NOVEL NEXT 22
Chapter 22
Lu Xi woke up from the bizarre nightmare, his eyes wide open, the images from the dream still lingering in the darkness.
It took him a while to slowly realize that those were just dreams.
It’s normal for sick people to have nightmares.
He slowly closed his eyes and pulled the thick blanket closer around him.
The blanket was thick, and the sheets were even fleeced, enough to keep warm even in the coldest seasons. But now Lu Xi felt an unprecedented Cold, he even began to shiver.
His throat was dry and hoarse, his head pounding. Any slight movement made the world spin, and his limbs felt as if they were made of cotton, soft and weak.
His temples throbbed, the pain feeling like an electric drill burrowing inside.
“Father—Father—”
Lu Xi called out twice instinctively before realizing his father wasn’t there.
He was in history three thousand years ago, with nothing around him linked to his past. He was like a floating duckweed.
It was strange; since he had traveled here, he had never thought about it.
Perhaps he was too busy, perhaps he was carefree, or perhaps…
He subconsciously didn’t want to think about it.
Because just thinking about it brought immense despair. He was separated from his parents by an insurmountable river of time. Despite their long lifespans, zergfolk rarely lived more than a few centuries. He might never see them again in his lifetime.
His father was handsome and arrogant, with dark green eyes. Although he appeared incredibly conceited, his personality was very gentle.
Lu Xi wasn’t his biological child. In his vague and distant memories, he was kept in an underground fortress, never seeing the light of day.
The adult zergs in lab coats had placed a tag on the outside of his eggshell, calling him “Number 500.”
Every day, he was immersed in various liquids that caused him great pain. But as an egg, all he could do was slightly wiggle within the liquid.
Occasionally, some finely dressed individuals were brought into the fortress, looking at Number 500 while chatting and laughing with those in lab coats.
“You mean to say this egg will become the most destructive weapon?”
“Yes, sir. He is our latest experiment. All the data we’ve gathered indicate he will be what you need.”
“Oh? Can I see your experiment?”
“Of course. Today’s injection hasn’t been done yet.”
A purple liquid was slowly injected into the container, and Number 500 writhed in pain, feeling like he was going to leak out of his shell.
But that would have been better. Leaking anywhere meant he wouldn’t have to endure this pain anymore.
“Oh my God! It’s just an egg, and it’s attacking my mental sea?”
“Sorry, sorry. That’s our oversight. It has already entered the next stage. Three days ago, it didn’t have this ability.”
“No! No! It’s fine!” The voice was filled with unusual delight. “Great, great! With it, we will gain more!”
…
Number 500 didn’t know how long he had been confined. Gradually, he became accustomed to the pain. Those “white zergs” worried that his mental power was too violent, so they injected him with a suppressant to inhibit pheromone synthesis.
But Number 500 didn’t care; enduring the pain was hard enough.
The day he met his father seemed like just an ordinary day.
A black-haired, green-eyed male zerg peered at him through the glass.
For some reason, Number 500 felt a bit shy.
He tried to turn the side with “500” written on it to the other side, so the male zerg would see his prettier side.
“Ling, I think it seems to like me,” the male zerg said softly, poking the container. “Does it want me to hold it?”
Beside him stood a silver-haired, red-eyed female zerg, who smiled slyly upon hearing this: “Of course, it wants to be near you. And you just want to fulfill a little zerg egg’s wish.”
“You make a good point, my dear,” the male zerg nodded gracefully. “After all, I wouldn’t be so indiscreet as to willfully want to hold a dirty little zerg egg.”
Ling silently drew a long knife from his waist—
The supposedly indestructible container shattered easily, accompanied by screams and the sounds of exploding machinery. Number 500 fell into a sturdy embrace.
The black-haired, green-eyed male zerg looked down at him, pulling an oil-based pen from his pocket with his other hand.
While the machinery behind him toppled and chaos ensued, he leisurely asked, “Ling, what do you think of the name ‘Lu Xi’?”
Ling threw his coat over them: “It’s fine, Lu Mo, but we need to escape now.”
Together with his father and mother, they escaped from what seemed like an eternal fortress.
Until a tremendous explosion sounded behind them, the coat was lifted, and Lu Xi lay in his father’s arms, bathed in warm sunlight—
—but that was three thousand years later, in an era he could never return to.
Lu Xi shut his eyes tightly and clutched his clothes, afraid to call out to them again.
“Xia Baiyuan… Xia Baiyuan…”
“Xia—Xia Baiyuan—”
This name accompanied him throughout his childhood.
He was Number 500, a dangerous weapon that needed strict supervision and should have been destroyed on the spot.
Although his father vouched for him, although he never received mental strength training and had most of his mental power sealed, no one dared to approach him.
Experiment subjects from that laboratory had destroyed one-seventh of the Alliance’s army, and he was the only Number 500 who hadn’t been released.
[He should be killed! What is the zerg Emperor doing? Even Lord Lu Mo cannot guarantee safety!]
[He will bring disaster!]
The little male zerg child lay in bed with a high fever, burying his head in his female father’s arms, dazed.
“They don’t like me, they all hate me.”
“They say I’m a bad guy to be killed by Xia Baiyuan, that he will kill me for the sake of the zerg race.”
“Ugh—”
Ling thought seriously for a moment and calmly pointed out the child’s mistake: “But Xia Baiyuan died before you were born.”
Lu Mo stared in shock at his mate: “Ling, is that the point?”
“Huh?”
Lu Mo, headache forming, put down his book and took the child into his arms, softly saying:
“Lu Xi, if Xia Baiyuan were still alive, he would not be afraid of you.”
“He is the war god of the zerg race. Even if everyone else fears you, he would protect you.”
Memories flooded back like a breached dam, impossible to contain once touched.
Lu Xi painfully opened his mouth, whispering, “Xia Baiyuan…”
The nightmares seemed to return, with purple liquid and white zergs floating around the room, pulling Lu Xi down—down—as if he would sink to the bottom of the earth.
But in the midst of his hazy awareness, a distant call reached him.
“Lu Xi?”
“Lu Xi?”
Who was calling him? The voice was very familiar. But Lu Xi couldn’t recall who it was. He forced his eyes open, seeing only the distorted ceiling and a white lamp swinging above.
The sound of dripping water was heard, followed by a cool sensation on his forehead. Lu Xi tried to avoid it but was held down: “It’s a wet towel, don’t move.”
Lu Xi shivered: “Cold…”
“….”
He was shivering all over, teeth chattering, desperately trying to burrow into the blanket, but no matter how much he tried, the blanket wouldn’t warm up, making him frown with discomfort.
“Xia Baiyuan.”
“Hmm?”
“Xia Baiyuan…”
“Hmm?”
“Xia, Xia Baiyuan…”
After a few times, the voice seemed to understand that Lu Xi wasn’t implying anything; he was simply calling out the name.
With a soft sigh, the voice carried a tone of resignation: “What am I going to do with you?”
The blanket was lifted, and the cold wind made Lu Xi shiver, but immediately a warm body snuggled close.
Feeling the warmth, Lu Xi eagerly hugged it.
So warm, so soft, and even with a faint fragrance.
Dazed, Lu Xi opened his eyes, finding a pair of teal eyes very close to his own.
—They reminded him of the sky he first saw while lying in his male father’s arms.
He couldn’t help but stare in a trance.
“Lu Xi? You—”
Lu Xi smiled, drawing closer to those beautiful eyes, and gently kissed the corner of one.
The body in his arms seemed to warm up even more, and the person clutched his clothes, looking like they wanted to say something. Lu Xi innocently looked at him and drew out his words: “So—beautiful.”
“….”
The other person suddenly seemed deflated, shoulders slumping: “Sleep.”
Lu Xi nodded obediently: “Okay.”
The light went out, and Lu Xi, holding onto the warm body in his arms, fell into a deep sleep.
This time, he slept soundly, undisturbed by nightmares.
——————
The next day after school.
Lu Xi was sick. He had taken the morning off yesterday, but he hadn’t attended school all day, causing some concern.
The enthusiastic Class Sixteen naturally wanted to visit Lu Xi. Unfortunately, with their busy academic schedule, theoretical courses had thrown Class Sixteen into chaos. Lu Xi had previously let them copy his homework—no, this was not why they were so concerned about him, definitely not!
Thus, the honorable task of visiting Lu Xi naturally fell to Gu Qing.
“Why does it have to be me!” Gu Qing grabbed the class monitor’s collar and shouted, “Aren’t you the class monitor?”
The class monitor pushed up imaginary glasses and said seriously, “Because you are likely to fail—because you are the warmest female zerg in our class, so it’s best for you to visit Lu Xi.”
Gu Qing: “….”
Could you at least try to hide your intentions a bit next time?
He sighed, packing his bag, still thinking about what to bring as a get-well gift, when Luo Zhao stood up: “I’ll go with you.”
As soon as he said this, all the female zergs perked up: “I’ll go too! I’ll go too!”
“Me too, me too!”
The class monitor pushed up his imaginary glasses again: “As the class monitor, it’s my responsibility to care for my classmates. I must go too.”
Luo Zhao frowned: “Gu Qing and I can go. Don’t you all need to study?”
“….”
The atmosphere in the classroom instantly deflated, but Gu Qing raised a victorious smile.
He stared blankly at the bed.
Lu Xi was lying on his side, deeply asleep, with a towel that had fallen to the side of his forehead. The blanket was partially open, and nestled in his arms was a silver-haired female zerg, quietly letting Lu Xi hold him.
Lu Xi was so close to him that their faces were almost touching.
It was undeniably pleasing to the eye, but also a bit strange.
Gu Qing had often shared a bed with his childhood friends. It wasn’t uncommon among good brothers, right?
But… why did these two look so odd together… Hmm.
Xia Baiyuan opened one eye, raised a finger to his lips, and whispered “shh.” Gu Qing, taking the hint, covered his mouth and silently exited the room.
Standing at the door, he watched as Xia Baiyuan deftly slipped out of Lu Xi’s embrace. Just as he was about to leave, a sleeping Lu Xi instinctively reached out and grabbed Xia Baiyuan’s clothes.
Xia Baiyuan raised an eyebrow and nonchalantly tore off the small piece of fabric.
Gu Qing winced.
If it were him, he would have slapped his friend awake to enjoy the sight of him howling in pain.
He turned his head in a daze, only to see Luo Zhao quietly watching everything in the room. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a faint trace of discontent in Luo Zhao’s eyes…
Gu Qing whispered, “Don’t you think something feels off?”
Luo Zhao looked at him quietly: “Of course something feels off.”
Gu Qing sighed in relief: “Exactly, what kind of female zerg clings like that—”
Luo Zhao interrupted firmly: “Didn’t you see that Lu Xi needs a hug pillow? Why would he get up?”
Gu Qing: “…”
He suddenly felt a bit disoriented.
Do good brothers nowadays really go to such lengths? Was he just too heartless?
Xia Baiyuan walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him: “What’s up?”
Gu Qing hesitated for a moment and then pointed to the fruit basket on the table in the living room: “Lu Xi hasn’t been to class. We were worried, so we came to check on him.”
“Thank you. His fever has subsided and he’s fine now.”
Xia Baiyuan glanced at the basket but couldn’t look away.
He swallowed hard. There were some green tangerines in the basket, which were very sour but looked nice. They were usually used as decorative items in gift boxes, rarely eaten.
Yet suddenly, Xia Baiyuan felt that those tangerines would taste amazing.
“Then… we won’t disturb you any longer. You look like you need rest too.” Gu Qing said cautiously, “It’s good to know Lu Xi is okay.”
Luo Zhao gave a slight bow to Xia Baiyuan: “Thank you for taking care of him.”
There was a faint note of gratitude in his voice, so subtle that it surprised Gu Qing.
In his memory, this male zerg was always gentle but rarely showed emotion.
“You’re welcome, it’s my duty,” Xia Baiyuan rubbed his brow, “He has taken care of me many times before.”
All his attention was on that green tangerine, his jaw aching.
How strange. Why did he suddenly crave tangerines so much when he regularly took supplements for all necessary nutrients?
Noticing Xia Baiyuan’s distraction, Luo Zhao straightened up: “We’ll be leaving now.”
Xia Baiyuan nodded: “Take care.”
A few steps away, Gu Qing suddenly remembered something and turned back: “There’s a mixer with the male zergs tomorrow. Make sure Lu Xi prepares for it.”
For female zergs, such mixers were very important. If they hit it off with a male zerg, it meant they could receive personal and sufficient comfort, which was very beneficial for their health.
Even if you don’t match with anyone, just being at the mixer with so many male zergs will be soothing for the mind. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait a long time for another chance!
Xia Baiyuan was momentarily stunned, but quickly composed himself: “Okay, I’ll let him know.”
Luo Zhao opened his mouth as if to say something.
Actually… as long as it was Lu Xi, he could stay by his side anytime, but Lu Xi might not necessarily be willing.
In the end, he stayed silent.
As they were leaving, Luo Zhao instinctively turned his head for a last look. Through the slowly closing door, he seemed to see Xia Baiyuan picking up that small green tangerine.
“Plop.”
Gu Qing looked at the dazed Luo Zhao: “What’s up?”
“…” Luo Zhao hesitated and then asked, “Does Xia Baiyuan have such a strong taste?”
Gu Qing was confused: “What?”
“Nothing,” Luo Zhao shook his head, “It’s not a big deal.”
(T/N: Ahhhh!!!! I can’t believe it is in the parallel universe as Ling and Lu Mo… I mean I just found this story link somewhere and didn’t pay much attention to the author BUT IT’S THE SAME ONE…. Ahhh!!! I translated the original ATMZ on another site but why in the world i didn’t check the author’s other work then… And still didn’t realize its the same one till i reached this chapter!!! ＿|￣|● I could recognize the chemistry Ling and Lu Mo anywhere….ｍ(｡≧Д≦｡)ｍ