Chapter 86
The perimeter of the star port was filled with reporters who had come here after hearing the news. They were blocked outside by the army. After a round of pushing and shoving, a stalemate ensued, with everyone craning their necks to look out.
As soon as Xi Ze appeared, it was like a drop of water splashing into a frying pan, and it instantly began to boil with a crackling sound.
"Hello, Marshal. May I ask what happened inside? I heard screams and cries. Did the army enforce the law violently?!"
"I am a reporter from the ETA News Agency..."
"Is the royal family determined to get rid of the dukes and even the nobles? Can this be seen as a signal... Please choose a question to answer!"
Caesar was wearing a neat military uniform, with an expression of indifference under the shadow of his hat brim. He turned a deaf ear to these chaotic scenes, buckled his black military boots neatly on the road, and strode straight out.
"Don't come over here! Stay away!"
The female soldier who was setting up the defense line shouted loudly, but she was restrained by the rule that female soldiers were not allowed to harm civilians, and for a moment she was at a loss.
Although those reporters could not defeat the female soldiers, they were more numerous and more flexible. They swarmed around, with their densely packed microphones stretched out so long that they almost poked Cize's chin.
"You are obstructing military service! Guards! Clear the area immediately!"
Bai Lang was so angry that he threw away a microphone and shouted outside the defense line, signaling the army to start clearing the area.
"His Majesty Yeer was seriously injured. Why are you not sad at all? Instead, you took this opportunity to eliminate your political enemies? Was your previous affection just a pretense?!"
An entertainment reporter squeezed to the front row without a care in the world, and suddenly shouted into the microphone when Cize passed by, "Can you answer this question..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene suddenly became as quiet as death.
Bai Lang stared at the bug in disbelief, veins throbbing on his forehead. He shouted angrily, "What the hell are you talking about! Do you have a brain?!"
He hardly dared to turn around to look at the Marshal's expression. During this period, he had been working tirelessly on official business and was the one who knew the Marshal's condition best.
A war had just ended, and no matter where they were, they needed the military marshal to guard them. The complicated and tedious tasks of reorganizing the army and rebuilding were piling up like a mountain, and there was no way to delegate them to another bug.
He could only watch the Marshal becoming more and more tormented, without a moment to close his eyes or a moment to breathe. Whether it was His Majesty, the military or the nobles, they all seemed to be pressing down on his shoulders like a mountain.
——But there are still some blind people who want to poke those painful spots that are suppressed, and chew on the suffering of other insects as a gimmick to make money.
Before Bai Lang could turn over and punch the bug, the reporter with no bottom line was pushed to the ground, stepped on several times by someone unknown, and spat at.
"Go back and train a few hundred more times, rubbish!"
"You're crazy about wanting to be in the spotlight, aren't you?! I was already worried about having nothing to write, so I might as well criticize you for being such a stinking phenomenon in the journalism industry..."
During the commotion, Xi Ze had already walked to the military floating vehicle, sat in it, and slammed the door shut, isolating himself from all the noise and movement outside.
Bai Lang also got on the car and soon led the troops away, leaving the mess far behind.
Seeing that they could not dig out any information, the group of reporters hovered around for a long time in despair, and finally dispersed.
The urgent matters have been basically dealt with, and now we have to return to the villa to discuss His Majesty's treatment plan with the empire's top medical team.
"Why don't you take a rest in the car?"
The atmosphere in the car was eerily quiet, and Bai Lang spoke cautiously.
The female soldier in the back seat looked indifferent and did not accept the suggestion. She turned on the computer and continued to process emails. It was as if she was a perfect machine that had a fixed program to handle work and would not get tired at all.
The situation was most chaotic right after the war, but it was also the best time to root out those cancers. During this period, they had already captured several nobles involved.
The main culprits have been taken to the torture room and have been severely tortured. Their trial will be reopened soon.
Xi Ze lowered his eyes, the silver-blue light on the computer reflected in his eyes, but it could not dispel the thick darkness.
Most importantly, there is Yael...
The moment the name flashed through his mind, he forced himself to stop thinking about it.
This is what he did these days when he needed to work. Otherwise, he would not be able to make any space or leave the male insect's side.
Xi Ze closed his eyes to relieve the dryness, ignoring the swelling pain in his temples, but a voice suddenly rang in his ears——
"Beep, beep, beep~ My general, please pay attention, it's already very late, it's time to go to bed and get some rest! Early to bed and early to rise is good for health..."①
A soft and clear voice sounded, a little shy, but still couldn't hide the tender love in it, like a whisper ringing in the ear during intimacy.
Nishizawa's pupils shrank, and he stopped replying to the email.
He immediately pressed his coat pocket and pulled out a small communicator.
The communicator flashed red, and a voice that was so familiar that it was almost engraved in his bones came out. He tightly grasped the cold surface of the communicator, and it slipped several times before he turned off the ringtone with shaking hands.
Yael felt very embarrassed when he was recording it, and he felt it was too shameful. But after struggling for a while, he finally recorded the whole thing and used it as his communicator ringtone.
At that time, the male insect's ears turned red. He stuffed the communicator into his hand and emphasized fiercely.
[You must mute the sound at all times, so that other insects cannot hear this ringtone. Do you understand? You can only play it out loud when you are alone, otherwise I will not record new ones for you in the future.]
Yael's voice seemed to be right beside my ear, but it was like a heavy hammer that suddenly hit my soft heart and smashed that piece of flesh and blood into a pool of rotten mud.
“?!”
Bai Lang was startled and looked at the rearview mirror subconsciously.
Just then, the cold mask on the female soldier's face suddenly shattered. She clutched the communicator tightly and turned her head abruptly.
But even with just a startled glance, he saw that the Marshal's eyes almost instantly turned red, and he blinked unnaturally. The hand he raised to cover his face was stained with water, and he took a deep breath in a wolfish manner to adjust the expression on his face.
He had never seen such an expression on the Marshal's face.
Whether they were losing a battle, being seriously wounded and nearly dying, or bidding farewell to countless departed comrades, the female soldier always remained calm and composed, and was the indestructible backbone of the army.
More often than not, that name is deified and becomes a synonym for victory and glory. However, no matter how much responsibility and pressure he shoulders, he will never show any sign of fatigue.
He had never associated crying in front of others with the marshal, and he never thought that he would witness this scene with his own eyes.
“…”
Bai Lang gritted his teeth, wiped the tears from his face, raised the partition in the car, and left the marshal some private space.
Damn it, all those rubbish deserve to die...!
His chest heaved for a moment, and he could hardly suppress the burning anger. Even his blood was boiling, and he wished he could pick up a gun and shoot all that garbage.
I don't know how His Majesty Yeer is doing now...
Even an outsider like him was worried. He couldn't even imagine how the marshal felt. But there was just too much work to do. Damn it!
It was quiet behind the partition. Bai Lang took a deep breath and tried to regulate his rapid breathing.
Now we can only take one step at a time.
*
The car stopped in front of the gate. Bai Lang hesitated for a moment, but still got out of the car in advance to help open the door.
Xi Ze's expression has returned to normal, only the corners of his eyes are still slightly red, showing that what just happened was real and not an imaginary hallucination.
"Take care, I'm going back to the military headquarters."
Bai Lang bowed his head slightly and was about to go back to his official duties when his shoulder was pressed hard.
He was stunned for a moment, and then he saw that the marshal did not just walk away, but put his hand on his shoulder, bent down and moved closer, like a simple hug.
"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."
Xi Ze's voice was a little hoarse. Looking at the two large dark circles under the adjutant's eyes, he saw through the fatigue that he tried hard to hide.
During this period, he worked without sleep and carried out the cleanup in a nearly self-harming manner. The intensity was so great that it required several teams to rotate, and the only person who stayed with him throughout was his adjutant.
"It's not hard at all. We've all been through this before. The one who has suffered the most is you, Marshal..."
Bai Lang felt a sudden pain in his nose and patted his chest excitedly to show that he could still do it and that he could be called upon at any time.
"Please don't say such polite words. If you need anything, just call me!"
"good."
Xi Ze slightly bent his lip, ordered him to go back and rest for a while, and then walked quickly into the villa.
The Empire's top medical team has arrived and is providing comprehensive treatment to Yael.
After the first day of intense treatment, the male insect fell into a strange state of sleep and could not wake up. This was also the main direction of treatment.
"Your Majesty's current condition is really strange. First of all, this is not a state of plant worm or brain death."
The leading doctor retrieved all the data and transferred it to Xize's optical computer. At the same time, he clicked on the most critical pages, enlarged them in mid-air, and began to explain in detail.
"After treatment in the medical cabin, all of your wounds have healed and your body has recovered. Look, here are the specific data..."
Through meticulous and detailed investigation, they figured out the health status of almost every cell and every hair on Jermain's body.
But no matter how many examinations were conducted, there was only one result: His Majesty Yael was in very good health.
And it seems that for some unknown reason, it can always maintain this good condition.
The only problem is——
"Your Majesty's mental power value is low, but the overall fluctuation is relatively stable. It is not that your mental power is dissipating. After checking, there are no cracks in your mental picture."
“應該是因為過度使用精神力，而導致精神圖景的封閉或暫時幹涸，但并未有足夠的數據可以證明，這是造成昏迷的原因。”
這是他們目前唯一的突破口，卻也是最無能為力的一點。
帝國有關于精神力的研究，但因為一直沒有充足的實驗對象，所以進度停滞不前，也沒有什麽顯著的成果。
倒是可以請求其他高等雄蟲來幫忙，但一方面實力相差過大可能沒什麽用。
另一方面，現在帝國一片混亂，還沒有清掃幹淨蘭斯的殘黨，不能确定來幫忙的雄蟲是什麽成分，會不會對冕下造成損害。
現在的耶爾冕下珍貴程度相當于帝國國寶，必須慎之又慎。
猶豫了一會，醫生還是将另外一個想法說出口，雖然有些奇怪，但不失為一條可以嘗試的路。
“冕下現在與其說是昏迷，倒不如說正處于很難醒過來的沉睡，那是一種很原始的封閉狀态，就像動物自然天性中的冬眠，或等待破繭。”
破繭。
西澤原本正神色漠然地看資料，一遍又一遍地确認雄蟲的身體狀況，聞言卻忍不住失神了一瞬。
他眼珠倏地一動，看向艙內耶爾模糊的面容，熔金色的眼眸深藏陰翳，幾乎像是一口無望的枯井。
……是這樣嗎。
他想象着雄蟲變出漂亮翅膀的樣子，很輕地勾了勾唇。
但很快，這點淺淡笑意消弭無蹤，西澤沉默許久，終于點頭應允下一步的進行。
“探讨出合适的治療方案，然後試一下吧。”
醫生也受這種不同尋常的氛圍所感，在小聲讨論完大致的治療方案後，就不約而同地安靜了下來。
“……大概就是這樣了，這一切都需要元帥的配合才行。”
這會夜已經很深，元帥是不允許他們停留在這裏太久的，醫生将事情做完後只能暫時告別，回到相鄰別墅的住所。
“我們随時等候在一邊，如果有什麽情況，您直接把我們叫過來就行。”
醫生猶豫了一下，又低聲勸了一句。
“您也要注意保重身體，就算軍雌的恢複力很強，也禁不起長時間的精神高壓，和不眠不休的勞累。”
眼前軍雌的狀态其實已經很糟糕，只是靠着意志和強大的自愈力勉強支撐，像是被繃緊到極致的弦，随時都有徹底崩斷的風險。
這份壓抑到極致，甚至不在乎一切傷害的玩命作風，他們看着都膽戰心驚。
西澤沒有點頭也沒有回應，不知道有沒有聽進去，只是一動不動地保持着原來的坐姿，看着艙內的雄蟲。
醫生嘆了口氣，無聲地退出去關上門，将獨處的空間留出來。
等全部蟲離開，別墅內安靜到了近乎死寂的地步，只能聽到機器運轉時發出的輕微聲響。
015揣着手小心翼翼地靠近，頭上還頂着剛吃完糧的小烏龜，探頭去看雌蟲的表情。
“您還沒有吃晚飯……”
它的詢問也沒有得到回應，西澤仍然一動不動地坐着，垂眸看向修複艙裏沉睡的雄蟲，臉上神情漠然。
015鼓起勇氣拉了拉雌蟲的袖子，試圖把他喚回神。
“先吃點東西吧，不然主蟲也會擔心的。”
西澤眼睫微顫，神色一瞬間幾乎有些茫然。
而後他掙開了015的手，沒有依言去餐廳吃點東西，而是緩慢起身，猶豫着開啓了艙門。
【雖然修複液不會殘留在身上，但每次浸泡完都黏黏糊糊的，好像沐浴露在身上洗不幹淨一樣……我先去洗個澡。】
耶爾曾經抱怨過這種修複艙不舒服，每次從裏面出來，都會直奔浴室而去，徹底清洗一番才舒了口氣。
進去之前臉色還有些蒼白，但出來再洗完澡後，就又是健健康康、蓬松舒适的樣子了，甚至因為精力補充過多，而沖上來抱住他的腰。
【這次真的就只抱一下。】
雄蟲漂亮的眉眼帶着一絲狡黠，一點壞心昭然若揭，卻怎麽都讓蟲讨厭不起來，甚至想要無下限地縱容。
相處的回憶滿滿當當，無比鮮活而清晰，一幕幕在眼前重現。
仿佛耶爾下一秒就會睜開眼睛，告訴他自己只是想吓吓他，不是真的離開了，然後讨巧地湊上來親他的臉。
但房間裏一片安靜，冰冷的月光傾瀉而入，像是無數根帶着寒芒的細針，戳破了所有帶着溫熱呼吸的幻想。
雄蟲仍然閉着眼睛，看不出一絲蘇醒的跡象。
“……”
西澤的身形隐藏在一片陰影中，身形近乎靜止，仿佛一座粗糙鑿成的冰冷石雕，聽不到呼吸和心跳。
一點水液蓄得飽滿，沿着低垂的眼睫滑落，“滴答”一聲落在修複液上，激起一朵小小的水花。
仿佛被這一下驚醒，他終于動了動，彎下腰伸手攬過雄蟲的膝彎和肩膀——
“嘩啦。”
利落的出水聲響起，耶爾被穩穩抱住脫離了修複液，安靜地依偎在雌蟲的懷抱中，被帶進了浴室進行簡單的清潔。
浴室裏傳來水聲，被忽略的015有些無措地站了一會，将頭頂的小烏龜放下來。
“你先呆在這裏不要動，我去拿點吃的過來。”
等它糾結着拿了一管高濃度營養液，再回到房間的時候，耶爾已經穿着浴袍躺在了床上，被雌蟲握着腳踝擦拭身上殘留的水珠。
它扒着門框，推開了一條縫往裏面看。
西澤神色專注，正跪在床上，拿着一條柔軟的白色毛巾，一邊将潮潤的水汽擦幹，一邊幫雄蟲輕輕按揉身體。
“這是那個小羊羔星球上的羊毛制作的……真的很軟，是不是？”
雌蟲的聲音低沉沙啞，像是在和雄蟲說話，又像是在自言自語，“您喜歡嗎？”
他突然有點後悔，原本耶爾好奇是什麽感覺的時候，就該和雄蟲一起去感受一下的。
……一直拖到現在，連想要彌補都來不及。
放下毛巾，西澤開始專心按揉耶爾的身體，用原始而專業的手法幫雄蟲消除可能會出現的不舒服。
“這樣舒服嗎？會不會痛？”
“如果一直不醒的話，就算有修複液，肌肉也還是有萎縮的可能……不過我會幫您保管好身體的。”
雌蟲自顧自低聲許久，手上的動作卻越來越慢，終于徹底停了下來。
随即脊背像是不堪重負，慢慢地、慢慢地俯低下來，将臉埋在了耶爾的肚子裏。
他安靜了很久，但015可以看到他緊攥着浴袍的手，手背的青筋清晰鼓起，用力到骨節泛白顫抖，無措又無力。
它改裝後也沒有加上情感板塊，對一個通過能源運行的冰冷機器來說，最多能理解的就是失去的痛苦。
015原先并不明白，耶爾仍明明還存在着，沒有消失也沒有死去，為什麽那些蟲會這麽難過，會露出那麽悲傷的表情。
但在這一瞬間，它一錯不錯地看着眼前這一幕，突然感受到了那份能把蟲壓垮的巨大悲哀——
沒有消失也不代表存在，空有一個軀殼卻沒有靈魂也不叫活着。
西澤仍然抱着耶爾，卻也已經失去了他，期限未知，但如果運氣不好，說不定就是永遠。
015愣住許久，看了看手裏的營養液，蹲下來從門縫裏塞了進去，然後無聲關上了門。
“……”
雌蟲的喉結劇烈滾動半晌，拼命想要壓抑，卻還是洩露出了一絲急促而淩亂的喘息，仿佛溺水時絕望至極的掙紮。
從一開始的無聲變得激烈，因為壓住呼吸太狠，到後面甚至窒息到細微痙攣起來，連嗆到的咳嗽都帶着顫抖和哭腔。
不知道過來多久，淹沒頭頂的激烈情緒才和緩了一些。
“您回家了，是嗎？”
西澤含糊不清地道，卻因為混在急促的啜泣中，很難分辨出來。
意識到這一點，他深呼吸了幾下，請了清腫脹的嗓子後又重複了一遍。
沒有回應。
“那邊的世界……真的那麽漂亮嗎？”
沒有回應。
“那邊的世界已經過了多久，也是三年嗎？”
“希望在那邊您的身體還很健康，不需要再經受痛苦了。”
沒有回應。
“雄主回到家吃晚飯了嗎？”
“這邊的食物吃不慣，回去了記得多吃一些，想吃什麽就買，不要随便應付也不要舍不得……”
雌蟲的語句亂七八糟，自己都聽不清在說什麽，像是真的詢問，又像是自欺欺蟲的自言自語。
又或許并不是想得到回應，只是那些思念和惶恐已經滿溢而出，需要一個可以流淌釋放的出口。
那件浴袍被弄散了一點，緊貼着臉的腹部輕微起伏着，在燈光下反射着晶瑩的水光。
西澤失神地怔了一會，終于從那些颠三倒四的話語中，扒拉出了被遺忘在角落的真心，鼓起勇氣說了出來。
“您在那邊呆得開心嗎？如果可以……能不能偶爾也回來看看我？”
他渾身顫抖，連呼吸都屏住了，無比期待，甚至渴盼着能看到奇跡發生。
可是——沒有回應。
There was a loud bang in my heart, as if the little house that had finally been built was suddenly knocked down by a stone and shattered into pieces that could never be put together again.
After being silent for a long time, he suddenly began to laugh softly, intermittently.
It looked like he was laughing and crying at the same time, his neck and ears were all red and swollen, with bulging blue veins winding up.
It was completely different from the calm way he handled official business during the day.
It's like a baby holding a mess, crying loudly and unwilling to admit the cruel reality, feeling confused and painful.
This time, no other child would run over and hold his hand.
…
The night is dark and cold as water.
I could feel Yael's bathrobe and body getting wet and slowly getting cold.
Xi Ze forced himself to get up a little, tidied himself up, and changed his bathrobe into pajamas to avoid catching a cold.
But he did not leave. Instead, he stayed in this position, lying on the bed with his arms around Yael's waist, and then curled up slightly.
The male insect's light breath lingered around its body, filling every breath, as if it had formed a narrow safe house, large enough for a frightened soul to temporarily stay in.
"My Lord..."
He spoke hoarsely, holding Yael's hand and placing it on his head, as if the male insect was still stroking his hair, talking lazily while giving him spiritual counseling.
The tide was forcibly stopped before it could completely collapse, and it retreated gently and slowly. The female insect's face looked a little dazed, and the slightly red corners of her eyes softened her outline.
"You just came back, so you probably want to stay a little longer... It doesn't matter, I will always wait for you no matter how many days it takes."
There was a hint of hesitation in his voice, as if he wasn't sure whether this reason was sufficient and how long it could deceive him.
A day, a week, a month, or... a year?
I realized later that this statement was not a good one. What if it really came true and I have to wait forever?
He hugged Yael tightly and buried his face deeper into her, but he was still reluctant to force the male insect to give up something important again, so he just whispered.
"It's okay to play slowly. Don't you want to go home?"
"But if you get bored, come back here and take a look. I, 015, and the little turtle miss you very much."
Huai Liye's sleeping face was peaceful and his breathing was light and gentle.
It seems like this is just an ordinary night, a rare moment of leisure in the busy life, so happy that my heart inflates like a balloon.
But why is he so desperate now?
"I can't stay up late. I still have official business to deal with tomorrow."
"But you don't have to go to work anymore. Putting up the mental barrier must be very tiring and painful. Take a good rest for a few days first."
"…It's okay. I'm not very tired. All the work is almost finished. The trial will be held soon. No more insects will try to hurt you."
Cize was extremely tired and lost in thought for a long time before he could find the conversation they usually had. He talked to himself, pretending to be Yael, for a while, and then the sound gradually faded away.
Finally he leaned over and kissed the male on the forehead and turned off the lights in the room.
"Good night, my lord."
…
After a few minutes of darkness.
Caesar could no longer bear it and turned on the night light again. He did not calm his pounding heart until the corner of the pillow and Yael's profile were illuminated.
Don't turn off the lights yet.
The female insect then lifted the quilt a little and held Yael in her arms again. She felt a little relieved until their bodies were tightly pressed against each other.
He did not sleep all night, counting every breath of the male insect, enduring the endless night until dawn rose again.
The author has something to say:
① The ringtone of the communicator, which is a small foreshadowing from Chapter 65, "Yell gave their communicator a very cute ringtone."