ICAWZ Chapter 2

[That day, the deity fell from the heights, and the white crow plummeted in the forbidden land. The leaves of the secretive forest of Solitiam gently bowed in the wind, assuming the posture of a lost friend, awaiting a reunion.]

For five full days and nights, Lu Yuan survived in the dense forest. Throughout these five days, he couldn’t help but ponder a question incessantly: When would his homeland come to rescue him? When would the people come to save him?

Yet, before he could arrive at an answer to this question, he found himself facing a group that seemed like terrorists. They pressed guns against his lower back and forcefully escorted him onto a white flying warship. As they passed by the entrance of the dense forest, Lu Yuan felt a strange sense of familiarity with the remnants of a monument. It seemed like he had encountered it during a trip, but at that moment, he couldn’t recall despite his usually remarkable memory.

“Get in!”

As Lu Yuan stepped into the cabin, a forceful push against his back sent him stumbling several steps before regaining his balance. He turned around to face the group of people clad in airtight protective suits. A sense of vigilance quietly rose within him, and he reluctantly endured the pain from his wounds as he asked, “Who are you people?”

“The one asking should be me. Who are you, really?”

A chilly and deep voice suddenly echoed by Lu Yuan’s ear, resonating like thunder.

One of the men raised his hand, removed his goggles, and casually discarded his protective suit, revealing his true identity like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. His silver-white hair appeared slightly disheveled, and his facial features were profound and chiseled. Crimson eyes, like the murky blood in a wine glass, reflected a flickering desire.

When Lu Yuan locked eyes with those eyes, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he found himself descending into deeper contemplation—

Why did the other person not look human at all?

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

Not sure if it was due to having his gun disarmed by Lu Yuan just now, but Yusto’s expression turned somewhat sour, as if he had stepped on dog feces. He walked up to Lu Yuan, crossed his arms, and scrutinized him with an inspecting gaze. “Answer my question. Why did you appear alone in the contaminated zone?”

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment. His gaze slowly fell on Yusto’s military attire, and in his mind, he quickly ran through the styles of military uniforms from various countries. In the end, he confirmed that he had never seen this type of uniform before.

“…I don’t know. I fell from a cliff, and when I woke up, I was in that place.”

Lu Yuan keenly sensed something unusual, whether it was the group of people in front of him or the bizarre surroundings; everything seemed too mysterious. Wisely, he refrained from revealing too much personal information.

Yusto noticed the torn clothes on Lu Yuan, made of an extremely fragile polyester fiber that provided no protection whatsoever. “How long have you been in the Solitiam Forest?”

Lu Yuan’s voice sounded unusually hoarse, “Five days.”

“That’s impossible.” Suddenly, Yulejia interjected, frowning as he looked at Lu Yuan, as if scrutinizing a liar full of lies. “Hey, you better not be lying.”

Lu Yuan, due to a persistent high fever, had his mind in a fog. To conserve energy, he reluctantly leaned against the wall, shifting most of his weight to the upper body. Hearing the words, he raised his eyelids to look at Yulejia, responding with a faint and mocking retort, “You better not doubt my words either.”

Yulejia approached, casting a skeptical gaze at Lu Yuan. “So, you survived for a full five days inside the Solitiam Forest, which even the Empire’s five S-rank elite teams couldn’t penetrate, and you weren’t infected by the Originium radiation… Wait, if I understand correctly, is that what you’re saying?”

He made it clear he didn’t believe it, his tone exaggerated and somewhat comical.

Lu Yuan, on the other hand, didn’t understand a word of the lengthy speech and felt the dizziness in his mind intensifying. Unable to control a swaying motion, a small object accidentally fell out of his pocket, promptly caught by the quick hands of Yusto.

“…He’s not lying.”

Yusto suddenly spoke, and everyone subconsciously looked over. He wore a pair of white officer gloves, and in the palm of his right hand lay a vibrant red rose. However, due to the passage of time, it had withered slightly, with the edges of the petals curling inward, creating a clear contrast between the red and white.

“In the heart of the Solitiam Forest, there’s a sea of roses, the heart of the entire mountain forest, and the most heavily contaminated area with Originium. We found him at the forest’s edge, and based on our estimates, he has been inside for at least two days…”

Yusto finished speaking and looked at Lu Yuan. This time, his gaze held a deeper sense of inquiry, and he frowned, asking, “Where are you really from?”

However, Lu Yuan was no longer able to respond to Yusto’s question. He finally succumbed to the overwhelming dizziness flooding his brain, sliding down the wall, and collapsing to the ground. With the sound of a heavy object hitting the floor, the cabin fell completely silent.

Yulejia, slow to react, blinked his eyes, clearly not understanding what had just happened. “What’s wrong with him?”

Yusto noticed the injured leg of Lu Yuan, crouching down to assess the situation. With gloved hands, he gently moved aside the torn fabric of Lu Yuan’s pants, unsurprisingly discovering the already infected snakebite wound. “He’s injured. Is there snake venom serum in the infirmary?”

Yulejia shrugged, raising his hands. “Hopefully, there’s still stock. After all, today’s just a patrol, not a battle.”

He finished speaking and turned, disappearing into the infirmary.

Lu Yuan had not had a proper sleep for quite a long time, and now he finally drifted into a deep slumber, although it felt rather unpleasant. In his semi-conscious state, he felt as if someone were piercing his skin with a syringe, the sharp, icy pain making him involuntarily tense his entire body.

“You better relax; it’ll be troublesome to handle if the needle breaks,” came a voice.

Yusto sat by the medical bed, slowly injecting a blue-colored solution into Lu Yuan’s body. He gazed at the man before him, now unconscious, and was suddenly curious about Lu Yuan’s appearance and race, remembering the rare black eyes. He used a wet cloth to wipe away the messy mud on Lu Yuan’s face.

Yulejia leaned in from the side to get a closer look, his face twitching involuntarily. “I swear, the dirt on his face is thicker than the fortresses newly built in the capital city.”

The other team members were a bit repulsed by the unidentified creature covered in mud, so the task of tending to the wound fell on Yusto. Well, that guy didn’t seem to have a fear of dirt, except when it came to male zergs.

“Just imagine, what if he’s a rare and unusual male zerg? Would you still say that?” Yusto asked casually.

Yulejia was taken aback by the question, staring at him wide-eyed. “What do you mean?!”

Yusto shrugged. “Just a random thought, nothing meaningful.”

And indeed, it was just a casual remark.

While they spoke, Lu Yuan’s features gradually became clearer. It was an undeniably handsome face, with elegantly arched eyebrows, a high and profound nose bridge. However, his thin lips gave off a somewhat aloof vibe, creating an impression that he wasn’t easy to approach.

With ink-black hair and ink-black eyes, Lu Yuan’s appearance seemed somewhat mysterious in this world.

Yulejia, observing, couldn’t help but be impressed. “Zerg God, he looks really unique, quite different from us.”

However, Yusto’s focus was elsewhere. “Black hair, black eyes—what race is he exactly?”

He removed his gloves, using his long, clean white fingertips to pick up a bit of blood near Lu Yuan’s wound, bringing it to his nose for a sniff, attempting to discern the man’s origins. Yet, the blood seemed to carry a peculiar scent, akin to the pheromones emitted by male zergs to bewitch females. It was potent enough to make the latter dizzy and even go into a frenzy.

Yusto’s keen sense of smell picked up the unusual scent in the blood, causing a momentary disruption in his breathing. His chest heaved irregularly, and his crimson eyes gradually darkened. The body, untouched by an estrus period before, now exhibited some restrained instinct, a desire to undergo metamorphosis.

“Clang—!”

The tray containing the medication accidentally toppled from the table.

In an instant, Yusto’s complexion turned exceptionally grim. He couldn’t help but mutter curses under his breath. Quickly getting up, he distanced himself from the sickbed, vigorously disinfecting his hands with alcohol. He angrily shouted at his teammates in the cabin, “Damn it! Report to the military medical center immediately; this is a male zerg!”

“What?!! A male zerg?!”

The team members, originally seated in the cockpit, all turned their heads in unison upon hearing the revelation. They rushed to the medical bed, pointing at Lu Yuan in disbelief. “What are you talking about? How could he be a male zerg?! Oh no, I mean, who would throw a precious male zerg into a dangerous forbidden zone?!”

Yusto’s face turned ashen, vigorously wiping his fingertips as if he had touched a contagious virus. “You should ask the Zerg God these damn questions instead of bothering me!”

The military females were the most powerful entities in the entire empire, the most invincible fortresses. However, their robust physique and bloodlines seemed exceptionally fragile in the face of male zergs, unable to withstand a single blow.

Genes destined them to crave the opposite sex.

Yusto detested that feeling of having his brain controlled by the pheromones of a male zerg, reaching a point of strong aversion. He opened the vent window, taking a deep breath to try to calm the rising heat within him. He vowed not to go anywhere near that medical bed again.

On the contrary, Yulejia and the others, shedding their previous laziness, crowded around the medical bed. They surrounded Lu Yuan, pushing and shoving, engaging in a lively and hushed discussion, expressing astonishment.

“Oh my god, someone pinch me; we actually found a male zerg?”

“Unbelievable! This gentleman looks completely different from those brainless, fat male zergs.”

“I agree. Yulejia, quickly check if he has the zerg markings on the back of his neck. We mustn’t make a mistake!”

It was well-known that male zergs didn’t have markings on the back of their necks.

Yulejia hesitated, “Wouldn’t this be too offensive?”

His companions tried to convince him, “No, no, no, Yulejia, we just want to confirm this gentleman’s identity. After all, finding a male zerg in the forbidden zone is not a trivial matter.”

After a moment of contemplation, Yulejia agreed, thinking it was better to check. He tentatively reached out towards the unconscious Lu Yuan, gently moving aside the back of his collar.

One of his companions suddenly spoke up, “Yulejia, why is your hand trembling?”

Yulejia glared at him, “Damn it! It’s the first time in my life touching a male zerg. Can’t I be nervous?”

As Yulejia’s words fell, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his wrist, his hand tightly gripped by someone. He instinctively looked down, only to find that the male zerg who had been unconscious a moment ago had opened his eyes. His pupils were as black as ink, and he was frowning, staring at Yulejia. His voice, hoarse and deep, sounded, “What do you want?”

Startled, Yulejia felt as if he had been shocked. He quickly pulled his hand back, retreating in a fluster, stammering out an explanation, “Apologies, Your Excellency… we didn’t mean to offend… we… we just wanted to check if you have any other injuries…”

Male zergs were generally known for their terrible temper. Yulejia and his companions were worried about angering Lu Yuan, and they were so nervous that they hardly dared to breathe.

Lu Yuan’s reaction was purely a conditioned reflex developed from frequent fights. He struggled to sit up, instinctively looking down at his legs. He noticed a bandage wrapped around them, indicating that the wounds had been treated.

Lu Yuan paused, “You guys helped me with my wounds?”

Nervously, Yulejia nodded and pointed to Yusto, sitting not far away, “It’s my comrade, he treated your wounds.”

At that moment, Yusto was sitting by the window, frowning as he covered his nose with a handkerchief. He didn’t spare a glance in their direction, appearing unusually indifferent.

Lu Yuan followed Yulejia’s indication and found the man from earlier. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally forced out two words out of courtesy, “Thank you.”

This expression of gratitude was unusually difficult for Lu Yuan. As a former gangster, the most common words he used in the first half of his life were profanities rather than some bullshit like “thank you.”

As Lu Yuan spoke, the air in the cabin fell into a subtle silence for a moment. Even Yusto withdrew his gaze from outside the window, turning his head to look at Lu Yuan. He frowned, casting an unusual look at him.

Yulejia subconsciously scratched his head. His golden-brown eyes were full of confusion, with pupils elongated, resembling some kind of animal. “Your Excellency, what did you just say?”

“…”

Lu Yuan was now even more certain that they were not from Earth. What normal person could have eyes like that? “Thank you?”

Did these two words mean anything offensive on this alien planet?

Yusto, on the side, raised an eyebrow at Lu Yuan’s words, smirking, “Tsk, hearing these two words from a male zerg’s mouth is quite rare.”

This statement sounded quite ambiguous.

Lu Yuan looked at Yulejia, “Did I say something wrong?”

Yulejia quickly tried to smooth things over, stuttering, “No, not at all. He just thinks you’re very polite… Please don’t be polite. Protecting male zergs is the duty of every military female.”

After his words, Yulejia discreetly observed Lu Yuan’s reaction, worried that he might be upset due to Yusto’s rude attitude. However, after a prolonged silence, Lu Yuan merely uttered a slow “Oh…”

Lu Yuan didn’t understand a word of what Yulejia was saying, but his years of life experience told him that if he couldn’t understand what a group of people with guns was saying, it was best to keep quiet.

 

 

 

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Author’s Note:

Lu Yuan: I am the hero among men, the kind of hero recognized by those who know what’s good.

Author: Don’t ask why everyone is speaking Chinese, (boldly opens mic) because the whole world is speaking Chinese~~~