Chapter 82
"How's the situation with the capture of Anto? Can you handle it without them?"
Yael thought about the news he saw in the morning. Although he didn't know why the female insect suddenly came back, he was still a little worried.
"We've already forced him into an abandoned planet and surrounded it completely. This period of time will consume their energy reserves. And since Rachel is there to take over, it's okay."
Xi Ze took a deep breath and finally let go of the male insect in his arms.
Hearing this, he briefly explained the situation and whispered, "I can stay for three hours this time."
three hours.
Yael was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked into his eyes, and indeed, he saw a very light dark green color.
That is something that can only be achieved through long hours of fighting and running around, as well as handling business all night long.
The female insects must be very tired during this period, but they are already too busy to spare time, so why would they take a few hours out of their schedule to come to the main planet?
"You're going back after five hours. Isn't that too much of a trip?"
He frowned slightly, then sighed, "Forget it, no matter what, let's go home first."
When they heard the loud noise just now, the army guarding outside immediately realized that something was wrong, but they were stopped by Cize when they were halfway through the rush, so they retreated back to the car and waited.
The chaos behind him seemed to have subsided. Yael didn't want to wait for them to come out and continue the polite conversation, so he pulled the female insect onto the suspension vehicle and set off for home under the escort of the military.
The weather on the main planet has been very good these days. It no longer blows and snows from time to time. The sunshine has become much hotter, but it can occasionally seem a little bit harsh.
Only in the evening is the weather the most comfortable, with a gentle sunset and a cool breeze.
What happened just now made Yael a little tired. Although he tried hard not to cross that line, he still felt dazed for a moment, and the familiar feeling of separation came over him.
He didn't want the female insect to notice anything, so he whispered, "Are you tired? Take a rest first."
Caesar shook the hand that lay beside him.
"It doesn't matter. There are energy supplements that can maintain mental and physical strength, and they have no side effects. They are much more useful than closing your eyes and resting your mind."
Sudden death in the astral world was almost nonexistent, and Yael felt tired, often just because of some kind of mental inertia rather than really feeling tired.
"Too."
Yael smiled and relaxed, leaning to the left and leaning against the female insect.
After a moment of silence, he casually pinched the female insect's fingers and suddenly said, "Did you hear what Lance and I talked about just now?"
Caesar's hand trembled, and he looked a little hesitant, wondering if Yael would be angry because of his unauthorized eavesdropping, but he still nodded honestly.
"So what should I call you from now on?"
Yael spoke softly, without uttering those two words, fearing that he had been poking the female insect's wounds.
Although he didn't know the reason, he couldn't help but feel regretful at this moment.
It's a pity to think that such a small cub had to face abuse and abandonment from its so-called paternal father for a long time, and then had to fight with wolves to survive on a remote planet with a harsh climate.
He could hardly suppress the anger in his heart, and he didn't even want to call that name anymore.
But the female insect's current name is his original name, and it is closely related to the Duke's Mansion.
Yael was confused for a moment, but he heard a light laugh in his ear, and then his palm was pinched by a finger.
"It doesn't matter, just call me Xi Ze."
Xi Ze turned his gaze away from Yael's face and looked at the scenery outside the window that was constantly receding. He said softly, "Don't blame yourself. I was the one who told you this name."
"…and to me, this name does not represent abandonment and shame."
Thinking back on it again after many years, he realized that what was once deeply engraved in his bones had become so vague that he could not even remember the details, and only a vague connection remained.
But the meaning of this must be made clear to the male insect, otherwise Yael will always be sad and blame himself.
"This name was used to fool the sales contract, but when it was first born, I got rid of Lance and was reborn on that fringe star."
This name accompanied him throughout his childhood as he struggled for survival. In the beginning, he did harbor resentment, but as he grew up and matured, he no longer cared about those trivial hatreds.
Climbing from the bottom to the top is extremely difficult, but it is also a thorough and complete transformation.
He suddenly appeared at that mecha competition. When he saw Lance's expression in the audience change drastically, he just thought it was a bit funny, and the rest was just the ambition to reach a higher place.
"The second time it was spoken was in that bathroom. The male master helped me clean the blood off my body and then asked me my name. From then on, I was reborn a second time."
He would never forget the biting coldness of that snowy night, but he was no longer afraid or disgusted by it, because what accompanied it was the warm water that gently poured over his body and the hand that reached out to him.
Xi Ze thought about what he blurted out at that time, and suddenly realized the wonder of fate.
It is clearly impossible to touch or find it, but it seems that the ending has already been predetermined.
He couldn't help but chuckled and turned to look at Yael, with a look of relief on his face.
"I like this name. No matter where it comes from or what meaning it has been given, it has appeared appropriately at two important turning points in my life."
"——Rather than a brand of shame, it's more like a harbinger of good fortune."
Yael stared at him in amazement.
The female insect's body was enveloped by the sunset outside the window, outlining the sharp outline of its profile. It looked warm and fluffy, with only its pair of golden eyes remaining as clear as ever.
"Will you continue to call me that from now on?"
"good."
Yael's expression softened, and he leaned over and kissed the female insect on the lips.
"Your name is, of course, up to you... Just whatever you like."
Then he remembered the topic that had been brought up and became a little confused.
"By the way, you haven't told me yet why you suddenly returned to the main planet. Is there something important?"
Caesar covered his lips and coughed, but still couldn't help revealing a smile, and with some difficulty he moved his eyes away from Yael's face that was so close to him.
"You'll know soon... I can't tell you now."
The speed of the suspended car increased quietly, and it was covered with brilliant rays of light, flying along the star track towards its destination.
*
"So mysterious, is there something you're preparing?"
Yael could not wait to open the door and get out of the car, walking straight to the gate of the villa, while telling the female insect about his wild guesses.
"Let me think, could it be..."
015 opened the door for them, with the little turtle on his head as usual, "You're back so early!"
"Yeah, I have some things to take care of. Has the little turtle had dinner yet?"
Yael greeted both of them, changed his shoes, and then walked in with the female insect.
There was no difference between the living room and when he left. He looked around and was pulled into the restaurant by the female insect.
Then Cesar took out a...cake from the refrigerator?
It is round and big, not the size of an ordinary dessert, and is big enough to share a whole circle of worms.
The cake was placed on the table, and the outer protective shell was opened to reveal the beautiful contents inside. There was also a simple sketch of Yael drawn on the cream surface.
The four words "Happy Birthday" were written on it in a round shape, and they were in Chinese characters.
Yael stood there in a daze for a moment.
When he first saw the big cake, he was a little confused as to why they bought such a big one. It would be difficult to finish it and the taste would go bad if stored for a long time.
It wasn't until his mind came around that he realized it was no ordinary dessert, but a birthday cake.
Birthday.
This unfamiliar word flashed through his mind, but it did not bring back any memories of his previous birthdays, only a string of cold numbers on his ID card.
Maybe there had been such a thing before, after all, his family was harmonious when he was very young. But he was too young at that time and did not have time to memorize the warm scene so that he could always recall it in the future.
"Is this... a birthday cake?"
The birthday of the insect tribe is called Shell Breaking Day. It has no meaning in essence and is not taken seriously by society. People usually do not buy cakes to celebrate.
Perhaps one time when he was telling the female insect about the other world, he mentioned the concept of birthdays, and the date and way of celebration were carefully noted down.
"You came back just for this."
Yael blinked, suppressing the heat rising in his eyes, but his voice became a little hoarse.
"March 20th, the Spring Equinox, the Lord's birthday."
Xi Ze spoke word by word, smiling with his eyes slightly curved, "I wrote this down at the time."
The insect tribe has no spring equinox or birthdays, but if Yael wants, he can know and arrange for any festival in advance and give the male insect a surprise.
The female insect coughed softly, took out a bunch of colorful candles, and placed them next to Yael. "Half an hour has passed. Shall we start?"
The two guys who had never celebrated a birthday before were a little clumsy when faced with birthday cakes and candles, and began to go through the process in a panic.
"Let me think, it seems that we should sing first and then light the candles? No, that's not right...should we light the candles first, and then make a wish after singing? Or should we make a wish while singing..."
015 poked his head aside, and the little turtle on top of him looked curious, "What are you doing?"
Yael briefly explained the meaning of birthday to it, and 015 suddenly understood and vigorously, "It's to celebrate the day when the product is shipped out of the factory, right? I understand."
"The Lord is 25 years old this year, so we need to put up 25 candles, right? Is that too much?"
Caesar held a handful of candles, not knowing where to start for a moment. The cream on the cake had a very beautiful shape, but if he put too many of them too densely together, it would look ugly.
"Five will be fine."
Yael picked out five sticks of different colors and gave three to the female insect, and together they formed a circle around the center of the cake.
"Do you want to light it now? Do you have a lighter?"
Candles are not common in the Zerg. Xize customized them according to the effects in his memory, and the store owner naturally didn't think of adding fire or anything.
Yael was thinking about the process of celebrating birthdays in that world, and before he could react, 015 raised a finger and fired a micro laser from it.
Biu! Biu! Biu! Biu! Biu!
Five candles were lit one after another, and some of them even flickered and crackled, like small fireworks on the cake.
"That's all!"
015 retracted the laser cannon from his fingers and put his hands on his hips proudly.
Yael was stunned for a moment, and finally came to his senses from his overly excited state. He regained his reason and brain, and coughed softly with some embarrassment.
"Okay, now you can sing...wait, I haven't taught you this song yet."
He thought for a moment and decided to give up teaching on the spot. "Forget it. I am tone-deaf myself. I won't teach you badly. Just hum a simple passage."
The tiny flame on the candle flickered, emitting a bright and warm light, illuminating a small area and gently outlining the male insect's eyebrows and eyes.
The warm yellow light shone on Yael's face, blurring his sharp features. His long eyelashes cast faint shadows. The firelight jumped and flickered from time to time, and the light and shadow also rose and fell like waves.
He looked relaxed, humming a repetitive tune intermittently. It was simple and pleasant, like some nursery rhyme that had been sung since childhood.
Caesar stared at his profile, not noticing that the song had ended. The next second, Yael clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. After holding this position for a few seconds, he opened his eyes and blew out the candles.
"alright!"
His eyes were bright and his face was full of happy smiles.
After a moment's reflection, Caesar realized that after the song, it was time to make a wish, and after making a wish, he could put out the candles.
"What wish did the Lord make?"
Hearing his direct question, Yael narrowed his eyes slightly, and then pretended to be serious and teased the female insect, "There is a saying that if you tell it out loud, it will not work, so you have to keep it a secret."
"It's about you, but I won't tell you."
He added another hook, then leaned over to look at Caesar's face, but he didn't see the female insect's cute expression that was both confusing and trying to ask a question.
Caesar pulled out the candles and placed them neatly aside. Hearing this, he chuckled and said, "You can tell me how many birthday wishes you have and I'll help you realize them."
The gods in the legend are so ethereal, and the idea that one can only make three wishes doesn't sound very reliable. It's nothing more than seeking psychological comfort.
He lowered his eyes to look at the stunned male insect, and said seriously, "So just tell me directly, and I will find a way to realize the male lord's wish."
“You really are…”
Yael sat up straight and sighed.
He could only tease Xize occasionally recently. After she made her feelings clear, the female insect became unexpectedly frank and open, and would occasionally hit him with a straight ball...leaving him completely unable to defend himself.
Birthday wishes were just a way to fool children. He didn't take them seriously, let alone really saying three wishes for the female insect to fulfill them.
Xi Ze kept asking, "Is it something very difficult to achieve? You can tell me first, and then I will see how feasible it is."
Seeing that he was insisting, Yael suddenly became interested and asked emphatically, "It's okay even if some of it is excessive?"
"Anything."
Caesar looked at him without changing his tone, his expression gentle but resolute.
Usually when children ask questions back, parents will become alert and quickly tell them that they cannot pick stars or the moon, nor can they break the law, disrupt discipline, or be immoral.
But what Caesar really said was that anything was possible, without any restrictions. As long as he said it, even if it was something very difficult or very bad, the female insect would find a way to make it happen for him.
“…”
Yael stared at him for a long time, and his expression gradually became serious.
It was not the first time that he realized that Cesar's moral bottom line was not that high.
Even the red line could move flexibly for him, without hesitation or reservation, and could do many things for him, even at the cost of getting its hands dirty.
[He took the risk to kill that male insect and got the title of Duke for me. Before that, I really thought he couldn't do it and couldn't do these secret things.]
[My judgment was seriously wrong. I should have kept Hilzer and forged him into the sharpest sword, so that he could fight for me and gain more power.]
Lance's words seemed to ring in his ears. Yael was distracted for a moment, reached out and touched the female insect's cheek, then his fingers were held to his lips and kissed, as if it was a show of intimacy or loyalty.
He was once like a thick, blunt blade, rusted and stained with congealed blood, but after being cleaned and carefully treated, he finally revealed a new brilliance.
And Yael is the one holding the knife. He can use this knife that can cut through iron like mud to remove the head of any insect, and at the same time, he can also decorate it with flowers and crowns.
He had never been so fortunate that he had chosen the latter.
Even if he realized this, Yael's choice would not change. What he wanted was never a weapon that was easy to use and sharp, but -
He moved closer to the female insect, and as he watched the face getting closer and closer, he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips into a smile.
The female insect went from being calm and composed at first to becoming a little nervous, blinking unnaturally. After being stared at closely for more than ten seconds, her neck and earlobes began to turn slightly red.
"What, what happened?"
Xi Ze was a little stumped. After thinking about it, he still didn't know what he said wrong. But when the male insect looked at him so meaningfully, he couldn't help feeling guilty and embarrassed.
"Then listen carefully, my wish is——"
Yael looked at the clear, enlarged image in front of him and suddenly laughed. The gentle stream of air sprayed on the female insect's face, making him a little nervous.
"First, I hope we can all be healthy and have everything going well."
He was already close enough to the female insect, their breaths overlapping and blending with each other. He only needed to lower his eyes to look into those molten gold eyes and stare into his own reflection quietly.
"Second, I hope we can stay together forever, for the long 100 years."
Feeling the hand tightening around his waist, Yael reached out and pressed the female insect's shoulders to prevent himself from falling, and then expressed his third wish.
"Finally, I hope that the universe will be peaceful, without war or unrest, and that everyone can live a peaceful life."
He relied on the female insect to hold his waist and fell backward with a large amount of force. He turned around and sat back in the chair with a frank expression on his face.
"That's it. It sounds simple, but it's actually quite difficult."
Xi Ze reacted the moment he said his first wish, with a smile almost overflowing from his eyes, and finally he laughed out loud with a sigh, "Yes."
It should be a very simple wish, but it is always just a little bit short of realization. Or, in other words, they are always on the road to realization, constantly working hard for it, trying to achieve ultimate happiness.
"Okay, let's eat the cake. Let's have this for dinner. It's really big."
Yael picked up a knife, cut a large piece of strawberry cake and shared it with the female insect, and also gave a large piece to 015. Although it couldn't finish it, it still needed some sense of participation.
The turtle couldn't eat the cake, but it got a bright red strawberry, and it kept sticking its head out to take a bite.
The cream of this custom-made cake is particularly thick, delicate and dense, and melts in your mouth. If conditions permit, I could try something else... Never mind.
Yael pursed his lips, but finally gave up with regret.
The simple celebration ceremony ended, the mess on the table was quickly cleaned up, and the unfinished cake was put in the refrigerator so that it could be taken out and eaten again in the evening.
015 took the little turtle to the garden. It has developed a lot of new hobbies recently and started to learn various skills from the intelligent computer. It planted flowers while the little turtle chewed the flower petals, and they got along very harmoniously.
With an hour left, Yael held the female insect and lay down directly on the sofa, intending to rest for a while before leaving. He was already very tired from running back and forth and had no time to do anything.
He slowly gave Caesar spiritual counseling, talking to him incoherently, and felt his whole body relax. He couldn't help but find the most comfortable place in the female insect's arms and rubbed it again and again.
“…”
Caesar glanced at the sky outside, then returned his gaze to Yael's face. The male insect was burying his face, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and breathing slowly, as if he had fallen asleep.
There was also a hint of blue under his eyelids, and he looked very tired.
Just now, Yael was scolding him harshly and told him to pay more attention to rest in the future, but he was very lenient towards himself, staying up late while he was not at home and making himself so tired.
Caesar sighed slightly and reached out to touch Yael's shoulders and back, massaging and stroking rhythmically to help him relax. He felt that the male insect's breathing became calmer and he seemed to be a little dazed.
"When will... the war end..."
But suddenly, a low sound rang in my ears, like the mumbling of a dream, with a little expectation and longing.
Xi Ze's pupils shrank slightly, and his hand movements paused. After a long while, he whispered, "Soon, everything will be over."
The Empire will usher in an unprecedented bright and prosperous scene. There will no longer be darkness and wars. They will always be together, just as Yael wished.
Stay healthy and everything will go well.
…
No matter how reluctant you are, the last hour has passed irreversibly.
Xi Ze got up quietly, took Yael's hand and carefully put it into the quilt, and replaced his own place with a long pillow.
He hadn't taken off his military uniform to begin with, so he just needed to tidy himself up a bit before going out.
The bloody dusk enveloped the entire living room. The bustle just now had disappeared without a trace, leaving only silence and loneliness in the room.
Was Yael also enduring this long period of loneliness while waiting for him to come home?
Xize stared blankly at the bulge in the quilt on the sofa, almost unable to move his feet. But after breathing in silence for a while, he hardened his heart and walked out the door quickly.
The soldiers outside the door were still guarding dutifully. When they saw him coming out, they raised their hands and saluted. A mecha flew over from the sky not far away. It was Bai Lang who came to take him back to the battlefield.
Xi Ze calmed himself down and walked down the stairs in two or three steps, but suddenly he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him——
"Say goodbye before you leave, or you'll regret it."
Yael leaned against the door with a depressed expression on his face, as if he was remembering the last time the female insect knocked him down and then quietly went to the battlefield.
He looked at the female insect's back, wearing a neat military uniform and with her shoulders straight. The rays of light fell on her like a cloak draped over a warrior, carrying a bright red warmth.
Xi Ze paused for a moment, then turned around, his brows somewhat helpless, "I don't want to disturb your rest."
"I didn't sleep at all."
Yael walked down the stairs and stopped three meters away from the female insect. He did not go forward to hug him. "This time it should be completely over, right?"
Bai Lang was already waiting on the side in his mecha, and there was not much time left for them to talk. However, Xize did not rush to deal with it, but stepped onto the stairs to shorten the distance.
He hugged Yael and promised in a low voice, "Yes, this is the last time. Once we defeat Anto and bring him back, and catch the people hiding behind, everything will be over."
"Then we won't be forced to be apart for so long. I'll give you a proper birthday and then take a vacation to travel to the planets you want to visit."
Yael hugged him back tightly, took a deep breath, and said hoarsely, "Okay."
He pursed his lips, not knowing what to say. At this moment, all words became impoverished, leaving only the words he had repeated many times.
"Be sure to stay safe. I'll wait for you to come home."
Xi Ze patted the male insect's shoulder, hiding his reluctance. He took two steps back, took a deep look at Yael, and said with a smile, "Okay, goodbye."
He turned around and strode towards the mecha. Soon, he and the mecha turned into a stream of light and disappeared into the sky, like a fleeting meteor. No matter how reluctant he was, he could never keep it in his palm.
Yael stood there for an unknown amount of time, until the light of the sky dimmed and he was completely enveloped in darkness, before he finally came to his senses.
goodbye.
He murmured silently, curling the corners of his lips slightly.
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