Chapter 128: Male Zerg Star Pirate × Female Zerg Undercover Agent (12): ’Pregnant’—He’s Carrying the Male Zerg’s Egg

[His Lordship Ul is so handsome as the leader of the star pirates. (Yes, I've never insulted star pirates.)]

[Lord Ul is a little wolf Zerg. So adorable. (I've never insulted the Wolf Crew either.)]

[??? You female Zergs weren't saying that at the beginning.]

[You know how it is. A female Zerg's standards are always flexible when a Male Zerg is involved.]

[Star pirates deserve death. Huh? You mean His Lordship? Well, that's a different story...]

The female Zergs demonstrated the pinnacle of double standards.

[His Lordship Ul is a high-ranking Male Zerg. Even if he used to be a star pirate, the Federation would beg him to accept citizenship.]

[As for his pirate past... well, it's in the past. Let's not dwell on it.]

[Sentence His Lordship to performing Psychic Soothing twice.]

[No, make him hurry up and marry a female Zerg and lay lots of eggs.]

[His Lordship was raised by star pirates. It's not like he chose to become one. He's a victim too!]

[Instead of asking why a Male Zerg hatchling ended up outside the Federation, you're investigating His Lordship?]

It was difficult for female Zergs to harbor genuine resentment toward a Male Zerg.

Especially one who wore a female Zerg's shirt, cuddled with female Zergs, left adorable sticky notes, and even transferred military merits to a female Zerg.

[So Avis has actually been riding on a Male Zerg's military achievements?!!]

[This is the first time I've seen such a shameless female Zerg!]

[Avis even got promoted on the Male Zerg Express.]

[I want a ride too. (Pitiful) (Fiddling fingers)]

[What kind of sci-fi novel is this? Right when "I" started my mission, my Male Lord—whom I'd never even met—was already earning military merits for me? (Shocked)]

[He's not his Male Lord.]

[They're not even married yet. Stop dreaming.]

[That makes it even more science fiction! They weren't married, they'd never even met, and the Male Zerg was already handing military merits to the female Zerg.]

[Wait a second? (Heavenly Garuda question-mark face) Wasn't the Male Zerg simply using the military's power to eliminate his own rivals? He was doing it entirely for his own benefit!]

[What do you Heavenly Garudas know? Didn't Avis ride the Male Zerg Express?]

[He'd already been riding it before they'd ever met!]

[When it was first hinted that His Lordship was actually a star pirate, I thought this was going to be An-shen's cruelest and most realistic novel. Who knew the end of science fiction would somehow become even more science fiction?]

[From Claire to Iso to Enzo... Claire doesn't count. He was Lord Xi'an's commanding officer and became a Colonel through his own abilities, then later a Major General in reality. Enzo doesn't count either—he started as a Legion General. Even Iso, who was only worth one Star Coin, never rode the Male Zerg Express. But Avis not only rode it—he's still riding it!]

The female Zergs were consumed with jealousy.

After "Claire Pineapple," "Iso One Star Coin," and "Enzo as the Female Lord,"

"Riding the Promotion Express"

would become the stain that followed Avis for the rest of his life.

A label he would never shake off.

...

【It wasn't that Avis had never noticed anything strange.

The Male Zerg's incredible skill with mechanical engineering.

His intimate knowledge of starships.

The fact that the Wolf Crew's leader—who had never once captured a Male Zerg before—had suddenly delivered one straight to his room.

Everything had been suspicious.

But Avis had refused to believe what those suspicions implied.

So his mind instinctively ignored every inconsistency...

...and rationalized them away.

But now...

With the truth laid bare before him...

He could no longer deceive himself.

From the very beginning, this approach had been built on lies.

The Male Zerg's disguise had begun even earlier than he had imagined...

He hadn't approached him to escape the Wolf Crew.

No.

The plan had begun even before the Male Zerg appeared.

During Avis's second month in the Wolf Crew, the communications had already begun to change.

Invisible eyes watched him.

Invisible hands quietly altered every message.

Perhaps...

That first month had simply been the Male Zerg observing him.

One month was enough for him to understand every pattern.

Beginning in the second month...

He made his move.

The Male Zerg who had lain in his arms asking for kisses...

The Male Zerg who had crawled beneath his blanket in the middle of the night, saying he was afraid to sleep alone...

Avis could no longer distinguish which words had been genuine...

...and which had been lies.

Which had been an act...

...and which had been real.

Perhaps...

None of it had ever been real.

A wave of dizziness washed over him.

His vision darkened.

He tightly gripped the stack of sticky notes inside his pocket.

The little cartoon wolf the Male Zerg had drawn appeared before his eyes.

Cute.

Proud.

Lively.

Just like the Male Zerg {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} whenever he tilted his chin upward.

He had believed every single message the Male Zerg had left him.

When he drew that little wolf...

Had he been laughing at him in his heart?

Avis pressed a hand against his forehead and leaned onto the desk.

Only after a long while did his violently surging emotions gradually settle.

He activated his terminal.

Opened the holographic interface.

And submitted an application requesting to continue the Wolf Crew mission.

He was going back.

He would find the Male Zerg...

And demand the truth from him.

Then...

Arrest him.

His superior rejected the request.

"Your undercover identity has already been exposed. Returning is no longer appropriate. Besides... Military Headquarters has decided to terminate the Wolf Crew operation."

"Terminate it? Why?"

Avis demanded anxiously.

"The Wolf Crew has behaved in an increasingly orderly manner over the years. Their activities remain far from Zerg territory, and they pose little conflict with the Federation. Continuing to invest resources into the operation no longer has any strategic value."

"And one more thing."

"Have you looked at your physical examination results after returning?"

"Right now, the most important thing is for you to rest. If you need anything, Military Headquarters will provide assistance."

...Physical examination?

Why bring that up all of a sudden?

Every military female underwent a routine examination upon returning from deployment.

Avis opened his newly received medical report.

He scanned the numbers one by one.

Nothing appeared unusual.

Until...

The second page.

Pregnant.

Pregnant...

Two weeks.

Egg embryo developing normally...

Avis stared silently at the report.

His lips pressed together.

He felt strangely dazed.

Pregnancy among higher-ranking Zergs was extremely rare.

It had never even crossed his mind.

The Zerg race therefore took virtually no preventative measures.

He...

Was carrying the Male Zerg's egg.

After...

The Male Zerg had already left him.

...

Avis received six months of paid maternity leave.

The Zerg race treasured hatchlings above all else.

Accordingly, parental benefits were exceptionally generous.

If a female Zerg wished, together with childcare leave, they could remain away from work until the hatchling reached three years of age.

Avis returned home.

He spent several days cleaning the house that had stood empty for three years.

Then he redecorated it.

The master bedroom.

The hatchling's room.

The hatchling's playroom.

...

If the Male Zerg were here...

Perhaps he'd want a workshop for mechanical engineering.

Avis forcibly erased the thought.

The Male Zerg wasn't coming back.

To someone like him...

Freedom meant more than anything else.

He could roam the sea of stars as freely as he pleased.

There was nothing within the Federation capable of attracting him.

Money.

Power.

Endless admiration.

He lacked none of it.

Whenever he had needs...

Countless female Zergs would gladly serve him.

Perhaps Heavenly Garudas.

Wolfkin.

Or other alien races as well.

He would eventually have hatchlings within the Wolf Crew.

Those hatchlings would grow up at his side.

Either serving him...

Or inheriting his position after careful training.

He would never remember...

The military undercover agent he'd toyed with.

Nor would he ever know...

That the female Zerg now carried his egg.

Time...

And distance...

Separated everything.

In the end...

Avis never reported the Male Zerg to Military Headquarters.

Since the Wolf Crew mission had already been abandoned...

The Male Zerg no longer mattered.

At least...

Officially.

He admitted there was selfishness mixed into that decision.

Even now...

He couldn't bring himself to hate that Male Zerg.

Perhaps there was hatred.

He hated the deception.

He hated being abandoned.

Yet he couldn't turn that hatred into anger.

He couldn't think of any way to take revenge.

He would give birth to their hatchling...

And raise it himself.

Perhaps...

That counted as revenge.

In the end...

He still left one room as a workshop.

Inside sat the broken mechanical devices he had picked up.

He spent countless hours studying them...

Yet never managed to restore them.

The Male Zerg's designs were simply too ingenious.

Too unique.

Unlike any blueprint available on the market.

So they remained on the table.

Every day he came to study them.

Occasionally managing to fit together one more tiny piece.

The thirty sticky notes remained attached to the bedroom wall...

Where they were the first thing he saw every morning.

Each night before sleeping...

He removed them one by one.

Reading every message over...

And over...

And over again.

He knew the Male Zerg would never return.

He knew every word had been a lie.

Yet...

In the deepest hours of the night...

He still wanted to believe.

Perhaps...

He would spend the rest of his life clinging to that impossible fantasy.

He deliberately avoided following any news about the Wolf Crew.

That way...

He could continue nurturing one tiny hope.

One month passed quietly.

While living through it, it had felt unbearably long.

Looking back...

It seemed to disappear in an instant.

Avis counted the dates over and over again.

One month had indeed passed.

He sat alone inside the silent house for a long time.

Then realized...

He needed to start planning for the future.

The egg in his womb remained healthy.

During those final days before they separated...

He had spent enough time with the Male Zerg.

The pheromones absorbed back then would sustain the egg for another month or two.

After that...

There were still several tubes of pheromones the Male Zerg had left behind.

He would have to use them carefully.

The Male Zerg's clothes...

His blanket...

Avis had preserved them all.

When the hatchling was born...

They could be used to wrap it.

He kept only one set for himself.

Everything else was stored inside a spatial storage button.

Inside, they would remain exactly as they had been...

Along with their scent.

The faint traces of the Male Zerg's pheromones still lingered upon them.

Avis carefully calculated every resource he possessed.

He wasn't sure...

Whether it would be enough to help the egg hatch safely.

He had too little.

Far too little he could truly rely upon.

Suddenly...

His terminal lit up.

A notification appeared.

The doctor he had scheduled had arrived.

"...?"

Avis had absolutely no memory of making any appointment.

Even if pregnant females occasionally became forgetful...

He shouldn't have forgotten something like this entirely.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang.

Avis looked toward the entrance.

After a long silence...

He walked over and opened the door.

Standing outside was a silver-gray-haired Male Zerg.

Dressed in a white lab coat.

Carrying a medical case.

Smiling at him...

A smile as brilliant as the sun.

"Hello, Mr. Avis."

"I'm your family doctor, Ul."

"I'm here for your examination."

The Male Zerg's pleasant voice echoed beside his ear.

By the time Avis came back to his senses...

He had already stepped aside...

Inviting him inside.

He quickly glanced down the empty street outside.

Then quietly closed the door.

The next instant...

He was pulled into a tight embrace.

"Avis..."

"I'm sorry."

"I made you wait so long."

"I came back late..."

The Male Zerg buried his face against Avis's chest.

His voice carried a soft sigh as he apologized.

Avis pressed his lips tightly together.

Pinning the Male Zerg between himself and the front door, he growled in a low voice through clenched teeth,

"What are you doing here?"

"You're a star pirate. Aren't you afraid someone will recognize you after sneaking into the Federation and report you?"

"Who would report me?"

Ul smiled.

"Who even knows what I look like?"

He gently cupped Avis's face.

Looking at him tenderly, he asked,

"Would it be you, Avis?"

"Are you going to arrest me?"

Avis seized the Male Zerg's wrist.

His eyes had reddened with anger.

He should arrest this Male Zerg.

This liar who spoke nothing but lies.

Lock him up...

So he'd never be able to leave again.

"I heard..."

"You're pregnant?"

Ul allowed himself to be held.

His eyes quietly drifted downward.

There was an indescribable nervousness in his expression.

Avis wasn't surprised that he had access to information within the Federation.

This Male Zerg had hidden far more than he'd ever imagined.

He had toyed with him from beginning to end.

Avis's thumb slowly brushed across the Male Zerg's wrist.

His fingers tightened...

Before gradually relaxing.

"So..."

"You came back because of this?"

he asked quietly.

"That's part of the reason..."

Ul smiled sheepishly.

"But I promised I'd come back for you in one month."

"Did you miss me?"

He reached out to hug Avis again.

Nuzzling affectionately against him.

Then suddenly remembered the egg.

He immediately backed away a little and carefully looked down.

Nothing could be seen yet.

Avis pursed his lips.

The Male Zerg's retreat somehow made him even more displeased.

"I didn't."

he answered coldly.

"Oh..."

Ul looked a little disappointed.

Then immediately leaned close again.

"Not even a little?"

"Not even the tiniest bit?"

Avis couldn't understand why those questions mattered.

His irritation deepened.

He frowned.

Ul knew pregnant females became temperamental.

Apparently female Zergs weren't any different.

Not daring to provoke him further...

He quietly picked up the medical case from the floor.

"May I examine you?"

"...You're not a doctor."

Avis looked at him speechlessly.

He assumed this was simply another one of the Male Zerg's disguises.

"I am."

Ul replied cheerfully.

"I treated lots of patients aboard the ship."

"Oh."

"I treated you too."

Avis froze.

"...When?"

...】