Model Male Zerg of the Zerg Clan

### Chapter 5

Interstellar travel has always been a tough ordeal. If you’re wealthy enough to afford a housing ticket, it’s manageable. However, if you have an ordinary seat ticket, it’s a different story altogether.

When Lu Xi first boarded the ship, he found it novel and exciting. Accustomed to the fast space-jumping starships of later generations, which could reach their destinations via spatial anchors, this slow journey felt very interesting.

Moreover, being able to look out the window and see the universe was a bonus. He witnessed a star collapsing into a black hole, a silent and colossal scene of destruction that left those who saw it trembling.

Around him, the zergs would occasionally pull out paper books since connecting to the star network was impossible here. They had to rely on these books to pass the time. The slightly stale air inside the cabin wasn’t pleasant either, but all these aspects deeply reinforced the feeling for Lu Xi that he was on a journey, heading towards his destination.

During meal times, a worker would push a small cart through the aisles. These workers, who were older and somewhat out of shape, wore dark blue uniforms that bulged around their midsections.

“Soft drinks—nuts—boxed meals—”
“Sunflower seeds—bread—ice cream—”

After three days of eating boxed meals, Lu Xi found himself in a daze, mentally blank, and made a small amendment to his previous thoughts:
While the journey is interesting, the monotonous diet is truly torturous.

Even with an empty stomach, he no longer wanted to eat those mushy boxed meals.

Xia Baiyuan was reading a book. Without the normal cycle of sunrise and sunset in space, the cabin used lighting to simulate different times of day to maintain the passengers’ regular routines. It was currently the “just after nightfall” period, and the light was very dim.

Xia Baiyuan had turned on the small lamp by his seat, and the white light illuminated him as he lowered his head to read. Over the past three days, Lu Xi noticed that Xia Baiyuan never ate any boxed meals but instead consumed a kind of brown, stick-shaped food.

This was a compressed biscuit, meant purely for essential calorie intake and definitely not tasty. Yet after three days of suffering, Lu Xi found himself reluctantly intrigued by it.

“Is it tasty?” Xia Baiyuan turned his head. “What?”

Lu Xi pointed at the biscuit in Xia Baiyuan’s mouth and said modestly, “This. I’ve never had it before.” A keen zerg like Xia Baiyuan would surely understand his meaning.

I want to eat it.

Sure enough, Xia Baiyuan glanced at him, then straightforwardly took the biscuit out of his mouth and shoved it into Lu Xi’s.

Lu Xi was stunned. “Huh?”

He stared blankly at Xia Baiyuan, slowly tasting the starch flavor in his mouth. His pupils widened in shock.

What just happened?!

“Do you like it?” Xia Baiyuan’s lips moved, but Lu Xi couldn’t hear anything or think clearly. He was utterly frozen.

Xia Baiyuan silently observed him for three seconds before finally turning away, unable to suppress a slight shoulder tremor. “Sorry.”

He released his hand, revealing the biscuit’s other end, showing teeth marks where it had been bitten. He had given Lu Xi the clean end.

Lu Xi quietly bit off the biscuit, chewing slowly. Once you got to know Xia Baiyuan better, you’d discover that beneath his cold exterior lay a playful side. Initially, he was quite reserved, but ever since Lu Xi helped him that one time, he had started to loosen up.

… But he still thought Xia God was so perfect, what should he do?!

Xia Baiyuan decided to stop teasing. As he was about to continue eating, Lu Xi quickly snatched the biscuit from his hand, breaking it in half and giving Xia Baiyuan the bitten end, keeping the rest for himself.

Xia Baiyuan held the biscuit and said, “I don’t mind.”

Lu Xi glanced at him. “You don’t understand.”

I’m not a female zerg.

Annoyed, Lu Xi watched as the cabin lights dimmed and brightened, signaling that the starship had finally reached its destination.

During the past three days, several zergs had approached Lu Xi, trying to get to know him. They believed Lu Xi had successfully persuaded the male, thus saving Xia Baiyuan’s life. Lu Xi could only vaguely brush them off, leaving them disappointed.

Lu Xi noticed many zergs looked unwell. They seemed quite old, and without mental sea cleansing, they probably didn’t have much time left. Despite hesitating, Lu Xi decided not to cleanse their mental seas.

Xia Baiyuan was young and could withstand Lu Xi’s rough methods, but these older zergs might not survive such treatment.

Moreover, without pheromone guidance, Lu Xi could easily get lost in their mental seas, creating a huge problem.

In the end, he merely suggested, “You can try meditating. It’s good for your health.”

The zergs smiled helplessly and didn’t press further, seemingly accustomed to such responses.

Before disembarking, Lu Xi instinctively glanced at the perpetually closed cabin door. In this era, how much would it cost to receive pheromone comfort?

…

Nansheng Military Academy was a famous institution, renowned for having resident males! It’s well-known that just being near males can alleviate the pain of zergs.

Many zergs fought hard on the battlefield, amassing countless merits just for the chance to marry an outstanding male. But now, simply entering the academy offered a chance to get close to males!

Freeloading, regardless of the era, was always tempting. Entering this school required not only significant wealth but also top-tier qualifications.

Maybe you had a prestigious background—then the school might grudgingly accept you for your family’s sake. If not, you needed some special skills.

Lu Xi reviewed his admission report, finding his qualifications mediocre—so mediocre that even he, a male, could meet the previous Lu Xi’s standards.

Not worried about being exposed, Lu Xi could only find some humor in his situation. He dared not imagine how much the original owner had spent to get into the school.

The military academy was visibly affluent. After a half-hour ride, Lu Xi and Xia Baiyuan arrived at their destination. The buildings along the way were in the most luxurious style of the era, with pointed roofs resembling temples but constructed with the finest materials.

“They can withstand an earthquake without losing a single brick!” their guiding teacher proudly proclaimed, then laughed, “Though there isn’t a single brick here.”

Lu Xi responded, “Because there won’t be any earthquakes here.”

The teacher laughed heartily, patting Lu Xi on the shoulder. “You’re better than the other students—you understand what I’m saying!”

Lu Xi’s hair trembled from the patting, and he turned to give Xia Baiyuan a subtle look. Xia Baiyuan, who didn’t understand the teacher, saw his expression and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

The teacher ignored Xia Baiyuan’s lack of reaction, as he was used to it—most zergs had a cold demeanor. They were stiff and rigid, like stubborn rocks. Meeting someone as lively as Lu Xi was rare, so they chatted all the way.

Lu Xi’s mouth was dry by the end of it.

The school bus stopped in front of a beautiful small building, and the teacher said, “Go up to the third floor, the principal is waiting for you there.”

Lu Xi responded, “Thank you, teacher.”

After the school bus left, Lu Xi walked a few steps before realizing something was off. “The principal is waiting for us?”

Xia Baiyuan replied, “To be precise, the principal is waiting for you.”

Lu Xi was confused. “Huh?”

Standing under the shade of the trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled golden light on his face, Xia Baiyuan said calmly, “Aren’t you a special talent student?”

Lu Xi was speechless. Thanks, I just found out.

What special talent do I have? He thought sarcastically. Maybe height. Comparing himself to Xia Baiyuan, Lu Xi silently dismissed this ‘advantage’ too. He was only slightly taller because of his slightly curly hair.

Suppressing the urge to take out his admission letter to check again, Lu Xi asked casually, “Oh… I thought I was pretty ordinary. Is that why I got into the school?”

He hoped to get more information.

Xia Baiyuan looked at him and said slowly, “Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re the best.”

Even someone as downcast as Lu Xi couldn’t help but laugh. Where did Xia God learn to say such things? It doesn’t suit him at all!

Xia Baiyuan pointed to the building. “Shall we go in together?”

Lu Xi nodded, “Let’s go together.”

I can’t get any information! I’m so nervous! Does the original host really have some special ability?

With an uneasy heart, Lu Xi knocked on the principal’s office door.

“Come in.”

Upon opening the door, they saw a kindly face. The principal was an elderly zerg, with graying hair but a youthful face.

Lu Xi introduced himself, “Principal, I’m the new student, Lu Xi.”

Xia Baiyuan didn’t enter.

The principal’s eyes lit up. “It’s you!”

Lu Xi’s smile stiffened. “…Yes.”

The principal even stood up from his seat and walked over to Lu Xi, his formality making Lu Xi want to cry. What kind of special ability is this?!

“Although I shouldn’t mention this on your first day,” the principal said kindly, “I must let you know that the samples you sent us last time were excellent!”

Lu Xi nodded cautiously. “That’s good. Have they all been used up?”

The principal looked slightly embarrassed. “We distributed them among the teachers. You know, Nansheng Military Academy is very large, with many teachers…”

“So I wanted to ask, do you have more of those?”

Lu Xi and the principal looked at each other, both equally nervous.

First, it’s something that can be made. Second, since this is a military school, it’s probably related to weapons. If I can get my hands on the sample and reverse-engineer it… After all, I have knowledge from thousands of years in the future. I might be able to handle this.

Having made up his mind, he said seriously, “Principal, can I see the sample I sent? There might be some variations… I need to confirm the quality you require.”

The principal took out a folded handkerchief from his pocket, revealing a small silver object when he finally unfolded it. It was a very ordinary bullet, looking no different from any other on the market, but it was treasured.

The admissions officer had initially thought it was a joke. With so many zergs vying to get into Nansheng Military Academy, they received all kinds of things daily. He had cursed, wondering what kind of prank this was—intimidation? No way. Grumbling, he had put it in storage, where it stayed for three months.

Until a teacher, while collecting supplies, noticed the small bag of bullets and thought the quantity was suitable, so he took it. No one had anticipated that a tiny handgun bullet could produce the explosive effect of a grenade.

The moment the teacher pulled the trigger, he knew something was off. The shot was so smooth and powerful.

“Bang—”

The reinforced training target was blown to smithereens.

The students were stunned: Is this Nansheng Military Academy?!

In the ensuing silence, the teacher extracted the bullet, examining it closely.

What on earth is this bizarre thing?!

Those bullets were repeatedly disassembled, but no matter how they were studied, only one conclusion could be reached: they were indeed just ordinary bullets. Yet, once fired, they could cause several times the damage.

The investigation eventually led to Lu Xi. The principal, looking at the black-haired, red-eyed zerg, was anxious. According to Lu Xi, he had obtained these bullets by chance, meaning even he might not know how they were made. For proper research, a mere few samples wouldn’t suffice; at least thousands, no, tens of thousands of bullets would be needed!

If Lu Xi could provide that many, not only would he be admitted, but he could even be allowed to live in the same quarters as the male zergs!

The principal asked nervously, “Is this quality acceptable?”

The black-haired, red-eyed zerg looked at the small bullet, picked it up, and closed his eyes, as if sensing something. Sweat began to bead on the principal’s forehead, and he wiped it away with a handkerchief.

After a few seconds, the young zerg in front of him finally opened his eyes and returned the bullet to the principal.

“It’s acceptable.”

He looked up, his mouth curving slightly, “Do you want something even better?”