◇ Chapter 39 Kneel Down
Devin sighed and stuffed his gloves into the analytical instrument. He adjusted the parameters skillfully, and the machine started up with a roar. Misty water vapor rose from the container.
Devin pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Lann. "Don't hold your hopes too high for the analysis results. The molecular structure of the pheromone of high-level male insects has always been a technical difficulty, not to mention that time is running out now."
This is only the initial marking, but Lann's dependence on pheromones has already begun to show. Once deeply marked, all injections on the market will be ineffective against him.
Lan En showed no expression, and only said, "You still have the recipe from the black market, right?"
Devin paused, then lowered his eyes and continued with his work: "Keep it, but if you use it, you have to think about the consequences."
The injections on the black market have huge flaws. The short-term relief can only last for a few years. After a few years, the backlash will be hundreds or thousands of times greater, like drinking poison to quench thirst. When they were circulated in the early years, many female insects of the Third Army accidentally bought them and finally struggled to death.
Lan En said, "A few years is enough."
The analysis room was silent and no one spoke for a while.
Devin rubbed his brows and changed the subject: "I just passed by the exhibition hall, and I looked at the date and suddenly realized that the 23rd District Expulsion War is almost the third anniversary."
Lann sighed: "Time flies by so fast."
He didn't like the exhibition hall because the atmosphere there was too heavy. If Lin You hadn't visited, the door of the museum would not have been opened.
"Yeah, it's really fast." Devin opened the calendar and saw a small red dot with the word 'worship' written on it.
He pulled out a stool and sat down in front of Lann. "By the way, sir, I'm planning on taking my annual leave and heading to the border. I'm going to visit the planetary graveyard in time for the anniversary."
The so-called planetary cemetery is the star ring of a huge planet on the border of Area 23. When a spacecraft is shot down in space and loses power, the deformed and concave metal becomes like a coffin, wrapping the remains of the pilot and drifting aimlessly in the universe. When they wander near the planet, they will be captured by the planet's gravity and, together with rock fragments and cosmic dust, form a gorgeous star ring.
The structure of the star rings is complex, with countless sharp fragments moving irregularly. No one can go deep inside to bring out the remains of their companions, so they will remain inside the star rings forever. There is no oxygen and water in space, and even corpses are difficult to decay. They will be frozen in their expressions of fear or tranquility at the time of death, slowly rotating with the planet's gravitational tides, and turning into the loneliest graves in the universe.
Every year on the anniversary, Devin and Lan would fly the aircraft, rotate it along with the planetary graveyard, and then load a small cruiser with flowers and fine wine, and remotely control it to fly into the star ring, as a way to comfort themselves.
Lan En said, "This year's situation is special, so I won't go. You can send my wine along."
Devin nodded, smiled bitterly, and patted Lann's shoulder: "I hope that when I come back, I can receive the good news of your marriage to the third prince."
No one can tell whether marrying a prince with an unknown personality and preferences is a good thing, but for Lan En, this is already the best outcome.
*
Lin You came back from the Third Army and threw himself into bed.
After pretending to be a noble prince for the whole morning, his social energy was completely exhausted. Now he just wanted to have a good sleep. 66 poked the host lying dead and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"Not bad." Lin You turned over and felt something hard hit the back of his waist. He took it out and it was Lan's badge.
The badge has intricate patterns, with thorny irises entwined with each other, and the silver-white metal emitting bursts of cold light, cold and murderous, reminding the holder that its owner is a major general with outstanding military achievements.
Lin You held it in his hand and turned it over and over again, remembering that he wanted to use this model as a decoration for his electronic wife. He also remembered that the world had changed and his game save file was no longer there, so he sighed: "Come to think of it, is there no similar game in this world?"
He has only a few hobbies and interests. When he kills time, his favorite thing is playing games.
The system asked: "Are you talking about the gun battles like Star Wars? Wait a moment, I'll check for you."
He connected to the interstellar network and manipulated the crawler to extract keywords. After a moment, he replied, "Hello, no, but I found a similar one. It's a military training system. It's connected to the brain through the sleeping cabin you saw today. It can fight other soldiers and generals. The system has built-in shooting modules and aircraft control modules. At the same time, in order to protect the privacy of soldiers and avoid retaliation, the matching stage can customize the model. It is seven levels similar to "Star Wars."
Lin You: “.”
He was not so crazy as to sneak into the military to play with other people's training system. After lamenting the monotony of the Zerg's entertainment programs, he gave up playing games and lay back on bed.
66 floated out at the right time and asked, "Do you want to watch a movie? I have hundreds of them stored."
They are all fine products that it and its previous host, Mr. Xie, carefully selected and evaluated.
Lin You nodded and picked a romantic comedy that was not too brain-burning. Halfway through, his brain beeped.
Lann's message popped up: "Excuse me, my Lord. I've been away for half an hour. Did you get home safely?"
He still conscientiously cosplays as a fanatical pursuer.
If this was said in person, Lin You would definitely get goosebumps, but if it was said on the phone, it would give the illusion of being a joker.
The system said: "Host, according to the original text, you should say, 'Don't bother me'."
Lin You replied immediately: "Don't bother me."
Before Lan could even start to think, he sent another message, adding: "It's so late, I'm going to bed."
This is ambiguous, and can be interpreted as "Never bother me again" or "It's too late today, please send it tomorrow."
Lann paused.
He couldn't keep up with Lin You's hand speed at all. The third prince's two sentences had completely different tones. The first sentence sounded annoyed and irritable, but the second sentence didn't sound angry. He had no choice but to delete the carefully edited apology and change it to: "Then I wish you good night, my prince."
The system glanced at the chat interface and said, "What a scheming person! He even changed his profile picture."
Lin You opened the chat interface. Lan En's profile picture was a photo of fruits arranged in the kitchen. This photo was obviously carefully designed. The sunlight swept down from a 45-degree angle. The arc of the character's smile was just right. The sleeves were rolled up to reveal the most beautiful part of the forearm. The apron was tied very tightly, just enough to fit the waist line. The fruits on the plate were kiwi, citrus and grapefruit. The color combination was rich but harmless.
System: "He may have referred to the Male Insect's Favorite Color Guide. I extracted the same color scale from this book as the one in the photo."
...Just looking at this picture, Lan is really a very good wife and mother.
Lin You looked at it carefully, thinking: "What did his previous profile picture look like?"
This avatar is totally different from Lane's style in the novel.
The system accessed the big data, pulled out a picture from a corner, and placed it on the display screen: "This one."
In the photo, Lann is wearing a pure white uniform and carrying a gun. His silver hair is tied up high behind his head and blown by the fierce wind. He looks aloof and indifferent, like a hawk hovering on a cliff. Only his side face is shown, and he is not looking at the camera, but he has a solemn and murderous look.
Lin You: “Wow…”
He was kind of fished out.
Switching back to the computer, the picture of cutting grapefruit was not pleasing to the eye, so Lin You pondered for a moment, opened the chat box, and sent another message in a second, saying meaningfully: "The photo is very beautiful."
——He pointed to the previous one.
The system glanced at him: "You are not socially anxious now."
Lin You said: "Chatting online."
Who is he? He is an anchor who is called wife all the time and he calls countless people wife. People don’t dare to talk nonsense face to face, but he is absolutely true when typing.
“…”
The optical brain has been silent for a long time
Lan En paused for a long time, as if he didn't expect Lin You to notice the photo so quickly. Then he carefully replied, in his usual chanting tone: "Thank you for your compliments and likes. Next time you visit, I will make sure to prepare welcome fruits for you."
Lin You could imagine that if Lan En said this face to face, his tone would be dignified and elegant, and his manners would be meticulous, like the most well-educated aristocrat. But when chatting on a laptop, it would be a bit funny.
At this point, the other side still shows that input is in progress.
Lin You didn't reply, so he could only watch leisurely to see what Lan En would say.
Perhaps Lin You's positive response gave him the opportunity to press on, and the female insects of the Colette family have always been good at seizing every opportunity. Lan En shamelessly added: "Cooking is a necessary skill for female insects. This is my daily life at home. I look forward to the day when I can serve you a meal."
"puff--"
Lin You put on his laptop and laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten his back.
He pounded the pillow twice, admired the serious and indifferent profile photo for a moment, saved it for his collection, and was about to take a shower and go to bed when the computer next to him suddenly rang and a call invitation popped up.
This time it wasn't Lan, the note read: Father.
The system reminds: "Oh, it's the original owner's female father, the co-leader of the Seventh Legion and the First Legion, one of the three current admirals in the military, Admiral Hoyle. You are about to meet in the original novel. This should be the plot that the world automatically completes."
The original text only said that the two people were going to meet, and the communication process in between was naturally omitted.
Lin You paused, hearing this string of titles was quite overwhelming.
System: "You don't have to be nervous. The original owner's father is busy with military affairs and has just returned to the capital. He doesn't have close contact with the original owner. He won't be able to see through your identity."
Lin You said strangely: "We are not close friends, so why are you calling me so late at night?"
He pressed the answer button.
A middle-aged man with a serious face appeared in the video, wearing a navy blue uniform, as if he had just returned from the military. His shoulders were covered with epaulettes. He was not young, and his gray-blue hair was mixed with a hint of silver. His eyes were stern and murderous. It was obvious that he was in a high position and had the power of life and death.
Lin You was the first to greet: "Good evening, father."
The man's eyes fell on him and softened instantly.
He looked Lin You up and down, with a slight smile on his face: "My Youyou has finally grown up."
At the beginning of the story, the third prince has just reached adulthood, and adulthood for the Zerg is a hurdle that causes changes in appearance and personality.
System: "General Hoyle has just returned to the capital. He has not seen you as an adult yet."
Lin You thought about it and was about to say, "Indeed." Then he heard his father sigh and said sadly, "Youyou is also old enough to marry a queen."
“…”
Lin You was suddenly startled and had an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
Although he had traveled through time, this sentence was 80% similar to the parents urging him to get married when he went home during the holidays. Lin You's forehead was sweating reflexively, and then he smiled awkwardly: "Ah? Really?"
The plot doesn't have this part, so I can only improvise freely.
Hoyle changed his tone and said, "I heard that you have been very close to Major General Lane of the Collette family recently?"
"……Yes."
Hoyle showed some disapproval: "He is not a good choice."
"I have met Lann in the military before. That kid may be a good general. He is very scheming and cautious, but he is not a good family man who is content with his inner chambers. He has too many ideas and thoughts. Although the wealth of the Colette family is indeed coveted, you still have to consider this aspect."
Hoyle paused for a moment and added: "You can't hold him down."
Of course Lin You knew that he couldn't suppress Lan En, and he didn't want to suppress Lan En. The major general in the novel was like an iris entangled in thorns. The more he was bound by worldly dogmas, the more he bloomed. If he was suppressed, he would not be Lan En anymore.
Lin You was originally listening to Hoyle quietly. The male insects of the empire did not need to be so respectful to the female father, but he still retained the habits of his previous life. However, when he heard this, he could not help but interrupt: "Excuse me, I don't think these are shortcomings."
He frowned, "Not suitable for the family, content to stay in the back room, but a military woman shouldn't be like this. When you were young, father, you probably didn't think of sacrificing everything and devoting yourself completely to my male father, right?"
“…”
Of course, no one is born thinking about sacrificing his life to anyone, it’s just that the Zerg pheromones are too overbearing and deeply rooted in the flesh and blood, and there is nothing that can be done about it.
Lin You pursed his lips and said, "Besides, I've seen Lann shoot, it was beautiful."
The implication was that he didn't want Lan to change anything.
Hoyle paused.
The general of the empire pressed his forehead, feeling a little lost. After a moment, he said, "You have indeed grown up."
The spoiled prince suddenly changed after he grew up. Hoyle looked at him and couldn't tell whether he was relieved or sighed.
He sighed and said, "I haven't seen you for a long time. Call Lan and let's have dinner together."
The child has a good impression of Lan, and he always has to personally check it.
*
When Lane received the invitation, he was preparing to send Devin on the spaceship for his annual vacation.
The Third Army was not subordinate to any of the three generals of the time, but due to their status, the three generals were qualified to dispatch him. Admiral Hoyle's message was sent directly to the light brain, and the words he used were cold and emotionless, saying only: "Next Friday, have dinner with me."
He didn't even say "please".
Lan En quickly forked the message, but Devin still saw it. Devin was slightly stunned: "The Third Prince's father?"
Lan En hummed without any expression: "I guess he is here to establish his authority."
He pursued the Third Prince in a high-profile manner, and the rumors about Rose and Iris were all over the city. Now, all the gossip sections of anonymous forums were talking about it, and it was impossible for the Third Prince's father not to know about it.
Devin thought for a moment and sighed, "Next Friday. I'm afraid you'll be a little sad about the date you chose."
After the initial injection, the long discomfort period lasted as long as two months. It had also been less than half a month since Lann last came into contact with Lin You's pheromones. The residues on his gloves and coat were almost completely gone, so Lann had to increase the amount of medicine he injected.
At this time, it was already very sad for him to be in the same room with Lin You.
Lan En said: "I just hope he won't make me kneel beside the Third Prince for two hours."
This is an ancient custom of the Zerg to establish their authority. Just like the humans in backward mountainous areas like to make the bride sit on a winnowing basket, under the euphemism of tempering her temper, many male Zerg are also keen on establishing their authority in this way.
Kneeling for two hours was not a big deal, he was not that fragile. What was important was that the air would be filled with the pheromones of male insects, which would have a fatal attraction on him. However, that pheromone, apart from arousing the body, was far from enough to satisfy him. It would only make him more depressed and more unbearable. In this situation, it was not easy to restrain the instinctive impulse and maintain etiquette when meeting with the superiors.
But if you are impolite, the marriage will be faced with even more obstacles.
Devin teased, "That's not the worst. The worst is when you kneel for two hours and then the admiral tells you it's inappropriate and tells you to stay away from his child."
Lan En could not deny: "It's not impossible."
With the wealth of the Colette family, Lan En was confident that Lin You could accept him. Moreover, judging from the Third Prince's recent performance, he even praised his photos, so he should still have a good impression of him. As for the twists and turns in the middle, they were difficult to control, so he had to endure them one by one.
Speaking of this, Lann suddenly said: "Dewen, you have a good aesthetic taste."
Devin was stunned: "?"
Lan En: "His Highness the Third Prince likes the photo you picked very much."
Devin smiled proudly: "Of course, this is the result of data analysis of the male insects' preferences."
Time passed like water, and Lane was busy with his daily duties. In the blink of an eye, Friday arrived.
He took meticulous care of his appearance, tied up his silver hair one by one, picked out a low-key dress, and injected three injections into his veins - this was the maximum dose allowed by pharmacology. Then he boarded the aircraft leisurely, carrying a bunch of pure white irises.
During this time, he repeatedly confirmed the address given by Hoyle.
Royal dinners are usually held in private residences, but Admiral Hoyle chose a shopping district in the downtown area.
Lann flew the aircraft to the vicinity of the business district and frowned slightly. The people coming and going here were all young people in casual clothes, and there were bright lights, wine, and people everywhere. However, he, in a formal suit with a medal on his shoulder, looked out of place.
This place doesn't seem like the place the admiral would choose at all, so the one who chose this place can only be the young Third Prince.
Lan En secretly speculated about the Third Prince's taste. He straightened the wrinkles on his clothes and thought, "I hope these two won't be so ridiculous as to make me kneel down in public in the mall."
Otherwise, he would have booked the front-page headlines of all forums the next day.
He arrived at the reserved shop, which had already been cleared in advance. After checking his name, the service staff smiled and said, "Please follow me."
Lann nodded and entered, looking at the interior decoration calmly.
——The floor is covered with bamboo mats, which is not uncomfortable to kneel on. The room is well ventilated and the air flows normally, so pheromones can dissipate quickly.
The waiter led him to the innermost compartment.
The two sliding doors moved outwards, revealing the scene inside the house. The Third Prince and the Admiral were sitting on either side. There were no stools in the room. Both of them were kneeling on cushions, and in the middle they were sitting around a small copper stove that was bubbling.
System: "Host, lines."
"Hmm."
Lin You put the meat slices into the hot pot and waved to Lan En in the rising mist: "Major General, kneel down."
He added with a smile: "Kneel on the cushion next to me."
——For this line, he spent two hours choosing this restaurant with tatami mats.
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