NOVEL NEXT 09
Chapter 9
During the cleaning.
Lu Xi knew that Xia Baiyuan had something to say. After Xia Baiyuan came to his side for the thirty-first time and wiped the same spot with a rag, Lu Xi finally couldn’t pretend to be clueless anymore.
He turned his head, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Hey, is there something special about this piece of glass?”
Four pieces of glass, why are you so fixated on one piece? Can’t you clean them all evenly?
Xia Baiyuan promptly wiped the other three dirty pieces of glass with the rag and then turned back to wipe the clean glass for the thirty-second time.
Lu Xi couldn’t help but sigh, “At most, you’re just making it even—let me do it.”
Xia Baiyuan absentmindedly tossed the rag into the bucket full of water, making a loud splashing sound, splashing water everywhere.
Lu Xi: “…”
Laoyu grumbled discontentedly, “Hey! Hey! Xia, my dear student, even if you’re emotional, you could just sit aside, drink tea, and watch us work, rather than adding to the burden of our already hard work!”
He always had a knack for being sarcastic, whether it was due to professional influence or his natural disposition. Laoyu looked at Xia Baiyuan reproachfully, “The world is really going downhill—back then, I always worked diligently to treat your injuries, thinking that even if you didn’t show gratitude, at least you could take responsibility and help me clean up the mess you made…”
Xia Baiyuan walked over with a straight face, silently picked up a mop from the corner, and began mopping up the spilled water.
Lu Xi suppressed a smile. Even a young war god has his moments of defeat.
He then heard Laoyu giving orders, “The ceiling needs to be swept too. Oh, my old bones, I can’t even fly properly anymore.”
Xia Baiyuan quickly glanced at Lu Xi and replied, “Okay.”
The feeling became even more apparent; Xia Baiyuan did have something to say.
Holding the mop, he drew circles little by little, subtly edging closer to Lu Xi. If it were the usual Lu Xi, he wouldn’t have noticed his subtlety. But once he did, he realized how deliberate Xia Baiyuan was being.
It wasn’t until the entire floor was clean that Xia Baiyuan finally approached Lu Xi, furrowing his brow in silence for a long time.
Lu Xi also waited for a while. The silver-haired zerg finally spoke up, “Lu Xi, what kind of place is Junk Star?”
How does a wingless female zerg survive on Junk Star?
Lu Xi froze for a moment, feeling somewhat nervous.
What does he mean? Has he already noticed my problem? Is he testing me with this question?
After just a few days of interaction, was he already suspicious of me?
Xia Baiyuan, you’re terrifying!!
Lu Xi’s feelings were complicated. On one hand, he thought Xia Baiyuan was truly amazing as a war god. On the other hand, he felt terrified. Will I be captured and dissected for research?
He averted his gaze stiffly and whispered, “It’s all in the past, let’s not dwell on it.”
Please don’t ask anymore, I don’t know much more than you do! Sob sob sob!!
Xia Baiyuan’s gaze softened.
He has always been someone who responds better to kindness than to toughness. Lu Xi’s personality is something he can’t quite handle. Despite encountering so much, Lu Xi always maintains a strong appearance.
But if he really didn’t care, why would he delude himself into thinking he’s a male zerg?
From now on, let’s not ask about these things anymore.
Xia Baiyuan thought, since Lu Xi didn’t want to talk about it, there was no need for him to pretend to care and reopen his wounds. With that in mind, Xia Baiyuan flashed a faint smile and gently tapped Lu Xi’s ear with the palm of his hand, “I understand.”
Lu Xi: “…”
What do you understand?
Be clear with your words!
When their eyes met, it felt like an exchange of deep meanings, leaving Laoyu scratching his cheek on the side.
He felt like these two were conducting some kind of secret spy meeting, all secretive and mysterious.
—
[Principal’s Office]
The principal looked at the handsome male zerg in front of him and hesitated, “Are you sure about this? The military academy isn’t suitable for male zergs.”
Indeed, there are male zergs stationed at the military academy, and each class is assigned one. Through daily interactions, they can subtly improve the students’ physical condition.
To attract male zergs, the school offers generous conditions, allowing even D-grade male zergs to enjoy the treatment of C-grade ones.
But…
The male zerg before his eyes had golden hair and amber eyes, characteristic of the Luo family.
It was said that this Lord Luo was abducted in his youth and somehow ended up on a desolate planet, only to be rescued recently.
Being able to survive safely in such an inhospitable place like Junk Star for so long, and waiting until he was rescued, could be considered a miracle.
If it had been any later, when he reached adulthood and emitted pheromones, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Those crazed barbaric residents would have torn him to pieces.
The male zerg lowered his gaze and said softly, “I just don’t want to stay at the Luo family anymore. Coincidentally, I have old friends at this school, so I came here.”
The principal was taken aback. Even if it was a D-grade male zerg, it was still provided for by the entire zerg race. How could it be related to Luo Zhao, who had always been on Junk Star?
“It’s not a male zerg, it’s a female zerg.”
A hint of melancholy appeared on Luo Zhao’s face, and in his mind, he could see the handsome face with black hair and red eyes once again.
Since leaving Junk Star, he had not spent a day without missing Lu Xi.
That gentle, kind female zerg, who was so weak and always unable to grab food for herself.
Yet, he would give him all the food. When he was a child and felt extremely terrified after being stranded on Junk Star, he didn’t even think twice before stomping on the food he had given him.
Only after venting out his fear did he start to regret it. Although he was young, he knew he couldn’t reveal his identity as a male zerg in such a place. He was afraid Lu Xi would scold him.
But that female zerg simply bent down, picked up the dirty bread from the ground, and began to eat it voraciously.
Luo Zhao looked at him incredulously, “Can you still eat that?! It’s already dirty!”
“But food shouldn’t be wasted.” The female zerg looked at him and said, “There’s butter inside.”
Lu Xi had raised Luo Zhao for many years. They were similar in age, but Lu Xi was like an elder to Luo Zhao.
From him, Luo Zhao experienced gentleness and love for the first time, and compared to those, the previous pampering and flattery seemed fake.
If he hadn’t come to Junk Star, if he hadn’t met Lu Xi, Luo Zhao would have grown up in the Luo family, being spoiled beyond measure, arrogant and ruthless like other male zergs.
But…
But he left Junk Star without authorization.
Luo Zhao understood in his heart that his former family, if they had known about Lu Xi’s existence, would never have let him live— a male zerg raised by a female zerg on Junk Star? That would disgrace the Luo family.
He hadn’t even had a chance to tell Lu Xi before leaving. Until he departed, Lu Xi still believed he was a female zerg.
Lu Xi would think of him, wouldn’t he?
The day he boarded the starship, he saw Lu Xi, and the joy almost overwhelmed him. He almost rushed up to him without hesitation, but Lu Xi’s gaze was like that of a stranger. It was like a basin of icy water that woke him up.
He was the one who abandoned Lu Xi first, wasn’t he?
Now, he didn’t even have the ability to protect Lu Xi.
“Oh! I see!” The principal exclaimed dryly and then asked, “So, which class would you like to join?”
The hand that Luo Zhao had placed under the table loosened and tightened again, his palm slightly sweaty.
“Where is the student named Lu Xi now?”
—
Lu Xi sneezed.
The sneeze came out of nowhere. He was still trying on the school uniform, and his hand trembled, almost popping the button, luckily the uniform was of good quality, so it didn’t break in his hands.
He came here empty-handed, everything had to be ordered.
From uniforms to books, and various teaching materials, there were piles of things.
Originally, the first thing he was supposed to do was handle this, but a series of events delayed him.
After cleaning up Lao Yu’s clinic, it was already afternoon.
Seeing that school was almost over, he still had time to report to his class.
Xia Baiyuan carried his belongings. “Should I put your stuff away for you?”
Lu Xi glanced at the time. “Okay, I’ll go in a bit.”
After running for a few minutes, he realized that he didn’t know where his dormitory was! Oh well, forget it.
He could ask Xia Baiyuan later. Lu Xi scratched his head and decided not to worry about it for now.
There were a total of fifty classes in the first year, each with over a hundred students, making it a relatively large military academy. This made Lu Xi, who came from a time where a class had only around twenty people, feel very uncomfortable.
He was assigned to Class Sixteen, which was having a self-study session at the moment.
By the time Lu Xi reached the classroom door, he was a bit out of breath. The Nansheng Military Academy was indeed quite large, and he hadn’t made it in time for the school bus.
He caught his breath and gently pushed open the door.
“Um…”
“Boom!”
With a burst, countless ribbons fluttered down, covering Lu Xi in gold dust and fluorescent paper, blocking his vision.
The classroom erupted into cheers.
“Oh!! A male zerg!!”
“Welcome, welcome!!”
Someone joked, “Baby, you look familiar to me. I’m Gu Qing!”
Someone immediately scolded, “Gu Qing, you shameless person!”
“That’s right! Hit him!”
Lu Xi was stunned for a moment, then he was touched.
Finally, finally someone knew he was a male zerg!
Although being called “baby” was weird, Lu Xi, who was deeply moved at the moment, didn’t plan to pursue it.
He brushed off the stuff on him and saw that there were about a hundred students in the classroom, all waving colorful flags and glow sticks.
“Male zerg! Male zerg! Male zerg!”
“Yeah yeah yeah!!”
The atmosphere was so lively and enthusiastic.
“Um…”
The teacher sitting behind the platform looked at Lu Xi with an embarrassed smile. “You’ve got the wrong person. Today we have two transfer students, and the other one is the male zerg.”
“This is Lu Xi.”
The teacher’s voice was not loud, but it was heart-wrenching. The lively atmosphere in the classroom just now instantly froze.
“Tsk.”
“Well, he doesn’t seem to be a male zerg.”
“Yeah, male zergs are so slender and beautiful. He looks taller than me.”
“Tsk, but he’s the type male zergs would like.”
“Ugh.”
Lu Xi: “…”
Lu Xi: =(￣口￣)=
You fucking…
Got hard.
Fists got hard.
The students packed away their things, looking disappointed.
The teacher pointed to an empty seat. Lu Xi was too tall, so he was assigned to the back row by the window.
Lu Xi put his backpack on the table, and the female zerg beside him sighed melancholically.
“Male zerg… male zerg… male zerg… Oh, my male zerg, my ***~”
Lu Xi: “…”
Well, it’s not bad after all.
He was used to being alone, but he didn’t notice that the students around him were all indifferent to him, and not a single person came to greet him.
After all, it takes some time for transfer students to integrate into the group.
Although it was called a self-study room, it was not quiet at all. In front of every student lay a basic gun, which they dismantled into parts and quickly reassembled with a clicking sound.
Lu Xi watched for a while, remembering the gun Xia Baiyuan had casually disassembled during target practice, which was of the same style.
Curiously, he asked, “What are you doing?”
His desk mate, a wheat-colored female zerg—although that was redundant because almost all the students here had such healthy skin tones—answered without lifting his head, “Familiarizing oneself with guns is the most basic thing. Don’t you even know that?”
Lu Xi just said, “Oh.”
He felt like something was off. Xia Baiyuan didn’t organize things this way.
When his desk mate finished assembling the gun, Lu Xi estimated in his mind that he was at least twenty seconds slower than Xia Baiyuan.
Even if their proficiency levels were the same, Lu Xi would still be ten seconds slower.
Lu Xi hesitated for a moment but didn’t say anything.
Maybe he remembered it wrong? After all, he not only had limited knowledge of this era, but he was also completely ignorant about military matters.
The name of his desk mate was written in the book beside him: Gu Qing.
Seeing this, Lu Xi propped up his chin and fell into a daze.
His gun hadn’t been assigned yet, so he had nothing to do for now.
—
Gu Qing had just finished assembling and immediately pressed the timer next to him.
Looking at the numbers on the timer, he sighed and rubbed his hair in frustration.
—Still too slow.
How could he compete with other classes like this? If they ended up at the bottom, Class Twelve would be unable to lift their heads until the next whole grade competition!
He took a deep breath and continued to disassemble the gun.