Interrogation room, half an hour ago.
“Entering the Solitiam Forest to clear the origin stone is of great significance, and it requires the permission of His Majesty. It’s not something I can decide on my own. However, Your Excellency, I assure you that the day will come soon, and as a reward, I can offer you a new identity for temporary settlement on the main star.”
General Saphir was honest, not making any hasty promises to Lu Yuan just to obtain information about the forest. He even provided Lu Yuan with what he needed most at the moment.
Lu Yuan frowned at the words, “Will it take a long time?”
The average lifespan of the Zerg race is as long as two hundred years. For a social creature like him, who stays up every night drinking, making it to sixty is already a question. What if they take decades to get to the Solitiam Forest? By then, he might have long kicked the bucket.
Upon hearing this, General Saphir took a step towards the only window in the interrogation room. With a creak, he pushed it open, gazing at the ashen sky outside due to severe pollution. His expression hinted at seriousness, but his tone was sincere, “That day won’t be far off. We cherish the land beneath our feet far more than our own glory and lives.”
“Salaranfa has endured living in this unhealthy environment for too long. We, more than any zerg, hope she can recover her health.”
From the first day Lu Yuan set foot on the main star, he noticed something unusual. Despite the city’s vibrancy and beauty, it exuded a heavy atmosphere of lifelessness. There was no clear blue sky, no fresh and clean air, and not even the chirping of birds. Instead, there were only the steel creations born under advanced technology, colossal beasts traversing the endless sky.
Curious, Lu Yuan asked, “Is all of this caused by the originium radiation?”
General Saphir nodded, “In a few hundred years, this kind of pollution might spread to us as well, repeating the history of those years.”
Upon hearing these words, Lu Yuan fell into a brief silence, lost in thought. After a moment, he finally compromised, “Alright, then please provide me with an identity for temporary settlement on the main star, until I can enter the forest for exploration.”
General Saphir recalled their encounter earlier in the registration hall and pondered for a moment with lowered eyes. “How about this? I’ll arrange for you to enroll in the Bardell Academy. The dormitories and educational environment there are among the best in the empire, and it’s also within my jurisdiction. If you don’t mind, you can reside there temporarily.”
Lu Yuan remembered what the chubby guy, Reed, had said, “But haven’t all 500 enrollment slots for females already been taken by nobles?”
General Saphir looked at him with surprise, “Females? But you’re a male zerg.”
Lu Yuan was stunned at his words, “What? I’m a male zerg?!”
…
Pulling back his wandering thoughts, when Lu Yuan snapped back to reality, he found himself walking out of the interrogation room alongside Yusto. Because he genuinely had no idea where to go tonight, and General Saphir was eager to deploy plans related to clearing the originium, it seemed like there was no time for him.
Yusto’s aircraft was parked at the entrance. With his hands in his pockets, he strolled down the steps leisurely, reminding Lu Yuan, “For the next period, it’s best not to act alone. Wengel, that idiot, won’t let you off the hook once he wakes up. Thanks for knocking him out before he submitted the registration form; otherwise, I’m afraid I’d have to face his annoying face every day at the academy.”
Lu Yuan noticed that Yusto harbored the same attitude towards every zerg, always harboring equal animosity towards each one. “You really dislike him?” he asked.
Yusto countered, “Do you think he’s likable to any zerg?”
Lu Yuan fell silent instantly. On this matter, he and Yusto reached a high level of consensus—Wengel was indeed an annoying zerg. Opening the cabin door of the aircraft, he took a seat in the co-pilot’s seat, “Where do you want to take me for the night?”
A hotel or an inn?
Yusto settled into the driver’s seat, lightly tapping his fingertips on the steering wheel for a moment. “Let’s find an apartment for now. The academy’s gate is already closed, and we can’t get back to the dorms.”
He didn’t mention that the apartment was his own home.
Lu Yuan had no clear concept of the boundaries between genders in this era, and coupled with the fact that he hadn’t eaten anything all day and had been in two fights, he was now hungry and lightheaded. Upon hearing Yusto’s proposal, he didn’t refuse and weakly said, eyes closed, “As long as there’s food.”
Yusto started the aircraft and tossed a bag of compressed biscuits to him, saying, “Do you think you’re a ‘precious’ male zerg? A bunch of female attendants at home waiting in line to cook for you? We don’t get that kind of treatment. Female zergs can get by with just compressed biscuits and nutrient fluids.”
Now, outside, the sky was turning dark, but there was no dazzling sunset. As soon as seven o’clock arrived, the entire city plunged into boundless darkness, lifeless and oppressive.
Upon hearing Yusto’s words, Lu Yuan subconsciously opened his eyes. His dark eyes were mysterious and profound, resembling the unpolluted starry sky from millions of years ago:
“I…”
Lu Yuan opened his mouth, intending to explain that he was not a female zerg. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t utter the words. Something felt odd—
He was a human.
He wasn’t a female zerg, nor a male zerg. He was a human male, and he couldn’t bring himself to admit being a zerg.
Lu Yuan had already distanced himself from the land he once relied on for survival. If he admitted to being a zerg, it would be like betraying the last remaining layer of his faith, abandoning his human identity. The prospect of that empty, desolate feeling frightened him.
Lu Yuan found it exceptionally difficult to utter those words. Despite several attempts, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Eventually, he gave up, frowning. Regardless, even if he didn’t say it, Yusto would find out when they went to school the next day. He picked up the bag of compressed biscuits, intending to eat something to calm his emotions. However, after tearing open the packaging and taking a bite, his entire complexion turned green. “What is this?”
Yusto, without even turning his head, said, “Compressed biscuits. Can’t you read?”
Lu Yuan sounded surprised, “This is compressed biscuits?”
He felt like he had just eaten a lump of rural mud, the kind that had been soaked in gutter oil for seven days and nights, then mixed with a bunch of smelly seafood.
Lu Yuan initially wanted to spit it out, but he thought it wouldn’t be very refined, so he forced himself to swallow it down. “Did you let it expire?” he asked.
Yusto raised an eyebrow, “The military-grade compressed biscuits have a shelf life of a whopping eighty years. And you think it’s expired?”
Lu Yuan wasn’t even sure this bag of biscuits would ever expire.
Lu Yuan: “…”
Damn, no wonder it tasted so awful; it’s full of preservatives.
Lu Yuan couldn’t force down that lump of seafood-flavored mud, even if he were starving. He disdainfully tossed the biscuits aside, frowned, and leaned back on the seat, intending to take a nap. However, before he could even close his eyes, he felt the aircraft rapidly descending.
Yusto maneuvered the aircraft to a stop in front of a building that resembled an apartment. Undoing his seatbelt, he said to Lu Yuan, “We’re here. Get off.”
He usually stayed in the academy dorms or returned to the palace. He only visited this apartment occasionally when he wanted some quiet during his break. Yusto got off the aircraft, walked straight to the entrance, and the electronic lock recognized his iris data with a click, automatically opening the door.
Lu Yuan caught up from behind, taking note of the situation. His steps involuntarily halted, “Is this your home?”
Yusto changed his shoes at the entrance, handing Lu Yuan a new pair. He shrugged at the question, “If you consider any place you can eat and sleep as a home, then reluctantly, yes. Don’t just stand outside; come in.”
Perhaps due to his appearance, Yusto always seemed to carry a hint of mockery and laziness in his expression. He resembled a wealthy young master who remained indifferent to the hustle and bustle of the world, tired of the extravagance around him and indifferent to everything happening around him.
On Earth, a person with such a personality would be considered to have nothing but wealth and power.
Lu Yuan stood by the door, hesitating whether to enter. He thought staying for a night shouldn’t be a big deal, right? He changed his shoes and entered, calmly assessing the environment. Despite the exquisite and luxurious decoration, there was a lack of any signs of daily life. “Your family… I mean, your relatives and friends?” he inquired.
Yusto unbuttoned his military coat, casually draping it over a hanger. He wore only a shirt on his upper body, the hem tucked into a black military belt, showcasing a well-proportioned physique like a leopard. Nonchalantly, he replied to Lu Yuan’s question, “Sorry to disappoint you; I only have comrades.”
It was difficult for Lu Yuan to discern whether Yusto was pleased or displeased, so he decided to change the topic, “I’m hungry. Do you have any food in your fridge?”
“Perhaps.”
Yusto was uncertain. He walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out several sealed cans of meat. He glanced at the expiration date, “You’re lucky; they haven’t expired yet.”
Lu Yuan stood behind Yusto, attempting to find some fresh or wilted vegetable leaves, even just a bunch of green onions, from the fridge. However, all he found neatly arranged were canned goods. He couldn’t help but frown, “Don’t you have any fresh vegetables at home?”
Yusto looked at him with a gaze that seemed to say, “Are you serious?” He replied, “Fresh vegetables? Even the flowers on Salaranfa planet are fake. Do you really think there would be fresh vegetables?”
The country had very limited unpolluted planting soil, just enough for cultivating essential crops. There was no extra space for growing fresh flowers.
Next to Lu Yuan was a cocktail bar with an antique porcelain vase on top. Despite Yusto not returning home for half a month, the flowers inside still bloomed brightly, silently emitting a fragrant aroma.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan reached out to touch the flower leaves and discovered a strange plastic texture. Even the scent, after a while, became unusually sweet and cloying—clearly a product of advanced technology.
Lu Yuan withdrew his hand, saying, “Very realistic.”
Yusto responded generously, “Feel free to admire it.”
Lu Yuan declined, “I’m not interested in fake things.”
Yusto was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. He wasn’t offended; on the contrary, he found Lu Yuan quite amusing and exactly to his taste. “Indeed, fake things are always lifeless. Take this flower, it will remain in this state even after ten years. Not a change in color, how dull.”
Lu Yuan thought that these flowers would likely be popular on Earth. Humans always liked to find truth in a fake world and create falsehoods in a real one.
He examined the cans in the fridge, finding various unidentified meats. Upon opening them, the smells were all fairly similar, akin to ham sausages. After some searching, he finally found a can of vegetable medley. However, upon opening it, he discovered it contained a type of vine-like plant that tasted both bitter and astringent.
Lu Yuan’s face twitched, “It’s really awful.”
Yusto raised an eyebrow, “My apologies, Your Excellency. It seems you must be a fallen prince from some country. Staying here must be quite a downgrade for you.”
“Commendable,” Lu Yuan thought, considering himself nothing more than a ne’er-do-well1a person who is lazy and irresponsible from China. “Can I use the pot here?” he asked.
Yusto thought seriously for a moment, “Hmm… I think so.”
At home, he only ever ate canned food and never cooked. The kitchen utensils were all brand new and had never been used.
Lu Yuan pulled out a kitchen knife, washed it in the sink, and then wiped it dry. He began to cut open the meat cans, hinting with his words, “Surviving until now must not have been easy for you.”
Yusto’s wild and carefree demeanor clearly contrasted with his refined appearance. In response to Luo Yuan’s remark, he stretched lazily, like a cat, and then turned towards the bathroom. He casually stripped off his shirt, tossing it onto the couch, “Say what you want; that’s how female zergs live. I’m going to take a shower. Just make sure you don’t blow up my kitchen.”
Lu Yuan was in the midst of cooking when he heard this. Startled, he almost cut himself with the knife, “…”
What? Yusto is staying overnight here too?!
Support me on ko-fi for more additional chapters~ ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ
![The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_143139.png "The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao")
