Chapter 94
"In recent years, the scientific research team led by Maude Shaw has announced a number of interstellar discoveries and research, leading the Empire to open up a new life map.
In the year 9052 of the star calendar, after being voted on by all the residents of the star system, the Imperial Royal Family awarded him many scientific awards, including the "Seldin Science Breakthrough Award" and the "Imperial Science Pioneer Award."
The whole venue was filled with thunderous applause that day, countless golden fragments fell from the sky, the medal in my hand was warmed up a little, and the scene of standing on the stage is still vivid in my mind, as clear as yesterday.
"Come on, smile!"
Snap
That photo captured the most glorious moment and spread to thousands of households along with the data torrent until it was seen by every pair of bright eyes.
Of course, it has also been inserted into the universal basic textbook and has become a required course for biology teachers. Every name on the photo will be recorded and passed down from generation to generation.
"That's weird. Did the photographer not get the lighting right? Why do I look so ugly?"
And now, the photo appeared on the computer screen, and the light blue light reflected on the insect face in front of him made his expression even more suspicious.
Hearing the sound of a door opening behind him, he quickly closed his laptop, ending his short break. He turned around and looked with a surprised look on his face.
"Your Majesty? Why are you still coming to the institute so late at night?"
The person who approached the laboratory was Yael. He had already changed into a clean protective suit. He stood tall and had a calm expression as he walked to his usual position.
He seemed to be thinking about something just now, but when he heard the familiar voice, he suddenly came back to his senses and smiled.
"I have some data to sort out. It's quite a lot and may take all night. If you want to leave, please let me know. I will be responsible for the subsequent instrument inspection."
The insect stood up and returned to its seat. Hearing this, he waved his hands and said quickly, "No, no, no, I was just tired and wanted to take a break. I should be up all night too, so it's good to have a companion now."
As he passed by Yale, he subconsciously looked up at the male insect and was stunned for a moment.
In the bright light, Yael in front of him had a calm face like a distant mountain, and under his casually scattered hair were lacquered eyes. His expression was extremely focused, and he had a strong and calm courage.
…I seem to know why I look a little dim in that photo.
It's not a problem with the photographer's lighting or filters. It's just that the insect in front of me is so white that it glows, making the other insects inside look gray. It seems like they are not even on the same layer.
"Anything else?"
Yael raised his head as if he sensed something and looked at the insect in front of him with some confusion.
The female insect coughed awkwardly, feeling too embarrassed to tell him the real reason for her daze. After looking around for a while, she suddenly discovered something.
"Well, um...are you going to school again this afternoon?"
When the authority and level of the research institute are sufficient, you will be given the identity of a university tutor, but it is basically a nominal position, with a high degree of freedom and mobility.
This type of tutor can offer courses, but they are not counted for credits. In their spare time, they can visit the school to see the students who are choosing the courses and take a few classes.
Yael had been in the institute much earlier than him, or even earlier than most insects, but he was the first to obtain the title of mentor, which was enough for the peek inside to see his terrifying talent.
"Yes, I made an appointment with them to go there this afternoon. The class went well and I made up for the missed hours. I have completed the task this month in excess."
Thinking of those overactive little bastards, a smile appeared on Yer's face. His hands kept moving, but he also opened up a little.
"I've heard from other tutors that there are always students who don't do their homework or even take exams, which leads to a high failure rate, but this class I teach is not so bad."
He thought of the sad-looking teachers at his school and was worried at first, but after one semester of teaching, the overall situation was actually quite good.
"That's right. Your Majesty's classes will definitely be full."
The female insect smiled and leaned on the edge of the table behind her. "But I am a little worried. Those students are arrogant. Although they don't have any bad intentions, they are good at finding faults and causing trouble."
One of the main principles of scientific research is to challenge authority. Many students will use this as a shield and openly ask tricky questions to provoke their instructors, trying to embarrass them.
"Oh, they say I'm very gentle outside of class, but very fierce and cold during class. I look like I'm hard to mess with, so I haven't encountered any trouble yet."
Yael also paused his men's actions, thinking back to what the squad leader had said to him, and looked confused for a moment, "Is it really that fierce?"
The bug was also confused, but after thinking about it, it was not impossible. This person was very demanding in his research, even very picky, and his level of strictness was almost as strict as Director Mod.
Although he never loses his temper or looks grumpy, he will calmly restart experiments again and again, striving to achieve perfection before moving on to the next stage. Working with him is like being driven crazy by the mental stress.
"Children are afraid of teachers after all. Don't take it to heart... Just continue working. I won't bother you anymore."
He coughed softly, and finally felt too embarrassed to disturb Yael, so he returned to his seat and continued what he had just interrupted.
…
After misreading the data for the third time, Yael finally realized that it was impossible to continue concentrating on the task at hand in his current state, so he simply leaned back in his chair.
What bothered him was not the project, but the recent news -
"A whole new universe has been discovered outside of a distant unknown galaxy?!"
"The news is confirmed!! The Empire may send troops to explore..."
News about the new universe has been spreading over the past few days, and because the Zerg's technology is extremely advanced, once they discover something, they can continue to explore in depth.
The new universe was quickly opened up, but further exploration would require the stationing of a large number of troops, which would inevitably be a difficult and long task.
When he first found out about it, Yael's heart skipped a beat, fearing that the Earth had been discovered.
But as more and more accurate news came in, this conjecture was quickly ruled out. It should be a completely new universe, similar to some that the Zerg had developed.
Although he no longer had to worry about the Earth, Cecil worked overtime until midnight during this period, busy with various meetings, deploying specific exploration plans, and arranging insect personnel.
If nothing goes as expected, the female insect will lead the army.
Once we get there, all kinds of dangers and accidents may happen. Even simple exploration will take a year or so... I don't know when we can meet again.
After thinking aimlessly for a long time, Yael frowned irritably, not knowing what to do next.
Persuade and encourage Xi Ze not to go? Definitely not... Just watch him leave with an uncertain return date? Also... not possible.
Perhaps this is the disadvantage of being with a military heroine. You have to face the possibility of separation at any time and anywhere, and even be prepared to not be able to come back after going to the battlefield.
After a long silence, Yael got up from his chair, opened the door of the office next door, found the innermost window, and pulled open the curtain neatly.
Swoosh
It was dark outside the window. In the distance there was the vague outline of a building. The top floor was brightly lit, and many figures were walking back and forth in a hurry, as if they were facing some emergency.
That is the tallest building in the military base and also the office building of the current Imperial Marshal.
…
At the same time.
The atmosphere in the military meeting room was extremely tense.
All deployments have been urgently completed, and now the only thing left is to choose the final leader. This seemingly dangerous and boring pioneering mission actually contains great benefits -
In order to encourage the army to actively explore, the empire set up a complete reward system. The most important one is that the first developer to go deep into the new world can get one thousandth of the resources of the new world.
This ratio may seem small, but considering the amount of resources in an entire galaxy, it is actually extremely terrifying. It is a piece of cake to achieve a class leap in an instant.
Although wars were frequent, the empire still did not forget to expand outward, wanting more territory to satisfy its greed, and the numerous female soldiers were the sickles of expansion.
Status, honor, wealth, class…
Everything could tempt the worm to go crazy, causing one riot after another. The biggest one even shook the corrupt empire. Only then did Your Majesty restrain himself.
It's not so bad now that there are restrictions, and the surrounding universe has been almost fully explored. It is difficult to discover a vast new world. Occasionally, only a few small planets are explored.
But now, the discovery of new extraterrestrial galaxies has disrupted this balance.
"Of course I can understand you, Marshal. After all, you relied on this to achieve class transformation, leaping from an inconspicuous soldier to a major general, and reaping the huge dividends of expanding territory."
The insect who was speaking stared at the leading female officer, his tone sounding a bit weird.
"Many innocent insects suffered during the chaos, but many also benefited from it."
Xi Ze's expression remained unchanged, as if he didn't understand what he was saying, and he nodded indifferently.
"As long as you understand, just vote for me and don't waste your words."
"you......!"
The worm in the parliament was used to speaking in a roundabout way and thought he was thoughtful, but every time he discussed matters with the marshal, he deeply suspected that he would be angry and his life would be shortened by several decades.
"puff."
Bai Lang, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but laugh.
He has now been promoted from Xi Ze's adjutant to the position of general of the First Army and has become the Marshal's right-hand man. At this moment, he just finds it funny to see his opponents suffer.
The insect closed its mouth, looked around with a gloomy expression, and began to calculate the possibility of gaining the upper hand in the vote at this meeting.
The admiral of the first army was Marshal Monte's former adjutant, the admiral of the second army, Rachel, was obviously also from that side, and the admiral of the third army was selected later, and it is said that he has the support of the royal family.
Only the admiral of the Fourth Army stood on the side of the nobles, but he was suppressed so much that he could not raise his head on a daily basis and could basically not be relied upon.
However... not all the people sitting in the conference room are military generals. There are also many high-ranking ministers and parliamentary bugs. Many of them remain neutral. As long as we take advantage of the situation, we still have a chance.
The new world being opened up this time is vast, and the resources contained therein are certainly enormous. Who wouldn't want to be the first insect to eat meat? They are all being suppressed and have no way to resist.
Marshal Monte's weakness...
There must be something that can restrain him——
Sitting at the top, Xi Ze kept a calm expression. He looked around at the insects in the room, ignored all kinds of gazes, and announced the start of voting.
"No objections? Then let's start the voting..."
"etc!"
Seeing that the matter was about to be settled, the bug suddenly thought of a killer move, and was so excited that he even stood up suddenly, "I still have objections!"
"You always say that we military women are rude, but now I think you are even more rude. Not only do you frequently interrupt meetings, but you also keep yelling. Have your manners been swallowed up by the dog's stomach?"
Rachel couldn't stand this idiot and became unbearably irritated.
All eyes were focused on him, but the insect did not shrink back out of guilt, nor was it angered by Rachel's words. Instead, it stared into Caesar's eyes and spoke word by word.
"Just now, several generals have talked about their strengths one by one. To become the leader, the Marshal's qualifications are naturally the best. If we were to compete seriously, no one would be better than you."
"But you didn't answer a crucial question - would His Majesty Yael allow his queen to leave her family for a long time and go to unknown areas to expand the territory?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent.
The expression on Xi Ze's face remained unchanged, but his pupils shrank unconsciously for a moment.
"Please answer this question. His Majesty Yael is the only S-class male insect in the empire today. It looks like he will become the next director of the institute. His attitude is crucial!"
Boasting that he had grasped the female soldier's soft spot, the insect looked around proudly and raised his voice deliberately.
"The situation in the new world is unknown right now. Let's not talk about whether it's dangerous or not. The time required could be as short as a few months or a year, or as long as there's almost no upper limit. Not to mention long-term expeditions, some female insects may even need to observe curfews."
Whispers suddenly broke out in the conference room.
The neutrals who originally wanted to objectively vote for the Marshal were now a little shaken, apparently suddenly realizing the influence of the S-rank male insect in this matter.
Bai Lang's expression gradually turned ugly, and he tightened his hands on the table.
——This is the reason why female insects in high positions of power would rather spend huge amounts of wealth in exchange for the opportunity to receive spiritual counseling than become the queen or maid of a male insect.
If you are of a lower class or have no family background, it is not so bad, you can gain great freedom and benefits for yourself.
Anyone who has the slightest ambition to climb the social ladder will not choose to marry a male insect of high rank, strong family or some power, as that will only become a hindrance rather than a help.
Xi Ze raised his hand to signal silence.
After all the insects looked back, he looked into the insect's eyes and said clearly, "No, you are wrong. The Lord has given me the greatest degree of freedom."
Without waiting for anyone to react, Xize directly packaged the marriage document and transmitted it over, openly allowing everyone in the conference room to look through it.
"Yo, marriage documents?!"
Rachel had never thought that she would see something like this in her lifetime. She seized the opportunity to flip through the pages quickly, scanning the options at a glance. The more she read, the more shocked she became.
“…What the hell? Is this true?!”
Seeing everyone's expressions change, the bug realized something and began to look through the pages suspiciously.
[After marriage, is the wife allowed to keep her original job, work normally and go on business trips? Option: Yes. ]
[After marriage, the property rights open to the female monarch are: 1. 0% 2. 10%... 4. Others: please fill in the brackets (100%)]
[What is the scope of activities that the female monarch is allowed to do after marriage? Please fill in the brackets (anywhere in the universe)]
【……】
Each one of them surprised him greatly, and he even strangely felt a hint of jealousy.
How could there be such a marriage agreement in the world?! How could there be such a male insect in the world?! How could such a male insect fall in love with such a...
He looked up from the document, and before the bug could find any more excuses to disrupt the voting, he heard the military woman's calm voice, "Have you finished reading it?"
Xize didn't know where to press his hand, and soon two fully armed female soldiers came in from outside the door, picked up the female insect directly, and dragged it out of the door.
"Wait... no, you don't have the right... ah!"
The insect still refused to give up and struggled and twisted in the female soldier's confinement, but before it could utter two words it was thrown out the door with a miserable cry of pain.
"You have been disqualified from the meeting for disrupting the order of the meeting several times."
It was a very rough but efficient move, and soon the conference room returned to silence. However, it might also be because many bugs were still shocked by the marriage document and had not yet recovered.
Xi Ze tapped the table with his fingers, indicating that the meeting should continue.
“Let’s start voting.”
…
The process was a bit tortuous, but it was still an expected good result.
Bai Lang was in a good mood and wanted to wait for the Marshal to leave together. This was a habit he had developed when he was an adjutant and it was difficult to change it in a short time. However, after waiting for a long time, no insect came out.
He pushed the door open and saw that the female soldier, who had just managed the overall situation with ease and even found time to sprinkle some dog food, was now sitting in her seat in a daze.
"Marshal? Are you all right?"
Xi Ze closed his eyes, motioned him to go out, and let himself be quiet for a while.
...In this matter, the only person he was worried about was Yael.
The news of the New World spread quickly, the temporary deployment was very hasty, and the royal order was urgent. Before he had time to discuss it with Yael, he was forced to get involved and make a decision.
This matter was extraordinary. No matter from which aspect, he had to go. But unlike before when he was alone and could risk his life at will, now he had something else to worry about that he could not give up.
The guy who messed up the situation just now was right about one thing: would Yael allow him to be away for so long?
It is not due to the male insect's restrictions on property, but due to the concern and care between the insects who love each other.
He knew that the long wait was very painful. He almost went crazy during those months waiting for Yael to wake up. How would Yael feel when he went to the battlefield and had no idea when he would return?
Perhaps this is the issue they will face throughout their lives, about love and separation, freedom and family, and... life and death.
Xi Ze closed his eyes tiredly, hiding the flash of pain in his eyes.
The night was cold and the empty conference hall was silent.
*
I don't know if there are some people secretly messing up the situation. After the voting results came out, they still wanted to seize every opportunity to pull Marshal Monte down.
The morning after the voting meeting, Yael was blocked at the entrance of the institute by a large group of media.
"Hello, Your Majesty. May I ask if you know anything about the development of extraterritorial galaxies? The leader of the worms voted for last night was Marshal Monte. Do you know this news?!"
"I am a reporter from the ETA News Agency..."
Those reporters must have come with a mission. They were weaving in and out of the gaps in the military's defense line. The densely packed microphones were stretched out so long that they almost poked Yael's chin.
"Do you support Marshal Monte in leading the army to explore the outer galaxies this time? Do you mind your queen being away from her family for too long... Please choose one question to answer!"
"No crowd! No interview!"
"Your Majesty! Can you answer this question?"
Eco rushed over after receiving the news. The first thing he saw was the suffocating scene. He quickly pulled Yael behind the military defense line and said, "Are these reporters crazy? You should go back and hide first..."
Yael's face was calm as he pulled his hand away. "No, I roughly know what it is."
The questions raised by those reporters were all different, but the premise was the same: in the voting meeting held last night, Nishizawa had become the most suitable person to lead the team.
But there must be wolves competing with him for the fat meat. Since he couldn't deal with them head-on, he could only start from this side, hoping that his disapproving attitude would put pressure on Xize and make the female insect voluntarily give up this opportunity.
"Your Majesty?!"
Yael's eyes were gloomy, and he took a step forward and stood in front of the defense line. The reporters knew that this meant they were accepting interviews, and they suddenly became even crazier, with countless tricky questions pouring down on him.
He was a little dazed.
The scene before my eyes seemed to have been seen somewhere before... Oh, yes, it was the same time when he said at the intensive seminar that he wanted to compete for the position of director of the research institute.
At that time, he was still inexperienced and had not yet fully revealed his terrifying talent. Although he had the status of an S-level male insect, he could not gain recognition from the scientific community and the entire empire.
Almost everyone thinks that he can wait for the next term and run for election a hundred years later. By then, the position will most likely be his, so there is no need to rush.
There were even many bugs who thought they had found evidence against him and repeatedly put pressure on him to alienate the relationship between him and Teacher Maude. Although the problem was eventually resolved, it was still very annoying.
But when Xi Ze heard what he said, there was not a trace of doubt or disbelief in his expression. He was extremely calm and unquestionable.
"If you want to do it, just do it. No matter how incredible it is, as long as you are capable of it, you can do it."
After that, as if some force had secretly struck him, no one dared to bring up the matter again. His ears soon became clear, and he could continue to concentrate on scientific research.
When he went home to ask Xi Ze, the female insect had a calm and gentle expression and reached out to touch his face. "Tell me if you need any help. I will help you solve everything."
Later, he gradually revealed his extremely talented side and participated in many large experiments with Director Mod. From playing a mainstay role in the beginning, he gradually became able to lead the project independently.
Later, he developed an unprecedented new idea and led his team to break through the core technology of genetic drugs, which almost shocked the entire scientific community.
When he received the Breakthrough Prize trophy and hugged Cecil with great joy, the female insect still did not look surprised at all, but was simply proud of him.
It was as if he had said at the time - as long as it was Yael, it would be possible.
From the beginning to the end, Xi Ze gave him all his love, unshakable confidence, and unreserved support behind his back.
And now is the critical moment for him to express his position.
He is a male insect, and his future is never restricted by society. But Xi Ze is different, because he is a female insect. Because he became his queen, this scene happened.
Yael gestured for silence, and the insects below, which were restless, suddenly stopped talking as if their necks were strangled.
He spoke directly into the nearest microphone, his expression and voice were calm, but his first sentence was like dropping a depth bomb -
"He's not [my] female insect."
The spell of silence was suddenly broken. The reporters widened their eyes like crazy and started to ask loudly, "What do you mean?! Are you going to break up with the Marshal?"
"May I ask why you say that..."
Yael raised his hand again to signal for silence, and this time he used a bit of strong mental strength, and the swarm of insects calmed down again.
"To be precise, what I want to say is: he does not belong to me."
"He is not my property. He has a unique name and experience, and a strong and independent soul. I hate it when other insects give him the title of "The Queen or Female Insect Under the Crown of Yael"."
Yael knew that this was shocking and unconventional, and there was no need for him to say anything before, after all, he couldn't change anything in this society, but he didn't mind letting the entire planet know his attitude.
"Whether in terms of status or emotions, we are on an absolutely equal footing. We love and respect each other deeply, and no one is a vassal of the other."
"I know he was born free, and should be free—to protect what he wants to protect, to fulfill his duties as a marshal, to take the glory that belongs to him, without having to worry too much about me."
The first time he saw Caesar was not in the small advertisement for the female slave exchange.
Instead, in that narrow, dark supermarket, the shabby screen was showing news, and a photo popped up in front of him.
The picture is blurry, but one can vaguely see the dazzling sunlight and the fluttering red cloak surrounding the tall, calm figure in the middle.
That was him, not the abandoned "Xize", not the destitute female slave, nor the female monarch under the male insect crown, but Admiral Hillzer Monte, oh, now he is the marshal.
A free bird should not be confined by love.
All the reporters were shocked and fell silent.
Yael raised his eyes and looked at the dark camera in front of him. It seemed that through this medium, he was looking at Caesar who was watching the live broadcast on the other side.
The smile on his face was soft but firm, and his eyes were bright.
"Go ahead. I'll wait for you."
The universe is vast and the years are changing.
Perhaps one day, the intense love will become dull and the vows will all turn to dust, but the golden heart that pursues love and freedom will be immortal.
May he remain true to himself, day and night. [1]
——End of the text——
The author has something to say:
[1] From Shakespeare's Hamlet: "Thou shalt be true to thyself, and not forsake day or night."
This is a sentence that Ye Ye gave to the general, and also a sentence that he gave to himself.
The author has always believed that he can really do it.
————————
Perhaps I should have stopped at the happiness of the previous chapter, but after thinking it over again, I decided to write a chapter like this as a conclusion, as a way of explaining what happened later.
All in all, it's finally over!!!
Thank you for your company along the way, but no matter how reluctant you are, you can only accompany me here! (But there is a special story hehe)
Looking back at the original intention of this article, the author has his perverted XP in mind, but it is not actually intended to deliberately rely on labels such as beauty, strength, and mutual redemption.
But there are always sufferings in this world, but there are also just the right hopes that make people cry. Some people fall into the mud and look for stars in it, while others are in trouble but always keep a clear heart.
This journey from darkness to light can deeply touch the soul and bring countless emotions and resonances.
Along the way, it seemed as if I had walked through this life journey of rebirth from death, struggling for light with them, and I was also redeemed.
There are many unsatisfactory aspects of this story, and the author's writing skills are limited, so there is no way to make it better for the time being.
But I am really grateful to you for always tolerating this imperfect story, tolerating the immature author, and never giving up! (rose in mouth)
May everyone always be in the light, full of hope, and shining brightly!!!
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