Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 2: Blind Date

These past two days were the most miserable days in Xi Tian’s life.

He shamelessly borrowed two cans from his neighbor, one per day, barely managing to survive.

A new month had begun, and Xi Tian was contentedly looking at the balance in his terminal account, rolling around on his bed with the four-figure valued terminal.

He went to the 24-hour convenience store downstairs to buy lots of canned food and snacks favored by youngsters—he planned to offer them to the sub-female next time he came over—and replenished the medicine cabinet at the self-service pharmacy.

Lying down until the afternoon, when the sunlight began to stream into the south-facing apartment building, his wrist terminal vibrated constantly, reminding him about “marriage.” It was then he remembered his decision to get married a few days ago.

Marriage held no attraction for him; he could live well alone and enjoyed the freedom that solitude brought.

However, the financial support that marriage provided firmly controlled the lifeline of every male.

Getting married, it didn’t matter who he chose.

All he needed was money.

He applied for a genetic match through the intelligence brain’s gene bank, and when the match results came out, the intelligence brain returned the top twenty matches in his area.

Genetic matching was a basic procedure in the Zerg society before marriage, integrating the information of all Zerg members in society. It significantly reduced the likelihood of genetic diseases in future offspring.

To save time, he limited the matching range to his city.

He first excluded sub-females with poor economic abilities and then eliminated those with a match rate below 85%, leaving only six people on the list.

Xi Tian sent meeting invitations to these six candidates one by one.

Even if he was looking for a long-term meal ticket, he didn’t want to waste his first marriage hastily.

“Ellis, are you really not coming with us?” Owen had just changed clothes, sitting in a chair, asking the female in front of him who was taking off his training uniform.

“No way.” Ellis replied. He had promised his teammates last week to go out and relax after today’s training, but it coincided with a date with a male. “An invitation from a male, can’t refuse.”

“This is your third time this year, right? I only had three in total last year. You’re more popular than me.” Owen sighed. “You’ve been in the Fourth Army for two years and received seven or eight dating messages, right?”

“Eight.”

“It’s said that females who go on ten dates without getting married are destined to be single for life, you’re in a bit of danger~”

“Doesn’t matter.” Ellis put on his shoes and straightened his clothes in the mirror. “Even if I don’t get married, the army will ‘assign’ me a male master.”

“Forget it,” Owen hugged his shoulders, pretending to shiver. “There are hardly any well-behaved males in forced matches. Those few forcibly matched by the army in the past two years, said to be ‘matched with good males,’ are known to be treated as playthings underfoot. Females from good families, whether female lords or female servants, still have some dignity and respect. Those from ordinary families that marry in ‘good male’ families have a status similar to female slaves.”

“Isn’t Anders, who married the head of the Liang family from the Third Army, doing well? He returned to the team shortly after the wedding, don’t be too pessimistic.”

“Not everyone has that kind of luck. The head of the Liang family is famously doting on his children, personally raising all of them. Look at the little males around now, none of them have the charming virtues of a thousand years ago, indulging in eating, drinking, and playing.”

“If you don’t want a male master, you just have to keep climbing up, until you can control your own marriage.” Ellis’s voice was cold. He finally adjusted his hair in the mirror, took his keys, and left.

Fifty years ago, Zerg Star and the new member of the Star Alliance, Earth, became sister planets, establishing trade and commercial exchanges. Earth’s rich entertainment culture deeply influenced Zerg Star.

The most famous and widely accepted import was coffee, which invigorated and refreshed. Consequently, coffee shops blossomed all over Zerg Star.

The address for the blind date sent by the male was a well-known coffee shop.

Ellis arrived at the reserved table and saw his blind date. He was an ordinary-looking male, dressed in a clean white shirt with the collar buttons undone, and the sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing two fair forearms.

At that moment, he was stirring the coffee spoon on the saucer, watching it spin.

Xi Tian had already met five people according to the list’s order; the person before him was the sixth. The high frequency of meetings had left him mentally exhausted. He had removed his jacket during his third meeting of the day and thrown it aside, now fully concentrating on the movement of the spoon.

“Hello, I’m Ellis. You must be Xi Tian.”

Ellis sat down and realized that the male in front of him had a very delicate face. His forehead was full, his nose prominent, his cheekbones broad and gentle, his jawline clear, and his chin slender and square. His eyes seemed to see through people, with slightly upturned corners that softened their sharpness with a hint of allure.

Xi Tian was used to people admiring his looks, but seldom encountered such an impolite gaze.

He raised his head indifferently to meet Ellis’s gaze, and at the moment their eyes met, it was as if sparks flew. Xi Tian felt an inexplicable tremor in his chest.

This was an unfamiliar sensation.

This feeling made him straighten up and seriously appraise the person opposite him.

This female seemed no different from the others he had met before.

Perhaps, his features were more handsome, fitting the current popular type.

But…

At the same time, Ellis couldn’t help but look away.

He had not taken this blind date seriously, just like the previous ones.

However, when the male looked at him, it was as if he heard angels singing.

Ellis did not want to get married right now.

Yes, in his plan, he wouldn’t consider marriage for at least seven or eight years, when he had climbed to a position where he could control his marital decisions.

Not now.

Not now.

Ellis nervously clenched and unclenched his hands, discreetly wiping them on his pants.

Xi Tian’s eyes darkened, and he slid the drink menu over to Ellis.

Ellis took it, pointed to a random item on the menu, and spoke to the waiter who had been waiting.