Chapter 72: Incubating an Egg and a New Novel: "I’m Incubating a Female Lord for You." The Female Zerg Secretively Pulled an "Egg" Out from Under His Wing

An Ruo went down to Basement Level One and first visited the female Zerg who had escaped yesterday.

He wasn't sure how he was doing.

Or whether the prison guards had beaten him to death already...

He was a little worried.

Ulysses followed behind him.

Or perhaps they just happened to be going the same way?

An Ruo wondered for a second before deciding to let him come along.

Aside from his own room, which had been changed into an automatic metal door, every other prison cell still had transparent doors so the guards could monitor the prisoners' condition at all times.

When An Ruo arrived outside Cell No. 1, he was surprised to discover that the gigantic fantasy-like creature was gone.

In its place stood a half-insectoid Zerg with black hair and crimson eyes.

The black-and-gold markings covering his partially transformed body, along with the familiar psychic fluctuations...

Immediately told An Ruo this was the same giant monster from before.

It was just...

An Ruo wasn't very good at remembering faces.

Still, he somehow felt the other party looked strangely familiar.

An Ruo was looking at the Zerg inside.

The Zerg inside was also looking at him...

Then at Ulysses standing behind him.

His gaze drifted back and forth uncertainly.

Placing his hand against the glass door, An Ruo copied the way the military female Zergs addressed him.

"Number One?"

The female Zerg's expression remained completely unchanged.

Behind him, however, his scaled tail wagged happily.

With so much force that it smashed deep dents into the superalloy floor.

Ulysses: "..."

Before coming here, Uriel had warned him that General Selerus' behavior and mentality still leaned much more toward that of a beast.

He had prepared himself mentally.

When he first visited, seeing his father's half-insectoid body hadn't caused him to reveal any emotion.

This situation had already exceeded his expectations.

Only now...

Watching his father's tail wagging joyfully...

Did he truly understand what Uriel had meant by leaning more toward a beast.

If Ulysses hadn't been present...

Having regained a sliver of rationality...

His father would probably have already rolled onto his back and exposed his belly.

Seeing that he still seemed fairly energetic, An Ruo finally relaxed.

Using his psychic power through the glass, he carefully examined the female Zerg's psychic domain once more.

It still proved extremely troublesome.

His psychic riot had lasted far too long.

His memories had shattered too thoroughly.

Many memories had already been corrupted...

Or simply dissolved away.

A complete recovery was almost impossible.

The only thing An Ruo could do was stabilize his mental condition as much as possible.

Prevent it from deteriorating further.

Withdrawing his psychic power, he said,

"Your condition is fairly stable. Keep it that way. I'll come back periodically for follow-up examinations."

Then he added,

"Don't be fierce. Stay in a good mood. Don't get angry."

"And don't attack the prison guards."

"Don't try escaping again, either."

If someone in this condition escaped...

They would die.

They would only be hunted down and killed.

Even inside the prison he remained restrained by countless chains.

The electricity dancing across them looked terrifying.

Although An Ruo knew they existed merely to restrict movement and wouldn't truly injure a high-ranking female Zerg...

They certainly couldn't feel pleasant.

Perhaps...

There was a gentler way to keep a female Zerg calm.

Thinking of the egg he had seen inside the shattered landscape of the female Zerg's mind, An Ruo opened his holographic screen and wrote a note.

『Number One likes eggs.

It is recommended that he be provided with a realistic artificial egg to incubate.

If his hatchling, or any blood relatives, can be contacted, bringing clothing carrying the scent of his hatchling would likely produce even better results.』

After finishing, An Ruo looked up.

He found Ulysses staring directly at what he had written.

"..."

He didn't really like people peeking over his shoulder while he was writing novels.

But this was medical advice...

So...

It was probably fine?

The length of Selerus' chains allowed him to move freely around the cell.

Seeing both of them looking at the screen, he also leaned over curiously.

His face was practically pressed against the glass.

An Ruo immediately closed the screen.

Then turned and walked away.

Selerus: "?"

Ulysses gave him a slight nod in farewell before following after An Ruo.

Selerus: "..."

What rotten hatchlings.

An Ruo headed toward Cell No. 2.

The enormous fully transformed female Zerg was bound beneath countless layers of chains.

Restraint collars locked his wrists, ankles, neck, and even his tail, pinning him firmly against the wall.

Electric arcs crackled violently across the entire surface.

One steel needle after another had been driven into his spine.

According to the automated monitoring system, concentrated anesthetics and tranquilizers would be injected at any moment if necessary...

Only after seeing Cell No. 2 did An Ruo realize...

Cell No. 1 had actually been receiving preferential treatment.

Looking around, An Ruo couldn't find any mechanism to open the door.

The cell door partially blocked psychic power.

He wanted to enter and perform psychic soothing.

"May I go inside?"

he asked.

Several military female Zerg guards immediately looked as though they were facing a great enemy.

They all turned pleading eyes toward the Marshal.

After considering it briefly, Ulysses nodded.

"I will personally guarantee His Lordship's safety."

The guards visibly relaxed.

Allowing a Male Zerg near female Zergs suffering from psychic riot was still incredibly dangerous.

But if the Marshal was present...

Then there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

Their faith in the Marshal's strength was absolute.

Only after layers upon layers of authorization was the cell finally unlocked.

An Ruo stepped inside.

Truthfully...

He was a little frightened too.

Mostly...

He was afraid of the electricity.

The frightening electrical arcs suddenly disappeared.

The crackling buzz gradually faded away as well.

An Ruo turned back, suddenly realizing something.

He glanced toward Ulysses.

At that exact moment, Ulysses lowered the hand that had just withdrawn from his terminal.

Just then...

The insectoid female Zerg chained to the wall began showing signs of waking.

Ulysses immediately became alert.

At the same time...

An Ruo's psychic power flowed outward.

...

After an entire day...

An Ruo had only managed to soothe ten female Zergs suffering from psychic riot.

Their memories had been damaged too severely.

Like puzzles forever missing countless pieces.

Far more difficult to repair than ordinary female Zergs.

What surprised him even more...

Was that the Marshal, whose official duties should have been overwhelming...

Stayed beside him for the entire day.

An Ruo felt genuinely guilty about taking up so much of his time.

After thinking for a while, he used a very human way of expressing gratitude.

"Let me treat you to dinner!"

"W... what?"

Ulysses looked puzzled.

An Ruo explained,

"My room is bigger now."

"I can separate part of it into a dining room."

There would even be another room for his study.

"I have contribution points."

"I can order female Zerg meals for you."

"The prison chefs are really good. They can cook anything."

What An Ruo truly wanted to say was—

Ulysses looked exhausted.

Really exhausted.

Like someone desperately in need of rest.

He had only recently given him psychic soothing.

So it probably wasn't his psychic domain.

He was simply...

Too tired.

Carrying too many responsibilities.

Keeping too many things buried inside himself.

Perhaps...

That even included An Ruo's own situation.

"You're looking at me with that guilty expression again."

Ulysses sighed softly.

"I'm sorry."

The apology escaped An Ruo almost automatically.

"..."

After a brief silence, Ulysses lowered his head respectfully.

"Thank you very much for your invitation. I am deeply honored."

"However, I still have several urgent matters to attend to today."

"Please allow me to postpone the opportunity to dine with you."

"I will pay you a proper visit another day."

Ulysses also felt today's appearance wasn't suitable.

He had rushed out too hastily.

He was still wearing an older style military uniform.

It simply wasn't appropriate attire for visiting a Male Zerg's residence.

He should prepare carefully.

Dress more formally.

Then visit properly.

Another day.

A proper visit.

An Ruo felt himself about to faint.

No one had any sympathy for the terror a socially anxious person felt upon hearing the words scheduled visit.

Ulysses escorted the Male Zerg back to his floor before hurrying away.

Before leaving, he only reminded him of one thing.

If he ever entered another female Zerg cell...

Uriel had to accompany him.

No other female Zerg would do.

Only Uriel was S-rank.

Only he could absolutely guarantee An Ruo's safety.

Watching Ulysses walk away, An Ruo silently pointed fingers at him inside his heart.

Got it.

Ulysses wasn't equal to Uriel.

He was equal to all the other female Zergs.

Meaning...

He wasn't allowed to accompany him into the female Zerg cells.

Next time Ulysses came along...

An Ruo would simply use his own words against him.

Although...

With everything the Marshal had to deal with...

When would he ever have time to accompany him again?

It was only something to think about.

Returning to his room, An Ruo organized all the notes he had written about today's patients and sent them to Uriel.

...

Meanwhile...

Uriel had already received something the Marshal had sent through spatial transmission.

"You mean..."

Uriel pointed at the realistic artificial egg lying on the table.

His expression was indescribably complicated.

"You want me to..."

"Give this to General Selerus..."

"So he can incubate it?"

"Mhm."

Ulysses nodded.

Then explained,

"My father was already in very poor mental condition before giving birth."

"He had only just laid his egg."

"He never had the chance to incubate it before we were separated."

"That separation further accelerated the collapse of his mental state."

"After that..."

"His Lord signed the authorization to send him to prison."

"That completely broke him."

"His memories are still trapped decades in the past."

"Just after laying his egg."

"If he has an 'egg' beside him..."

"Perhaps his emotions will remain more stable."

Understanding dawned on Uriel's face.

For a moment, he didn't know how to comfort him.

He knew a little about the Marshal's background.

He also knew General Selerus was his father.

But he had never known the full story.

Every female Zerg imprisoned here carried a painful, complicated past.

A female Zerg who lived peacefully would never end up in psychic riot...

Nor inside a prison.

Looking at the artificial egg on the table, Uriel suddenly thought of something.

"Why not use a real egg?"

"Didn't we bring back a large number of unhatched eggs from the Tianga battlefield this time?"

Ulysses answered,

"His condition still isn't stable."

"I can't guarantee he'll remain conscious."

"He could accidentally hurt the egg."

"So we'll use an artificial one first."

Back then...

That had been the very excuse used to take him away from his father before he even hatched.

Now...

For exactly the same reason...

He himself couldn't give his father a real egg.

Thinking about it...

He really wasn't much different from those people.

Ulysses lowered his eyes, hiding the darkness beneath them.

A female Zerg suffering from psychic riot had no ability to care for a hatchling.

The egg's safety couldn't be guaranteed.

He couldn't satisfy his own personal desires...

By risking the life of another unborn child.

Uriel nodded in understanding.

"That's true."

"No need to rush."

"Once your hatchling with Lord Annor is born—"

Uriel abruptly stopped.

The Marshal was staring at him with a terrifying expression.

Confused, he asked,

"Did I say something wrong?"

Yes...

They were divorced.

But the Marshal's recent behavior...

Honestly...

Looked very much like he couldn't let go.

They were already sleeping under the same roof.

A hatchling seemed only a matter of time.

Uriel had always despised this sort of can't let go behavior.

He believed female Zergs simply weren't thinking clearly.

They had already been hurt once.

Yet they still insisted on running back.

It was enough to make one furious.

If it had been anyone else...

He would have done everything possible to persuade the Marshal to come to his senses.

But...

The other party was Lord Annor.

Uriel's feelings became extremely complicated.

Rationally...

He knew this wasn't right.

Emotionally...

Perhaps...

It wasn't entirely impossible.

Realizing his reaction had been excessive, Ulysses withdrew his gaze.

He ignored the topic completely.

Instead, he simply instructed Uriel to deliver the items as quickly as possible.

After giving his orders...

He terminated the communication himself.

The holographic screen went dark.

Uriel had long since grown accustomed to it.

He began organizing everything the Marshal had sent.

Besides the artificial egg...

There was also an entire set of household supplies.

Along with several changes of clothes.

Ordinarily...

A female Zerg's prison cell wasn't permitted to contain such things.

But rules were dead.

People were alive.

The prison was under Uriel's authority now.

Executing the Marshal's orders posed no problem whatsoever.

After completing the required inspection procedures...

Uriel delivered everything to Selerus.

The moment General Selerus saw the egg—

"..."

His eyes moved back and forth several times between the egg and Uriel.

Apparently convinced the latter had gone insane.

"...What does this mean?"

"It's for you to incubate."

Uriel answered.

"Don't know how?"

"I can find you a tutorial."

The expression on the General's face became absolutely magnificent.

Uriel still remembered how Selerus had nearly injured the Male Zerg during his escape.

Today, his service attitude was exceptionally attentive.

"Incubating an egg normally takes around six months."

"During that period, the egg should be provided with—"

"Enough."

"I remember."

"I know how to incubate an egg."

Every female Zerg carrying an egg carefully studied everything related to incubation and raising hatchlings.

...

But why...

Was he supposed to incubate this egg?

Selerus felt thoroughly bewildered.

By then, however, Uriel had already left, satisfied after hearing I know how to incubate one.

Selerus: "..."

I know how to incubate eggs.

That doesn't mean I know why I'm incubating this one!

For a long while...

Selerus stared at the egg lying on the table, loosely wrapped in clothing.

Finally...

He stood.

Picked it up.

The familiar scent immediately reassured him.

Gradually returning to his original form...

He tucked the egg carefully beneath his wings.

...

The following day.

After completing his daily work, An Ruo went downstairs to continue treating the imprisoned female Zergs and perform his routine follow-up examinations.

When he reached Cell No. 1...

He discovered that yesterday's somewhat humanoid Number One had become a gigantic monster again, lying on the floor.

Thinking his condition had deteriorated, An Ruo became deeply worried.

Just as he was about to release his psychic power...

Number One opened his crimson eyes.

The moment he realized it was An Ruo...

Every trace of vigilance vanished.

His gaze became remarkably clear.

Remaining in his original form, Number One crawled over to the glass door.

Then, in an extremely secretive manner...

He pulled an "egg" out from beneath his wing.

Looking at An Ruo, he said,

"I'm incubating a Female Lord for you."

An Ruo: "..."

It's over.

His condition had really worsened.

This female Zerg had gone completely insane.

An Ruo immediately performed another round of psychic soothing.

The female Zerg became so comfortable that he rolled onto his back while hugging the "egg" tightly.

Only then did An Ruo leave with lingering concern, heading toward the next cell.

Uriel followed behind.

As he passed Cell No. 1...

He looked inside.

There lay a certain General.

Flat on his back.

Belly exposed.

Uriel's expression became rather complicated.

Perhaps...

It was better not to tell His Lordship that this was actually the Marshal's father.

It might seriously damage the Marshal's image in His Lordship's eyes.

The Marshal could decide for himself whether to reveal that someday.

Uriel saw nothing.

Without looking left or right...

He walked straight past Cell No. 1.

...

After spending many consecutive days performing psychic soothing...

An Ruo finally found some free time.

He sat down at his desk and organized his thoughts.

Treating the female Zerg prisoners consumed an incredible amount of time and energy.

Recently, he had been so busy that he hadn't even logged into StarNet.

Originally...

He had planned to play a few more days of games with little Isidore and recover all the ranking points he had lost before.

Instead...

He hadn't found a single spare moment.

That would have to wait.

Now...

He had something even more important to do.

He had accumulated countless new ideas.

It was finally time...

To begin a new novel.

An Ruo opened a blank document.

This time...

He considered the timeline with exceptional care.

He had already written about the present.

He had already written about the past.

Both stories had eventually echoed reality.

This time...

He decided to go even farther.

He would write...

The future.

A future viewed from an entirely new perspective.

...

[Help! I was an early-born Tianga Male Zerg egg found on the battlefield. A military officer adopted me, incubated me, and raised me. I really, really like him and want to spend my whole life with him. What should I do to make him agree to become my Female Lord?]