NOVEL NEXT 09
Ever since witnessing Major General Rhys’s teaching in action, He Qin had been pestering him, hoping to see more of the Zerg race’s high-tech weapons.
“Zerg weapons are many, but most of them are on the mother planet. We didn’t bring them to Earth.”
When they first met, Rhys thought the male Zerg was a quiet, reserved child. However, after their late-night chat, He Qin had lowered his guard considerably around him.
Unexpectedly, the male Zerg could talk so much. Even when Rhys was busy with his duties and couldn’t respond, He Qin could continue talking to himself without missing a beat.
“Rhys, can I follow you to the command room? I want to see how the Zerg starship is piloted.”
He Qin had finally figured out that as long as he requested to accompany Major General Rhys somewhere and promised to stay within his line of sight, the Major General would agree to all his requests.
With the mother planet of the Zergs in sight, He Qin had been deliberately calling the Major General by his first name in recent days.
He remembered what the Major General had said that day, fearing that once they reached the mother planet, the Major General would be punished because of the formal address issue.
“Alright, but you’ll have to wake up early tomorrow morning.” Rhys, having finished most of his military duties, checked the time, noting that it was almost his usual rest time, and casually turned off the light-brain.
Without the strict regime of morning drills, He Qin had been indulging himself, getting up later each day. Every time he woke up, the Major General had already left to handle his daily affairs.
“Sure, just have Little Q wake me up in the morning.” He Qin picked up the recharging robot, Little Q.
Seeing He Qin holding Little Q so tenderly, Rhys felt a pang of jealousy and wished that it was him being held by the male Zerg. “No need, I’ll wake you up when I get up in the morning.”
Today, the Major General was wearing a silk nightgown, the smooth fabric clinging to his skin and accentuating his figure. Upon closer inspection, one could even see the outline of the Major General’s eight-pack abs beneath his clothes.
Noticing that the Major General hadn’t turned off the lights and closed his eyes as usual but was silently standing by his bed, He Qin thought he saw a hint of grievance in the Major General’s golden eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Unfamiliar with this side of the Major General, He Qin put the robot down and tentatively asked.
When He Qin’s hands were free, Rhys’s gaze shifted to those slender, jointed hands, staring at them so intently that it made He Qin feel uneasy.
He Qin pressed for an answer a few more times before the Major General hesitantly responded, “Did you want to touch my hair then?”
“Huh, what?” The Major General’s sudden question caught He Qin off guard, and he really didn’t react immediately.
Seeing this, Rhys bit his lip, inexplicably sounding somewhat aggrieved, “That day, in the training area, you were hiding behind me. I saw your movements.”
The Major General bent down, offering his silver hair to the male Zerg lying on the bed, looking like he hoped the male Zerg would stroke his hair.
Usually stern-faced, the Zerg Major General now appeared soft and submissive in front of He Qin, like a stray cat that ruled the streets but behaved obediently after being adopted.
He Qin’s sense of conquest was amplified, and as if driven by an unseen force, he really reached out and stroked the Major General’s silver hair.
Being touched by his crush!
Feeling the male Zerg’s touch on his hair, the Major General’s body tensed uncontrollably, but he forced himself to stay still to avoid displeasing the male Zerg and stopping the touching.
The Major General’s long hair was well-maintained. While Earth’s women often found their long hair getting tangled and frizzy due to improper care, the Major General’s silver hair was smooth, feeling like the fur of a freshly bathed animal.
It was hard to imagine how the Major General, with this head of long hair, could still be a victorious warrior on the battlefield.
As time passed, the atmosphere between them grew more ambiguous, the air filled with the increasingly intense fragrance of the male Zerg.
He Qin hurriedly released the Major General’s silver hair, “Alright, time to sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow.” With that, he turned and buried himself under the covers.
In the darkness, the two lay on their respective beds, backs turned to each other, thick blankets covering their bodies, but unable to ignore the pounding of their hearts.
Rhys was excited by the male Zerg’s proximity, while He Qin didn’t understand why his heart was racing so much.
After all, having devoted his body and soul to the army on Earth, he had never experienced love and didn’t know what this feeling of infatuation was like.
And so, with different thoughts weighing on their minds, they fell asleep in this strange atmosphere.
“Boom… thud!”
The loud sound of artillery fire jolted Major General Rhys from his sleep.
This was no ordinary noise; it was powerful artillery fire. The Major General’s initially groggy state quickly became alert.
He turned to look at the male Zerg on the neighboring bed. The noise hadn’t disturbed his sweet dreams; he merely frowned, turned onto his back, and went back to sleep.
It was likely that the battleship was under attack by interstellar pirates, who were notorious criminals from various planets, forming criminal groups that roamed the galaxies.
These pirates survived by looting supplies and money from other spaceships.
This wasn’t the first time a Zerg battleship had been attacked by interstellar pirates. There had been instances where the pirates had broken through the defenses due to carelessness.
During such an attack, all the money and supplies on the ship were stolen, and the captured female Zerg soldiers were all killed.
The pirates even recorded the deaths of the female soldiers and sent the video to the Empire’s military as a provocation.
The Empire had sent troops to eradicate these pirates, but the pirates were familiar with the cosmic environment, and their hiding places were not easy to find.
The universe was vast, and none of the Empire’s soldiers sent out could find the pirates’ hideouts.
Rhys couldn’t leave the male Zerg alone in the room sleeping. If the pirates got inside the cabin, a sleeping male Zerg would be in extreme danger, with unimaginable consequences.
“Your Highness, wake up.” Rhys quickly dressed in his military uniform, kneeling by the male Zerg’s bed, trying to wake him with a firm shake.
He Qin opened his eyes to see an enlarged handsome face, “Wha-what’s happening?” Still groggy, his sleepy look made the female Zerg’s heart flutter.
“Put on your clothes, we need to get to the command center. The ship is under pirate attack,” Rhys said, taking clothes out of the wardrobe for He Qin.
Rhys knew He Qin well, choosing simple and modest clothing for him.
Outside, Adjutant Jack’s voice called out, “Major General, are you awake? The ship is under attack, the left wing is their primary target.”
Usually calm and composed, Jack was now shouting, indicating that these pirates were quite formidable.
Rhys set several security codes in the room and gave He Qin some instructions, “Follow me to the command center and don’t wander off.”
Only after He Qin promised to stay close did Rhys leave the room.
Rhys quickened his pace towards the command center.
With his long legs and strides, normally, He Qin wouldn’t notice much difference, but now, keeping up with the quick pace had him almost running.
Soon, the three Zergs reached the command center, which was in chaos due to the sudden pirate attack.
However, upon seeing Major General Rhys, it was as if they found their backbone, and the soldiers quickly regained their composure, confidently returning to their posts.
Major General Rhys went straight to the starship sensor display, observing the ship’s status.
After a rapid mental analysis, he began to give orders, “Jack, order Hein to lead a team to the left wing to prevent the pirates from breaking in. Have Day take his squad to flank the pirates from the left rear and right front. Be cautious not to alert the pirates.”
“Yes.” Adjutant Jack saluted, turning to relay the Major General’s commands.
“Wait a moment.” He Qin, who had been quietly observing the Zerg displays since entering the command center, suddenly interrupted.
Interrupting the Major General during battle planning was unprecedented, but the one interrupting was a male Zerg.
The Zerg soldiers all wondered what they would do if the male Zerg suddenly made some strange requests.
However, He Qin didn’t do that. Facing the attention of all the Zergs present, he walked up to Major General Rhys. “I know I’m a male Zerg, and in your eyes, males don’t understand combat.”
After saying this, he pointed to a spot on the display above them. “Look here, I’ve noticed that there’s a red dot flashing every ten seconds.”
He waited a few seconds, and sure enough, the spot he pointed to flashed.
“I believe this is where the pirates’ battleship is. It looks like they are trying to ambush us from behind.” He Qin turned to Major General Rhys, who nodded in approval.
Everyone had focused on the fact that He Qin was a male Zerg, forgetting that he was also an excellent soldier who had earned numerous battle honors.
A soldier recognized by the human military would have outstanding combat abilities.
Today, if it weren’t for He Qin spotting the pirates hidden at the rear of the battleship, the ship could have been breached from within in a matter of minutes.
“I hope everyone remembers that I am a male Zerg, but I am also a soldier.”
Standing beside the Empire’s Major General, He Qin’s straight posture showed that he had undergone rigorous training as a soldier. His eyes, filled with a killing intent, reflected his experiences on the battlefield.
He Qin wasn’t a male Zerg who had been protected by the Empire from a young age. His stance and the light in his eyes during battle were familiar to every female soldier in the command center.
From today on, at least the female Zergs in this command center would no longer see He Qin as a weak male needing protection but would respect him as a fellow soldier.