Lenon had received professional anti-reconnaissance training. His gaze lingered on the camera for only a moment before quickly looking away, as if it were just an accidental glance and he hadn't noticed anything.

Then, he naturally lowered his eyes, his chin rubbing against Lin You's neck. Two strands of silver hair slid down messily from his temples, perfectly obscuring his expression.

From the camera's angle, he was half-kneeling on the ground, looking disheveled, breathing rapidly, and pressing closely against Lin You to absorb pheromones, his back trembling slightly.

—Exactly the symptoms of having taken the Pheromone Addiction Adjuvant.

But in a place the camera couldn't see, Lenon narrowed his eyes slightly.

Lin You was the noble Third Highness of the Empire, yet someone actually dared to install a camera in his residence?

Who was it?

Combining this with the First Prince's previous invitation, the answer was glaringly obvious. Lenon rubbed against Lin You's embrace, his body incredibly soft. He carefully wrapped his arms around Lin You with gentle movements, but his face was terrifyingly cold. He even sneered and thought, 'What a coward.'

The First Prince had already harmed him to this extent, yet he still wasn't reassured and wanted to use the Addictive Pheromone as an extra layer of insurance?

He curled his lips mockingly, thinking, 'Lin Yu, you are actually this afraid of me.'

If these matters were all within Lenon's expectations, then amidst his racing thoughts, in a flash of insight, there was another matter that left Lenon confused and bewildered.

What on earth did his Third Highness want to do?

Lin You held him tightly, his hand stroking down his spine. Even through two layers of uniform, Lenon could feel the heat of his fingers.

...It was very comfortable.

This embrace was too warm. Lin You's fingers loosely threaded through his hair, soothing him absentmindedly. Waiting for the body in his arms to calm down, he avoided the camera, took out a cup of a strange pale yellow beverage from the supplies brought by the attendant, then unscrewed the cap and pretended to accidentally knock it over. The beverage spilled onto the floor, and in an instant, a sour, putrid stench filled the room.

This was a prank funky-flavored beverage that had recently become very popular in the capital, simulating the appearance and smell of vomit.

After doing this, Lin You silently released his pheromones. The scent of citrus wrapped around Lenon. Lenon let out a muffled groan, his entire body going soft, and his face flushing unnaturally red. His azure eyes looked fixedly at Lin You as he whispered, "Third Highness..."

Lin You stroked the long silver-white hair and said gently, "Lenon, be good, be good, alright?"

These were his script lines.

Afterwards, he stood up and went out to tell the attendants to change rooms. Having lost his support, Lenon's legs were weak and sore. He didn't try to stand up, but let himself fall wretchedly to the ground, struggling to prop up his upper body in a prostrate kneeling posture, seeming to not even have the strength to pant.

All of this was firmly recorded by the camera.

Lin You, on the other hand, walked out of the room and gave low-voiced instructions to the attendants.

He still had a scene to act out.

In an edgy smut novel, of course, it wouldn't just stop after feeding the medicine; after the drugs kicked in, there would be an intense sexual encounter. But as a noble prince, Lin You would absolutely not sleep in a room filled with the smell of vomit. Thus, he waved over the attendants, ordering them to clean this room and prepare another one, and then drag the limp Lenon over for his continued amusement.

The attendants bowed and said yes. The looks they cast toward Lenon carried a hint of sympathy, but bound by duty, they could only meticulously start cleaning, and then, in a group of four, propped the Major General up.

Lin You walked out of the room, heading downstairs toward the master bedroom.

The First Prince was standing at the end of the stairs.

A strange light flashed across his irises, quickly returning to warm black pupils. He looked at Lin You with a smile, his tone surprised, "So fast?"

Lin You kept a cold face, vividly playing the part of a spoiled and willful prince. He kicked a pebble by his feet: "Lenon threw up. The room smells absolutely awful, it completely ruined my appetite."

The First Prince smiled slightly, stepping forward to adjust Lin You's collar, and said gently, "There's no rush. Having drank that wine, he is yours from body to mind. A moment's delay won't make a difference."

Lin You sneered inwardly, thinking, 'Does controlling someone with pheromones even deserve to be called true feelings?' But on the surface, he nodded, looking impatient. "I'm heading to the master bedroom to continue."

This was Lin You's residence. The reason the First Prince was able to install a camera here was, first, it was a guest room, and security wasn't tight during the banquet; second, he had led Lin You here to get wine, and Lin You had "impatiently" chosen the nearest room, which allowed the setup to work.

However, placing one in the master bedroom was beyond the First Prince's reach.

While they were talking, the attendants had already half-carried Lenon out. Major General Iris's body was limp, forced to rely on the attendants just to barely stand. He frowned deeply, cold sweat rolling down drop by drop. His upper lip was pale, while his lower lip was swollen and engorged with blood from his biting. Even his silver-white hair had lost its luster. As he passed by the First Prince and Lin You, he slightly turned his head. His azure eyes were moist, and looking closely, it seemed as if monstrous hatred was surging within them.

The First Prince smiled as he watched him go.

Lin You was also looking at Lenon, but he felt slightly worried inside.

He had used pheromones to induce symptoms so that Lenon would look like he had taken the Addictive Pheromone. To make the effect realistic, he had deliberately used a full dose.

...But right now, wasn't the effect a bit too realistic?

Did he really use that much?

Lenon was hypersensitive to his pheromones. Lin You couldn't help but wonder if he had overdone it.

At this time, the First Prince gently pushed him, winking ambiguously. "Go on, Lin You. Big brother won't disturb your night of passion."

Lin You curled his lips into a smile. "Then I'll get going."

He walked briskly toward the master bedroom.

But turning his back to the First Prince, Lin You's expression instantly smoothed into calm.

He tapped on his system: "System 55?"

System 55 understood implicitly: "A bug. It's located at the third stitch on your right collar, placed there just now when he helped adjust your collar."

Lin You nodded.

He swept a glance over his collar from the corner of his eye and sure enough, he found a pinprick-sized black dot. However, he pretended not to notice and simply walked quickly to the door of the master bedroom.

The prince's master bedroom featured a large two-meter bed, draped with curtains on all four sides. On the large bed was a raised human figure; he was curled up in the blanket, panting heavily, his silver hair cascading to the floor like premium silk.

Lin You glanced at the attendant and slightly raised his chin. "Has he been obedient?"

The attendant lowered his eyes. "The Major General is already on the bed and didn't put up any resistance."

Lin You nodded, quickly walked to the bed, and peeled Lenon out of the blanket. Seeing Lenon part his lips as if to speak, Lin You released all of his pheromones at once. The citrus-scented pheromones blanketed the area. Lenon let out a muffled groan and instantly went limp on the bed.

Lin You secretly apologized, thinking, 'Sorry, Major General, but I can't let you speak right now.'

If Lenon asked something he shouldn't and the First Prince heard it, it would be impossible to explain.

On the bed, Lenon squeezed his eyes shut.

...Too, too much.

Lenon lifted his eyes with a blurry gaze, looking as though he had drunk fake alcohol. But actually, the moment Lin You entered, his gaze had landed on the tiny bug on the other's collar.

A common military model, Star M79, with a maximum transmission distance of seven kilometers and a battery life of fifty minutes.

Unfortunately, before he could analyze it in detail, his mind turned to mush.

In the small bedroom, the concentration of pheromones had reached an absurd level. Lenon couldn't stop trembling even without acting. He raised his arms to wrap around Lin You's neck, his voice full of pain: "Highness..."

—Stop releasing it, I'm going to die.

Lin You couldn't receive this message. He lifted Lenon's chin, gave him a long kiss, and then carefully watched the Major General for a moment. Only after making sure that those beautiful lips couldn't spit out anything besides pants did he lean over to start reciting his lines.

Lin You rubbed his earlobe, like a bad child who had just received his favorite toy: "How is it? Does it feel unbearable?"

"..."

Lenon really wanted to make him stop, but unfortunately, his eyes were completely misty, making his expression entirely unreadable.

Lin You sighed: "You are so beautiful, I actually can't bear to do this. Lenon, be good, be good, alright? Be good and I'll give you what you want."

Lenon desperately wanted to speak, but unfortunately, he opened his mouth and couldn't spit out a single word.

Lin You looked at the disheveled Major General, cursing inwardly at the sin he was committing. He diligently recited his lines, his black eyes representing the Royal Family staring unblinkingly at Lenon, looking willful and arrogant: "Major General, I think you should know what to do now, right?"

"...I... know." Lenon said intermittently, a shallow layer of moisture in his eyes, "I beg you—"

Lin You froze.

With Lenon's proud bones in the novel, he shouldn't have yielded so easily. In fact, the Major General in the story had held out for a long time. Under the control of the Addictive Pheromone, he had bitten his wrist fiercely until it was dripping with blood. In the end, it was the Third Prince who lost patience first, pinned him down, and forced himself upon him, thus ending the stalemate.

But Lenon's reaction definitely made things convenient for Lin You, because one of the symptoms of being under the influence of the Addictive Pheromone was going mad with addiction to pheromones. Once unsatisfied, they would be in endless agony, begging continuously.

Up to this point, all the lines in the novel that were supposed to be eavesdropped on had been delivered. Lin You pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor, saying reservedly: "As you wish."

Then, he stepped heavily on the bug.

—They were about to start. In such an urgent situation, accidentally stepping on clothes on the floor before getting into bed was very reasonable, right?

System 55's voice rang out at the perfect time: "The main circuit has been damaged. The bug is disabled."

The System's small screen scanned the two people on the bed, saying with restraint: "Host, have a pleasant time."

It shut down and went offline.

Lin You leaned down, and Lenon acted as if he were truly addicted to the pheromones. He impatiently pressed his skin against Lin You's, clinging to him desperately. Like a thirsty traveler in the desert, he bitterly pleaded amidst a breakdown: "Highness..."

He begged for a kiss.

And then many kisses.

Landing on his hairline, cheeks, the corners of his eyes, the tip of his nose, collarbones, and many, many other places, densely packed, light, and ticklish.

...

When everything was over, Lenon couldn't even lift his hands.

Unlike last time, last time Lenon was genuinely in an extreme state of craving for pheromones. He was dizzy and not clear-headed. But this time, the symptoms were induced by an overdose of pheromones, and he was past the susceptible period of the initial marking. Therefore, throughout almost the entire process, he acutely felt everything.

It bore no resemblance to the painful experiences passed by word of mouth among Female Zergs. There was no harm, nor was it ever rough. Regardless of what mindset the Third Highness was in—whether it was affection for a favorite toy, or some other emotion—Lenon could be certain that in this moment, he was cherished.

...But why?

He had plotted against the Third Highness using despicable means, and used the wealth of the Colette Family as bait. He was fully prepared to drink the Addictive Pheromone in exchange for a year's reprieve to complete his unfinished cause, and then go to his death. As of today, everything was operating on the preordained track, except for the Third Highness.

Only the Third Highness.

When the banquet was nearing its end, the butler knocked on Lin You's door.

Lin You changed his clothes and came out as the host to give a closing speech. The System booted back up, thoughtfully projecting the lines onto its screen, and Lin You read them off word by word.

After he finished speaking, the guests applauded one after another. The gifts presented to the Third Highness were centrally registered and bound into a booklet, making up a thick stack.

Normally, when a prince came of age, the Zerg Emperor should have been present to give a speech. But nowadays, the Zerg Emperor was so sick he couldn't even stand up straight. He only bestowed rewards and didn't make an appearance.

As midnight approached, all the guests left one after another. Lin You took a look at the original text; the original owner didn't particularly like Lenon, and after venting his desires, he didn't keep him over for the night. So, he called the attendants, having them take the Major General back to his residence.

Mainly, it was because he hadn't figured out how to explain it yet.

That whole sequence of actions at the banquet was to complete the mission, something he was forced to do. But to Lenon, his behavior must have seemed completely weird, unreasonable, and downright like a psychopath.

Lin You didn't know how to explain, so he simply didn't. Anyway, Male Zergs did whatever they pleased, and their minds being messed up wasn't exactly a new development. After seeing off all the guests, he let out a long sigh of relief. He had overdosed on socializing today, and his social battery was completely drained.

After lying dead on the bed for two hours, the System couldn't bear to watch any longer and thoughtfully opened the gaming cabin: "Host, want to play a game?"

Lin You rolled over: "Let's go."

He skillfully selected his character and entered the matchmaking interface. He noticed that the matchmaking lobby was exceptionally lively this time, with countless messages floating by the bottom right corner. Lin You took a closer look and found that Lenon had logged on again.

Major General Iris didn't log on often, but every time he did, he would become the center of discussion.

"Damn, what kind of stimulation did Major General Lenon suffer from again? He's killing even more ruthlessly than last time."

"I got headshot the moment I matched. I couldn't even clearly see the Major General's character model."

"Ruthless is one thing, but don't you guys think the Major General's behavior is very bizarre today? It's making me scared."

"Right, right, right, way too bizarre."

Lin You felt a bit curious. He tapped on the speaker's avatar and privately messaged: "How is it bizarre?"

Lin You's ID was already famous in the military, and the other side quickly sent back a long string of messages.

"Damn, God Pomelo, you came late so you don't know. Major General Lenon has always been a killing god in the military. He rarely plays matches, but when he does, he kills from morning till night. After finishing a match, he takes absolutely no breaks and immediately queues for the next one. People call him the God of Endless Battles. Sometimes he plays twenty or thirty matches in an afternoon, and killing two or three hundred people is a common occurrence."

"And what's bizarre about this time? It's bizarre that he is resting. Every time Major General Lenon finishes a match, he doesn't continue. He just stands in place for twenty minutes before playing the next match."

Lin You: "Stands in place for twenty minutes?"

Isn't that just spacing out?

"Yeah. I also heard from teammates who matched with the Major General that midway through a fight, the Major General suddenly stood completely still. The guy thought the Major General had disconnected, felt a surge of wild ecstasy in his heart, and was just about to sneak up on him, only to be headshot from afar."

Lin You: "?"

Spacing out during a match too?

Lin You: "When is he coming out?"

The person pointed it out for him: "The Major General has been in the match for a while now. I'm guessing it'll be in two or three minutes. You can camp and wait. He usually spawns on that rock over there."

Lin You: "Thanks."

He waited for a few minutes. The match ended, and with a flash of a figure, Lenon indeed spawned on the rock.

The silver-haired beauty stood in place, gazing distantly into the distance with a vacant expression, unmoving, standing there like a tall, beautiful block of wood.

He was indeed spacing out.

—Heavens have mercy. Could it be that the stimulation from today's banquet was too great, and he hadn't recovered yet?

Lin You felt it was novel, but also felt a bit guilty. Today, he had been scattering his pheromones as if they were free, and the Major General had almost been marinated into a citrus flavor.

Lin You walked over to his side and circled around him. Lenon didn't react in the slightest, so he extended his finger and poked the Major General on the shoulder.

His finger was grabbed.

Lenon's character model slightly frowned, lowering his eyes to look at Lin You's model. His expression was cold, and his tone was chilling: "What are you doing?"

"Uh." Lin You probed, "I wanted to invite you to play a match?"

Lenon's gaze paused on his ID. Pomelo Lord was now rising to fame, and even Lenon had heard of him.

Lenon said coldly: "You improve very quickly. I noticed that the first time I matched with you."

Lin You: "You remember me?"

At that time, he was still a newly registered account.

"Yes." Lenon scrutinized him. "Your first match was completely disorganized. Even your gun-holding posture had problems. At the time, I thought, if I were your general, I would absolutely not let you step onto the battlefield, because that would just be sending you to a meaningless death. At the time, I wanted to suggest you retire directly, so as not to waste your life on senseless matters."

Lin You: "..."

He said with difficulty: "Is that so?"

In front of him, Lenon had never had such a venomous tongue before.

Lenon nodded faintly: "But starting from the second match, your progress was astounding. Within two games, you became familiar with firearm operations and gained the awareness of dodging and positioning. I remember in the last match, you shot off my cufflink."

He praised: "Very good."

Lin You: "...Thanks."

Lenon waved a hand, and a densely packed array of combat videos appeared in front of them, all of which were Pomelo Lord's recent highlight moments. Lenon said: "I have studied your videos, and I believe you no longer need to practice matchmaking. You are already in the top 1% of the military. Many Major Generals wouldn't even be able to fight you."

"..."

Lin You had always been treating the training system as a game. He had completely forgotten that it was meant for training soldiers.

Lenon said: "If you still want to improve, I suggest you spend your time practicing with the aircraft operating system. It is just as important as combat matchmaking."

Lin You had never flown an aircraft before, so he asked: "I don't know how. Can you teach me?"

Lenon nodded: "Of course. I am very willing to guide an eager-to-learn junior."

The two of them simultaneously switched systems, entering the aircraft operation interface.

Lin You had played shooting games, but he knew absolutely nothing about aircraft. The dashboard of the Zerg's military aircraft was extremely complex, with a dazzling array of messy buttons. Lenon held his hand, guiding him to pull down the control stick and light up the dashboard, and then introduced the functions of the aircraft one by one.

"If you encounter a magnetic storm, you need to press these buttons to stabilize the aircraft and wait for the magnetic storm to pass; if you accidentally fly into a planetary ring..."

His expression was cold and his tone flat, but his introductions were very detailed, like an instructor patiently guiding a student. Lin You had exceptional memory; after one explanation, he had memorized the general idea.

Once he finished the explanation, Lenon let go of the control stick, signaling him: "You give it a try."

The system simulated a complex cosmic environment. As far as the eye could see, there were high-speed meteorite belts everywhere. High-energy cosmic rays and violent magnetic fields lurked in every corner. The moment he got close, the instruments would blare out piercing alarms.

Lin You took a deep breath and attempted to fly.

Two minutes later, he crashed.

Lenon sat beside him, his posture as straight and tall as a pine tree. He was like a meticulous instructor. His hands beneath leather gloves were naturally clasped, and the contours of his calves were hidden within military boots. His entire demeanor was upright and serious, making Lin You slightly nervous.

—Would he be scolded?

But Lenon sighed softly: "You're too tense. There's no need to rush. The first time is always like this. On my first attempt, I only lasted for two minutes as well."

Lin You: "Did you also have a teacher instructing you like this back then?"

Lenon: "Of course."

He stared fixedly at the pitch-black simulated sky in the distance. Electronic planets hung high within it, clustering into cloud-like planetary belts. Lenon revealed a slight look of nostalgia. "When I first joined the military, my teacher was also a Major General. He had outstanding flying skills. He once barged into a planetary ring and retreated completely unscathed from a high-speed stream of rocks and minerals."

Lin You asked curiously: "Then is he still in the Third Legion?"

If he remembered correctly, the highest-ranking general in the Third Legion now was the Major General. If that senior was already a Major General when Lenon joined the army, then he should be holding an even higher position now.

"..."

"Yes." After a slight silence, Lenon smiled. "He is still there, and he has always been."

For the next hour, they studied the aircraft together. Lin You figured out some tricks; he could generally dodge large meteorites and perform beautiful drifts with the aircraft.

Lenon, on the other hand, acted like a gentle teacher. He didn't hide his praise for the junior at all: "Excellent maneuvering. I look forward to the day I see you on the battlefield."

Lin You guiltily rubbed his nose.

Using the late hour as an excuse, he said goodbye to Lenon and logged off. During this time, they exchanged account IDs and agreed to continue practicing in the future.

Having been busy all day, he was completely exhausted, and Lin You prepared to go to sleep.

Before sleeping, he subconsciously swiped on his Light Brain.

Every night, Lenon would say good night to him. The fixed format was "Good night, esteemed Third Highness." It was like clocking in at a set time, as if he were an NPC in a game whose favorability needed to be farmed.

Lin You never replied, because the Third Prince's character setting was to never reply. But as a complete noob experiencing his first romance, he actually had a bit of invisible reliance on Lenon. Although he wouldn't reply, he still wanted to take a look before bed.

But this time, there was actually nothing at all.

Lin You refreshed it in disbelief. There really was nothing.

Lenon hadn't even gotten engaged to him yet, but he was already not even saying good night.

And Male Zergs always did whatever they pleased; no matter how willful Lin You acted, it wouldn't be OOC. He could do whatever he wanted. Thus, he angrily opened the comms and questioned: "Major General, where is my good night?"

The chat box instantly lit up. It seemed like the other side had been guarding in front of the screen for a long time. Lenon's status showed 'typing', and after typing for nearly half a minute, he finally sent a message.

He didn't use an honorific title, but instead said: "Good night, my Highness."

System 55 prompted: "The Major General has changed his avatar."

The avatars on the Zerg's chat interface were very small; without clicking to enlarge them, they were almost impossible to see clearly.

Lin You clicked to enlarge it. Lenon was dressed in a grand Major General's military dress uniform, not missing a single sash or epaulet. He knelt on one knee, his right hand clasped across his chest, performing a standard knight's salute with near piety.