Chapter 143: Jinjiang Literature City Exclusive 4: Virtual Love Interest × Legion Commander (4) Roy Throws His Arms Around the Military Female and Smacks a Kiss on

"...Even if a high-ranking Female Zerg approaches a low-ranking Male Zerg, if they have those kinds of thoughts, they're probably just looking for some fun..."

At the Speaker of the Federal Council's residence.

Cassian was reading the novel aloud to his Male Lord, whose poor eyesight and light sensitivity made it difficult for him to read himself.

When he reached that line, alarm bells immediately went off in his head.

His Male Lord had always been An-shen's most devoted admirer.

What if he believed that way of thinking...

Cassian discreetly studied the expression of the Male Zerg beside him.

His Male Lord was hugging a pillow, resting his chin adorably atop it. His snow-white eyelashes were lowered halfway, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Cassian shut off the light screen and said,

"This virtual Male Zerg was built from too little data. His perspective is far too narrow."

He couldn't criticize An-shen.

The only thing he could do was blame the data used to construct the virtual Male Zerg.

Most importantly...

His Male Lord absolutely couldn't think he had ever treated him as "just a fling."

Such an insulting thought had never crossed his mind.

Aira looked up at him helplessly.

"Baby, it's not that. He simply lacks a sense of security, and he's too clear-headed and rational. It has nothing to do with data. He has feelings."

Male Zergs were always more delicate and perceptive than Female Zergs.

While the Female Zerg readers were still marveling at how exquisitely the game had been designed and wishing they could play it themselves...

Aira had already looked through the words and the screen to see the resilient, unyielding soul of the Male Zerg within.

Perhaps it was because they were so alike.

Certain small details inevitably resonated with him.

They made him believe there really could be such a Male Zerg somewhere in the universe.

A life so resilient.

So vividly alive.

Even if it had been born inside a virtual world.

Being called that by a Male Lord younger than himself caused the tips of Cassian's ears to warm slightly.

His Male Lord had grown up in an orphanage.

He loved affectionate pet names like that.

During intimate moments, Cassian would call his Male Lord by the same nickname.

Every time he called his Male Lord "Baby," his Male Lord would blush shyly before passionately pulling him closer.

Cassian leaned over, enveloping the Male Zerg beneath him.

His shadow blocked the soft glow of the bedside lamp.

In a gentle voice, he asked,

"If he's the one who's rational... then what about us?"

In the dim light, Aira gazed at the Female Zerg whose eyes still burned as brightly as fire.

He reached up to cup his face.

His arm slipped around Cassian's neck as he offered himself willingly.

"We're what comes after reason."

He sighed softly beside his ear.

He had clearly foreseen his own death.

Yet he was still drawn toward him.

Completely aware.

Perfectly rational.

And yet he still rushed toward him with reckless devotion.

Just like this very moment.

The red hair that had been tied back with a ribbon came loose, cascading downward.

Red and white hair intertwined together—

Like flames embracing a burning candle until the two became indistinguishable.

Aira kissed the Female Zerg above him.

They had been destined to burn together.

And to burn out together.

Fortunately...

This time, perhaps they would be able to remain beside one another a little longer.

...

【Legion Commander Morris had encountered the greatest challenge of his life.

€€€€

How exactly was he supposed to get the Male Zerg to accept his gifts?

Never, not even once, had he imagined a game character refusing something he offered.

Was it because his Affinity wasn't high enough?

Seven points.

He had always believed his Affinity had been increasing quite smoothly.

Now, however...

It seemed he was still a very long way off.

Left with no other option, Morris simply followed the Male Zerg as he left the house.

Roy noticed him trailing behind and glanced back several times in confusion.

Even so, he didn't chase him away.

And so Morris continued following the Male Zerg down the main road.

Besides Roy's home, there were many other dilapidated houses nearby.

Most of them stood abandoned.

Only a handful still housed elderly Female Zergs and sub-females who had remained behind.

The Male Zerg seemed to know every one of them.

Whenever they saw him, they greeted him warmly and stuffed fruit into his hands...

Although those fruits didn't look particularly fresh either.

Afterward, they would all turn suspicious, wary eyes toward Morris walking behind him.

Morris: "..."

Once again mistaken for some sort of villain...

The Legion Commander found himself questioning his appearance all over again.

Did he really look that much like the bad guy?

Or...

Did he resemble a Heavenly Garuda?

The thought struck him like a bolt from the blue.

One elderly Female Zerg pulled Roy aside to whisper to him.

No matter how quietly they lowered their voices, to Morris it sounded as though they were speaking right beside his ear.

The Male Zerg was explaining things on his behalf.

"No, really, he's not a bad bug. He's... my friend. Um... we met while I was in school... my Guide? N-no, no, no! It's not like that."

Morris looked toward Roy.

The Male Zerg had already returned.

His face was slightly red.

When he reached Morris, he awkwardly glanced at him before grabbing his sleeve and hurrying away with his head lowered.

Only after they had walked a considerable distance did Roy finally slow down.

He handed Morris one of the fruits.

Its wrinkled skin clearly showed it wasn't fresh.

Even so...

It was probably the finest food those elderly bugs could spare.

They cared deeply about this young Male Zerg.

Morris suddenly remembered that he hadn't claimed today's free daily gift yet.

He hurriedly opened the shop.

Another fresh red fruit.

He handed it to Roy in return.

Roy held the bright, juicy fruit in his hands.

He remained silent for quite some time without eating it.

"You don't like it?"

Morris asked.

The free gift only ever contained red fruit.

And the Beginner Pack's game credits had all been spent on the housekeeping robot.

If Roy didn't like it...

He would have no choice but to recharge and buy something from the shop.

"It's not that..."

Roy looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Why do you keep following me? Do you really have nowhere else to go?"

Morris had never been good at lying.

Especially not under those crystal-clear eyes.

He found himself unable to invent anything.

"...It's a mission."

He answered honestly.

"A mission?"

Coming from the mouth of a military Female Zerg, the word sounded as though he were carrying out some highly classified operation—

Protecting a Male Zerg.

Or escorting one somewhere.

But Roy knew his own circumstances.

He was nothing more than an ordinary low-ranking Male Zerg.

Why would such an extraordinary high-ranking Female Zerg personally protect someone like him?

"Don't tell me I'm actually some important family's lost relative?"

Roy joked.

"Yes."

Morris answered completely seriously.

Roy blinked in surprise.

He hadn't expected this Female Zerg to have such a sense of humor.

"Then tell me. Whose relative am I?"

Morris pursed his lips slightly.

"Our Legion Commander."

Roy: "?"

Honestly...

It sounded surprisingly plausible.

A lost Male Zerg hatchling.

A heroic military Female Zerg suddenly appears.

Brings him back to his real "home."

He inherits an important identity.

And from then on lives a life of privilege.

It sounded exactly like something from a movie.

"Come on, stop joking."

"I'm just a low-ranking Male Zerg. My Female Parent was also a low-ranking Female Zerg. We even have bloodline certification."

He paused.

"Unless... your Legion Commander is my grandfather?"

Dreams were beautiful.

Roy, however, was realistic.

Morris: "...He's not that old."

Roy laughed.

He removed his backpack and hugged it against his chest.

"All right then."

"The Legion Commander's long-lost illegitimate hatchling is about to start scavenging."

Only then did Morris realize where they had arrived.

An endless plain littered with twisted metal wreckage.

It appeared that a battle had once taken place here.

Aircraft had crashed across the area.

Everything valuable had long since been stripped away.

Only mountains of debris remained.

When Roy said scavenging...

He truly meant scavenging.

He searched through the piles of metal.

If they hadn't been too heavy to carry, he looked as though he would have dragged away the enormous steel plates as well.

Morris frowned.

Military battlefields almost always contained dangerous waste.

Unexploded ordnance.

Poisonous gas.

Radiation.

How could a Male Zerg possibly come to a place like this to collect scrap?

Judging from how practiced he was...

This clearly wasn't his first visit.

With a dark expression, Morris stayed close beside him.

While extending his senses to search for hidden dangers...

He also contemplated how best to carry the Male Zerg away.

Just as Roy himself had joked—

"The Legion Commander's long-lost hatchling."

And yet he had been reduced to scavenging garbage.

Morris's heart tightened painfully.

He felt so irritated he wanted to grind every piece of military junk on the entire plain into powder.

"Don't be angry."

"Here."

"This one's for you."

Roy brushed the sand off a pendant he'd picked up and hung it around Morris's neck.

Set into the center of the metal pendant was a blue gemstone.

Its brightness reminded Morris of Roy's eyes.

"There are still good things here."

Roy examined it again, clearly satisfied.

"You shouldn't just stand around looking silly."

"Help me search."

"If we sell everything, I'll split the money with you."

Looking down at the inexpensive pendant resting against his chest...

Morris found himself forced into scavenging alongside Roy.

There really wasn't anything valuable left.

Anything worth real money had already been taken long ago.

Even his spatial button was completely empty.

This wasn't his real spatial button.

It was merely a game item serving as an inventory.

He couldn't retrieve anything from reality.

After struggling internally for a while...

Morris silently recharged.

Twelve star coins.

At the exchange rate of 1:100...

He received 1,200 game credits.

He began searching the in-game shop for something that could pass as junk while still being valuable enough to sell.

A terminal?

No.

They were all the newest models.

Far too conspicuous.

Wasn't there anything older?

A mech energy core?

Hmm...

The Male Zerg probably wouldn't know the difference between new and old.

Morris spent 888 game credits to purchase an entry-level mech energy core.

He rubbed it around in the sand.

Then pretended he had just discovered it.

"Ahem."

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Morris walked over carrying the energy core.

He held it out.

"Would... this work?"

It was the first time in his life he'd ever done something dishonest like this.

His heart was pounding even harder than when he'd gone along with Roy's joke about being the Legion Commander's lost relative.

After all...

He really was a Legion Commander.

If he said Roy was his relative...

Then Roy could become one.

But the origin of the energy core...

That was fabricated.

Roy turned at the sound of his voice.

The instant he saw the mysterious energy core glowing in Morris's hand...

His expression froze in blank astonishment before exploding into joy.

"My goodness! Where did you find that?!"

"It works! It absolutely works!"

"I knew it! This is exactly the sort of thing military Female Zergs are good at!"

"You're seriously my lucky star!!!"

Cradling the energy core, Roy became so excited that he actually jumped in place.

His mind went blank from happiness.

Acting purely on impulse...

He threw his arms around the military Female Zerg—

And smacked a loud kiss onto his cheek.

...】