After the Zerg General Was Accidentally Marked - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Relationship

It couldn’t even be called a news article. After the clickbait headline, the remaining 90% was filled with hyperbolic praise for the Kalatin reagent, practically blowing it up into a miracle drug that could raise the dead and regrow flesh on bones. It was obviously an advertisement.

After this “news” came out, few insects likely cared about the love story, and even fewer cared about the Magic Lamp Company’s conspiracy. The only relevant change was that the average local price of Kalatin reagent increased by ten star-coins.

“This is just an ad bought by the Magic Lamp Company.” Sears was speechless. He had actually hoped the headline report would guide public opinion to pay attention to the Kalatin reagent and the company’s plot.

“But it has nothing to do with F,” Everett added, quickly explaining as Sears looked over. “F isn’t that boring!”

Both insects felt extremely stifled. But they both now had public jobs and had become busy. They had no time to specifically seek out that journalist.

Upon learning that Everett’s new job was at the Magic Lamp branch, Sears was initially disapproved. But Everett gave his reason: “Don’t we suspect the Magic Lamp Company? Only by infiltrating deep into the enemy’s interior can we better understand them!”

“The key is that the benefits are great! Aren’t we short on money? To encourage high-rank employment, the Magic Lamp Company has a special ‘newcomer bonus’ for high-ranks you get it just for joining!” Everett tapped his account to show Sears. Now, the star-coin accounts of the three insects could be linked and shared, with only Bigu’s having an amount limit set.

“It’s a hundred thousand!”

Sears glanced at it; the star-coins were indeed real. At least the rent for the next few months was covered.

Regardless, Everett’s new job was considered accepted by Sears.

Everett thought: Military females really haven’t worked in a corporation; he actually believes that line.

Sears thought: Even this can be used to trick insects; the company definitely has problems.

“So, what exactly do you do at the Magic Lamp Company?”

“Informatized management of personnel entering and exiting the building.”

“Speak insect.”

“A doorman.” The little high-rank asked in return, “What about you? What do you do at the Military Communications Building?”

This time Sears was silent for a while. “Cleaning.”

Little Dummy, just passing by: “A perfect match!”

No matter what secret plans the two insects had, routine work whether being a doorman or a janitor was a tedious and dull affair.

No adult insect likes going to work.

In this family of three, only Bigu remained unemployed and ignorant, yet happy and blissful.

On the first day of work, Everett arrived at the Magic Lamp branch on time to report for duty. Because he was a “connected person” with “insects in high places,” no one made things difficult for him, and no one actually made him work. After the reporting ended and he changed into his work uniform, he began sitting idly at the front desk.

Then his thoughts couldn’t help but start drifting.

Last night, why did Solas dodge his kiss? Was he shy? Or…

If Bigu hadn’t interrupted in time, he really, truly might have pulled him back for a forced kiss!

Fortunately, he had braked.

Everett felt a bit aggrieved. Thinking back, they were technically a legal couple. The marking was done, they lived together, and the cub was already quite old. It felt like they had entered a period of stable marital adjustment. But the problem was, the things one should do while dating… not one had happened?

In his previous life, Everett had never been in a relationship, but he roughly knew: dating involves going on dates, kissing, and hugging. And… going to bed.

Everett certainly knew he had desire for the military female. Whenever he was with Solas, his gaze would unconsciously be drawn to parts of the other’s body. The broad shoulders, the full chest muscles, the tightened waistline, the straight and powerful legs, and then those Achaetus blue eyes, the well-defined fingers, and the Adam’s apple that occasionally bobbed up and down…

It was a bit like when he was a crazed fan of his idol Sears, full of excessive desire to explore every minute detail. But Admiral Sears was more like a perfect symbol lofty and only to be viewed from afar. He knew those feelings were a projection of his own desires born of longing.

And now, Solas had become the vessel for his desires.

The only problem was, he wasn’t quite sure of Solas’s view on the matter.

Judging from the feedback when Solas was dazed by his pheromones previously, the military female clearly liked him physiologically. But whether he was prepared psychologically remained unknown.

He couldn’t exactly pin the insect against a wall and ask: Do you want your master’s reproductive fluid?

First of all, he couldn’t pin him at all.

The little high-rank sighed; falling in love is really hard.

The military female truly responsible for guarding the door heard the sigh and couldn’t help but glance at him.

But Everett remembered again that Solas had once firmly said, “to be the Solas of only one insect.”

“Hehe!” Thus, the little high-rank couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

The military female’s gaze instantly shifted from probing curiosity to “this is probably an idiot.”

“Excellency,” the military female spoke tentatively, “would you like some kumquat fruits?”

“Just call me Everett.” Seeing the other still hesitating, Everett said, “I’m an F-grade.”

According to his experience, these words usually bridged the gap between him and military females.

Sure enough, the other relaxed significantly and pointed to his work badge. “My name is Liam Neeson.”

“What are kumquat fruits?” The diets of military females and high-ranks didn’t overlap much, and every planet had its own specialty fruits. Everett truly didn’t know what they were.

The military female pulled a handful from his pocket and handed them over. They were small, golden, round fruits, about the size of a date, with a sweet fragrance. They were almost identical to the kumquats eaten in the human era.

“Thanks.” Everett took one and bit into it, his face immediately scrunched from the bitterness. “Ptooey!”

“You have to peel them.” Truly an idiot, what a pity for that handsome face. Liam felt increasingly pitying.

After teaching the little high-rank how to peel them and extract the white, fingernail-sized pulp inside, Liam asked the question he had been curious about: “Why did you come here to work?”

Why would a high-rank fall to being a doorman? Was it because of the low grade and a bad brain?

Everett thought the other was asking why he came to the Magic Lamp Company. “Because I’m short on money.”

“High-ranks can be short on money?” Aren’t there government subsidies?

“F-grade is like that.” High-rank subsidies were divided by grade. If not for the Magic Lamp Company, he would indeed be very poor. Although his grade had changed now, the subsidy amount wouldn’t change until next month.

“Besides, my military females spend too much money.” ‘Military females’ referred to Solas, Bigu, and Admiral Sears.

Sears burned the most money.

“What about you? Why did you come here to work?” Everett asked.

“I went to university,” Liam said as he peeled a few kumquats for himself.

“Wow!” Very few military females could go to university nowadays. Military academies excluded.

“I studied finance.”

“Wow… eh?” Everett was completely puzzled. “You studied finance and then came to be a doorman? For what?”

“There are too few legitimate positions for military females now. Even this job was found by my female father through connections.”

“So you’re short on money too?”

Liam shook his head. “How much can you earn as a doorman? But having a job makes it easier to find a high-rank master.”

“So you military females all really want to find a high-rank master, right?” Everett had long realized the huge difference between the sexes—the massive gap in numbers, the information asymmetry, the completely different social status, etc. He just used to feel it had nothing to do with him, at most just learning about the life of Admiral Sears. But it was different now; he had a military female he truly wanted to care about.

The information on the optical-link was always filtered. Conveniently, he had such a military female colleague right here. He could learn about the social ecology of the Zerg Empire directly from him.

“There’s no military female who doesn’t want a master; sub-females want them too.”

“But most military females have to share their master with others. Don’t you feel uncomfortable about it?”

Liam was a bit surprised. “Why would it be uncomfortable?”

“If you love someone, you wouldn’t want to share, right?”

“Who said finding a master is about love?”

Everett’s brain couldn’t quite process this. “High-ranks marry military females, have eggs, and raise cubs together. Isn’t that love?”

Liam burst out laughing. “Have you only seen courtship and marriage in official promotional videos?” It seems his brain is fine, he’s just too naive.

No, he had also seen instructional videos. But he indeed didn’t have much relevant experience. Everett asked anxiously: “So why exactly? Why do all military females and sub-females want a master?”

“To stay alive, of course,” Liam said. “A military female without a mark won’t live past eighty, but a marked military female can generally live over two hundred.”

“If the grade is high, or if the master is willing to give some pheromones usually, reaching the average lifespan of a high-rank is possible.”

“The average lifespan of a high-rank…”

“Four hundred years.” Liam suddenly felt a bit awkward. “Ah, F-grade might not reach that.”

Everett was still processing the massive amount of information suddenly flooding his mind, followed immediately by a terrifying realization: Could it be that Solas returned to his side only to stay alive?

Did “belonging only to him” mean “belonging only to him as his female attendant or female slave”?

Was the mutual affection he imagined just a one-sided wishful thinking?!

The military female probably saw that the little high-rank’s expression was wrong and thought he had said something wrong, so he quickly tried to compensate. “Hey, don’t be too sad. Don’t we have Kalatin now? It can supplement mental power. I heard the latest report says it can even upgrade! F-grade can live for a long time in the future…”

“Thanks! But I… I have to go make a call.” Saying this, he got up from the front desk and went into the stairwell.

The little high-rank pulled out his optical-link and tapped the chat box with Solas.

The most recent two messages were Solas telling him: There is signal shielding equipment in the communications building; I might not reply in time.

Then he had replied with an ‘OK’ emoji.

Everett couldn’t wait and directly dialed a video call three in a row but none were answered. So he wrote and deleted in the chat box, finally asking:

You returned to my side, not because you were marked by me and had no choice, right?

After waiting a long time without a reply, he asked again:

When can we seriously talk about our relationship together?

Still no reply. The little high-rank was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan in the stairwell.

After agonizing conflict, he threw caution to the wind and went straight to the point: Do you have desire for me beyond physiological factors?

Do you, from the bottom of your heart, purely want me?

This time the other replied in seconds: Of course.

Everett was stunned. Of course? Of course he wants him?

Then he saw the other continue to send: Tonight then.

Be prepared.

Tonight… prepared? This time Everett understood, and his face suddenly felt a bit hot. So soon? Well… it wasn’t impossible.

The little high-rank seriously searched the mall for some items specifically for military females. Then he screenshotted and sent them to Solas. I bought these first; which one do you like?

However, due to the reproduction rate issues of Zerg high-ranks, contraceptive medicines and supplies cannot be purchased directly online.

So Everett asked: Is the ‘ultra-thin lubricated excitement/cool style’ okay for protective measures? This was something he had just asked Liam.

On the other side, Sears was familiarizing himself with the work process. Although it was cleaning, it was, after all, a military unit, and following regulations was important. Just as he came out of the elevator, he received a message from the little high-rank: You returned to my side, not because you were marked by me and had no choice, right?

He quickly replied: Of course.

The other said: When can we seriously talk about our relationship together?

What must come will come: Tonight then.

After thinking it might scare the little high-rank, he specifically added: Be prepared.

Then he turned off the optical-link and went to the tower on the top floor.

As a result, when he came out, he received a string of messages from the little high-rank on his optical-link. The product images were quite explicit. The latest one seemed to be asking… about some kind of contraceptive product?

Sears: ???

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