After the Zerg General Was Accidentally Marked - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Reunion

After saying goodbye to Everett in his heart, Major General Sears had envisioned many scenarios for their reunion.

Perhaps years later, after he had returned to the First Legion and Everett had progressed further on the path to becoming the Insect Emperor, they would meet at some formal occasion, shaking hands, smiling, and exchanging polite pleasantries.

Except for himself, no other insect would remember his past the time he was marked by the other as a female slave. Perhaps much later, once the two had become friends or allies, he might inadvertently mention that absurd past as a slave, treating it like a joke, letting it pass with a soft sigh.

Whatever the case, Sears never expected that in just two short days, they would meet again.

And on the very cargo ship he was using to smuggle himself out of the Capital Star.

Even less did he expect such a scene, thick with the scent of blood.

The time was wrong, the place was wrong, and the manner was even more wrong.

At that moment, the little male was pinned to the floor by a strong female who had him by the throat; his face was flushed a deep red. Simultaneously, the boy was clutching a dagger, desperately stabbing it into the other’s body. Blood gushed out, nearly soaking the female’s upper body, with a fair amount splattering onto the male’s beautiful face, lending that typically obedient and innocent countenance a hint of murderous ferocity for the first time.

Is this the kind of combat capability a male is supposed to have??

“So… las…” The little male was running out of air. “Save…”

Sears quickly stepped forward, joining the struggle where both parties were on the verge of death. He yanked the female away with a single pull.

Everett clutched his neck, gasping for air as his color gradually returned.

On the other side, Sears was checking the female’s condition. There was too much blood loss, and the insect wings had unfurled, twitching slightly judging by the length, it was likely a B-rank he probably wouldn’t survive.

Meanwhile, the little male had struggled to his feet, clenching his blood-stained fist and swinging it down toward Sears.

Sears tolerated the first few hits, then caught Everett’s wrist, using the translator to warn: “Your condition is poor. Don’t waste your strength.”

“What do you care…” Everett struggled relentlessly under Sears’ grip. “Did you care when you ran away from District 14 without a word?!”

In reality, Sears had been hiding in the shadows that night, watching until the little male had safely departed. But something else must have happened afterward to cause Everett to end up on the same cargo ship as him.

Clearly, however, the currently over-emotional little male was in no state to listen to reason. Regardless of what a great Insect Emperor he would grow up to be, for now, Everett was still just a little male—the kind who threw tantrums.

Sears let out a sigh and apologized sincerely via the translator: “I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have left you behind.”

Everett finally stopped his soft-fisted pummeling, leaning against Sears to steady his racing heart.

“I haven’t forgiven you,” he insisted stubbornly.

At the same time, the female on the ground, having lost too much blood, finally stopped breathing.

After dealing with the corpse and the bloodstains, the two slipped into the staff breakroom on this cargo level.

The little male managed to wash himself clean and changed into an ill-fitting robe scavenged from the cargo bay. He dried his hair and sat down heavily beside Sears.

After all, in this tiny room, there was only one bed.

Now, Everett had calmed down completely. He had been kidnapped onto a starship and was entirely ignorant of his current situation. There were likely only two living insects on board himself, and Solas, and he had just punched the other.

A very bad start.

“Tell me, why did you end up on this cargo ship?” Sears asked.

In truth, Everett didn’t remember the specific process of boarding. So, he briefly explained what had happened before: how he had been unfortunately set up while gathering information in District 14.

Then, he was stripped of his freedom and mobility. He had been drowsy due to drug injections. By the time he woke up, he was already on this ship.

“He was probably the insect responsible for guarding me, but he wanted to ‘sneak a taste,'” the little male grinned nonchalantly. “So I played along, and while he was taking off his pants, I grabbed his dagger and drove it in.”

So this female tried to force himself on the male to extract pheromones, but was counter-killed, Sears translated the little male’s words in his mind.

However, Everett’s physical strength was indeed beyond his expectations. For females, a higher mental power rank usually meant a stronger physique. But for males, it was the opposite. The stronger the mental power, the better-looking the male, but the weaker his body would be.

He was quite certain he had just seen a solid six-pack under the little male’s pajamas.

“That one-eyed female is named Kahn. He frequently deals in insect trafficking. My smuggling pass was also obtained from him.”

So, Sears as a smuggler and Everett as male cargo had happened to pass through the hands of the same trafficker, leading to their reunion on the same cargo ship.

It was a reunion akin to fate.

On this medium-sized cargo ship, they were perhaps the only two living insects on board. Regardless of what had happened before, cooperating was the only choice at this moment.

Sears understood this, and so did Everett. If one had to say, Sears who had boarded the ship voluntarily and prepared was in a much better position than the forced-onboard Everett.

“If you hadn’t run away from District 14, I wouldn’t have been caught and ended up like this. So, you should take responsibility for this,” the little male struck first, speaking with conviction as he began his accusations. “Furthermore, I am still your nominal master and possess full control over you.” Actually, he didn’t anymore.

“So under these circumstances, I propose…”

“Everett,” Sears interrupted the little male’s long-winded speech, “Even without any prerequisites, I would ensure your safety.”

Furthermore, he still needed the little male to help repair his mental sea.

Everett found that the other was not lying.

“…Why?” Does unconditional, selfless giving really exist in this world?

Perhaps because of the marking, the female has developed special feelings for me?

Because you are the future Insect Emperor.

But Sears obviously couldn’t say that directly, so he simply wore a mysterious look. “The important thing is that I’m not lying, right?”

Everett hated this feeling. The other felt so close, and he could clearly judge the truth of his words, yet he still couldn’t see through him.

“In short, during our time on this ship, you can trust me.”

Receiving no response for a while, Sears turned his head to find the little male beside him had slumped onto the bed. He had already fallen fast asleep.

He was likely exhausted. Sears helped straighten his body and covered him with a blanket; the boy didn’t even wake up.

This sleep lasted a long time.

When Everett scrambled up, he was still a bit dazed.

However, before the female outside the door could knock, he had already sensed his location.

The little male ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his ill-fitting clothes. “Come in.”

Sears was there to bring him food. Two cans and a bottle of water.

Everett didn’t have much of an appetite, but he took them and ate a little.

“This ship is named the Eddie, a medium-sized cargo vessel. There are eight cargo levels; each level has three connecting corridors and aisles separated by 136 shelving units. There are two freight elevators at the diagonal corners for moving between levels, and next to each elevator is a vertical ladder well. Additionally, each level has a single-insect breakroom. Since this ship is currently in an unmanned pilot state, we can occupy these rooms for the time being.”

“You are currently staying on the third level. I am on the bottom, the eighth level.”

“The Eddie departed from the Capital Star in the A-System about eight hours ago, heading for the Kovas Star Cluster in the B-System. The estimated total travel time is thirty days and eight hours.”

“Pfft!! Cough, cough…” Everett, who was drinking water, choked. “How long?!”

“Thirty days, roughly. There might be some discrepancy depending on changes in the flight route.”

“Why will it take so long? It only took me one day to get from the even further H-System to the Capital Star!”

“Because that was a passenger ship for insects; it used jump gates. This kind of cargo ship can’t afford the jump gate fees.”

“But thirty days… that’s too long.”

“Don’t worry, I brought enough food, and there’s water in the breakrooms. Also, I just checked the cargo on the eighth level and found a row of shelves containing nutritional supplements.”

“This isn’t about food. I have plans; I have so many things to do back at the Capital, my business…”

“What business?”

Everett remembered he hadn’t confessed about the Karatin yet. “…Nothing.”

“I am a male, after all. If I go missing, surely insects will come looking for me.”

“Perhaps. But once the ship enters warp speed, you won’t be able to send any messages unless you have a cross-galaxy star-net system.”

Clearly, the little male did not.

“So, we’re trapped here?”

Sears patted the little male’s shoulder. “I don’t feel trapped. This is the path to safety out of the Capital Star.”

“Of course, it doesn’t matter to you,” Everett said. “Because you had nothing to begin with!”

The moment those blue eyes looked over, Everett immediately felt guilty. “I didn’t mean…”

Sears shook his head. “You’re right, Master.”

“I will bring food over periodically. If you need any other help, find me on the eighth level.”

After Solas left, Everett tossed the unfinished can out the door and lay back on the bed in frustration.

By the time Everett woke up again, he had started to lose track of time. He scrambled up nonetheless, found the dagger, and carved a vertical mark on the wall. Thirty days; once he gathered thirty lines, he could leave this place.

When faced with an unsolvable predicament, one can only accept it with a better mindset. Just like when he first transmigrated to this place.

Everett pulled open the door, preparing to find the female, but suddenly noticed something was wrong.

He backed up to the doorway, squatted, and carefully inspected the can he had thrown out earlier. The fish can that was half-full before was now completely empty, not a single scrap of meat remained.

Unless Solas had returned later to lick the can clean, then…

Everett scanned his surroundings. Under the dim lights, the rows of neat shelves felt like cold ghosts, just waiting for him to approach so the monster hidden behind them could suddenly appear and swallow him with its gaping maw!

There was something else alive here!

Just as he was worrying, a sound suddenly came from the distance. Without thinking, Everett jumped onto the vertical ladder and slid straight to the bottom floor, then threw open the door to the eighth-level breakroom.

“Solas!”

But after seeing the situation inside, the little male immediately backed out and slammed the door shut.

The military female inside was perhaps changing his clothes, or perhaps had just finished bathing. In any case, there were only two items left on his entire body.

One was the bite-inhibitor.

The other was the bandages.

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