Chapter 63: Return Voyage and Visitation: Those Were His Protagonists, Standing Before Him in the Flesh

After handing off the troublesome work of cleaning the battlefield and dealing with the aftermath, Cyril boarded the Marshal's flagship.

He intended to hitch a ride on the Marshal's ship and return ahead of schedule to reunite with his Male Lord.

After entering the starship, he happened to run into the Marshal coming out of the mecha maintenance hangar.

Dressed in a black-and-gold military uniform, every button on the Marshal's body was fastened with meticulous precision. Even such an intense battle had only left his sleeves slightly disordered.

But Cyril did not miss the bloodshot redness in his eyes.

That was often a sign of a sharp decline in a female Zerg's mental state.

“Marshal, after returning this time, please find a psychic soothing specialist.”

Cyril sincerely advised him.

He didn't dare mention finding a male Zerg and getting married.

He was afraid the Marshal might take a liking to his precious son.

Because of that earlier incident, he had recently found himself viewing Iso somewhat more favorably.

Hearing this, Ulysses glanced at him and seemed to think of something.

He responded quietly with a low sound and didn't refuse.

Cyril was shocked.

Had he really changed?

...

The return journey was relatively boring.

There was no need to prepare for battle, nor were there any combat plans.

Everything suddenly became empty.

Aside from essential personnel, the female soldiers all returned to their own cabins to rest.

They were still in deep space, unable to connect to StarNet, unable to contact family, and even unable to read the latest novels.

The female soldiers could only pull out the novels and movies they had downloaded beforehand and enjoy them over and over.

Most of them were rereading An-shen's first novel, Instructor.

As for the second one...

Because they had entered deep space early to prepare, they still didn't know whether An-shen had written a new book.

Their understanding of StarNet news was actually worse than that of the Garuda.

Only after entering signal range did everyone eagerly log into StarNet.

When they discovered that An-shen had already completed a new novel, their eyes immediately lit up.

Like starving Zergs falling into a grain warehouse.

[(Tips a Universe Battleship x1) I'm so touched. Who understands the feeling of starving for over a month and suddenly discovering a completed new novel?]

[I understand, brother. (Mutual understanding) (Tips a Universe Battleship x1)]

[(Mutual understanding) (Tips a Quantum Cannon x5)]

...

Rows upon rows of “Mutual understanding” and rewards left other readers within the Federation utterly confused.

[There's probably some restriction preventing them from saying it. Understandable.]

Most adult female Zergs had served in the military and weren't unfamiliar with this.

[At this scale, whether they say it or not makes little difference. Normal interstellar patrols don't involve this many troops. The Ninth Legion expedition ended long ago. The only recent large-scale deployment was against the Garuda... Did the war over there end? Have they already begun returning?]

[Damn, official news hasn't said anything yet, and I learned the latest information through the comments section of the novel I'm reading.]

[Welcome home, warriors! (Tips a Universe Battleship x1)]

[Welcome back! (Tips two Rocket Cannons)]

...

Meanwhile, inside the General's cabin.

The moment they entered signal range, Cyril's terminal began ringing incessantly.

It seemed this operation had been a major one.

Sitting on his bed and looking at the flood of notifications, Cyril felt both troubled and sweetly happy.

He looked forward even more to reuniting with his family.

He read through the messages one by one.

At the beginning, they were simply his Male Lord asking to sleep with him.

Since he had gone to war and left signal range, it was only natural that he hadn't responded.

The male Zerg had gotten angry and ignored him for two days.

On the third day, he submitted another request.

After receiving no response, the male Zerg seemed to realize something and instead left messages asking when he would return.

Over time, the male Zerg shared bits of his daily life, treating him like a tree hollow.

The cake he'd enjoyed.

The flowers he'd planted blooming.

A Male Attendant changing hairstyles.

The hatchling's grades.

Seeing Hill's paintings in a museum...

And then An-shen's new novel.

The novel starring Hill.

The hatchling who traveled through time...

Cyril's pupils contracted, and he sat upright immediately.

Again and again, he confirmed that he had not misread.

It really said “a hatchling who traveled through time.”

Hill's hatchling.

Mentioned in a novel?

But how...

Cyril continued reading.

His Male Lord clearly loved the book.

Many messages revolved around it, excitedly sharing scenes from Hill and Iso's lives and stories about Isidore traveling back in time.

Many details even matched his memories.

He had clearly erased all records.

Yet now, those same events had appeared in a novel.

Cyril looked at a screenshot his Male Lord had sent.

It was the section in which he appeared.

Throughout the story, he had only been referred to as “General” or “Female Lord.”

Only near the end did the words “Third Legion General Cyril” appear.

And no connection had been explicitly drawn between him and Hill's Papa.

To outsiders, they looked like two different Zergs.

But the creator clearly understood their relationship.

His awarding Iso's rank and his feelings toward the recruitment posters were all hints.

It was almost like a ghost hidden between the cracks of time.

A ghost that knew everything.

Cyril frowned tightly.

What was its purpose?

...

In another cabin.

Ulysses was also reading the newly completed novel.

The male Zerg was so wonderful it bordered on fantasy.

The adorable hatchling.

The female Zerg within that family.

A household so perfect that it surpassed imagination.

The readers weren't wrong.

This really was science fiction.

But the results of his investigation told him otherwise.

Even though the records had been deliberately erased, how could three living Zergs have left absolutely no traces?

Especially traces of a life shared by three Zergs.

From the few clues that remained, Ulysses had found evidence of the hatchling's existence.

An existence from twenty years ago.

From 7032 to 7037—

A period in which the hatchling shouldn't even have been born yet.

And yet traces of his life already existed.

How incredible.

The loving relationship was real.

The hatchling who traveled through time was real.

What everyone regarded as science fiction...

Was actually documentary literature.

Something similar had once happened with Colonel Claire and Second Lieutenant Xi'an.

Now it had happened again.

And this time, it was far more shocking.

The power of time itself...

Even if the story could be explained away by the creator's active psychic power and extraordinary perception...

Time travel could not.

Isidore was only an ordinary A-rank female hatchling.

Major Iso was S-rank and gifted in stealth and spatial abilities.

But he was nowhere near capable of affecting time.

Hill was the same.

He was the only male Zerg among them, but judging from his displayed abilities, his talents leaned toward mental perception and healing.

And he was only A-rank.

No matter how one looked at it, neither could send a hatchling through time.

There had been a third force involved.

Ulysses' gaze fell upon the author's name beside the novel.

—An.

There was another curious coincidence.

Before writing this novel, that author had spent half a month playing games.

Together with the hatchling called Isidore.

Together with the current thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Isidore...

Ulysses narrowed his bloodshot eyes.

He glanced at the time.

It was already the end of the month.

Even with continuous spatial jumps and no concern for energy consumption, returning from the Garuda star system to Capital Star would take at least two days.

He wouldn't make it in time.

...

An Ruo finally pressed the “Accept” button.

Accept visitation.

It felt as though the stone hanging over his heart had finally fallen heavily.

But it was already the last day.

Colonel Claire and Second Lieutenant Xi'an probably wouldn't come anymore.

After all, they were with the Ninth Legion.

There wasn't enough time.

“Lord Annor, Colonel Claire and Second Lieutenant Xi'an have arrived for visitation.”

Uriel's voice sounded from the surveillance camera inside the prison room.

“They have already arrived. Would you like them brought to your room, or would you prefer to meet in the visitation area?”

An Ruo: “??!”

His eyes widened as he stared at the visitation application page he had only just accepted.

He had just pressed “Accept,” and they were already here?

Had they been waiting outside the prison all this time?

Too outrageous!

Uriel gave him some time to mentally prepare before asking again whether he preferred his room or the visitation area.

“The... visitation area.”

An Ruo answered weakly.

He still wasn't mentally prepared to meet people inside his bedroom.

If he had to choose, the visitation area was better.

Very soon, a female soldier came to escort him.

Following her, An Ruo headed toward the visitation area.

The military prison was special.

Besides these male Zerg psychic soothing specialists, the only other inmates were female soldiers who had lost their sanity due to psychic rampages.

Such female soldiers had no need for visits and were not allowed visitors.

The visitation area existed entirely for the male Zergs.

It resembled the meeting hall of an idol celebrity.

The space was huge and decorated with extraordinary care.

Flowers and plants filled every corner, and even the sofas were soft and comfortable.

By the time An Ruo arrived, Xi'an and Claire were already waiting.

Neither wore military uniforms.

Instead, they wore casual clothes.

Yet after so many years in the military, even ordinary clothes carried an elegant military style, as though they could step into a fashion magazine at any moment.

One stood while the other sat in the center of the hall.

The silver-haired female Zerg lowered his head and said something to the red-haired male Zerg.

Surrounded by flowers and greenery, the male Zerg's lips curved upward slightly, his features bright and beautiful.

An Ruo paused.

From afar, he looked at them.

Those were his protagonists.

They were exactly as he'd imagined.

Yet even more detailed.

More real.

They had truly appeared before him.

Xi'an and Claire also sensed someone approaching and looked up together.

Their gazes met in the air.

And in each other's eyes—

They both saw surprise.

And amazement.