Chapter 53 Part 1

Three months later.

“Dear Sadro, your training volume for today has reached the standard. The schedule has been automatically ended for you.”

The coldest mechanical creation possessed the most gentle and pleasant voice.

Lily retracted her extended mechanical limbs. The entire mechanical frame quickly assembled and folded within the combat arena, finally transforming into a square terminal shape. It jumped onto the male insect’s cold, jade-white wrist, and the limbs beneath the dial implanted into the male insect’s subcutaneous bones, becoming a terminal.

Shen Yu’s chest rose and fell slightly as he steadied his heartbeat after the intense exercise. The male insect’s body was not as frail as everyone imagined; it could withstand many fierce blows. He had used Lily for verification, constantly raising his endurance threshold.

A thin layer of sweat emerged on his body. Although his combat suit had sweat-absorbing and evaporating functions, he still preferred to take a bath after training. He took off his combat suit while ascending the stairs, letting his clothes scatter along the cold steps.

Waterfall-like silver hair draped down the male insect’s naked back. A thin layer of back muscles gave it a cold tone, making it exceptionally beautiful.

The triangular scapulae on both sides, like butterfly wings, faintly appeared amid the friction of his hair strands. His hair had grown longer recently; it used to reach his waist, but now it extended almost to above his hips.

Shen Yu kicked off his long pants, revealing straight and slender legs. Because he had climbed the stairs quickly just now, a layer of fine sweat beaded on his distinctly lined, delicate skin, steaming with a faint blush.

He lifted his long leg and stepped into the bathtub, sitting down. The warm water in the tub enveloped his body like a pair of gentle hands approaching from all sides.

Fruits sat beside the bathtub when Andre’s terminal video call came in.

Shen Yu switched to audio and answered the call. He held a piece of white fruit flesh in his hand, lazily drooping his curled eyelashes as he asked, “What’s up?”

Steam filled the bathroom. Shen Yu’s collarbone and half his chest floated on the water’s surface. The ripples swayed, with his hair either soaked by the tub water or dampened by the steam—only the top remained dry.

Several strands of tangled silver hair slid from his shoulder and neck to his chest, following the contours of his skin and vanishing beneath the rippling water.

Andre was not one to beat around the bush. He cut straight to the point. “Sadro, has Fred been pursuing you lately?”

Shen Yu narrowed his eyes in recollection. It hardly counted as pursuit. After handling those over a hundred dating invitations, his troubles had not been resolved.

Because Demian had called out his name directly at the Court Gathering, most of the female insects present had nominally gained the right to pursue him.

And these female insects who could attend the Court Gathering were not like those Shen Yu could summon and dismiss at will. So he had pulled Fred in as a shield. They had some brief interactions earlier, but since the plot node had not arrived, he cast the female insect aside after resolving the issues.

Andre held some documents in his hand—the Military Department’s recent financial expenditure records. The golden-haired male insect rubbed the edge of the paper with his fingers and parted his lips. “Sadro, I need your help.”

“Go ahead.” Hearing Andre’s words, Shen Yu straightened his waist slightly.

Ripples spread across the water, revealing a fresh red mark on the edge of the emerging muscles, clearly from the earlier clash with Lily. But it faded quickly into a light pink.

“Fred has been coming to me lately to inquire about you. No wonder. I heard the Empire has already formulated its invasion strategy. War against the Scorpion Tail Star System will start soon, led by Busser and Fred. Fred’s spirit sea has issues; he definitely wants to find a suitable male insect to stabilize it before the war.”

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow. “What about Demian?”

Andre: “He’s busy with his romance. No time to help him.”

For some reason, after those words, both fell silent. Andre touched his nose, realizing his statement carried too much personal bias and was somewhat unfair.

This future male insect tyrant who would terrify the entire Zerg race—the Zerg Emperor—had only recently come of age. He felt a bit awkward and couldn’t help letting out a light cough.

A curve hooked at the corner of Shen Yu’s lips. After finishing his bath, he rose naked from the tub, sending soft ripples swaying with his movement.

He recalled Andre’s recent behavior—minerals here, mecha resources there. It was obvious he was short on funds.

Shen Yu took a towel from the side and slowly wiped his body, which trailed with water marks. He asked, “You want to handle the army’s logistics?”

The male insect’s beautiful mermaid lines extended from the triangular area to both sides of his thin abs. His skin was delicate and smooth, full of elasticity. The water marks on his waist and abdomen were gradually wiped clean by the towel.

Zerg society technology was not backward, but compared to quick washes and dries, Shen Yu preferred this more primitive cleaning method.

“This time, I want full responsibility for the army’s logistics supplies.” Andre leaned back in his chair. Hearing the rustling sounds from the other end, interspersed with water noises, he pinched his earlobe and couldn’t help asking, “What are you doing?”

Shen Yu set down the towel, stretched his arms to take the nearby bathrobe, and put it on.

“Just finished my bath.” Shen Yu replied, then walked barefoot back to the bedroom and returned to the topic. “So you want me to help you get that authority?”

“Right.”

Shen Yu sat cross-legged on the bed. Undried silver hair tips at his forehead dripped water into the deep hollow of his cold white collarbone. His voice was faint. “What if I’m not willing?”

Andre hadn’t expected such a response. His brilliant golden eyes widened. He pursed his lips and countered, “What about you, Victor? Would you be unwilling?”

Shen Yu narrowed his eyes. “Andre, you know the answer full well. No need to confirm my stance multiple times. Have you picked up all those paranoid habits from Parliament?”

His voice was low and clear, yet it seemed to carry a haze of alcohol that could intoxicate, like stepping onto a light, floating cloud.

But his words were not gentle—like a thorn stabbing into Andre’s heart. Only then did he realize it hurt because he had also stabbed a thorn into Vidonien’s heart. So Shen Yu pulled it out and mercilessly stabbed it back into his.

As expected, it was still the same old Victor. A smile appeared on Andre’s face as he spoke. “In three days, I’ll hold a poetry recital in Pochidu and announce that you’ll participate.”

He paused and asked, “By the way, how long has it been since you last appeared in public?”

“Two months?” Shen Yu picked up a knife and spun a beautiful flower in his palm. After two months of seclusion, his knife-spinning technique had reached the next level.

Andre’s mouth twitched. “No wonder Fred is so anxious.”

Shen Yu: “But doing it this way is pretty blatant.”

To Andre’s ears, those words were no less than praise. Wild ambition and desire flickered in his brilliant golden eyes. “If you take the bait. This is a big fish, and things are chaotic outside right now. This time, maybe—”

Shen Yu finished his sentence. “Maybe?”

Andre brought the terminal closer. A smile appeared on his lips. “Maybe we can hook an even bigger fish.”

A bigger fish?

Maybe even a shark.

Their terminal call was encrypted with billions of passwords, so there was no worry of leaks. The call ended quickly.

The window was open, and night wind blew in. The cold breeze snapped Shen Yu back to attention. He reached out to brush his damp hair, then remembered something and turned his head to ask Lily, “Lily, don’t I have any other schedules today?”

Lily’s gentle and charming voice rang out once more.

“Dear Sadro, you do have one pending schedule—

Date: Fasser Calendar Year 1110, Month 13, Day 21

Time: 19:00-20:00

Location: Twinkle House, Azure Sparrow Hill

The weather in Azure Sparrow Hill has been clear lately. Scans show no cooling tonight, so travel is suitable.

Wishing you a pleasant trip.”

Every community held owners’ meetings to discuss and resolve issues within the community and maintain its development. Azure Sparrow Hill was no exception.

However, the residents there were relatively scattered, so the meetings were held once every three months. With new residents moving in recently, an extra meeting had been called.

Shen Yu rose, undid the loose tie of his bathrobe with his fingers, casually grabbed a hoodie and put it on, then bent down to pull on a pair of long pants before heading downstairs and out the door.

In the courtyard, Big Black had been pouncing on butterflies for fun. When he saw the male insect appear, he immediately wagged his tail and trotted over on all fours, but he didn’t rub against him—his owner disliked being rubbed. So he just circled around Shen Yu.

He had been raised sleek and glossy, with solid flesh and muscle. Because he looked too fierce, Shen Yu had fastened a collar around his neck and tied it to a tree in the courtyard.

But Big Black had actually toned down his ferocity by now. With food and drink assured, survival was no longer a concern. Having risen from stray dog to house pet, Big Black had entered a new class.

Shen Yu left the courtyard and boarded the Azure Sparrow Hill exclusive tram, arriving quickly at Twinkle House.

When he pushed the door open, everyone was already there, earlier than usual.

The owners’ meeting atmosphere was very quiet.

One female insect had an unfamiliar face. Azure Sparrow Hill’s core concept was to establish a male insect community, with most residents being male insects, though some female insects moved in to pursue them. Aside from paying hefty gender taxes, they needed special residency rights.

So very few female insects truly lived there—it was like an entry ticket to male insect activities. Any female insect who could enter a male insect gathering place held a higher class in the Empire’s hierarchy of class and gender.

The Empire’s male insects were nurtured with flowers and spices, but they were not as brainless as outsiders imagined. As nobles and beneficiaries of male insect privileges, they naturally understood the many conveniences brought by this gender symbolism.

It was a powerful tool for class transcendence.

The female insect furrowed his brows, sitting in his seat with an impatient expression.

Shen Yu’s gaze swept over the unfamiliar young female insect’s face—gray hair, blue eyes, smiling lips, healthy wheat-colored skin, a single black earring on his right ear, lazy posture, flamboyant aura.

He never imagined facing so many male insects at once. Phibet dared say that the male insects he had seen in the first half of his life didn’t add up to this many.

The Boss’s mission was too daunting! He hadn’t even been told he was dropping into a male insect nest!

Phibet kept a straight face, trying not to give himself away, but his mind buzzed with a hundred questions.