Chapter 16: Planet 1347
“I’m going to go discuss the inspection mission for Planet 1347 with Saiensi.”
Lan Ze stood up abruptly, his gaze darting around as if he didn’t quite know where to look. Having hurriedly thought up an excuse, he fled the room in a panic.
Left behind, Yan Mo couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched the Major General’s retreating back.
“He’s really not good at being teased.”
The ship had been in transit for a while now. Lan Ze had arranged for Yan Mo to stay in a lounge near the outer hull of the vessel. A porthole on the wall provided a clear view of the cosmos outside. The galaxy was a brilliant tapestry of light, appearing even more breathtakingly beautiful from the vantage point of the starship. It felt as though he had been dropped into a realm of pure fantasy.
Yan Mo walked to the window, staring out at the vast, boundless starry sky. He wondered if Earth was just one of those specks of light out there. Or perhaps he was in an entirely different universe, and that blue planet now existed only within his memories.
In a daze, Lan Ze’s aloof face seemed to flicker within the sea of stars. A faint crimson flush gradually bloomed on those cheeks that were usually as smooth as jade, appearing like a layer of rouge applied to the finest white porcelain.
Lan Ze.
Yan Mo whispered the name in his heart. Slowly but surely, the name was leaving an imprint on his soul, growing deeper with every passing moment.
Planet 1347 was originally a planet under the jurisdiction of Planet Efa. Later, due to the exhaustion of its resources and the lack of any renewable materials to develop, it gradually became a “garbage planet.” There were countless small planets like this scattered across the stars conquered by the Zerg, too many to even count; for the sake of simple record-keeping, they were all named with numerical designations.
Among the Females living there, some were original inhabitants of Planet 1347, while others were Females who had violated Zerg laws and been exiled.
According to the data Yan Mo had researched, garbage planets like 1347 typically had no Males. The Females here could conceive through the social sperm bank. Generally, if the offspring born was a Male, he would be taken away by the Male Protection Association and sent to other, more habitable planets. The Male’s Female Father would also receive the opportunity to leave the garbage planet as a result.
If the offspring was a Female, she could only stay and grow up there. Following her secondary differentiation, she might either get into a military academy and leave the garbage planet, or be trapped there for the rest of her life.
The Male Protection Association monitored the birth rates of Males extremely strictly. Within the Zerg race, unless a Male was secretly kidnapped by an underground organization, it was nearly impossible for one to be left behind on a garbage planet. If Yan Mo hadn’t transmigrated and been mistaken for a Male, a garbage planet like this would essentially never have the chance to “discover” a Male.
Outside the porthole, that misty grey planet was now close at hand.
As the ship approached the sky above the spaceport, Yan Mo could see several areas in the distance where thick black smoke was billowing and flames were reaching toward the heavens. Even before landing, he could already glimpse the chaotic state of this planet.
Yan Mo and Lan Ze followed Saiensi and his squad of Military Females as they disembarked. The spaceport here was far more primitive than the one on Planet Efa. Aside from the soldiers who had arrived with them, there were almost no other Zerg in sight—only a few scattered workers.
These workers hadn’t seen a Male in a long time. When they saw Yan Mo, they all cast their eyes toward him. The pupils of the Females on this garbage planet were filled with a dark, deathly silence. The prolonged lack of soothing from Male pheromones had left their mental powers in a state of chaotic disorder.
Aside from images of Males on the Star Net, they hadn’t seen a live Male in reality for far too long. The gazes they directed at Yan Mo were dark and predatory, making him feel deeply uncomfortable.
Lan Ze noticed Yan Mo’s unease. His brow furrowed slightly as he stepped in front of Yan Mo, shielding him from those overly aggressive stares. His S-rank mental power radiated outward like thousands of cold swords, forcing the surrounding Females to avert their eyes with twisted expressions.
“Lord? Are you alright?”
Yan Mo shook his head. He wasn’t exactly in pain, but he certainly didn’t enjoy being surrounded by such stares.
Lan Ze had seen many chaotic garbage planets like this before and had never thought much of it. But now, just the thought that Yan Mo had once lived in such an environment for a period of time caused him a wave of uncontrollable distress.
As Lan Ze looked at Yan Mo’s slender, somewhat thin frame, a visible wave of heartache flickered in his eyes.
If only I had met Lord Yan Mo sooner, Lan Ze thought.
He would have certainly raised Yan Mo to be healthy and robust. Males were delicate and refined, making it difficult to find food that suited their palates. The Males on the Capital Star all enjoyed a type of precious natural fruit; it was said that eating it could regulate a Male’s pheromones and benefit his health.
Lan Ze remembered that he had a plantation planet under his name that produced this fruit. Every year, that fruit alone generated immense value. He would have to have the manager of the plantation planet send over some premium stock soon. Lord Yan Mo was still too thin; he needed to eat more nutritious food.
When Yan Mo looked up, he was met with Lan Ze’s “kindly” and heart-aching gaze.
“…”
Feeling a bit confused, Yan Mo whispered, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lan Ze spoke bluntly, “I was thinking that you must have suffered a great deal in the past.”
At first, Yan Mo didn’t understand how Lan Ze’s thoughts had jumped there. Then, he looked at the surroundings and realized what the Major General meant. He rubbed his nose guiltily.
“…It wasn’t that bad, really! Cough, I’ve forgotten most of it anyway…”
“My apologies, Lord. I shouldn’t have brought up your painful memories.”
Yan Mo quickly waved his hands. “No, no!”
Seeing Lan Ze’s gaze become even more affectionate and pitying, Yan Mo could only bite the bullet and say, “…I’ve forgotten. Perhaps it wasn’t quite so terrible…”
Lan Ze thought to himself, How could it not be terrible? When he first discovered Lord Yan Mo, the Male had multiple fractures and was on the verge of death. Lan Ze couldn’t even fathom that a Male of the Zerg race would ever suffer such severe injuries.
If Yan Mo knew what Lan Ze was thinking, he would surely be racking his brains for a way to explain away his car accident injuries. Fortunately, Lan Ze was afraid of touching a raw nerve and didn’t pursue the subject.
Yan Mo breathed a sigh of relief. Lying really did make one feel guilty, especially when the person on the receiving end was Lan Ze. However, it was best not to reveal the fact that he had transmigrated; it should stay buried in his heart forever. That was for both his own good and Lan Ze’s.
After all, the Zerg already had illegal underground research labs that secretly studied Male pheromones. As the saying goes, “Those who are not of my kind must have a different heart.” Lan Ze had mentioned smelling Male pheromones on him, and Yan Mo wasn’t sure if his transmigration had changed his constitution. But he could easily imagine that if this ever got out, many eyes lurking in the shadows would want to snatch him away for research.
Outside the spaceport, nothing but desolation met the eye. Abandoned buildings and ruins were everywhere. Not far away, many elderly Females were scavenging on a massive mountain of trash.
The soldiers had been on high alert since leaving the ship. The Fourth Legion truly was the most prestigious legion in the Alliance; walking among the Military Females, Yan Mo felt an immense sense of security. The sharp, imposing aura of the soldiers kept the original inhabitants of Planet 1347 from daring to approach.
This planet hadn’t seen Military Females in a long time. With so many soldiers emerging from the spaceport today, factions everywhere were watching and waiting.
“That’s the Fourth Legion’s inspection team, isn’t it?”
“Based on their uniform insignias, yes. But didn’t they just inspect the place a while ago?”
“Supposedly, an injured Male was found here last time. Something like that hasn’t happened in the Zerg race for years. The Male Protection Association probably wants to plow through every inch of Planet 1347.”
“What? A Male could actually be in this dump? I haven’t seen a Male in how many years now?”
“Planet 1347 has no military garrison or governance. Resources are exhausted and territories are a mess. Maybe there really is some black research lab here.”
“Right. Didn’t a group of Females arrive a few days ago? They said they were researchers coming to study the Interstellar Rift.”
A few Females near the trash mountain were chatting casually. They didn’t bother to lower their voices, and Yan Mo heard them clearly.
Upon hearing “Interstellar Rift,” Yan Mo’s footsteps faltered. Just as he was about to stop and ask for clarification, he suddenly felt a cold, sinister gaze lock onto him.
Yan Mo looked over. Beside the trash mountain, a Female with a face full of scars was sitting on the ground. His slimy gaze was wrapped around Yan Mo like a poisonous snake.
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