SZAR Chapter 109

Qu Xia rose on his aircraft, trailing behind Chu Ci from a distance.

They crossed the wasteland and landed one after another at the morning market. This was where Pamir’s locals bought daily necessities. Stalls were numerous, and people constantly moved around. Qu Xia held the egg carefully, keeping a respectful distance behind Chu Ci while assessing the young man ahead.

Although they had never met, Qu Xia was almost certain that Chu Ci and he came from the same hometown.

This recently popular game developer had made several games, and Qu Xia found plenty of hints of Earth within them: bizarre spawn points, monsters charging straight at the player, NPCs with strange lines and quirky dialogue. Add to that the rumor that Chu Ci’s personality had completely changed after bumping his head, and Qu Xia was ninety percent sure he hailed from Earth.

Back when he worked at the Stellar Group, Qu Xia had made a storage box resembling a Luban lock. Even though he no longer worked at the school, he kept in contact with Professor Sylph and handled many research materials from there. Whenever there were materials that couldn’t be publicly shared or shown to colleagues, Qu Xia would tuck them into the storage box.

Among them was a set of instructions for collaborative lie detection.

While trailing Chu Ci, Qu Xia activated his light-brain, directing the robots in the mine to tidy up the furniture. Then, casually, he brushed past Chu Ci.

In that fleeting moment of contact, Chu Ci glanced at the egg in his arms, then suddenly looked straight at him.

Qu Xia froze.

His scalp tingled, his body stopped, then he quickened his pace, and before he knew it, he was bolting forward, burying his head as Chu Ci’s brows furrowed.

Erwen: “…”

He asked, “Why are you running?”

Qu Xia felt utterly helpless: “I think his expression is a little scary.”

Originally, Qu Xia had planned to use the brief brush-past to slip a note into Chu Ci’s hands, then vanish like a shadow, leaving not even a trace behind. But Chu Ci was too sharp, he almost instantly spotted the egg and quickly followed.

Qu Xia’s social anxiety was about to hit its limit.

He flailed through the crowd like a headless fly, never finding a chance to deliver the note. Instead, Chu Ci grabbed the hem of his clothing, holding him in place.

Qu Xia: “…”

The male in front of him looked tired, dark shadows under his eyes. He stared at the egg in Qu Xia’s arms and asked, “Excuse me, Sir, where did this egg come from?”

Qu Xia: “…”

His mind went blank. After several seconds, he managed to say, “Oh, this… I, I picked it up.”

Chu Ci looked well-proportioned, his muscles balanced and bones well-aligned. Though he wasn’t someone who obviously liked sports, he was definitely more agile than Qu Xia. Comparing their abilities, Qu Xia gave up on the plan to slip the note to him quietly.

There was no way he could silently hand it over QAQ.

Hearing Qu Xia say he had picked it up, Chu Ci paused, then asked, “Picked it up from where?”

Qu Xia immediately got an idea.

He couldn’t deliver it silently to Chu Ci, but he could guide him to the mine and have the household robots leave a message on the surface.

The D767 laboratory was hidden deep in the mine. Above it were the miners’ living quarters, so leaving a note on the surface meant Chu Ci wouldn’t reach the lab itself.

He replied slowly: “Go southeast at a 45 degree angle. If you’re interested, you can take a look.”

Chu Ci politely thanked him. Qu Xia nodded modestly, then turned and ran off.

He bolted with Erwen all the way to the edge of the market before stopping.

Erwen looked puzzled: “You’re a male too. Why are you running?”

He had seen Chu Ci twice. That boy, though a male, was unusually gentle by temperament. And these past few days, Nuo Wei had become even more dependent on Chu Ci. Erwen had noticed. That wasn’t a cruel or violent male.

Qu Xia: “QAQ.”

He didn’t really know why; he just wanted to run.

The two of them, one male and one egg, sat down beside a food stall. Through the gap in the tent, Qu Xia observed Chu Ci’s reaction. At first, his brows furrowed slightly, then he seemed to realize something. He strode over to his aircraft, pulled up the controls, and headed in the 45 degree direction. Qu Xia finally let out a sigh of relief.

He remotely controlled the household robots to write the note and leave it on an abandoned desk in the mine, holding it down with a stone. Then he wandered around outside, reluctant to go back for a long while.

Erwen asked: “Not going home?”

Qu Xia dawdled, kicking a stone by the roadside: “Wait a little longer.”

Otherwise, if he ran into the male head-on, how could he possibly explain?

Only when the morning market closed did Qu Xia finally gather up the packed food and return to the aircraft.

They returned to the mine, and sure enough, the note on the desk had been taken, but the laboratory door was still perfectly hidden, untouched. Qu Xia flopped onto the bed and began scrolling through the daily news.

Almost all recent reports were about the expedition. The trial of the Major General had erupted across Star Network, with a flood of abusive words and slander pouring down. Qu Xia was glad Erwen was still an egg and couldn’t see any of it.

He continued scrolling and came across news of the tribunal. The lie detector tests for the First Army were inevitable, but with Chu Ci present, things shouldn’t be too bad.

Qu Xia kept scrolling, then suddenly froze his cursor.

The news headline read: ⟦ His Majesty Prair is critically ill; the Prince is suspected to have assumed cabinet leadership, overseeing state affairs. ⟧

His Majesty Prair — the reigning Zerg Emperor.

Qu Xia remembered the photos he had seen in the original owner’s space: the royal family, harmonious and intact, with the original owner first in line to throne, but later stranded in the desolate star. There must be many secrets behind it all.

He fell silent for a moment, then rolled the egg over from the nearby sofa and whispered softly: “Erwen, I have something to tell you.”

Erwen’s voice was gentle: “What is it?”

Even being rolled didn’t upset him. Qu Xia rarely spoke this seriously, and his tone softened unconsciously.

Qu Xia thought for a moment, unsure how to start. Then, suddenly, he picked up Erwen and pressed the egg against his nose. “Erwen, when I was little, you held me. Do you remember?”

Erwen gave a suspicious “Hmm?”

If he had a body, his brows would certainly have furrowed in confusion.

Qu Xia came from the Garbage Star, a commoner from the edge of the galaxy. Erwen was the eldest son of the Aettris family, the most prominent noble on the main planet. Had they ever met as children?

Qu Xia nodded. “When I was very small, at the Selection Ceremony¹ 抓阄宴 (zhuā jiū yàn) – A traditional Chinese event where a baby, usually around one year old, is presented with various objects, and the first item they grab is believed to symbolize their future interests, personality, or destiny., His Majesty Glore handed me to you. I clung to your sleeve and wouldn’t let go, even stuffed your hair into my mouth. Do you remember?”

Erwen’s mind went blank, and he instantly remembered that scene.

It was the little prince’s Selection Ceremony. The emperor’s precious eldest son was placed on the platform, looking around curiously. His small, fair hands stretched out, testing things here and there. The emperor and the ministers placed countless treasures before him: a scepter symbolizing royal authority, and a pigeon-blood ruby symbolizing wealth.

At that time, everyone’s attention was focused on the little prince, waiting to see what he would grab. But the prince passed over all the treasures and, without the slightest mistake, grabbed Erwen’s sleeve.

The future admiral was still young then, not yet as unreadable as he was now. He felt confused, helpless, and even a little afraid, afraid of ruining the prince’s Selection Ceremony. Every guest’s gaze fell on his face, filled with curiosity and scrutiny. The little prince babbled while hugging his arm, saying words no one could understand. Erwen stood stiffly like a wooden post, until His Majesty Glore suddenly burst out laughing.

Glore said, “The little prince likes you. Go on, hold him.”

Like was a very unfamiliar word to Erwen. His male father and female father had been married for political reasons; they never spoke of liking each other. As the heir of the family, what he needed was excellence, not to be liked.

Erwen stiffly picked up the little prince. The child in his arms was a tiny bundle, as if he might break with just a little force. He had never held anyone before, and his embrace was not very comfortable. But the little prince seemed very happy and kept laughing. So Glore asked him, “Boy from the Aettris family, how old are you?”

Erwen pressed his lips together and said, “Sixteen.”

Glore sighed softly. “A bit too old. Otherwise, since he likes you so much, we could have arranged a child betrothal.”

Erwen pressed his lips even tighter.

After the banquet ended, they left the hall one after another. Erwen still wore the same serious expression. Sylph bumped into him and waggled his eyebrows. “Hey, the little prince was cute, right?”

Erwen didn’t answer.

Sylph looked unusually mature for his age and clicked his tongue while shaking his head. “He’s very cute now, and he seems to like you. But His Highness is a male zerg. Before long, he’ll be just like those empty-headed, hot-tempered idiots in the university. Then he’ll think you’re dull and boring, and he won’t like you anymore.”

Erwen paused and looked at him, as if he wanted to refute him. But in the end, he said nothing.

Emotionally, he didn’t want that little male zerg to grow into someone detestable.

But rationally, Erwen knew Sylph was right.

Every male zerg was like that. Sooner or later, they all became someone unpleasant.

But in that moment, Erwen very much wanted to grab his old friend and tell him, “His Highness wouldn’t.”

Qu Xia hadn’t changed. He was just as lovely as he had been when he was little.

Later, when His Majesty Glore died in a single day and the prince suddenly passed away, everyone knew something was wrong. Even Glore’s most loyal followers, Erwen’s father among them, saw through the hidden truth. But when a great power is about to collapse, they, together with the remaining followers of Glore, silently accepted the reality.

Erwen had always believed that the small prince from those years had already died in the coup.

The egg had been quietly sitting to the side, silent for a long time. Erwen seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to speak. Qu Xia nudged him lightly with his fingertip. “Admiral?”

He pressed his lips together. “You don’t believe me?”

Qu Xia misunderstood Erwen’s silence as doubt. He gestured quickly. “In my room there’s a metal seal. The pattern on it is exactly the same as the one belonging to His Highness the Prince. Under the pattern there’s a string of numbers. The numbers are—”

He didn’t finish speaking before Erwen interrupted him.

The admiral’s voice sounded a little muffled. “Sorry, but Qu Xia… could you pick me up?”

While gesturing just now, Qu Xia had been afraid the egg might fall from his knees, so he had placed it aside. Hearing the request, he picked it up again and tilted his head in confusion. “Admiral?”

Erwen forced down the emotions in his heart. He had to admit that he was a little afraid.

Once, he had lost his strategist. Once, he had lost Lock. And he hadn’t even known that long ago, the little prince had also been lost right in front of him.

Although the little prince had not died, he had been taken to the barren star. Without the care of elders, without the splendor and protection that once surrounded him, how had a male zerg grown up in such a harsh environment?

Qu Xia had no idea what Erwen was thinking. His thoughts were very straightforward. Erwen and his family were remnants of the previous regime, people the Prince would certainly eliminate. And the current emperor was on the verge of death. If the Prince ascended the throne, the admiral’s case would be sealed forever, and there would never be a chance to clear his name.

Qu Xia stood up. “Admiral, I see that the military has already withdrawn. Should we go check the old site and see if we can find any clues?”

The egg made a small nodding motion. “Put me back in my body.”

The stasis pod also served a healing function. After so much time had passed, the body’s injuries should already be repaired. And without the admiral, the weak and innocent little male zerg could hardly accomplish the task of investigation. Qu Xia nodded and started the device in reverse.

As the mental waves slowly flowed back, in the glacier-blue freezing liquid, the silver-gray-haired female zerg slowly opened his eyes.

Qu Xia’s gaze accidentally swept across the elegant lines of Erwen’s muscles. He quickly moved his eyes to the admiral’s face and met his gaze for a moment, then, as if burned, he hurriedly looked away.

Erwen’s dark teal eyes were fixed on him, like a deep azure pool. Inside them surged emotions that could not be clearly spoken or explained, like someone staring at a long-lost treasure that had finally been found, the intensity almost scorching.

Erwen had never looked at him like this before.

Qu Xia suddenly stood up. Not daring to look at him, he muttered to himself, saying meaningless nonsense: “Um… the mental wave synchronization is complete. Admiral, check how you feel. Your body should be almost fully recovered…”

He didn’t continue.

Erwen reached out and held Qu Xia’s wrist. Looking at him, he asked softly, “Xia Xia, do you want to be emperor?”

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  抓阄宴 (zhuā jiū yàn) – A traditional Chinese event where a baby, usually around one year old, is presented with various objects, and the first item they grab is believed to symbolize their future interests, personality, or destiny.