Chapter 274: #His Excellency Is Out of Prison#: [Stop flying already! I’m afraid the space lanes are going to get clogged with Zergs at this rate (covers face).]

That afternoon, Council Speaker Cassian came to deliver a report. What he saw was the Marshal looking full of energy, his expression radiating unrestrained satisfaction and contentment.

He could even smell the rich, deep scent of Male Zerg pheromones lingering on him.

It was perfectly normal for a beloved Female Zerg to carry some of his Male Zerg’s pheromones. It was a declaration of ownership of sorts, with a hint of showing off mixed in, and it made other Female Zergs extremely envious.

Of course, Cassian wasn’t envious. He was a Female Zerg with a Male Lord of his own, and he and his Male Lord had an excellent relationship.

He merely wondered instinctively whose scent it was.

For an instant, the silhouette of a “military Female Zerg” dressed in a silver-white military uniform surfaced in his mind, only to quickly transform into another name.

An-shen.

It was obvious that the Marshal had a very good relationship with that person. Perhaps in the future, there would be even more occasions when the Marshal walked around carrying his pheromones.

Because that person had another identity known to very few Zergs—the Excellency in the prison, the Marshal’s ex-husband.

Cassian had uncovered that information back when the Marshal had yet to turn the Military Region Prison into an impenetrable fortress. Although by now he had begun to suspect that the Marshal had deliberately allowed him to uncover it, he still couldn’t understand why.

His younger brother Xi’an had asked him to investigate that Excellency’s identity, and Cassian had only told Xi’an the results. He hadn’t even told Aira, the Zerg who shared his bed, mainly because he had no idea how to bring it up.

And now, that Excellency had already been released from prison.

The news came from the military’s list of prisoners granted sentence reductions and released at noon today.

The moment the list was published, it caused an enormous uproar on StarNet.

It even completely overshadowed the popularity of the Psychic Soothing device.

And so Cassian, who had been appointed with full authority over the matter, came to ask the Marshal for instructions on what they should do next.

If anyone else had been involved, he naturally could have made the decision himself. But this matter involved his immediate superior’s “ex-husband” and current... Cassian himself couldn’t understand why the relationship was such a mess. In any case, to avoid making a mistake, he needed to ask for instructions.

As Cassian reported to the Marshal, he simultaneously considered his own private affairs.

Previously, he hadn’t dared tell Aira that An-shen was the Excellency in prison, mainly because Aira’s health was poor and Cassian feared he wouldn’t be able to withstand the shock.

But over the past year, Aira had visibly become more cheerful, and his offensive power had also grown stronger...

At this thought, Cassian quietly glanced at the Marshal sitting above him, feeling somewhat awkward.

Aira was exceptionally vicious whenever he attacked the Marshal verbally, but for the Marshal, who had weathered countless storms and was accustomed to media commentary, it probably wasn’t even worth noticing, much less paying any special attention to.

Cassian didn’t know whether he should be grateful for that.

Fortunately, after the Marshal released that handshake picture that was practically an official announcement, Aira’s attitude had begun to change. He no longer opposed the Marshal at every turn, and he had even praised some of the Marshal’s policies and directives.

Although whenever he saw anything involving An-shen and the Marshal, he still gave off the feeling that he was pinching his nose and reluctantly accepting it, at least he was no longer as extreme as before.

Nor did he blindly focus on the drawbacks anymore. He could now recognize the parts that were genuinely effective and beneficial to both the Federation and the Zerg race.

For example, regarding the Psychic Soothing device this time, Aira had uncharacteristically stood completely on the Marshal’s side, helping promote it and guide public opinion.

Not only had Cassian been surprised, even the opposition faction that had been waiting for His Excellency Aira to lead the charge had been left bewildered.

Besides that, over the course of the year, Aira’s physical and mental condition had clearly improved, and there were even faint signs that he might break through B-rank.

Cassian thought that perhaps he could finally tell Aira about that Excellency’s identity.

After all, that Excellency was already out of prison, and Aira seemed exceptionally resilient now. He didn’t look like someone who would be unable to withstand the news.

That Excellency’s reputation before and after his imprisonment was divided into two completely opposite extremes, as though they were two different Zergs.

Cassian was both worried that what the Excellency had done before his imprisonment would deal Aira a devastating blow, and felt that, considering Aira’s fanatical worship of An-shen, perhaps he would come up with some perfectly self-consistent explanation on his own and convince himself without even needing psychological treatment.

——

Meanwhile, An Ruo had already returned to his room.

His cheeks were burning. When he remembered what Ulysses had done to him in the lounge, he still felt lingering fear.

It was too terrifying. How could Ulysses do something like that, eat him like that?

Although Ulysses had indeed kept his military uniform perfectly intact, merely undoing a button and pulling down a zipper with his teeth, the fact that he had remained so impeccably dressed under those circumstances only made what they had been doing seem even more obscene by contrast.

Yet Ulysses didn’t seem to care at all. Nor did he care how much of a mess he himself had been made, as though he were delighted to drag a god seated upon a divine throne down from the clouds.

Ulysses had been made terribly dirty. For the first time, An Ruo had wasted so much of his pheromones all over him, yet Ulysses’ eyes had shone like stars, embracing him, reflecting him, possessing him.

An Ruo sat down on the soft sofa. Even recalling what had happened still sent shivers down his spine.

He slapped his cheeks, trying to cool the heat on his face.

Things like this were far too easy to become addicted to. It wasn’t something he could restrain merely by telling himself he would have only a taste.

It was addictive in the same way as writing a story he loved, or completing a plotline he desperately wanted to finish. Except the feedback was even more immediate, the sensation even more intense, and the temptation even harder to resist. It was far too easy to lose himself in it.

Every inch of Ulysses’ skin, every thought in his mind, was like an incomparably fascinating story to An Ruo, making him unable to resist exploring deeper and deeper again and again.

It took An Ruo a long time to calm himself down. He opened his terminal and began browsing StarNet.

At the same time, he thought thankfully that his new novel had already been completed, so he didn’t need to write any stories right now. Otherwise, in this state, how could he possibly immerse himself enough to write?

The moment he logged onto StarNet, An Ruo saw that news of his release from prison was sitting at the top of every discussion ranking.

#His Excellency Is Out of Prison#

#Sentence Reduction List#

#Contribution Points Required to Reduce a Sentence by 998 Years#

#His Excellency Annor’s Whereabouts#

[Shocking, shocking! Look at the new list the military just released! That Excellency is already out of prison! Yes, exactly the one you’re thinking of! His sentence was reduced by 998 years! Do you even understand what that means?!]

[No way? When I saw a 999-year sentence, I thought we’d never see that Excellency again in our lifetimes. Even if there was news about him, I thought it would be hundreds of years later, or at least decades. And now he’s already out? Was he specially pardoned because he developed group Psychic Soothing?]

[It wasn’t a pardon! His sentence was reduced entirely through Contribution Points! You absolutely wouldn’t believe how many Contribution Points that Excellency accumulated. It’s an astronomical number!]

[Who understands how shocked I was? It wasn’t until I saw that Excellency’s Contribution Points that I truly realized just how many military Female Zergs he actually soothed. Is this really something an ordinary Zerg could accomplish? He’s literally a god!]

[Huh? A god... An-shen? Another An-shen?]

[Whoa, don’t make jokes like that. Watch out or An-shen will crawl through the network cable and beat you up.]

[Ah, I’ll prepare all kinds of tools immediately! Does An-shen prefer this stick, this riding crop, or perhaps this gavel? Please feel free to use any of them to beat me. I can take it.]

[Now it’s the Marshal tearing open space to come beat you.]

[(Killed in action) (raises white flag)]

[Even An-shen and His Excellency Annor’s names sound so similar. It must be fate.]

[The Marshal really does like people named “An.”]

[Everyone keeps saying His Excellency is out of prison, so why isn’t there a single report with a video? I’m dying here, I’m dying! Even a photo would be enough!]

[Does anyone know where His Excellency went after getting out? I really want to meet him just once. Even seeing him from far away would be enough!]

[Several hundred Zergs in my unit already requested leave today. They all want to visit An-shen and thank him personally. By the time it was my turn, my superior had already stopped approving leave. I’m furious!]

[What? You can actually have several hundred Zergs take leave at once? Our border defense unit only allows 5% of us to take leave, and every slot disappeared in the blink of an eye! I couldn’t get one at all!]

[Don’t even mention it. The Zergs in the Ninth Military Region are crying themselves to death in camp.]

[So that’s why spaceship tickets to Capital Star have gotten more expensive, and you still can’t buy one! Turns out every military Female Zerg on leave throughout the Federation is fighting me for tickets!]

[Don’t get mad. Even if you manage to get a ticket, it’s useless. There’s absolutely no information about His Excellency Annor after his release.]

[His Excellency must have gone somewhere to recuperate. After all, he treated so many military Female Zergs in prison. He did 999 years’ worth of work in a single year—and actually even more than that. His Excellency must be extremely weak right now and desperately needs rest.]

[I’ve seen reports about Male Zergs coming out of prison before. They were so weak they couldn’t even walk and needed someone to support them. I’m really worried about His Excellency.]

[Huh? Surely it’s not that bad? His Excellency looked perfectly fine when he attended the Legion Ceremony. He looked incredibly strong.]

[But after His Excellency mastered group soothing, he really did treat far too many military Female Zergs...]

[Don’t worry. His Excellency’s soothing was purely Psychic Soothing, without any physical contact. There wouldn’t have been enough time for physical contact anyway, with that many Zergs. Of course, the mental exhaustion must still have been enormous, and he really does need rest, but it isn’t as serious as you’re imagining. One of my comrades was among the final group to receive soothing. He said His Excellency looked exactly the same as he did during the Legion Ceremony, maybe even better.]

[That’s a relief. Everyone should stop swarming Capital Star too. Don’t disturb His Excellency while he rests. His Excellency would be troubled if he knew. I understand how everyone feels about wanting to see him, but for His Excellency’s sake, we should restrain ourselves when restraint is necessary.]

[Then why are you showing off your spaceship ticket on your profile?]

[Cough, cough. I already managed to get a ticket, so you guys don’t need to go. I’ll go instead.]

Everyone understood perfectly well that if too many Zergs flooded into Capital Star and swarmed before His Excellency, it would definitely cause him trouble. But only a small minority could truly calm themselves down and exercise restraint.

The moment they thought of that Excellency, their minds heated up. If there was even the slightest opportunity to go to his side, none of them could resist. None of them could simply remain where they were and wait. They wanted nothing more than to spread their wings and fly directly to him.

[Thanks for asking. This Zerg is currently aboard a spaceship on an interstellar voyage. Can someone tell me why there’s a whole swarm of high-ranking Female Zergs flying through outer space in their true forms outside? Are we about to enter total war? (terrified) Even if the Tianjia invaded, it wouldn’t be this extreme, right?]

[Can’t buy spaceship tickets, so you just fly there yourselves... I’m so jealous of the mobility you high-ranking Female Zergs have.]

[Stop flying! The Capital Star Cluster has imposed space traffic control! They’re redirecting spaceships and all the Zergs flying in toward different locations. Especially the high-ranking Female Zergs who flew there directly—they’re the first ones getting inspected.]

[Seriously, stop flying already! I’m afraid the space lanes to Capital Star are going to get clogged with Zergs at this rate (covers face).]

The Tianjia and the other interstellar races were all watching the spectacle.

The Tianjia had fought the Zerg race for so many years. What kind of scene hadn’t they witnessed?

But they truly had never seen anything like a traffic jam of Zergs in outer space!

The last time there had been a spectacle on this scale was probably when the Zerg race first formally entered outer space.

Those enormous cosmic migrations, those repeated interstellar campaigns—without spaceships, without all kinds of advanced technological equipment, relying solely on streamlined core hives and the formidable bodies of soldier Zergs, they had flown from one planet to another.

And now, in the modern age of rapidly advancing technology, that magnificent sight had somehow reappeared in an utterly bizarre fashion.

There was no summons from a Zerg Queen, not even an order from any high-ranking military commander. Countless Zergs had simply begun moving of their own accord, flying from every corner of the Zerg star systems toward Capital Star, where that one Zerg was located.

While the Tianjia watched the spectacle, they also felt fear and trembling rising from the depths of their hearts.

That Male Zerg’s influence and power to rally others were simply too great.

They shared a common history with the Zerg race. They understood what this kind of influence represented, and they knew exactly how much power it could wield on a battlefield.

It practically sent them straight back to the era when they had lived under the domination of the Brain Zergs.

No.

It was even worse.

If, in the eyes of the Tianjia, every male was a strategic resource, then a Male Zerg like that one was a core strategic resource on the national level.

A powerful weapon they would want to obtain at any cost.

And at the same time, an existence the Zerg race would protect at any cost.

They had absolutely no doubt that if anyone dared attack that Male Zerg, the Zerg race would launch a war of annihilation against the offending faction or nation without the slightest hesitation.

Meanwhile, An Ruo had a whole bunch of little question marks floating over his head.