ICAWZ Chapter 10

The thug named Lu Yuan didn’t want to speculate about others with malicious intent, but this unfamiliar female zerg, for no apparent reason, inquired about his background. There must be a reason behind it, and until he understood the situation, he wouldn’t say a word.

General Saphir seemed surprised by Lu Yuan’s cautiousness. He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head slightly, whether in sigh or reflection, saying, “I am now more certain that you are not one of the fellow zerg from Salaranfa.”

On this land, there was not a single intelligent male zerg, and Lu Yuan’s shrewdness was truly out of place among them.

Lu Yuan wasn’t sure if he should take it as a compliment or an insult and asked, “So, are you not planning to explain anything?”

General Saphir remained silent for a moment after hearing this, seemingly contemplating whether or not to reveal the reasons. After a lengthy pause, he finally relented, “Well, I do hope to obtain answers to certain questions from you, but there is no ulterior motive.”

He spoke, then raised his hand, clicking a few times on the holographic screen. Suddenly, an image of a forest taken from above appeared in mid-air. Lu Yuan inexplicably felt that the terrain in this picture was familiar. After closer inspection, he realized it was the place where he had once fallen: “Solitiam Forest?”

General Saphir nodded, “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Salaranfa planet was once hit by a meteor, and the largest fragment of the origin stone, contaminated with radiation, fell in the center of the Solitiam Forest. We tried countless methods to excavate it, but none were successful.”

Lu Yuan was puzzled, “Why?”

Even though he hadn’t been here for long, the Zerg race’s technology was undoubtedly very advanced, and extracting a stone from the forest should not be a difficult task.

General Saphir sighed at his words, his tone carrying a hint of heaviness, “It is a forbidden area. Any sophisticated equipment will malfunction deep inside the forest. There are countless advanced mutant species lurking inside, more terrifying than any war. In our attempts to retrieve the contaminated energy stone, we entered the forest with teams hundreds of times, but each time, there were no survivors, and we lost many comrades, sometimes even breaking the will of those who survived.”

He paused after speaking, and the low, resonant voice echoed in the interrogation room, sounding unusually clear yet distant, “My closest comrade died in that forest… He was exceptionally powerful, a rare SS-class warrior.”

Lu Yuan remained silent, realizing that he had survived in the Solitiam Forest for five days without being eaten by wild beasts—a damn miracle. “Do you want me to help you dig up the origin stone?”

The most glorious achievement in Lu Yuan’s life so far was probably dealing with a thief while getting into a fight on the roadside. Clearing contamination stones, a matter of national survival, seemed a bit beyond his difficulty level.

General Saphir couldn’t help but smile, “You misunderstood. I just hope you can point us in the direction of the center of the forest. Our detection instruments cannot understand the internal conditions of the forest. If you can provide more clues about what’s inside, it might prevent significant casualties for our military.”

Lu Yuan thought to himself, “Oh, that’s it.” He knew that the combat capabilities of these zerg creatures far exceeded humans; there was no need for him to assist. “Although I lived there for five days, I don’t have any useful information for you. However, if you need, I can sketch a rough map of the terrain inside.”

General Saphir was somewhat surprised, “You remember the terrain inside?”

Lu Yuan spoke vaguely, “Remember a bit, I guess.”

There were paper and pens on the interrogation table. Lu Yuan made an effort to recall the situation after falling into the forest, then started sketching on the paper. After about half an hour, he had drawn a detailed topographic map.

He twirled the pen between his fingertips and said, “If I’m not mistaken, the terrain should be something like this.”

General Saphir quickly picked up the map and examined it carefully. While he had never successfully entered the depths of the forest, he was familiar with the outer routes. Comparing Lu Yuan’s drawing to his own memories, he found them to be remarkably similar. The lingering doubt in his mind finally dissipated, “Honestly, I never believed a zerg could survive for five days in the Solitiam Forest. But now, I have no choice but to believe it.”

Perhaps due to Lu Yuan’s straightforward attitude, General Saphir’s gaze momentarily softened, “Kid, regardless of whether this information is useful or not, you’ve done me a great favor. What do you want in exchange, wealth or a military position?”

Lu Yuan, however, declined, “No need. Just take me with you the next time you go to explore the forest. Maybe I can help you.”

Lu Yuan did have his own agenda. He was well aware that his arrival in this world was likely due to a temporal anomaly, and the entrance to the space-time rift might very well be hidden in the Solitiam Forest.

If he wanted to return to Earth again, he could only search for answers deep within the forest. There was no other way.

General Saphir found it somewhat unbelievable, “You don’t want anything at all?”

Lu Yuan shook his head, “No need.”

Star coins were useless on Earth, and he didn’t like owing people.

The conversation ended with an uncertain outcome, whether it was a success or a failure. The good news was that General Saphir got the answers he sought. The bad news was that he still couldn’t extract any information about Lu Yuan’s background.

Yusto had been pacing anxiously outside the interrogation room throughout the conversation.

Of course, Yusto had not eavesdropped. Nobles of his stature never engaged in such undignified behavior. He simply couldn’t fathom why General Saphir insisted on personally interrogating Lu Yuan. If it was solely because the Monck family’s waste was beaten up, the reason seemed too far-fetched.

According to Article 275 of the Imperial Law: Within the territory of Salaranfa, in any territory protected by the Sword of the Zerg God, no female zerg shall harm a male zerg without proper cause.

Though Wengel’s injuries weren’t severe, he always sought revenge for even the slightest grievances. If he used the family’s influence to pressure the military, Lu Yuan, a background-less and amnesiac female zerg, could face punishment ranging from whipping and exile to execution. It seemed there was no good outcome either way.

With these thoughts in mind, Yusto’s slender eyebrows unconsciously furrowed. Setting aside the fact that Lu Yuan was rescued from the forest by him, Yusto detested the exploitation of power and oppression by male zergs. He couldn’t stand by and watch Lu Yuan be thrown into interstellar prison, no matter what.

As the workday neared its end, the corridor outside the interrogation room was empty, with only the expensive antique clock in the corner ticking away, producing a subtle and rhythmic sound.

Glancing at the time, Yusto quietly approached the door of the interrogation room. He pressed his ear against the gap, attempting to catch the conversation inside.

The door was well-insulated, and he couldn’t hear anything from the ongoing discussion.

Yusto reluctantly changed his position, continuing to eavesdrop. Just as he managed to catch some faint noises, the door suddenly clicked open from the inside, and he, due to the momentum, stumbled into the room.

“Careful!”

Lu Yuan had just opened the door when a dark figure tumbled in. Instinctively, he caught the waist of the intruder, steadying them. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the individual as the rude rabbit spirit with white fur and red eyes he encountered on the starship.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, “It’s you?”

What kind of zerg fate was this? Encountering each other in the wilderness survival was one thing, but how did they manage to cross paths again while fighting and being interrogated?

Yusto also didn’t expect Lu Yuan to suddenly open the door, let alone getting caught red-handed for eavesdropping. With Lu Yuan’s help, he quickly regained his balance, adjusted his tilted military cap, and in a few seconds, he composed himself. Then, he nodded slightly towards General Saphir inside and said, “Apologies, I didn’t mean to intrude.”

General Saphir wasn’t curious about Yusto’s sudden appearance at the door. Through the surveillance on the holographic screen, he noticed Yusto had been lingering outside for a good two hours. His gaze shifted between Lu Yuan and Yusto, a bit puzzled, “So, do you two know each other?”

Lu Yuan chuckled at the question. Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, he uttered a few simple words with his deep voice, carrying an inexplicable sense of ambiguity, “Yeah, he saved me.”

Suddenly, Yusto’s ears felt a bit itchy, as if tickled by feathers. Facing General Saphir’s gaze, he didn’t deny the connection but awkwardly shifted his eyes, saying, “We’ve met a few times.”

In reality, his mind was filled with the term “nemesis” that Yulejia mentioned on the starship. Could Lu Yuan really be his nemesis? Otherwise, why did every encounter end up so awkward, either with a disarmed gun or a fall?

General Saphir, however, seemed relieved and unexpectedly said, “Since you know each other, that’s even better. Lu Yuan will officially enroll in the Bardell Academy tomorrow. Yusto, as a senior, perhaps you can help look after him.”

Yusto was momentarily stunned, “What did you say?”

Wasn’t Lu Yuan supposed to be undergoing an interrogation for assaulting Wengel? Why, out of nowhere, was he now expected to enroll in the Bardell Academy?

General Saphir didn’t elaborate much, “Today’s conflict was just a misunderstanding. I’ll handle things with the Monck family. As you know, the nobles in the academy are not always friendly to newcomers. I hope you can assist him.”

Yusto still hadn’t grasped the situation, “But the enrollment quota for this year is full, and he doesn’t have a residence permit or any identification documents.”

General Saphir patted Yusto’s shoulder, “It’s okay. Lu Yuan’s records are under my exclusive management. He’s just here to audit for a while.”

After giving some instructions for Lu Yuan to visit his office the next day, General Saphir quickly left, seeming in a hurry to attend to something.

Yusto turned back to Lu Yuan, who had been silent all this time. After the recent events, he found Lu Yuan even more mysterious, shrouded in mysteries from head to toe. Curiously, he asked, “What happened in the interrogation room just now? Why did General Saphir decide to let you enroll in the military academy?”

Lu Yuan shrugged, indicating that he didn’t know. His obsidian-like eyes hinted at a faint smile, “Is this your way of interrogating me? General Saphir has already declared me innocent.”

Yusto scoffed at his words, raising his chin slightly, revealing a touch of inherent arrogance, “Is that so? But if I were the one interrogating you just now, not only would you be innocent, but you might have even earned a military merit.”

He never liked that fool from the Monck family, and Lu Yuan did something he had always wanted to do but never dared. Just as General Saphir mentioned, Yusto was indeed going to present Lu Yuan with a medal in the interrogation room.

Yusto finished speaking, turned towards the door, took a couple of steps, then turned back. Seeing that Lu Yuan hadn’t followed, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you coming?”

Lu Yuan expressed his confusion with a questioning look.

Yusto looked at the black single-shoulder travel bag on Lu Yuan’s body. It was probably the poor guy’s only possession. Yusto couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity, “The enrollment activities won’t start until tomorrow. Do you want to sleep on the streets tonight? Come on, I’ll find you a place to stay.”

Lu Yuan: “?????”

Friendship between men always developed quickly, and this saying applied to Zerg race as well. Despite one thinking the other was a female zerg and the other just learning from General Saphir that he was a male zerg, their camaraderie was building.

 

 

 

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Author’s note:

#Lu Yuan, a man who lived for ten chapters before finally figuring out his gender#