Chapter 34
Years ago, the surgery date set by the hospital finally arrived.
The preliminary preparations had been very thorough, and the female worm was quickly pushed into the operating room. After a long wait of eight hours, the operation was finally completed.
Xi Ze forced himself to open his eyes, and in front of him was a blurry and familiar pale scene. The smell of disinfectant lingered at the tip of his nose, mixed with the scent of fresh blood.
He was in a trance for a moment, then his pupils shrank and all the muscles in his body tensed and spasmed.
His fingertips were stuck on the cold edge of the bed frame, and he squeezed so hard that veins bulged on the back of his hands. The bed frame made of cold iron was slightly deformed.
But just before he was about to turn into a half-worm——
"Doctor, how was the surgery... Cesar?"
A warm voice came to my ears, containing a hint of urgency and worry, like oxygen infused into a vacuum, which penetrated the chaotic illusion before my eyes and brought me an unprecedented sense of security.
He let go of the bed frame and, under the pretext of being unconscious, hooked his fingertips around the little finger of the hand hanging beside him.
"What's wrong?"
With his hand held, Yael stopped talking to the doctor and turned to look at the female insect who had not yet woken up from general anesthesia.
But he only saw a pair of half-closed golden eyes, which curved towards him soothingly.
The operation was successful, but it was not until this moment that Yael finally relaxed. He held the female insect's hand and squeezed it, "Go back to sleep."
…
When I woke up again, it was already the next afternoon.
The curtain was only opened on one side, casting a faint shadow over the bed. Dazzling golden sunlight shone through the window on the other side, dividing the ward into two distinct halves.
There was a faint breathing sound coming from the side. It was Yael who fell asleep on the edge of the bed.
Fine shadows of light danced between the long eyelashes. The sleeping male insect was so beautiful that he almost seemed to be glowing. A strand of messy hair fell on the tip of his nose, moving with his breath, making him look particularly adorable.
Caesar stared at his sleeping face, feeling a pain somewhere in his chest. He lifted his fingertips involuntarily, tapped briefly at a distance of a few inches, and then dropped them again.
"How do you feel?"
After receiving the message from the machine, the doctor quickly rushed over, pushed the door open and walked in, speaking with full energy.
Then he was looked at unkindly, and he realized that he seemed to have woken up the male insect lying next to him, and he suddenly became a little stiff.
Why would a male insect appear in such a place? !
He roared inwardly but did not show it on the surface. He just came to the bedside silently and waited.
"Xize...are you awake?"
Yael rubbed his brows to relieve the fatigue of accompanying the patient. When he moved his arms, his stiff shoulders and neck suddenly felt sore, which made him frown.
A hand appeared at the right moment, with just the right amount of force on the hard joints, and helped him press a few acupoints. The effect was immediate, and the pain was relieved immediately.
Feeling like a cat being held by the neck and having its chin twitched, Yael held down the back of her neck with his hands, kneading it lightly and heavily, and glared at the female insect on the bed, "Don't move. Isn't your hand still being dripped?"
"cough……"
The doctor, who had been invisible for a long time, coughed softly, took a step forward and appeared in the male insect's sight.
Thanks to the male insect's extraordinary decisiveness, there was no need for unnecessary pleasantries.
The doctor began to examine the female worm's postoperative condition, and when he finally stopped, his expression was much more relaxed.
"So far, the situation is good, better than expected, and I should be able to walk normally again soon."
"Until you are fully healed, you will need to wear an orthotic device to assist with your recovery."
The doctor took out something from his coat pocket and said, "You can try it on later to see if it works. If it doesn't hurt too much..."
The prototype of the orthodontist is a piece of silver metal sheet, with countless precise parts forming a winding pattern, and you can feel the tiny protrusions on it.
The doctor handed the sheet to Cize, and before he could explain how to use it, Cize pressed his fingertips on the middle of the metal sheet and placed it against the side of his knee. With a slight beep, the silver pattern on it gradually lit up.
Slender yet extremely strong supports protrude from the thin sheets, extending along the slender contour of the leg until they form a complete leg orthosis.
The doctor nodded appreciatively. "Yes, that's how it's used."
Yael looked at the high-tech orthosis for a few seconds, then looked at Caesar with some anticipation, "Can I stand up now?"
Although he had seen female insects standing up during surveillance, they were unable to do so due to the severe pain and looked extremely exhausted, so he did not pay attention to the beauty of the scene.
Now it seemed very appropriate, and he couldn't help but have a secret expectation -
"I'll try."
Xize threw back the quilt and got out of bed. He felt the stress points of the bracket a little, exerted force with his legs, stepped smoothly onto the ground, straightened his back, and finally stood steadily on the ground.
"……ah."
Good, very high.
Yael stared blankly at the female insect that was a whole head taller than him, and subconsciously took a step back.
In the human world, he is tall, slender but definitely not thin, but when he comes to the Zerg, he doesn't look good enough.
Especially the female soldiers, whose physiques are naturally tall and strong, standing in front of him like a tall and solid wall.
It was not obvious when the female insect was sitting in the wheelchair, but when she stood with her back straight, her posture looked calm and powerful, her narrow and deep eyes drooped indifferently, and she exuded a calm and natural sense of oppression.
Yael came back to his senses and snapped his fingers to wake the female insect back to consciousness. "Come over and give it a try?"
He took a few steps back and opened his arms slightly, as if in a hugging gesture, with a smile on his handsome face.
Xize blinked slowly, as if he was tempted. He tensed his still trembling legs and moved them awkwardly, causing a dull tingling pain.
He walked towards the male insect step by step. His movements were a little awkward at first, and his body was even a little shaky, but after two or three steps he adjusted his state very quickly.
By the time she reached the male insect, Xi Ze was able to completely control her legs, standing with her back straight like a healthy insect, her military feminine qualities once again revealed in her.
Yael blinked and looked at the female insect in front of him. His dark eyes lit up little by little, like stars suddenly blooming in the dark night, making the insect almost unable to take his eyes away.
Xi Ze was standing in front of him in all reality.
He really raised the female worm well.
The snow leopard, whose eyes were blinded by the sharp claws and forced into the mud, was finally no longer emaciated and dying. It fell in the mud, being bullied and harassed by flies and leeches, looking extremely miserable.
New tendons, bones and flesh grew madly from the exposed white bones. With great difficulty and tenacity, it stood up again, and soon it would run in the forests and wilderness again.
The strong sense of accomplishment and joy made my heart full of blood, almost unable to hold back from jumping out of my chest, and the flames of joy crackled and ignited every nerve fiber.
Yael tried to restrain himself for a while, but couldn't help laughing.
"I can really stand up, and I will be able to walk soon. Congratulations!"
The male insect's eyes were as bright as stars, filled with pure joy and excitement.
Seeing this, Chong couldn't help but feel soft-hearted and wanted to continue to put all the beautiful things in front of him, just to preserve this smile for a second longer.
"Yes...thank you so much, my Lord."
Caesar stared at Yael in fascination, and spoke in a low voice, as if he didn't want to disturb the scene before him, "Thank you."
If it weren't for Yael, he wouldn't be alive today, let alone standing up again, or even... having the impossible wish of reaching out to touch the moon in the sky.
Xi Ze and the male insect stared at each other for a while, then suddenly tilted his head and coughed, seeming a little embarrassed, "Ahem... can I hold you for a bit?"
Just think of it as a small celebration.
Yael hesitated for a while pretending to think, and when the female insect's expression became a little uneasy, he smiled and nodded neatly, "Hug, hug, hug!"
But after getting closer, he was stunned for a moment. Originally, he had always been standing while Xi Ze was sitting, so it was very convenient for him to hug her. But if he wanted to hug her now, it would feel... a little weird.
Before he could hesitate for long, Cecil bent down, lowered his body to a height that Yael felt comfortable with, gently held him in his arms, and restrainedly pressed the male insect's shoulders with his hands.
The familiar light body temperature and breath filled his heart. Xi Ze closed his eyes and tried hard to suppress the surging emotions in his heart.
After a few seconds, Yael let him go and took a deep breath to calm his excitement.
He pushed the female insect's shoulders and pushed her back to the bed, then looked at the doctor, "How long do I have to wear this brace before it can be completely removed?"
The doctor, who had been in the background until now, stepped forward and explained dutifully.
"This depends on the recovery ability of the pests. If the recovery ability is strong, it can be removed in a week. If the recovery is slow, it will take about a month."
The doctor gave some further instructions, such as not exercising excessively and taking care to protect the knees, and then left the ward tactfully.
"It seems to be almost noon, are you hungry, Lord?"
Xi Ze estimated the time and looked at Yael who was flipping through the medical records. There were pink marks on the male insect's face from sleeping, and it was obvious that he had just woken up and had not even eaten breakfast.
"The food in the hospital may not suit your appetite. You can go through the discharge procedures now and I will cook for you when I get back."
Yael rejected it without even raising his head. "No, you can't stand for long now. What are you thinking about? You just had an operation. Slave masters don't enslave their slaves like this..."
He spoke vaguely for the rest of the sentence, and then added, "What do you want to eat? I'll go to the cafeteria to get some food, or ask 015 to prepare it and send it over?"
Before Xi Ze could answer, there was a knock on the ward door.
Yael turned back with some confusion. If it was a doctor, there would be no need to knock on the door.
He stood up and opened the door. Outside was a strange female soldier. The moment she saw him, her expression became very stiff and she seemed very nervous. "Hello?"
“您好您好！請問是耶、耶爾閣下嗎？”
那軍雌緊張得有些磕巴，在得到确切的回應後加快語速道，“我是伊萊恩叫來給閣下送午飯的，一共兩份，請問您是收下還是……”
“這樣啊，謝謝。”
耶爾道了一聲謝，接過他手裏的兩個保溫桶，放到旁邊的桌子上，又拿出光腦詢問道，“多少錢，我付給你。”
“不用不用不用不用！”
那軍雌立刻擺手，拒絕後還怕他一定要付錢一樣，猛地後退了一步，随即快步離開了這條走廊。
然而轉角處就撞上了等候一旁的同僚，雙方幾乎同時痛呼一聲，“我靠……你跑什麽？！雄蟲閣下有這麽可怕？”
然而将那軍雌按住才發現，他的臉紅得和猴子屁股沒什麽區別，感覺兩只耳朵都要冒熱氣了，“你咋了，臉這麽紅？？”
“……你自己去就知道了！”
那軍雌吭哧吭哧地喘了一會，才憋出這麽一句話來，在其他蟲的籲聲中死活不肯說到底怎麽了。
“搞這麽神秘做什麽！雖然那個雄蟲閣下是很好看啦，性格又好，有同理心又慷慨，願意低價支援醫院，對自己的雌蟲又好……我靠，這麽一說，好像也能理解了。”
那邊軍雌正應付着難纏的同僚們，而對此一無所知的耶爾關上了病房門，将保溫桶提了進去。
這個保溫桶從外表看樸實無華，打開才知道裏面的菜色有多豐盛，肯定不可能是在食堂裏買的，應該是在哪個餐廳專門打包出來的。
耶爾給伊萊恩轉去一筆錢，得到了一條疑惑的訊息。
【伊萊恩：怎麽了閣下？】
【wwn：這是飯錢，麻煩你了。】
【伊萊恩：什麽飯錢，我剛想問要不要幫您送飯呢，是已經有蟲給您送了嗎？】
【伊萊恩：如果是軍雌的話就沒關系的，他們應該是阿爾文的部下，為了感謝您特意準備的。】
耶爾若有所思地看着擺了滿滿一桌的菜色，還冒着白騰騰的蒸汽，和剛從鍋裏鏟出來的一樣。
而且送飯的蟲好像怕他吃不飽，飯和菜都壓得嚴嚴實實，海鮮和肉類占據大半江山，是根本吃不完的大份量。
他無聲笑了笑，将手裏的筷子遞給西澤，“吃吧。”
*
因為術後情況比預期的還要好，第二天耶爾就能把雌蟲帶回家了。
而幾個小時後，幾樣醫生推薦的輔助鍛煉器材被擱在了玄關。
015嘿咻嘿咻地把那幾個大包裹搬進客廳，然後開始激情開箱，“哇！這個是什麽？……這個又是什麽？”
耶爾饒有興趣地看着它開箱，撿起箱子裏的一個器械上下掂了掂，遞給一旁的西澤，“康複訓練，你應該比我懂。”
西澤接過來，指腹摩挲了幾下器材粗糙的表面，唇角微勾。
“是啊，接下來就是我擅長的領域了，關于如何最大程度地恢複和開發身體潛力，成為一個合格的……”
戰争機器。
他無聲道，沒有說出口讓雄蟲聽見。
那套康複器械被安置在客廳的一個角落，剛好和015的充電樁排列在一起，那裏也成為了雌蟲的專屬訓練場地。
西澤自有一套完善的訓練系統，而且非常自律，每天耶爾路過客廳，都能在固定時間段見到他在做康複訓練。
雌蟲的傷勢已經好了很多，至少表面上的傷已經完全愈合結痂，買衣服的範圍便拓寬了許多。
相比那些滑溜的絲綢睡衣或者軟乎乎的毛衣，他更喜歡那些利落的、方便行動的衣服。
比如貼身的黑色背心，還有非常耐磨耐穿的迷彩軍褲。
背心緊貼着飽滿漂亮的肌肉，露出了寬闊的肩膀和兩條結實有力的手臂，胸肌那塊被撐得滿滿當當，幾乎沒有一絲褶皺。
甚至于那兩條吊帶也被扯細了一點，顫顫巍巍地卡在肩上，看起來很快就會繃斷的樣子。
相比形狀飽滿的胸肌，他的腰十分勁瘦，虎口能完美卡在腰窩上掐住，而上面的腹肌塊壘分明，分別蘊藏着巨大的力量。
深色的迷彩軍褲布料粗糙，會摩擦到他膝蓋上的傷口，但裹上一層紗布後情況也還行。
褲子是有些寬松的版型，背心紮入高腰的設計中，顯得十分幹淨利落，完全将西澤那兩條修長有力的腿突顯了出來。
而一般耶爾不會允許他只穿背心和軍褲走來走去，畢竟冬天需要多穿點的觀念已經根深蒂固。
所以雌蟲多數時間會披上一條寬松的白襯衣，遮掩住那好像小蛋糕一樣散發着香甜氣息的身體。
但鍛煉的時候就完全不講究這個了。
雌蟲總是熱騰騰的，顧忌着耶爾在沒有脫掉背心，但裸露的地方總是布滿晶瑩的汗珠，沿着下颌線不斷滴落，順着飽滿的肌肉溝壑流淌而下。
不知道是體內激素紊亂，還是身體機能沒恢複，導致他鍛煉時總會不自覺釋放出信息素，渾身都散發着淺淡的苦澀氣息。
所以每次見到耶爾靠近都會有些僵硬，要等洗完澡将殘餘的信息素都散去，才會放松下來主動接近雄蟲。
偶爾耶爾空下來，也會去圍觀雌蟲的訓練現場，權當做放松眼睛和心情。
“這個要怎麽做，教教我？”
等西澤終于結束今日的訓練，并從浴室中出來後，耶爾饒有興趣地撿起地上一個金屬圓球，詢問雌蟲道。
蟲族的很多東西和人類世界是很不一樣的，非一般的高科技，再加上極簡的外表，曾經一度讓耶爾這個外來生物無法正常生活。
“先點這裏啓動，然後用手抓住中間……”
因為只有一個金屬球，西澤虛點着耶爾手裏的東西，利落地比劃了幾個手勢。
“這樣嗎？”
耶爾看得似懂非懂，摸索半天仍然按不到開關。
西澤便來到他身後，将手輕覆在雄蟲拿着球的手背上，用手指一點點引導他。
因為專注于手把手教學，西澤微彎着腰，另一只手按在耶爾的側腰上着力，沒注意到自己快把雄蟲圈在懷裏了。
他們靠得很近，西澤的鼻尖幾乎可以觸及耶爾鬓角的發絲。
還未平複的灼熱呼吸将那塊皮膚染上一絲薄紅，仿佛那皮下的血肉中，已悄然奔湧起隐秘的暗潮。
“然後呢，應該要怎麽弄？”
耶爾蹙了蹙眉，雖然被教會了基本用法，但在使用時還是有些不順手，下意識轉頭想詢問西澤。
卻沒注意到他們的距離已經太近，不再适合劇烈的動作——
餘光瞥到雌蟲低垂的眼睫時，他已經隐隐感覺到不太對，但已經收不回動作。
唇瓣猝不及防擦過另一抹柔軟，甚至因為慣性往後繼續摩擦了一段距離，在鼻尖相撞前堪堪停止。
耶爾的眸底倒映着雌蟲有些錯愕的神情，而身體幾乎嚴絲合縫地撞入雌蟲的懷抱中，親密到……甚至算得上交頸相擁。
他緩慢眨了眨眼，纖長眼睫幾乎能碰到雌蟲的臉。
沒有呼吸交融，因為不管是他還是雌蟲都屏住了呼吸，空氣安靜到近乎凝滞。
“……”
西澤瞳孔微縮，手上的動作頓時僵住。
雄蟲好像愣住了一樣，微微睜大了眼睛，那雙漆黑濕潤的眼眸仿佛深潭下潮濕的洞穴，無知無覺地引誘着旅者陷入其中。
那豐軟的唇瓣還停留在他臉頰上，灼熱的喘息被屏在了喉間，仿佛一場演到精彩處陡然定格的鬧劇，沉默無言，卻又石破天驚。
明明他們已經做過更為親密的事，信息素甚至精神力交融，但那些都沒有這一個不成型的吻，更讓西澤心生顫栗。
那是更為隐秘、深入、不見天日也不可言說的心情。
幾秒後，耶爾若無其事地轉過頭，繼續拿着那個圓球上上下下把玩，“這樣是嗎……我好像懂了，嗯，應該懂了。”
其實他就是胡亂玩了一通，甚至根本不知道自己在說什麽，只想發出點什麽聲音來緩解一下尴尬，把這頁迅速翻過去。
西澤沒吭聲，手仍然握着雄蟲的手，幫他穩住手裏沉甸甸的東西。
這種器械看起來小，但因為設計的緣故，不注意時可能會扭到手。
可能是因為氛圍過于僵硬了，路過的015探出一個腦袋，“你們在幹什麽呀？站這半天了。”
耶爾終于回神，意識到自己到底在幹什麽，将手裏的東西擱在一旁，低咳了一聲，“沒事。”
“你繼續練吧，我回房了。”
他完全忘記雌蟲已經練完甚至洗完澡了，說話時視線全程游離，沒好意思看西澤的臉一眼，沒等話音落下就匆匆往房間裏走去。
“……好。”
西澤啞聲道，眸底倒映着雄蟲有些慌亂的側臉。
那顫動的眼睫讓他喉結一陣麻癢，又心知肚明那不是可以通過咳嗽派遣出來的……無比奇異的心情。
随着房間門關上，客廳裏再次恢複一片寂靜。
只剩下015滑動時轱辘轱辘的聲音，還有細雪在空中飄落時的簇簇輕響，足以掩蓋一切，粉飾一切。
But there is no way to stop the desire and longing that grows wildly in the darkness, silently accumulating into a swirling undercurrent.
Waiting for the moment when thousands of streams converge into tens of thousands of rivers to form the sea, breaking through the thousands of miles of dams with unstoppable force, and surging and roaring for new life.