By the time the new nest was completed, Sakdi had just managed to save up enough leave.
He and Clark were currently in a standoff where neither wanted to work; both were busy digging pitfalls for their allied brother, trying to scrape together a few more days of vacation.
In this situation, the only one suffering was Kliman.
The tail-flicking brother could neither refuse the Sub-King’s orders nor defeat Sak in a fight, so he could only spin around like a busy top.
“Is bullying him like this really not going to interfere with his pursuit of a partner?”
Gela asked as he cleaned the nest, preparing for the upcoming visitors, his tail swaying gently.
The straightforward leader of the Armed-species was currently in a phase that none of them could quite understand.
A normal Zerg could tell that Kliman had a slightly different attitude toward the Broad-wing, but the two involved parties acted like model soldiers whenever they interacted.
Even Gela, with his exceptional mental strength, couldn't help but feel confused sometimes.
“He... likes Kara, doesn't he?”
It was hard to understand the interaction style of two individuals with social phobia toward the opposite sex.
Five Great Cycles had passed, and the faster-moving Armed-species already had a batch of little cubs running around. Yet, the leader himself still acted as if he were handing over a mission report whenever he was with the Male.
Fortunately, the tribe had gradually stabilized, slowly finding a sustainable model for long-term development, and they no longer had to be ready for the next great migration at a moment's notice.
Everyone had more time to think about issues they previously had no leisure to notice.
Receiving his partner’s confused look, Sakdi laughed mercilessly.
“He still has a long way to go.”
Watching the white Zerg happily touching this and wiping that, the Core-seed hung the newly changed curtains, finishing the last touch of their nest’s decor.
“You’ll see for yourself in a bit.”
It was quite difficult to choose a time when everyone was in the Core Star Sector. Sakdi and Clark took turns presiding over the Fourth Quadrant and had to run around handling disputes among other Core-gene tribes. Gela occasionally had to personally visit other planets to inspect the small information nests and functioning relief facilities.
Kliman and the other Males were out on field assignments every few days, and Selin was so busy on the energy planet that he was practically drained of strength.
Fortunately, with the addition of four Time River ports, journeys that originally took several Great Cycles had been greatly shortened.
The third port was given to the energy planet Ja, and the fourth was established in the Fourth Quadrant, the former territory of the Foot-species.
The gradual clearing of the scavenger tribes meant that turmoil and chaos had vanished, and invested funds would no longer go down the drain at any moment.
Gela had already begun to feel happy in advance.
He liked excitement, and he liked all the Zerg being together. He had looked forward to this gathering for a long time.
Having finished hanging the curtains, the Core-seed hugged his humming partner from behind, their tails intertwining.
“So happy?” he asked with a smile.
“Happy,” the frank Male gave an honest answer. “I want to introduce our new nest to everyone.”
Their original residence was a bit small.
After thinking for a while, Sakdi decided to start anew not far from the lake. After negotiating with Clark, he carved out a sufficiently large piece of land from the Sub-King’s private property, located on the other side of the lake, directly facing their former little nest from across the water.
The Core-seed diverted water from the lake, digging a small, separate pond in front of the nest. Thus, even behind closed doors, they had a small pool that belonged entirely to them. The clear but relatively calm water was very suitable for water lilies to grow.
For the first two years, none of the seeds Sakdi threw in sprouted, which made Gela a bit sad. The Male felt that the Zerg’s core planet might not be suitable for this kind of plant.
However, in the third summer, during a period when the temperature was higher than usual, he discovered a cluster of new sprouts emerging from the pond.
After that, the aquatic plants spread their branches and leaves with rapid speed, as if their previous dormancy was merely to accumulate nutrients for this surge.
Large patches of blooming blue-purple flowers swayed in the morning light.
Acacias and figs hung down, their rustling leaves and heavy fruits draping over the archway.
When summer departed and deep winter arrived, they would enter a new period of waiting, waiting for the arrival of the next spring.
The nest Sakdi designed by hand was very sturdy—even a high-velocity cannon couldn't blast it open—but the exterior was covered with large decorative stones, giving the residence the charm of an old-style building. It sat somewhere between Zerg and human styles; many details showed traces of human life, such as the high ceilings and windows instead of ventilation ports. It would be hard to find a second nest like it in the entire universe.
After removing the defensive installations and exposing the large windows, one could see the green shade cast by the branches.
A long, long time ago, when they were in Kamlan, they had discussed their expectations for their future little nest.
And now, everything promised had finally been fulfilled.
As dusk fell, the first visitors to this new home were the Sub-King of the Grey-wing tribe.
The human stood outside the yard with him, knocking on the door while holding Liber’s hand.
“What a beautiful nest.”
The blue-eyed youth smiled and hugged Gela, who had rushed to open the door, offering his praise without stint.
“Sak is amazing. This pond is like a hidden little mirror, catching all the sunset glow. Was the angle chosen on purpose?”
“Yes.”
The Male’s tail wagged furiously; he loved hearing people praise his little nest.
“Sak said that looking out from the window, you can see the entire sunset.”
“The season isn't quite right now; it will look even better in the summer.”
He pulled the human inside, unable to stop himself from introducing every kind of plant in detail. By the time he realized he was rambling, he instantly turned red.
“Am I saying too much?”
Beside them, Clark let out a soft laugh.
“No. It really is beautiful.”
The Sub-King had followed the construction progress of this new home before, but the actual finished product was still better than he had imagined. This nest, which wasn't extravagant but was sufficiently wide and comfortable, looked like a very gentle little human courtyard.
The silver-grey cub looked incredibly happy, but he still tried his best to restrain himself from running around, instead holding the hands of the human and Clark.
“Go play as you like.”
Sakdi, accustomed to raising the cub, gave the command, liberating the little Male who stayed at his house for a few days every so often. The cub immediately dove into the yard.
When Selin and Xiao arrived, the white Male couldn't help but introduce everything all over again.
This overly cute reaction made Sakdi unable to stop staring at his partner.
They sat in the living room—at least, that was the name the Core-seed habitually gave the functional area.
There were no bizarre decorations; the furniture was all hand-polished by him. There were tables and chairs with rounded lines and piles upon piles of sofas. The floor of the dining area was covered with fluffy blankets.
Many times, Gela would roll into that pile of fluffy blankets and fall asleep. The Male no longer curled into a tight ball; he was safe in his own nest, with warm, soft fabrics and his partner. The anxiety and fear that once seemed like they would loom forever had faded.
Sakdi would often dig Gela out from the blankets when he fell asleep halfway through reading documents and carry him back to their bed.
“No wonder you ordered such a large quantity of blankets.”
The human laughed. “When I placed the order with the merchants in the Little Rose Star Sector, they thought Kamlan was going into the wool and silk business.”
“I’ve just about emptied their best stock.”
For the old Sakdi, the quality of necessities needed to be guaranteed—like food and weapons—but any enjoyment beyond that was a pure waste.
He didn't think that way anymore.
A small purchase made with his own salary would make the Male happy for a long time.
Gela would happily touch every new thing he had never seen before.
Neither of them cared much for material desires or overly extravagant things, but they still paid attention to comfort, and being squeezed together made them inexplicably happy. In such moments, Sakdi understood the mindset of a besotted ruler without being taught.
The money was well spent.
A person lives and earns money just to spend it reasonably.
“Thank you.”
As he spoke, the Core-seed himself began to laugh. He glanced at his partner, who was still snuggling with Xiao, and left his seat. “I’ll go prepare some food.”
Everyone gathered here was an old friend... or an old Zerg. There was no excessive formality between them; everyone would find a comfortable place to rest on their own.
Habit had led him to build the kitchen according to a human layout, completely separated from the rest area, making it convenient for him to tinker with something occasionally.
“I’ll go with you.”
Clark stood up as well, gesturing with the container in his hand. “Humans can't eat exotic beasts; we brought our own things.”
“I thought what you were holding was a housewarming gift.”
Never missing an opportunity to fleece someone, Sakdi said with a sincere expression, “Give me two more days of leave as compensation then.”
“I thought the biggest housewarming gift was this piece of land where you built your nest.”
With a merciless sneer, Clark ignored him completely.
“You really know how to take as much as you eat. That starship must have learned from you, right? It’s almost treating my planet as a permanent home port.”
Sakdi: “...”
It was hard to argue with that.
Liber, having finished playing outside, had already run to Gela’s side, snuggling with the white Male and Xiao.
Their tails were draped over each other, making small buzzing sounds of emotion. Xiao held the cub excitedly.
“You’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you!” The social butterfly couldn't help but touch the sub-adult Zerg. “So good, the scales on your tail are so beautiful and healthy!”
“Mm!”
Receiving the affirmation, the cub kissed the light-brown Male on the spot, then quickly kissed Gela, wagging his tail with a *thwack-thwack* sound as he did so.
“Sak said I’ll grow even more. Sub-adult Zerg grow very fast.”
Likely due to his upbringing, Liber used the elegant grammar of the Core-gene tribes when speaking the Zerg Common Language, influenced by Gela and Clark. But no one expected this overly clever Zerg to have observed and learned the human language as well.
Thus, Sakdi and Arthur acted as teachers for the other language.
Now, the silver-grey Male switched rapidly between three languages—including the buzzing emotional language—naturally choosing the one he wanted to use most. He could chat with Zerg and humans alike.
A new generation of social powerhouse was already taking shape.
“Did you study this specifically?”
Sakdi, busy in the kitchen, couldn't help but ask, while turning his head to look at his good brother.
Arthur was chatting with the administrator of the energy planet about the regular maintenance of Ja’s small information nest. Previously, the human had wanted to help, but Sakdi had pushed him back.
“The kitchen is too crowded; don't come in.”
In fact, the Core-seed simply wanted to watch Clark cook.
He was truly curious about what kind of commotion the Sub-King of the Grey-wing tribe could cause; this kind of domestic activity seemed entirely alien to the other.
As it turned out, Clark did it quickly and well, even giving Sakdi a slight sense of crisis, making him reflect on whether he had been feeding Gela too crudely.
“I got used to it.”
Noticing that gaze, the silver-grey Female explained without much reaction. “When I first picked Arthur up, I didn't know what humans were supposed to eat. I fed him a mouthful of exotic beast mush and almost killed him.”
The proposition of "what can humans eat" became the most profound research topic at the time.
Clark had hidden the cub he found and began racking his brains to self-study things he had never touched before. Human children were too fragile, countless times more fragile than Female Zerg cubs; just food getting into the windpipe could cost them their lives.
That was a period of considerable chaos.
The Zerg habitats were cruel and harsh, with no such thing as delivery services.
At that time, the silver-grey Female, still under Krisha’s command, could only find ways himself.
“I organized his... parents’ belongings. Arthur doesn't remember these things very well anymore.” The soft, deep voice carried a hint of raspiness as Clark’s grey eyes lowered. “In the beginning, he even lost the ability to speak. He couldn't open his mouth, nor could he decipher those texts.”
So Clark could only try things one by one.
Bypassing Krisha’s blockade, he managed to get some human food and information, only to return to the nest to face a little cub who only knew how to cry and couldn't explain anything.
The overwhelmed young Female would lie in the nest, staring numbly at the ceiling, wondering why he had picked up such a terrifying weapon of indiscriminate emotional destruction.
But in the darkness, the child, tired from crying, would turn over and slowly burrow into the arms of the impatient direct-line Zerg.
A soft cheek wet with tears would press against his body, and a small hand would tightly clutch that fierce whip-tail, gently stroking it.
Before falling into a crimson dream, the warm human child had hugged him.
“One day, much later, I suddenly realized that he wasn't hugging me because he was afraid of the dark.”
Clark stared at the potato in his hand for a long time, as if some novel carving had grown on its surface.
When the human hugged him tightly once again, touching the dried wounds on his fearsome whip-tail and blowing on them gently, the former King’s direct-line Zerg suddenly understood the other’s meaning.
“He hugged me because he thought... I was in pain.”
“It seems you won't be changing.”
The Core-seed didn't tease or laugh; he just said something seemingly out of nowhere.
“It will be difficult. You’ll need to go against your nature, won't you? As a direct-line, you are more deeply influenced by the instincts carried in your genes, but it’s impossible for you and him to have offspring. You will always have to choose between instinct and him.”
“I haven't left myself a choice.”
When Clark looked over, the emotions in those soft grey eyes were calm.
The Sub-King laughed softly and shook his head.
“...I never left myself any choice at all.”
Sakdi said nothing more.
Because the door to the nest was knocked on once again, and because some things are best left at that; the people and Zerg involved had their own life paths.
As soon as Gela opened the door, he was pulled into a full hug by En, who had rushed in.
The vigorous Male picked up his kinsman and spun him around on the spot. Before the landed Male could regain his senses, Liber had already quickly scrambled onto the new visitor.
“I want a hug too.”
So En kissed the sub-adult Zerg twice and hoisted him up as well.
His arms, accustomed to holding a gun year-round, appeared very powerful, far more so than his other companions. The Low-level Zerg effortlessly held the half-grown Zerg high and spun him 360 degrees twice with the same vigor.
“New nest, very good.”
Still holding the sub-adult Male, En spoke slowly to Gela.
His brother Enna also stood by and nodded. “Much bigger than before.” As if thinking of something, the Middle-level Female gestured. “Kliman is behind, moving things.”
As it turned out, the things the Armed-species leader brought in even startled Sakdi, who was still soaking in the kitchen.
The other was carrying a huge vat with a tree planted inside.
The direct-line Female carried the thing effortlessly, walking quickly as if he were holding a feather.
Kara, who was beside him, waved a bit shyly at Xiao and the others.
“What on earth did you bring...”
The Core-seed, hearing the commotion, walked out just in time to see the Armed-species leader place the enormous potted tree on the ground near the door with a *thud*.
“Gungnir asked me to bring this to you.”
The dark-grey Female kept a stiff face, acting as a soulless mechanical messenger.
“—‘The Emperor and the Secretary asked me to deliver a gift to congratulate you on the completion of your new home.’”
The Core-seed walked around the potted tree and then crouched down to examine it closely.
“It’s a white camellia.”
His fingers touched the cuts on the wood, as if discerning something. “A new sapling cultivated through grafting. It’s done so poorly.”
As long as Evelyn lifted a finger, countless professionals would eagerly show the Emperor their exquisite planting skills. Those court gardeners would never produce such clumsy work, or they’d be fired sooner or later.
The ones who could pull off such an operation were most likely the Emperor and her Secretary themselves.
Such a thick branch meant that the other party had quietly started this task as soon as the Kamlan trade agreement was signed. It was like burying a jar of wine in the soil, only to quietly open it much later.
Gela also crouched down and took his partner’s hand.
“Let’s plant it by the window, the place closest to our little nest.”
The white Male said softly, his tail wagging gently, as he looked up to kiss the other. “That way, when winter is about to end, we can see it every day as soon as we open our eyes.”
“The fallen flowers will cover the entire path, just like snow.”
Sakdi did not let go of his hand.
He likewise held his Male.
“Okay.”
This was a rare gathering.
In the past few Great Cycles, it was rare for everyone to be free at the same time. The Core-seed, who had an obsession with fireplaces, added some wood and leaned against the pile of blankets without any pretense, withdrawing from all the conversations.
For a moment, he had the illusion that he was in a crowd of people. Friends sitting together, drinking a little wine, warming themselves by the fire, and telling light, pleasant jokes.
The next second, Gela leaned over and found a comfortable position in his arms.
The warm nest, having finished eating, was filled with a drowsy atmosphere, comfortable and happy.
The white Zerg had originally been afraid that everyone gathering together would be awkward, especially since Sakdi and Clark had a different hierarchy from the other Zerg. But right now, all the visitors seemed not to care much, each finding their own thing to do.
Human gatherings rarely saw this kind of scattered situation, but the habits of the Zerg made them quite accustomed to squeezing into the same nest to get a brief rest.
Selin and Xiao, who were originally a bit stiff, had become relaxed, chatting with En and Enna about work related to the construction and management of subsidiary planets.
The brothers, who had been tempered on the battlefield and become steady, could handle various emergencies well, no longer rushing headlong like greenhorns.
Arthur picked a bottle of very young wine from Sakdi’s collection. After boiling it with apples, sugar, and a small amount of cinnamon, he distributed it to all the Zerg. He then took his cup and found a sofa in a corner to sit and chat quietly with the Sub-King.
The human stroked his partner’s silver-grey tail, not forgetting to cover Liber, who had started to feel sleepy after eating, with a small blanket. After the sub-adult cub fell asleep, Clark leaned in slightly, sheltering both him and Arthur under his wings.
In a corner further away, the Armed-species leader and the Broad-wing were once again caught in that dead loop of question-and-answer.
Sakdi was being far too mischievous. He had his eyes closed as if napping, but in fact, he didn't miss a single movement. His lips moved slightly. “Watch. I bet he won't dare to hold her hand today either.”
Gela: “...”
He finally knew why Kliman’s feelings toward the Core-seed always swung back and forth between "so strong, I like him so much" and "so annoying, stay away."
“Not necessarily.”
The Male with exceptional mental strength whispered, “I bet they will hold hands today.”
He played a word game.
As soon as he finished speaking, the upright Broad-wing slowly extended her right hand, nervously and tremblingly covering the back of Kliman’s hand.
Even from a distance, Gela noticed the Armed-species’ tail explode in an instant, as if with a *poof* sound effect.
Startled, Kara immediately withdrew her hand, looking frightened and apprehensive.
But Kliman grabbed her.
The Armed-species leader’s expression looked like he was about to pass out, but his hand held on very firmly.
“So embarrassing... for a Zerg.”
Sakdi said in a low voice with his eyes closed, his tail intertwined with Gela’s. “The trade zone has been established for almost six years. His subordinates’ little cubs can already run all over the place, yet he still needs the other party to take the initiative just to hold hands.”
He scratched Gela’s wing. “And did you cheat?”
The white cat-bug laughed, his expression revealing both cunning and innocence.
“How can a matter of instinct be considered cheating?”
After this brief gathering, they would soon go their separate ways again.
But such a gentle night was real at this moment.
“It’s so nice.”
Gela said softly. He was almost like Sakdi, sinking into that pile of blankets.
“We have a vacation cottage and a little nest for our future life. Everyone praised it for being beautiful; every Zerg likes it. Many friends will come here to visit us.”
The cold stars hung high in the night sky, and the thick walls blocked out the solemn winds. The fireplace was still making small crackling sounds.
The Male had once harbored worries about an uncertain future, but as year after year passed, those anxieties gradually dissipated with the stabilization of the Zerg.
The birth rate of the new generation of larvae had decreased by a certain percentage compared to the past, but the genetic grade had significantly improved. Even Middle and Low-level Zerg had the chance to hatch cubs superior to both parents.
The species began to adapt to a new survival model. When constant migration turned into long-term settlement, their survival instinct began to control the population size, avoiding excessive prosperity in a very short period.
With the establishment of the Alliance and the extinction of the scavengers, Males were no longer having their tails clipped and being sent into incubation nests.
The living environments in the autonomous star sectors of other Core-gene tribes still needed further improvement; it would be a long process.
Late at night, all the visitors took their leave one after another.
Selin and Xiao, after finishing their regular report, were about to return immediately.
En and Enna had three days of leave left, after which they would once again head to deep space for field assignments.
Kliman’s tail still hadn't returned to its original state. The cold and strong Female looked as if he had drunk fake wine, but Sakdi rarely held his tongue and didn't laugh out loud. The other stepped out the door but didn't leave immediately, instead standing there waiting for the Broad-wing, who was still snuggling with Gela.
The last to stand up was Clark.
Arthur was holding Liber. The sub-adult cub’s height reached Gela’s chest and he was much heavier than before. While asleep, he still tightly held his own tail with one hand and clutched a small blanket he had snatched from the living room with the other.
“We should head back too.”
After touching tails with Sakdi, the Sub-King nodded to Gela. He took Liber from Arthur’s arms, his movements light and steady, not waking the sleeping cub.
“See you next time. Thank you for the invitation.”
With his blue eyes curving, Arthur gave Gela a quick hug with a smile, then took his partner’s hand. The silver-grey wings spread out, blocking the slightly cool night breeze.
They slowly walked into the night.
Gela stood quietly at the door for a while.
The white camellia was still in the yard. He seemed to be listening to those receding footsteps through the night, through the wind and the sound of branches and leaves.
Some small, almost sad emotions flowed into his heart.
Gathering and parting are the norms of this universe, but humans are always reluctant to write about farewells, so the best stories always stop at the moment of meeting.
He already understood such feelings.
As a result, the moment Gela finally turned his head, he found that the Core-seed, who had been leaning against the door, had at some point tucked away his smile and taken a kneeling posture.
The Male was startled, the fine scales on his tail standing up.
“W-what’s wrong?” he asked stutteringly.
Then Gela saw his partner take a small box out of his pocket.
Such a familiar scene; he seemed to have seen it somewhere before.
The Male, who had been away from Kamlan for too long, didn't react immediately and was still a bit dazed, until the pretending-to-be-serious Sakdi finally couldn't hold back a laugh.
“There are some things I haven't done, and I feel I should make up for them.”
The solemn Core-seed said, coughing to adjust his emotions, and then opened the lid.
In that instant, Gela’s heart pounded violently. The movie scenes in his memory began to resurface. The Male, realizing what the other was doing, never knew his heart could beat so fast and so lightly.
Two golden rings were inside the small box.
They looked quite familiar.
When Sakdi first landed on Ja and won his first match, the bag of energy stones Kata gave them had been mixed with a golden ore. It looked a bit like rutilated quartz but was more vibrant and sturdy than that.
For a long time, the Male had kept it as a treasure in his secret corner. Since returning from Kamlan, Sakdi had once asked if he could use it. Gela, not knowing what the other was going to do, had been reluctant but still nodded.
A long time later, it had returned to his side in another form.
It was also as if the elderly administrator, who had helped him when he was deep in anxiety, had sent a belated blessing at this moment.
Golden-brown eyes gazed tenderly at him as Sakdi looked at his partner, who didn't know how to react.
“I’m sorry, I’m saying this a bit late.”
There was a smile in that deep voice. “I love you very much, Roxanne.”
“You are the brightest morning star of my life. I hope to be with you as your partner, to add many, many pieces of furniture to our little nest, to make many, many decorations, to gather with friends every summer, and to fall asleep in each other’s arms every winter night.”
Sakdi gently pulled the other’s hand. Those were fingers he had touched too many times; he wouldn't get the ring size wrong.
“Until death brings a new journey, until we sleep with the stars.”
The Male threw his arms around his partner.
The white wings closed tightly, and the slender scaled tail intertwined with the deep black whip-tail, like plants grown from the same root that would never part.
“I do.”
Repeating softly, Gela lowered his head to kiss the other’s eyes.
In the season when spring was about to arrive, he received a promise filled with smiles. This promise would accompany him until the end of his life.
“I do.”
---------END---------
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 甩尾巴哥 | Tail-flicking brother | A nickname for Kliman. |
| 阔翅种 | Broad-wing species | A specific Zerg phenotype (Kara's species). |
| 社交恐怖分子 | Social butterfly / Socially fearless | Literally "social terrorist," used to describe someone extremely outgoing (Xiao). |
| 社交悍匪 | Social powerhouse | Literally "social bandit," used to describe Liber's growing social skills. |
| 罗克珊 | Roxanne | A name Sakdi uses for Gela, likely a reference to a human name or a specific romantic callback. |
| 发晶 | Rutilated quartz | A type of quartz with needle-like inclusions, used to describe the golden ore. |
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Sacre-D: Reborn as the Swarm's Apex | Chapter 172 | A Promise in the New Nest | Novela.app | Novela.app
