Chapter 64: 'Quiet, I’m Thinking.': The Marshal in Full Uniform Was Sitting by His Bed…

“You’re... Annor... An?”

Before coming here, Xi'an and Claire had seen pictures of “Annor,” but the difference was simply too great. Had they really not switched bugs?

The male Zerg wore white, with fully armed military female Zergs following behind him. As he walked out, he looked less like an escorted prisoner and more like a national-treasure-level senior researcher with his personal guards.

From the moment they entered the visitation area, the high-ranking military female Zerg kept his eyes fixed on them. His gaze was sharp, his vigilance toward them and his protectiveness toward the male Zerg obvious.

It was the first time Xi'an and Claire had experienced being guarded against as dangerous elements.

An—most expensive instrument in the prison—legendary novelist—Ruo extended a hand toward them.

“Just call me An.”

Xi'an reached out and shook his hand with a smile.

“I’m Xi'an, and this is Claire. I suppose you should be quite familiar with us.”

Two long, beautiful hands clasped together.

An Ruo’s hand was paler and softer, with a slightly cool temperature.

Xi'an’s fingertips, meanwhile, bore a thin layer of calluses from firearms, making his grip feel stronger.

After withdrawing his hand and feeling the lingering touch at his fingertips, An Ruo marveled inwardly.

He was exactly as he had imagined.

Every detail.

He was so perfect.

And so was Claire.

The tall silver-haired female Zerg stood protectively beside the male Zerg, his ice-blue eyes steady and calm. When he looked at An Ruo, there was some puzzled curiosity in his gaze. After meeting his eyes, he gave him a slight nod.

They were completely like people who had stepped out of a book.

No.

They were far more vivid and real than the words in a book.

Words were only a frozen instant or a temporary record.

They, meanwhile, were living, three-dimensional, complicated lives.

Books that could never be finished.

“I’m sorry. I mean no offense, but you’re... quite different from what we imagined.”

Xi'an carefully chose his words.

An Ruo thought to himself that they were exactly the same as he had imagined.

Unable to suppress the smile on his lips, he asked:

“What did you think I would be like?”

Xi'an thought seriously for a moment.

A novelist capable of writing such stories with delicate prose and sincere emotions seemed like he should be this way.

What he couldn’t reconcile was the other identity.

The criminal case was completely at odds with him. It was as if they belonged to two entirely different bugs.

But Xi'an had not come because of that other identity. He simply followed that sense of disconnect and regarded them as two separate bugs.

“I thought you’d be more distant.”

Xi'an smiled.

“You’re very mysterious. The outside world only knows your pen name. You reveal no other information and never reply to messages. You look very aloof.”

Speaking of that, An Ruo himself wondered how Xi'an had found him.

Perhaps it had something to do with My Governor Female Father of Capital Star?

An Ruo still had no idea that Xi'an also had an essay called My Speaker Brother.

The world was vast and complicated, connected by countless threads woven tightly together.

Even the creator himself could only glimpse a corner of it through the words he wrote.

“Because you’re my protagonists,” An Ruo said.

No creator could remain “aloof” in front of his own protagonists.

After saying that, An Ruo remembered that they were living bugs (×), not fictional characters. His novels might bring them trouble, and guilt rose in him.

“I’m sorry for writing your story without permission.”

“No, that’s nothing. You simply wrote down your inspiration. Male Zerg with active Psychic Power are particularly good at capturing inspiration from the vast universe and dimensions of time and space. You’ve done nothing wrong. Please don’t apologize.”

Xi'an spoke solemnly, then exchanged a glance with Claire beside him and smiled.

“And I really love this book. I’m grateful you wrote our story. It helped us understand each other more deeply. This book will become a treasure for our entire lives. If possible, I’d also like an autograph.”

An Ruo froze.

The first person (×) bug to ask him for an autograph was his protagonist???

“Of course. Actually... I also want a photo of the two of you together.”

An Ruo spoke softly, embarrassed.

Xi'an’s eyes lit up.

Thus, both sides happily exchanged autographs and photographs.

The atmosphere became harmonious.

The three bugs sat on the sofa chatting.

Mostly Xi'an asked questions, An Ruo answered, and Claire served mainly as decoration.

“How did you come up with our story? How did your Psychic Power capture it?” Xi'an was too curious.

An Ruo didn’t understand himself.

Xi'an talked about Psychic Power, perception, capturing things...

But to him, it was simply inspiration for writing novels, no different from any of his previous books.

After some thought, he could only explain from a writer’s perspective.

“At first, while I was performing Psychic Soothing, I met a military female Zerg from the Ninth Legion Expeditionary Forces. In his psychic landscape, I saw the expedition fleet’s warships. That inspired me to write about a military female Zerg returning from an expedition and a genetically matched male Zerg.”

What An Ruo didn’t mention was another source of inspiration.

——Bullied into a dog by the instructor during the day, turning the instructor into my dog at night.

He quietly glanced at the two beside him, who had become attentive the moment he mentioned the Ninth Legion, and silently swallowed those words, deciding they would remain a secret forever.

“Thank you very much for your Psychic Soothing. On behalf of my soldiers and comrades, I convey our gratitude. The entire Ninth Legion sings your praises.”

Claire spoke for the first time, his expression solemn.

The Ninth Legion had just returned from its expedition. Their mental conditions were the worst, and the proportion of Extremely Dangerous cases was the highest.

It could be said that An had saved them.

Among all legions, “Annor” had the best reputation in the Ninth Legion.

“This is simply what I ought to do.”

An Ruo was already accustomed to hearing such thanks.

Almost every military female Zerg who came into contact with him said something like that.

Uriel had.

Ulysses had.

Claire had.

Even the military female Zergs guarding him...

If they had a chance to speak, they would all wear expressions of gratitude and fervor.

At first, An Ruo had been flustered.

Now, he could answer calmly.

And those words were not perfunctory.

They were truly what he wanted to say—and the only thing he could say.

It could only be those words.

Deep down, he truly believed it was what he ought to do.

Whether as a Psychic Soother or as the author of this book and this world.

Out of responsibility.

And out of guilt.

Claire did not miss the emotions hidden deep within those emerald eyes so similar to Xi'an’s.

Unlike Xi'an’s brilliance and openness, this Lord was especially reserved.

But they were equally kind and soft-hearted.

Suddenly, he said:

“You’re a good bug.”

An Ruo, who had suddenly received a Good Bug Card: “?”

Should he say thank you?

Before he finished thinking, habit had already made him answer:

“Thank you.”

Xi'an burst out laughing.

A sincere smile.

“Claire is right. Your Lordship is a very good bug.”

An Ruo, who had received two Good Bug Cards in a row:

“...Thank you?”

The male Zerg’s bewildered expression was particularly adorable.

Like some harmless fluffy little animal that was slightly slow-witted.

It was hard to believe such a bug could have anything to do with domestic abuse.

If they didn’t trust the Marshal equally, they might have thought the Marshal was abusing the male Zerg before them.

It really was better to treat them as two completely different bugs.

Compared to rumors, Xi'an trusted his own eyes and feelings more.

“Your talent is very special,” Xi'an said seriously.

“Even among high-ranking male Zergs, very few can reconstruct stories in such detail from fleeting inspiration. You’re the only one I’ve met.”

“Reconstruct... I’ve never thought about it that way.”

An Ruo’s fingers curled slightly on his knees.

“I’m just writing stories and characters. The characters in my mind drive me to write.”

Only in front of his protagonists could he discuss his creations without reservation.

He knew they were good bugs.

No matter what kind of story he wrote, he didn’t have to worry about retaliation.

If it were villains instead, he’d already be thinking about running for his life.

Or considering which way of dying would be more dignified and less painful.

Xi'an had never encountered such a situation either, so he summarized it in the Zerg way.

“This is simply your talent. Zergs, especially male Zergs with powerful Psychic Power, all possess different gifts. Each has its own focus. There’s no need to dwell on it.”

Xi'an’s own talent was rather unusual.

It had gone completely into physical enhancement, which was not very male Zerg-like, so it was difficult to use as an example.

“For example, my brother’s Male Lord. His talent is...”

Xi'an raised a finger to his lips, making a gesture for silence.

Then a new “voice” sounded in An Ruo’s mind.

『Prophecy.』

『Amazing, isn’t it?』

An Ruo’s pupils contracted.

He had only ever heard of—or rather, written about—one male Zerg with such an ability.

Little Albino Aira.

Cassian’s Male Lord.

An Ruo’s gaze unconsciously fell on Xi'an’s brilliant red hair.

Come to think of it, Cassian and Xi'an both had dazzling red hair and emerald eyes.

The hair colors of male and female siblings often differed, making color a poor indicator of blood relation.

But sometimes, powerful genes stubbornly persisted.

They looked exactly like brothers.

His supporting character from the original story and the protagonist of his new novel were brothers?

The two books had crossed over?

Wait.

How come I, the author, didn’t know about this?

An Ruo looked utterly bewildered.

“His name is Aira. He likes you very much. Really, very much.”

Xi'an switched seamlessly back to vocal conversation and looked at him expectantly.

“Could you give him an autograph too? He’d be so happy.”

An Ruo wanted to say that he already had.

He had personally written a special autograph for Little Albino.

But that would sound strange. They had never met, and he couldn’t explain it.

So he nodded and accepted the photograph Xi'an excitedly handed over.

In the picture, Little Albino wore a sun hat and held flowers, smiling brightly inside a glass greenhouse.

An Ruo wrote beneath the picture.

【TO: Aira

May you stay healthy and live a thousand years.

——An】

Xi'an was startled and puzzled by the blessing.

Had An written it casually?

Health.

Longevity.

It suited Aira far too perfectly.

Looking at such a thoughtful autograph and then remembering that his own was just a normal signature with his name, Xi'an suddenly felt jealous.

So he sincerely said:

“I want one too.”

An Ruo had no choice but to write for him as well, along with Claire.

【TO: Xi'an

May all your wishes come true and everything go as you desire.】

【TO: Claire

May you enjoy happiness and peace, together for a long, long time.】

Xi'an was surprised when he saw Claire’s blessing.

“Usually, blessings for married female Zerg are all related to eggs.”

But he liked this blessing.

Xi'an happily picked up the card.

Because of those words, An Ruo recalled the terror of dream-Xi'an urging him to write “two eggs in three years.”

Fortunately, the real Xi'an was much more reasonable than dream-Xi'an and didn’t insist on the three-years-two-eggs plan.

...

Although it was their first meeting, both sides got along wonderfully.

Without realizing it, they had chatted for half the afternoon.

For someone as socially anxious as An Ruo, that was completely beyond imagination.

Xi'an also felt it had been a wonderful conversation. They had talked at length about his relationship with Claire.

Only when it was time to part did he suddenly remember to remind him:

“Your talent is too special. You might accidentally touch upon secrets or military intelligence. You must be careful.”

An lived in prison, and the First Legion’s military female Zergs protected him like a treasure. Xi'an wasn’t worried about anyone harming him.

He was only afraid that An might accidentally reveal classified information.

Even as a male Zerg, he could never receive the death penalty. At most, he would be imprisoned.

Uh...

Compared with his current life, that didn’t seem any different.

Who could surpass a 999-year sentence?

Thinking that, Xi'an relaxed.

In any case, An would be fine. Even if secrets leaked, it would only give the Federation government and military a headache.

He trusted their ability to handle things.

An Ruo nodded.

Uriel had warned him about this before.

He himself was extremely careful in this regard.

Besides, everything he published was reviewed by the military, so nothing should go wrong.

Yet inwardly, An Ruo was still somewhat uneasy.

Mainly because he feared the things he wrote might come true and hurt others.

The more he talked with Xi'an, the more similarities he found between him and the story in his book.

Even their romantic experiences were nearly identical, differing only in details.

He couldn’t determine whether this was coincidence, Psychic Power perception as Xi'an suggested, or something else entirely.

And it bothered him.

Even on the way back to his cell, An Ruo was still thinking about it.

His terminal lit up.

Uriel had sent him a message.

As An Ruo opened the message while pushing open the door—

He froze.

The Marshal, dressed in full military uniform, sat beside his bed.

His domineering black hair cascaded down his back.

He was lowering his eyes and reviewing documents on a light screen. Under the prison’s cold lighting, his profile appeared particularly icy and solemn.

Hearing the sound, those silver-gray eyes looked over and locked onto him.

I must have gone to the wrong room.

Expressionless, An Ruo closed the door again.

The military female Zerg following behind him looked nervously between the male Zerg and the Marshal inside the transparent cell, whose expression had darkened.

His heart trembled.

“Your Lordship...”

the military female Zerg reminded softly.

“Quiet, I’m thinking.”