Chapter 251: Experiencing Life as a Female Zerg: What Does Being Ulysses’s Personal Guard Involve?

[Stop constantly @ing the Marshal to tell him An-shen is writing female-female romance. @ing the Marshal this frequently will only bother him, and what good does @ing the Marshal even do? @ing the Marshal every day isn't going to stop An-shen from writing female-female romance anyway, so could everyone please stop @ing the Marshal? Let's all agree not to @ the Marshal anymore.]

Ulysses: “......”

His terminal automatically filtered StarNet content, so he wasn't actually being constantly disturbed by it. His terminal AI also compiled the most frequently discussed topics and trending content on StarNet every day, organized and summarized them, then sent the results to him.

The content it had been compiling lately was rather speechless-inducing... utterly devoid of substance.

At first, Ulysses had been so exasperated that he'd laughed. After seeing it enough times, however, he was mostly just speechless.

These guys, whether they genuinely wanted to report the matter and ask for help or were simply spectators eager to stir up more trouble, were practically one step away from carving “An-shen is writing female-female romance” directly onto his face.

At first, Ulysses had also been surprised and puzzled by the god's actions. But when it came down to it, there was actually no difference to him whether the god wrote female-female romance or female-male romance.

Either way, it meant adding two protagonists. Whether the protagonists were female Zergs or Male Zergs made no fundamental difference.

Even if the newly added protagonists were Male Zergs, Ulysses still wouldn't be able to remain perfectly calm.

After all, that person had always been particularly fond of every one of his protagonists.

The word “protagonist” itself represented the god's unique favoritism, regardless of whether they were female or male.

After browsing through the content summarized by his terminal AI, Ulysses spent a moment calming himself and decided that his terminal AI really ought to be upgraded.

He had never liked terminal AIs that were too intelligent or autonomous, so he was still using an old version from many years ago. Although its basic functions had been continually updated and iterated as technology advanced, its intelligence had remained unchanged. He'd always thought it was good enough and convenient to use, but thinking about it now, having an AI that was too stupid wasn't good either. It merely created extra work.

Ulysses closed the light screen and was about to move on to other work when he received a message from the god.

Several pictures.

Female Zerg clothing, already arranged into complete outfits, with the god's bed visible in the background.

Ulysses instantly went on high alert. Alarm bells rang madly inside his head, and only his formidable self-control kept him from tearing open space and going there immediately.

[An]: What do you think of these?

The god sent him this contextless question, leaving Ulysses uncertain what exactly he was asking about.

Highly vigilant, Ulysses carefully examined the several outfits in the pictures.

[Ulysses]: They're rather... ordinary.

He tried to pick faults with them as gently as possible.

In truth, the more he looked, the more dissatisfied he became. He wished he could throw those outfits—and their owners—straight out and permanently eradicate them from the god's room.

Then Ulysses noticed the inconspicuous tags in the corners of the clothing and calmed down somewhat.

These outfits didn't have owners.

At least, they didn't have owners yet.

But where exactly had they come from? And whom was the god planning to give them to?

These clothes weren't his size... Were they for some other female Zerg?

Ulysses struggled to suppress the restless irritation churning in his chest, forcing himself to stay calm and not lose his composure before anything had even happened.

There was no fundamental difference between female Zerg and Male Zerg clothing. They merely tended toward different elements and styles in certain respects.

The outfits in the photos had tougher design elements and styles, common among female Zerg clothing. Some Male Zergs who liked cool-looking styles would wear this sort of thing too, but that was relatively rare. Besides, it wasn't the god's usual style of dress.

Ulysses rapidly ran through the suspicious female Zergs around the god.

Iso? He had already been transferred out of the Military Region Prison several days ago, and Iso's chest probably wouldn't fit into these clothes. They'd burst apart.

Though some female Zergs deliberately wore clothes like that to attract Male Zergs...

Uriel?

They weren't Uriel's size either. Could it be a sub-female?

Or perhaps that female Zerg hatchling Isidore, who had just entered adolescence?

No.

He'd overlooked something.

Male Zergs didn't pay attention to sizing when buying clothes for female Zergs in the first place, so a discrepancy in size was perfectly normal.

In other words, every Zerg was a possibility.

Every single one of them belonged on the suspect list.

In the span of an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Ulysses's mind, and he practically suspected every Zerg An Ruo knew—or didn't know.

Meanwhile, An Ruo was still struggling with his decision and typing at an ordinary pace.

[An]: None of them look good?

Ulysses thought: They're hideous. Hurry up and throw them all away. Better yet, let me personally come over and destroy the evidence.

[An]: I wanted to try dressing like a female Zerg and experience what it feels like to be one for a day. Looks like it really is difficult after all.

He'd gotten stuck on the very first step—choosing clothes.

An Ruo was troubled. Was his aesthetic really that incompatible with female Zergs? He could have sworn female Zergs liked this type of clothing.

Ulysses froze.

He reread the words on the light screen several times, making absolutely certain that he hadn't misunderstood.

The god was going to wear them himself.

Although Ulysses couldn't quite understand why, he was immensely grateful that he hadn't criticized the clothes too harshly earlier. There was still room to salvage the situation.

When he looked at the clothes in the photos again, Ulysses suddenly found them increasingly pleasing to the eye. They possessed numerous merits he had somehow failed to appreciate before.

Especially when the male followed up by sending several pictures of himself after changing into the outfits.

Their aesthetic value immediately skyrocketed, making it impossible for Ulysses to look away.

Ulysses saved the pictures first.

Only then did he reply seriously.

[Ulysses]: The clothes are very beautiful and suit you perfectly. Any clothes look exceptionally good on you. You have pushed these outfits beyond their limits and elevated them to heights they could never have reached on their own.

It sounded somewhat exaggerated, but Ulysses was completely sincere. This was genuinely what he thought.

But... experiencing life as a female Zerg?

Ulysses still couldn't understand what the male meant.

Why would he want to experience being a female Zerg?

Remembering the “female-female romance” the god had written, Ulysses became wary.

Puzzled, he asked the question directly.

An Ruo was still embarrassed by the excessive praise. He thought Ulysses had gone much too far and was so awkward and mortified that he had no idea what to do. Seeing Ulysses ask a question, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and seized the opportunity to change the subject.

[An]: It's for my writing. I need to personally experience the life of a female Zerg and look at this world from a female Zerg's perspective before I can write this book better. I think Felix might have done something like this too.

Felix?

Ulysses was confused.

Experience the life of a female Zerg? How?

Put on female Zerg clothing and then... go be a female-female lover?

Ulysses's heart tightened.

Then he remembered that he himself was also a female Zerg.

As long as he kept the god beside him, right under his own eyes, nothing should go wrong.

And so, following An Ruo's train of thought, Ulysses agreed with his decision and invited him to come to Military Headquarters—to come to his side and experience it there.

An Ruo: “€€?”

Military Headquarters?

Me?

[Ulysses]: Since you want to experience being a female Zerg, you can't restrict yourself to a fixed environment like the Military Region Prison. You should go somewhere female Zergs gather, and there's nowhere more suitable than Military Headquarters. Please don't worry. I won't actually make you interact with many Zergs. You can simply stay in my office and spend the day as my personal guard or adjutant.

Ulysses coaxed him along step by step, and An Ruo found himself following his logic.

It did seem reasonable.

Besides, being Ulysses's personal guard?

That sounded kind of fun.

An Ruo was tempted.

[An]: Okay, I'll be your personal guard!

[An]: But I don't have suitable clothes...

An Ruo was troubled. He had only prepared several sets of ordinary female Zerg clothing, not a military uniform. Military uniforms weren't something that could simply be bought and sold. Even though similar cosplay outfits were available, wearing one into Military Headquarters would be a little too provocative.

[Ulysses]: That's all right. I'll prepare one.

The Marshal personally preparing a uniform... Did that count as taking the lead in breaking regulations?

An Ruo thought about it for one second, then decided to stop thinking.

He could leave matters like that to an important Zerg like Ulysses. A little shrimp like him just needed to follow instructions.

An Ruo soon received the clothes Ulysses sent through a spatial passage and changed into them.

The white-and-gold military uniform looked exceptionally good.

After putting it on, An Ruo unconsciously straightened his back. Standing tall with a resolute gaze, he adjusted his military cap in front of the mirror. His entire bearing was outstanding, and he genuinely looked somewhat like a military Zerg.

Ulysses waited outside while the male changed, planning to use his spatial ability afterward to take him directly to Military Headquarters.

The dressing-room door opened.

An Ruo walked out, dressed in dazzling silver-white, seemingly radiating a sacred glow.

Ulysses's eyes filled with amazement.

He looked even better than Ulysses had imagined.

If Felix was this sort of “military female,” then Ulysses could understand how Lucas had fallen for him.

Of course, Felix or whatever his name was couldn't possibly compare to the god.

Not even in the slightest.

Ulysses extended his hand, took the hand the god offered him, and stepped into the spatial passage together with him.

An Ruo arrived in the spacious, brightly lit Marshal's office, which possessed an unmistakably military atmosphere, and began his one-day experience as the Marshal's personal guard.

But...

What exactly did a personal guard do?

Stay at Ulysses's side every second and protect him?

An Ruo compared his combat strength with Ulysses's and decided there was absolutely no comparison.

But there wouldn't be any comparison if you replaced him with literally any other female Zerg either!

Since there was an enormous gulf between Ulysses and everyone else anyway, rounding things off, An Ruo wasn't really any worse than an actual personal guard.

Thinking about it that way made An Ruo feel much better.

And so, filled with inexplicable confidence and a conscientious dedication to his new job, he walked to a position slightly behind Ulysses's side and began standing guard and providing close protection.

Ulysses, seated behind his desk, suddenly felt pressured.

Facing the documents on his light screen, he couldn't absorb a single word.

He might not be able to work as efficiently as usual while being guarded and watched by the god.

“You don't need to be quite so serious...”

Ulysses attempted to persuade the male to relax and go rest and entertain himself.

On the sofa and coffee table in the reception area, he had prepared fruits and snacks the male liked, along with books, games, and movies, all chosen according to the male's preferences.

“No. I'm your personal guard. I have responsibilities of my own.” An Ruo spoke with perfect seriousness, completely immersed in his role.

Ulysses felt as though he'd dug a pit for himself and jumped straight into it.

He could only try persuading him from another angle:

“This is an office inside Military Headquarters. It's very safe. You can perform some other duties of a personal guard.”

An Ruo had no idea what else a personal guard was supposed to do.

He looked at Ulysses questioningly, seeking instruction.

“For example...” Ulysses met the male's clear, inquisitive eyes. Several rather inappropriate words reached the tip of his tongue, only to disappear again in the end.

“For example, you could make me a cup of tea. Mm, it's already been made and is on the coffee table. In that case, help me test the temperature and taste of the tea, then sample those foods on the table, see which one tastes good, and report back to me,” Ulysses said.

An Ruo was successfully coaxed into drinking tea and eating snacks.

Only after putting a pastry into his mouth did he realize that Ulysses had tricked him.

But there was nothing he could do about Ulysses, nor could he bring himself to get angry. So he simply brought the pastries over to feed him instead.

“This one's good,” he told him, pinching a pastry between his fingers and bringing it to Ulysses's lips.

Ulysses had never been fed like this before.

Or perhaps he had.

Within those dreamlike memories, his director had loved feeding him all sorts of food.

And so Ulysses ate the pastry directly from An Ruo's hand.

It tasted even sweeter than the ones in his memories.