Chapter 7: It’s Just Literacy Training
He glanced at Fei, who was standing beside him. “Sit.”
Jiang Xu noticed that this bug followed every order to the letter. A thought suddenly occurred to him. “You are a Major General?”
“Mm.” Fei sat down, picked up the nutrient solution, twisted it open, and consumed it.
“…” Jiang Xu pushed the venison toward the other side of the table. Although he had reservations about eating it himself, he wasn’t stingy if Zerg liked it.
Fei stared blankly at the hand pushing the venison toward him—a hand as white as the porcelain bowl, with clearly defined, fair, and slender fingers.
Seeing Fei in a daze, Jiang Xu thought he didn’t understand, so he spoke up: “Eat it.” It was surely more appetizing than a nutrient solution.
After lunch, Jiang Xu returned to the second-floor study. He closed the door behind him, sat at the desk, and began matching the articles he had transcribed from memory with the newspaper. By the end of the morning, he had already memorized about seventy to eighty percent of the Zerg script.
He had discovered that morning that the writing here was more like a Traditional version of Hanzi. Or perhaps an even more complex version, with each character having a few more twists and turns, but he could match them to Hanzi with a bit of simplification. Although the shapes were different, he could understand them.
He took a dictionary from the bookshelf and flipped through it for a while. Except for a very few characters he couldn’t decipher, the others weren’t much different. At that moment, Jiang Xu’s only sentiment was: he was finally no longer “open-eyed blind.”
He set the dictionary aside and picked up the questionnaire Michelle had given him that morning. This questionnaire was more like a comprehensive score for Fei, including some extremely private sections.
Is it tight? Is it good to use? Does he cooperate?
What kind of predatory words are these!!!
This Zerg society was truly strange. You could call it open, yet they knelt everywhere. You could call it advanced, yet they still used many of these retro paper products. Jiang Xu frowned and rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. Could these investigations really be shared with outsiders?
He looked through them one by one until the last question on the second page: A comprehensive review of your current partner. This investigation was truly too comprehensive, covering everything from top to bottom, and even asking about “dental comfort.” He certainly didn’t want to see this kind of survey again.
He quickly wrote “satisfied” under every single question. It was very perfunctory, but the merit was that it was efficient. He had no intention of actually “testing” things out right now. He just didn’t want to see these questions again.
After finishing and adding his signature, he finally returned everything on the desk to its original state. He pushed back his chair and walked toward the bookshelf behind him. He desperately needed to supplement his knowledge of the Zerg.
For the next several days, Jiang Xu spent all of his time in the study except when absolutely necessary. Without his orders, Fei didn’t dare to disturb him privately. Thus, this process went very smoothly.
Through books and the internet, he had gained a fairly good understanding of the Zerg’s structural system. He finally knew the difference between a Cijun and a Cishi, and not only that, he also learned about the lowest class—the Cinu (雌奴).
These Xiongchong were raised into such useless wastes. The stability of the country and the development of society relied entirely on Cichong and Yaci. How did they have the face to live like this? And these Cichong were quite amusing too—they held the entire social system in their hands, so why hadn’t they overthrown this order?
Thinking of this, he felt a surge of revulsion. These Xiongchong were just living in a good era. If they were in any society with slightly more open thoughts and independent self-awareness, they would have been dead long ago.
After his internal rant, Jiang Xu suddenly froze. Uh~ he was currently one of these scum-like parasites too. Without realizing it, he had insulted himself as well.
When he came back to his senses, he heard voices from downstairs—the voice sounded familiar. He turned to look at the investigation sheet on the desk; it should be Michelle calling. He picked up the questionnaire and went downstairs.
Michelle hadn’t entered the house. Today, he was purely there to collect the questionnaire, so he waited politely at the door. He had thought he would be waiting for a good while. Then he saw Jiang Xu unhurriedly descending from the second floor, the report in hand.
Jiang Xu glanced at Fei, who had already reached the bottom of the stairs. He walked down, handed the questionnaire to him, gave a slight nod to Michelle at the door, and then went directly to sit on the sofa in the living room. He picked up today’s latest newspaper that Fei had left on the coffee table and began to read.
The Zerg military was much more advanced than in his world. If he could go back and bring this to his own country, it would be quite good. Aerospace warships, space-time jumping… It was even more advanced than a sci-fi movie.
For the past few days, Fei had hardly seen Jiang Xu except during mealtimes. At night, the two of them slept in their respective rooms. The entire house was incredibly quiet. It seemed not much different from when he lived as an “only child,” except for a few more constraints.
Just as he was thinking that living like this was okay, Michelle arrived. Following that, the Xiongchong also came down from upstairs, seemingly intending to return there afterward. Perfect; he happened to have something he needed from him.
Fei walked up to Jiang Xu and said in a cool voice, “Xiongzhu, I have a document here that needs your signature.”
Jiang Xu set down the newspaper, looked at the only bug who had taken the initiative to talk to him in all these days, and reached out his hand.
Fei frowned, half-puzzled and half-confused, and placed his hand on top.
“…” Uh. Jiang Xu let out an almost imperceptible smile, his voice softening considerably: “The document.”
“Oh.” Realizing his mistake, Fei quickly withdrew his hand, his face flushing hot. He turned and took a document from the cabinet by the door and placed it back into Jiang Xu’s hand.
Jiang Xu took the document and began to read. This was a document requiring a Xiongchong’s permission for his Cishi to continue working at the military district. He looked up at the bug standing stiffly and felt a bit sorry for these Cichong. Their entire lives were bound to an irresponsible Xiongchong. He unconsciously let out a sigh.
Fei instantly grew nervous. He looked at Jiang Xu with some urgency: “Xiongzhu, I will not neglect your care because of my work at the military district. I…” That was the only thing he still owned; was that to be stripped away as well?
“A pen.” Jiang Xu extended a hand again. This time he had learned his lesson and reminded him directly.
Fei had wanted to say more, but was directly interrupted by Jiang Xu. His thoughts felt like a snapped string, unable to keep up with the other’s intention. Soon, that string was reconnected. He reacted with a flash of surprise and joy in his eyes. Fearing the other might regret it in the next moment, he quickly handed over the pen: “The pen.”
So happy? Jiang Xu looked at his face full of surprise—it seemed this was the first time he had seen such an expression on this bug’s face. He turned the document to the last page and signed his name. Fortunately, he had practiced a few times before, so he didn’t make any mistakes.
He handed the signed document and the pen back to the other and continued reading his newspaper. Fei felt a sense of unreality. He looked at the bold, sharp characters of “Jiang Xu” on the document and was stunned for a long while. He wondered if it was his illusion, but the Xiongchong before him seemed very easy to talk to.
Translator’s Note: “Open-eyed blind” (睜眼瞎) is such a great idiom for being illiterate. Jiang Xu’s speed at learning the script is impressive—definitely that CEO-level discipline!
And that scene where Fei places his hand in Jiang Xu’s hand? So cute! In Zerg society, when a male reaches out like that, it’s often a signal for physical intimacy or attention. No wonder poor Fei was embarrassed.
Terms used:
- Cinu (雌奴): “Female Slave.” This is the absolute lowest rank for a Zerg male’s partner. They have zero rights and are often treated as property.
- Yaci (亞雌): “Sub-female” or “Sub-Zerg.” They are physically weaker than Cichong but more “feminine” and suited for domestic or clerical roles.
- Military District (軍區): Where the Junci work. For a Major General like Fei, it’s his whole life.
See you in the next chapter!
Recommended Reads
![Enemies on a Narrow Road [Esports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/enemies-on-a-narrow-road-214x300.jpg)
