APUTFFZG Chapter 26.1

Translator: Deyonna

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"Next."

The female zerg doctor, wearing black-rimmed glasses, rubbed between his eyebrows. He picked up a file from beside him, but before he could read the patient's information, the door was pushed open.

Three zergs walked in. He glanced at them and recognized one as his good friend, who was talking quietly with a strikingly beautiful sub-female.

There was also a tall military female off to one side, though unfortunately he was in a wheelchair.

He wore a black mask over most of his face and thick bandages around his neck, but any discerning zerg could tell it was a female slave's collar.

"Xie Zhao!"

His good friend stepped forward and greeted him enthusiastically, blinking rapidly as he winked at him. "Remember that private deal we talked about?"

Xie? Which Xie?

Xi Ze's heart skipped a beat. He tugged his mask up a little, betraying no emotion.

Xie Zhao, seated behind his desk, lifted his eyes listlessly and met the gaze of the sub-female his good friend was fawning over so fervently. Even though he had braced himself, his heart skipped a beat.

So... so good-looking.

But as a professional doctor, he couldn't possibly be so rude as to stare at other zergs.

The sub-female before him was breathtakingly beautiful, yet his expression was utterly cold, like a little immortal who lived on breeze and dew, untouched by the mundane world. The corners of his eyes, smooth and gently curved, tilted slightly upward, as if nothing before him could please him.

Xie Zhao coughed softly and turned to look at his good friend—

This guy, ever since I made it clear I wasn't interested in male zergs, has been tirelessly introducing me to beautiful female zergs, like some black-market pimp.

Where did he snag this sub-female from?

"What are you thinking about? Get back to work."

Elaine silently mouthed something, then bowed and ushered the "sub-female" forward. "This is His Excellency Ye Er."

Male zerg. Elaine silently mouthed the words and met Xie Zhao's shocked gaze.

Fuck... a male, male zerg?!

This godforsaken place actually has a rare creature like a male zerg?!

Xie Zhao's mind went blank for a moment, and he shot to his feet, flustered. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Elaine launched into an introduction.

"Your Excellency, this is the psychologist I mentioned. He graduated from the Empire's top university and has excellent professional skills and a wealth of experience. He started working here a year ago…"

Ye Er raised his eyes at the words.

The doctor before him had raven-black curls, a fair, delicate face, and thick, heavy black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He looked dazed and a bit silly.

He had gone through Xie Zhao's file beforehand and formed his own initial impression, but the real person was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

Xie Zhao looked so innocent. Ye Er wondered whether he could handle a military female like Xi Ze, who was extremely guarded, tight-lipped, and known for scaring zergs off with his cold face.

"Hello."

Ye Er's eyes curved slightly, the coldness in them vanishing like lingering snow shaken from a branch. In its place came a light, clean smile.

So he's not an aloof little immortal, but a gentle, polite little immortal!

He smiled at me! So cute, and he's... he's going to shake hands!!

Xie Zhao felt a wave of dizziness, and for the first time he felt genuine awe in the presence of a male zerg.

He carefully took the clean, delicate hand as if touching a precious work of art. "Hello, hello…" he said uneasily.

"I'm not the one being treated this time. It's my female zerg."

Ye Er briefly explained Xi Ze's situation, then said with a faint smile,

"Doctor Xie's résumé is truly outstanding. I have complete faith in your abilities, and I'll be counting on you this time. If there's anything you need to check, don't hesitate to ask…"

Xie Zhao could feel his face getting hot. Being called "Doctor Xie" again and again left him dizzy, overwhelmed by the male zerg's polite flattery.

Heavens, do those picky, difficult, doctor-threatening male zergs really exist?!

He had come to this remote planet from a hospital on the Imperial Main Star, partly to do real work and partly to heal the wounds to his heart from serving noble male zergs.

His professional skills were top-notch. He could tell at a glance that the male zerg before him, though he hadn't yet undergone secondary differentiation, was definitely high-level. On the Main Star, he would be one of those who required special care.

Which family had produced such a beautiful little male zerg? He'd never heard of it!

Xie Zhao felt as if he had been given a Mi Hun soup,* and he couldn't stop grinning foolishly. At Ye Er's words, he looked at the military female in the wheelchair.

*迷魂汤 (mí hún tāng) is a potion from Chinese folklore, often featured in stories of trickery and deception. It's said to leave the drinker confused and disoriented, and therefore easy to manipulate. Here it means Xie Zhao is thoroughly bewitched.

Then a pair of icy golden eyes pierced him to the core.

He instantly sobered up.

"Okay, then it'll be three times a week. We'll decide on the specific times later. Is that alright?"

After confirming the long-term plan and treatment schedule, Ye Er stopped talking.

Back when he was applying for research funding, he'd had to do a lot of social maneuvering and polite flattery. He was quite adept at it, though no master. Since coming here, however, such situations had become less frequent.

He didn't mind this kind of thing. After all, it was only a matter of getting what he wanted. The research materials and equipment had been worth the effort, and this military female was no different.

"Alright, alright, alright. Then Your Excellency can leave now, or wait in the VIP lounge for a while. I'll take your female zerg inside for a chat, if that's all right?"

Xie Zhao picked up the documents on the desk, his face still flushed and his enthusiasm radiating like a big, lively dog's. The curls on his forehead swayed with his movements.

Ye Er pondered for a moment but decided not to leave right away. "I'll wait."

Then Xie Zhao saw the male zerg smile at the military female. It wasn't the distant, polite smile he had received, but a faint, genuine one, tinged with helplessness.

The military female, who had been glaring menacingly at Xie Zhao on the sly, meekly lifted his head. Ye Er removed the mask from Xi Ze's face, revealing the features he had deliberately hidden.

The military female was handsome, with cold, deep-set eyes whose narrow corners tilted slightly upward. His golden eyes were piercing, radiating an unbidden, sharp light.

Whenever he fixed his gaze on someone, it was like a predator locking onto prey, sending chills down a zerg's spine. Xie Zhao, who was being "watched," felt a shiver run down his back, as if his throat were being squeezed, leaving him slightly short of breath.

But something seemed a little off…

Xie Zhao furrowed his brow slightly, couldn't help glancing over again, and realized that the military female's gaze was somewhat unfocused, veiled in a thin haze, as if he couldn't see a thing.

He's already blind?!

He clicked his tongue inwardly. Even blind, he was still so formidable. Without all these injuries weighing him down, how dazzling this military female must once have been.

Besides, he had a nagging feeling that this military female looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

But on second thought, if he had seen such a striking military female, he couldn't possibly have forgotten him completely. He must have been mistaken.

"Whether there's a problem or not, since you're here, let's check your mental health as well. Didn't you have nightmares before?"

Knowing that Xi Ze wasn't keen, Ye Er didn't bother to argue. He casually ruffled the female zerg's incredibly soft hair, then said, half command and half coaxing, "Alright, be good. I'll come get you later."

Be good.

The words, spoken in the male zerg's gentle tone, hit so hard that even Xie Zhao, standing far away, felt the fatal blow, to say nothing of Xi Ze, who was being coaxed right to his face.

Xi Ze lowered his gaze, flustered, swallowing the heartbeat that had leapt into his throat, and answered softly, "Okay."

Xie Zhao forced a grin, wondering whether his teeth had already fallen out from the sourness.*

*Envy/jealousy.

But when Ye Er turned back, Xie Zhao instantly assumed a highly professional demeanor. "Are you all set? May I take him in?"

"Then I'll trouble you, Doctor Xie."

The psychological therapy room was just behind the office, a few steps away.

Just as the door was about to close, Ye Er saw the harmless look vanish from Xie Zhao's face, his eyes hardening slightly and taking on an air of reliability and professionalism.

Click—the door closed completely.

Elaine, who had been serving as scenery since the beginning, stepped forward and said eagerly, "Your Excellency, are you going to the lounge or somewhere else? If you don't mind, I can be of service…"

Ye Er withdrew his gaze and thought for a moment. "I'll go to the lounge and wait."

This hospital wasn't actually the one Ye Er was familiar with. It was a field hospital in the gray zone at the edge of the planet, mainly treating wounded female soldiers in wartime.

The doctors and patients here were a mixed lot, but the medical team was highly trained and professional, and the hospital even had a psychologist dedicated to post-traumatic stress disorder. No wonder Hughes had strongly recommended it.

"Hughes and me? We're more like frenemies. That's just how it is between us. I was surprised when he came looking for me…"

Elaine was the acting director of this hospital. According to rumor, the real director was his female father, who was now setting up a hospital on the Main Star. He had left this clueless female child here as a mascot.

Ye Er rolled the examination report in his hand into a tube and glanced at Elaine at this.

"Your Excellency, this way, please. You came in through the back door, so you haven't seen the inside of the hospital yet. We may not be as grand as the Central Hospital, but our medical standards are reliable…"

Ye Er followed him down the corridor, but the stretchers lining the hallway caught him off guard, crowded with countless injured military females, some sitting and some lying down.

His pupils constricted, and he stopped in his tracks.

Right, there was a small war in the surrounding star systems recently. We won, but there must be many injured military females. This is where the hospital comes in.

Military females with severed limbs, soaked in blood like bloody gourds, had barely bandaged their wounds to stop the bleeding. It was a tragic sight. And because the wounds were mutating into zerg pedipalps and shells, they looked grotesque and terrifying.

They packed the corridor tightly, yet they were quiet and disciplined. When they saw zergs approaching, they silently made way, leaving a narrow path.

Ye Er looked away, silent.

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