SZAR Chapter 102

The banquet was nearing its end. The colleagues had eaten and drunk their fill. Quite a few were slightly tipsy, supporting each other as they walked out.

Just as they stepped out of the banquet hall, they saw soldiers checking people at the entrance. They wore silver-white uniforms, stood straight and tall, and tassels hung down from their shoulder epaulettes.

Qu Xia inwardly cursed.

In the entire Empire, only the First Army wore silver-white uniforms and Erwen happened to be the direct commander of the First Army.

He had probably noticed something unusual at the banquet and brought people here to block him.

Qu Xia felt miserable. He had kindly helped Erwen out of trouble, yet accidentally exposed his identity. Now he was only three to five meters from the main gate. Turning around and escaping was already impossible.

Qu Xia closed his eyes and leaned against a colleague’s shoulder.

Everyone else had been dancing, but their table had done nothing but eat and drink. Many people were already drunk. With his eyes tightly shut, Qu Xia clung to his colleague’s arm, looking like someone too drunk to stand steadily.

The soldiers looked over them one by one. Seeing that this group reeked of alcohol, they gave a quick glance at their insect patterns. Finding nothing unusual, they waved them through.

Qu Xia kept holding his colleague’s arm until the palace disappeared at the end of their sight. Only then did he let go and stand up straight.

He returned to his residence, locked the door, and let out a long sigh of relief.

The young researcher had always disliked crowded places, and he disliked physical activity even more. This banquet had required both scheming and dancing, draining all his energy. Qu Xia collapsed headfirst onto the bed in his bedroom and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

He had a rather unpleasant dream.

In the dream, Erwen was dancing with him, both hands resting on his waist. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t break free. Then the Admiral pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs from his silver uniform and click, locked them onto his wrists.

Qu Xia looked up.

The Admiral’s cold, stern face carried an overwhelming pressure. His dark teal eyes were sharp as blades, and the way he looked at Qu Xia was like looking at a piece of trash he had picked up.

Qu Xia: QAQ

Picking up trash had practically become his mental demon.

He suddenly woke up with a start. After tossing and turning for a long time without being able to sleep, he turned on his light brain and stared at it for quite a while. Finally, he sent Erwen a message, hoping to test his reaction.

【 Admiral, did the banquet go smoothly? 】

Qu Xia checked the time. It was already midnight. Erwen kept a very regular schedule, so he assumed the admiral was already asleep. He probably would not get a reply tonight. So he casually browsed the web for a while, planning his grand escape plan tomorrow.

But in less than two minutes, Erwen’s reply appeared on the screen.

【 Not bad. 】

Qu Xia bit his nails. “Not bad?”

He didn’t say it went smoothly, nor did he say it didn’t. How was Qu Xia supposed to keep fishing for information like that?

Qu Xia typed quickly:

【 I’ve never been to the royal palace before. Are the palaces there very beautiful? Was there anything fun at the banquet? 】

There was a brief silence on the other side before Erwen replied.

【 Nothing.】

Qu Xia started biting his pillow.

He was so angry he could explode. “Nothing?”

When Erwen had his hand on Qu Xia’s waist and refused to let him leave no matter what, he certainly hadn’t acted like there was nothing.

Qu Xia tried asking indirectly, but Erwen refused to give anything away. Not a single hint slipped out. It was as if the event he had attended wasn’t the Crown Prince’s social banquet, but some strictly classified military meeting.

Qu Xia asked again, 【 Then can I come find you for lunch tomorrow? 】

If he couldn’t get answers through the light brain, then face-to-face should work. When the time came, he would lower his eyes and pretend to tear up a little. The Admiral was the type who yielded to softness but not force. He was most afraid of seeing a young female insect looking hesitant and pitiful, surely he would spill at least a little.

But unexpectedly, Erwen fell silent again.

The Admiral scooped up a handful of icy water and splashed it over his face, suppressing the unnatural flush on his cheeks. He carefully examined the reflection in the mirror. Only when he looked like a proper, composed elder again did he slowly type:

【 I will be busy tomorrow with military duties. Let’s discuss it another day. 】

After sending the message, Erwen closed the light brain. Bracing his hands on the edge of the sink, he lowered his face into the cold water.

Once again, he had dreamed of an absurd scene.

In the dream, he returned to that planet piled with garbage. Inside the male zerg’s ruined home, he was tied to a chair in the laboratory. The male zerg stood behind him, hands moving slowly downward along his back. Then Erwen turned his head in haste. Through his sweat-soaked long hair, he saw Qu Xia’s face.

After so many repetitions of the same dream, even if Erwen tried to deceive himself, he no longer dared to claim that he had no desire for the strategist at all.

But what about Qu Xia?

On his own side, he could still say that after years of restraint, the natural attraction between male and female had caused a moment of instinctive impulse.

But what about Lock?

Why, as the sponsor, would he repeatedly dream about the one he was sponsoring? Could it be that behind this act of guardianship, there was actually such a disgusting thought hidden within?

He let out a soft sigh and once again submerged his face in the water.

………………

Qu Xia stared blankly at the words on the screen.

Discuss it another day? Erwen actually said discuss it another day?

With the Ninth Expedition approaching, the Admiral truly was busy with military affairs. But it wasn’t to the point where he didn’t even have time for dinner. Alarm bells rang loudly in Qu Xia’s mind, and he thought: Could it be that the Admiral has discovered something strange and is planning to mobilize the army to search the entire city for a wanted criminal?

He didn’t dare delay any longer. Picking up his light brain, he typed rapidly, completely acting like someone being unreasonable:

【 Why? You promised yesterday that you’d cook for me! 】

Erwen gave a bitter smile. He had promised but now broke his word, and he felt guilty. But the sticky sensation on his body had not yet been washed away. No matter what, he couldn’t meet the young female zerg in such a state.

Erwen replied, 【Sorry.】

Qu Xia couldn’t read anything from his tone. Anxiety nearly made him cry, and he had no idea what Erwen was doing. In his agitation, he spoke without thinking.

【Why? Can’t we even eat a meal together? Do you not like me anymore? 】

Erwen froze completely.

His fingers hovered over the screen, unable to press a single word for a long time.

Not like him? Lock would be heartbroken.

But like…

How could he possibly say such an ambiguous word under these circumstances?

Erwen said, 【It’s late. Go to sleep.】

Qu Xia: “……”

He pulled the blanket over his head and thought, It’s over. It’s over, it’s over!

The zerg race was not as reserved and subtle as humans. Words like like were very common among parents, relatives, and friends. Yet Erwen even avoided such a question. What exactly had he discovered?

Had he already found out that Lock was the strategist?

Then what would come next? Would he make him wear handcuffs and force him to pick up garbage?

Qu Xia’s scalp turned cold.

Trembling, he opened the ticketing app and bought a ticket to the second-class Star. Then, at lightning speed, he packed his luggage and prepared to run away.

This time was different from when he first came to the main star. With the money Erwen had sent him steadily for years, plus his own salary, the current Qu Xia was a genuine little rich man. He did not even need to worry about the shipping cost of his luggage anymore. He walked around the room once and finally stuffed the newest version of the household robot into his bag as well.

— Without anyone to cook for him, if he did not even have the robot, Qu Xia would starve to death.

After everything was packed, Qu Xia stood in the living room and looked back at the small room. It was empty now, and he felt a slight sense of regret.

The research environment at Sylph was excellent — good equipment, highly skilled colleagues, and plenty of funding. There were still many experimental materials left at his workstation. Qu Xia felt a little reluctant to leave.

He sighed and closed the door.

Goodbye, Capital Star.

………………

For half a month, Erwen did not contact Qu Xia.

The Ninth Expedition was just around the corner. Erwen forced himself to immerse completely in his work, leaving not even the slightest room for distraction.

He was afraid that if he stopped for even a moment, he would remember the cold laboratory chair from his dream, and that youthful yet beautiful face.

The military dormitory was decorated in a cold and rigid style. The ceiling and walls were made of reflective metal panels, and the bed was a hard campaign cot. Only in a place like this could Erwen calm down.

Ever since he met that male zerg at the banquet last time, Erwen had very much wanted to know how he was doing. But the Prince refused to provide the banquet guest list. With the Ninth Expedition approaching and Erwen serving as its commander, making a big show of searching would harm the reputation of the First Army. So he could only hold the matter back for now and wait until the expedition was over before making plans.

But thinking about it carefully, the strategist he saw at the banquet had a well-proportioned figure and did not look thin or weak. He probably had not suffered much hardship. And since he could appear at such a high-level banquet, his situation could not be too bad either.

Erwen took a deep breath and temporarily pushed the matter of the strategist out of his mind. Instead, he began to think about Lock.

The expedition was about to begin. He needed to make up that missed meal and then say goodbye to Lock.

However, when he opened the chat window and paused under Lock’s name for a moment, Erwen found that he could not quite bring himself to press send.

This time, he was the one at fault.

Lock was not like many careless female insects. He was delicate and sensitive, and his eyes would turn red at the slightest thing. He was the kind of insect who could not bear even a little grievance.

Yet Erwen had ignored him for half a month without any reason.

It had been Erwen who made the promise first and then broke it later. And the reason for breaking it, when spoken out loud, sounded so absurd.

Erwen thought, “Lock must be sad.”

This child was usually very clingy and often sent messages. But now there had been no news for half a month. After thinking for a long time, Erwen finally decided to apologize.

He typed:

【 Sorry, Lock. 】

【 I was too busy these past days and couldn’t pay attention to you. 】

【 I’m free today. Do you want to come over for a meal? 】

After finishing these words, he set down the light brain with a heavy heart. He felt restless, unable to sit or stand still, like a parent who had said something foolish and was anxiously waiting for a child’s forgiveness. These few short sentences disturbed his thoughts so much that even his work slowed down.

Two hours later, Erwen opened the light brain again.

His heart was hanging high in his chest, but the moment he entered the chat, it dropped heavily.

The screen was completely blank. Lock had not replied to any message.

Erwen was not sure whether this was the young female insect’s way of showing protest. The Admiral lacked experience in this area. After all, Nuo Wei had never been rebellious when he was young. After pausing for a moment, Erwen typed again:

【 Sorry. What happened these past days was my fault. Won’t you give me a chance to be forgiven? 】

It was still completely empty, no reply at all.

Erwen furrowed his brow.

He dialed the number. On the other end, a cold automated voice repeated without emotion: “This account has been canceled. Please verify the number again.”

Erwen abruptly stood from his chair.

A canceled account, this was no longer something that could be explained away as a childish sulk.

His unusual behavior startled his aide. Lin En looked over, puzzled: “Admiral?”

Erwen said, “Stand by. I’m going out for a while.”

He threw on his heavy coat, fastened the ties, and walked straight out. Boarding his aircraft, he shot into the sky, and in less than ten minutes, he had located the address Lock had left behind.

It was a residential building next to the Stellar Group, secluded and quiet. Many of the group’s researchers lived there. It was currently off-duty hours, and a few of them were wandering downstairs. The smells of stir-frying and cooking drifted from kitchens, giving the place a warm, lived-in feel.

Erwen found the corresponding door number, rapped sharply, and said in a deep voice, “Lock, are you home?”

No one answered.

Erwen’s brow tightened even more. He knocked again a few times. His tall, imposing military uniform, with dark gold insignia hidden in the sleeves, drew many curious glances from neighbors. Finally, a brave researcher across the way spoke out: “Sir, that apartment hasn’t been occupied for half a month.”

Erwen froze for a moment.

The next second, he lifted his foot and kicked the door. The old security door groaned and warped, springing inward.

Erwen scanned the room. Inside, it was empty. The sofa and chairs were covered with black dust cloths. Cups, toothpaste, and other daily items were still in place, but all clothing had been removed. Dust of various sizes hung in the air.

Clearly, no one had lived here for some time.

Erwen stood in place, facing the vacant apartment, silent for a long moment.

The researcher across the way, emboldened, leaned forward: “Sir, are you looking for someone?”

Erwen nodded: “Yes.”

He kept his expression neutral and lifted his eyes: “Do you know where the tenant of this apartment moved to?”

The researcher scratched his head. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’m not familiar with him either, so I don’t know where he went.” He studied Erwen’s face, worry creeping in: “Sir, you look very unwell. Should I call a doctor?”

Erwen shook his head. “No need.”

He bent down and sat on the sofa, a rare sense of frustration washing over him.

For most of his life, the Admiral had orchestrated strategies and controlled outcomes, enduring pain and hardship without regret. Before today, there had been only one regret: not bringing the strategist from the junk planet along, after all the help he had received and even after his home was blown up, he had been unable to repay even a fraction.

But now, there was a new regret.

He had failed to keep his promise to cook.

Before, he had lost the strategist; now, he had lost Lock as well.