SZAR Chapter 82

“I’m sitting here right now. Are you sure you want to blanket this area with heavy firepower?”

The commander of the Male Zerg Protection Association sat in his command chair, sweating.

This wasn’t just some random pest, they were facing an A-rank noble! A-rank! There were barely any in the entire Empire.

“You must be joking,” the commander said, dodging the topic. “Lord Chu Xiu, how did you even get here? Are you here to enjoy the scenery of the primeval forest? If you head northeast at a 45° angle for 30 kilometers, there’s a particularly beautiful emerald lake. You could stretch your legs there…”

“Commander!” a subordinate whispered, lowering his voice. “They’re boarding.”

He meant Clement and Clancy, who were supporting each other as they stepped into the aircraft.

“Idiot! Of course I saw them!” the commander snapped, covering the microphone and giving his subordinate a sharp whack on the head. “I’m not blind!”

He returned to the channel, forcing his voice into a soothing tone: “How could Your Excellency come here? The branches are untrimmed, the soil is slippery and rough, it could easily scrape your noble ankles.”

“Stop beating around the bush,” Chu Xiu interrupted. “I’m taking these two females with me.”

The commander groaned. “Sir, these two have committed serious crimes and are currently wanted by the Chu family…”

“I know,” Chu Xiu cut him off again. His eyes were calm, deep like a still lake. He asked, “They’re wanted by the Chu family. Am I not also a young master of the Chu family?”

The commander was speechless.

He had almost forgotten that this A-rank male, rising to fame across the StarNet, was also the Chu family’s eldest son.

Chu Xiu continued, “Since I am the young master of Chu, if I personally capture them and bring them in, what’s wrong with that?”

The commander was silent for a moment before issuing an order: “Stand down.”

The Male Zerg Protection Association’s formation pulled back, leaving a clear path. Chu Xiu’s aircraft shot up into the sky, leaving only a faint blue trail that soon vanished from sight.

A subordinate frowned in confusion. “We’re just letting them go like that?”

“Idiot!” the commander almost wanted to kick this fool. Frustration laced his voice as he ground out, “What do you expect me to do? Huh? There’s a distinguished A-rank noble in there. Should we shoot them or blast them?”

He slammed down on the communicator. “Report to headquarters and ask for the next course of action.”

………………

Inside the aircraft, Chu Xiu spun his chair around and looked at the two small female zergs in the rear cabin.

Their condition was pitiful beyond words, their bodies marked with cuts from leaves, blood staining the floor, looking helpless and miserable.

Clancy recognized Chu Xiu. All he knew was that his younger brother had been handed over to this distinguished noble; beyond that, he knew nothing. His impression of Chu Xiu still lingered in the days of the young master’s decadent, violent temper.

Why would a young master with such a cruel temper save them? Surely it wasn’t out of mere kindness.

Clancy vaguely remembered that the eldest young master had long coveted the twins’ bodies, but the younger master had been vigilant, preventing any success. Now that the younger master was dead, it was only natural that the eldest had taken over.

So, what awaited them now?

Clancy shivered involuntarily at the thought of what was coming, then instinctively stepped forward, placing his brother behind him. He forced a smile at Chu Xiu. “Eldest Young Master…”

He knelt with practiced precision, trying to touch Chu Xiu’s shoes, even bending forward to press his cheek against Chu Xiu’s leg.

“Don’t.” Chu Xiu, a modern man, had never seen anything like this. He recoiled, and saw despair suddenly rise in Clancy’s eyes.

Clancy thought blankly: If he had taken over but didn’t want them to serve him, it could only mean the male insects had even more perverse ways of playing.

Why, when death seemed certain, was there still no escaping this kind of hell?

Three months under Chu Jin had eroded all of their sharpness. Twin beauties were rare, and Chu Jin had treated them like treasured toys, showing some restraint. But after Clement was handed over to Chu Xiu, he was no longer a rare prize. Chu Jin’s treatment intensified, and later, all his anger was unleashed on him.

Clancy was utterly terrified, choking on his words. “Your Excellency, Lord Chu Jin hasn’t had a second awakening yet. I’ve only been… used with props. I’m still clean…”

“Stop! Stop, stop, stop!”

Even though Chu Xiu had spent many years in the worldly pleasures of his past life, he had never heard lewd words so bluntly. With Yi Xi right beside him, he couldn’t let his partner misunderstand, and he rubbed his temples in frustration. “I’m just here to help. I didn’t mean to do anything to you.”

Clancy lifted his head, eyes filled with despair, not believing a single word.

Chu Xiu: “……”

Clancy’s twin, Clement, realized what was happening and stepped behind to support his brother. “Brother, His Excellency Chu Xiu isn’t that kind of person.”

He spun once in front of Clancy. “See? I’ve been fine these past three months.”

The female zergs in the second awakening phase changed day by day. Clement had grown taller, his posture straightened, and the cloud of gloom between his brows had dispersed somewhat. He helped Clancy up. “His Excellency Chu Xiu is here to help. Don’t worry, brother.”

Clancy lowered his head and murmured in assent, though how much he believed was uncertain.

The aircraft took them back to the villa next to the Stellar Group building. Carey’s small apartment could never withstand a Male Zerg Protection Association arrest order, there had to be a male zerg present.

Chu Xiu allocated a small room on the first floor for them, then dumped the mess on Clement, asking him to help his brother bandage the bleeding wounds. Clnacy was brought to the room, where the robot Si Si handed over bandages and medicines. Only after confirming that the male zerg had left did Clancy grasp his brother’s hand, knuckles whitening. “What… is this, His Excellency?”

“Don’t overthink it, brother. His Excellency is a very good person.” Having been well cared for by Carey for three months, Clement’s courage had grown considerably. “Since being sent from the main residence, I haven’t seen His Excellency Chu Xiu say a harsh word. And besides…”

He paused for a moment. “His Excellency Chu Xiu and Sir Yi Xi are very devoted to each other. His Excellency Chu Xiu has no intention whatsoever of seeking someone new.”

Clancy shook his head bitterly.

A high-ranking male insect, yet so inseparable from his female monarch, with not a hint of looking elsewhere? It sounded utterly ridiculous, he didn’t believe it.

Clancy grasped his younger brother’s hand and sighed silently. “Even if His Excellency Chu Xiu really is as you say, a good person, we probably won’t survive for long.”

Chu Dian would surely put pressure on the Male Zerg Protection Association. With the crime of murdering a male zerg, even an A-rank noble couldn’t protect them.

“Look.” Clancy lifted his head and gazed out the window. “They’re already here.”

The Male Zerg Protection Association’s aircraft hovered in the sky, moving in groups of three or five, speeding from afar. Before long, they were right outside.

Then came the heavy knock at the door.

Chu Xiu had been sitting in the living room, the light-brain data flowing before him as if loading something. Hearing the solid knock, he didn’t look up. “Please enter.”

The visitor was an officer in a silver-gray uniform, clearly of high rank. He first bowed to Chu Xiu, then presented a document. “Apologies, Your Excellency. This is an arrest warrant issued by the tribunal. Two female zergs in your residence have committed serious crimes. We are required to take them from your house.”

Chu Xiu said nothing, his eyes still fixed on the loading bar on the light-brain.

“Your Excellency,” the officer forced himself to speak, “if you have no other objections, we will begin the arrest.”

“No rush.” Yi Xi sat gracefully at the side, the leader of the Stellar Group radiating calm warmth. “You’ve come from far away. You must be tired. Why not have a cup of tea?”

He rose and poured a pot for the officer. “This is high-mountain tea from 20° north latitude of the Krishi Star System, rich and aromatic. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Yi Xi, after all, controlled the economic lifeline of the capital. Speaking so politely, the officer had no choice but to take the tea and even feigned compliments. Yi Xi brewed the tea piping hot; by the time the officer had sipped it all, some time had passed.

He shifted uneasily. “Your Excellency, the tea is finished, I…”

The loading bar had only a sliver left.

“Wait.” Chu Xiu spoke, lifting his eyes to the officer. “Chu Dian sent you, didn’t he? Did he have nothing to say to me?”

The distinguished noble spoke, asking a question. The officer, of course, could not pretend ignorance. He had no choice but to lower his raised rear back onto the chair. “Uh… His Excellency Chu Dian did say some things.”

He replied cautiously: “His Excellency Chu Dian said, ‘Once you leave the Chu family, you are nothing,’ ‘Even if you’re an A-rank male zerg, what can you do?’ And also, ‘A bunch of lowly creatures, being favored by the Chu family’s young master is their luck. I will make sure they pay for Jin’er’s life.’”

To avoid provoking the distinguished noble, the officer had privately softened many of the harsher words. For example, he changed “you’re worthless” to “you’re nothing,” and “manipulated by the Chu family’s young master” to “favored by him.” Even so, Chu Xiu could still easily imagine the scene.

The scheme to take Yi Xi’s property had failed; the eldest son, invisible as if a ghost, had seized the casino, while the youngest, treated as a treasure, had his organs bitten off and died horribly in a hotel. The fall of the Chu family was now inevitable. Chu Xiu could imagine how grotesque the expression of the old fool at the end of his rope would be, how impotently furious he would rage. Would he howl like a ghost in the hotel with an IV in hand, his frog-like eyes wide and bulging? Chu Xiu thought of it and laughed out loud.

The officer shifted his chair awkwardly.

He stood up carefully. “Your Excellency, we must take those two brothers away now.”

As he spoke, he gestured toward the door. The staff waiting outside poured in like a hive, ready to haul the brothers away immediately.

Chu Xiu’s light-brain pinged just at that moment.

The progress had reached 100%.

“Wait a moment.” He raised his hand and looked at the officer. “If I remember correctly, the Empire has a regulation: when two male zergs simultaneously report to the Male Zerg Protection Association, and manpower is limited, the one with the higher rank gets handled first, correct?”

He flipped the light-brain screen to face the officer. “I hereby formally accuse the current head of the Chu family, Chu Dian, of conspiring with Chu Jin to attempt to murder an A-rank male zerg. The evidence is conclusive. I hope you take my request seriously.”

The light-brain displayed a video.

When Chu Xiu left the Chu family, he had placed a camera in both Chu Jin and Chu Dian’s rooms. Due to delays with the wedding and other matters, he hadn’t reviewed the footage until now. Pulling it up revealed some very interesting things.

The progress bar from before had been loading these days’ worth of data.

The officer looked at the screen. The cameras weren’t high-resolution, and the brightness was low, but in the dim, subtle light, Chu Dian and Chu Jin’s faces were still clearly visible. Chu Jin’s expression was vicious, his nose still bloody, the exact result of the fight Chu Xiu had had when he returned to the Chu family.

He sat on the edge of the bed, face full of resentment, furiously wiping his nose. “Father! Didn’t you say he would die? And then all the property would belong to me?”

Chu Dian patted his beloved son. “I went all out when modifying that aircraft. I didn’t expect he could survive. Now, moving again would be too obvious. But don’t worry, what’s meant to be yours will still be yours in the end.”

He paced the room, a look of calm certainty on his face, as if everything was planned out in his mind. “Your brother is the weakest and most incapable. Just flatter him a little, and he won’t hesitate to hand over the property. Hasn’t he always coveted that pair of twins in your hands? Fine, give him one, make him happy.”

Chu Jin hesitated. “But I like those twins too. I don’t want to give him one.”

“Then don’t.” Chu Dian spoke to Chu Jin with a friendly tone. “Just pick one you don’t care about, one you’ve lost interest in, and give it to him. Can he really make a fuss?”

The video cut off abruptly.

Beads of sweat appeared on the officer’s nose.

The footage clearly and unmistakably showed that Chu Dian intended Chu Xiu, his eldest son, to die and Chu Jin knew about it.

When he had received the mission, he thought it was just another routine arrest warrant: go, capture, interrogate, judge, and return home once the case was closed. He never expected to get tangled with an A-rank male zerg along the way, uncover a set of high-society secrets, and find two B-rank insects and one A-rank insect all involved. The Empire hadn’t seen a case like this for many years.

The officer fidgeted before Chu Xiu, forcing out a strained smile. “Your Excellency, we will accept your complaint. But according to Imperial law, His Excellency Chu Dian will face a fine of a certain degree. Since His Excellency Chu Jin is already dead, his fine will be paid by the Chu family.”

“However,” the officer’s tone shifted, “the evidence that the two female zergs in your residence attempted to murder a male insect is conclusive. Even if I prioritize this case today, after the fines are settled, I will still have to come to your residence to follow up.”

He had no desire to appear before Chu Xiu again. Angering an A-rank noble could be dangerous; if Chu Xiu were to indirectly make things difficult for him, he would be in a very awkward position.

“So,” the officer took a deep breath, “to avoid disturbing your peace again, please allow me to take them away now.”

A soft sound came from the first-floor door.

Clancy pressed against the door, whispering, “Let’s go out.”

“If His Excellency Chu Xiu really is as you said, we shouldn’t bring him any unnecessary trouble.”

His younger brother had spent these three months well. He had studied, even expressed interest in joining the military. He had seen a corner of this vast world, and Clancy could glimpse it through his eyes, not a flood of scolding, not a narrow, suffocating cage. His brother had been treated well before death, and Clancy felt content.

In the living room, Yi Xi also lifted her gaze toward Chu Xiu.

Delaying like this wasn’t a good idea. Without other leverage, the male insect could at most stall for half a month. Yet as a female monarch, he hadn’t suggested anything. Cointreau’s kindness was precious; even if the desired outcome wasn’t achieved, Yi Xi would protect him as best he could and let the male insect do as he wished.

But Chu Xiu would not yield an inch.

His sofa blocked the only path to the first-floor rooms. Unless someone stepped over him, no one could take the female zergs inside.

Chu Xiu asked, “If I remember correctly, if someone attempts to murder a male zerg two ranks above them, from the day of the attempt, they lose all personal rights for life and are exiled to the wilderness. From that same day, they no longer hold any rights as an imperial citizen. Their life or death is left to fate. Correct?”

The officer and his subordinates exchanged glances, wordless.

The officer said solemnly, “Yes, Your Excellency. But His Excellency Chu Dian is B-rank, and you are A-rank, you are only one rank apart…”

“Who says we’re only one rank apart?” Chu Xiu interrupted, revealing the retest appointment interface, a vivid red Imperial seal stamped at the end.

He said calmly, “This afternoon, I will retest my rank. Any questions, let’s discuss them afterward.”