile, Qu Xia leaned against the doorway, staring so eagerly that it was as if his eyes might pierce through the room.

The male’s gaze felt almost solid. Being watched like that made Erwen uncomfortable all over. In the education he had received before, a female zerg cooking was supposed to close the door and avoid the male’s line of sight, because the act of holding a knife was considered crude and inelegant. It could ruin the male’s mood.

Erwen sighed. “Qu Xia, go sit outside and wait. I’ll be done soon.”

He simply assumed the male zerg was extremely hungry and wanted to eat as soon as possible.

Qu Xia shook his head. “No.”

Being hungry was one reason, but the reason Qu Xia stayed clinging to the doorway was something else entirely.

— Erwen’s figure was seriously amazing!

The apron was tied tightly around his waist. From his broad shoulders, the lines of his body flowed downward before suddenly drawing in at the waist. Erwen had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing firm, well-muscled forearms…

So nice! He really liked it!

Qu Xia didn’t have those fussy habits common among the local male zergs. Things like saying cooking with a knife was inelegant, or that chopping bones and cutting meat was bloody and unpleasant. None of that bothered him. Seeing Erwen dressed like this while cooking for him only made Qu Xia want to rush over, hug him, and properly wrap his arms around that slender waist.

Unfortunately, Qu Xia had the heart of a thief but not the courage of one. After hesitating at the doorway for a long time, he pretended he was just impatient to eat, stubbornly refusing to move his feet.

………………

After the two finished their meal, they each slept for a while. As the night grew dim, Erwen didn’t wake Qu Xia. Instead, he quietly went out alone under the moonlight.

The military female moved with sharp and nimble steps. Apart from the faint sound of the old iron door creaking once, Qu Xia remained completely unaware the entire time.

When Qu Xia finally woke up from his sleep, it was already around seven or eight o’clock. He shot up from the bed in a flash and rushed out of the room, only to see Erwen in the kitchen again with his sleeves rolled up, apparently making breakfast.

Qu Xia stared in disbelief. “Didn’t we say we’d go search the old military headquarters tonight? You didn’t wake me?”

That afternoon they had agreed to take advantage of the moment when the main military forces withdrew, leaving only a small team behind to clean up the battlefield, and sneak over to the old military headquarters to look around. The timing of the last attack had been far too coincidental. It was obvious that a traitor had cooperated with an outside race from both inside and out. If they investigated now, they might find evidence that the Prince had ordered his subordinates to betray their country and collude with the enemy.

Erwen cut a lemon in half and squeezed the juice into the eggs, speaking calmly. “I’ve already come back.”

Qu Xia raised his voice. “You’ve already come back?”

He questioned him, “Why didn’t you call me?”

They had agreed to go together, yet Erwen had left him behind?

Erwen said, “I can’t let you take that risk.”

Qu Xia felt a little angry. If Erwen had just said it directly, said that he was a burden and that bringing him along would be troublesome, Qu Xia wouldn’t have minded. After all, male zergs were weaklings with basically no fighting ability. But Erwen had gone without a word, and that made Qu Xia really upset.

Yet before he could vent his anger, his eyes suddenly caught sight of Erwen’s waist and abdomen.

Under the cover of the shirt, there seemed to be a section wrapped in gauze, faint threads of blood seeping through.

He had gone alone to the old military headquarters in the middle of the night, gotten injured, then returned home alone and bandaged himself.

Now Qu Xia had no way to lose his temper.

He moved closer, his fingers hovering above the gauze for a long time, not daring to touch it. He softened his movements, and even his voice became gentle.

“Does it hurt?”

Erwen said, “It’s only a small injury.”

He passed by Qu Xia and placed the plate in his hand onto the dining table. Inside was freshly made pudding. The soft, sweet dessert sat on a white porcelain plate, decorated with tender green mint leaves, looking very appetizing.

Erwen made a polite gesture of invitation. His apron was still on, and his silver-gray long hair was tied into a low ponytail, hanging neatly down his back. He looked as elegant as a butler in an old English castle.

Qu Xia’s attention was drawn to the small dessert. Without realizing it, he looked over. Erwen pushed the porcelain plate toward him and smiled.

“Want to try it?”

Qu Xia speared a piece with his fork. After tasting it, he nodded again and again, mumbling, “So good!”

Erwen watched Qu Xia swallow the dessert, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. He had already expected the male zerg’s reaction. As expected, Qu Xia had forgotten about him leaving in the middle of the night, so Erwen quietly let out a small sigh of relief and continued serving food for him.

Qu Xia suddenly stopped eating. The fork scraped against the porcelain plate with a sharp scritch sound. The male zerg spoke softly,

“Erwen, although I do like desserts a lot, I still think that if you haven’t slept all night and you’re injured, then when you get home you should go sleep first. Things like cooking for me can just be left to the robot.”

He muttered, “Even though what the robot makes tastes awful, I’m already used to eating it.”

Erwen’s hand paused slightly while he was serving food. His reply carried no clear emotion. “Alright.”

He also sat down and had breakfast with Qu Xia. After swallowing the last piece of pudding, Qu Xia asked vaguely, “Did you find anything?”

Erwen held his knife and fork calmly. “I found evidence that the prince committed treason.”

Qu Xia: “Pfft—!”

He coughed twice, a little surprised.

“You found evidence?”

When the military withdrew, the related documents had been completely burned, and most of the electronic files had also been deleted. Yet Erwen had gone out once and already brought back evidence?

Erwen said, “After the aircraft crash last time, I updated the military’s database and required the technical department to leave a backend access port. The login key is only in my hands.”

The aircraft crash last time was the very incident when he had been picked up by Qu Xia. Erwen displayed his light-brain and pulled up the data. Although the military had withdrawn, some storage devices had not been moved in time. The deleted electronic data had been restored through the access port and completely preserved.

Qu Xia let out a breath of relief.

The prince held enormous power, and bringing him down would not be easy. But if they had direct evidence, the Empire was still a society ruled by law and would never allow a prince who betrayed the country and colluded with the enemy to remain.

Qu Xia asked, “Then what should we do next?”

Erwen answered briefly, “Return to the Capital Star.”

The Capital Star was the true center of the Empire’s power. All the hidden schemes and shifting currents gathered there. On this barren planet, even someone with tremendous ability would find it difficult to stir up much trouble. If they wanted to take part in the royal family’s struggles, they had to return to the capital star.

Qu Xia said, “But our identities have already been blacklisted.”

From Pamir Star  to the Capital Star, several star systems lay in between. The only way to travel was through official routes. However, official routes required identity verification. Erwen’s identity had already been blacklisted, and Qu Xia was currently listed in official records as a missing person. If he returned, it would certainly trigger an investigation. If any suspicious details were discovered, the situation would become very troublesome.

He rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he clapped his hands. “Right!”

Last time he went back using Lock’s identity, but who said he couldn’t just switch to another identity?

That said, changing identities wasn’t simple. People in the Pamir Star system came and went in complicated flows, and many were undocumented residents. But to travel to the capital star, identity verification was mandatory. The original owner of the identity, Lock,  had maintained it for many years before it had no flaws. If he suddenly switched identities now, the verification would most likely fail.

— But that was only true for female zergs.

As one of the Empire’s treasures, a noble and precious high-ranking male zerg, as long as Qu Xia revealed his identity, would the Empire really dare to let him wander on a barren planet?

So that very night, a weak and pitiful male zerg appeared at the administrative capital of Pamir.

He wore tattered clothes, the hood of his robe covering most of his face. In his arms he held a snow-white egg as he staggered toward the gates of the Pamir capital.

The soldiers on duty stopped him, frowning deeply.

“This isn’t a place for begging. Get lost and go where you belong.”

The two soldiers had a terrible attitude. It was already midwinter, and heavy snow had fallen over Pamir. Standing guard in snow ten centimeters deep was miserable work. Both of them were impatient and wanted to drive away this clueless beggar.

There were simply too many refugees on Pamir Star, far too many to manage.

“Go on, go on. Do you even know where this place is? Come any closer and I’ll shock you!”

He waved the electric baton in his hand.

Qu Xia said pitifully, “Sir, I only just managed to escape from space pirates. I truly have nowhere else to go.”

One soldier glanced at him sideways.

“This is the capital, not a charity center. You—”

He was just about to tell this begging vagrant to get lost when he suddenly froze, as if his throat had been seized. His pupils shrank sharply, and he couldn’t say another word.

The beggar had taken off his hood.

Under the hood was a face that looked almost too soft. Slightly curly hair fell to his shoulders, and the lines of his face were smooth and beautiful. He lowered his eyes and trembled slightly, like a frightened deer.

But more importantly, the robe he wore was loose. When the hood fell, it just happened to reveal the beggar’s nape.

The soldiers looked over. The skin at the back of his neck was pale and delicate, without even the slightest pattern on it.

“Damn it!” One of them wiped his face hard, making sure this wasn’t a dream. Then he muttered under his breath, a trace of fear appearing in his eyes.

This was a male zerg!

And such a beautiful male zerg, how the hell could he have ended up stranded on a barren planet, and how the hell could he have fallen into the hands of star pirates?

The soldier cursed inwardly. He had just spoken rudely to a noble lord. If this lord decided to hold him accountable, the result would be death.

Qu Xia kept up the image of a pitiful little thing and spoke in a small voice, “Sir, please… I really have nowhere else to go. Does the capital have a room where I could sleep for just one night?”

Two hours later, Qu Xia appeared at the main table in the capital’s dining hall. The administrative governor of Pamir Star stood beside him with a stiff expression, bowing and nodding repeatedly.

“Your Excellency, please enjoy your meal.”