The Regent of the Zerg [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mu Ling had no desire to travel with Karn. Upon disembarking, he used a few tricks to shake him off before checking into a tavern near the Tang Luosi Building.

The tavern’s signboard had the words “Guest Arrival Inn” scrawled crookedly across it. The double doors wouldn’t close completely, allowing the northern winds to howl inside. The interior decoration and furniture were dilapidated, yet the prices posted in the lobby were staggering. The proprietor was rather proud of this, declaring that they guaranteed nothing here except for basic life security.

In truth, life security didn’t depend on him at all. It was entirely thanks to the fact that Tang Luosi’s stronghold was right next door. Ordinary petty criminals didn’t dare act out here. Nine out of ten people staying here intended to find work in the neighboring building, as it offered both the possibility of great wealth and a guarantee of safety.

Lodging ate up another large chunk of Mu Ling’s Zerg crystals. The problem of survival was thrust directly in front of him without any cover, becoming the most urgent of urgent priorities.

Mu Ling went to his room, which was just as haphazardly furnished. Fortunately, it had a private bathroom. He went straight to the mirror, studied his reflection for a moment, and frowned.

The System asked: “Modifying your appearance is very mentally taxing. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’ll just treat it as a form of cultivation.”

Appearance was a significant indicator of a Zerg’s mental power level.

Mu Ling originally felt this face was no different from his previous life, but as he aged and his mental power grew denser, even a casual glance at his reflection in water revealed a breathtaking intensity at the corners of his eyes and brows that couldn’t be ignored. Coupled with bone structure that became clearer by the day, even a stern expression couldn’t suppress the vivid beauty of his features.

After the age of twelve, when he spoke with others, they would often daze off while staring at him for no reason. As this happened more frequently, it became an obstacle and began to irritate him.

To say he was “modifying his appearance” was actually an exaggeration; it was merely using mental suggestion and the coordination of light and shadow to make his features appear duller.

A prince who had fled the palace with the intent to subvert the Empire would be asking for death if he paraded around with such a conspicuous face.

He tinkered until evening. Seeing the much more ordinary face in the mirror, he was finally satisfied and went downstairs for dinner.

At dusk, the cunning proprietor transformed the lobby into a restaurant and set up a crude stage in the center for information brokers to tell stories and hawk news, from which the proprietor took a cut.

When Mu Ling went down, he found the lobby packed with people. Languages from all corners of the world converged, and amidst the noise, there was at least some order; the walking paths weren’t blocked.

The information broker on stage was a human. Only humans had the mind for such opportunistic cleverness, earning these trivial amounts of “brain money.” Zerg, whether Female or Male, had their own respective prides and had always looked down on making a living through mere talk.

Mu Ling ordered the cheapest single-set meal and found an inconspicuous corner to observe. The guests at the table nearest to him seemed to have the same plan, silently watching the commotion in the lobby without speaking.

The noise decreased as one moved away from the central stage. Mu Ling listened intently. He had no spare funds to buy a local Star-Net login device, so he could only blindly guess most things, which was little better than being blind and deaf. The appearance of the information broker solved his immediate need.

He heard news about himself—the Royal Family had lost a Male.

Surprised by how well-informed the broker was, he saw the gathered Zerg and humans grow excited. Some mocked the Royal Family, others were full of schadenfreude, and even more were curious about his whereabouts. Question after question popped up as they grew impatient to know the specific details of the Prince’s disappearance.

Male Zerg were precious, and high-level Males were even rarer. Currently, there were barely over a hundred registered A-rank Males in the Empire, and most of those had upgraded later in life. There were only twelve S-rank Males, all of whom held top-tier positions in the Empire.

The golden bloodlines of high-level Males could only be passed down by even higher-level Females. A-rank Males were only willing to pair with Females of A-rank or above. Low-level Females served as slaves or attendants and were usually unable to bear high-level offspring.

Mu Ling had been an A-rank Male since birth, and his use of mental power was becoming more refined by the day. This operation had been planned for a long time and executed covertly; there was no way he could have left any clues for the people in the palace. The tall tales the broker was spinning now were a hundred percent fake. He sneered, picked up his water glass, and took a sip.

Someone at the next table shifted their gaze toward him and asked:

“What are you laughing at?”

Mu Ling looked at the person. By chance, he was wearing the same style of hood Mu Ling had worn during the day. Most of his face was hidden in shadow, revealing only a sharply defined jawline.

His voice was deep and pleasant, magnetic and smooth, like spring rain falling on melting waters, or the light brushing of tender willows by the shore, stirring the buds and leaves into a quiet commotion. Every syllable induced a velvety, numbing itch.

Mu Ling had never encountered a Zerg or human whose voice alone was so incredibly sexy. He took note of it, his gaze falling on the hand resting on the table. He said: “Humans know the anecdotes of the Zerg like the back of their hand, yet the Zerg know almost nothing of humans. Isn’t that quite strange?”

Mu Ling saw the person’s finger scratch the table once. The knuckles were well-defined, slender, and balanced—neither too fleshy nor too gaunt—and the fingernails were rounded, full, and lustrous.

His hand was as moving as his voice; that single scratch just now felt like it had scratched Mu Ling’s heart.

Mu Ling coughed, feeling he was being a bit impetuous, and couldn’t help but take a sip of water.

This was clearly a man, and most likely a Female Zerg. In the ten years he had been in this world, he had always observed his kind from a distance, keeping them at arm’s length. He had never thought about spending the rest of his life with a masculine Female Zerg. What was wrong with him today?

The other party hadn’t released any pheromones or extended any mental tentacles; Mu Ling hadn’t even seen what he looked like clearly.

“Not all Zerg are completely ignorant,” the man smiled. “Are you human? Or a sub-female?”

The Regent, who had several times led his cavalry on personal expeditions to the northern frontiers, had never liked the delicate weakness of Male Zerg. Since coming to this world, he had placed extra emphasis on physical training. Although he hadn’t reached the level of a Female Zerg, after concealing his features, it was impossible to judge his identity by his appearance.

“Human,” Mu Ling said. “I’m just anxious because he hasn’t mentioned what I want to inquire about yet.”

“What do you want to inquire about?”

“Work.” Nine out of ten people and bugs here wanted to ask about that, but the man froze for a second before laughing softly: “You won’t find that here. Information brokers aren’t qualified to post recruitment info for employers. You have to look on the Star-Net.”

Mu Ling curled his lip: “Then I can only hope to stumble upon something. I can’t afford a login device.”

The man went silent for a moment. A silver coin slid from his sleeve, and he flicked it to Mu Ling: “Borrow this. You really should find a job quickly.”

Mu Ling caught it. The silver coin still carried the man’s body temperature; it felt almost scorching when it first touched his palm.

This was a public access port with a built-in signal transmitter that could link to his bracelet. Though not as expensive as a private login device, it was still valuable, and the man had given it to him so easily.

“Thank you. How should I return it?”

“There will be a chance,” the man said softly.

“I at least need to know who you are.”

The man tilted his head: “You can tell, can’t you? I’m a Female Zerg.”

“I meant your name.”

“I can’t say…Don’t you humans talk about ‘fated affinity’? If we are fated, then you can return it to me later.”

With that, he stood up, and the people around him also rose, surrounding him in a dense crowd.

“And another thing, young master—you should bring at least a few more people when coming to a place like this. Otherwise, it’s dangerous.” He laughed under his hood.

Mu Ling didn’t speak, his thumb rubbing the surface of the login coin. The heat on it had dissipated a bit, which hinted at one thing—this Female Zerg, who was chatting so naturally with him, was approaching the brink of going feral.

He left the inn with his wall of people. The crowd tacitly made way for them, and even the loudest fellow instinctively watched in silence. The room didn’t return to its clamor until their figures vanished out the door.

The System said tremblingly: “Host, he is…”

“A Female Zerg whose name cannot be spoken. Who else could it be in this place?” Mu Ling smiled, holding the silver coin between two fingers and touching it to his lips, savoring the brief encounter: “He’s nothing like what you described.”

“Leader, do you like that human?”

Tang Luosi took off his hood, revealing the face printed on the Empire’s highest-level warrant. His chiseled features were so handsome they bordered on the sinister. He curled his lips: “Though his looks are ordinary, do you remember his gaze when he walked down from upstairs? His every word and action…a typical great family couldn’t raise someone like that. Yet he’s here all alone; it’s quite strange.”

However, once one arrived at the Bandit Gangs, the past was forgiven. Great sins and great glory were all wiped clean. He didn’t want to ask, otherwise, he would be breaking the very rules he had set.

The Female Zerg who asked the question didn’t think there was anything special about Mu Ling’s gaze when he came downstairs, but since Tang Luosi said so, there must be something extraordinary about it. Tang Luosi was the founder of this place, and they had always revered him like a god.

After returning to his room, Mu Ling sent the System to collect recruitment data while he himself pulled up all relevant information on Tang Luosi to browse.

In the Empire, he was a fierce general; after rebelling, he was a fierce bandit. Online, opinions varied on the reason for his rebellion, and the official secrecy only fueled many bizarre stories. Mu Ling was deeply engrossed until the System issued consecutive prompts: “Host, the information processing is complete.”

Mu Ling glanced at it: “Is the place next door hiring?”

“They are hiring 10 administrative staff, 15 pharmacists, 15 regional planners, 20 managers, 40 information technology engineers, and 80 for the guard corps—this last one is for Female Zerg only. Oh, and this final one, you are qualified for—they are hiring 5 Mental Stabilizers.”

The last position was reserved for Male Zerg, but since they could never recruit any, they had relaxed the requirements: as long as you had a way to deal with Female Zerg ferality, regardless of whether you were Female, Male, human, or sub-female, you would be hired.

Mu Ling temporarily disregarded this position as it would easily expose his identity.

“Apply for all positions except the Mental Stabilizer.”

“…You don’t have a resume.”

Mu Ling straightened up in front of the holographic projection: “I need a resume too?”

It wasn’t just an interview? Didn’t they say the past was forgiven?

“The recruitment info says it’s required.”

“…Then write one.”

“One has been automatically generated for you. Please review it.”

Mu Ling immediately had a bad feeling. Sure enough, the resume read:

• Name – Former Name: Mu Ling

• Current Name: Mu Lin

• Race: Fake Human, Real Male Zerg

• Experience:

  • Ages 9-19: Served as the Third Prince of the Empire. Attended the Imperial Royal Academy but was a chronic truant, spending all year wandering the Royal Library and the Academy Library.

• Interests: Biology, Medicine, Anatomy, Mental Power Development, Zerg & Anthropology, Management, Environmental Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering…

• Achievements (Anonymous Publications):

  • Research Methods for Enhancing Male Mental Power

  • The Formation of the Empire

  • Theoretical Models of Zerg Reproduction

  • Dependency Theory: The Path of Zerg Network Economic Development

  • Carving the Sea: Expansion of the Male Mental Realm…

Mu Ling deleted the resume without hesitation.

“Use your nearly-obsolete brain to think, can this be used?”

The System felt wronged: “The instructions were unclear. Plus, the data shows that this kind of experience can increase the success rate of the application. You also said one should be honest as a human; the same applies to Zerg.”

“It’s not a matter of honesty, you faulty robot—” Mu Ling took a deep breath while rubbing his temples, saying through gritted teeth: “Watch how I write it. In the future, do these things…a bit more intelligently.”

He modified his name and race, deleted the background, simplified his interests and achievements, and emphasized his strengths in biomedicine and management. Then, he sent the resume out with full confidence.

The System asked curiously: “Which position does the host plan to apply for?”

“All except the last one.”

“But…” Looking at Mu Ling’s self-satisfied look, the AI program felt something was off.

“There are no ‘buts.’ Ancient wisdom says that when the master is worried, the official is shamed; when the master is shamed, the official dies. It’s one thing that you have no shame programming, but you keep creating trouble for me, forcing me to do everything myself. Why would I need such an official?”

“I’m sorry, host. My functions are too weak.” The System was very depressed. Mu Ling softened his tone: “Don’t let it happen again. Has this data been stored?”

The System wanted to redeem its image and promised repeatedly: “Stored. I will absolutely not make such a mistake again.”

Though Mu Ling didn’t quite believe it, seeing its good attitude in admitting the error, he stopped lecturing and shielded it to continue studying Tang Luosi.

The Next Day

Starting from the morning, Mu Ling waited for the employer’s notification for an interview. He was confident that no place would be willing to miss out on a talent like himself. At first, he wasn’t very anxious, but by evening, there was still no feedback. He was puzzled.

The Bandit Gangs had given him an impression of being swift and resolute; why were they so sluggish once he was in the city? Their boss lived right here; shouldn’t the people below be on their toes and working hard?

“What’s the situation?” He called out the System.

“Ho…Host…” the System stammered.

“Speak.”

“All of them were rejected.”

Mu Ling’s brow twitched: “Reason.”

“Uh… none was given, but I hacked into their server room to ask around. They were laughing at you…”

Mu Ling was silent for a moment: “Tell me.”

“They said… each person is limited to applying for one position. They mocked you, asking what kind of backwater place you came from to think you’re worthy of working on Tang Luosi’s turf.”

“Ridiculous!” Mu Ling sneered. “I didn’t see that rule anywhere.”

The System didn’t dare tell him it was an unwritten rule, saying hesitantly:

“Now that online registration has closed, why don’t you…” Go back? The palace is going crazy looking for you.

“Are all the positions at Tang Luosi’s place filled? What about other places?”

“…There’s a coal mining job, but I don’t think it suits you.”

Better listen to me—go back, defeat the useless Fourth Prince, snatch that military female who belongs to you, and finally inherit the throne.

But the System didn’t dare say it, nor did it dare advise. Mu Ling pondered for a while, then put on his coat and went out: “Let’s go see the site in person.”

“Host, they have a point. You should first determine what you are suitable for before competing; it’s more efficient.”

“Stupid question, a gentleman is not a mere vessel. I am an all-rounder.”

The System wilted: But you don’t know how to find a job…

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