Chapter 138: Exclusive Release on Jinjiang Literature City: "Would You Like Me to Come Serve You Tonight?"

The female Zerg who had been blown up by an artillery shell from thousands of miles away was so furious that he wrote a lengthy report to accuse the other player of cheating.

The result?

The official moderators acted as though they were blind and refused to issue any punishment.

He exploded with rage and immediately went to the forums to make a post.

"This isn't cheating? You're telling me THIS isn't cheating? I got sniped by some random gibberish-named player out of nowhere. I never even saw the enemy! The devs are obviously covering it up! (Death replay included)"

The title attracted a crowd almost immediately.

Everyone who opened the replay saw the pilot carefully scouting the battlefield.

His movements were experienced.

Cautious.

Without a single mistake.

Then—

A brilliant flash.

The entire screen filled with crimson warning lights.

The next second, the camera switched to the death screen.

Nothing remained except the wreckage of his mech.

The enemy mech never appeared.

He couldn't even tell which direction the attack had come from.

[Holy crap... That was terrifying. I got goosebumps watching it. I still have no idea how he died. Is this supposed to be a horror game?]

[Cheats! Definitely cheats!]

[But isn't Star Wars advertised as a fully simulated battlefield with absolutely no hacks possible?]

Some Zergs noticed the killer's ID.

[That string of gibberish... Doesn't it look like An-shen's ID? Could it actually be An-shen? Did he come back online after finishing his new novel?]

[No way. I know exactly how good An-shen is.]

[I used to complain about how bad An-shen was... But now that I think about it, watching a beautiful male Zerg clumsily pilot a mech was unbelievably adorable. (Hugging him.)]

[All those people who used to gang up on An-shen have been roasted into oblivion lately. A whole bunch of female Zergs bullying one male Zerg... Seriously shameless.]

[Too bad An-shen doesn't accept friend requests or even enable private messages. I really wanted to carry him.]

[Take another look at the replay. Who's carrying whom? It's been confirmed—the one carrying everyone is An-shen.]

[HOLY CRAP! Every single character in the gibberish ID matches! It's really An-shen!]

[I checked An-shen's profile. He's definitely online. That match just ended. It was a three-player squad. The pro who always carries him was there, plus a brand-new account that ranked up after a single match. My god... what kind of gathering of monsters is this?]

[That's normal. What male Zerg plays games without a whole team around him? Every time An-shen got ganked before, he queued alone, so those female Zergs took advantage of it.]

[Where did these teammates come from? How did they get onto An-shen's friends list? Someone teach me.]

[The expert who's always carried An-shen has been with him since they first met in the Free Arena. He's been carrying him ever since. The strange thing is his login schedule—it lines up almost perfectly with a middle-grade hatchling's holidays and daily routine. The current popular theory is that it's Isidore.]

[You're telling me... we've been getting destroyed by a middle-grade hatchling?]

[No. Back when you were getting destroyed, Iso was still in the lower grades. He only recently advanced.]

[(Coughs blood.) The gap is really that huge?]

[He was personally trained by Major General Iso. What did you expect? Every day he gets beaten up by his female parent in games so badly that even Lord Hill couldn't bear to watch. It was written in the novel.]

[Then who was the other one? That new account An-shen added. It ranked up after a single challenge match! And it was using a beginner mech! Three seconds! The battle ended in three seconds!]

[His opponent uploaded the replay. Exactly three seconds. Who can even do that?]

[I'm speechless. Could an S-rank do that? Could it actually be Major General Iso?]

[...? Major General Iso is playing games with a hatchling just to accompany An-shen?]

[Is that how they got their commissioned novel? I get it now. First Isidore carried An-shen, so An-shen wrote a time-traveling hatchling novel. Then Iso personally joined the game and earned himself extra scenes in the new book.]

[That actually sounds pretty convincing... But don't randomly accuse Major General Iso. He's a married female Zerg. Playing games with a male Zerg would be way too suggestive. Besides, our An-shen already has a proper ambiguous love interest.]

[You mean the Marshal? There's no marriage. No confirmed relationship. I can't believe you managed to invent the phrase "proper ambiguous love interest."]

[Seems unlikely. Would the Marshal really play virtual games? I can't picture it.]

[When a female Zerg is pursuing a male Zerg, anything's possible. Didn't the Marshal childishly hide An-shen behind his cape and carry him away the moment An-shen appeared, refusing to let us look? He'd only been on screen for less than a minute. (Pointing fingers.)]

[Now that you mention it... it actually could be the Marshal. The combat style is very similar to recordings from his early campaigns.]

[You're analyzing someone's combat style from a three-second video? Impressive. (Thumbs up.)]

[The style is simple—clean, decisive, one-hit kills. Doesn't matter how strong the opponent is. He only attacks once. The enemy shatters the instant he's touched. Game over.]

[But that's still strange. Strong teammates are one thing, but the replay clearly shows An-shen getting the kill. That terrifyingly beautiful shot came from An-shen's mech. Since when could An-shen do that?]

[Uh... maybe he got lucky? We all know how his aim works. It depends entirely on whether the enemy is willing to walk into his shots.]

[A truly outstanding opponent knows how to position themselves so they can catch An-shen's attacks.]

[I've finally found my people! I just got killed by that gibberish ID too! I was juking so hard I practically left afterimages, and that mech's artillery shell still hit me dead center! (Screenshot attached.)]

[Same here! Same here! That guy's movement was ridiculous! He dodged my entire barrage like a ghost! And that beginner mech beside him was completely insane—it dismantled my fortress! I was almost chopped into minced meat!]

[...? Wait. You're talking about An-shen?]

Things suddenly took a strange turn.

More and more players began uploading screenshots and battle recordings.

Those two expert teammates were certainly terrifying.

But female Zergs could at least understand why they were terrifying.

They could identify where their strength lay.

Only the player with the gibberish username...

Made absolutely no sense.

Sometimes he looked like a god.

Sometimes like a complete amateur.

His movements lacked any recognizable style.

He displayed no conventional battlefield awareness whatsoever.

Yet...

Every attack hit.

Every dodge succeeded.

No one could understand it.

Some even began wondering whether they were hallucinating.

[It feels a little like watching Lord Xi'an's battle footage... but it's completely different too. How should I put it...? It's... weirder. Completely unpredictable.]

[Is this really An-shen? He looks nothing like the clumsy little cutie I remember. I even saved tons of videos of An-shen awkwardly piloting mechs. (Crying.)]

[It's probably him. Wait... did An-shen only switch to Male Zerg Piloting Mode today? Then what was he doing before? Experiencing female Zerg life firsthand to gather writing material?]

[An-shen is so dedicated!]

[How powerful does his psychic power have to be to pull this off?]

[Feels comparable to that mysterious Lord who can perform group Psychic Soothing.]

[He's so cool... my legs are going weak.]

[It's perfectly normal for female Zergs' legs to go weak watching a male Zerg pilot a mech. Producing pheromones is normal too.]

[Mechs and male Zergs—the two great loves of every female Zerg. Seeing them together makes it impossible not to fall for him.]

[I wonder whether An-shen likes mech roleplay... (Shy.)]

[Do you want the Marshal to chop you into minced meat? (Staring.)]

[Not into pieces that big.]

[Then I hope An-shen writes it into a novel. Didn't he already write one for Lord Xi'an? I'd love to see something different. An-shen and the Marshal would be great too! Ah—I mean An-shen and the Marshal playing games together in everyday life!]

...

An Ruo happily spent the entire day gaming.

His score and ranking shot upward like a rocket.

Finally...

It wasn't one expert carrying one hopeless newbie anymore.

Nor two experts carrying one newbie.

Now he was one of the carries!

He was amazing!

Even after logging out, An Ruo still hadn't had enough.

He almost wanted to throw himself into the arms of the Ulysses sitting beside him and give him a hug.

Only when the machine bug delivered dinner did he suddenly snap back to reality.

It was already evening!

He had occupied the Marshal's time for this long!

His sins were immeasurable.

"Your Grace?"

Ulysses looked puzzled.

The male Zerg had been smiling happily only moments ago.

Why had his expression suddenly changed?

"Don't you still have a mountain of military work waiting for you? I've taken up so much of your time... Doesn't that mean you won't have time to sleep again tonight?"

An Ruo asked anxiously.

He still remembered this was someone who slept so little that he'd actually fallen asleep here.

Then, after waking up, he'd said fifteen minutes had already been more than enough.

"No. I have time."

Ulysses answered instinctively, though his thoughts momentarily stalled.

He cares that I don't have time to sleep at night.

When a male Zerg asked a female Zerg something like that...

It usually meant he wanted the female Zerg to leave the night free to sleep beside him.

Ulysses carefully studied the male Zerg's expression.

Yet...

It didn't seem like that was what he meant.

"Would you like me to come serve you tonight?"

Ulysses asked.

"N-No, no, no!"

An Ruo hurriedly waved both hands.

"No more games. Go get some proper rest. You hardly sleep as it is..."

As he spoke, An Ruo suddenly found Ulysses' wording a little strange.

He paused for a second before continuing,

"No matter how busy you are, you still have to take care of yourself. Work never ends. Your health is what matters. Don't neglect yourself."

Ulysses watched him quietly for a long moment.

He understood now.

The male Zerg had no intention of using him in that way.

Exactly as expected.

No matter what...

His concern was genuine.

A male Zerg reminding a female Zerg to take care of his health...

Such conversations were almost unheard of among Zergs.

Following the male Zerg's words, Ulysses replied,

"Alright.

"I understand.

"I'll be careful.

"And I'll sleep..."

Remembering how the male Zerg had comforted him before with the little rubber duck, a trace of amusement entered his eyes.

"I'll sleep with the little duck you gave me."

An Ruo: "???"

The little yellow duck?

He imagined a chibi version of the Marshal lying in bed with a tiny yellow duck beside his pillow.

The image was unbearably adorable.

Yet...

It was almost impossible to connect that picture with the cold, handsome, serious Ulysses sitting before him.

The contrast was enormous.

Still dazed, An Ruo saw the Marshal off.

Only afterward did he realize the holographic pod was still sitting in his room.

Had the Marshal forgotten to take it?

Or...

Had he intentionally left it here for next time?

Probably the former.

The Marshal couldn't possibly come over regularly just to play games with him.

Someone as important as him had far too much work.

Ever since catching a glimpse of Ulysses' past...

An Ruo found himself becoming far more tolerant of everything connected to him.

Including the gaming pod he'd left behind.

Since it didn't really take up much space...

He simply left it where it was.

After dinner, An Ruo browsed StarNet.

Then, to his horror...

He discovered he'd gone viral.

People were accusing him of cheating.

Cheating?!

He wasn't cheating!

Did leaving his psychic power on count as cheating now?!

What outrageous slander!

Both nervous and indignant, An Ruo clicked into the discussion.

To his surprise...

Apart from the first few comments accusing him of hacking...

The rest of the discussion was unexpectedly friendly.

The downside was...

He, the Marshal, and Little Iso had all been completely identified.

There really were no secrets on StarNet.

These Zergs' investigative skills were terrifying.

Not becoming detectives was an absolute waste of talent.

Now that he'd been exposed to the entire internet...

An Ruo suddenly had no idea what to do.

His growing gaming addiction...

And his social anxiety...

Simply couldn't coexist.

Playing games while being watched by the entire internet—

Having screenshots of every match spread everywhere—

Even opponents uploading replay videos—

It was absolutely terrifying.

An Ruo decided to switch games.

And switch IDs.

Browsing the game store, he discovered that the Zergs had pitifully few genres available.

Almost everything was military.

Star Wars.

Battlefield Simulator.

Mech Arena.

Battlefield Commander...

At first glance, they all looked nearly identical.

Apart from those...

There were also games designed specifically for male Zergs.

Psychic power creation games.

And Psychic Soothing simulators.

They were all single-player.

No co-op.

To male Zergs...

Those games probably felt about as exciting as taking an exam.

One look was enough to kill any enthusiasm.

An Ruo already performed enough Psychic Soothing in real life.

He had absolutely no interest in simulated Psychic Soothing.

Instead, he chose a creation game.

An empty world.

Anything could be created through psychic power.

The store even offered basic templates that could be applied with a single click.

An Ruo ignored every template.

He built everything himself.

First...

The sky.

The earth.

The sun, moon, and stars.

Then...

He started building a house!

Completely absorbed, An Ruo worked on constructing his own little home.

After finishing the house...

He added a garden.

Once the garden was done...

A whole neighborhood.

Eventually...

Everything was there.

Yet it still felt empty.

It lacked real life.

So An Ruo began creating NPCs.

Then little animals.

Little by little...

He filled out his own game world.