SZAR Chapter 101

Sensing Qu Xia’s presence, Erwen withdrew his earlier refusal. Placing a hand on his shoulder epaulet, he bowed slightly and said, “It’s an honor to dance with you.”

Under the prince’s astonished gaze, he extended his hand, which Qu Xia clasped. Erwen then drew the young male close by the waist and smoothly entered the dance floor, moving like a seasoned veteran.

Qu Xia pressed his lips together, only now feeling a bit flustered. His eyes, hidden in the tuft of feathers, flickered with uncertainty. “Actually… I don’t know how to dance,” he admitted.

The young researcher, absorbed in academia, had never studied any form of dance. Inviting Erwen had been a moment of impulse, and now that Erwen had agreed, he had no idea how to move.

“I might step on you,” Qu Xia warned.

“It’s fine,” Erwen replied.

He placed a hand on Qu Xia’s waist, speaking calmly with the confidence of one who could control the entire room. His movements were deliberate and unhurried. Qu Xia followed his lead; though his motions were clumsy, they were never wrong.

The steps of ballroom dancing were simple enough for Qu Xia to remember in his mind, but his limbs were uncoordinated and his sense of rhythm poor. He couldn’t keep time at all, instead mechanically reproducing the steps like a student reciting a text. He concentrated fully, not daring to be distracted. By the end, a thin layer of sweat had formed at the tip of his nose.

Qu Xia didn’t notice that Erwen had been quietly watching him the whole time.

The Admiral was much taller than the young researcher. His dark teal eyes lowered, catching a glimpse of the male’s eyelids, like crow wings over the feathered mask. The face beneath was obscured, but from the slight line of the jaw, Erwen could discern a smooth, graceful structure.

The minty scent in the air was faint but unmistakable. Erwen exhaled softly and asked in a low voice, “Are you nervous?”

He held Qu Xia’s hand. The young male’s fingers were long and slender, yet firm, gripping Erwen’s hand tightly. A thin film of sweat formed where their bodies touched.

Erwen asked, “You don’t like this kind of gathering?”

Qu Xia shook his head. “I don’t.”

The little researcher devoted himself fully to the laboratory and rarely attended social gatherings like this. If he had any free time, he preferred to stay quietly at home and grow mushrooms¹.

Erwen chuckled. “Then why invite me?”

Male zergs were like walking spotlights, born to enjoy being surrounded and worshiped. But the male before him was clearly not like that. He was overly reserved and nervous, as if he were not a hunter spinning through the dance floor in search of prey, but a lamb that had mistakenly wandered into a pack of wolves.

An absurd thought rose in Erwen’s mind.

‘Did you invite me to help me out of an awkward spot?’

He didn’t believe a male zerg could be that kindhearted. But if it were the strategist from the junk planet, it did seem like something he might actually do.

Erwen lowered his eyes again and carefully observed his dance partner. Watching the male’s stiff and inexperienced movements, a feeling he couldn’t quite describe stirred in his heart.

There were many things he wanted to ask.

For example: How did you get to the main planet?

For example: Why did you appear at the ball?

And for example: Why did you invite me to dance?

And the most important question of all: Did the artillery fire back then scare you?

The little strategist from the junk planet was terribly delicate. He couldn’t open a can, couldn’t carry the trash, and couldn’t cook. He was the kind of helpless rookie who couldn’t take care of himself at all. Erwen found it hard to imagine how Qu Xia had managed to reach the capital star and live here for so long with no one looking after him.

He wanted to tell Qu Xia that his subordinates had blown up the house on the junk planet. But he had many houses on the main planet, each bright and spacious, with carefully designed gardens. In spring the grass would be lush and green; in autumn the water would shimmer with ripples. Qu Xia could pick whichever one he liked as compensation.

His subordinates had also damaged Qu Xia’s laboratory instruments. That was something Erwen couldn’t restore, but he had plenty of wealth to offer. There were many military merits that could be exchanged, and even a whole warehouse of gemstones. If Qu Xia liked, he could inlay the helmet made from scraps with expensive emeralds.

But in the end, he said nothing.

It would scare the male.

The rhythm in the dance hall slowly softened. The music gradually faded, and then the lights dimmed. One song had ended, meaning another would soon begin.

Whenever the lights completely dimmed, the males on the dance floor would exchange partners. Following the rhythm, Erwen released Qu Xia’s hand. Qu Xia turned along with the movement in confusion and brushed past another male. The other male winked at him and said, “Hey buddy, which family’s male are you from? How dare you invite Erwen?”

Qu Xia blinked. “What?”

The other male said, “Don’t tell me you know nothing about the rules of these gatherings?”

He clicked his tongue and sighed. “Erwen was staring at you just now, and that look was scary serious. Buddy, I advise you to run while you can. The Admiral does look good and has a great body, sure, but it’s not worth it. With Erwen’s achievements, if you sleep with him, you’ll have to give him the position of female monarch afterward.”

Qu Xia: “…?”

The lights were dim and unclear. With no one to imitate, Qu Xia couldn’t even keep up with the dance anymore. Figures moved around him in shadows. Males passed by and took away their new partners.

Then the music suddenly changed and the lights brightened again.

Qu Xia looked around blankly. Suddenly, a hand appeared around his waist. After only two steps away, Erwen had returned, pulling him back and holding him again, clearly having no intention of switching partners with anyone else.

Remembering what the strange male had just said, Qu Xia raised his eyes to look at Erwen.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Erwen stared at him steadily. His dark teal eyes were like a deep pool in the mountains. Within the shifting light and shadow, some faint, unreadable emotion was hidden.

Qu Xia’s heart thumped heavily.

Oh no, he thought. He didn’t recognize me… did he?

The males on the junk planet were all wanted criminals. They had privately formed gangs, caused trouble for passing ships, detained an Imperial Admiral, and even forced that admiral to collect garbage. Every single one of those crimes was serious enough to cost a life.

At that thought, Qu Xia instantly felt the urge to retreat.

Help! He really didn’t want to go back to collecting garbage. QAQ

Qu Xia looked around nervously. His fingers twitched slightly before locking onto the direction of the exit. When the lights dimmed again, he took a step to the side, trying to slip away.

He hadn’t even taken two steps before Erwen’s long arm swept out and pulled him right back.

Qu Xia: “……”

The Admiral ignored the rule about changing partners once again.

His hand lightly rested at Qu Xia’s waist. He wasn’t using any strength, yet the warmth still passed through clearly, making the spot at Qu Xia’s waist tighten from the heat.

This time Qu Xia truly broke out in a cold sweat. Once might be a coincidence, but twice?

The Admiral was the kind of person who followed rules the most strictly. He never took even a single wrong step. There was no way he didn’t know the rules of the ball. Unless… he had already noticed something unusual and was planning to detain Qu Xia on the spot once the ball ended.

The lights dimmed again, and the music on the floor changed. This time it was an intense dance tune, and the dance floor instantly became noisy.

The male who had brushed past him earlier moved behind Qu Xia, looking like someone enjoying the drama without caring how big it got.

“Hey, buddy, looks like the Admiral has his eye on you?”

He had already gone through two dance partners and was about to release the one in his hand while searching for a third.

Qu Xia clenched his teeth and asked for help, “I want to get out. Do you have a way?”

The male froze for a moment. “That might be a little hard. My family has some influence, but we still wouldn’t dare face an Imperial Admiral head-on.”

He thought for a moment, then said cheerfully, “But I’m a male. He can’t really do much to me. Fine then, I’ll risk my life to help a good friend.”

This male clearly knew the dance floor well. His steps were skilled and smooth, obviously an experienced dancer.

He tossed his partner toward Erwen’s direction, then grabbed Qu Xia’s hand. With two quick spins, he led him away from the center of the dance floor.

Erwen’s hand, which had been reaching to pull someone back, paused.

Qu Xia was no longer where he expected him to be.

The lighting on the floor was dim, and all the males were dressed in identical black suits, wearing feather or wooden masks. His eyesight had only just recovered, and it still didn’t work well in the dark. For a moment, he couldn’t find any trace of Qu Xia.

The male led Qu Xia into the crowd and asked, “Where do you want to go?”

Qu Xia pointed in the direction of the restroom.

Then the hand on his shoulder pressed slightly. After a few turns and quick movements, they reached the edge of the dance floor. The male immediately pushed Qu Xia out of the floor.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he returned to the dance floor. With quick eyes and faster hands, he snatched a new partner from another male and started dancing again.

The male whose partner had suddenly vanished: “?”

Without looking back, Qu Xia hurried down the corridor at the side, slipping into the flow of guests before the lights came on again.

Erwen frowned.

He caught the female zerg that had been thrown toward him, then tossed him to a male insect a few meters away who had been standing there blankly without a dance partner. The male insect stared stupidly as he caught this equally stunned new partner, then cursed, “Damn it.”

Erwen stopped in the middle of the dance floor and looked around slightly. All around him were people dancing. The gems on their clothes scattered beautiful sparks under the spotlights. The flashes of light rose and fell with the rhythm, blending into a dazzling halo that made one feel dizzy.

Erwen unconsciously narrowed his eyes.

He ran away?

This male zerg was always so unexpected. It had always been female zergs who didn’t want to be played with and slipped away from a ball. How could there be a male zerg who fled in panic instead?

The Admiral pushed through the dancing crowd and returned to the main seat.

His expression was somewhat gloomy. The Prince asked in surprise, “Where did that little male zerg go just now?”

Erwen ignored him and simply called his adjutant over, whispering, “Go check.”

This was the Prince’s territory. He couldn’t conduct a large search, but sending his adjutant to block the entrance and see whether any male zergs were coming or going was still possible.

The adjutant saluted. “Yes.”

He brought a small squad and began checking people at the door.

………………

Qu Xia took a deep breath and hid in the restroom.

Cold sweat had soaked his body. His back was sticky with it. Using a wet tissue, he carefully wiped the skin at the back of his neck, then stuck on a new tattoo.

Qu Xia carefully examined himself in the mirror, making sure the edges fit perfectly tight and seamless, blending completely with his natural skin tone. Only then did he carefully tug at his collar, using his clothes to cover the gland.

At that moment, voices could be heard talking near the door.

Qu Xia looked at the backing paper from the tattoo sticker still in his hand. He quickly slipped into a nearby stall, shut the door, tore the backing paper into pieces, and threw them into the toilet. Just as he was about to flush it to destroy the evidence, he suddenly heard low voices talking outside.

“You mean that drug that can trigger a mental-sea riot has been successfully developed?”

“Yes. The report came from the D767 Research Institute yesterday.”

“Then the timing really couldn’t be better…”

They washed their hands and left together, their voices gradually fading away. Qu Xia paused, feeling a little confused.

Scientists in the Zerg’s mental field spent their entire lives trying to stabilize the mental sea, yet someone was actually researching drugs that could cause it to riot?

And this D767 Research Institute…

Qu Xia’s mentor was Sylph. Sylph was a well-known figure in the field of neuroscience and had collaborations with nearly every research institute. When Qu Xia graduated, Sylph gave him a stack of materials, saying he could choose any of the institutes listed there and go work for them.

But Qu Xia had never heard of this so-called D767.

He silently remembered the name, snapped the feather mask in half, and put it away. Then he returned to his colleagues as if nothing had happened.

His colleagues weren’t dancing at all. Like a sweeping storm, they had wiped out every dish on the table. By the time Qu Xia returned, the table was already a mess of empty plates and cups. One colleague wrapped an arm around Qu Xia’s waist and asked,

“Xiao Xia, what happened to you? Did you spend half the ball just going to the bathroom?”

Qu Xia pulled his hand away. “I watched them dance for a while.”

The colleague sighed. “The dance floor was really interesting just now. Did you guys see Admiral Erwen?”

He looked exaggeratedly shocked. “My god, that’s the Admiral! Why would he go down to dance? And the male he was holding… that was a male, right?”

Another colleague cut in, “Seriously, after seeing so many out-of-shape ones, the one the Admiral held had a really good figure. Such a slim waist.”

They were sitting far away, and the lights on the dance floor were dim and hazy. They could only vaguely see the silhouettes of people dancing. It was impossible to tell exactly what the male looked like, but the lighting blurred the details while making the body shape and outline clearly visible.

Qu Xia silently buried his face in his plate.

He prayed quietly in his heart:

“Stop talking, stop talking… please, brothers, stop talking.”

If Erwen wanted to investigate, he would easily discover that one female zerg from the Stellar Group had left the table for half an hour, and that the timing matched exactly with when the male zerg appeared. If he then compared height and weight, it would not be hard to suspect that something was wrong with him.

Qu Xia suddenly felt the urge to run away again.