When the Villainous Boss Acts as the Protagonist (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 26

In truth, Chu Sicheng’s consciousness remained awake. He could clearly perceive Alex’s cries and touch, and had even overheard most of the conversation between Alex and his female father earlier.

However, he could not make any response.

It was as if his mouth were sewn shut, and his limbs felt as though they were filled with concrete, stiff to the point where even his fingertips could not twitch.

At this moment, Chu Sicheng had effectively detached from that fragile shell. Changing from a participant to a bystander, he could only watch as Alex’s expression shifted from confusion to panic, finally calming himself enough to rush him to the hospital.

Inside the ward, which reeked of disinfectant, the doctors seemed to use every testing instrument available on his body. A needle drew a small amount of blood from the male’s slender veins and immediately fed it into the nearby blood analyzer.

“The pheromone concentration in the blood seems to have risen again,”

“Body temperature is also gradually increasing,”

“It’s a second evolution, Professor! Lord Ryan seems to have entered the second evolution stage ahead of schedule!”

According to the previous hospital results and the developmental state of an F-rank male’s pheromones, Chu Sicheng shouldn’t have entered the second evolution for another month. Furthermore, his hormone test results from the day before yesterday were still within the normal fluctuation range for F-rank. Unexpectedly, today, two days later, the hormone levels in his body soared past A-rank levels the moment the instruments were plugged in.

This bizarre phenomenon caused the doctors in the ward to sharpen their focus. A cacophony of voices blurred together, entering Chu Sicheng’s mind through his ears, until eventually, they became a string of meaningless symbols.

After all, as anxious as these Zergs were, they couldn’t do much besides monitoring his physical condition in real-time.

Looking at the female Zergs before him, all with furrowed brows, busy hands, and non-stop chatter, Chu Sicheng let out a bored yawn.

“But Host, doesn’t their anxiety show that they care about you?”

By the window that wasn’t shut tight, a breeze nudged the white gauze curtains, making them sway gently. It brushed over the clean windowsill and fell upon the transparent figure invisible to the crowd, as well as the system squatting beside him.

“Indeed,” Chu Sicheng replied flatly, his nonchalant tone clearly just humoring the system.

The system felt a bit discouraged but persisted with another question: “Then, aren’t you moved, Host?”

Chu Sicheng let out a direct sneer. “I don’t know about being moved, but I do know your emotional data seems to need a factory reset and repair.”

Are all the systems accompanying protagonists this silly?

No wonder being a protagonist has become such a high-risk profession over the years, and the number of employees in the Protagonist Department of the Administration is dwindling annually. They’re probably all being bored to death by these systems.

“Moved,” indeed.

Is he here to complete a mission, or to sing “A Grateful Heart”?

Chu Sicheng didn’t bother with the system further. He leaned against the window with his eyes closed, trying to think about the tribunal he’d heard about from Alex’s female father this morning.

But the system, who didn’t understand the sarcasm and thought the Host was truly concerned about its welfare, didn’t give him that chance.

After obediently uploading its emotional data to the Administration and applying for a diagnostic repair, the system turned its gaze back to the busy ward and to the female Zerg standing outside the glass window. He had been standing there, stiff as a statue, since Chu Sicheng was pushed into the room.

Seeing the other’s anxious and heavy expression, the system felt the data governing its “gratitude” program skip a beat again.

“Host, I’ve noticed that the villain seems even more worried about you than these doctors.”

Chu Sicheng slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the window opposite him. There, behind the glass that seemed to take up the entire wall, he saw Alex, his lips bitten hard, his face even paler than the version of himself lying on the hospital bed.

His state was at its absolute worst: his hair was messy, his tie hung loosely around his neck, and his originally crisp shirt had gained several wrinkles during the frantic rush to the hospital. His green eyes were fixed intently on the male lying in bed, looking utterly unsettled.

He was worrying, fearing, blaming himself, and regretting.

“He really is a villain who doesn’t act like a villain,” the system’s voice came again.

This time, Chu Sicheng’s attitude wasn’t as dismissive as before.

His eyes flickered as he leaned back against the window and asked: “Why do you say that?”

“Intuition!”

The system said righteously: “From what I know, aren’t villains in novel worlds always set up to be devoid of love and cold-natured? They aren’t supposed to feel true emotion toward anything, using any means to achieve their goals, with everything based on profit, right?”

But the female outside the glass wasn’t like that. He was truly worried about its Host.

The system blinked, its gaze landing on the female outside who was so anxious he’d bitten his lip raw again. It truly felt that, compared to Alex right now, the person beside it looked a bit more like a villain.

The system stole a glance at Chu Sicheng.

Completely different from the male on the bed, Chu Sicheng’s true appearance was refined and elegant to the extreme. His face was cold and pale, but his features were dark and bold. Combined with his sharp facial contours, he delivered a massive visual impact at first glance.

Add to that the fact that he might have performed too many villain missions in the past, his entire being carried an aura of looking down upon all living things and keeping the world at a distance, pushing the aggressiveness of his beauty to the peak.

If the Ryan on the bed was as beautiful as an innocent deer leaping through the woods during the day, then the soul beside him was a blood-stained wolf walking through the jungle at night. Even while bathed in warm sunlight, there was no warmth around him.

Looking at such a face, even the system had the illusion that no matter who Chu Sicheng faced, he would play them to death.

Its electronic eyes flickered instinctively. The system glanced at Alex, then back at Chu Sicheng. Amidst its processing, something glitched, and it suddenly asked:

“Host, so, do you like the villain?”

Chu Sicheng looked down at the system and said nothing.

Before them, the various instruments attached to the male emitted faint beeping sounds. Perhaps because Chu Sicheng’s true appearance was too sharp, the system suddenly felt a creeping chill under his silent gaze. It instinctively nudged backward, while its program ran rapidly, trying to find a way to make up for its gossipy question.

However, before it could speak, the soul that had been staring at it expressionlessly suddenly smiled.

It was as if a long, cold winter had finally passed, and warm sunlight hit the earth. Amidst the melting ice and snow, the system heard Chu Sicheng say:

“I do.”

“If I didn’t like him, why would I seek him out to help each other? Do I look like someone with a very casual nature?” Chu Sicheng said.

His voice was very light, like a feather with no weight.

His tone was so flat that even the follow-up question sounded like a nonchalant statement.

He spoke of liking him, yet the natural sense of detachment in his features made the system want to doubt.

“But Host, I’ve heard before that people in your line of work find it very hard to fall for anyone, especially characters within a novel world.”

Chu Sicheng: “When you get your emotional program repaired, have them overhaul your vocabulary database as well.”

“In our line of work”?

Speaking with such ambiguity, did it want to die?

Perhaps feeling the system was being too brainless, or perhaps simply lazy to answer, Chu Sicheng stopped acknowledging it. Instead, he focused his gaze on the male on the bed, whose pheromone concentration was steadily climbing.

It would take about another two and a half hours for the second evolution to succeed.

In that case, it didn’t seem likely he’d make it to the tribunal this afternoon.

He wondered if the members of the tribunal would be like before, summarily pronouncing his guilt amidst the tearful accusations of two A-rank males.

Currently unable to return to his body, Chu Sicheng let his mind wander aimlessly.

He was only doing this to pass the time out of boredom, but Alex, who had thought of the same problem, was not nearly as relaxed as Chu Sicheng.

“Alex, following a review of the surveillance footage, the staff discovered you were also present at Qing Garden. Therefore, by unanimous request of the tribunal members, you will attend the hearing as a witness.”

“I hope you watch your words and behavior then, even if the male being accused is the one you like! Don’t forget, even if you are an SS-rank, you are still a female!”

Females were born a rank lower when facing males.

To offend two, or even all, A-rank males for the sake of one F-rank male could be considered the most foolish decision possible.

That was why Saxon had messaged his son at this time, telling him to keep a clear head and not lose an entire watermelon patch for the sake of a tiny sesame seed.

In fact, it wasn’t just Saxon; the other members of the tribunal thought so too.

Although the image of Chu Sicheng easily consoling Alex during his riot in Mogras had been shocking; like the story of the boy who cried wolf, the repeated F-rank test results had caused the Imperial upper crust to lose all patience. Furthermore, during this long and anxious wait, two of the Empire’s currently highest-ranking and most precious A-rank Lords had met with major accidents simultaneously, even involving the SS-rank female, Friedrich.

This incident was like a sharp blade, directly severing the tense string in the minds of every Imperial high official.

This might be the most somber and oppressive tribunal in history.

Fero still sat on the left side of the defendant’s bench, but unlike the previous two times, he was joined by Elio, whose hands were now crippled.

He didn’t know what method Chu Sicheng had used, but Elio’s hands could not be healed even with the Zerg’s advanced medical technology.

His hands could no longer hold the sharp knives he used to abuse his female attendants. The way they hung lifelessly at his sides was just as limp as his entire being.

This was why Elio had immediately agreed when Fero suggested accusing Chu Sicheng.

So what if they were the ones who wanted to harm him in the first place?

They were the ones who had been hurt now, so the other had to suffer a punishment ten thousand times more painful than his own!

“That’s right! Everything Lord Fero and I suffered was done by that Ryan! There is surveillance outside every private room in Qing Garden; you can clearly see how he led the two of us out!”

Elio propped up his arms to show the members of the tribunal his broken hands.

“Furthermore, the facts are right before your eyes. I wouldn’t actually break my own hands just to frame an F-rank male!”

His words were meant to add credibility to his claim, but Fero, who was attending his third tribunal today, felt strangely targeted by the implication.

However, that feeling didn’t last long, for this time he really was.

Unbidden images of those dirty hands touching his body surfaced in his mind.

At this moment, the colder Fero’s body felt, the deeper his hatred for Chu Sicheng became.

The negative emotions gushing from his body were like the world’s best seasoning, especially when added to a soul, it could easily turn a simple bowl of porridge into a delicacy.

The skull floated beside Fero, and amidst the swirling black mist, it could hardly wait to swallow Fero whole.

But now was not the time.

After all, the heat known as despair wasn’t yet sufficient; it still had to wait patiently.

Thinking of this, the skull felt a surge of resentment toward Fero.

If it weren’t for this useless waste, it would have devoured the protagonist’s soul long ago. There would be no need for this tedious waiting for an inferior product to ripen.

 

The skull had completely abandoned Fero as a tool, yet Fero himself remained blissfully unaware. He even believed he could still make one last effort to eliminate the protagonist, Chu Sicheng!

 

His sinister gaze swept across the tribunal hall, eventually settling on the female Zerg who had remained silent since entering the room.

 

“General Alex,” Fero said slowly, “In the face of such overwhelming evidence, are you still going to shield Ryan?”

 

Alex did not answer him.

 

“I know you’ve been getting quite close to Ryan lately, General. But don’t forget, in the very beginning, you were the one who executed his death sentence,” Fero paused with a hint of malice before continuing, “You’ve seen for yourself the extent of his vengeance against those who have crossed him.”

 

“Do you really think a Zerg so vindictive could ever truly be good to you?”

 

The tribunal hall fell into a dead silence. Fero rose slowly, his eyes locked onto Alex in the center of the hall.

 

“You probably don’t know this, but the medicine I gave you wasn’t something he could resolve on his own.”

 

So, was he truly helping you soothe your mental power, or was he just using you to quell the fire in his own body?

 

Fero curled his lips. “So, is there really any point in continuing to protect such a Zerg?”

 

Alex lifted his eyes to look at Fero.

 

The male met his gaze without a hint of cowardice. He even reached out and pulled down his loose collar, revealing a body covered in bruises and marks, without a single patch of unblemished skin.

 

“The evidence is ironclad. How else are you going to defend him?”

 

“I have nothing to defend.”

 

Time stretched as if a century had passed before Alex finally spoke.

 

“But I want to ask, what were you and Elio doing at Qing Garden? And why did you head straight for the private room where Ryan and I were as soon as you entered?”

 

“Don’t try to argue!” Alex mimicked Fero’s tone from moments ago, speaking softly, “There is surveillance. The evidence is ironclad.”

 

“We—”

 

Fero stammered slightly under Alex’s counter-question, but he thought of a solution in an instant.

 

“It doesn’t matter what we were doing! Just say it—do you admit or not that Ryan caused the injuries on me and Lord Elio?”

 

“Don’t forget, besides the two of us, other A-rank Lords are watching this tribunal!”

 

Actually, at this point, given that Chu Sicheng hadn’t avoided the cameras when dragging Fero and Elio out of the room, whether Alex admitted it or not was irrelevant to the tribunal’s outcome.

 

But call these Zergs hypocritical or twisted, they simply wanted to pull over the only person currently standing on Ryan’s side to prove the “correctness” of their decision.

 

Unfortunately, Alex did not grant them their wish.

 

Even though Marshal Saxon’s eyes were nearly twitching from signaling, the female Zerg standing in the middle of the hall refused to bow his head.

 

He was truly different from before. He was no longer the humble son whose mind went blank the moment his female father grew cold, nodding to any harsh condition.

 

Alex blinked. Under Fero’s interrogation and the pressure of the entire tribunal bench, he didn’t answer the question, only saying softly:

 

“Lord Ryan is currently in the hospital undergoing his second evolution.”

 

“We know that, but it isn’t enough for the tribunal to declare him innocent. You should be aware, Alex, that Lord Ryan went too far this time.”

 

Directly destroying the consolation and reproductive value of two A-rank males was a massive loss for the Empire.

 

“So, you are determined to punish Ryan, then?” Alex asked. “Even knowing full well that those two males had ill intentions?”

 

The judge sitting in the center of the bench paused, then replied with a grave, heavy tone:

 

“Male Lords are the most precious wealth of our Empire.”

 

But an F-rank Lord is not. Alex added silently in his heart.

 

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the guilt seemed destined to be pinned on Chu Sicheng’s head again. Even the guards nearby gripped their guns tighter, waiting for the judge’s order to arrest the male in the hospital and bring him to justice.

 

“Alex, you know that—”

 

BOOM!

 

Every Zerg present thought something near the tribunal building had exploded, but it was actually the sound of Alex’s mecha landing right next to the hall.

 

The massive silver-white mecha reached out and smashed the scales representing fairness and justice in the center of the hall.

 

Crash!

 

The floor of the tribunal hall was smashed through, layer by layer, as if a great beast had snarled and opened its maw, wanting to tear this unfair world to shreds.

 

Only now did the crowd seem to realize the terror of an SS-rank female Zerg.

 

Alex teleported directly in front of Fero. His lashes lowered, and his green eyes locked onto his prey like a venomous snake.

 

“To what extent do you think Ryan’s crime of letting you get caught by low-level females can be sentenced?”

 

“You want him dead, don’t you?”

 

“What if, before that, I send you to hell first?”

 

This was an extremely unfair world.

 

Between females and males.

 

Between low ranks and high ranks.

 

Morbid and extreme.

 

Especially since this group of Zergs had been targeting him and Ryan, it was becoming increasingly repulsive.

 

“You keep saying Ryan hurt you, but wasn’t it you who framed him in the first place?”

 

“And at Friedrich’s banquet, and then the medicine that was supposed to be for second evolution but only worked as an aphrodisiac—which one of those wasn’t started by you? And you,” Alex looked at Elio, “Do you really have no idea why your hands were broken?”

 

Wherever his gaze landed, the two males turned deathly pale. Their usual insufferable arrogance had vanished completely, replaced only by a terror from the depths of their souls.

 

“You’re right. I did wrong back then, too. I didn’t report Ryan’s status as a male. I am guilty; I deserve to die,” Alex said flatly. “But before I atone for my sins…”

 

He slowly looked at Fero. “Don’t think you’re going to live, either.”

 

It was perfect. The penalty for a female harming a male was death anyway. He could take the other with him to atone for Ryan’s sake.

 

Before any of the Zergs could react, Alex hoisted Fero up into the air. The silver-white mecha slowly raised its right hand, the impact cannon in its palm glowing with laser light, ready to destroy the entire tribunal building and everyone inside.

 

However, just then—

 

“Alex.”

 

A weak but incredibly familiar voice suddenly sounded in Alex’s ear.

 

Just like the day of the execution, a massive virtual image descended once again over the entire Central City.

 

Amidst the expanse of blue, Alex saw only that faint hint of blue-grey.

 

The male leaned lazily against the headboard, his platinum-blonde hair falling over his forehead. Perhaps because he was weak from the second evolution, the male’s eyes looked far less aggressive than usual. Combined with his naturally soft appearance, he looked like a clean, pure deity.

 

Then, Alex watched as his deity beckoned to him gently.

 

“Come here, Alex.”