The Omega Becomes The Zerg Queen - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Darts

The two strolled slowly down the street, both sides draped in fresh flowers and colorful ribbons. The evening breeze brushed against their faces, and the aroma of delicacies was intoxicating.

Large crowds gathered in front of several shops. Su Lili queued up at each one, weaving through the moving throngs of people. Zephyros remained constantly by her side, shielding her and keeping her at a safe distance from the crowd.

Zerg cuisine was vastly different from Earth’s. Su Lili didn’t have a large appetite, but she was curious and found everything delicious. Taking a bite of this and a taste of that, Zephyros was soon covered in bags and packages of her leftovers.

“I can’t finish it all,” Su Lili said, biting into a freshly made piece of Pan-Fried Sea Monster Tentacle. The springy texture of the tentacle, deep-fried at high heat, was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, bursting with fresh, spicy flavor.

Looking at the half of the street they had yet to cover, she looked a bit disappointed. “Let’s save the rest for next time.”

“Hmm?”

Zephyros reached out and naturally took the leftover packaging from her hand, looking at the girl with a hint of confusion. “It’s still early, Your Majesty.”

“It’s not about the time.”

The firm meat of the sea monster tentacle was quite chewy. Su Lili’s cheeks puffed out as she chewed thoroughly, speaking slowly only after she managed to swallow. “It’s because I’ve already bought too much.”

Her gaze fell upon the bags he was carrying. These street snacks were meant to be eaten fresh; they were delicious on the day of purchase, but lost their flavor overnight. Although each portion was small, there were many bags; added together, it was almost her entire daily capacity—the kind where she’d have to really push herself to fit it all in.

The way the King worked hard to swallow her food reminded him of certain small animals. Zephyros’s gaze drifted from her cheeks down to her lips, which were turned a deep, glistening red from the oil.

He asked seriously: “May I eat them?”

“Huh?” The street noise was loud, and Su Lili tilted her head, not quite hearing him.

Reluctantly moving his gaze up from her red lips, Zephyros stared into her eyes and asked again with sincerity. “I want to eat them. May I, Your Majesty?”

She heard him clearly this time. “These snacks? Of course you can.” Su Lili’s eyes lit up. With someone to help share the load, she had no more worries.

“Mhm,” Zephyros murmured, lowering his eyes. He picked up the remaining food from the bags and began to eat.

The pan-fried sea monster tentacle was skewered on a long stick. She hadn’t been very precise when eating it, just biting wherever was convenient. Now that the man had taken it out, she realized the neatly arranged tentacles had been chewed into uneven shapes. With every bite he took, the white, tender cross-sections of the tentacles clearly showed the marks of her small teeth.

Her face flushed instantly. “Maybe…” Maybe forget it.

Before she could finish, Zephyros had already taken a bite. He didn’t seem to care at all; his first bite landed right where her tooth marks were. As he chewed, his focused, serious gaze was locked onto Su Lili’s face, direct and burning.

He ate quickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed in a few gulps. The sea monster tentacle was indeed delicious, and a look of satisfaction appeared on the usually cold man’s face. His sharp gold eyes looked straight at the girl, and he spoke in a low, meaningful voice: “Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty.”

With Zephyros as her backup, Su Lili let loose and ate her way from one end of the street to the other.

As night fell and the lights grew brighter, the food street gave way to a street dedicated to games. Cool, stylish shops of various themes lined both sides. The Zerg worshipped strength; even their games leaned toward projects that could showcase physical prowess.

Darts—a game with simple rules and fair results that tested eyesight, arm strength, and stability—was very popular among the Zerg. One shop in particular was packed.

“Dart shooting: 1,000,000 Star Credits for ten darts.”

“Why so expensive?” She looked closer. She had played darts on Earth, but the Zerg version seemed different. First, there was the distance; the space between the throwing platform and the wall utilized space-folding technology, making the actual distance much farther than it appeared.

The prizes were also different from the dolls and souvenirs common on Earth. Zerg prizes were mostly weapons and equipment. Various cold, gleaming weapons hung from extremely thin silk threads on a wide wall. If you could sever the silk thread, you could take the corresponding weapon. Descriptions of each weapon’s origin lined the side wall; at a glance, they were all rare masterpieces.

Su Lili’s gaze fixed on a long whip hanging at the very top. The snow-white whip was covered in delicate white scales, with faint silver patterns that reflected a shimmering light. The description beside it noted it was the masterpiece of a Zerg weapon master—the only one of its kind in the galaxy.

Zephyros followed her gaze and spoke: “It is genuine.”

It was beautiful; she quite liked it. “Ten darts, please,” Su Lili said to the owner, deepening her voice into a raspy tone. Her sweet voice, when lowered, became a crisp and pleasant boyish tone. Just the sound of it made people feel well-disposed toward her.

The owner, who had been sitting bored at the checkout, suddenly became enthusiastic. He pulled ten darts from a bucket and handed them over. But when he tilted his head, the smile on his face froze. This person… was completely different from the delicate, cute boy he had imagined.

There were several throwing stations in the shop. Most were occupied by people throwing, but most left empty-handed and dejected. Su Lili found a spot, queued up, and observed. When the person in front of her left, she stepped onto the platform with anticipation.

The Zerg possessed incredible constitutions; ordinary darts were far too easy for them. After the space folding, the distance between the wall and the platform was roughly 50 meters. When Su Lili stood there, the weapons arranged on the wall looked like tiny black dots.

The metal darts had sharp tips and felt heavy and high-quality. She picked one up to test it; she had expected that with her arm strength, she might not even reach the wall, but to her surprise, the dart flew beyond her expectations, hitting the wall before sliding to the ground.

“…”

Su Lili suddenly realized that while her constitution was considered the lowest among the Zerg, it far exceeded what she once had. She felt as though she could take on ten Earth Omegas at once now.

There was hope!

Holding her breath, Su Lili looked seriously at the distant wall. Unconsciously, her translucent mental power drifted toward her eyes. Under the enhancement of her mental power, the distant wall gradually became clear. The blurry black dots expanded from outlines into details. She saw her target: the thin thread holding the whip.

As a novice, she couldn’t master the throwing angle at first, and her darts landed far from the target. But after ten shots, she gradually found her rhythm. “Boss, ten more!”

The whip was made of superior materials and fine craftsmanship; hanging at the highest point, its difficulty was naturally the highest. Ten darts followed another ten. The “tall, burly man” stood at the platform, unwilling to leave, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his face from intense concentration.

More and more onlookers gathered. At first, they were attracted by the massive amount of credits he was spending—someone silently calculated that her current spending was enough to buy a house in the Central District. But as they looked at the “man,” they felt a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity. However, that feeling vanished once they saw his face.

The Zerg onlookers silently looked away, focusing instead on the results of the throws. The thin support line was hidden behind the whip by the black-hearted owner; hitting it required a specific angle and clever force.

Su Lili had tried many times and was gradually finding the knack. Her palms were slightly sweaty, her pupils contracted, and her fingers trembled with excitement. She gripped the last dart and threw.

The dart flew toward the target exactly as she envisioned. This time, it’ll work!

But before she could celebrate, her dart was struck down in mid-air. Another dart had flown from the adjacent platform, accurately knocking hers to the ground.

“Who is it?!” She frowned and looked over with displeasure.

“You’ve been hogging this spot for too long.”

A boy with red hair, green eyes, and cat-like eyes that slanted upward—looking like an exquisite little prince—grinned at her with a provocative smile. “If you can’t hit it, just give up already, you low-ability bug.”

The moment her gaze fell upon him, the system spoke:

System: Congratulations, Host, for unlocking the card: Sangis

As the system broadcast the message, one of the cards in her mind floated out. The background of the card was pitch black, with only a single beam of white light hitting the boy in the center. He wore a standard academy shirt and trousers, with the school emblem and prefect badge prominently displayed. His limbs were locked, and he was suspended on a massive spinning wheel. A few darts were scattered on the wheel—it looked as though someone had used him as a target. A black lace ribbon was tied over his eyes, obscuring his vision.

Yet his face showed no panic; instead, he carried a faint, ambiguous smile. He opened his mouth toward the girl in front of the wheel, and on his bright red tongue, a metal tongue stud reflected the light, exceptionally striking.

• Name: Sangis

• Race: Zerg

• Constitution: SS-grade

• Mental Power: S-grade

• Favorability: ★★★☆☆

• Loyalty: ★★★☆☆

Su Lili’s breath hitched. A new card.

She hadn’t expected his personality to be so nasty. She glared back. “First come, first served. Please go to the back of the line yourself.”

“Someone like you could throw a hundred more times and it would still be useless,” Sangis interrupted impatiently. “Just hurry up and move.”

He had also set his sights on that whip. The white, gorgeous whip reminded him of the beautiful, dove-like Majesty he had seen in the broadcasts. It would be the perfect gift for their first meeting after the selection tournament. Unfortunately, someone was already throwing at the weapon he wanted. This Zerg was clearly a novice; after ages, there were no results, and his patience had run out.

“?” What an arrogant bug.

Zephyros tilted his head, asking Su Lili with his eyes: Should I step in?

Su Lili shook her head. She had just mastered the trick and was confident she could hit it. She frowned and bit back: “Who says I can’t? What if I hit it?”

“With your skills?” Sangis laughed mockingly. “Are you planning to stand here for a year?”

“I don’t need a year,” Su Lili said, staring into the arrogant boy’s eyes, speaking one word at a time. “Just the next one.”

“How about it? Want to bet?”

“If I hit it, I want you to be my servant for a day and never step foot in this shop again.”

“Deal,” Sangis agreed quickly, raising an eyebrow. “If you miss, you leave immediately and run ten laps around this street, shouting ‘I am a low-ability bug’ as you go.”

Su Lili nodded. “Fine.”