Chapter 25: Missing
The moment the words left his mouth, a knock sounded at the door.
“It should be Saiensi.”
Lan Ze stood up and walked toward the entrance. “My Lord, the pheromones on your body haven’t fully dissipated yet. Stay in the room for a while. I will go out and discuss our return trip with Saiensi.”
Unable to hide his concern, Yan Mo asked, “What exactly happened?”
Lan Ze paused briefly. “It’s Lord Pete. He has gone missing.”
Pete?
Yan Mo wracked his memory—it was the arrogant Male who had picked a fight with them at the Efa Star Spaceport.
But what did Pete going missing have to do with them?
“Is the Fourth Army being asked to assist in the investigation?”
Lan Ze shook his head, looking somewhat troubled. “We were the last ones to see Pete, and we had a conflict with him. I’m afraid this brings some complications. The Male Protection Association has ordered me back to Efa Star to undergo an investigation.”
Lan Ze opened the door and stepped out, finding Saiensi already waiting in the hallway.
Pulling the door shut behind him, Lan Ze walked toward Saiensi, who was standing with his back turned. “Let’s talk in your quarters.”
Saiensi glanced at him and deliberately pinched his nose.
“Such dense pheromones. Keep your distance from me for now. I’m in the middle of a mental instability period, and without a Xiongzhu to soothe me, you’d better not provoke my senses!”
Lan Ze cast a cold glance at him. “I heard that several eligible Male Lords on the Capital Star have entered the Star Net’s matchmaking program this year. How about I submit an application for you?”
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t you dare!”
Saiensi waved his hands frantically. He had zero interest in catering to those arrogant, pampered noble Males.
“Admiral Lan Hechen has issued orders for me to escort you back to face the Male Protection Association’s investigation. What are you planning to do?”
Pouring a glass of water and sliding it in front of Lan Ze, Saiensi sat down. The teasing demeanor from just moments ago completely vanished, replaced by a grave solemnity.
Lan Ze replied nonchalantly, “What else can I do? I’ll just have to return to Efa Star and cooperate with their investigation.”
Saiensi frowned. “What exactly happened between you and that Pete? How did his disappearance end up pointing to you?”
Saiensi had only received the direct orders from the military; he had no idea about the context or the events leading up to it.
Lan Ze hadn’t previously mentioned the conflict at the spaceport, so he took the opportunity to explain the entire situation from start to finish.
Saiensi’s face darkened as he listened.
“Are you insane? You actually threatened a Male? And tried to intimidate him?”
Lan Ze merely stared at him coldly.
Saiensi continued his frantic outburst, “Now look what’s happened! He goes missing, and the Male Protection Association makes you prime suspect number one. Never mind them—if I hadn’t been with you on Garbage Planet 1347 the whole time, even I would suspect you!”
Lan Ze casually picked up his teacup.
“How can you be so calm? Even if we can prove that you were on Planet 1347 the entire time, the mere fact that you verbally threatened a Male is more than enough for the Male Protection Association to lock you in the discipline room for a few days!”
Saiensi was practically tearing his hair out.
Lan Ze snorted dismissively. “It’s just a few days. It won’t kill me.”
Saiensi: “… Right, right, you’re an S-rank Female. A few days of being whipped is nothing to be afraid of. But what about Lord Yan Mo? What is he going to think of you?”
At the mention of Yan Mo, Lan Ze couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling up into a faint smile.
What is he doing right now?
Is he worrying about me, or just waiting for me to come back?
Watching Lan Ze’s expression, Saiensi suddenly got a very bad feeling. He sprang up from his chair, slamming both hands onto the table.
Bang—
Startled back to reality by the loud noise, Lan Ze looked up at a completely shell-shocked Saiensi.
“Don’t tell me you already told Lord Yan Mo about this?”
Lan Ze nodded.
Saiensi panicked. “How could you tell Lord Yan Mo? I know that spending these past few days together has proven that Lord Yan Mo is different from other Males, but what if he cares about this? For a Female, being sent to the Male Protection Association is a massive stain on your reputation.”
Much like how people on Earth might view someone with a criminal record through tinted glasses, in the Zerg empire, Females who were detained by the Male Protection Association were deeply despised by Males.
It typically meant the Female was rebellious, disobedient, or had insulted and harmed a Male.
“It’s fine. It couldn’t be hidden forever anyway. He would find out eventually.”
Lan Ze’s tone shifted, becoming more serious. “Just make sure you don’t let slip in front of Lord Yan Mo that I might be thrown into the discipline room. If he finds out, he will worry.”
Seeing Lan Ze’s expression, Saiensi realized that Lord Yan Mo hadn’t shown any disgust toward Lan Ze over the incident, allowing him to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“But still, another Male goes missing right on the heels of discovering an unregistered one… Things are going to be incredibly chaotic for a while.”
Lan Ze had no desire to dwell on the subject. “As long as we ensure that no Female from the Fourth Army gets dragged into this mess, that’s all that matters.”
Whether other military legions were involved was a headache for the politicians in the parliament to sort out.
“Have we completed the inspection mission?”
Saiensi nodded. “We found nothing unusual.”
Lan Ze inclined his head. “Then we return to Efa Star tomorrow.”
During the journey back, Yan Mo opened his Light Brain to browse the Star Net for news regarding Pete’s disappearance.
The incident had sparked a massive uproar online. Countless Males, along with Females who fervently supported them, expressed their intense outrage.
[What exactly is the Male Protection Association doing? Males are already so incredibly precious; how can a Male disappearance still occur?]
[That poor Lord must have been captured by those damned, lowly Females and dragged into some underground research lab!]
[Didn’t they claim that after the Great Purge, underground research labs no longer existed?]
[We must hunt down those lowly Females and punish them severely! Tear off their insect wings, chop off their claws…]
[And what about the Female Attendants who were by Lord Pete’s side? Why are they still alive when the Lord is missing? They failed to protect the Lord; they should be thrown straight into the discipline room!]
…
Yan Mo scrolled for a while. Aside from the comments cursing the existence of underground research labs, the rest were evenly split between condemning the Male Protection Association for incompetence and demanding the severe punishment of Pete’s Female Attendants.
Refreshing the page, he noticed that the Male Protection Association had just released a public statement vowing to uncover the truth and rescue Lord Pete.
The replies underneath were flooded with users stating they had lost all faith in the Association, citing the fact that the previous incident regarding the unregistered Male remained entirely unresolved.
Reading that last part, Yan Mo guiltily rubbed his nose.
Since he had actually transmigrated here from Earth, that particular mystery was likely destined to remain one of the greatest unsolved cases in Zerg history.
“What are you looking at?”
Lan Ze walked in carrying a small plate of freshly sliced fruit, placing it gently in front of Yan Mo.
Yan Mo shared his Star Net screen with him. He picked up the small fork Lan Ze had thoughtfully provided, speared a piece of fruit, and took a bite.
It was a type of fruit he had never seen before. The skin was a vibrant, golden yellow, but the flesh inside was a bright crimson. It smelled refreshingly sweet, tasted even sweeter, and left an indescribably comforting sensation flowing through his body.
Yan Mo absolutely loved the flavor. He speared another piece and held it up to Lan Ze’s lips.
“What kind of fruit is this?”
Lan Ze smiled, taking a bite of the fruit. After swallowing, he explained, “It’s called a Madi fruit, originally native to Planet Madi, a highly renowned agricultural planet. This fruit yields massive harvests and can be cultivated on various planets. Eating it helps Males regulate their pheromones, making it incredibly popular.”
Yan Mo nodded in understanding. “No wonder I feel so comfortable all over after eating it.”
Lan Ze smiled. “We left in such a hurry this time that I couldn’t properly prepare. I have a plantation planet under my name that is entirely cultivated with rare Biling fruit. Those fruits can actually help increase a Male’s pheromone rank. In the past, we always sold the harvests, but from now on, I’m keeping them all for you to eat!”
A fruit capable of increasing a Male’s pheromone rank? Yan Mo didn’t even need to ask to know how absurdly precious such a commodity would be in the Zerg empire. If Lan Ze kept all of it for him, the financial loss would be astronomical!
Yan Mo hurriedly waved his hands in refusal. “No, no, you don’t need to do that! Just save a little bit for me to try as a treat. I could never finish an entire planet’s worth of fruit anyway.”
“Alright!”
Lan Ze’s eyes crinkled with a warm smile.
Yan Mo couldn’t help but reach out and stroke his cheek, his voice laced with concern, “The Male Protection Association isn’t going to make things difficult for you, are they?”
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