NOVEL NEXT 01
Chapter 1: Hunger
Drip, drip.
The sound of water dripping onto stainless steel had been annoying Xi Tian all morning because the faucet wasn’t fully turned off. Unlike usual, he couldn’t nap, but he also didn’t want to waste his precious energy walking the ten meters to tighten it.
The room was a mess, the balcony crowded with storage boxes, and the newly bought boxes from a few days ago remained untouched in the living room, cluttering the narrow hallway.
This was Xi Tian’s third day lying in bed.
He never had a habit of storing food, and the only grains left were consumed last night. Even the sweet vitamins and cold medicine in the household medical box, anything sugary that could provide energy, were all eaten.
Yesterday noon, he at least had a final meat can. Today, there was truly nothing left.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Xi Tian turned over, hoping to fall asleep soon, but his stomach protested repeatedly.
He drank a lot of water in the morning, so much that he felt nauseous. However, this didn’t give him the desired feeling of fullness; it only increased his bathroom trips.
Xi Tian lifted his wrist to check the countdown on his terminal again: 51:30:32.
Fifty-one more hours until next month’s welfare check would be deposited into his account.
If he could just endure a bit longer, he’d be fine again!
He rubbed his belly; his digestive organs seemed to have vanished, leaving nothing but a void and emptiness within him.
Both sleepy and hungry, the hunger overpowered him, consuming him completely. His mind was filled with thoughts of the delicious takeout he used to enjoy.
The more he thought, the hungrier he got.
Xi Tian couldn’t withstand the hunger. This was something he learned only after graduating and living on his own.
An orphan, Xi Tian grew up in a welfare institution, always living a collective life where everything was provided on time, without him ever having to worry about it.
Zerg Star had a long history and profound heritage, which in recent years had led to rapid technological development.
In Zerg society, the main inhabitants are male Zerg, female Zerg, and sub-females. The most numerous are the physically strong female Zerg, who primarily serve in military roles. Sub-females, who are physically weaker, are the second most numerous, while male Zerg are very rare. The government has long encouraged female and sub-female Zerg to marry male Zerg, but many females still face the prospect of living alone for their entire lives. Consequently, society has also permitted same-sex relationships between females and sub-females, although such unions remain on the fringes of society and are not encouraged by mainstream culture. All high-ranking female and sub-female Zerg are invariably matched with male Zerg.
The rarity of male Zerg ensures that they receive generous welfare benefits from the government. It is widely believed that male Zerg were at the pinnacle of power two hundred years ago, leading Zerg Star into an era of highly advanced civilization, and this has resulted in a more lenient and preferential social environment for male Zerg.
Xi Tian grew up as a male Zerg in this environment.
Zerg society favors males, especially male children. Male children in welfare institutions are always sought after for adoption by childless families. After surviving the most vulnerable and dangerous early childhood period, Xi Tian spent his teenage years moving between various foster families, but he always ended up back in the welfare institution due to the hesitations of the foster parents and the director.
Xi Tian doesn’t think he has done anything wrong. He’s just a bit lazy, but within the limits of what ordinary people can tolerate.
After graduating and living on his own, his laid-back attitude clashed with the work environment, and he soon quit his job, unable to get along with his rigid and petty female boss (who treated males like females and females like beasts). He started living off the government’s monthly unemployment benefits.
Zerg Star society dotes on male Zerg, a belief held even beyond Zerg Star.
In reality, Zerg Star favors males who return to family life.
Both legally and socially, males are encouraged to marry once they reach adulthood.
It’s rare to find unmarried males ten years past maturity. The same applies to those still working. Society encourages male Zerg to return to family life.
After two years of post-graduation and one year of unemployment, his monotonous yet free lifestyle convinced him that he wasn’t suited for the strict regulations of companies.
However, this freedom came at a price: the fixed amount of welfare money each month restricted many of his desires.
Xi Tian hated these limitations.
The physical discomfort repeatedly hammered at his already weak thoughts of staying single.
Recently, his expenses had been increasing. A few months ago, he had gone hungry for a day because he ran out of money, luckily, it was the last day of the month. After sleeping through it, he got up the next day and went to buy food.
Relying solely on welfare, it was only a matter of time before he found himself in the same predicament again.
Even if he could endure hunger, what about three days? Seven days? Half a month?
Drip, drip.
Xi Tian turned over again, pulling the blanket over his head.
The best and optimal way was to find a female to marry, get some sort of spouse, and use his money to support his own life, wouldn’t that be carefree?
Ding dong, the doorbell rang.
Xi Tian pretended not to hear it.
Ding dong ding dong ding dong, the doorbell persisted.
Thinking it might be something urgent, Xi Tian impatiently threw off the blanket, stood up quickly, only to fall back onto the bed as his vision blacked out. He leaned on his head, waited for the dizziness to subside, then slowly made his way to the door.
Outside the door stood the neighbor’s child, an adolescent sub-female.
The small sub-female, who barely reached his waist, was holding a large bowl, the aroma of food desperately trying to get into Xi Tian’s nose.
He hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.
The sub-female smiled: “Brother, we had guests over today, and my father made a lot of good food. He asked me to bring you some to taste and to thank you for the book you gave me.”
His neighbor was a single parent, a divorced female raising a sub-female stepson. That female was often busy with work, and the sub-female would sometimes come over to his place after school.
In the past, the female would occasionally send over some things as thanks, and Xi Tian would usually decline. But now, he was too hungry to be polite: “Thank your father for me.”
“Okay, brother, I’ll go back now. You can keep the bowl, just give it back to me next time.”
The sub-female went back.
Xi Tian held the steaming food, found utensils from under the coffee table, and slowly started eating.