Admiral

The large bathtub inside was filled with hot water, and soon, steam began to rise. Chu Sui, holding Arno, slid into the water. Feeling the Female Zerg in his arms seemed a bit tense, he finally released his hands and pressed him against the edge of the tub.

Arno still had some scars on his back, likely from clearing out Alien Beasts, which hadn't completely faded. Chu Sui lowered his eyes and rubbed them for a moment. The texture under his fingers was uneven. Arno recalled that Male Zergs seemed to dislike hideous scars and unconsciously tried to shrink back.

Seeing this, Chu Sui applied a bit of force and pulled him over, splashing water everywhere. He raised an eyebrow and said, "What are you hiding from?"

Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for too long, Chu Sui always wanted to tease him.

Caught off guard, Arno bumped into Chu Sui's chest. Unsure if it was due to the rising steam, he felt his breathing become a bit heavy and quick. "I was afraid of scaring you..."

'The last time Arno was whipped, it was much scarier than this,' Chu Sui thought. He pressed Arno against the wall of the tub again, making him face away, and his gaze slowly swept over the large and small scars on his body. His voice sounded somewhat hazy in the steam, "Let me see."

Arno couldn't see his expression clearly, only feeling that the gaze on his back was almost tangible, spreading from his spine down to his tailbone. It was so itchy that he couldn't help but tremble slightly. It was only when the Male Zerg's warm body suddenly pressed against him that it turned into a suppressed grunt.

Arno's hands, gripping the edge of the tub, turned slightly white from the force. His whole body was tense, its lines smooth and beautiful. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't utter a single word. He could only rest his head weakly on the back of his hand to avoid slipping into the water in his dazed state.

'We really haven't done it in a long time,' Chu Sui thought. He pinched Arno's chin, forcing him to look at him, and kissed him hard twice before saying suggestively, "Relax."

Arno's eyes lost focus. It took him two or three seconds to understand his meaning, and then even the tips of his ears turned red. "I'm very sorry..."

Not until the water in the tub had lost its warmth did Chu Sui carry Arno out. The Female Zerg, who was originally full of stamina, for some reason now found his limbs weak, with only enough strength left to pant.

As the afterglow faded, Arno finally came back to his senses. He then got up and dressed as he used to, tidied up the bed, his back looking as handsome and elegant as ever in the white shirt.

After he finished all this, he discovered that Chu Sui was sitting in a chair behind him, looking in his direction. He didn't know how long Chu Sui had been watching. His dark eyes no longer had that light, ungrounded feeling from before; instead, there was an inexplicable tranquility, as if the dust had settled.

Arno walked to his side and asked in a low voice, "Male Master?"

Hearing him, Chu Sui seemed to finally pull his thoughts back from some distant memory. He grunted in acknowledgment, then lazily got up from the chair. "I'm hungry. Go make something to eat."

This sentence carried no commanding tone; he simply wanted to eat food made by Arno.

Arno smiled. "What would you like to eat?"

Chu Sui walked downstairs. "Anything is fine."

The sky was darkening, making the lights in the first-floor living room appear even brighter. Perhaps because Arno had returned, the Housekeeping Robot seemed very happy, scurrying back and forth. Finally, with a whoosh, it circled around Chu Sui's feet, nearly tripping him flat on his face.

Housekeeping Robot: "Trash, trash, I love trash."

Chu Sui kicked it away, thinking, 'Tomorrow, I'll send you, you little piece of trash, to the repair shop.' "Go sweep your trash."

When Arno returned in the afternoon, Chu Sui was still revising the Zerg Race laws. The book was still on the coffee table, not yet put away. Arno caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and seemed to find the book familiar. Just as he was about to step forward for a look, Chu Sui turned sideways and blocked his view.

Chu Sui seemed very hungry, speaking in a lazy, listless manner as he urged him, "I haven't eaten anything all day."

Hearing this, Arno indeed had no time to spare for the book. He retracted his step and turned towards the kitchen. "I'll go prepare dinner for you."

Seeing him walk into the kitchen, Chu Sui imperceptibly breathed a sigh of relief. While keeping an eye on Arno, he gathered the book and miscellaneous drafts from the table. He was about to take them upstairs when he saw Arno had cut up a fruit platter. "You can have this to tide you over first."

Hearing this, Chu Sui could only casually stuff the book into the hidden compartment under the coffee table before walking into the kitchen. He took the half-cut orange from Arno's hand, finished it in a few bites, and stood behind Arno, saying, "No need, I'll just wait for the meal."

After speaking, he didn't leave, maintaining that position. From behind, it looked as if he was hugging him.

Arno felt Chu Sui's breath on his neck, and his cooking movements paused for a moment. The tips of his ears, like those of some small animal with sensitive hearing, twitched slightly unconsciously.

Chu Sui had originally just wanted to watch him cook, but for some reason, his attention was drawn to his ears. Remembering the childhood photos of Arno stored on his Light Computer, he smiled almost imperceptibly. He felt that watching a soft little milk bun grow into his current appearance was quite a magical process.

"You go on and cook. I'm going upstairs to lie down for a bit."

After saying this, Chu Sui turned and left the kitchen. As he passed through the living room, he snatched the book from the hidden compartment of the coffee table and quickly went upstairs back to the bedroom. The study and bedroom were connected. He took out his manuscript papers, not caring about the messy notes scribbled on them, and placed the thick law book back on the shelf exactly where it had been.

Chu Sui took a few steps back and surveyed the bookshelf, thinking, 'Arno probably won't find out. After all, I've never seen him read any books.' After doing all this, he lay on the bed for a while. Estimating that it was about time, he finally went downstairs to eat.

Arno placed the meal on the table; everything was to Chu Sui's liking. A stain had smudged his clean white cuff, probably from when he was cooking, and it looked a bit conspicuous. "Please start eating first. I'm going upstairs to change my clothes."

Chu Sui was sitting at the table, just about to start eating. Hearing this, he put his chopsticks back down. "Mm, go ahead."

Arno noticed his small gesture, and his gaze softened imperceptibly for an instant. He paused, then leaned over and placed a light, fleeting kiss on the side of Chu Sui's face before going upstairs.

Meanwhile, Chu Sui was stunned for a moment by the sudden warmth on the side of his face. When he came to his senses, he picked up the water glass beside him and took a somewhat unnatural sip, thinking, 'How is Arno... how is he becoming less and less reserved?'

Arno returned to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. While unbuttoning his shirt, he scanned the neatly arranged books from top to bottom. His gaze finally settled on a law book with a bright red, gilt-stamped cover, and he reached out and pulled it from the shelf.

No matter the country, this book carried a heavy weight, because law, which dictates life and death, is itself a heavy matter.

Arno came from a family of law officials. Perhaps he should have entered the world of politics and law like his younger brother Dike, but he chose a completely different path. There was no other reason; he simply felt that such a deformed law was not worth abiding by, and he was powerless to pass judgment on anything.

The book had likely been read frequently recently. Its cover was clean and dust-free, and the pages had some slight creases. His fingertip slid silently along the side of the thick book, finally stopping at the section where the gap was widest. He then opened it and flipped through the pages one by one, only to see that the entirely black text was suddenly filled with large, dense annotations in red pen.

"Must kneel to welcome the Male Master upon entry"—a horizontal line was drawn under this sentence, followed by a large cross in red pen.

Looking further down, under the sentence "All property of a Female Attendant belongs to their Male Master," there was also a horizontal line, and next to it, someone had written the figure of thirty percent.

Arno was lost in thought. For some reason, he flipped the book to the last page. In the bottom right corner was the pattern of a pure black winged medal, but for some unknown reason, it was smudged with a barely perceptible trace of red ink.

He stared at the almost invisible red ink mark for a second, then closed the book and put it back in its original place without any further unnecessary movements. He changed his clothes and went downstairs.

Chu Sui hadn't touched his chopsticks; he had been waiting for him. Seeing Arno come down, he didn't let his mind wander elsewhere and said, "Let's eat."

He was so hungry his stomach felt like it was stuck to his back.

Arno's expression was normal, appearing gentle and refined. Hearing him, he smiled and placed a piece of pastry onto his plate, then adjusted the cufflink on his sleeve and sat down opposite him. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

It had been a while since they had eaten a meal face-to-face. Even without any conversation, the atmosphere was vastly different from when Chu Sui was home alone. It suddenly felt lively, and even the cold room seemed to have gained warmth.

Chu Sui didn't even have to serve himself. Every time he was about to finish, Arno would discreetly place a full plate of food by his hand and then take away his empty one. As a courtesy in return, Chu Sui also picked up a few chopsticks' worth of food for him.

For Chu Sui, who had been waited on hand and foot since childhood—clothes appearing when he stretched out his hand, food arriving when he opened his mouth—this was absolutely unprecedented.

Arno ate every last bit of the food Chu Sui had given him. A moment later, he put down his chopsticks and, for some reason, looked at Chu Sui and smiled.

Chu Sui glanced at him. "What are you smiling at?"

Arno was sometimes very reserved, yet at other times very direct. "I was thinking, you are very good..."

Even though Chu Sui was naturally thick-skinned, he was still a little embarrassed by the praise. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Arno continue, "If only other Male Zergs could be like you."

Chu Sui felt there was a deeper meaning to this sentence but couldn't quite grasp it. He didn't pay it much mind, thinking, 'How could those crispy chickens be like me?' "Every zerg is different. There's only one of me, and only one of you. It's impossible to be completely the same. It has nothing to do with gender."

'What the hell,' Chu Sui thought. 'To think I'd have a day where I'm lecturing someone with profound principles.'

Arno's expression didn't change. "As you said, it indeed has nothing to do with gender. It's truly a pity that those Male Zergs can't be as outstanding as you, so..."

He seemed to have thought of something, and the rest of his words faded into nothingness. He avoided the topic, ladled a bowl of hot soup for Chu Sui, and placed it gently on the table. His blue eyes looked at him, shining with a pure light. "Male Master, the Military Department's award ceremony is in a few days."

Ah, this scene of fishing for compliments was so familiar.

Chu Sui calmly sipped his soup, not exposing him, and played along, asking, "Are you in it? What's the next rank up, again?"

Hearing this, the smile in Arno's eyes deepened. "It's Admiral."

In a daze, Chu Sui had an illusion of seeing a blue-eyed cat lying by the table, looking at him eagerly, its fluffy ears twitching, begging for praise.

Chu Sui paused, feeling an inexplicable urge to laugh. "Is that so? That's pretty amazing."

The "cat's" ears twitched even more happily, though his tone didn't quite betray it. "It's all thanks to you. I will continue to work hard for you."

'If he works any harder, won't he become a Marshal of The Empire?' Chu Sui thought. Among the four major military regions of the Zerg Race, there were currently only two marshals, but they had retired long ago and held the title in name only. Among the younger generation, Arno could definitely come out on top. It wasn't an impossibility.

Chu Sui said, "Then just keep working hard."

In the following days, the Third and Fourth Armies returned from clearing out the Alien Beasts. StarNet was full of reports about it, which managed to suppress the recent bloody storm over the law revisions. Arno and Alvin were promoted to Admiral at the same time, taking over command of their respective military regions and officially becoming members of the Imperial Federation Council.

Chu Sui had ordered a new law book online and was frantically modifying the latter parts. If his memory served him right, members of the Freedom Alliance, led by Alvin, would soon propose the abolition of the Male Zerg Protection Law at the Imperial council. And for some unknown reason, they would even manage to make the other elders ignore the fact that Male Zerg Pheromones could pacify the bloodline riots of Military Females, passing the motion unanimously.

How could the Male Zerg population agree? They were used to being arrogant and hadn't realized that the times had changed. They were staunchly opposed to the abolition of the protection law and made a fuss, running amok. As if in provocation, they intensified their abuse of Female Attendants. In the end, they were all taken away and imprisoned by the military. Only a handful of Male Zergs were spared, released after an investigation.

Retreading the old path, Chu Sui didn't know if his own ending would change. He was relatively calm inside. Perhaps having lived a second life, he had developed different thoughts and ideas, and his fixed mindset had also changed.

He felt that things didn't have to get to this point. If Male Zergs treated Female Zergs a little better, making the latter willingly offer their loyalty and lives, the two weren't mutually exclusive. However, the current situation was an inevitable trend, and also something they had brought upon themselves.

Chu Sui remembered some of the Female Zergs he had met while working at the Military Department. Most of them were very much like Arno.

Simple, direct, and cautious. If you were just a little bit nice to them, they would want to tear out their hearts to show you.

After getting to know Jia Wen, he also learned through his circle that not all Male Zergs were as terrible as Capet and Chelsea. There were a few who wouldn't randomly abuse Female Zergs, but they were in the minority.

Chu Sui looked at the remaining half of the law book, twirled the pen in his hand, and felt that he had a long and arduous road ahead. Just as he was about to take a break, the Light Computer on his wrist suddenly rang. It was another communication request from Jia Wen.

Chu Sui was long past his anxiety phase. In contrast, Jia Wen was now like an ant on a hot pan, jumping around every day as if his eyebrows were on fire. After accepting the call, his voice was filled with a despair as if the sky was falling. "It's over, it's over! Chu Sui, quick, look at the StarNet news!"

Chu Sui couldn't be bothered to look. "Just tell me directly. What happened now?"

His calmness seemed to infect Jia Wen. The latter's emotions finally settled down a bit. He organized his chaotic train of thought and then said, "I heard the Imperial Federation Council is voting on abolishing the Male Zerg Protection Law. StarNet reporters are broadcasting it live. They passed it unanimously, and your Male Monarch also voted in favor!"

The emphasis was on the last sentence.

But Chu Sui had already guessed it. He just muttered, "So soon."

Jia Wen suspected he hadn't heard clearly and repeated seriously, "Your Male Monarch, Arno, also voted in favor."

Chu Sui sped up his reading. "I know. Any other news?"

Arno seemed very busy lately, leaving early and returning late. Chu Sui was also dizzy with work and had no time to watch the news.

Jia Wen was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Chu Sui to accept this so calmly. In comparison, it made him seem like he was overreacting. He lowered his voice and said, "It seems The Empire has already developed a drug that can suppress the bloodline riots of Military Females. I don't know if it's true. I heard it's still in the experimental stage, but I think it's about ninety percent certain. Otherwise, how could those elders have passed it unanimously so easily?"

'So they really did develop a suppressant drug,' Chu Sui thought. 'No wonder the Female Zergs in my last life rebelled without any pressure, directly imprisoning the Male Zergs to be whipped and punished.' He paused. "Continue."

Jia Wen seemed to recall something infuriating and slammed the table on his end. "That group of brainless idiots! When they saw the Female Zergs demanding their punishment, they actually uploaded videos of them whipping Female Attendants to StarNet to publicly provoke them, sparking public outrage. Now, the Male Zerg Protection Association has been officially ordered by The Empire to disband!"

In other words, the only organization that could speak up for Male Zergs had officially collapsed. They were now like cherries that had fallen off a pine cone cookie—in a precarious situation.

Chu Sui hadn't expected there to be such stupid Male Zergs. 'Even a King-rank player can't carry a Bronze-rank player like this,' he thought. He put down his pen and quickly logged into his StarNet account. He didn't even need to search for it; it was one of the most popular videos.

When those Male Zergs recorded the video, they probably didn't know that The Empire had already developed the suppressant drug. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to do it even if they were twice as bold. Chu Sui quickly glanced at the video, only to see several Female Zergs chained and whipped, covered in wounds and blood. He frowned and exited.

Fuck, are these Male Zergs who recorded the video retarded? Daring to jump out and cause trouble at a time like this, their brains must have been kicked by a donkey.

Jia Wen said, "I've already reported it, but the StarNet backend hasn't dealt with it."

'Of course StarNet officials won't deal with it,' Chu Sui thought. 'The Empire is clearly set on overthrowing the system now. That video can easily ignite the anger of the Female Zergs, which will make the reformation process much more effective. Naturally, the more zergs who see it, the better.'

Chu Sui said lazily, "Don't overthink it. Just wash up and go to sleep."

Honestly, this wasn't something that could be reversed by individual strength.

Jia Wen's anger hadn't subsided. "I'm not an idiot, how could I possibly sleep? You probably don't know yet, but the few Male Zergs who posted the video have been arrested and haven't been released."

He thought that telling him this would surprise Chu Sui, but he remained very calm. "I see."

'Don't be anxious,' Chu Sui thought. 'In time, all Male Zergs will be imprisoned. Neither of us can escape. With that time, you might as well wash up and go to sleep. There aren't even beds in the cells.'

Chu Sui: "Don't worry. Good zergs get good karma. You haven't done anything wrong, so they won't do anything to you."

Maybe Jia Wen would be one of those few lucky zergs who were released.

After speaking, Chu Sui cut off the communication. He had only organized eighty percent of his revised draft so far, and hadn't had time to look at the remaining twenty percent. He had originally planned to take his time, but events were developing much faster than he had imagined. If he delayed any longer, he was afraid it would be too late. He took the thick stack of manuscripts and put it into the scanner, planning to convert it into electronic images and then upload it to StarNet.

He lived in a peaceful era. When he was born, the most turbulent period of history was long past. Their ancestors had used their bodies and blood to heal the scars of war, leaving behind only a clean and clear blue sky...

Chu Sui had never personally experienced a history as turbulent as that of the Zerg Race. It was like a poisonous sore or a rotten boil; to make it smooth and orderly again, one could only wait for it to rot to the bone, and then scrape the bone and draw the blood to clean it out.

The scanner was very efficient, and the electronic images were loaded in no time. Chu Sui glanced at the flame wars raging on StarNet, then at his own follower count of over a million. After a moment of thought, he still proceeded to upload the legal articles he had spent so long revising.

After all, with such a skewed ratio of males to females, it was impossible for the Zerg Race to be as equal as the era he lived in. The only way was one male to multiple females. But when he thought about ancient China, men back then also had three wives and four concubines. However, they at least maintained basic etiquette; they could be a loving couple, and even if they didn't love each other, they could still treat each other with respect, like guests.