Xi Yujin carried the Egg Brain to a quiet spot.

Shayou had warned him beforehand that the Zerg network ran so smoothly that it was almost indistinguishable from reality. But he should never expect kindness, justice, or beauty from the Zerg.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his discomfort, Xi Yujin slowly lifted the Egg Brain toward his face. He repeatedly told himself it was nothing more than a lump of mochi. Then, before he could think too much about it, he slapped the Egg Brain onto his face.

Gurgle... gurgle...

It felt as though he was being soaked in a warm soup, while something was swallowing his brain. Goosebumps erupted all over his body.

Gurgle... gurgle...

He expected some sort of interface to appear, but nothing emerged.

Although his eyes remained closed, the darkness before him grew brighter and brighter. The world spun rapidly as details gradually sharpened into focus. Suppressing the urge to retch, he finally found himself standing firmly on the street of a city.

"...Amazing."

Xi Yujin no longer had time to marvel at Zerg technology. He could clearly sense that his real body was lying somewhere with its eyes closed, yet every movement of his thoughts caused this body to move as well. It felt as though he possessed two bodies, and he was operating one remotely.

The surroundings were astonishingly detailed. White walls were draped with climbing vines. In the distance stood irregular gray structures.

"Even the best full-dive games aren't this realistic..."

Unable to resist, Xi Yujin reached out and touched a wall, feeling the rough texture of its white paint.

Words suddenly appeared across his vision:

The 1,845,009th Large-Scale War Reenactment. Objective: Invade Planet Wata.

Before Xi Yujin could understand what that meant, the horns of war sounded.

The massive rectangular objects in the distance weren't buildings at all. They were living tanks. Hundreds of stubby legs extended beneath them as they lumbered forward, crushing everything in their path. From inside the structures flew swarms of warriors as dense as black clouds, diving in organized formations of three.

Earthquakes. Explosions. The roar of unknown laser engines. The entire world became engulfed in the sounds of war.

Xi Yujin felt like a newly spawned player dropped into the middle of a full-dive game, completely out of place.

Peeking cautiously around a white wall, he unexpectedly came face to face with a warrior carrying a bundle of saplings.

"You are... a Grade-A Brood Host?" the warrior asked. "I'm a Botanical Officer. It's dangerous here. Please proceed to the rear lines and await orders. If the Queen requires you, you'll be summoned."

Xi Yujin noticed more than a dozen similarly dressed Botanical Officers busily planting trees. Some dug holes, while others watered them. The moment one tree was planted, they hurried to plant another.

Farther away, even more warriors were engaged in ecological restoration.

Only then did Xi Yujin finally understand. The Egg Brain connected everyone into the same virtual battlefield. Some Zerg handled frontline combat, others terraformed planets, while another group managed logistics behind the lines. The entire race functioned as one colossal war machine. Even after real wars had ceased, the machine continued operating endlessly in virtual space.

Following the Botanical Officer's directions, Xi Yujin reached the rear of the battlefield where numerous flower buds stood. Looking closer, each bud appeared to contain humanoid figures wrapped inside transparent sacs.

The Botanical Officer handed Xi Yujin over to a guard, who led him with practiced familiarity to the Publicity Office.

Several sheets of paper had been pinned onto a mushroom bulletin board. Some contained military announcements, and others were crude short stories written by Brood Hosts.

The twenty thousand Brood Hosts lived scattered across different planets. Whenever they logged into the Egg Brain war simulation, they would routinely visit the Publicity Office, memorize the awkwardly written passages, and use them as a barely functional means of communication.

This tiny mushroom bulletin board, which could be read in a single glance, represented the last remaining literature of the Zerg.

The guard stopped at the entrance and remained motionless without saying another word. Xi Yujin couldn't even tell whether the guard was an NPC created by the Egg Brain or a real soldier connected to the network.

Sitting inside the vine-woven office, he felt strangely empty, unable to figure out what to do next. He could only browse the short stories on the bulletin board.

Most Brood Hosts who had been captured were hardly professional writers. Very few could even write coherently. At first, some were written passionately. Eventually, all that remained was despair.

The newest message simply read:

"Please let the Zerg Queen eat me already and put me out of this misery!!!"

Xi Yujin stopped reading. He had absolutely no interest in whatever rivalry existed between the Fruit Houses and Flower Houses.

Flipping the leaf bulletin closed, he leaned back lazily into a chair woven from soft grass.

The instant he reclined, his entire body stiffened.

He stared blankly at the vine ceiling above him. There was a pattern carved there.

To the Zerg, it was probably just decoration. But to Xi Yujin, it was the most familiar symbol imaginable, one that pierced straight through his heart. Its existence transcended all distance and time.

It was a single Chinese character from Earth:

留 (Stay).

Only two people in the entire Zerg Galaxy could understand its meaning.

Bitterness welled inside Xi Yujin's chest. He rushed out of the vine house to examine the rest of the battlefield's rear area. Perhaps to avoid drawing suspicion while remaining conspicuous, the messages had all been written in enormous characters disguised as decorative ceiling patterns.

He found more words.

Stay. Where. You. Are.

Together they formed a sentence:

Stay where you are. I'll come find you.

In the cracks between the walls, the name Yujin had been written over and over again.

Gano had no idea whether Xi Yujin was also captured by the Zerg. His armor was confiscated, and his optical computer was destroyed. He possessed no communication devices whatsoever.

Every time the Egg Brain refreshed the battlefield simulation, he stole someone else's Egg Brain, logged into the rear lines, and secretly scribbled messages everywhere.

Perhaps no second person would ever be able to read that language. Perhaps he would die before succeeding. But even if there was only a one-in-a-thousand chance of reuniting with Xi Yujin, he would never let it slip away.

His crimes were already so numerous that he no longer minded becoming an outlaw.

And at this very moment, he was in the middle of escaping prison.

Xi Yujin woke up in reality and tore the soft Egg Brain from his face. Outwardly, he remained calm. But inside, his heart had already burst into tears.

Gano is coming to find me!! That's wonderful!! I'll stay obediently inside the flower house and never wander off!! We'll definitely reunite!! I miss Gano so much!! I miss the Tidal Peace too!! I want to lie together with Gano in the observatory again and have our little world all to ourselves!!

Then another thought struck him. Thank goodness he chased after the Zerg. Otherwise Gano might have spent forever searching for him. May the stars bless them!

He almost wanted to hug the warm, soft Egg Brain and roll around with it.

Once they reunited, they'd find the Tidal Peace and fly away as quickly as possible. Hopefully, the ship wasn't damaged and could survive the journey.

Xi Yujin now looked positively radiant as his confidence returned. His whole body felt energized. He wasn't the only one searching for Gano. Gano was searching for him too! There was no way they would miss each other.

When Shayou came to check on him, he was startled.

"Wow, Grade A. Are you really that excited about logging into the Zerg network?" Shayou looked utterly baffled. "Maybe you're just a youngster who's never experienced war before. Even their network is nothing but warfare. Doesn't that terrify you?"

Xi Yujin's eyes sparkled. "I think I'm very lucky."

Shayou stared in confusion before smacking Xi Yujin's face with a broad leaf as if performing an exorcism.

"Grade A, I came with bad news." After teasing him, Shayou's tone became serious. "Our Queen rotation has changed."

Xi Yujin blinked. "The Queens take shifts?"

Shayou explained, "It's all because of those damned wars. To maximize reproduction efficiency, the Zerg have multiple Queens. As far as I know, forty-two Queens are currently alive. But they usually hide near black holes and isolate themselves, never bothering with us. Queen Surya's shift just ended. This time it's probably Queen Ubit."

"Ers... Surya... Ubit..." Xi Yujin silently memorized the names.

Ers was the Queen who created Gano's armor. Surya was the Queen who created the wormhole they encountered before. Judging by Shayou's tone, she was apparently still alive. As for Ubit, nothing was known except that she was the current Queen on duty.

"She has always wanted to deal with us. She woke up once, five hundred years ago." Having lived eight hundred years, Shayou was completely unguarded with Xi Yujin. He nervously squeezed the flesh of his own forearm. "Do you know how outrageous she is? She's the youngest and most active Queen, and she hated us for a long time."

Xi Yujin grew nervous as well. "Is she going to eat us?"

"No!" Shayou scratched his bright golden hair. "She doesn't like eating us! But she thinks not eating us is too wasteful. So she made an exception... and decided to give us to her children instead."

Trying to ease Shayou's anxiety, Xi Yujin offered, "Maybe the warriors can't bite through us." He remembered that Gano couldn't bite through him.

Shayou plucked two large leaves from nearby and wrapped them around himself to demonstrate, trying to frighten him. "I wasn't chosen back then, but I saw it with my own eyes. You've never seen what Zerg warriors look like when they build nests. They wrap you up completely with their wings."

"...What does that have to do with building a nest?" Xi Yujin didn't understand.

"Nest-building!" Shayou gestured vaguely in the air with a series of highly suggestive motions.

Only then did Xi Yujin finally understand, and the tips of his glowing hair immediately flushed pink.

After finishing the demonstration, Shayou looked at him solemnly and said, "Among the Zerg, reproduction and appetite are pronounced the same way."

After everything that had happened, Xi Yujin finally recovered the deductive ability he had always prided himself on.

So... they weren't just the Zerg Queen's emergency food supply. They were also a backup mate? And that meant... his actual relationship with Gano was the Zerg version of a little stepfather romance.

More and more guards descended onto the planet, estimated to be over a hundred of them. Six guards stood watch beneath Xi Yujin's flower house alone, and they were clearly preparing for some order from the Queen.

Shayou and the other Brood Hosts looked increasingly gloomy. After giving up on life even more thoroughly than before, they often spent entire days sprawled across lotus leaves without moving.

"It sounds like the Fruit House faction wrote another novel to provoke us. Is anyone going to read it?"

"Hey, is there anyone still alive enough to check?"

"Stop talking. Don't you know your sound waves disturb the water currents?"

"I made some dried honey fruit."

Xi Yujin had no interest whatsoever in literary rivalries. Instead, he exercised diligently and explored the surroundings whenever possible, preparing for a future escape.

His ability to dry fruit using concentrated sunlight had improved considerably. The honey fruit he made carried the warm fragrance of sunshine itself. Even the utterly lazy Brood Hosts couldn't help sitting up to inhale deeply.

"Grade A really lives up to the title..."

"Let me have a bite!"

Today, Xi Yujin was experimenting with drying strips of flower nectar beneath his flower house. The other Brood Hosts lounged across giant mushrooms in every conceivable position. They had even found a fan-shaped plant somewhere that produced cool breezes. Apparently the Zerg warriors cultivated those specifically for them. The Zerg seemed to possess an unexpectedly deep love for plants.

Another spacecraft descended from the sky that day, which landed among the mountains. It resembled the transport Xi Yujin had seen in the starship belt, only far more advanced and capable of carrying a larger load.

Once it landed, the warrior serving as pilot removed his navigation Egg Brain and replaced it with a communications model. Every warrior wore identical exoskeleton armor and carried defensive forks. After disembarking, they spread out toward their assigned patrol routes, clearing obstacles along the way.

As they passed the forest stream, the eight-warrior squad silently became seven.

The guards stationed at the forest edge instantly stood up, and their defensive forks unfolded with a sharp metallic hiss. Transparent blades over three meters long extended from them, sharp enough to slice massive trees apart with ease.

"Return." A guard rarely ever spoke, but now, it issued an order.

Shayou and the others were bewildered. The Zerg territory had been peaceful for so long. An enemy attack?

"Return." The guard repeated the command, its blade gleaming coldly.

"We're going, we're going!" Shayou and the others hurried away together, only to find their path blocked by another blade.

"Grade A! Let's hide at your place!" Shayou looked ready to cry.

They all knew that the guards possessed rather limited intelligence. The guards wouldn't let them remain here, but they also wouldn't let them leave. Their only option was to hide inside Xi Yujin's flower house.

Fortunately, Xi Yujin's residence was enormous. Rather than taking everyone to his own bedroom, he led them to a side chamber over one hundred fifty square meters in size.

As he climbed the flower's staircase, his heart sank as a possibility tugged painfully at his chest.

The moment they entered the side room, all the Brood Hosts began chattering excitedly. It had been so long since anything interesting happened among the Zerg. An attack like this could fuel conversation for the next hundred years.

Meanwhile, the six guards below remained completely focused on their surroundings. One of them was an experienced veteran of countless virtual battlefields. It had already detected the intruder's movements, and it was certain that it would defeat the enemy. Its entire body was poised for combat.

The forest remained silent. But it knew that the enemy was watching. That was fine. It could wait.

Suddenly, the faint crack of a branch snapping sounded ahead.

The guard reacted instantly. The thrusters mounted behind its back ignited. Its transparent blade, capable of slicing through steel, swung directly toward the sound.

But the impact felt wrong. There was none of the expected resistance. Only empty air.

In that instant, every warning instinct in the guard's brain screamed. An unfamiliar gust of wind rushed toward it. It tried to turn, but it was too slow. It saw only a shadow descending.

Click.

All six guards collapsed limply to the ground, and the attacker dragged them away. They were still alive. But the intruder carefully cleaned the scene, exchanged identification markers, and erased every trace that anything had happened.

"Do you think this attacker is real?"

Inside the flower house, the Brood Hosts had never been more animated.

"Maybe it's just a field exercise?"

"What happens if the Zerg catch the attacker? I've never seen them truly angry."

"Could it be some warrior is trying to rebel against the Queen?"

None of them believed anyone could actually breach the guards' defenses. They leisurely ate honey fruit while chatting.

Then one Brood Host suddenly stiffened. "...Did you hear that?"

One by one, everyone lowered their fruit and stared at each other.

They heard wind and the sound produced when the flower-house elevator was activated.

Every nearby Brood Host was already inside the flower house. So... who else could be coming up?

"I hear it too..." Shayou's face turned pale. He mouthed silently, "I think... it's coming up."

Every Brood Host except Xi Yujin froze like solidified lava. Their eyes were filled with shock. One realized that his breathing was too loud and quickly covered his own mouth.

Unfortunately, the wind grew louder and louder. It lashed against their hearts like a whip.

The attacker... was climbing upward.

"It's coming..."

"No way..."

"It's really getting closer?"

The Brood Hosts huddled together in panic. Shayou wanted to make room for Xi Yujin to hide, but there wasn't any space left.

Meanwhile, Xi Yujin calmly continued drying honey fruit in the sunlight. The others whispered frantically for him to hide.

Riiip...

The wall of the flower house was torn open, causing brilliant sunlight to flood inside. Standing in the opening was a Zerg warrior.

He wore dark blue exoskeleton armor. A silver-white Egg Brain covered his head, exposing only the lower half of his face. He looked no different from any ordinary guard.

But Xi Yujin's heart pounded like thunder. It was as if countless drums were beating beside his ears.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

The Brood Hosts screamed in perfect unison.

The Zerg warrior ignored them completely as he stepped across the threshold. The moment he entered, his gaze fixed entirely on Xi Yujin.

He approached him. Then gently raised a hand and softly stroked Xi Yujin's cheek, with all the tenderness one might use to caress a priceless treasure.

Xi Yujin unconsciously slowed his breathing. His heart melted completely.

He could clearly see Gano's disguise as a guard. Dust from the forest still clung to the armor, and there were even traces of blood from fighting his own kind.

At that moment, Xi Yujin understood more deeply than ever that Gano was still a Zerg.

Wild and Untamed.

Yet Xi Yujin's heart raced even faster at that thought.