Chapter 49 Part 2

Those hands emerged from the lily-of-the-valley, fingers pointing downward, pressing through a layer of black fabric at his abdomen onto his muscles. The male insect’s fingers were cold—the temperature like a sharp blade, the touch like a soft flower bud on a branch—enough to scramble one’s thoughts.

Shen Yu lowered his gaze. The fabric under his fingers felt slightly hard, but the female insect’s muscles were even harder—like piled-up rocks.

At such close range, a pleasant scent was carried over by a tiny draft, wafting into Ludwig’s nostrils.

Ludwig’s breathing suddenly quickened. His whole body tensed as he lowered his head, subtly observing the male insect before him.

Separated by a layer of black fabric, the cold fingers precisely pressed onto an open wound beneath. The wound gaped, forming a black depression under the pressure, the fabric squeezing into the flesh like welcoming the finger’s entry.

The rotten flesh piled up, seriously hindering the wound’s healing speed.

The male insect’s cool voice fell.

“The remaining half of the treatment—might as well excise this rotten flesh while we’re at it.”

Hearing the male insect’s words, Ludwig’s brow arched tight. His mood today was utterly foul—an indescribable, tangled mess of dark, chaotic emotions wrapping around him. Watching him date other female insects, watching him accept gifts from other female insects—two giants bickered furiously in his mind.

One giant tempted him: A female insect’s desire for a male insect is only natural. You have no real feelings for him. In your current state, even an inferior male insect would make no difference—just as long as it feels good. So pounce on him, pounce on him, fuck him and then kill him for revenge.

The other giant scowled and berated him harshly: Ludwig, have you gone mad? A drop in your spirit sea, just one five-senses lockdown, and you’re this quick to degenerate? If so, you’re no different from those masochistic idiots.

Ludwig closed his eyes and kicked the second giant: You fucking try being locked up for two months like that. If you come out unchanged, I’ll chop my head off for you to use as a ball.

Suppressing the surging violent urges in his heart, the female insect opened his eyes, thrust out an arm, and clamped his scorching palm around the male insect’s neck, yanking him forward harshly. His voice was deep: “Fine. Then let’s switch to a more convenient position?”

The female insect’s strength was immense. Shen Yu followed his motion and straddled Ludwig’s sturdy thighs.

The female insect had been quite well-behaved lately, so Shen Yu hadn’t anticipated the abrupt move. His palms firmly gripped the female insect’s shoulders as his Mental Power whipped into the female insect’s spirit sea.

The familiar pain assaulted him instantly. Ludwig’s brows wrinkled.

One hand clamped the male insect’s neck, the other supported his waist. Amid the razor-sharp agony, Ludwig thought: This waist was just as he’d imagined—grippable with one hand.

Wonder if it could snap just as easily in one go?

But this position was indeed convenient for treating the wound. Shen Yu leaned forward, reached out to grab the knife not far away. Since the distance was insufficient, he gripped the back of the blade and flicked it upward. The gleaming blade was tossed into the air before falling, then caught steadily by a hand gripping the handle.

That knife was very sharp, its body flowing smoothly like a block of ice, the tip flashing with a chilling glint.

Shen Yu gripped the handle, pointing the tip downward. With a crisp tearing sound, he sliced through the fabric. The tip pierced into the flesh and twisted. While using his mental power, he excised the rotten flesh inside.

Ludwig’s thigh muscles tensed. The taut muscles pressed against the male insect’s leg through a layer of lace. His brows furrowed tightly, large beads of sweat beading on his full forehead. “You, can you go a bit lighter?”

Shen Yu plunged the knife down heavily. Cold light spilled from between his upper and lower lashes. He sneered. “Only crybabies whine about pain.”

Ludwig pursed his lips, his gaze dark as he stared at him.

“Handle the rest yourself. Clean it up.” After excising all the rotten flesh, Shen Yu rose from the sofa and tossed the knife onto the table with a crisp clang, leaving a streak of blood on the icy surface.

Debriding wounds was skilled work. Shen Yu felt somewhat fatigued and very drowsy. After finishing everything, he went upstairs to take a shower. Halfway through, the water temperature plunged. Cold water instantly drenched him to the bone.

Shen Yu: “…”

Shen Yu emerged from the bathroom in a daze, unable to hold back a sneeze. Fortunately, he was mostly done, and he was truly exhausted. He dug an ancient hair dryer out of a drawer, quickly dried his hair, curled up in bed, and went to sleep.

With the rotten flesh removed, fresh tissue grew back healthily, as if still retaining a trace of icy touch.

Ludwig smoothed his furrowed brows, irritation bubbling in his heart. He simply tore off his obstructive shirt along the slit made by the knife at his waist and abdomen.

The female insect grabbed nearby gauze and wrapped it around himself. His sharp canine teeth tore it open viciously. He looped his arm behind his waist and tied a crude knot.

In the hall, the last traces of blood in the air, along with the male insect’s faint pheromone scent, were diluted clean by the air purifier.

Ludwig cleaned the table with a sour face, sprayed himself with dry cleaning agent, then lay on the sofa with arms crossed. He closed his eyes, ready to sleep.

Shen Yu had forbidden him from even going to the second floor, let alone giving him a separate room. But Ludwig adapted well. Since the male insect rarely appeared, he now treated the hall as his own room.

He was extremely self-disciplined about it.

The first floor never turned off the lights—eternal daylight. Even with eyes closed, light flickered through his eyelids. Still, compared to darkness, Ludwig preferred this sense of light.

Though he hadn’t obtained Shen Yu’s terminal, the male insect assigning him all the housekeeper robot’s duties gave Ludwig a huge opportunity. The villa’s equipment was outdated, so occasional breakdowns weren’t unusual.

Ludwig tinkered with parts here and there, slowly assembling a crude signal transmitter. A few days ago, he had sent a signal into space through it and quickly received a reply.

However, due to the transmitter’s instability, he still couldn’t pinpoint an exact location—only confirm he was on Imperial Star.

Red Blood’s group was dumbfounded when they received the encrypted signal. They never imagined their Boss could send them steady updates after infiltrating enemy territory. Indeed, the most dangerous place was the safest.

The rolling sound of the robot hummed in his ears.

Lily No. 2 slid to the sofa’s edge, carrying a basket of clothes. It thudded the basket heavily onto the ground.

Ludwig kept his eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

Number Two: “The washing machine is broken.”

Ludwig’s brow twitched slightly. He thought it had broken fast enough—sure enough, the old equipment failed sooner than expected, by two or three days.

Shen Yu’s orders had saddled Ludwig with all the estate’s housework. Number Two felt unretired but living a retired life. Yet why wasn’t retirement happy at all?

Though it wanted to hand-wash its master’s clothes, the master’s orders came first. Number Two said coldly: “The master’s clothes need washing by you.”

Ludwig opened his eyes and sat up from the sofa. He looked at the housekeeper robot, somewhat slow on the uptake. “Huh?”

Number Two reluctantly shoved the basket toward him. “Depending on fabric and color, use different detergents. Detailed instructions were printed before loading into the washing system. There’s a laundry manual on the second shelf of the laundry station cabinet. Follow the steps exactly—the master is very picky about this.”

Ludwig: “…”

Under Number Two’s intent gaze urging him on, Ludwig stood with a resigned, expressionless face, picked up the basket, and headed to the laundry station in the courtyard to wash clothes. The female insect glanced into the basket—layers of blue-and-white intricate formal attire stacked like a bouquet of flowers.

These were the male insect’s clothes from today.

Though worn once, they were very clean, carrying a faint fragrance.

But no matter how fragrant, it couldn’t mask the fact that he was about to hand-wash someone else’s clothes.

Ludwig reflected on his glorious first half of life. These hands had once piloted the 0-71 War God Mecha through treacherous barrages of gunfire, coldly commanded two legions—half the Military Department—to ruthlessly shatter an enemy nation’s strategic defenses, personally severed alien heads… But doing this? A first.

“…”

How absurd.

If his subordinates found out—whether from the old Military Department or current Red Blood—they’d stare in horror.

So damn absurd.

How had things come to this?

Ludwig’s expression turned as cold as water, brows locked tight.

The damp floor carried a chill mist. Sodium lamps hung from the courtyard trees, their light dim.

Moments later, the female insect at the laundry station seemed to finally steel himself. His chest heaved as he took a deep breath, reached out, and pulled the top garment from the basket. Expressionless, he began washing according to the laundry manual.

Water splashed and scrubbing sounds mingled. The female insect’s motions weren’t willing at all.

Each rub was brutally rough—like treating the clothes as enemies.

Ludwig rinsed the foam from his hands, then irritably plunged his sturdy arm into the basket. He grabbed soft fabric—small, with many openings. It slipped past his palm to his wrist, the touch skin-close and silky.

What the hell?

Ludwig frowned and pulled back his arm to look.

A clean white pair of boxer briefs, slightly wrinkled, dangled from his wrist, stark against his honeyed muscles. The male insect’s undergarments naturally retained some pheromones, and this spot had plenty—the scent was rich.

Floral notes and ocean breezes hit him all at once.

Under the dim light, realizing what it was, Ludwig’s pupils shrank. His entire body froze in place.

The female insect’s hair was a dark red bordering on black. At that moment, the ears hidden beneath it flushed blood-red.

Ludwig closed his eyes.

Two seconds later.

He opened them, his deep gaze coldly fixed on the fabric at his wrist.

Two seconds later, he closed them again. His chest heaved violently, teeth clenched tight.

Three seconds later, he cursed, yanked the male insect’s undergarment from his wrist, tossed it into the sink, poured in detergent, and scrubbed.

His expression was darkly terrifying.

Moments later, footsteps approached.

Ludwig pressed his brow bone, gaze sinking toward the sound.

The rainproof door connecting the villa to the courtyard was pulled open from inside by the male insect—