Chapter 23

Bang!

The office door slammed shut with a resounding thud, echoing the lingering fury within.

"A pack of fools! Damned scoundrels! I'll find an opportunity sooner or later to blast their heads off!"

Anto Edkara grumbled irritably, slapping the file he held onto the desk with a loud smack and unfastening the top button of his collar.

Those old fossils in the Senate are incredibly stubborn, always scheming to exploit military funds for their own gain, as if soldiers don't need to eat.

If the enemy were to attack, I'd sacrifice them as cannon fodder without hesitation!

Anto threw himself exhaustedly into a soft chair, staring at the mountain of documents on the table, overwhelmed with frustration.

In the past five years, he had tangled with them so many times that it had even affected his training. Forget it...now that the war is gradually subsiding, it's alright to let his guard down a bit.

Did that guy also have to endure such immense pressure, dealing with nobles and the Senate while keeping the legion's training rigorous?

The thought flashed through his mind, leaving no trace behind.

Anto lifted his gaze to the wall of medals on the side of the office.

Once a plain white wall, it had undergone a complete transformation over the past five years.

A variety of medals and awards were neatly displayed in glass cases, covering the entire wall in a dazzling array under the lights, symbolizing supreme glory and power.

This lifted his spirits somewhat. "This office is finally mine. Let those old fogeys be envious. If not for..."

He prudently cut himself off and continued to squint at the medals with pleasure.

"This wall is perfect for showcasing them. So pleasing to the eye. That boring fellow only knew how to train, work, and train some more. His office was as dull as he was, rigid and inflexible. No wonder he didn't gain much support from the nobles."

Yet, surprisingly, many military alphas still supported that individual, suspecting foul play in his death, and there were even signs of unrest brewing beneath the surface.

That fellow's adjutant had been dispatched to the frontier, and the others could also be demoted at an opportune moment. Their suspicions were correct – their trusted admiral hadn't died, but...

Perhaps it would have been better if he had.

It's not my fault, Anton murmured softly.

Who asked him to be so arrogant and strict, inviting his own demise?

"I wouldn't have done it if someone else hadn't. At least he's alive under my care, isn't he?"

He let out a strange chuckle.

When the military power in his hands is truly solidified, he might consider... making that guy's life a bit more comfortable?

With practiced deflection, he reminded himself that it was Saturday tomorrow, and their weekly special event had yet to take place. He stepped into the adjacent lounge.

The once minimalist relaxation room had been transformed into a luxurious mini-cinema. He switched on his optical brain, and within his inbox, a message lay quietly, sent at ten o'clock that morning.

"Unsupervised commoners are indeed prone to idleness, constantly shirking their duties. Yet, they expect me to send reminders through emails. They deserve to be stuck in that garbage planet forever!"

Annoyed, Antonio couldn't be bothered with the details and simply transmitted the video over.

The progress bar for the reading quickly reached its end within seconds, and then began to play.

The image shimmered slightly before settling on the face of a male insectoid with white hair and golden eyes.

It was a familiar visage, one that should have been adorned with unparalleled pride, yet now it was being casually trampled upon and humiliated, treated like garbage, crushed beneath dirty slush and mud.

So disheveled, so utterly defeated.

...What a delightful sight.

Anto's expression gradually twisted into a grotesque contortion.

He was almost addicted to witnessing this suffering, greedily absorbing the freshly squeezed essence of flesh and bone, feeling an unprecedented pleasure and satisfaction.

*

Meanwhile, in the Old District of Aital Star.

As night approached, the biting snowstorm intensified, but amidst the chilly winds, a warm glow emanated from a balcony.

"Nice... lift your head a bit more, and blink."

Yale whispered, using his index finger to gently support the insectoid's chin while holding the eye drops in his other hand, searching for the right angle to administer the medicine into those golden eyes.

A shimmering trail spread across the aqueous surface of his irises, akin to liquid light dancing upon scattered golden fragments within a lustrous gem, reflecting a tiny figure within.

"Done."

Having finished applying the eye drops, Yale closed the cap and noticed out of the corner of his eye that the male had closed his eyes.

"I've been wanting to ask, how do you manage not to blink when you're putting in eye drops?"

Back then, the puppy he had taken in also needed eye drops, but each time, he had to hold it firmly against his chest to prevent it from wriggling and squirming, leaving him exhausted as if he had run 800 meters after each session.

"Are military males really that in control of their bodies?"

Feeling the scorching pain in his eyes, Xi Ze kept them shut, enduring it all. Hearing Yale's question, he chuckled softly. "Something like that."

He lowered his head, brushing the tip of his nose against...

"Mate... Can the concentration of the medication be increased? The current rate is a bit slow."

Yale gave him a glance. "I'll ask Huiys about adjusting the plan. For today, let's leave it at this."

It was late, so Yale left 015 to tidy up the scattered medication on the coffee table. He went to the kitchen and brought a warm glass of milk laced with sleep aid, "Drink it and go to sleep."

For the first time, Xi Ze didn't take the milk. He kept his eyes closed, though the lack of expression on his face couldn't conceal a hint of anxiety and unease.

"...Sovereign, can I skip it tonight?"

"What's wrong?"

Only then did Yale realize something was off. He leaned in for a closer look at the male insect, "If you don't want to drink it, then don't. You should rest early."

Still feeling somewhat uneasy, he added a reminder before returning to his room, "If anything happens, just call out to me. I'll hear you."

"Alright, please go and rest."

Xi Ze's lips curved slightly as he spoke in a deep voice, "Goodnight."

"Click."

The living room light was turned off, and Yale instinctively glanced back.

The drone still sat on the sofa, its contours blending into the darkness of the night like silent, shadowed mountains. Its breathing was so soft it was barely audible.

...

"Stellar Calendar 9037, November 13th. Likelong, Ettar, and Minos, along with 54 other peripheral planets, will experience their first major cold front of the year. Meteorologists predict..."

On the massive projection in the city center, an urgent newsflash interrupted regular programming to warn of the impending harsh weather.

"BOOM!!"

A gigantic hailstone plummeted down, piercing through the floating blue light projection and creating a crater in the ground.

It was as if the first gunshot had sounded, marking the start of a battle. Immediately, an endless barrage of hailstones rained down.

"Woosh..."

Furious winds and snow swept in like slicing blades, cutting across the surfaces of buildings. Ice fragments carried within the tempest battered windows with a relentless crackling, shattering the tranquility within the rooms.

In his deep slumber, Yale's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of unease flickering across his face. However, he remained asleep.

"Beep-"

A soft, prolonged whine emerged from the central temperature control system before it gradually ceased operation. The heating vents automatically shut, and the indoor temperature continued to drop as the snow and wind seeped in.

A streak of electric blue lightning slashed across the sky, momentarily illuminating the room.

In the next second, a tremendous roar seemed to explode in Yale's chest.

His entire body jolted violently, and his eyes snapped open.

He panted heavily for a moment, forcefully closing his eyes to gather his wits. As his heartbeat slowed down, he belatedly realized that the room temperature was abnormally low.

"What's going on? Did the indoor temperature control malfunction?"

Yale grabbed the coat hanging by his bed and hastily draped it over himself. He threw off the covers and got out of bed but stepped onto something warm and soft beneath his feet, different from the icy floor.

Startled, he nearly leaped up. "What's this?"

The switch clicked on with a 'snap,' and blinding light instantly illuminated every corner of the room.

At the foot of the bed, there lay a slumbering male insect.

His back was taut like a drawn bowstring, half of his tall figure concealed by the shadows at the bedside. Yale had accidentally stepped on the male insect's shoulder blade, which was now chillingly cold.

Dots of blood resembled a winding path, stretching from beneath the creature to beyond the door.

"Xi Ze…?"

Yale's pupils constricted, and he swiftly reacted, pulling off his coat to wrap the male insect in it.

Exposed to the icy air for an extended period, the creature's body was tense, transitioning from warm suppleness to icy rigidity, showing signs of hypothermia.

The sensation beneath Yale's palm startled him. At some point, he had almost believed this to be a lifeless corpse.

Without time to investigate the cause, Yale exerted a gentle force to carefully straighten the male insect's body.

Disheveled strands of hair were brushed aside by his fingertips, revealing Xi Ze's pale face underneath.

His eyes were tightly shut, lips tinged with blue, and the pain etched in his features seemed frozen in time. His breath was so faint that it was barely audible.

"Xi Ze?!"

He called out the name of the male insect with a sharp tone, but received no response.

His heart jolted fiercely, pounding against his chest with an intensity that bordered on pain, causing a surge of panic that threatened to overwhelm him.

It wasn't until the soft breath brushed across his fingers that he could finally breathe normally.

However, the situation before him remained dire. Yale suppressed his anxiety and continued to assess the condition of the male insect.

"Xi Ze? Wake up... Can you hear me!?"

Contrary to the condition of the female insect's body,

Yale sensed something inexplicable from his mental power.

No longer resembling fragmented, razor-sharp blades with their destructive edge, it had transformed into a weaker yet vibrant force full of vitality.

It wandered and danced around the room like a curious newborn beast, eagerly exploring this new world.

A peculiar sensation tingled on his calf, as if a tiny creature was affectionately nuzzling and whimpering against him, treating him like a dependable mother.

What... is happening?

The scene before him was filled with oddities, leaving Yale no time to ponder. He called out, "015?!"

But it seemed that 015 might have malfunctioned again. Despite his repeated calls, there was no response. Instead, he had inadvertently roused the female insect in his arms.

"Pain..."

Xi Ze suddenly mumbled incoherently. His tormented body seemed to have abruptly regained its sense of pain, causing his limbs to spasm slightly.

"015!"

Yale's expression turned icy. After placing the female insect on the ground, he abruptly stood up, but he failed to leave smoothly—

A hand gently gripped the hem of his pants, accompanied by a low, indistinct whisper, carrying a hidden and repressed longing.

"Male Lord..."