The stronger a being is, the more beautiful they tend to be; this law manifests in most biological organisms.
It is not beauty in a narrow sense, but rather power revealed in an intuitive, embodied form. Mammalian or avian males prefer to use smooth, supple fur and a healthy physique to attract a mate’s attention. Although the Zerg gender system is a chaotic mess, their mode of expression is much the same.
Even one as ferocious as Katra possessed an unimaginably robust body and crimson wings. Simply by standing there, he silently proclaimed his own might.
This kind of beauty was terrifying, presenting a lethal danger to humans.
Clark was more restrained.
His wings and whip-tail were streamlined like water, tightly enveloping every trait—including the pheromones of a Core Species—without exposing a single drop. Every movement concealed the Zerg’s violent and combative nature, making him appear peaceful and composed.
*Troublesome.*
With just one look, Sarkdi made his assessment.
His previous judgment had been slightly off; he needed to make immediate adjustments. When humans confronted Zerg, a pack of ferocious monsters was terrifying enough. But if above those mad dogs sat a high-level individual capable of restraining instinct and wielding reason, the level of danger would double.
There were few rumors regarding the owner of the private mines on Ja. The local residents' complaints mostly revolved around the victors of Angon; Sarkdi had heard the Zerg grumbling privately about Katra’s tyrannical style many times. Yet, aside from fear, no Zerg ever mentioned the owner of the energy planet, which showed just how well the individual hid their information.
For such a Zerg to personally descend to the surface, it was truly hard to say whether it boded well or ill.
"Hello," the black female Zerg replied. After a period of intensive practice, his Zerg Common Tongue was now quite fluent, no longer halting as it had been at the start.
His golden-brown pupils met the other’s gaze, showing neither fearful shrinking nor intense battle intent.
"I didn't expect to see a Core Species who inherited such high-level genes on this remote planet."
The pale grey eyes did not shift. The other party offered a small smile.
Ah, there it was—the standard mimicry expression of a high-level species.
This posture, draped in a layer of human skin, caused Sarkdi’s long-dormant professional habits to flare up instantly, making his whole body itch.
"I also didn't expect a member of the Core Genetic Race to land on Ja," he said. "It’s just a challenge match. It’s hard to believe a high-level individual would set foot on land contaminated by stellar core energy."
"You seem resistant to my entry into Angon."
The silver-grey female Zerg remained noncommittal toward the response, turning to look at the craft behind him and posing a calm inquiry: "Would you be willing to chat on my ship for a while?"
He even graciously extended the invitation to Gera: "You may bring your little mate along. My ship has some honeydew that males prefer; your mate will like it very much."
It wasn't a question of willingness.
The entire energy planet was the private property of the Core Genetic Race. If they didn't give him face at all, a battery of anti-aircraft guns might be leveled at their heads the next second.
Sarkdi was someone who liked to take unconventional paths and face difficulties head-on, but before nodding, he glanced at Gera, asking with his eyes if he wished to stay in Angon.
The white male Zerg shook his head, tightly gripping Sarkdi's arm to indicate he would come along.
And so, they walked toward the hovering small craft.
The Armed Species, uniform in their black armored shells, remained silent, closing in behind them like a dark tide as they followed closely behind the silver-grey female Zerg.
"I was staying briefly at the satellite base to handle some issues with the stellar core energy ore when I heard the news of Katra’s fall."
The silver-grey female Zerg answered Sarkdi’s silent questioning from a moment ago in a light tone.
His every move carried a sense of stability; both his pace and voice were unhurried, pushing away the hidden thorns in the other's words with the grace of someone redirecting a heavy blow with a light touch.
"I feel regret for his failure, but at the same time, I am glad to see a young Core Species making a name for himself."
Sarkdi had originally thought that "going to the ship to sit for a while" referred to the vanguard ship hanging over everyone's—every Zerg's—heads.
As it turned out, the other party drove them all directly to the starport.
Clark’s true vessel was docked deep within the starport.
It was a massive Alpha-class warship, slightly smaller than a starship in scale.
The Armed Species cleared the way with brute force, emptying all incoming and outgoing flights to make a path through the entire starport for the Core Genetic Species.
The ring-shaped ship stood there, solemn and imposing.
All external loading components were retracted, but Sarkdi had seen similar-spec beasts in the territories of high-level Zerg. When its external structure unfolded, weapons as interconnected as raw flesh would cover the hull, capable of docking with any high-specification Hive orbit at will.
Countless similar warships perched upon the "Web" between Hive planets, moored to every passage, densely guarding the central Queen’s Hive. Once an external enemy intruded into the Hive’s range, these giant "tumors" would instantly detach from the Hive body, swarming like a suddenly startled flock of moths to devour the intruder.
The energy planet had never been connected to the Time River, nor did it have a similar port.
However, a Time River passage had already been laid out on Clark’s warship.
The small vanguard craft landed in the giant ship’s ventral cavity. The moment the hatch activated, a "port" opened, and the yawning door sent all the Zerg directly into a drawing room.
Sarkdi’s past experiences allowed him to accept this kind of transfer well.
But Gera was not quite used to the sensation of near-instantaneous teleportation. Though he was born of a high-level race, he was an abandoned existence and had almost no chance to experience so-called "port transmission."
The white male Zerg gripped Sarkdi’s arm, letting out a few low, buzzing hums.
Before the Core Species could lean down to check on him, a cup-like container was handed over.
"Let your male drink a little; he will feel better."
Sarkdi took the container from the silver-grey high-level Zerg’s hand and took a sip, his scent glands carefully discerning whether any other ingredients had been added.
The conclusion was none.
It was an indescribable taste.
Unlike human honeydew, the Zerg’s own nectar had a completely different mouthfeel. It was crisp, sweet, and cool, with an enchanting fragrance.
Thus, he leaned down halfway to feed some to Gera.
The other sipped the liquid from the cup while leaning against his arm. His body immediately emitted an unconscious buzz of joy; as Clark had said, this was a "taste that males like very much."
This reaction caused Gera to instantly flush with heat.
"I—I've had enough," he stammered, trying to push Sarkdi’s hand away.
The black female Zerg let out a light chuckle and stuffed the entire cup into Gera’s hand, commanding brookingly, "Finish it."
When one is already deep in debt, one stops worrying.
The high-level Genetic Species clearly wanted to "chat" about a more serious topic; he wouldn't care about a small cup of nectar.
Meanwhile, Clark simply stood to the side, quietly observing their interaction.
His wings and whip-tail hung down like flowing water without making a sound; one could hardly see any Zerg habits in him.
This made the situation even more complicated.
It meant the fellow before them possessed excellent self-control. In a race like the Zerg, where instinct overwhelmed reason, to be able to keep a cool head and master one's own behavior with such ease was incredibly troublesome.
Even if the other were human, he would be the type that Sarkdi would find a bit of a headache to deal with.
The drawing room was large, large enough to be called a reception hall.
To human eyes, the space might be somewhat gloomy, but for the Zerg, it was a quite comfortable nest.
It wasn't until they were seated that the ship's owner spoke again.
"Your act of challenging Katra was very unusual."
His fingers tapped out a gentle, rhythmic beat. "I was surprised."
"I don't think there was anything unusual about it," Sarkdi said with a smile—a smile that seemed welded onto his face.
This was the trouble with talking to hypocritical Zerg; there were pitfalls everywhere, and one could step into a trap if not careful.
"To have just entered adulthood, yet be willing to face a prime Core Species for the sake of an unrelated male and an aging middle-caste Zerg—that is already strange enough."
The silver-grey female Zerg’s mimicry was perfect down to the details. His fingertips, which looked no different from a human's, were pressed together as he watched him quietly.
Sarkdi knew the other would do a background check.
But he was no different from an undocumented person; even he didn't know who this body originally belonged to. If the other had the ability to find out, they might as well tell him.
"You robbed a raider ship. Data shows your vessel originally belonged to a group of middle-caste wanderers." Thoughtful pale grey eyes looked toward Gera, who was clutching his cup tightly.
"So, you intercepted a male from the hands of raiders, became his mate, and then came to Ja?"
It was a question that didn't quite sound like a question.
Clark’s gentle smile was like a knife, peeling away the calm facade in a few strokes. But he didn't stop there, immediately dropping another bombshell.
"I believe that among the high-level races I am familiar with, only one race has ever had a male with a genetic defect appear among their offspring."
"I heard before that they abandoned that cub."
"I am glad to see with my own eyes that you are still alive and healthy, Roxanne."
For a moment, Gera almost lost his grip on the cup.
Beside him, Sarkdi supported his arm, took the empty container and set it aside, then used his pitch-black whip-tail to entwine the other’s white, half-scaled tail, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I assume you didn't personally set foot on this energy planet just to bully a sub-adult cub," he said, partially shielding his frightened companion behind him.
*Very good, high-level species. Excessively difficult.*
This was exactly why he always hated dealing with people—or Zerg—like this.
It was a very smooth combination of pressure and diplomacy. First, he descended on Ja with a large number of Armed Species, then invited them onto the ship with a gentle but irresistible attitude, and finally performed a total background reveal, stripping the identities of everyone involved bare.
There was no more effective way to establish dominance.
"I apologize."
The silver-grey female Zerg showed a pleasant expression toward Gera. His deep voice didn't show a hint of annoyance at the other's hostility; instead, he expressed regret.
"Please rest assured, my relationship with your race is average, and I have no intention of dealing with them."
He winked at the other.
"I have nothing to do with them," the white male Zerg finally found his voice, summoning his courage. He gripped Sarkdi’s arm tightly, forcing himself to look directly at the dangerous individual before him.
"I understand."
The other nodded. "Your name is Gera, and you are the little mate of my newly-risen victor."
"So now, let us talk about the energy planet. Let us talk about Angon."
