Chapter 2: Crossing into the Zerg
The Director and several medical staff held Yan Mo steady, constantly advising him against getting up.
Seeing this, Yan Mo had no choice but to abandon the idea and lie back down obediently.
It seemed Males held a very high status in the Zerg race. These people were overly cautious with him, and they only did so because they believed he was a Male.
Yan Mo used the excuse of needing quiet rest to send away the dozen medical staff.
Only the two nursing insects from the beginning remained in the ward to look after him.
“Excuse me, do you have a phone or a computer here?”
Zerg technology was highly advanced. Yan Mo had noticed that when he mentioned his amnesia, the two insects had raised devices on their wrists to contact the doctors.
“Computer?” Yinuo looked at Yan Mo blankly. After a moment of thought, he asked, “Does the Lord want a Light Brain?”
He took off the Light Brain from his wrist and handed it to Yan Mo.
“Thank you. I’ll return it to you in a moment.”
After thanking him, Yan Mo began to study it. Operating the Light Brain wasn’t difficult. Once activated, a holographic screen flickered into existence in the air before him.
The scene was strikingly similar to the cyber-worlds in science fiction novels. Yan Mo didn’t have time to marvel at the futuristic world of his imagination; he immediately began using the Light Brain to look up the information he needed.
A long while later, Yan Mo returned the Light Brain to Yinuo.
He had gained a basic understanding of this world.
He had indeed transmigrated.
This was an advanced civilization with peak technology, ruled by a species known as the Zerg.
The Zerg did not distinguish by male and female in the human sense; instead, they were divided into three genders: Males, Females, and Sub-females.
Females possessed powerful bodies and formidable combat strength. They had insect wings that could manifest during battle to enhance their abilities.
Sub-females were more slender in appearance and weaker in combat than Females, but they were gentle in nature and possessed sharp minds.
Males, on the other hand, were seen as simple-minded with poor physical constitutions. Their sole, vital function was their pheromones, which could soothe the mental domains of Females and Sub-females, purifying them to prevent “insectification”—a state where they would lose their sanity.
Whether they were Males, Females, or Sub-females, they all had the appearance of human men. However, Females and Sub-females were the ones who could bear children.
Females were responsible for defending the home and ensuring the continuation of the species, yet they did not possess a social status that matched their contributions. In this world, Males were supreme. Females craved and worshipped Males, but due to a massive gender imbalance, most Females would never even meet a Male in their entire lives. They could only conceive through frozen genetic material provided by social institutions.
Yan Mo felt the world was utterly surreal.
From their conversations, he knew they had identified him as a Male. Yan Mo had checked; both Females and Sub-females possessed “insect markings” and would display characteristics like antennae or wings.
Males, however, looked exactly like human men. The only difference was that Males possessed pheromones that could stabilize a Female’s mental domain, preventing them from dying due to a mental riot.
Yan Mo suspected that he had transmigrated in his original body, which meant he likely had no pheromones. If he stayed here any longer and they discovered his abnormality, things would turn ugly.
The hospital staff kept saying he wasn’t ready to be discharged, so Yan Mo stayed for a few more days.
During this time, he met staff members sent by the Male Protection Association.
They presented Yan Mo with several profiles, asking him to choose an adoptive family.
Yan Mo was unwilling and afraid to choose. He decided to find an opportunity to escape.
“Yinuo, can I go out for some fresh air?”
After finishing the nutritional meal provided by the hospital, Yan Mo looked at Yinuo, who was tidying up.
Over the past few days, Yan Mo had been cared for by Yinuo and another Female, and he had gradually grown familiar with him.
No Female would refuse a request from a Male, especially one as handsome and gentle as Lord Yan Mo.
Yinuo agreed immediately.
The hospital had no intention—and didn’t dare—to keep a Male Lord under house arrest.
“Where would the Lord like to go? I will make the arrangements.”
Yan Mo shook his head. “No, I won’t go far. Just a walk downstairs. You don’t need to follow me.”
Yinuo was a bit uneasy and suggested, “Are you sure you don’t need company? The Lord could visit the nearby mall. You don’t need to worry about the cost; any bills generated will be deducted from the compensation provided by the Male Protection Association once you’ve chosen a guardian family.”
Yan Mo declined. “No, I just want some air. I’ll be back soon.”
Seeing the Male Lord’s persistence, Yinuo regretfully gave up on following him.
Yan Mo left the ward he had called home for several days and wandered aimlessly through the hospital, secretly observing his surroundings.
Since this was a military hospital, most of the patients were Military Females.
As soon as Yan Mo appeared, he drew the gaze of many Females.
“Heavens, why is there a Male Lord in the military hospital? Where is his guardian? Why aren’t they by his side to look after him?”
“How could a Male come to a military hospital for treatment? His guardian is far too irresponsible! I’m going to file a complaint with the Male Protection Association!”
“Haven’t you heard? A few days ago, a squad from the Fourth Army went to Garbage Planet 1347 for a mission and found a dying Male Lord. This Lord must be the one who was rescued.”
“Damn it! Who could it be? To actually abandon the Lord in a place like a garbage planet? It’s unforgivable! The Zerg almost lost a noble Lord!”
“I heard the Male Protection Association hasn’t been able to find the insect who harmed him or identify his relatives. They arranged an adoptive family for him, but the Lord is unwilling to choose and wants to live independently.”
“The poor Lord… he must be terrified and unable to trust anyone. But he is still so weak, and without a Female Monarch or Attendants to protect him, how can he live alone? I want to apply to adopt him! I would take such good care of him!”
Yan Mo listened to the chatter of the nearby Females, extracting useful information.
Garbage Planet 1347?
Is that where he was found?
If he had the chance, he wanted to go there to see if he could find a way back.
Although he was alone on Earth, he was surrounded by humans. If he could return, Yan Mo still preferred Earth.
The Zerg were a foreign race. Even though they treated him as a Male, Yan Mo couldn’t feel at ease. “Those who are not of my kind must have different hearts.” Who knew what terrible things these insects would do to him if they found out he wasn’t one of them?
Reaching the hospital entrance, Yan Mo tried to step outside. Seeing that no one stopped him, he left with a sigh of relief.
Behind him, two Military Females watched his retreating back.
“Lan Ze, isn’t that the Male Lord you rescued the other day? Why is he out alone without a nurse? Should we go check on him? We can’t have anything happening to a Male Lord.”
Saiensi nudged the Female beside him.
Lan Ze looked up. His icy eyes flickered only slightly before returning to a calm stillness.
“No.”
Saiensi shook his head. “Not all Male Lords are like your father. You should have more hope for them.”
“Hah,” Lan Ze let out a cold, cynical laugh. “Hope for what? Hope to be trampled under their feet, begging for mercy like a lowly dog? Hope for the whip that leaves you bloodied and mangled? Or the shackles?”
“…” Saiensi was silent for a long moment. “I heard this Lord has a gentle temperament. He’s never lost his temper with the nurses, and he even says ‘thank you’ to the staff. Perhaps he is different. Your mental domain pollution is getting worse…”
“Stop it, Saiensi,” Lan Ze interrupted. He didn’t believe in Males at all. “All Males are the same.”
“Planet Efa isn’t a garbage planet. It’s covered in surveillance, and Military Females patrol the streets regularly. No one would dare harm a precious Male here. Go and get your treatment; I have business to attend to.”
With that, Lan Ze waved a hand at Saiensi and walked away.
Translator’s note:
The Light Brain (光脑) is basically a futuristic smartphone/PC hybrid. Also, Secondary Differentiation (二次分化) is a huge deal—it’s like a second puberty that determines a Zerg’s final rank and power.
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