The Zerg Monarch’s Path to Godhood - Chapter 5

As soon as Wen Qi boarded the starship, the exaggerated expressions on his face retracted. Although his expression remained far from pleasant, it was clearly the result of extreme restraint.

Staring at the receding planet through the adjacent window, Wen Qi rested his right finger on the terminal strapped to his left wrist and murmured to himself, “Wait for me to return.”

“When that time comes, I will surely… just you wait.”

Wen Qi understood the principle of performing the full set. After muttering a few more words, he withdrew his gaze with a sour face, looking exactly like a defeated exile muttering to bolster his own courage in hopes of a future comeback.

He appeared mediocre, yet possessed a mysterious and misplaced self-confidence.

There were no other Zerg on the starship heading to the Seven-Color Sequence planets, which was normal. In truth, the Seven-Color Sequence consisted of over a hundred planets, but they were extremely resource-poor. Most were unsuitable for habitation, and starships from the Capital Star rarely stopped at such places. However, as they were still planets under Zerg control, maintaining a single starship route was a minor expense, so the service had not been canceled.

While Wen Qi was lost in thought, footsteps sounded from behind him. He turned his head to see a Male entering at the starship’s boarding hatch.

The Male was tall with deep blue hair grown long enough to be tied into a small braid at the back. His pupils were also deep blue. He wore a somewhat worn black coat and a pair of cloth shoes with peeling soles. The terminal on his wrist looked like a model from over a decade ago. His face was plain, with no particularly striking features.

Seeing the Zerg walking toward him, Wen Qi intended to avoid him, but the Zerg quickened his pace, stopped in front of him, and spoke.

“Hello,” the Male said with a simple, unadorned smile, looking somewhat constrained. “Are you also going to the Blue Sequence?”

Wen Qi’s brow furrowed as his acting skills kicked in. His tone was displeased, though lacking the explosive rage he had displayed on the ground. “What do you mean ‘Blue Sequence’?”

“I am going to the Emerald Planet.”

“Do you even know where the Emerald Planet is?”

With that, he cast a disdainful glance at the Male and shifted a few steps away. “Do not get too close to me. I am afraid I will catch the low IQ of a Zerg who cannot even get his planets straight, you Blue Sequence refugee.”

Hearing Wen Qi’s unpleasant words and seeing his repulsed behavior, the smile vanished from the Male’s face. His brow creased slightly, and he cast a suspicious look at Wen Qi before giving up on the conversation and sitting down nearby.

Wen Qi walked to a window seat and sat down, crossing his legs. His fingers swiped rapidly across his terminal while he cursed under his breath occasionally. Because his terminal’s comment function had been blocked, he could not curse at anyone online, making his whole demeanor quite irritable.

A short while later, the starship took off. Wen Qi shifted his attention from his terminal to the window.

The starship was fast. Within five minutes, it broke through the atmosphere of the Capital Star, and the scenery of outer space unfolded before Wen Qi’s eyes.

From the starship, everything in the pitch-black space looked tiny, as if the void itself could swallow light. The darkness consumed everything, leaving nothing clearly visible.

Wen Qi pressed the observation button nearby. Quickly, the darkness was replaced, and various colors appeared in space. It looked like the planets in documentaries back on Earth. Space became vibrant with color, and Wen Qi could see the external view clearly through the starship window.

The starship moved rapidly, seemingly accelerating even more in the vacuum of space. Giant celestial bodies turned into tiny dots in the blink of an eye.

Wen Qi watched these fleeting planets without blinking, but the shock in his heart could not be calmed for a long time.

Was this the world created by the civilization he had written?

The world founded by the civilization under his pen was so graceful and multifaceted. From this perspective, a Zerg seemed so insignificant. This was a civilization far more advanced than the world he came from.

Seeing these images, Wen Qi felt an indescribable mix of pride, novelty, and various other emotions intertwining in his heart. He gazed at the scenes outside with near-greed. He watched as planet after planet gradually turned into small dots and vanished from his sight.

He did not know how long he watched until his body felt uncomfortable from maintaining one position. Only then did Wen Qi withdraw his gaze.

Just as he was about to stretch his arms to relieve the soreness, he noticed the Male he had insulted earlier had approached him at some point. The dull, honest expression had vanished from his face, replaced by a look that seemed somewhat dangerous.

“Wen Qi, I know who you are.”

The Male’s voice was heavy.

Wen Qi was stunned for a moment. Two seconds later, as if remembering something, his eyes filled with loathing. He tilted his head up, maintaining his persona.

“You…”

Wen Qi pointed at the Male, preparing to launch into a tirade.

However, perhaps because he had finally left the Capital Star and his long-tensed heart had relaxed, or perhaps because he had watched too many TV dramas, his mouth moved faster than his brain. He shouted, “Are you trying to ravish me?”

The Male: “…”

Wen Qi: “…”

It did not matter. The meaning was roughly the same. As long as he was not embarrassed, the embarrassment belonged to the other guy.

Wen Qi kept a stiff face and shouted angrily, “I am telling you, it is impossible! How could a dignified B-rank Female like me take an interest in a Blue Sequence Male like you? Stop dreaming. I am telling you, I would never look at a Male like you, even if you chased me onto a starship.”

Gu Nan: “…”

Looking at the Female who had his arms crossed over his chest, staring at him with a face full of disgust and defensiveness, Gu Nan was momentarily speechless.

This Female seems to need more time to grow a brain. How did he manage to say something so thoughtless? Or was he driven mad by the stimulation of his rank dropping?

The thought flashed through his mind, but Gu Nan’s expression remained unchanged. “I have no such intentions toward you.”

Wen Qi’s eyes became even more wary. He leaned back defensively and hissed through gritted teeth, “I do not believe you. You are definitely trying to lower my guard so you can make a move. I know your type all too well.”

“Scheming Males.”

Gu Nan: “…”

Faced with this ordinarily confident Female, he truly did not know what to say, so he simply changed the subject.

“The Emerald Sound Stone is in your possession.”

Because of his disguise, Gu Nan deliberately controlled his tone to make it less oppressive, but his voice remained deep. “I want nothing else. I want the Emerald Sound Stone. I will buy it from you with star coins.”

The Emerald Sound Stone? The one from that Male that day?

Wen Qi’s heart skipped a beat. Looking at the B-rank displayed on the Male in front of him, he felt no fear. Instead, he furrowed his brows and scanned the Male from head to toe. His gaze suddenly flickered toward a hidden recording camera nearby, and he let out a mocking snort.

He spoke with a natural, domineering air. “What does that have to do with you? Whether the stone is on me or not is none of your business. That thing is a gift for my future Male Consort. You actually have the nerve to covet it.”

“You are simply courting death.”

After speaking, he huffed twice as if he had won a battle. “I knew you were trying to hook up with me. You even know exactly where the cameras are. Although I am charming, you do not need to go this far. Doing these things will only damage your reputation.”

“It is impossible for me to take an interest in you.”

Gu Nan followed the Female’s gaze and saw the location of the overhead camera. Although the device itself was not visible, he knew it was definitely there.

He: “…”

Gu Nan withdrew his gaze from the camera, his voice dropping an octave. “I have no interest in you. I only want the Emerald Sound Stone.”

Hearing this, Wen “Damaged Self-Esteem” Qi’s gaze sharpened. He raised his head, dropping his previous politeness. “If you want to die, just say so. I can fulfill that wish for you.”

Gu Nan’s gaze fell upon the Female in front of him, assessing him.

The white-haired Female was extremely beautiful. His skin was a cold white, giving off a chilling, aloof vibe when he was quiet. He was slender and tall, and the beautiful, expensive black formal wear he wore made him look like a young master about to attend a banquet.

The Female had a silver rose brooch pinned to his chest. A silver chain connected the brooch to a matching rose earring. The silver tassels hanging from the earring swayed in the air, emphasizing the Female’s beauty and coldness.

Anyone who had seen Wen Qi knew he had long, narrow phoenix eyes. When he squinted, he gave off a vibe of being extremely difficult to provoke, but if those eyes were to crinkle in a laugh, they would surely be filled with fragments of stars.

This was the first impression Wen Qi’s peak beauty gave: beautiful, noble, and cold, yet possessing a hint of seduction.

However, the arrogance currently on Wen Qi’s face ruined his peak beauty, adding a touch of overbearing insolence. He instantly fell from being a noble, cold young master to a volatile, arrogant, and beautiful commoner.

After pausing his gaze on the Female’s face, which was distorted by anger, Gu Nan’s expression remained unchanged. “You are not my match.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Qi crossed his arms arrogantly and looked down at the Male with disdain. The silver tassels on his earring swayed beautifully with his movements. The Female spoke sarcastically, “So what if I am not your match? Heh, do not forget I am a B-rank Female. This is not a place where you can run wild. Believe it or not, I will have the intelligent security robots here throw you out.”

“Is that so?”

Gu Nan said unhurriedly. As he spoke, he took two steps back to show he had no intention of making a move. He looked at Wen Qi, his eyes still as cold as before. “In exchange, give me the Emerald Sound Stone. Once we reach the Blue Sequence, I will guarantee your safety for a month and give you 100,000 star coins.”

“What do you think?”

“Hilarious. Do you really think I was born yesterday?” Wen Qi sneered, his tone returning to its previous irritability. “What Blue Sequence? I am clearly going to the Emerald Planet.”

“Get lost. If I see you again, I will kill you.” Wen Qi cursed irritably. “What bad luck, running into someone with a brain problem.”

Gu “Brain Problem” Nan gave Wen Qi a deep look, said nothing more, and sat back in his seat.

Wen Qi was like a victorious rooster, his entire body radiating an aura of pride.

Nothing happened for the rest of the journey. After flying for a day and a night, the starship finally reached the Blue Sequence.

Wen Qi stepped off the starship. Even though he knew before coming that this planet was different from the Capital Star, he was still shocked by the sight.

If the Capital Star was a scene of lush prosperity, this planet was more like one on the verge of death. There was very little greenery to be seen, and the Zerg here looked fierce and dangerous.

The landing dock did not look official either. There was only a crooked sign where the words “Blue Sequence” looked like they had been scratched on with a branch. It was exceptionally ugly.

Wen Qi looked at a few Zerg standing near the sign. As soon as he left the ship, he noticed their gazes falling on him. No, it was not just those few. The eyes of everyone around were fixed on him. These looks gave Wen Qi a strange sensation, as if he had become a lamb to the slaughter, and these Zerg were the ones waiting to kill the lamb and divide its meat.

Wen Qi quickly pushed the strange thought out of his head. He knew the danger might be more than just this.

Since waking up, he had been acting flamboyantly for two reasons: one was for his persona, and the other was to clear himself of suspicion.

He had to leave the Capital Star. His rank was destined to drop. After such a massive change, he only had two choices: to be timid or to go “mad.” Compared to being timid and bullied, going mad was actually the best way to intercept external threats.

As a task-taker himself, he was naturally a transmigrator and understood the general process of transmigration. His irritable performance during this period could slightly clear him of suspicion, and his madness would make his Wen family safer.

Now that the plan to leave the Capital Star had succeeded, Wen Qi was not sure if the primary Task-Taker had detected his presence. He was currently no match for them. At the very least, he needed to reach SS-rank to have the qualifications to face a SSS-rank Task-Taker.

Better safe than sorry. For now, he had to develop under the radar.

If the primary Task-Taker had noticed him, then any Zerg around him could potentially be a spy. No matter how absurdly he acted, a cautious Task-Taker would observe him for a while.

As a veteran novel reader, Wen Qi knew how much attention a person who was previously abnormal suddenly becoming normal would attract. Borrowing a corpse, possession. These were the most familiar methods of transmigration for a Task-Taker who had traveled through countless worlds. If the Task-Taker was wary of sudden transmigrators, they would inevitably investigate anyone who suddenly changed.

If the System had not added that five-year history of mental instability to his background, his history would be clean and he would not fear investigation. But since the System had given him those five blank years due to lack of energy, he had to fill them with other behaviors.

If the Task-Taker was vigilant enough about transmigrators, they should have noticed him by now.

The identity of Wen Qi needed to die.

Slightly releasing his B-rank mental power, as expected, Wen Qi soon detected several gazes from a distance. Those gazes were the most terrifying. The aura of those individuals was incomparable to the Zerg around them.

They were the powerhouses of this planet. Wen Qi lowered his eyes, ready for action.

As the starship slowly moved away, the Female who had been dazed for a while seemed to be jolted awake by the departing ship. He instantly flew into a rage and ran toward the starship, cursing as he went.

“Scammers! Did I not buy a ticket for the Emerald Planet? You actually sent me to the Blue Sequence! You cannot even tell the difference between the Emerald Planet and the Blue Sequence. What use are your eyes?”

“You dare send me to this trash planet? I will sue you to death!”

“Get back here!”

The starship, having finished dropping off passengers, turned into a tiny black dot and vanished before everyone. Watching the ship recede, Wen Qi’s cursing grew even more foul. After a long tirade, he finally stopped and looked around again.

Facing the predatory stares of the Zerg around him, his arrogance returned. He snorted, crossed his arms, and said with disgust, “What are you staring at? Get lost! If you block my way to the Female Protection Association, you will be…”

Gu Nan, who had come down from the same starship, witnessed all of Wen Qi’s actions. After being snubbed by Wen Qi earlier, he finally spoke up to warn the Female who had just emerged from an ivory tower. “Mr. Wen, there is no Female Protection Association on Blue Planet 6.”

Hearing this, the arrogant expression on the Female’s face froze. His pupils dilated instantly, and he reflexively asked, “What did you say?”

Gu Nan kindly reminded him, “I am saying there are only two Female Protection Associations in the entire Blue Sequence planets. Unfortunately, Blue Planet 6 is not one of them.”

Wen Qi’s eyes widened in shock. Seeing the malicious looks from the Zerg around him, the superior gaze he had held since landing finally turned into terror.

The young Female’s throat bobbed. He stood stiffly, looking around.

The Zerg around him were all watching him with varying expressions: some were laughing, some were disdainful, some…

They looked at him as if he were a piece of prey.

The fear in Wen Qi’s eyes deepened.

In the next second, a sharp, eerie cackle sounded from nowhere, breaking the silence. Males began to lunge toward Wen Qi with sinister grins. As if terrified, the previously frozen Female turned and bolted toward the mountains, while simultaneously using a weak burst of mental power as an attack.

This movement immediately attracted a large group of Zerg to follow.

Watching the Female’s frantic retreat and the pursuit of the Males, Gu Nan showed little emotion. He was about to walk toward a waiting Zerg when the micro-terminal pressed against his skin emitted a faint light. Noticing this, his eyes flickered, and he quietly joined the chase.

Wen Qi used his mental power to dodge left and right, fleeing miserably. The Males, knowing his rank had dropped, mostly did not exert their full strength, which indeed gave Wen Qi a massive advantage. However, Wen Qi could not reveal his true capabilities either. After a two-hour stalemate, he finally shook off the group of Zerg.

At the foot of a hillside, before his breath had even steadied, Wen Qi collapsed onto the ground. Even so, his mental power remained alert, capturing traces of any Zerg passing by.

Three minutes later, sensing no one was coming, Wen Qi relaxed slightly. A heavy sense of exhaustion washed over him, leaving his limbs weak. After about ten minutes, he finally regained some strength.

“Seems I have dodged them,” Wen Qi climbed up and gave a bitter laugh, looking down at his disheveled state. During the chase, his clean clothes had been reduced to something resembling a beggar’s outfit.

The young Female leaned against the dirt mound behind him and was about to leave when his eyes flickered. The relaxation in his eyes instantly turned back into wariness, which then shifted into anger.

The Female’s face distorted as he said, “Those damned Zerg! I will kill them all when I get back.”

Still unsatisfied, he opened his terminal and hissed angrily at it, “Those useless trash actually dared to send me here!”

“Female Protection Association. Useless! Why is there not one on this planet? I have to find it myself.”

The terminal projected a map into the air. Wen Qi stared at the map and said, “I need to leave the Blue Sequence. I hope those guys at the Association know what is good for them.”

“Otherwise…”

He continued to mumble and curse, seemingly immersed in his own world. Just then, a voice carried by the wind reached his ears.

“Found you.” A deep voice sounded right next to him. Wen Qi’s pupils shrank, and his anger turned to terror. His body reacted faster than his mind as he tried to run, but a Zerg was faster, blocking his path.

Wen Qi stared with a dark expression at the one blocking his way.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the blue-haired Male who had been on the same starship. Wen Qi was shocked. He did not expect that even after losing so many Zerg, this B-rank would still be following him.

“What do you want?”

Wen Qi’s pupils contracted as he pretended to be afraid. “I can give you whatever you want. Please do not hurt me.”

“If… if you like me, I might even consider making you my Male Consort.”

While saying this, the Female’s eyes were full of fear, but in his mind, his mental power was already primed. He did not think dealing with a B-rank Male was difficult, but his mental strike had to be faster than the Male before him, or he would be the one to die. On a planet like this, a Zerg’s life was the cheapest thing. Strength was the only thing that granted a voice.

“If you really have feelings for me…”

Gu Nan interrupted the Female’s self-delusion. A cold voice spilled from his lips. “I want the Emerald Sound Stone.”

At this moment, he did not bother suppressing his aura.

Wen Qi pretended to be startled by the voice and trembled. Facing the murderous aura of the Male, the terror in his eyes deepened, and his voice eventually broke into a sob. “I… I did not bring it with me.”

He lowered his eyes and spoke rapidly, as if being pushed to the brink. “The stone is with my brother. A few days ago, someone came to the Wen house and snatched it from me. That is why my brother gave me the star coins early.”

As he spoke, Wen Qi wondered why the Male from a few days ago was so obsessed with his stone and had even sent someone to chase him here. Although those stones no longer had active mines, some families still held them and they could be bought with enough money. Why fixate on his?

Perhaps the world had already undergone changes due to Zong Xiangxing’s appearance, making the Emerald Sound Stone so rare that even major families lacked them. Wen Qi, making excuses for the Male, never considered that the other party might simply be broke.

Wen Qi’s body shook with fear. “I really cannot produce it.”

He was not afraid of being searched. The stone was indeed on him, but he had taken precautions when bringing it. Without specific equipment, it was impossible to detect the stone on his person. The price of such equipment was even higher than a single stone. The one he had was given to him by Wen Ze, and no Zerg would waste star coins on such a device. To find the stone, the other party would have to physically strip-search him.

He would not let that happen.

As for the Wen family… no Zerg with a brain would provoke the Wen family on the Capital Star for an Emerald Sound Stone. He was not worried about bringing danger to the family. The capital’s protection policies for Females would not let Wen Ze face any danger.

Wen Qi glanced at the Male. Seeing his grim expression, he stammered, “I am telling the truth. You can search me if you do not believe me.”

The blue-haired Male seemed determined to get the stone. Wen Qi wondered if he would believe him. While staring at the Male, he relaxed his body while maintaining a fearful facade, waiting for the search.

Gu Nan stared at Wen Qi with a frown. Seeing that the fear in the Female’s eyes was genuine, he muttered, “I searched the Wen residence.”

Impossible. The Wen residence was not a place just anyone could enter. It was likely just a tactic to bluff him. Wen Qi knew this perfectly well. He lowered his eyes and slowly spread his hands. “You can search me. I really do not have it.”

“There is only… only this.” Wen Qi tremulously pulled a small piece of jade from his pocket. “I snatched this from the Wen house. I do not have any other stones. If you want it, you can have it.”

Gu Nan was carrying a detection device, but it required the subject’s cooperation to function. He had only stayed behind because the device had alerted him earlier. On the starship, there was surveillance, making it difficult to act, but he had no such concerns now. He activated the small device he carried. The beam of light scanned the disheveled Female before him. The scan ended quickly with no abnormalities detected.

Gu Nan’s gaze swept over Wen Qi and landed on the jade in his hand. His expression became extremely sour.

Seeing the Male’s cold face, Wen Qi maintained his defensive stance and retreated two steps in fear.

Crackle. He stepped on something. The Male’s murderous gaze returned to him. Wen Qi did not dare move.

This unexpected sound also jolted Gu Nan from his thoughts. He withdrew his gaze, put away the small device, and said nothing. He cast one more glance at the tensed Wen Qi before turning and walking away.

Seeing the blue-haired Male leave, the expression on Wen Qi’s face did not change. Had he given up?

He watched the Male walk further away until he was just a black dot before withdrawing his gaze. The fear on his face vanished, replaced by contemplation, and his tensed body relaxed slightly.

Looking down at the jade in his hand, Wen Qi tucked it back into his sleeve. He released his full mental power and stood still for a minute. A minute later, he reached down and tapped a dusty, ordinary-looking belt around his waist.

A faint mechanical click sounded.

The belt opened, revealing a stone glowing with a vibrant green light. Unlike its previous dullness, the stone now glowed brilliantly, looking incredibly precious.

Fingering the Emerald Sound Stone, Wen Qi looked in the direction the blue-haired Male had gone. His eyes darkened. He waited another minute before putting the stone back.

“Seems he is gone for real.” He tucked the stone back into the belt, his gaze deep.

He had sensed something following him long ago. That Zerg was strong and fast. Even his mental power had trouble tracking its movements. Although he had not used much mental power, it was enough to prove the Zerg’s strength. When he had stopped earlier and could not sense him, he thought he had lost the tail, but the Zerg had been following him all along. He had acted irritable specifically to lure him out.

He had expected it to be some Male from the Blue Sequence, but he had not expected it to be the B-rank Male from the starship. This Zerg was different from the ones in this chaotic place. Wen Qi was not a naive fool. He knew the rules of this world: survival of the fittest. In this chaotic sector, that rule was revered to the extreme. Only the strong had a voice. A rank-dropped Female like him was only fit to be at the bottom of the food chain.

The fact that he had been chased for so long proved it: since arriving on this planet, his status had shifted from a noble Female to a lamb that could be slaughtered at will.

Yet that Zerg had initially offered to buy the stone, and coupled with an aura that ordinary Zerg could not match, the blue-haired Male was clearly out of place here.

“He is likely not from this planet.”

Thinking of this, Wen Qi shook his head. He was just someone he might never encounter again. There was no need to dwell on it.

Wen Qi scanned the surroundings with his mental power and found a spot to recover some stamina. Once he felt better, he assessed his appearance and rolled on the ground twice, making himself look even more miserable. Then, he strode toward the city he had researched earlier.

The wilderness was empty of Zerg. Wen Qi used his mental power to avoid passing travelers and walked for seven or eight hours before finally entering the nearest city.

Calling it a city was an exaggeration. On Blue Planet 6, only the main city truly resembled one. The surrounding settlements were just temporary trading points. These points had an average daily flow of only seven or eight hundred Zerg. This particular small-scale trading point only existed because it was near the starship landing zone.

Wen Qi disguised his face before entering the trading point. He immediately used the star coins on his terminal to exchange for 100,000 physical paper star coins.

His terminal had real-name authentication, so the staff at the exchange counter immediately flagged him. However, Wen Qi acted as if he did not notice the employee’s gaze and completed the transaction according to standard procedure.

Leaving the exchange point, Wen Qi used the paper coins to buy two sets of clothes, a new terminal, and some other supplies. Then, he headed out of the trading point.

Less than a minute after he left, the counter employee who had exchanged his coins also stepped out of the trading point.

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