SZAR Chapter 48

Chu Ci turned to him. “Shall we go?”

Secretary Lin blinked, as if waking from a dream. “Go… go, go, go.”

The appraisal center was only one stop away. Chu Ci submitted a reservation request on StarNet, and Secretary Lin floored the accelerator. In less than ten minutes, the aircraft smoothly hovered above the center.

Most of the zergs coming for testing were first-time awakenings, with very few second-time awakenings, because aside from these, ranks rarely changed.

Chu Ci glanced around. The other zergs were here for level appraisal. Most of them looked fresh-faced, somewhere between teenage and young adult, accompanied by female parents or teachers. An adult male insect like Chu Ci was practically nonexistent.

As soon as he stepped off the aircraft, he caught a fair amount of subtle stares.

Chu Ci’s face was famous now.

Handsome male zergs were already rare in the interstellar space; ones as striking as Chu Ci were even rarer.

Yesterday, Chu Ci had made a name for himself in a single battle. At Pamir Airport, countless HD cameras had shot him up close, and reflectors made the entire airport as bright as a studio. Yet even in that environment, Chu Ci didn’t falter.

He had worn a long ash-gray coat, exuding a sharp, cold aura. The runways and military aircraft behind him became mere backdrops, turning a news shot into something with the texture of a fashion magazine cover.

At the same time, the sense of story and mystery around him helped his face go viral. His identity as the “defector major’s male lord” was already dramatic. Add the fact that he had appeared on a war-torn desert planet, made unusual statements at Pamir Airport, and ran a personal account with a strangely unique style. It all drew enormous attention from the curious public.

Netizens’ curiosity about Chu Ci reached unprecedented levels. Screenshots of his news coverage spread everywhere. By now, there were probably very few on StarNet who didn’t recognize his face.

At that moment, someone secretly took a photo and uploaded it to StarNet: ⟬ Saw Chu Ci at the appraisal center entrance. Does he have a little one coming for a test? ⟭

⟬ …Lord Chu Ci haven’t been an adult for long, and has been married less than a year. Where would a little one come from? ⟭

⟬ Then what is he here for? Surely not to test himself? ⟭

It wasn’t surprising that StarNet users didn’t guess. Adult insects who level up are incredibly rare; ones like Chu Ci, who cracked open their brains after a serious accident, are practically unique, rarer than smoke rising from an ancestral grave¹In Chinese culture, ancestral graves are sacred and typically undisturbed. Smoke rising from one’s grave would imply some supernatural or highly unusual event, because normally, graves are quiet and nothing ‘extraordinary’ happens there. No one expected him to be here for a level assessment.

Someone suggested the possibility, but it was quickly drowned out in the flood of discussion.

@LittleDeerSangsang: ⟬ I say, an A-rank male can’t be Nuo Wei’s guide. Could Chu Ci be trying for an S? ⟭

⟬ Don’t be ridiculous. Chu Ci’s already an adult. ⟭

⟬ Not a single S-rank male has appeared in hundreds of years across the interstellar. Even in ancient times, there were very few. ⟭

Meanwhile, inside the appraisal center, Xiao Lu Sangsang closed the comment section, looked up, and made eye contact with Chu Ci.

Chu Ci opened the form he submitted on his light-brain. “Hello, I want to try for a promotion.”

Xiao Lu Sangsang inhaled sharply and then stood. “Right away, Your Excellency. This way, please.”

He guided Chu Ci into the testing room, fitted him with a headset, and attached electrode patches to his temples,used to detect the male’s mental frequency bands.

Before the test began, Xiao Lu Sangsang, somewhat uneasy, emphasized: “Your Excellency, our equipment is absolutely objective. In over ten years, no errors have ever occurred. Regardless of the results, please remain calm. The machines here are extremely expensive; if you strike them and cause damage, the center may seek compensation from you.”

Incidents like this happened frequently. How could male insects, worshiped like small stars, accept getting a mediocre C or D? Once the results came out, many would throw tantrums, rolling on the floor, enraged, causing scenes in the center.

Chu Ci’s rank wouldn’t be low, but the chance of reaching S wasn’t zero either, still slim enough. Staff worried he might explode in anger, which is why they warned him in advance.

Chu Ci nodded. “I won’t. Begin.”

The staff exhaled in relief. This male was, as rumored, calm and courteous.

However, they thought Chu Ci meant he ‘wouldn’t fly into a rage’. In truth, what Chu Ci meant was: he ‘wouldn’t stay at A.’

Chu Ci had always been an outstanding achiever among humans, and in the zerg race, his abilities remained remarkable.

The testing pod was somewhat like a human MRI machine. Chu Ci lay on the diagnostic bed as it slid him inside. He closed his eyes, and a beep sounded, officially starting the test.

Countless waves rippled across his mental ocean, sweeping through every corner. Points of light rose in his mind, and the machine instructed: “Please track the path of the light points.”

…Wait, isn’t this just a 3D version of 《Space War》 trajectory tracking?

Chu Ci was far too skilled. He had practically turned 《Space War》 into a Chu Ci mini-game. Unlike many males who got agitated or irritable when facing mental waves, he remained calm and unbothered. As time passed, the progress bar outside the pod, representing his level, climbed steadily. The staff’s jaws literally dropped, watching as he smoothly crossed the boundary between A and S and continued upward.

At the same time, an automatic system message was pushed to the appraisal center’s website:

⟬ Main Star Sector B — Appraisal Center 17 Report: We have measured a new S-rank male. We wish this gentleman a bright future and great success.⟭

This was the center’s standard congratulatory template. Whenever a level was measured, it would post, “We have measured a new X-rank XX. We wish this XX a bright future and great success.” Normally, such messages quickly vanished in the sea of information.

But now, countless netizens were waiting on the center’s homepage.

Even though they didn’t expect Chu Ci to have taken the test, or even thought he could upgrade. What if he did?

When the message hit the front page, they paused in stunned silence.

S-rank, male… This combination hadn’t appeared on the center’s website for over a century.

【 Wha…what?! 】

【Crap crap crap, is this real? 】

【Chu Ci? Chu Ci? Chu Ci, is that you? Is it really you?】

【So is it Chu Ci or some other male suddenly appearing out of nowhere? I’m freaking out!】

Chu Ci received the physical test report from the staff. It bore the official letterhead of the appraisal center. He lifted his light-brain, took a photo, and uploaded it to his personal profile with the caption:

⟬ New test results. ⟭

Then, the appraisal center’s account reposted the news with the caption: ⟬ Congratulations to Chu Ci for advancing to S-rank male. ⟭

The shorter the message, the bigger the impact. In just few words, the information density was astonishing. Netizens pieced together the background and reached a unanimous conclusion:

Chu Ci really had upgraded to S-level.

At the same time, a dazed realization settled over them.

…Chu Ci really wanted to save Major General Nuo Wei.

A male traveled all the way to a remote battlefield for his female, braved overwhelming pressure to retest his level, and succeeded?

Even the most romantic novels wouldn’t dare write a story like this.

The interstellar public felt a touch of the fantastical, as if they had become extras in a grand, turbulent opera.

They thought that whether Chu Ci ultimately succeeded or failed, this would become a story worth passing down. Perhaps when they grew old, they would tell their descendants: about the defeated major general on the barren star, about the male under the iron sky, about the male who broke through to S-rank and insisted on becoming a guide, stretching his hand out before the tribunal for the general.

They might become part of the story themselves.

So, overnight, public opinion quietly shifted, from mocking Nuo Wei, gossiping about Chu Ci, and guessing the meaning of his repost to a unified anticipation.

They wanted to see Chu Ci act as Nuo Wei’s guide.

No matter whether Nuo Wei would ultimately betray or not, no matter if Chu Ci would succeed, they wanted to see him stand as Nuo Wei’s guide.

At the same time, Chu Ci once again tagged the tribunal on his personal account and publicly asked, 【 Does my current mental strength suffice to act as Nuo Wei’s guide? 】

The Tribunal dutifully played dead, refusing to respond to Chu Ci’s question. But there were simply too many people eager to see the outcome. They all tagged the Tribunal, and the flood of messages nearly crashed the StarNet servers.

Still, the Tribunal said nothing, they dared not risk an S-rank male.

And right at this boiling point on StarNet, where anger over the expedition, resentment toward Erwen, criticism of the military, and confusion about Chu Ci and Nuo Wei all collided, Chu Ci gave an interview.

He poured another log on the fire, openly challenging the Tribunal:

“Major General Nuo Wei’s honors are countless, his contributions to the Empire immense. Now he cannot prove his own innocence. All results must wait until after the lie detector test. Yet the test itself threatens his life. The Tribunal could clearly reduce this risk, but instead acts like a coward hiding in its shell. Is this fair to the Major General, to the military, to all the female soldiers who have fought for our people?”

Chu Ci still wore his ash-gray coat, but now his usual casual, gentle demeanor was gone. He stood tall, like a sharp sword wrapped in smoky velvet, and spoke boldly in the interview:

“Is this fair?”

Of course, it wasn’t fair.

Many female soldiers on StarNet, recalling the blood-boiling battles and smoke of war, thought of Nuo Wei’s current situation: the truth was still unclear, he had not been convicted, yet he was being put on the fire by his own people, forced into a potentially deadly lie detector test, and the only way to reduce the risk was forbidden by the Tribunal.

This made the already heated emotions explode further. The Tribunal received countless curses and scoldings. After pretending a little longer to be a “coward in its shell,” they finally relented.

Allowing Chu Ci to act as the guide could lead to accidents, but not allowing it now would be a disaster!

After weighing the situation, the Tribunal publicly contacted Chu Ci, agreeing to let him serve as Nuo Wei’s guide. At the same time, Chu Ci had to sign a consent form, stating that any accident during the guiding process, small or large, from a headache to death would be entirely his responsibility, and the Tribunal would bear no liability.

Chu Ci had no objections.

Accompanied by Secretary Lin, Chu Ci drove to the Tribunal. Both parties signed the agreement, their names etched in iron and silver on paper embossed with the Tribunal’s emblem, then sealed with a bright red stamp.

Chu Ci stood behind the ebony signing desk and raised his right hand to the camera:

“I swear, I voluntarily become the guide for Nuo Wei’s lie detector trial. I will connect with his mental sea and ensure his safety. During the trial, any accident, from neural connection failure to death will be entirely my responsibility and has nothing to do with the Tribunal.”

The camera faithfully recorded every word.

“From neural connection failure to death, nothing has to do with the Tribunal”, how weighty a vow was this! Even a male zerg getting a scraped knee would cry for half a day; who had ever made such a pledge?

Chu Ci was the only male in the entire interstellar to do this and the only one who would ever do it.

Moreover, he was doing this for a Major General whose rank had fallen, covered in mud, with almost no hope of redemption.

Countless people quietly clicked their tongues in awe.

Under these circumstances, StarNet coverage of Chu Ci exploded, and some media even called him a “heir of the ancient male zerg legacy.”

This was extremely high praise. It was well known that ancient male zergs were nothing like modern ones: they were as resilient and strong as females, facing volleys of bullets and missiles without flinching, loyal to their female monarch, and willing to stay by their side until death.

Chu Ci was such a male zerg.

StarNet’s excitement surpassed previous heights, discussions flooding the network. Yet none of this reached Nuo Wei inside the Tribunal.

On the day he was admitted, Nuo Wei’s light-brain was confiscated. Outside, lightning and thunder raged, storms roared, but he knew nothing.

Days inside the Tribunal passed like plain boiled water. Nuo Wei often stared blankly at the equally pale ceiling, thinking back to his time in the correctional facility.

Strangely, though the circumstances were just as bad, perhaps even worse, Nuo Wei’s state of mind felt different this time.

Back in the correctional facility, his heart had been dead ashes; all he had wanted was a quick death. But now… he wanted to survive.

Because no matter what he faced in the Tribunal, as long as he got out alive, Chu Ci would be there, curled up on the lazy sofa, waiting for him.

Thinking of that noble, languid male, Nuo Wei couldn’t help but smile.

His male master was so good. Nuo Wei wanted to hold his hand, walk side by side, sleep together, maybe even have a clutch of eggs for him, perhaps one, maybe two, even three… Male or female, he knew Chu Ci would love them all.

His male lord was that good. Just imagining these moments, imagining the life ahead, filled Nuo Wei with quiet hope.

Today was the day of the trial. Many prisoners feared it deeply. They couldn’t sleep, and they couldn’t eat. But for Nuo Wei, everything felt ordinary; just thinking of the male outside gave him the courage to face it all.

Chu Ci had said it: no matter what rank he had fallen to, as long as he got out alive, he would still be the owner of that warm little home.

Thinking this, Nuo Wei let the officer clasp the handcuffs on him and lead him toward the Tribunal stage.

Just don’t die. Just don’t die…

Just don’t become that one in four…

But when he reached the stage, Nuo Wei hesitated.

It was as if his eyes had betrayed him. The handcuffs restrained him; he couldn’t rub them, so he just blinked, and blinked again.

Even after all that, the vision didn’t vanish. Nuo Wei furrowed his brows, a flicker of doubt rising in his chest.

Had his mental sea really collapsed to this extent?

Otherwise, how could he be seeing the male he longed for, standing at the foot of the stage, reaching out to him from afar?

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  In Chinese culture, ancestral graves are sacred and typically undisturbed. Smoke rising from one’s grave would imply some supernatural or highly unusual event, because normally, graves are quiet and nothing ‘extraordinary’ happens there