Chapter 69

Swoosh——

The moment he stepped into the training ground, Yermin keenly felt a subtle difference.

The scene before my eyes seemed very ordinary, but there was a very different feeling flowing in the invisible. The venue was obviously not very large, but it seemed extremely vast and I couldn't see the end in the distance.

It was as if... this space was folded endlessly under the control of an instrument, and contained extremely sophisticated functions.

Yael was stunned for a moment, but did not rashly release his spiritual perception. He just smiled and exclaimed, "What a magical place."

Caesar briefly explained the principle to him. Although Yael only understood a little, he also roughly understood the core theory. To put it simply, it is -

Infinitely close to the real simulation of actual combat.

"When a class is called, start counting from left to right! Class A..."

There were loud shouts and the sound of people counting from the front, and not far away was Bai Lang's figure with his back to them.

When they approached, Bai Lang had already organized the troops in order. He took the customized training list given to him by the marshal in advance and arranged the training items and levels one by one. He was very well-trained.

Yael was led around the side of the army. He looked back with some curiosity and saw two teams heading to the other side of the training ground. They touched the wall and began to generate the field.

"Here."

Xi Ze quickly stopped at a place, tapped the ground with his military boots skillfully, and a silver pillar slowly rose from the ground.

Not knowing what the female insect did, Yael soon felt the air around him stagnate, and the scene before his eyes instantly changed to something else -

The silver-white training ground has disappeared, replaced by a very wide corridor.

The distance between the two sides is comparable to that of three training grounds. The ceiling is almost out of sight, and the walls are embedded with countless huge and sophisticated mechas.

Yael felt like an ant that had accidentally entered a large mechanical warehouse. He was shocked by the scene before him and was a little dazed. He looked around but couldn't find the direction.

Xi Ze waved his hand, and a half-opened suspended vehicle drove over from a distance and stopped at his feet, "Master, here."

The closer he got to the surface of the mechas, the more real everything seemed to him. Yael thought of what the female insect had just said and hesitated for a moment.

"Is this a real mecha? Or is it just a simulation?"

"These mechas actually remain in the arsenal, and are virtual in theory."

“But here, you will feel extremely real when you touch it or drive it. If something goes wrong, even the worm belt mecha will suffer real damage. This is actually a superposition of reality and virtuality.”

Yael nodded after thinking deeply, and watched the hovercraft pass by various types of mechas and finally stop in front of a white wall at the end.

A red light shot out from above, scanning the female insect from all sides.

And the next second, the wall in front of him slowly opened to both sides, revealing the scene inside -

A silver-blue mecha is parked on the huge platform, like a shining gem, and every smooth line interprets the breathtaking power and beauty.

"Guardian-S... Is this your mecha?"

Yael whispered the golden nameplate on the chest of the mecha, and realized later that this was most likely Xize's exclusive mecha.

"Yes, you may try to touch it."

Xi Ze whispered behind him, took Yael a few steps forward, and watched the male insect carefully reach out his hand and touch the cold surface of the mecha.

“What a wonderful feeling.”

Yer felt it carefully. Although it was a cold machine, he seemed to be able to touch the warmth of flesh and blood, and could sense the heartbeat of the mecha in front of him invisibly.

A vague feedback came from the end of his mental power, and Xize lowered his head and kissed the tip of the male insect's ear, his voice a little hoarse.

"It likes you... just like me."

Yael widened his eyes slightly and asked in surprise, "Can mechas also have intelligence?"

He reached out and touched the silver-blue surface again, and felt the warmth in his palm more clearly.

The female insect did not answer him, but the mecha in front of him slowly opened the door of the cockpit, as if inviting him to come in and play.

"Let's go in."

To ensure the accuracy of manipulation, the space in the mecha control room is relatively small. It is enough for one insect to sit, but two insects need to sit a little closer together.

Cize tried hard to make some space so as not to squeeze Hyer, but the conditions were still limited and large areas of their bodies were pressed together.

"Okay, that's enough. If you go any further, there will be no room for you."

Yael patted his knee, signaling him not to move any further.

"Okay, I'll explain the basic functions to you. You're so smart, maybe you can learn it right away."

Xize smiled, raised his hand and pressed a button on the complex panel in front of him, and a full-scale exploded diagram of the mecha instantly rose on the groove of the panel.

"Look, this is ..."

The female insect had just sweated a little during the intense exercise, and her whole body was steaming hot. The scent of her strong yet soft flesh was faintly mixed with a hint of bitterness, like a piece of melted pure chocolate.

When they were in the same small space, the breath slowly spread to the entire cabin, completely enveloping Yael.

And because they were too close, the soft part would rub against my shoulders from time to time, and the light pink bulge was faintly visible because of the sweat on the shirt.

…pressing my shoulders again and again, the sensation was very noticeable.

The tips of Yael's ears turned slightly red, and he pursed his lips and forced himself to listen carefully to the female insect's explanation.

Ah - I can't concentrate at all.

"You see, this part is..."

The silver-blue light and shadow flowed silently, shining on Cize's angular profile. A faint light and shadow fell under his slightly drooping eyelashes, making his focused golden eyes appear calm and deep.

It was different from the brutality he showed just now, and also different from the toughness he showed when facing the media or political opponents. It was a bit like the calm and steady demeanor he usually displayed when interacting with him, but with a hint of something else.

It seems as if he has entered a field of expertise and appears to be very comfortable with it, but he still takes mecha driving very seriously, with an unprecedented love and strong vitality.

Infected by this serious atmosphere, Yael coughed softly with some shame, and finally he was able to calm down and listen to those tedious control matters.

It was really well explained and easy to understand. Even Chong, who knew nothing about mechas, could understand it.

Yael tilted his head to look at the three-dimensional structural display diagram that rose up, and listened to the female insect quickly decomposing the complex structure and clearly dividing the different functions and areas.

He listened attentively and could not help but move closer to the female insect. He felt a little uncomfortable being squeezed and moved his legs subconsciously.

Caesar paused slightly, and immediately felt Yeel's strange movement. He stretched out his hand to feel the tightness of his thigh muscles, which made him a little worried.

"Is it too crowded? How about we go on a starship? It's more spacious there."

Yael came to his senses and denied it again and again, "No, I'm not going. I like it here."

Seeing that he insisted, Xize said nothing more. After explaining the basic functions, he directly pressed the start button.

"I just went through it briefly. It's better to just look at the intuitive points of operation. If you don't understand anything, just ask me directly... Oh, remember to wear a protective belt."

The female insect stood up slightly, touched something, pulled out a spare protective belt, wrapped it around Yer's body and buckled it into the groove.

After the mecha was officially activated, the silver-blue energy bar on the screen quickly loaded up, and large buttons lit up faintly one after another, illuminating the cockpit.

After confirming that everything was correct, Xi Ze turned his head to look at him, with a gentle smile in his eyes.

"It's about to begin. Are you ready, Lord?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Yael tried to ignore the pounding in his chest, looked at the screen in front of him, and nodded nervously.

"My Lord, please try pressing here."

Cézar pulled Yael's hand over and placed it on the steering column, then reached out to cover both of them and slowly began to apply force.

Yael felt his palms sweating a little, but the dry and warm touch on the back of his hands eased the tension, leaving only a slight throbbing feeling.

The process of the mecha rising rapidly and penetrating the atmosphere is a bit bumpy. Insects that have not received special training will generally feel a little uncomfortable, and some weaker ones will even vomit.

The female insect asked Yael to close his eyes tightly, and he did not open his eyes tentatively until he felt the fuselage stabilized.

The next second, he almost instantly lost consciousness——

It was a vast and boundless universe, as if it spanned endless space and long history, containing endless mysteries and continuously generating the eternal miracle of countless lives.

Just looking at a corner of the universe through the narrow field of vision in front of you is enough to shock you speechless.

"This is the first time I have felt the existence of the universe at such a close distance."

After a long while, Yael gradually came back to his senses. As he took a breath, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Xi Ze controlled the mecha to roam freely among the meteorite fragments, shuttling deeper at a very constant speed, wanting to take Yael to see more bizarre and changeable scenery.

"Before I became an admiral, my favorite thing was to go on missions, to visit one strange planet after another, and to see countless different landscapes."

"But what I miss most is the universe itself. Even the boring trips back and forth are very exciting."

The female insect whispered, thinking of her previous life, with a warm feeling of nostalgia in her eyes.

Yael turned to look at him and agreed, "Indeed, I like it too. I once wanted to apply for astronomy, but I thought about it for a long time and finally decided not to go."

He smiled, his eyes brightening slightly, "Now I finally have no regrets."

Xize was originally concentrating on controlling the mecha to pass through a meteorite belt. Upon hearing this, he transferred the control to his left hand and put his right hand down to squeeze the male insect's hand soothingly.

“家裏有觀星室的，都是最高的配備，不過雄主好像還沒有進去過，回家後帶您去熟悉一下，以後就能自己觀測宇宙了。”

穿過一片隕石帶，就來到了存在很多小星球的區域，機甲将速度放慢了些，不斷靠近那些漂亮星球的外層。

一顆漂亮的乳白色星球突然映入眼簾，耶爾忍不住湊近了一下，看向那光暈流轉的星球大氣層。

“您看，這就是我之前說過的，盛産毛絨絨小羊羔的星球，之前這裏發生過大規模混亂，正好派了我所在的軍隊去疏散鎮壓。”

雌蟲低沉的聲音在耳邊響起，卻沒有打破那震撼神秘的氛圍，反而為眼前的星球籠罩上一層親切的濾鏡。

“混亂的源頭是因為小羊羔手感太好，引發了大規模偷竊事件，最後發展成要劫持這顆小星球，将小羊羔全部偷渡走，那裏的牧民不得已拉響了星球一級警報。”

耶爾倏地轉過頭看雌蟲，一時震撼。

好半晌，又忍不住問道，“手感真的這麽好嗎？”

西澤想了想，卻沒有直接和他描述，而是笑着道，“我暫時持保留意見，以後和雄主去那裏旅游的時候，您自己摸摸看就知道了。”

機甲緩慢駛過了那顆乳白色的小星球，前往下一個地點，耶爾從側窗往外看着它被抛在後面，還有些舍不得。

下一秒，一顆星球映入眼簾，球體上的淡綠色紋路繁複漂亮，還帶着一絲奇妙的熟悉感。

機甲慢慢将距離拉遠了些，而在看到全貌的瞬間，耶爾瞬間就想起來眼前的星球是哪一顆了，語氣甚至有些難以置信。

“我知道這顆星球……課本上有介紹過，裏面生活着一種好像精靈的種族，常年居住在雪山或森林裏面，不問世事也不和其他星球外交。”

“原本這裏的國家經濟非常落後，後來發展起了旅游業，現在已經跻身十大必去旅游星球排名了，最有名的就是雪山溫泉。”

教材配套的圖片非常精美，學到那一節時季節正好是嚴冬，外面寒風呼嘯，從關不緊的窗戶縫隙裏吹進來。

那時他看着那圖片出神了好一會，想着放年假了可以去這裏玩幾天，後來撿到了西澤，這個計劃就被抛之腦後了。

“到時候去這顆星球玩，可以嗎？”

耶爾伸出手指，碰了碰那顆漂亮的虛拟小星球，幾乎掩飾不住神情中的期待。

“好，您想去哪我們就去哪。”

西澤應聲道，同時将那顆星球劃入了重點清單中，“把這裏定為第一個目的地好不好？”

“……嗯。”

第一次如此鮮明地提出要求，耶爾回過神後有些輕微的不好意思，指尖蜷縮了一下。

但這點不自然的情緒，很快就在理所當然般的應允，和那份好好放在心上的重視裏煙消雲散。

西澤操控着機甲接近了那顆星球，餘光是雄蟲被光亮照耀清晰的臉，那雙烏黑的眸底一片驚嘆，還有坦蕩而透徹的喜悅。

被愛意和富裕溫養着的警惕貓貓，終于被安全又舒适的環境浸泡柔軟，放下了有些生疏的禮節，會開始主動提要求了。

他的唇角無意識揚起，原本松松握着的手變了下姿勢，和耶爾輕扣着十指交錯。

“您看，這個星球……”

機甲緩慢地行駛了一圈，将這一片的星球都浏覽了一遍。

因為怕走出太遠不安全，機甲在快出到宜居地帶前調頭，轉往同級的相鄰星系。

安靜漂流了好幾個小時，時間觀念已經消失無蹤。

時間好似靜止又好像正在迅速流失，只剩下一片豁然平靜的心境，連呼吸都感覺不到了。

仍然有一大堆的工作沒處理完，很多需要煩心的事情，許多沒有達成的目标或計劃，幾乎無數紛雜擾亂的事情。

但在這幾個小時中，那些無用的東西都被徹底撇在腦後，遺落在了身後遙遠的星球上。

只有這個狹窄而安全的駕駛艙、眼前的無垠宇宙，還有身旁呼吸清淺的蟲是真實存在的，缺一不可。

耶爾出神地看着眼前的景象，神情怔怔。

第一次如此深入地陷于曾無數次仰望的星空中，一開始的新奇和興趣稍稍平息，最大的感覺其實還是安靜。

像是精神圖景中那片遼闊的海，雖然有各種各樣的魚和海生物，但太多時候都是自己獨自随波逐流，安靜傾聽心底的聲音。

蟲族的科技已經非常先進，卻仍然只探索了宇宙的一隅。

而在這無垠宇宙的某一角，是否也存在着一個蔚藍色的星球？

只是相隔的時空太遠，還沒有和宇宙這一邊的生命接通，怡然地呆在一個角落中，緩慢進行着生命更疊的潮汐。

說不定在他穿越的一瞬間，時間的針就已經被撥動，千秋萬載滄海桑田，輕易消抹去熟悉的事物，也不再有一絲他曾存在的痕跡。

耶爾很少會進行這些猜想，畢竟怎麽樣都見不到了，還不如幻想點好的，不至于讓自己陷入悲觀的泥沼中。

他嘆了口氣。

希望地球還好好的，努力搞搞科技，說不定有朝一日真的能回去。

“雄主？”

放在身側的手被溫熱的掌心攏住，緩慢揉捏着緩解那冰涼的體溫，安撫着雄蟲一時失落的情緒。

耶爾回過神，反手緊握住雌蟲的手，眉眼彎彎道，“這裏真的很漂亮，謝謝你帶我來看這些。”

“如果适應良好的話，一直呆在宇宙間漂流也挺好的。”

仿佛能滌淨所有紛雜和欲望，被這震撼且無窮盡的美陶冶，連靈魂都變得通透而安靜，不再拘泥于瑣碎而無聊的痛苦。

身處于繁星之中，心也不會輕易陷于泥濘。

“我帶您去看看【維拉之心】吧。”

西澤卻突然道，耶爾愣了一下，重複了一遍他的話，“維拉……之心？”

好耳熟的名字。

他沉吟了一會，突然想起來了。

這是之前在艾塔爾的時候，他和雌蟲一起睡時閑談到的那片星雲，第一個發現者就是西澤。

以為雌蟲是想和他分享一下自己的發現，耶爾搖晃了一下相握的手，語調輕快上揚。

“好呀，聽說很漂亮，我們去看看吧。”

西澤卻低笑了一聲。

“不着急，您還沒有親自試着駕駛一下機甲，這一片非常開闊，正好可以用來練一下手。”

耶爾頓時瞪圓了眼睛，神情有些難以置信，“駕駛機甲？讓我來嗎？”

這可是機甲，不是什麽電動車，說換着還就換着來的，一時不慎有可能會出大事的。

西澤将虛拟操控屏一滑，移到了兩蟲中間的位置，語氣輕描淡寫道。

“沒事的，我又不是直接甩手不幹了，會幫助操控好大方向的。”

好像也不是不行……？

耶爾沉吟片刻，回想了一下雌蟲剛才講解的內容，試探着按下前進的按鈕……

幾分鐘後，這架看起來無比酷炫的機甲，便好像學步的幼兒一樣磕磕絆絆地啓動了。

在經歷了好幾個變形和怪動作，包括但不限于扭秧歌的造型過後，終于變得平穩起來，慢吞吞地向着不知名的遠方狂奔而去。

“……”

“快到了嗎？是不是要拐彎了。”

耶爾神色凝重地分辨着那些按鈕，詢問過雌蟲之後按下了其中一個。

機甲順利調轉了方向，但因為按的時間太長，直接一百八十度大轉彎往回竄了一段，剛才慢吞吞前進的那點距離頓時變成負數。

“！”

耶爾有點呆愣。

西澤低咳了一聲忍住笑，再次全權接手了操控臺。

“咳，确實快到了……前面要穿過隕石帶了，之後的我來吧。”

“你笑我。”

耶爾死魚眼了一秒，控訴了看熱鬧不嫌事大的雌蟲一下。

但臉頰上落下一個吻，西澤的聲音貼着耳邊響起，帶着笑意的語氣認真。

“沒有在笑您，很多蟲要學很久才能順利上手的，您這麽快就掌握了，天分真的很高，特別厲害。”

耶爾有些臉熱，偏了偏頭表示不吃他這套，但那一絲郁悶已經完全煙消雲散，也記不起來剛才還在失落了。

“到了。”

雌蟲的聲音再次響起，讓他下意識轉過了頭，一瞬間瞳孔微縮——

那是一片絢爛盛大玫瑰色星雲，空前磅礴而美麗，像是神祇執筆蘸飽了丹砂，随手潑墨出的一筆。

緩緩流動是它層層疊疊的花瓣，從深到淺漸次漾開，随着流轉的節奏一舒一張，仿佛正演繹着生命最原始的律動。

而它取名叫維拉之心，不是沒有道理的。

對星雲第一觀感就是玫瑰，可繼續凝視和觀察後，就能透過那虛幻的外表，看到內裏那一顆不斷跳動的、鮮紅的心髒。

砰……砰……砰……

“砰——”

胸腔處的震響敲擊鼓膜，将耶爾從失神中喚醒，他卻仍然移不開視線。

仿佛這渺小心髒也跟着同頻共振，開始情不自禁地汲取那蓬勃的能量。

Inexplicably, he felt an unprecedented sense of security and belonging, as if the fetus had returned to the mother's body, curled up in the warmth of the amniotic fluid and the beating of the mother's heart.

"This is..."

Yael cleared his throat, but still lost his voice, and could only mutter, "Heart of Vera?"

The lost heart of the gods.

An inexplicable warmth and sadness attacked his soul, causing him to almost burst into tears in an instant, yet he seemed to be bathed in warm light and no longer felt the slightest bit of sadness and despair.

go home.

These two words appeared in my mind again, but they no longer carried with them an unattainable hope:

It seems that I can touch the familiar sunshine with my hand.

A tiny call echoes deep in the soul, as if planting a seed of life, implanting its young roots deep in the flesh and blood, waiting for the moment to bear fruit.

But before Yael could try to figure out what that feeling was, he was brought back to his senses by the voice of a female insect in his ear.

"Yes."

Caesar said softly, and tried to wipe away the tears on his face with his fingertips, but found that he couldn't wipe them away completely, so he leaned over and kissed the source of the tears.

"The first insect to discover a new nebula can enjoy the ownership of it for a hundred years. It is currently under my name, and it will take another eighty-nine years before it is truly free."

Yael looked at him with tearful eyes, his expression stunned.

"I now give this heart to you."

"If you ever feel lonely or insecure, look at this heart with a stargazer. As long as it beats, the love inside will never fade away...until the end of eternity."

The female insect's forehead was pressed against his, so close that their breaths blended together. The low, smiling voice lingered in his ears, like a parable sent down by the gods.

In the dimness, I could only see a little dazzling and warm golden light, with tender love, in the misty tears, like a scorching spark burning in the air——

Just for him.

Yael's eyelashes trembled, and a well-filled tear fell, leaving a sparkling mark on his cheek, which earned him a few painful kisses.

His breathing became increasingly rapid. He suddenly stretched out his hand to grab the female insect's shoulders, groped and kissed the soft lips forcefully, and tasted the salty taste of tears between his lips and tongue.

“Hmm… um…!”

Only when the air in his chest was exhausted did Yael let go for a moment, but he held the female insect in his arms even tighter, choking and mumbling, "——"

"What?"

Caesar was stunned, and a conjecture that he dared not verify emerged in his mind, making him eager to listen again. His voice was tense, "What did you just say?"

The male insect in his arms sniffed hard, swallowed his sore throat, and then buried his face and spoke loudly.

"I say—I love you, too!"

His heart trembled violently for a moment, and Xize's pupils shrank the moment he heard it clearly. He came to his senses and found that his face was wet, and he didn't know when he had shed tears.

He opened his mouth and took a deep breath almost silently, without letting Yael notice that something was wrong with him. After a long while, he managed to hold back his trembling voice and said, "... Yeah."

The soft red halo flows slowly, casting a veil over the two figures embracing each other, as if it were an eternal blessing.

…

Even when the mecha entered the return track, Yael still hadn't recovered from the shock. Fortunately, he didn't cry too hard just now, so the swelling of his eyelids should go away soon.

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, but Caesar pulled him down and said, "Don't keep wiping it. The area around your eyes will turn red."

Yael hummed in a muffled voice, closed his eyes as the female insect whispered instructions, and felt the mecha swooping down from the universe to the planet.

After an unknown amount of time, the mecha landed smoothly and returned to the armory, and the scene in front of him finally returned to the previous training ground.

"Okay, do you feel dizzy? If you feel uncomfortable, remember to tell me..."

When his head was touched, Yael felt it carefully. Apart from a little dizziness, he felt nothing else, and the discomfort quickly disappeared, so he shook his head.

The cabin door slowly opened, and Xi Ze jumped down first, reaching out to help the male insect land steadily.

It was almost evening.

When Yael went out, the training ground had changed its mode to a wide open flat land, and there was a brilliant glow overhead.

The training seemed to have ended. The mechas hovering in the sky were landing and docking one after another, and teams of soldiers were constantly adjusting their formations to form squares.

The warm sunset was a little dazzling. Yael couldn't help but stretch out his hand to block it. He actually felt as if he was in another world.

He had just stopped to wait for the female insect when he suddenly heard Bai Lang shouting:

“Salute!!!”

As soon as the words fell, the neatly-organized army stood at attention and raised their hands in a standard military salute. The scene was extremely spectacular.

Thinking they were saluting Cizek, he quickly took a step to the left, but the direction of the army's salute actually changed to follow his direction, all in unison.

Yael was stunned for a moment, put down his sunshade hand, and felt a little helpless for a moment.

"New Marshal Lieutenant General Bai Lang salutes you!"

Bai Lang, standing at the front, stood tall and straight, still maintaining his saluting posture, his voice firm and loud.

Following him, clear shouts rang out from left to right, one after another, well-trained, and the atmosphere on the plain was solemn and dignified.

"Colonel of the New Marshals, and Class A monitor Andri, salutes you!"

"New Marshal Lieutenant Colonel, Class B Leader Agara, salutes you!"

"New Marshals..."

"Thank you for your help in continuing the glory of the former First Legion!"

After hearing the last sentence, Yer suddenly understood, but his nose suddenly felt sore, and he covered his eyes in a somewhat wolfish manner.

Then he straightened his back, raised his hand in a not-so-standard but very formal salute, and looked into those determined eyes.

In stark contrast to the tired and exhausted look on their faces when we first saw them on Etel, their eyes were now open and bright, like swords that had been brushed off the dust and unsheathed.

——Radiates an incomparably sharp and profound brilliance.

The Imperial Blade, once embraced by the people and used to defend the country, was on the verge of breaking after suffering a heavy blow. After years of suffering and pain, they were finally reunited and reorganized, regaining the glory that once belonged to them.

That's great.

Yael couldn't help laughing, but a hand reached out from behind and wiped the tears from his cheeks, as gently as a breeze.

"Why are you crying again?"

He sniffed, his voice had a slight nasal tone, and his soft smiling eyes almost melted in the dazzling sunlight.

"Because I'm so happy, I can cry even though I'm like this."

The author has something to say:

Yeye was made to cry twice in one day, but he was so happy hehe~ (a little foreshadowing, remember to cherish this sweetness w)

When teaching mecha, it always feels like two cats, one big and one small, are squeezed in a nest. The big strong cat talks about how to dominate this neighborhood and become the boss. The little cat nods repeatedly, completely unaware that the hair on his tail has not grown completely, and he will fall flat on his face when he walks on four short legs.