Z:IGSG -- Chapter 8

 Chapter 8 -- Envy

Within the main world, the administrators of the Time-Space Administration could be considered the pinnacle of power. In many matters, only the Council could impose any real constraints upon them.

As an administrator within the Data Management Department, He Lin could dictate the fate and life or death of individuals within the small world with a mere flick of his finger. To them, he was no different from a god.

Yet this false “god” now glimpsed, for the first time in over a decade, the true, warm flesh beneath the dense, cold streams of data.

Emerging from the bathroom, He Lin approached the bedside to find the military female already fast asleep. His peaceful countenance bore traces of exhaustion and contentment.

Once a female zerg was fully marked, he entered a period of weakness. Otherwise, with the physical endurance of an S-class military female—capable of fighting nonstop for half a month on the battlefield—how could he be so exhausted by a single act of intimacy?

He Lin gazed at the blonde military female's face. Deep within his psychic mind, he faintly sensed the imprint he had left in this female zerg's mental sea.

How remarkable.

He Lin wondered if other operatives, facing their first mission requiring an intimate connection with a microcosm protagonist, experienced the same subtle sensation.

He didn't know.

When He Lin was selected for Bureau training, he had only just begun to remember things. To excel in his work, he had to master countless disciplines—from theoretical knowledge to physical conditioning—all pursued with relentless dedication.

In those cold, silver-white rooms, surrounded by carefully selected companions equally devoid of emotion, warmth was simply impossible.

Later, as an Administrator, such intimate connections became even more unthinkable.

So He Lin genuinely found the act of embracing another body, of imprinting a mark upon another soul, fresh and intriguing.

In truth, he found this mission world quite intriguing. Behind all that data flow lay so many vibrant, living beings.

At least, it was fascinating to someone like He Lin, who had lived his entire life within the metal fortress of the Administration Bureau, existing in a monotonous, unchanging routine.

Shedding his bathrobe, He Lin slipped into the soft, warm bedding. Before he could close his eyes, a warm body pressed into his embrace.

He looked down at the golden-haired female zerg nestled in his arms, smiled, and murmured, “Want to sleep cuddled up?”

“Mmm...”

The female zerg murmured indistinctly, clearly still half-asleep. Driven by instinct, he sought closeness to the male zerg who had just marked him.

He Lin stroked his hair, settling him more securely in his embrace.

Closing his eyes, He Lin drifted into a dream.

He dreamt of events before entering this mission world.

Everything in the dream was hazy. He seemed to be carrying a coffee cup, walking down the silver-white corridors of the Administration Bureau. Beyond the viewing windows lining both sides lay the boundless expanse of space.

Beside him walked another young man in uniform, also holding a coffee cup.

“You're one unlucky bastard,” the man remarked. “Your subordinate broke protocol, went AWOL with the protagonist from that minor world, and yet you're the one getting punished.”

He Lin retorted, “Then why don't you go catch him and bring him back for punishment?”

The man immediately became evasive, finally letting out a dismissive “tsk.” “Your subordinate's power is on par with us Administrators now. Forget me—even you wouldn't be able to bring him back.”

“So I'm the one who gets punished,” He Lin concluded.

The man asked, “What's the punishment?”

He Lin replied, “Go to your department and complete a mission: bring back a more energetic minor world to make up for this loss. Then we'll consider it settled.”

The man said, “That's acceptable. Probably because you're about to be promoted to the Interstellar Council—they don't dare cross you.”

He Lin gave a faint smile. “Possibly.”

The man said, “I'll give the guys below a heads-up and assign you an easy world. Finish the mission quickly and come back. Once you're a councilor, don't forget to look out for your brothers...”

At the end of the dream, He Lin clinked his coffee cup against the young man's.

When he awoke again, sunlight streamed through the cabin porthole. Turning his head, He Lin found the other half of the bunk empty.

Clean, crisp clothing lay neatly by the bed—still a white shirt and black trousers, but the fabric quality clearly marked them as not the cheap imitation worn by his former self.

He blinked, dressed, rose, and washed up.

--

Grant sat behind his desk, legs crossed, draped in his military overcoat, expressionless as he flipped through the documents in his hands.

This dossier had been delivered half an hour earlier by his personal guard captain, Milenka—the findings of the investigation into He Lin.

He Lin, a Class B female zerg. His mother was a low-ranking military zerg soldier; his father unknown, likely a local thug from Blackstone Starport. Raised solely by his mother until age ten, he survived through various odd jobs after his mother died in a riot. His life remained nomadic until three years ago, when he became a bartender at the Tumbleweed Bar, finally achieving some stability.

Grant found it hard to fathom how He Lin, a male zerg, had managed to survive under such harsh conditions through sheer willpower.

He had assumed males were delicate creatures—prone to tantrums at the slightest provocation, living enslaved yet dependent on females.

He Lin completely shattered that notion.

Regarding He Lin's relationships with females, Grant found it quite satisfying that he had not a single ambiguous partner, let alone any close female friends.

His male master belonged entirely to him.

Yet simultaneously, an indelible layer of doubt and unease stirred faintly within Grant's heart.

—If He Lin truly came from the lowest ranks, how could he have displayed such flawless aristocratic etiquette in the banquet hall earlier?

--

“I learned it from the Light Network.”

At the dining table, He Lin smiled as he spread butter on perfectly toasted bread and placed it on Grant's plate.

He had anticipated Grant's suspicion over his unusual demeanor and prepared excuses long ago. A thick stack of fabricated stories lay ready, waiting only for Grant to broach the subject.

Admittedly, He Lin could have strictly adhered to the Bureau's assigned persona—playing the role of an ignorant, lowly male zerg utterly clueless about high society. But doing so would only hinder the mission's progress, offering no other benefit.

People crave the extraordinary. A flower blooming amidst a garden of blossoms attracts no notice. But a flower blooming in the gloomy depths of a sewer? That demands attention.

Females were no exception.

The so-called “heart” is precisely such a thing.

Given He Lin's combination of physical appearance and inner qualities, he would attract countless admirers even in the main world—let alone in this zerg realm where most males are absurdly laughable.

On top of that, he'd wrapped himself in the cloak of “striving upward and constantly learning despite being at the bottom.”

How could any zerg not be moved?

Sure enough, Grant's expression softened slightly upon hearing his words.

“So then,” the blonde military female picked up the slice of toast, his face betraying little, yet clearly pleased with the male zerg's attentions, “you've been preparing for quite some time to seduce a noble female zerg, using that as an opportunity to leave this place?”

He Lin offered no denial: “General, any normal male zerg would detest a place like Blackstone Star.”

Grant couldn't disagree with that. In a place where you could be snatched away and coerced at any moment, with no legal protections, it was indeed a terrible choice for weaker males. Compared to the main world's male-dominated environment, it was worlds apart.

But...

He shot He Lin a glance, his expression now tinged with unmistakable irritation. “So you're saying that even if it hadn't been me arriving yesterday, but another female, you would have offered reassurance and gone with them?”

He Lin looked at him and smiled.

That smile made Grant feel both embarrassed and infuriated.

Right. What answer did he even want?

They'd only known each other for a day.

It was purely a matter of mutual convenience.

Grant couldn't even understand why he suddenly felt such a profound emotional need for this male before him.

Only later did he recall that he had already been completely marked by the other.

He Lin said, “I don't want to deceive you, Grant.” He changed the way he addressed him, subtly drawing them closer. “Even if it weren't you, any female who could take me away from here, to the main world, I would make the same choice.”

Grant's expression darkened instantly. He slammed down his fork, flung the half-eaten slice of toast back onto the plate, and rose to leave.

He Lin rose too, seizing his wrist with a deft pull that drew him into an embrace.

“But I can assure you,” He Lin murmured, lowering his head to kiss Grant's ear, his warm breath carrying his deep voice into the female's ear, " I wouldn't have kissed them, held them, held their hands, or tried to amuse them, coax them... and certainly wouldn't have..."

His fingers traced the waistline of the military female in his embrace. “Served them so devotedly during the marking, or baked them toast with butter the next morning.”

“All these things—I only did them because the female zerg who came to me was you.”

The clean scent emanating from the dark-haired youth enveloped him thickly, mingling with the low whisper to effortlessly soothe the jealousy and anger in Grant's heart.

Yes, jealousy.

He realized he was jealous.

For the first time, he understood that males could comfort females without using mental energy.

“So this special treatment is only for me?” Grant snorted softly. “Why am I so special?”

He Lin smiled. “Because you are you. No other reason needed.” He kissed Grant's lips again. “Your very existence is special. Don't be angry with me. Let's eat breakfast, okay?”

These words, however, were spoken with genuine sincerity, without a shred of falsehood.

Of course He Lin treated Grant differently—his goal had never been to leave Blackstone Star, but to win Grant's heart and make him sign a soul-selling contract.

Oh, well, he did tell one little lie.

That was that if it were any other female zerg, He Lin wouldn't even glance her way.

To those from the main world, everything in the minor worlds seemed fake such as fiction or film. This was especially true for the emotionless Bureau staff. If someone wasn't the protagonist and lacked energy, even acting and lying felt like a waste—why expend extra effort?

Grant still wore a frown, but inside, her anger had long since melted away thanks to the male zerg's coaxing.

After finishing breakfast contentedly in the company of the handsome male zerg, Grant returned to the Governor's Residence. Seeing the portly Governor Bao, his mood lightened considerably.

“Lead the way, Governor Bao,” Grant said coldly. “Let me see what kind of place Blackstone has become under your administration.”