The Zerg Monarch’s Path to Godhood - Chapter 4

After creating a scene in the council courtyard for the better part of the day, Wen Qi was driven back to his own quarters. Once inside his room, he shed his volatile and superficial emotions, and a profound stillness settled over him.

He leaned back against a high-backed chair and tapped away at his terminal. His gaze flickered occasionally over the leaked news on the forums before he exited, feeling bored.

In less than a day, he had unearthed the general information he needed and gained a solid understanding of the Zerg race. Having spent the day busy in a male’s body, he was indeed exhausted. Yet, sleep eluded him. His fingers moved idly across the terminal as he reclined, pondering Wen Ze’s true identity.

Why had the System insisted on choosing this specific Zerg for him?

Judging by today’s events, Wen Ze seemed to know who he was. Their eyes had met without a hint of suspicion on Wen Ze’s part. Furthermore, Wen Qi was certain he had not used his suggestion ability today, yet Wen Ze had spoken exactly what Wen Qi wanted him to say. Unless he was a master lip-reader, no one’s reactions were that fast unless Wen Ze already knew where he wanted to go.

Wen Ze’s actions today, helping him while simultaneously handing him resources, begged the question: What did Wen Ze want? What could he possibly gain from Wen Qi? And what had transpired between the System and Wen Ze? A normal male Zerg would not engage in such selfless charity for no reason.

Wen Qi fell deep into thought.

Wen Ze did not seem to be a character from his own writing, so he should have been a mere background Zerg. Yet, the moment their eyes met, why did he feel like there was something different about him?

Those black eyes felt strangely familiar.

After searching his mind for a long time, Wen Qi finally dragged a fragment of a memory from a corner he had nearly forgotten. Zong Xiangxing’s Male Lord was supposedly a B-rank male who had evolved into an S-rank. His surname was Wen, and the name sounded identical. He had written a brief mention of it while drafting Zong Xiangxing’s story.

Wen Ze.

Wen Qi repeated the name several times. The more he said it, the more familiar it became. He knew the probability of Wen Ze being that character was nearly certain. Wen Ze was Zong Xiangxing’s Male Lord, the male Zerg he had once glossed over in his writing.

If that were the case, Wen Ze’s behavior was not hard to explain.

The average lifespan of the Zerg was two hundred years, with adulthood at eighteen. Currently, Wen Ze and Zong Xiangxing would be in their early thirties by modern human standards. They had grown up together; one could say that Wen Ze had only survived the harassment of his youth due to Zong Xiangxing’s protection. Later, Zong Xiangxing joined the military to pursue his ideals while Wen Ze stayed behind to support the Wen family, leading to their separation.

Even apart, their relationship remained excellent. Over the years, Wen Ze had been the one to resolve Zong Xiangxing’s mental sea issues.

According to the timeline, Wen Ze’s psychic power should currently be A-rank. It was upon reaching A-rank that he became the head of the Wen family, believing he finally had the strength to care for Zong Xiangxing properly, leading to their marriage. He became the family head three years ago, meaning he had reached A-rank by then.

Now, Wen Ze claimed to be B-rank externally, and the two were not yet married. This proved that Wen Ze had noticed something was wrong with Zong Xiangxing. Perhaps this was why the System had chosen Wen Ze.

Every piece of evidence pointed toward Zong Xiangxing. His suspicion was likely correct: the shell of Zong Xiangxing had been replaced by a new soul, the Tasker.

As Wen Qi pondered, his terminal chimed with a notification.

Ding-dong.

Wen Qi looked down. It was a message from an unknown account, containing only four words: “Reward. Find him.”

Wen Qi understood instantly. It seemed Wen Ze knew exactly why he was here. His theory was flawless, which meant he now had an additional task on his plate. However, looking at the message, Wen Qi’s eyes finally clouded with complexity. If a Tasker had stolen the body, then the original soul inside might be lost. He hoped for a good outcome.

After two minutes of silence, Wen Qi deleted the message and replied with a single period from his temporary terminal to acknowledge receipt. The other side said no more, and Wen Qi remained silent, eventually returning to his bedroom to close his eyes and rest.

For three consecutive days, Wen Qi spent his time familiarizing himself with this world. As his understanding deepened, so did his realization of why the System had given him this specific identity.

This status was neither too high nor too low; its development depended entirely on his own will. Because of his inherent B-rank strength, his background could not be too lowly. This identity could withstand scrutiny. After all, aside from himself and Wen Ze, every other Zerg believed he belonged to the Wen family. If he chose to stay, being a member of the Wen family made him the best candidate to get close to the Tasker. If he chose to leave, Wen Ze would help him, and this identity would at least serve as a life-saving shield against external dangers, except on Garbage Planets.

All things considered, his starting point was much better than that of a typical transmigrator, Wen Qi thought. He did not dwell on his identity for long.

The temporary terminal was incredibly convenient, providing all the news he sought. In just three days, Wen Qi mastered the core essence of this world and clarified the detailed persona the System had set for him.

The character profile was complex but common among the Zerg: a male who had never faced real hardship, possessed a foul temper, and was extremely conceited and arrogant. Once such a male lost the adoration of females, his fragile self-esteem would shatter.

This was an easy role to play. To perfect it, Wen Qi reviewed his actions since arriving, weighing the pros and cons. Then, he headed out.

His first stop was the Male Protection Association.

He played the part of a useless waste who could not accept his drop in rank to perfection. Upon leaving, he even unleashed a barrage of foul-mouthed insults at the Association. The Association did not indulge him; they promptly published his rank and subtly guaranteed that his level would never return to its original state.

In the afternoon, acting out of desperation, he visited multiple hospitals. Every single diagnostic result came back the same: F-rank.

Gradually, Wen Qi became the laughingstock of the Capital Star circles.

Ignoring the mockery, Wen Qi continued to shout that everyone was a liar. Eventually, a member of the Wen family leaked news that Wen Qi had challenged the authority of the Patriarch, Wen Ze. In response, Wen Ze had decided to send him to the Blue Sequence to develop the family’s interests there.

For a moment, the entire Capital Star was shaken. A storm of discussion erupted across the StarNet.

“No wonder he went crazy. The Blue Sequence? That is the sequence closest to the Beast race! Every year, the Beasts and Aliens attack the Seven-Color Sequence planets. There is constant war there.”

“I heard the females there are all hulking brutes. A male like him entering the Blue Sequence will only end up being violated. I wonder how many days he will last.”

“That is not all. Word is the Wen family gave that waste one million Starcoins. One million! In the Blue Sequence, that is enough to make anyone’s eyes turn red with greed. With that much money, any Zerg there could bribe their way out.”

“The Wen family is sending him to his death. But it makes sense; he does not share the same father as the Patriarch. He was always arrogant, only slightly better during those five years he was stupid. Now that his rank has dropped and he is making a scene, if I were the Patriarch, I would send him to the Blue Sequence to get rid of him too.”

“Exactly. Someone with so little self-awareness deserves this.”

The StarNet was flooded with such comments. Initially, it was just a few, but soon the vitriol grew alongside Wen Qi’s temper, worsening by the day.

By the time Wen Qi’s behavior devolved into cursing at anyone he saw, the mocking and cynical remarks had reached every corner of the web. Some laughed, some pitied him, and others simply ignored him.

Upon discovering these messages, Wen Qi used his terminal to frantically insult the Wen family and the netizens alike, portraying a Zerg driven to the brink. He even used his temporary terminal to buy a second one, using the first to create countless alternate accounts to harass people. For a while, the StarNet was a toxic mess because of him.

His main terminal was eventually banned by the Terminal Association. However, they could not ban the temporary ones, leaving the netizens helpless. Finally, after two days of this, the Wen family account posted that his temporary terminals had been confiscated. The StarNet erupted in celebration.

That night, rumors from within the Wen family spoke of an unprecedented argument. But no matter how much Wen Qi raved and kicked, he was ultimately suppressed by Wen Ze.

On the sixth day, the Wen family was peaceful. That night, Wen Qi took his compensation and ran.

When the news broke, the laughter grew even louder. In a world where rank is everything, most females viewed a powerless male with detached amusement. Now that Wen Qi’s rank had plummeted and his future was ruined, they were eager to watch his downfall. Even other males joined in; those of lower rank than Wen Qi’s former B-rank were especially keen to see him fail.

As word of his flight spread, all of Capital Star was looking for him. Yet, only a few realized that the Wen Qi they were searching for was already standing in front of an interstellar starship.

Most observers assumed he was trying to flee Capital Star to escape the Wen family’s constraints. They had no idea that the Wen Qi they saw as a desperate runaway was intentionally acting haughty at the service window. While loudly demanding a ticket to Emerald Star, he used his suggestion ability for the first time on the female ticket agent who had come over to witness the drama.

Shortly after, his terminal received a ticket, not to Emerald Star, but to a planet in the Blue Sequence.

Upon receiving the ticket, Wen Qi turned back to the surrounding females with a sneer, boasting loudly, “See that? I got a ticket to Emerald Star! Haha!”

He laughed triumphantly, perfectly embodying the image of a shameless, petty person. Once he had laughed his fill, a fierce look crossed his face. “Go back and tell the Wen family: when I return from Emerald Star, I will take back what belongs to me!”

“I will not be a waste forever!”

“I am the strongest male of the Wen family! I will be back sooner or later!”

The surrounding Zerg were furious at his arrogance but remained silent, for he was once a B-rank. However, some would not let it slide.

“Even if you come back, so what? You were only a B-rank, just average on Capital Star.”

“I heard Lord Wen Ze is about to promote to A-rank soon. What use is a B-rank return?”

“Hilarious. You have already offended the Male Protection Association to death. If Lord Wen Ze becomes an A-rank male, what can you do? Run away again? Besides, do you really think the Association will let you back in?”

Hearing this, Wen Qi acted like a provoked madman. His face twisted in rage as he roared, “What do you know? I am better than all of them!”

“Funny, what is the matter? Because you do not have a Male Lord, have you all developed a hatred for males?”

“Look at yourselves, look at those jealous, ugly faces! You only dare to bully me because my rank dropped. Otherwise, based on who you are, you would not even be qualified to be my female slaves!”

“I see you all!”

Wen Qi’s combativeness was off the charts; he was arrogant to the extreme and soon had the crowd rendered speechless. At that moment, a ding-dong sound rang out. The cursing male looked down at his terminal.

“Dear passenger, your starship has landed. Please proceed to the gate for boarding.”

Wen Qi stowed his terminal and swept his gaze over the crowd, declaring with lofty ambition, “Just you wait. I will be back for you. When that time comes, you had better beg for mercy, or else!”

He played the part of an ignorant fool so well that some Zerg could not help but burst out laughing. Others watched with dark expressions as he walked toward the gate.

“A pity he got away,” someone lamented.

“Why did the Wen family not keep a closer watch on him?” The female who had just been insulted spat on the ground and cursed, “What a piece of bad luck.”

“Exactly. He was supposed to go to the Blue Sequence, one of the most backward places. Too bad he escaped. I hope the heavens are just and ensure this male never returns.”

“Shh, look, that is not the ship to Emerald Star, it is…”

“Hiss, it is actually…”

As they watched the ship Wen Qi was boarding, many turned their eyes toward the ticket agent. The agent pointed at the ship, a professional smile plastered on his face.

“Mr. Wen Qi is a member of the Wen family, after all. Since the Patriarch said he was to be sent to the Blue Sequence, it would not be right for us to process travel to other planets for him.”

The agent’s words were high-minded, but internally, he was a bit baffled. He had not intended to issue a ticket for the Blue Sequence, yet he had done it involuntarily. He must simply belong in a dump like the Blue Sequence, the agent thought, dismissing the oddity. It did not matter where a piece of trash went. The nerve of him to insult me too. He is truly a garbage male.

“Well, that is excellent news!” The group of females who had been berated cheered and continued their gossip.

“Do you think he will survive a single day?”

“I bet the Zerg on those planets have never even seen a male. They will probably keep him alive for at least a few days, right?”

“Haha!”

As the crowd jeered, no one noticed a pair of deep blue eyes fixed intently on Wen Qi’s retreating back. Only after Wen Qi had boarded the ship did the figure emerge from the crowd, striding purposefully toward the starship bound for the Blue Sequence.

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