Chapter 2

“Crack, crack, crack…”

Yael quickly sliced ​​a tomato into thin slices, put it on a plate, and looked down at 015 floating beside him. "You try it."

015 nodded solemnly and took the kitchen knife. However, a spark flashed on the robotic arm the moment the knife dropped, causing the angle to tilt and the tomato fell into the sink.

"S-Sorry."

It stumbled and a crying expression appeared on the screen.

"The new battery works well, but the circuit is still very old and leaks electricity from time to time...I can't perform delicate operations."

He picked up 015 at his doorstep a year ago. The silly little machine used up its last bit of power to help him find the key, making a buzzing sound and wishing him a good night, completely unaware that it was about to be scrapped.

Yer's heart softened and he picked it up again.

But 015 was a product that had long been obsolete and there was no way to repair it. I had to keep charging it to see if it could start the program on its own. It took a full month of charging before it suddenly woke up.

"never mind."

Yael picked up a tomato and rinsed it. He tapped 015's head with his wet fingers. "It's a miracle that you can still move."

"I'll give you a new chip next month. I've asked my boss to keep an eye out for new stock."

He prepared the dishes neatly, told 015 to watch the soup, wiped his hands and left the kitchen.

As soon as I sat down on the sofa, the smart home made a slight "beep" sound, and a huge suspended screen was projected on the wall in front.

"We have detected your viewing intention and have found suitable content for you——"

"Big sale! Huge price cuts! The Female Slave Exchange will launch a welcome discount event on the 3rd of this month!"

Yael was confused for a moment, then he understood and felt a little amused.

This overly sensitive agent must have picked up the sound of the door and thought that was its "content of interest."

The content inside the projection was still playing. Unlike the advertisement which only had photos, it was a full-scale shot of the exchange, with a dynamic display of the female insects that were about to be auctioned, making it easier for buyers to check for fraud or disease.

Since there was nothing else he wanted to watch, Yael just kept watching.

"Look everyone, this is the largest training room in the exchange, equipped with special equipment..."

Yerwan never expected this kind of content and was stunned for a moment.

The camera was still moving, capturing the entire devastated scene, and even constantly adjusting the focus to magnify the details without any hesitation.

He frowned instantly, turned his head and said in a rare cold voice, "Turn it off, I won't watch it anymore."

The smart home changes with the sound, but the camera in the projected image suddenly switches, and a familiar golden color flashes in the corner.

The screen shook, as if something was kicked hard on the ground, knocking the camera crooked. The sound of the body hitting the ground was mixed with a hoarse groan.

The next second, the projection went out.

Wait, what was that just now...?

Yael recalled the amazing glimpse he had just had, and a strange sense of familiarity filled his heart. He couldn't help but frown. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether to continue reading.

The red dot of the smart home flashed, and then beeped again in a very unromantic way.

"We have detected that your hormones are surging and your heart rate is accelerating. We have determined that you are still interested in watching the video, so we will open the live broadcast for you again."

Yael: “…” So why is it so smart?

As the projection turned on, there was a sharp sound of breaking wind in my ears, and a steel rod hit me hard.

"I told you to hide! I told you to hide... This bitch, I'm so tired of being beaten up!"

Yael's pupils constricted.

His gaze unconsciously followed the angle at which the stick had fallen, and met a pair of eyes that were suppressing pain.

The golden, beast-like eyes were stained with a little physiological tears because of the pain, but there was no fear or retreat in them——

It was the female insect he had just seen at the door.

Unlike the candid half-length photos, the female insect in the picture is forced to be completely exposed, and is almost invisible under the high-definition lens.

He had soft white hair, but it was a little messy from rolling on the ground.

The contrasting colors of red, white and molten gold are beautiful and eye-catching, evenly balanced by large areas of light honey color. It is full, vigorous and integrated, like a mature, strong and fierce snow leopard.

Yael stared at the scene on the screen intently, his fingertips unconsciously tightened, leaving a crescent-shaped pink mark on his palm.

"…Wow, you dare to fight back?! You won't be able to eat or drink for the next month!"

His Adam's apple rolled for a moment, and finally he couldn't help bending down and gagging violently.

"Beep! We have detected obvious discomfort and have blurred your image."

The next second, everything blurred, and the screen was filled with mosaics, filling Yael's vision. Even the sound was eliminated, covered by the north wind that hit the window.

"Ahhh, what happened? I suddenly heard an alarm!"

015 rushed out of the kitchen, his expression flickering on the small screen due to nervousness.

After choking and choking, Yael coughed for a long time before calming down. He said in a hoarse voice, "It's okay."

After traveling here for three years, he has already learned the basic language and social common sense of the Zerg.

But before today, those were just dry words to him, without any sense of reality.

The resistance to the strange world makes the emotions erect high walls, automatically filtering out those things that are too absurd and unacceptable.

The scene just now was like a needle that punctured a balloon of vacuum.

No matter how similar they may be on the surface, this is an inhuman race and society, filled with inorganic distortion and cruelty, where fanaticism and coldness are two incompatible extremes.

He is stuck in the middle, a total outlier.

Yael couldn't explain how he felt.

There is anger and malice, but more of it is the powerlessness of a mayfly being drowned in the vast sea of ​​forest.

It was like the first time he opened his eyes and saw the female soldier in mid-air with her bony wings fully spread out, blocking out the sky.

After all, he could not grasp anything and could not change anything.

“Gulp Gulp—”

Suddenly, there was a boiling sound in the kitchen. 015 screamed and hurried back to the kitchen, where there was a lot of clattering and bustling around.

Yael was stunned for a moment, then after he calmed down, he followed to help.

By the time the mess in the kitchen was cleaned up, the live projection outside had already automatically retracted itself after detecting that there were no viewers.

It was already completely dark, and the living room was completely silent, like a gloomy and cold snow house.

＊

A month has passed quickly and it is almost the end of the year.

It snowed heavily all day.

After dinner, 015, who was worried about the new chip, began to secretly remind Yael to take his coat to the sofa to iron it, and to roll up his white plush scarf...

After doing all this, she started to sweep the floor around her feet, making a clanging sound, as if she was afraid that Yael couldn't hear her.

Yael, who originally wanted to take a break, sighed and closed the book in his hand. "Okay, okay, let's go now."

He picked up the down jacket beside the sofa, tidied himself up quickly, and walked out with 015's earnest gaze on his back.

The sky was completely dark. The snow outside was a little lighter, but the temperature was much lower than yesterday. The cold wind was whistling and drilling into my scarf.

The store was quite far away, and after hesitating for a moment, Yael decided to take a shortcut.

Going directly through this black market can shorten the distance by half. This is his first time going there at night, but the city machines patrol around the clock and the male insects are under close surveillance, so there shouldn't be any problems.

The black market has been closed, and all the shops along the way are closed. Only the old street lamps emit a yellow light, and the boots squeak as they step on the snow.

"Bang--"

The back door of a building not far ahead suddenly opened, and a blurry black shadow suddenly jumped out, followed by several other figures.

"The order is to kill them immediately and then divide them into pieces and throw them into the garbage dump. Just do it after you've beaten them!"

Yael frowned slightly, then lowered his eyes and buried his face in his scarf, deciding to carry out his unintentional pass by to the end.

But the alley was very narrow, and if he passed by, he would inevitably get close to the violence scene. The closer he got, the clearer the figures became, and he could feel several ferocious gazes falling on him.

Yael quickened his pace, but when he glanced out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dull light golden color.

Wait…gold?

Realizing a possibility, Yael's eyes widened slightly and his heart skipped a beat for unknown reason.

He looked up, and with the dim light of the street lamp, he finally found familiar features among the bloody mess.

It turned out to be the female insect.

One month was neither long nor short, but the female insect looked completely different.

He was no longer in his insect form. His entire body was covered in congealed blood and dirt. There were layers upon layers of marks from knife wounds, whippings, and burns. There was hardly a single piece of healthy flesh on his body.

"...Why don't you hide? Aren't you very capable?"

The female insect's hard outer shell was completely shattered, and it no longer had the strength to resist this one-sided beating.

The expression beneath his messy hair was numb and dazed, and his golden eyes were dim and cloudy, like the smelly eyes of a dead fish.

There had never been a more clear moment when Yael realized that he was dying.

Just wait a few minutes, no, maybe just a few seconds, until the next punch lands, and the female insect will stop breathing and turn into rotten meat next to the trash can.

Yael slowed down his pace, but his eyes remained fixed on the figure curled up on the ground.

"What are you doing? What are you looking at? Stop meddling in other people's business!"

An angry shout rang out, and the female insect with bloodshot eyes was hit by a fist, standing up straight and looking at Yael with a fierce expression.

never mind.

Never mind.

There are so many female insects, saving one will be of no use.

Why bother yourself?

The rational thoughts in his mind were almost one-sided, but Yael's breathing unconsciously became sluggish.

He walked forward step by step, stepping on the ground just a few inches away from the female insect.

There was a slight pulling sensation at the hem of the down jacket.

He stopped.

The author has something to say:

Yeye is actually a bit emo, because a person is very lonely on an alien planet, and is super soft-hearted, which reminds the author of a picture on the Internet: poor Yeye who picks up broken things to support his familyjpg. (It's inexplicably appropriate QAQ)