Reborn as the Paranoid Female’s Rejected Sweetheart [Zerg Tribe]

Chapter 34: “I Feel You’re Acting Strange Today.”

The addition of the Stardust was like a powerful stimulant injected into the long-tense nerves of the Imperial Fleet.

The Imperial Fleet uniformly obeyed the orders of the Dai Na, quickly adjusting their combat tactics and perfectly coordinating with Yi Er. They soon broke the deadlock and pushed back the heavily damaged Glassy starfleet to the edge of the Glassy star system.

The Glassy starfleet resisted stubbornly, but before Gatt could escape back to his lair, Dai Na pursued him in triumph, solemnly issuing the final order: “Capture Gatt alive!”

With this concise command, the Imperial Fleet swiftly encircled, with their wing lights flashing in unison, following the Stardust. High-energy particle cannons shot out one after another, and in no time, they successfully intercepted the trapped Glassy starfleet, like trapped beasts.

This battle, which had lasted for who knows how long, finally came to an end here.

—

Qi Yao had expected Yi Er to return at least after several days, but to his surprise, the Imperial Fleet returned in just over ten hours.

Outside, amidst the noise, fragments of conversation reached Qi Yao’s ears, vaguely indicating: Finally, we can hold our heads high. His Majesty the Queen has captured Gatt, the eldest son of the Glassy royal family, alive.

Qi Yao thought that when His Majesty sent Yi Er, the order given was to capture Gatt alive.

Yi Er indeed excellently completed the task, meeting the expectations of the Imperial Fleet.

Upon careful calculation, there was actually a contribution of his own in this matter.

Feeling pleased, Qi Yao, with the intention of “inspecting” his merit, followed everyone to the front row to watch the excitement.

The Glassy starships couldn’t enter the starship berth, so they temporarily docked on the deck. Their numbers were not many, crowded together, most of them with limbs and wings torn off, clearly suffering heavy damage.

A jet-black starship stopped at the forefront, conspicuous like a cornered beast with its wings clipped, still exuding a wild and arrogant aura despite its severe injuries.

“Do you see that? That’s the main ship of Glassy, Gatt’s Dark Blade.”

Out of professional sensitivity, Qi Yao glanced at the Dark Blade a few more times.

The zerg swarm surrounded the Dark Blade, knocking on its hull. Facing the Glassy zergs who were now prisoners of war, they didn’t bother to show any friendly gestures.

Before long, the hatch opened.

Gatt, with his head bowed, leisurely stepped out of the Dark Blade.

He stood for a moment, slammed the hatch of the Dark Blade shut with a bang, then straightened up, his sharp gaze scanning all the zergs present, as if looking for someone, but seeming disappointed as he lowered his head. Yet, the next moment, he raised it again, tilting his head and quirking a corner of his lips into a smirk full of cunning and madness, “Let me see, who’s the zerg inside that deep blue starship?”

The whole scene fell silent for a second.

Gatt maintained this smile, with no zergs answering him, and he wasn’t surprised.

He was already a failed captive, with no chance of escape here.

But he was very curious. Who was inside that deep blue starship that had wiped out two-thirds of his starfleet as soon as it appeared?

The zerg swarm automatically made way, and Dai Na and Yi Er walked in, one after the other.

Seeing the approaching zerg, Gatt’s face slightly lifted, his lips parted, and the corner of his mouth twisted into an even more ostentatious smile.

Ignoring Dai Na, Gatt’s cold and proud eyes, like torches, fell on Yi Er behind Dai Na, lingering for a long time. He opened his lips, calmly and unhurriedly saying, “Silver hair, blue eyes, you are General Yi Er.”

The majesty of the queen was scorned, and all the zergs present instantly went on alert.

Gatt remained calm, or perhaps one could say he simply didn’t care.

He stepped over Dai Na, with all the zergs in a defensive posture, slowly approaching Yi Er. He slowly gazed at Yi Er’s silver hair into his pupils, tilted his head, lowered his gaze, and with a voice that only two zergs could hear, he said, “I’ve known you for a long time, longer than you think.”

It’s not strange for an Imperial commander to know the other party, but Gatt’s behavior and words somehow displeased Yi Er.

He seemed very uncomfortable with Gatt’s proximity, his gaze darkened, and he stepped aside.

Some zergs approached with shackles in hand.

Gatt maintained his standing position unchanged and calmly said, as he did before, “I’ve heard that silver-haired, blue-eyed zergs like the blood-red rose sea.”

Yi Er’s pupils suddenly contracted, and his killing intent was blatantly directed at Gatt.

Gatt was quite satisfied with his reaction. He chuckled softly a few times, the curve of his lips gradually receding, “I’ve met an zerg who loves roses. Just like you, with silver hair and deep blue eyes… Oh right, that zerg asked me to pass on a message to you. He said he misses you.”

Yi Er’s gaze instantly turned icy.

As the sound of the shackles clanged, Gatt was led away by the zergs.

Yi Er stiffened his body. Gatt’s words seemed to have robbed him of his ability to act. He stood there blankly, his mind blank, with only one thing left to contemplate.

What did Gatt’s words mean? Were they what he thought?

No, they weren’t.

But hadn’t he already known?

Why did Gatt say that? He must have done it deliberately.

Yi Er… Yi Er…

Various tones of voices, like poisonous snakes, incessantly drilled into his ears. Upon careful listening, they were different zergs calling his name.

Loud and persistent, they formed a distant, yellowed picture.

Silver hair, blue eyes…

No, don’t think about it. It’s not like that…

It’s not…

What are all these false things? Go away! Don’t come!

Subconsciously, Yi Er refused to think, rejected these voices trying to worm their way in. But they seemed to remind him even more, becoming more insistent with each passing moment.

Suddenly, his body collided with an embrace.

Yi Er’s consciousness was forcibly pulled back. For a long time, he sluggishly realized that his back was being gently patted by a comfortable force.

In his field of vision, there was a head of black hair and a piece of white, smooth ear, buried on his shoulder, quietly without a sound.

The zergs on the deck had all returned to their positions, methodically tidying up the spoils left behind by the Glassy zergs.

Yi Er shook his head, dispelling the chaotic voices calling his name. In his hazy mind, the image gradually formed, revealing the gentle and progressive male zerg in front of him.

He called out hoarsely, “Lord.”

Qi Yao looked up, “Huh? You’re back to life?”

“I’ve always been alive,” Yi Er’s voice was tense, devoid of emotion.

Qi Yao frowned, “Then why were you just standing there like a soulless being, not responding to anyone? What did Gatt say to you?”

Yi Er forced out a faint smile, “He said thank you to me for showing him around our Empire.”

Qi Yao’s face soured. So, Yi Er still had the ability to tell cold jokes. But this joke was too cold, colder than the boiling point of liquid nitrogen, making the zerg shiver.

But he still cooperated. Even though he didn’t laugh, “Really? I estimate he said three sentences to you, and there are two left?”

“The second sentence… he still thanked me for showing him the strength of our Empire’s starships.”

Qi Yao’s interest was piqued. Seizing the opportunity while Yi Er wasn’t paying attention, he inserted his five fingers into Yi Er’s tightly clenched palm, slowly prying it open, attempting to relax his tense muscles bit by bit. “Hmm, tell me quickly, how powerful are they?”

“This involves the third sentence.”

“What sentence?”

“He said, he was directly annihilated by ten thousand of his troops. If he went back, his father and mother would spank him. Fortunately, we caught him, so he can keep his dignity.”

“Hahaha。”

Qi Yao laughed along a few times.

After a night of organization, Dai Na ordered the return journey.

Yi Er’s busyness had not stopped, and he seemed to have endless meetings with Dai Na.

But before going to the meeting, Yi Er practiced his first flag and found some reliable starship courses for Qi Yao to pass the boring waiting time.

After a starship modification task that was both mentally taxing and skill-testing, Qi Yao’s starship technology made a qualitative leap. Without even asking for beginner or intermediate courses, Yi Er directly provided him with advanced courses to study.

As Qi Yao read through the courses, he pondered Gatt’s words.

He stood among the zerg swarm, not far from Yi Er and Gatt. Although he couldn’t hear what Gatt said, he could see Gatt’s lip movements clearly.

Vaguely, he could discern something from it.

Likes roses, silver hair blue-eyed female zerg…

He didn’t match any of the letters in the joke Gatt told Yi Er, but it was enough to elicit an unusual reaction from Yi Er.

So what did this have to do with Yi Er?

Dai Na’s eyes were also blue, but Dai Na’s hair was light golden.

Among the silver-haired blue-eyed female zergs Qi Yao had seen, there was only one like Yi Er. Roses had nothing to do with Yi Er; he remembered clearly that Yi Er didn’t like roses.

So, Gatt knew a female zerg who liked roses and looked very similar to Yi Er, and he told Yi Er this news.

Why did he do that?

Was he trying to tell Yi Er some information?

Was the information true or false?

It wasn’t Qi Yao’s keen mind, but a terrifying intuition that told him if this was true, Yi Er might be deceived into a colossal lie, and Gatt’s appearance ruthlessly exposed this lie, causing Yi Er to suddenly collapse under the weight of it, hence the extreme reaction.

He couldn’t imagine the blow Yi Er had suffered in that moment.

And if it was false, was Gatt just saying it casually because he was caught?

Qi Yao’s mind spun endlessly, and the progress bar of the course had advanced halfway, without a single sentence being absorbed.

He thought, perhaps there would be a chance to ask some zergs and confirm who matched this description.

He buried these thoughts in his heart, focused on writing and drawing with a pen, and when Yi Er finished the meeting and came back, Qi Yao leaned over to take a look. Qi Yao was holding the course materials, gnashing his teeth as he calculated formulas and data.

The paper was filled with messy handwriting, and from the messy strokes, one could tell the male zerg’s mood was somewhat anxious.

Even if it was just a busy facade, Qi Yao didn’t even lift his head. “Yi Er is back.”

“Hmm, what are you calculating?”

“Can’t you tell? I’m calculating the axial spacing, but it’s different every time I do it.”

Yi Er listened to a few sentences of the class, completely confused. “If you can’t figure it out, take a break. Try again tomorrow.”

Qi Yao innocently raised his eyes. “Yi Er’s teaching method is if you can’t figure it out today, try again tomorrow. It’s much less stressful than Teacher Nos’s classes.”

With that, he closed the course materials, decisively deciding to do it tomorrow.

In four or five hours, they would be home. After returning, Yi Er would probably still have a lot to do. Qi Yao seized this short rest time and suggested Yi Er lie down for a while.

The intimacy with Yi Er had not faded, and Yi Er insisted on pulling Qi Yao to lie down together.

They turned off the lights, and in the darkness, various colored lights from outside the portholes streamed in. Two pairs of eyes looked at each other, shining brightly, neither feeling sleepy.

Yi Er said endlessly, “Ais will be punished for passive combat.”

Qi Yao had no interest in Ais. “Correspondingly, shouldn’t you get a reward?”

“You too. What reward do you want? I can communicate with His Majesty in advance and prepare it for you.”

Qi Yao grinned, his white teeth shining brightly. “Do you want to use your connections?”

Yi Er scolded softly, “How can you say that?”

Qi Yao sighed lightly. “Since we became partners, haven’t I used your connections less? Actually, I don’t need any special rewards. Just treat me equally in front of His Majesty.”

Yi Er pursed his lips, his envisioned reward request thwarted by Qi Yao’s “equality for all” comment. After a few seconds of contemplation, he changed the subject, “What did I promise you to do after we get back?”

Without hesitation, Qi Yao replied, “Take me to visit your starship. That’s no longer necessary; I might be more familiar with it than you are.”

Once the words were spoken, Qi Yao felt like he had missed something and quickly corrected himself: “I mean…”

“I know.” Yi Er interrupted him with a smirk.

“Hmm? What do you know?”

Yi Er’s eyes sparkled with amusement, and upon closer inspection, he seemed quite profound. “Your acting skills need to improve. You shouldn’t have said it started from when you asked me for permission to use the Stardust, but rather… from the moment we left that watery asteroid and boarded the new Stardust, I knew. The current Stardust is your creation.”

“…So you figured it out early. It seems I can’t hide anything from you.” Qi Yao felt frustrated. “Well, I admit, do you remember before our marriage, I mentioned giving you a gift? This is the gift I gave you. Of course, I don’t take all the credit for it. Without Nos and Yalman, I couldn’t have done it.”

“Stardust…” Yi Er muttered softly. After a long pause, he said, “Why didn’t you ask me why I suddenly stopped using it?”

“I did ask you.”

Yi Er raised an eyebrow. “?”

“The answer you gave me was that you were stubborn and didn’t want to use it anymore. I assumed you were just tired of it,” Qi Yao explained.

Yi Er thought back seriously, vaguely remembering such an incident. He closed his eyes briefly and didn’t elaborate further: “Lord, thank you for making me like it again.”

Seizing the opportunity, Qi Yao pursued, “Then why didn’t you like it before?”

Yi Er fell silent again.

It was quite strange. From Yi Er’s words, it was obvious that there was a reason for abandoning the Stardust, but he didn’t ask. He wanted you to ask, but once you asked, he refused to say.

Very contradictory.

Qi Yao continued the previous topic, “You also mentioned taking me to your asteroid for our honeymoon.”

Yi Er remembered what he said yesterday. “Yes, definitely.”

As the galaxy outside the window rapidly receded, in the quiet rest cabin, Qi Yao gently embraced Yi Er. “What’s wrong? I feel like you’re acting strangely today.”

Yi Er shifted, leaning closer to Qi Yao’s neck, and sniffed the male zerg’s scent softly. Muffled, he said, “Lord, I miss your mental strength and pheromones.”