Chapter 272: Zerg Egg Protective Covers: Make Two Zerg Egg Protective Covers, and Make Them Prettier This Time

An Ruo felt as though Ulysses was going to devour him completely.

The inside of Ulysses's mouth was so hot that when he took An Ruo's shoulder and neck into his mouth, An Ruo felt as though he was going to melt from the heat.

If he really did melt, Ulysses definitely wouldn't let him go. He would eat every last bit of him.

It wasn't until dawn was approaching that An Ruo was finally spared.

An Ruo was still dazed. He was used to stopping after just a taste. Once was enough to leave him perfectly satisfied. Even if he still craved more, he would restrain himself and wouldn't go for a second helping—or at least, he would never be the one to suggest a second round.

This was his first time experiencing such an exhilarating, all-out battle. Only now did he realize that Ulysses's previous intensity and urgency had actually been him holding back.

Ulysses was obviously in an excellent mood. An Ruo could sense it even while buried in his arms, barely awake.

Although he didn't quite understand the exact reason... It wasn't their first time, nor was it even their first time sleeping together at the Marshal's residence. The only difference was probably that An Ruo had officially moved in this time.

Ulysses loved him very much and really wanted to live together with him.

That hazy realization lifted An Ruo's mood as well, making him feel equally happy.

He was far too exhausted. An Ruo was so sleepy that his eyelids kept falling shut when he vaguely remembered that he had forgotten to discuss the contraceptive medicine with Ulysses.

There had been no helping it. Everything had happened too suddenly and passionately. Ulysses hadn't given him any opportunity to bring it up.

An Ruo forced his eyes open, intending to say something.

Then he suddenly realized it was already too late to talk about it now. If Ulysses didn't intend to have a hatchling, they couldn't exactly have Ulysses take emergency contraception, could they? Were they supposed to pin their hopes on the Zergs' extremely low probability of conception?

When Ulysses saw him open his eyes again, he immediately looked at him with concern, attentive to whatever he might need.

An Ruo's instincts told him that discussing whether they should keep taking contraceptive medicine right now might ruin Ulysses's good mood.

So he phrased it differently.

“I didn't take the medicine.”

Ulysses smiled, leaned in to kiss him again, and said, “I know.”

He knew?

An Ruo was too muddled with sleepiness to understand how Ulysses could possibly know.

But judging from Ulysses's reaction, he didn't mind.

An Ruo even felt that the fact he hadn't taken the medicine had made Ulysses happier.

He was terribly sleepy and yawned, his eyelids heavy. So he stopped thinking about it, buried himself against Ulysses's firm, warm chest, wrapped his arms around his waist, and fell deeply asleep.

Just before his consciousness sank completely into darkness, he remembered the plush toy he had left by the bedside.

He had always slept hugging his plush toy before, but now...

An Ruo felt the warm, muscular, firm, and extremely huggable body in his arms and decided that the real thing was better.

Ulysses felt the male's breathing gradually become long and even in his arms, and it was as though something had filled his heart as well, leaving it warm and swollen with emotion.

For the first time, he could truly feel that his male—his God—had chosen to remain for him.

For the first time, he felt that even an insignificant insect like himself could make €€ stay.

Their pheromones lingered intertwined in the air, blending into an extraordinarily wonderful scent.

And another part of his body was filled with warmth as well—his gestational sac.

Unlike the warmth that came simply from being nourished by pheromones in the past, this time he had been given the chance to nurture a hatchling.

A hatchling belonging to him and the God.

Once might not be enough, but Ulysses believed that as long as he could move the God's heart over the passing years, as long as the God was willing to give himself to him, then one day he would become pregnant.

He was willing to wait patiently for that day to come.

...

He had arrived in a relatively unfamiliar environment, but this was Ulysses's home, and perhaps it was now his and Ulysses's home.

That realization erased all the unease An Ruo might otherwise have felt from suddenly changing residences. Instead, he was very curious about this place and had plenty of desire to explore it.

He had already more or less explored the three floors reserved exclusively for him. Now he was more curious about the other areas.

The first and second floors were office areas. Ulysses worked there, and other important military or government officials came and went, so An Ruo skipped those for the time being.

Instead, he went to the garden behind the main building.

This garden was even more exquisitely designed than the prison's aerial garden. It was filled with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants, with particularly pleasing combinations of colors that better suited Male Zerg aesthetics. It looked almost like an oil painting.

An Ruo sat down inside the garden's crystal greenhouse, eating snacks, admiring the scenery, and browsing StarNet while he was at it.

The announcement of the Psychic Soothing device had caused an enormous stir. Almost all the trending topics were occupied by it, with only the occasional discussion about the ending of his novel or its contents mixed in between.

An Ruo opened them one by one.

For Female Zergs, the Psychic Soothing device was entirely beneficial. The safety threshold had been brought directly down to 65. As long as their score remained above that number, there was no longer any need to worry about obtaining Psychic Soothing.

Most of StarNet was filled with Female Zergs excitedly celebrating. The atmosphere was as fervent as though some miracle drug benefiting the entire population had just been released.

Praise the Federation, praise the Marshal, praise the research institute, praise Lord Eugene, praise that Lord, praise the cooperation and exchange with the Tianjia...

An Ruo almost thought he had read it wrong when he saw that even his identity as a Psychic Soothing specialist had been dragged into it. He didn't think he had done anything. He hadn't participated in researching or developing the Psychic Soothing device. At most, he had made public a method for “group Psychic Soothing.”

Then he kept reading and discovered that even the “Tianjia” were being praised. Although it referred to the psychic cooperation and exchange program, the Tianjia were still included, and An Ruo immediately felt much better about it.

The Female Zergs were so happy that they were even praising the Tianjia. It was perfectly normal for them to drag him, a Psychic Soothing specialist, into it and praise him too.

The Tianjia, however, had complicated feelings.

Their country had been the one to propose this psychic cooperation and exchange, and they had indeed obtained a great deal of experience and technology from the Zergs.

But they didn't have this Psychic Soothing device!

Something they hadn't managed to develop had been developed by the Zergs first, and now the people on the other side were practically shoving their gratitude in their faces. It was impossible to describe how stifled the Tianjia felt.

They were so furious that, on one hand, they urged their own research institutes to hurry up and develop one. If the Zergs had it, then they had to have it too. On the other hand, they told the Zergs that the Tianjia had also contributed to this Psychic Soothing device, so the research results ought to be shared with them.

Whether it would be shared, and how it should be shared, was something for the Federal Government to consider. Netizens were only responsible for arguing about it.

After watching for a while, An Ruo jumped to the next topic.

#BoycottThePsychicSoothingDevice#

#ThisIsGreat!FinallyWeDon'tHaveToConstantlySootheOurFamilyZergs!#

The Male Zergs' attitudes toward the device could only be described as extremely polarized. One faction thought that having a Psychic Soothing device would save them a lot of trouble and make their lives much easier in the future.

[You have no idea. Giving Female Zergs Psychic Soothing is as troublesome as washing a giant dog. Who can stand washing one all the time? By the time you're done, your back aches, your waist hurts, and your head is spinning. Now they've finally opened a grooming shop outside! This is great news!

If you ask me, they should hurry up and develop one that works below 65 too. Ideally, it should go all the way down to 0 and handle everything! Fine, I know getting it down to 0 would be difficult, but at least get it to 20. If it could really cover things down to that level, Female Zergs generally wouldn't have any problems anymore. Psychic scores don't drop overnight. As soon as you notice it happening, you could quickly use the device for Psychic Soothing and restore their condition. Then there'd be no need for Male Zergs to step in.]

Other Male Zergs were very worried.

[The officials said Psychic Soothing from the device isn't as comfortable as being soothed by a Male Zerg. What if Female Zergs don't want to use it?]

[Uh... Female Zergs who genuinely need this won't care whether it's comfortable or not. This is something that can save their lives. As for everyone else, they can go pester their own Male Zerg.

Turning Psychic Soothing into something intimate and fun that strengthens the relationship between males and females, instead of making it a duty, sounds pretty good too.]

An Ruo thought so as well.

He thought of Ulysses. He had been so sleepy after they finished last night that he hadn't gotten around to giving Ulysses's Psychic Domain a good soothing. He would have to make it up to him later. ℴℴ𝘮

Psychic Soothing was something that could make Female Zergs feel extremely comfortable. Even if there was nothing wrong with them, it could still be done more often. It helped increase intimacy and strengthen their relationship.

However, given the Zergs' current circumstances, the two approaches still needed to be used together.

There would still be mandatory requirements as a safeguard, providing rescue when a Female Zerg's mental state deteriorated, while ordinarily it could also be used as intimate aftercare between males and females.

The other faction of Male Zergs was extremely resistant to the device. They might not necessarily enjoy giving Female Zergs Psychic Soothing themselves, but they still felt that the device's existence challenged their authority and status.

There was also a third category of Male Zergs who didn't have much of an opinion. They thought either way was fine and were merely watching the commotion.

When it came to political choices, not opposing something meant tacitly accepting it, which meant agreeing with it. So this group could already be counted among the supporters.

An Ruo could already predict how things would develop next.

That prediction didn't come from his understanding of politics or Zerg society, but from his understanding of Ulysses.

As long as Ulysses wanted something, he would never back down. He would make absolutely certain it happened.

StarNet was simply going to remain chaotic for a while.

Unless some even bigger piece of news overshadowed it.

An Ruo thought about the news of his release from prison.

The news media hadn't reacted yet. Once it was exposed, it would definitely cause another enormous commotion.

He wondered whether Ulysses had anticipated that as well.

First, release the Psychic Soothing device announcement to attract everyone's attention, while openly and straightforwardly coming to pick him up from prison. Then use the news of his release to divert everyone's attention and bring down the controversy surrounding the Psychic Soothing device.

Going back and forth like that, he could accomplish both things at the lowest possible cost.

As An Ruo browsed the holographic screen, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head.

A black-haired Female Zerg had entered carrying some books and tools.

It was Selerus.

He apparently hadn't expected An Ruo to be here. His footsteps paused slightly, but his crimson eyes visibly brightened.

An Ruo smiled at him and, with the concern he habitually showed a patient, asked,

“How is your recovery going? Have you gotten used to life after leaving prison?”

It sounded exactly like a doctor's daily ward-round questions.

Selerus habitually answered as well.

“Mm. I'm recovering very well. I've gotten used to it.”

Only after that exchange did the two Zergs remember that this was the Marshal's residence, that their relationship wasn't doctor and patient anymore, but rather the male of his female offspring and...

His father-in-law?

An Ruo jolted and instantly sprang to his feet, suddenly at a loss for what to do with himself.

Only then did Selerus react. He resumed walking and entered the greenhouse, stopping in front of the sofa opposite An Ruo.

“There's no need to be nervous. You're the master of this household.”

If you two remarry... or rather, marry again.

Selerus silently kept the rest to himself.

Back when he had received a terminal in prison, he had already learned some things about what was happening outside. It was just that his mind hadn't been clear then, and the things he saw on StarNet only left him confused. Comparing them with the way Ulysses and Doctor An interacted every day made things even harder for him to understand.

After he was released and moved into the Marshal's residence, Ulysses finally explained everything clearly to him.

€€€€ They weren't the same Zerg.

That was what his female offspring had told him.

It had only made Selerus even more confused, yet at the same time, he vaguely understood something.

The Doctor An he knew was completely different from the Male Zerg involved in the divorce case described by the outside world.

Of course they weren't the same Zerg.

He was both relieved that Ulysses had met the current Doctor An...

And furious and heartbroken that his female offspring had once encountered a Male Zerg like that.

If only he had been by his side back then...

There was no use thinking about it now. Selerus suppressed the turbulent emotions in his eyes, lest the monitoring device he wore start sounding an alarm right in front of the doctor.

That would be troublesome.

Selerus placed the things in his hands on the table.

Only then did An Ruo get a clear look at what he had brought.

Books and knitting tools.

A small patch of dense, soft, beige knitted fabric had already been worked onto the tools.

An Ruo's attention was immediately drawn away. Forgetting his earlier awkwardness, he asked,

“What are you knitting?”

That question...

Selerus gave the male in front of him a resentful look.

A certain Male Zerg had taken away his egg, along with the little knitted coat for the egg, and had never returned either of them.

All he had given Selerus in exchange was a video of Ulysses hatching when he was little.

Thinking about little Ulysses in that video softened Selerus's heart again.

“I plan to make two sets of scarves and gloves first, one for you and one for Ulysses. Then I'll make two Zerg egg protective covers. This time, I want to make them prettier.”

An Ruo was confused.

“Zerg egg protective covers? And two of them?”