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 chuckle 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 nodded 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."

耶爾挑出顏色各異的五根，分了三根給雌蟲，和他一起把蛋糕中心圍了一個圈。

“現在點火嗎？有沒有配備打火機？”

蠟燭這東西其實在蟲族也不常見，是西澤按照記憶裏的效果定制的，店家自然也沒想着給個火什麽的。

耶爾想着那邊世界過生日的流程，一時沒拐過彎來，015直接舉起一根手指，從裏面發射出了微型激光——

biu！biu！biu！biu！biu！

五根蠟燭依次被點燃，甚至有幾根噼裏啪啦地閃爍着，像是盛放在蛋糕上的小小煙火。

“這樣就可以啦！”

015收回手指裏的激光炮，十分驕傲地叉起腰來。

耶爾呆住一瞬，終于從過于激動的狀态中緩過來，找回了理智和腦子，有些尴尬地低咳一聲。

“好，現在可以唱歌了……等等，我還沒教過你這首歌呢。”

他思忖一瞬，果斷選擇放棄現場教學，“算了，我自己就五音不全，不要教壞你了，簡單哼一段好了。”

蠟燭上的小小火苗搖曳着，散發着明亮而溫暖的光，照亮了一小片空間，将雄蟲的眉眼溫柔地勾勒出來。

那暖黃的光打在耶爾臉上，模糊了他利落的輪廓，纖長眼睫投下淺淡的陰影，火光時不時跳躍閃爍，那光影便也海浪般起伏着。

他神情放松，斷斷續續地哼着重複的調子，簡單又悅耳，像是某種從很小就開始傳唱的童謠。

西澤凝視着他的側臉，沒注意到歌謠已經結束，下一秒，耶爾雙手合十閉上眼睛，保持這個動作幾秒後，就睜開眼睛吹了蠟燭。

“好了！”

他雙眸極亮，滿臉都是開心的笑意。

西澤反應了一下，才意識到唱完歌就是許願環節了，許完願後就能把蠟燭熄滅。

“雄主許了什麽願望？”

聽到他直接問，耶爾微眯起眼睛，而後故作嚴肅地逗雌蟲道，“那邊有這麽一個說法，願望說出來就不靈了，所以要保密。”

“有關于你的，但是我不告訴你。”

他又加了一個鈎子，然後探頭去看西澤的臉，卻沒看到雌蟲想問又糾結的可愛表情。

西澤将蠟燭拔出來，整齊地擺放到一旁，聞言輕笑了一聲，“您可以告訴我，我幫您實現生日願望，多少個都可以。”

傳說中的神靈實在飄渺，還有限制只能許三個願望的說法，聽起來就很不靠譜，不過是求一個心理安慰。

他垂眸看向神情怔然的雄蟲，神情認真地道，“所以您直接告訴我就好，我去想辦法實現雄主的願望。”

“你可真是……”

耶爾坐直了身體，輕嘆了一聲。

他最近只能偶爾逗到西澤了，從明确心意之後，雌蟲就出乎意料的坦蕩敞亮，時不時就會打出一記直球……讓他完全無法招架。

生日願望不過是用來糊弄小孩子的，他沒有怎麽重視，更不可能真的說出三個願望來讓雌蟲幫他實現。

西澤卻不依不饒地追問道，“是什麽很難實現的事嗎？您可以先告訴我，我再看可行性有多高。”

耶爾看他堅持，一時也來了興致，強調地追問道，“就算有一些很過分也沒關系？”

“什麽都可以。”

西澤一錯不錯地看着他，臉上的神情柔和而堅決，仍然沒有改變一點說詞。

一般小孩反問的時候，家長就會警惕起來，連忙說不能摘星星摘月亮，也不能違法亂紀或不道德。

但西澤是真的在說什麽都可以，并沒有任何的限制條件，只要他說出口，就算是一些很難或很不好的事，雌蟲也會想辦法給他實現。

“……”

耶爾和他對視許久，神色逐漸認真下來。

他不是第一次察覺到，西澤的道德底線其實沒有那麽高。

甚至那條紅線能夠為他靈活變動，毫不猶豫，毫無保留，能為他做很多很多的事，甚至不惜弄髒自己的手。

【這個公爵的稱號，也是他冒險殺了那個雄蟲為我奪來的，在那之前，我真的以為他下不了手，也做不了這些暗地裏的勾當。】

【我當時判斷嚴重失誤，應該把希爾澤留下來的，然後把他鍛成一把最為鋒銳的刀，為我出生入死，搶奪更多的權勢。】

蘭斯的話如在耳側，耶爾倏地出神了一瞬，伸手撫上雌蟲的側臉，然後被握住了手指放在唇邊啄吻，像是親昵又像是效忠。

他曾經像是厚鈍的刀鋒，鏽跡斑斑沾滿凝固的血污，被清理幹淨精心療養後終于綻露出新的光華。

而耶爾就是那個持刀者，他可以用這把削鐵如泥的刀取下任何蟲的首級，同樣的，也能在上面點綴鮮花與皇冠。

他從沒有這樣慶幸，當時選的是後者。

而就算意識到這一點，耶爾的選擇也不會變，他想要的從來不是好用又鋒利的武器，而是——

他湊過去靠近雌蟲，看着那張臉自己越來越近，唇角忍不住抿起一絲笑意。

雌蟲從一開始的從容自若到變得有些緊張，不自然地眨着眼睛，被近距離盯了十幾秒之後，他的脖子連同耳廓一點點泛起紅色。

“怎、怎麽了？”

西澤有點磕絆，回想了一下仍然不知道說錯了什麽，但一被雄蟲這麽意味深長地看着，就忍不住心虛和不好意思起來。

“那你聽好了，我的願望是——”

耶爾看着眼前放大的清晰畫面，突然笑了起來，輕柔的氣流噴在雌蟲臉上，讓他有些緊張。

“第一，希望我們都能健健康康，萬事如意。”

他已經和雌蟲貼合得足夠近，兩道呼吸彼此重疊交融，只要垂眸就能看進那雙熔金的眼眸，和自己的倒影安靜對視，

“第二，希望我們能一直一直在一起，度過這漫長的百年光景。”

察覺到腰上收緊的手，耶爾也伸手按住了雌蟲的肩膀，免得自己掉下去，然後說出了第三個願望。

“最後，我希望宇宙一片和平，沒有戰争也沒有動亂，大家都能過上平靜的生活。”

他仗着雌蟲攬住了腰，往後大幅度地倒了一下，轉過身重新坐到椅子上，臉上的神情一片坦蕩。

“就是這樣，聽起來很簡單，其實還挺難的。”

西澤從他說第一個願望的時候就反應了過來，眸底笑意幾乎滿溢而出，到最後嘆息般笑出聲，“是啊。”

明明應該是很簡單的願望，實現起來卻總是差了那麽一點，或者說，他們永遠都在實現的路上，不斷為此努力，妄圖求得最終的幸福。

“好了，吃蛋糕吧，把這個當晚餐算了，真的好大一個。”

耶爾拿起刀，切了一大塊帶草莓的蛋糕分給雌蟲，給015也分了好大一塊，它雖然吃不了，但總需要一些參與感。

烏龜不能吃蛋糕，但也分到了一顆鮮紅的草莓，一下下探出頭咬。

這個定制的蛋糕奶油特別厚實，細膩綿密，入口即化，如果條件允許，倒是還可以玩些別的……算了。

耶爾抿了抿唇，最終還是遺憾放棄。

簡單的慶祝儀式結束，桌子上的混亂很快就被收拾幹淨，沒吃完的蛋糕被放進了冰箱裏，晚上還可以拿出來吃一次。

015帶着小烏龜去了花園，它最近有了很多新愛好，開始和智腦學習各種手藝，它一邊種花小烏龜一邊嚼花瓣，相處得非常和諧。

還剩下一個小時，耶爾抱着雌蟲直接躺在了沙發上，打算休息一會就走，來回奔波就已經很累了，來不及做些什麽。

他慢吞吞地給西澤做精神疏導，有一搭沒一搭地說話，感到渾身都放松下來，忍不住找到雌蟲懷裏最舒服的地方，蹭了又蹭。

“……”

西澤掃了一眼外面的天色，又将視線放回耶爾的臉上，雄蟲正埋着臉，眼睫微顫呼吸和緩，好像已經睡着了。

他眼睑下也泛着一抹青色，很疲憊的樣子。

剛才耶爾還說他，兇巴巴地讓他以後要注意休息，對自己反而寬松得很，趁他不在家偷摸熬夜，把自己累成這樣。

西澤微嘆了口氣，伸手撫上耶爾的肩背，有節奏地按揉撫摸幫他放松，感覺到雄蟲的呼吸更加平靜，似乎真的有些迷迷糊糊了。

“什麽時候……戰争才能結束呢……”

但驀地，耳邊響起很低的一聲，像是夢中洩露出的呓語，帶着一點期盼和念想。

西澤瞳孔微縮，手上的動作頓了頓，好半晌才低聲道，“很快了，很快一切都将結束。”

帝國會迎來前所未有的清明盛景，再也不會黑暗當道，戰亂頻發，而他們會一直在一起，一如耶爾的願景——

健健康康，萬事如意。

……

再怎麽舍不得，最後這個小時也不可逆轉地過去了。

西澤輕手輕腳地起身，握住耶爾的手小心地塞進被子裏，用一個長條抱枕取代了自己的位置。

他本來就沒有脫軍裝，這時只需要稍微整理一下就可以出門。

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.