APUTFFZG Chapter 42.1

The howling wind swirled the spreading smoke, weaving it through the air before him, yet it couldn't disperse the nearly solidified quiet.

Two breaths rose and fell. One was heavy and hurried, the other almost silent, yet the confusion and sadness within it were overflowing.

"Haa…"

With his blurry vision finally focusing, the scenery before him gradually grew clear, and the flowing blood seemed to have solidified on his cheek.

Ye Er endured a wave of dizziness and, after a while, weakly raised his eyes to look at the female zerg.

Xi Ze stood in a slightly lower part of the ruins, still in a reaching posture as he gazed up at him, the pupils of his golden eyes dilated.

Soon after, as if he had realized something, he quickly took a step back, almost stumbling as he moved toward a partially collapsed wall beside him. His bone wings were folded hastily and anxiously, but they couldn't be retracted into their seams for the moment.

Thick fresh blood dripped from the torn wound with his large movements, yet the female zerg remained completely unaware.

"Ha... Ugh…"

After finally hiding behind the ruins, he forcefully covered his face with one hand, the sharp claws nearly puncturing his skin.

In just a few breaths, the female zerg had left his line of sight. Ye Er shut his eyes tightly and finally felt a bit more awake.

Some of his confusion dispersed his panic. For a moment, he was at a loss and no longer cared whether the bone wings were bone wings or not as he followed the female zerg closely around to the other side of the ruins.

Xi Ze was half-kneeling on the ground, rubbing somewhat anxiously at the scaled armor on his face, as if trying to force it to retract.

Ye Er could even see several bloodied, pointed scales broken off completely at the roots and falling away.

"Cough... Xi Ze?"

Ye Er briefly paused and spoke in a low voice through his hoarse throat.

The female zerg's back stiffened, as if he had just woken from a despondent, rigid daze. He seemed to want to turn around and say something, but in the end he stayed frozen and silent.

Ye Er sighed lightly, his eyes barely able to hide his helplessness and exhaustion.

...In the end, he still noticed it.

His own fear and even disgust toward him in this form.

He wanted to say something, but he also knew how real that instinctive display of aversion had been.

It rendered all explanations pale and powerless... Those pretty words were just well-known lies, whether for him or for Xi Ze.

But all of a sudden, Ye Er took a few steps forward, getting close to Xi Ze and avoiding the bone wings as he embraced the female zerg's waist—

The gruesome bone spikes gave off a nauseating smell of blood, and they felt like a sharp knife pressed against his neck, bringing intense discomfort and fear.

Yet he closed his eyes, rested his forehead against the female zerg's back, and murmured, "Xi Ze?"

A warm, soft cloud seemed to settle on his back, easily brushing away the countless aftereffects of the frenzy of transforming into his zerg form. The boiling blood in his veins no longer swelled and clamored but gradually calmed down.

Xi Ze opened his eyes from between his bleeding fingers, feeling the arms around his waist trembling slightly yet stubbornly intertwining their fingers, holding on without letting go.

Recalling the unanswered question from earlier, he cautiously reached out, lightly touched the back of the male zerg's hand, and gently enclosed it with his own. "...Male Lord?" he said hoarsely.

"Mn."

A muffled voice came from behind, like a pardon for a condemned prisoner, and the female zerg's stiff shoulders instantly relaxed.

For a moment, silence fell. Xi Ze turned his hand to support the male zerg's back, carefully pulling Ye Er's body into his arms and holding him close once again in a protective posture.

"Male Lord, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

Two hoarse voices rang out almost simultaneously, leaving both of them stunned.

Ye Er pressed down on the female zerg's forearm, then moved back a little. Following the line of his arm, he took the hand the female zerg had been about to retract.

The trembling fingers brushed against the malevolent, sharp, inhuman claws, as if trying to make peace with something.

After a while, he lowered his gaze and said softly,

"I said something awful earlier. I'm sorry."

Ye Er raised his eyes to look at the tyrannical, menacing, strangely shaped alien creature before him, searching those golden eyes for something incredibly familiar—

As if he had seen through the shell and caught a glimpse of the unique, unmatched soul he had always cherished, shimmering with a beautiful golden light.

He suddenly smiled and said slowly, "Thank you for always protecting me with everything you have."

Bang.

Xi Ze's pupils constricted instantly.

The spiraling panic and agitation in his chest suddenly dissipated, leaving only intense bitterness and weakness.

He clenched his jaw tightly, his throat rolling violently, and refrained from any movement of the claw Ye Er held.

Yet he couldn't help lowering his head, almost greedily absorbing the scent of the male zerg's hair, barely able to suppress the longing threatening to burst from his heart.

His bone wings carefully folded in, making sure the bone spurs didn't touch the male zerg.

But it still wasn't enough.

Not careful enough, not strong enough. He had to quickly reclaim the power and status he once had. Although it was of little use, at least...

He could firmly protect the rose in his arms from the ravages of wind, frost, rain, and snow* and shield it from impetuous intruders who might disturb or harm it.

*hardships

"...You never have to say sorry to me."

Xi Ze's voice was still hoarse, and he spoke each word with the utmost solemnity and sincerity.

Ye Er was the zerg who had given him a second life, so there was never any need for apologies or thanks.

He shouldn't be bothered by those dirty matters, just like stars should remain untainted, lovely, and unrestrained, waiting for those who are captivated by their brilliance to surround them closely and protect them.

If Ye Er hated him, he would keep his distance and protect him from the shadows without disturbing him. But if the male zerg was still willing to step closer to him...

"I'm sorry. I scared you just now."

Xi Ze chuckled softly and reached out to hold the male zerg in his embrace, exposing the only soft, fragile part of his body that hadn't transformed into zerg features.

The scales and spikes he had been unable to retract moments ago seemed to sense this protective, peaceful mood and slowly returned to their original state.

"You don't need to be afraid. I will never harm you."

...But that isn't the issue at all right now.

Ye Er closed his eyes, sighed silently and helplessly, and reached out to wrap his arms around the female zerg.

"Okay."

A somewhat anxious voice sounded in his ear, carrying a conflicted wish to stay close yet a need to keep some distance.

"But my bone wings can't retract for now. It's better for Male Lord to stay a bit farther away..."

Ye Er didn't open his eyes. He buried himself in Xi Ze's embrace, nuzzling in, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of soft laughter.

"I know you can control it well. You wouldn't let me get hurt, would you?"

They didn't hug for long. Ye Er kept in mind that the female zerg was still injured and soon pulled him along to walk.

"Let's go. Don't delay. Your wounds need to be treated as soon as possible."

"Your Excellency!"

An ambulance equipped with professional equipment was waiting nearby, perhaps because word had spread of an injured male zerg.

As soon as they saw them, they rushed out with a stretcher and swiftly loaded both Ye Er and Xi Ze into the vehicle.

"Be careful! Be careful... You can't lie flat, just sit on the stretcher."

"Let's remove the shrapnel first... Dea, prepare the anesthesia...!"

Inside the ambulance sat a military female who had looked extremely excited upon their arrival, but seeing the doctor's incessant bustling, he didn't want to interrupt the treatment.

Ye Er was examined meticulously. Aside from some fever, he wasn't seriously injured and was soon set to the side.

He noticed the strange military female and asked in confusion, "Ah, who are you?"

Bai Lang tore his gaze away from his general with great difficulty and turned toward the rumored male zerg. He was momentarily shaken by his striking appearance before his expression turned solemn.

The male zerg before him was the general's lifesaver. He was a benefactor of their First Legion. He had to make a good impression on this first meeting!

He suddenly stood upright and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle under Ye Er's bewildered gaze. But a warning look shot from beside him, swirled around, and hit him on the head—

Receiving the signal, Bai Lang, who had his words of gratitude ready on the tip of his tongue, had to change his words by force.

"Esteemed male zerg, Your Excellency! Thank you very much... cough, cough! I mean, I'm here as a commanding officer sent to confirm your safety! It's great that you're okay. Now I'll continue clearing the battlefield."

Without waiting for Ye Er's response, Bai Lang nimbly hopped out of the vehicle but didn't go far. Instead, he lurked nearby, stealthily, to ensure the ambulance's safety.

Soon, the medical personnel had finished tending to Xi Ze's wounds.

"The shrapnel has been removed and the wounds bandaged. Sit and rest for a while. The war zone hospital has arranged transportation and will notify you when it's time to go."

"Okay."

Xi Ze's upper body was wrapped in thick bandages, but at least he had stopped bleeding. He touched the area with his fingertip, not paying it much attention, but his eyes stayed on the still-pale male zerg.

"Could I trouble you for a cup of hot water and a blanket?"

Ye Er was somewhat lost in thought, staring out the car door, when suddenly everything went dark before him.

He reached out to pull it away and found it was a fluffy blanket. His palm felt warm and hot as Xi Ze handed him a mug.

The medical personnel had rushed to the battlefield for rescue, leaving the two of them alone in the vehicle and creating a moment of silence.

"Thank you."

He took a sip of hot water, saying it slowly. As the scalding heat traveled down his throat to his stomach, his stiff, somewhat numb shoulders gradually relaxed.

"How do you feel now? Does the wound still hurt?"

Xi Ze shook his head but asked back, "Just now…"

He wasn't quite sure how to continue. The thought of almost incapacitating a starship with mental power alone was unimaginable and bizarre.

The male zerg's strength lay in mental power, but that level of terror was something even the few A-levels on the Main Planet couldn't reach. Moreover, Ye Er was just a D-level.

"What?"

Ye Er replied slowly, his voice still hoarse.

Beneath his eyelids lay a faint shade of blue, several strands of dark hair stuck up messily, and gray smudges marked his face, making him look extremely exhausted.

Xi Ze's heart softened. He lowered his gaze in thought and reached out to touch Ye Er's forehead, confirming he no longer had a fever.

"Nothing. Are you still uncomfortable? Do you want to take a nap?"

"No need…"

Ye Er shook his head sluggishly, but his gaze shifted uncontrollably toward the female zerg's bone wings.

They still couldn't be retracted, and the ambulance was cramped, so they could only be bent and curled up uncomfortably.

Remembering the male zerg's fear from earlier, Xi Ze turned his body slightly to hide the bone wings behind him and said softly, "Let's rest for a while. You'll feel better after you wake up."

By then, he would be able to retract his bone wings and wouldn't scare the male zerg before him anymore.

Ye Er took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

He always felt... if he didn't clarify what had just happened quickly, the female zerg, with his stubborn, silent nature, might deliberately hide them from now on and never spread his bone wings in front of him again.

He lowered his head and took another sip of water to moisten his dry lips before suddenly whispering, "Can I take a look at your bone wings?"

Xi Ze was silent for a moment. "The blood on them hasn't been cleaned up yet. I'll show you next time, if I have the chance."

"It's fine. There are disinfectant wipes here. They can clean it up perfectly."

Ye Er pretended not to understand the refusal and pulled a pack of wipes from under his seat, insisting with a serious expression.

The female zerg said with something close to a sigh, "Let me clean it up myself first, then I'll show you."

He saw Xi Ze pull out a few wipes, hold them in his hand, and bring his bone wings closer to begin wiping off the dried blood.

The slender, powerful bones pressed against the wet wipe with quick, precise movements, as if he were cleaning and maintaining a finely tuned gun. It was almost a visual delight.

The bone wings were the most lethal part of a military female zerg's body, which was why those people had removed Xi Ze's bone wings at the first chance, like twisting off a ferocious beast's claw in fear and panic.

Ye Er watched, somewhat entranced, but the next second a cool breeze suddenly jolted him awake.

Swish.