The Zerg Monarch’s Path to Godhood - Chapter 1

“Do you have anything to say?”

The voice in his head sounded human yet not quite human, carrying a faint, ethereal quality, like a grandmaster from another world.

A young voice immediately replied, “Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality and so on.”

“I am asking you how you feel,” the ethereal quality shattered, replaced by a mechanical voice that sounded on the verge of a breakdown.

After two seconds of silence, the young voice asked, “Are you really not a ghost?”

In a small courtyard belonging to the Wen family in the Imperial Capital of the Zerg home planet, a young man stared blankly at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. He looked barely twenty, but his eyes held a gaze that suggested he had experienced all the vicissitudes of the world.

His hair and pupils, a white tinged with a slight gray, gave him a cold and unapproachable aura. His black and white uniform and trousers accentuated his slender frame. While the monochrome palette added to his detached demeanor, the jingling silver bracelet on his wrist and the long earring dangling from his lobe pulled that coldness back just enough to create a look of combined aloofness and allure. In the modern world, he would be a total visual killer. However, at this moment, the youth had no time to worry about his outfit or appearance.

As his slightly offensive inquiry fell, silence saturated the air.

“Are you really not a ghost?” the young man asked again, refusing to give up.

His tone was steady and his face was tense as he stared forward, looking no different than usual. But in this moment, only he knew how much his heart was actually collapsing.

Wen Qi still could not accept the fact that he had transmigrated.

Yes, it was a fact. He had transmigrated into a book.

The system in his mind that had brought him here was fuming, nearly exploding with rage at his answer. For three whole times, its host had asked if it was a ghost. It was clearly a system; how was it a ghost? It thought he was such an ignorant human.

“Do not get angry, do not get angry, do not get angry at an ignorant human,” the system performed several rounds of mental construction but finally could not hold back, letting out a violent electronic roar.

“Wen Qi, can you speak like a human for once?!”

Hearing the system roar in his consciousness, Wen Qi let out a faint sigh and retracted his deep gaze from the sky. A look of clear resentment appeared on his otherwise cold face. “I am just a writer. For twenty years, I believed there were no ghosts in this world. Who knew that just by writing a book, I would transmigrate?”

Seriously, if he had encountered a ghost, he could understand it because there were so many legends, after all. But transmigration was different. He had not met any of the criteria. Why the hell did he transmigrate?

The worldview he had spent twenty years building had collapsed in just two minutes, leaving not even a foundation. Was this not scarier than seeing a ghost? If he had known, he would have preferred the ghost. Just one wrong sentence and he was sent here. No one could be unluckier than him.

At this thought, Wen Qi wanted to sigh again.

Fortunately, this system seemed somewhat legitimate and had a bit of a conscience. It had not made him possess a paper person character; it had brought his actual body over and arranged a suitable identity for him. Upon arrival, the system had used energy to modify his body, so he now possessed the traits of a male Zerg. Of course, there were also some useless additions. For example, he had a head of white hair.

God knows he hated white hair the most. If he had been given black hair, he would not be doubting his reality this much. Wen Qi, a true lover of aesthetics, sighed in his heart again. It was not that he had not tried to protest, but he had been ruthlessly suppressed by the system.

Sensing this, the system remained silent.

Wen Qi stared blankly at the sky. Since he was here and could not go back, he decided he should focus on what he needed to do. The system that brought him here was a novice. After modifying his body, its energy was basically exhausted. His current situation was that he had to face the reality of having no system support before he even understood the world’s circumstances.

That was not even the biggest problem. After the system’s relentless introduction just now, he realized a larger issue: he, or rather the Zerg, was in the Imperial Capital on the home planet, while the protagonist he wrote about had been exiled to an unknown location.

It was ridiculous. What was more ridiculous was that even if he had a pass for the home planet, he could not leave to find his protagonist because his identity posed a major obstacle.

He was a B-rank male Zerg.

In the Zerg world, males were rare commodities. In a world with few males and many females, the weak top and strong bottom dynamic was common. Males were responsible for being delicate, while females handled earning money, supporting the family, and laying eggs. If it were not for the fact that males were so fragile they could easily die without care, and that females needed males to reproduce and soothe their mental seas, Wen Qi felt the male gender might not even exist in this world.

Back then, to get his story signed, he followed the trend and created such a distorted world. Now, he was unlucky enough to have transmigrated as a precious male in this very world. He was a restricted precious male who could easily be seduced and thrown onto a bed by a female.

Every time he thought about the Zerg setting, Wen Qi thought of weak tops and crying tops. It was utter absurdity. Wen Qi expressionlessly covered his eyes with his hand, hiding his emotions and reigning in his wild thoughts.

“Didn’t you say you were going into hibernation? What is the cheat you are giving me?”

After a minute of adjusting his mindset, Wen Qi removed his hand, squinted at the path ahead, and calmly asked the most pressing question. “What does the protagonist look like? Do you have photos or videos? I do not know him! How am I supposed to find him? You know I cannot leave the home planet with the identity you gave me.”

When he wrote the novel, he had not drawn any character sketches. He only had a vague imagination of the characters’ appearances. He was certain that even if his protagonist stood right in front of him, he would not recognize the man or the bug.

Hearing Wen Qi’s calm inquiry, the system suppressed its irritation and answered his questions one by one.

The system explained that by obtaining Zerg Influence Points, he could add side stories. Since he had finished the main text but had not written the extras, he could add them appropriately, such as by reducing post-war damage. The number of background characters who die would be up to him. Triggering these extras would not be easy and would depend on luck, but if he failed to trigger them, the system could help him when he left this world. As long as he got enough Influence Points, writing extras would be a sure thing.

Regarding his personal cheat, because he was the creator of this world, his Influence Points could be converted into Faith Power. This could increase his rank and had other uses he would have to discover himself. The system’s energy was too low to provide more hints.

The system also granted him basic assistance: he could lower his presence at will, control his displayed rank so that testing equipment would be useless against him, and see the ranks of others. Once a day, he could use Suggestion on a target, and there was a seventy percent chance they would follow it. He also possessed fifty percent of the Protagonist’s Luck without affecting the actual protagonist’s luck. As long as the protagonist was alive, the world would be on his side. However, to kill characters with actual names in the book, he would have to rely on his own efforts.

The system mentioned that the current head of the Wen family was trustworthy and would help him within his power, but everything depended on his ability. The Zerg world respected strength and loathed the weak. If he could not handle things, he would be abandoned. This world had an affinity for him and would clear the way to an extent, but he had to explore the rest.

The protagonist he wrote was exactly what he would expect: he had pectorals, bone wings, and was slim in clothes but muscular without them. He had a strong, celibate, righteous aura and an exotic male mother type appeal. Wen Qi could find him if he searched, but unfortunately, the system had no images or videos.

The mission was to find the transgressor who was destroying the plot right here in the Imperial Capital. The system could feel his influence was massive; he held a high position and had reached the peak SSS-rank. The system had brought Wen Qi to the capital, and he would know who the transgressor was when he saw him. His job was to get the protagonist back in his rightful place and expel the transgressor to restore order.

“I can take you back once the world is restored,” the system continued. “Your trouble has arrived, so I am leaving now. This world is unstable, and I cannot interfere too much. I will wake up again when the plot is corrected to a certain degree. The world is in your hands.”

Wen Qi frowned and asked, “System, what is the specific date and year right now?”

The only answer was silence.

Wen Qi was confused. He still had questions, and the system just bailed. He felt it deserved a bad review. It could have at least let him finish.

However, regarding the trouble the system mentioned, with one glance, Wen Qi spotted the issue. Some bugs were coming his way. But the system had not given him his identity details. Five minutes ago, he had just arrived; he only knew he was a B-rank male. He was completely in the dark about everything else.

Wen Qi knit his brows and called for the system in his heart, but the system appeared to be sleeping. It was truly a novice system. Fine, he could not rely on it at all.

Wen Qi turned around and narrowed his eyes at two small dots approaching. As they grew larger and he could see them clearly, a voice drifted over.

“Wen Qi!” a sharp shout rang out. Amidst the cursing, two Zerg quickly walked up to him. Wen Qi scrutinized them with the curiosity of seeing his own creations for the first time, and then he was disappointed.

The two bugs in front of him were actually quite tall, about one hundred seventy-five centimeters. They had fair complexions, which would have been fine, but they lacked any masculinity as defined by humans. They looked weak, as if they would blow over in the wind. A life of luxury had made them look incredibly fragile; they looked like college boys.

But currently, the excessive decorations on these two made them look somewhat absurd. Rather than bugs, they looked like clothes racks meant to display their outfits. He looked down at himself. Great, he was a clothes rack too. Perhaps this was the universal look for males in this world.

“Why do they look like pretty boys?” Wen Qi thought. Recalling the setting for females and males, he struggled for a long time before this thought surfaced.

“You idiot, what is with that look? Believe it or not, I will gouge your eyes out!”

The male in yellow clothes approached and noticed Wen Qi’s gaze. He glared fiercely, his face full of anger, and naturally held out his hand. “Hand over everything you received recently.”

“Does the Zerg race have such refined robberies?” Wen Qi was surprised, but then he smiled. This was perfect. Since he knew nothing, he could use this chance to test the waters.

He turned his cold gaze toward the male in yellow and said calmly, “Hand over everything you received recently.”

The yellow-clad male did not expect Wen Qi to have the audacity to say that. He froze, then a cold malice appeared in his eyes. “Idiot, do not refuse a favor, or do not blame us for getting physical.”

The male in red beside him stood with hands on his hips, staring at Wen Qi in agreement. “What does an idiot like you need so many Star Coins for? Hurry up and hand over the things the Male Protection Association sent you. We might let you off, or else we will kill you.”

“I heard the Male Protection Association plans to pair you with that Major General who is being driven mad by mental instability. You had better leave that Major General’s assets to us too, or else.”

The yellow-clad male nodded. “He is right. Otherwise, we will beat you to death.”

The two spoke with an air of entitlement, as if certain Wen Qi would not refuse. Their words were thick with intimidation.

Wen Qi found it slightly amusing. These two were only C-rank. They were not strong, yet they dared to act pompous in front of him. It seemed the system’s setting for his identity was that of an idiot, a B-rank idiot who let C-ranks bully him.

So, was he born an idiot, or had an accident made him one? It was interesting. Wen Qi’s lips curled slightly, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

Seeing Wen Qi had not moved, the yellow-clad male’s frown deepened. “Idiot, what are you laughing at? Kneel!”

Disgust filled his face as he kicked toward Wen Qi. Wen Qi had not expected such a move and was caught off guard. A second later, a footprint appeared on his trousers. The gray mark was glaringly obvious against the black fabric.

Wen Qi looked at the footprint, his eyes darkening. Before the yellow-clad male could withdraw his leg, Wen Qi kicked back. He watched coldly as the other lost his balance and crashed to the ground.

As the male tried to crawl up, Wen Qi stepped forward and stomped on his hand. He narrowed his eyes and asked softly and kindly, “Say what you just said one more time!”

The air nearly congealed. The male in red stepped back, his eyes full of disbelief. Wen Qi swept a glance toward him, and the red-clad male immediately collapsed to the ground, face pale and eyes full of terror. He pointed a trembling finger at Wen Qi. “You… you actually…”

Seeing their expressions, Wen Qi felt a spark of inspiration. He applied more pressure with his foot. He watched the yellow-clad male’s face contort in pain, sweat breaking out on his forehead. Wen Qi smiled and said vaguely, “Are you going to tell me yourselves, or do I have to do it?”

“It is not our fault!” the male in yellow shrieked in pain, grabbing Wen Qi’s leg to try and save his hand. Wen Qi only pressed harder. Soon, agonized cries filled the air.

“Speak,” Wen Qi barked coldly.

The terrified male immediately blurted out, “It was your big brother, Wen Ze! He made us do it! He said an idiot like you shames the Wen family and would affect his chances of marrying a Female Sovereign. He did not want to dirty his own hands, so he told us to watch you and make sure you did not embarrass the family outside!”

The red-clad male, having regained his senses, caught Wen Qi’s gaze and quickly lowered his head in shared terror. “We did not think you would recover! If we knew you would get better, we would not have dared to touch you even if we were beaten to death!”

Wen Qi narrowed his eyes. He knew the rules of the world he had created: rank decided everything, and strength gave you the right to speak. Since he had now recovered, these two males did not have the guts to lie.

Wen Qi looked down at the male under his boot, his eyes flashing. “In that case, take out your Star Coins to ransom yourselves. If it is too little, do not blame me for being heartless.”

The robber had become the robbed. Wen Qi’s words were not particularly harsh, and his tone was not even threatening, yet both males shuddered as if recalling something terrifying.

“Yes, yes, we will prepare it immediately!” “We will transfer the Star Coins to your account right now!”

Wen Qi released his foot, then maliciously stepped on the yellow-clad male’s back, pinning him to the ground just as he tried to get up. Wen Qi no longer hid his amusement; he let out a cold laugh. “Now, tell me, what kind of person was I before?”

“If there is even a slight discrepancy, I will tie you both up and let you bake in the sun all afternoon.”

Being arrogant, unreasonable, and tearing the roof down over a slight disagreement was the true portrayal of a male Zerg. While this did not describe every male, it covered about seventy percent. Wen Qi was not like this by nature, but he knew that kindness leads to being bullied. Until he figured out the situation, he had to adopt this personality. Only this kind of personality could protect him. This world was not purely good or evil, but soft-hearted bugs died the fastest. The Zerg race was not peaceful; conflicts were constant, and everyone wanted to be the boss, but no one could command universal respect.

Wen Qi curled his lips into a cold sneer. “I trust you will enjoy it.”

He watched their expressions closely. Seeing only fear and no suspicion, he knew he had made the right move. Based on their reactions, his original setting must have been a volatile, egocentric type of male. Many Zerg males were like that; it was not out of the ordinary.

Besides, a physically fragile male could not withstand a whole morning of baking in the sun. The threat was sufficient. Wen Qi’s gaze was so dangerous it scared the red-clad male back just as he was about to run. Wen Qi pursed his lips, not finding the reaction strange. Males were delicate. When he designed this world, he was obsessed with the weak top and strong bottom trope. Because of this, the physical strength of males was infinitely weakened; they were essentially cloistered young ladies with zero combat ability.

Of course, this was only physical. As beings capable of soothing a female’s mental sea, males were powerful in other ways, such as through mental power. A male’s mental power could be used as an offensive force. Within the male community, the hierarchy was even more distinct. Lower-ranked males did not dare face higher-ranked ones. Even if the difference was only one rank, a higher-ranked male could easily kill a lower-ranked one if he wished.

However, he had not written much about this ability. His story focused on the protagonist’s rise to lead the Zerg to their peak.

Wen Qi stared at the two males. They did not hesitate, quickly pulling out their terminals to transfer money.

“Ding-dong! 100,000 Star Coins received.” “Ding-dong! 100,000 Star Coins received.”

Wen Qi opened his terminal. The page showed voluntary gifts from the two, totaling 200,000 Star Coins. Once the coins arrived, Wen Qi removed his foot from the yellow-clad male’s back. He waved the red-clad male away, who immediately scrambled off.

Wen Qi then crouched down and patted the yellow-clad male’s face, saying nonchalantly, “Now tell me, what year is it, and what is my current situation? It has been so many years, after all; you have changed quite a bit since then.”

He added coldly, “If you get anything wrong…”

The yellow-clad male trembled at the cold voice. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he stammered, “I will tell you! I will tell you!”

He did not doubt Wen Qi, assuming he was asking because things felt off after waking up from his idiocy. Fearing for his life, he explained quickly.

“It is the year 15690 of the Zerg Calendar. It is also the fifth year since you became an idiot.”

“Five years ago, you went out with your brother and came back like that.”

“At first, we did not dare touch you. But after your brother inherited the family headship three years ago and wanted to get married, he was afraid you would cause trouble. He had us take your Star Coins and keep an eye on you. We saw you had so many things and got greedy, so we…”

He trailed off, stealing a glance at Wen Qi. Seeing no anger, he continued, “That is all I know. I really do not know anything else! Please let me go, I really know I was wrong.”

Wen Qi gave him a flat look, released him, and stood up. He knit his brows and whispered to himself.

“So, five years have passed. Time flies; no wonder things changed so much.”

“Family Head. He actually became the Family Head.”

Wen Qi turned and walked toward his house without another look at the male. As he turned, his voice returned to its icy tone. “Get lost. I will spare you this time. There will not be a next.”

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