Sarcati enjoyed high-difficulty maneuvers, yet when he chose to, he could pilot a mecha with such preternatural stability that a glass of water placed atop the cockpit wouldn’t spill a drop.
Squeezing two Zerg inside was still a tight fit, but with the Core Species himself at the helm this time, there would be no more erratic S-shaped flight paths.
As Qiming breached the confines of the underground factory and surged into the sky, the male Zerg gripped Sarcati in a state of sheer terror.
To avoid being spotted by any irrelevant Zerg, the black Worker-class activated the mecha’s stealth plating. Simultaneously, he punched through the cloud layer at maximum velocity, severing any possibility of prying eyes.
The surface of Planet Ja was gloomy and oppressive, but that mattered little to the world above the sea of clouds.
Gela, who had never flown to such heights, was initially frightened out of his wits. The holographic cockpit made him feel as though he were stepping into a void, with a bottomless abyss beneath his feet. Only the black tail-whip, which had nowhere else to go and thus coiled around his waist, provided a thin sense of security.
However, once Sarcati reduced their speed and the g-force subsided, the male Zerg couldn't help but crane his neck to look around.
It was a novel perspective.
A Core Species female’s demand for oxygen was remarkably low, and their bodies and wings were incredibly robust; they could even survive for a short while floating in the vacuum of space amidst cosmic radiation.
Male Zerg were different. Males were fragile, comparable to an untrained normal human; their physical strength and endurance dictated that they could never conquer the sky.
Yet Sarcati had gifted him a pair of steel wings, allowing him to break free from the shackles of gravity, pierce through the heavy clouds, and soar upward.
Sarcati’s train of thought, however, was not on the same track as the male Zerg, who was as excited as a newborn hatchling. At this moment, the black Core Species’ only thought was: *This is cramped.*
The custom-made cockpit was like a cat carrier—originally intended for one small kitten, but now forced to accommodate a large orange tabby as well.
Thus, as soon as they entered level flight and slowed to a near-hover, he immediately transferred the neural link from himself to Gela.
"Your turn to pilot."
As he spoke, and under Gela’s horrified gaze, Sarcati manually unlocked the cockpit.
"What?!"
Before the male Zerg could grab him, the Core Species slipped out from beneath him and off the pilot's seat, as slippery and ungraspable as a Qiqi fish.
Gela was nearly suffocated by the sheer absurdity of the maneuver. He mechanically stabilized the mecha as the controls were handed over, then watched helplessly as the Core Species used his agile body to climb out of the open hatch. With a couple of wingbeats and the graceful leap of an acrobat, Sarcati sat himself down right on Qiming’s shoulder.
The white Zerg’s hands were trembling, terrified that a single slip-up would send the other tumbling down.
"Where... where should I fly?"
He had completely forgotten the fact that female Zerg could fly and wouldn't simply fall to their deaths.
"Wherever," the Core Species chuckled softly, watching the other’s frantic state with a hint of mischief. "There’s no air traffic control on Ja, and the Armed Species don't allow ships to launch at night. Fly wherever you like."
The night wind was cold, which was just right for a female Zerg. Having the foresight to dress Gela in a suit of light external armor before they left, Sarcati ensured his companion—who had never experienced such thrills—could enjoy the pleasure of flying with the door open.
But Gela didn't seem to be experiencing any "pleasure" at all. With a wooden expression, he drove forward slowly, navigating the sky with the pace of an elderly Zerg out for a stroll.
Given the mental link, as long as the connection wasn't severed, it wouldn't have mattered even if Gela had climbed outside to catch the breeze as well. With the male Zerg’s formidable mental power, he could likely operate the mecha remotely without needing a physical connection.
But Sarcati didn't tell him that.
It had been many, many years since he had indulged in such mean-spirited teasing.
In his later years, he had become rather dull. Any hint of playfulness in his daily life would result in the Master of Ceremonies chasing him down with frantic criticisms, and his environment truly hadn't been suited for making ridiculous, image-tarnishing gestures in public.
Those day-to-day details had become blurred; he couldn't even remember what he had eaten during those final years—nutritional paste, simple rations, or perhaps just a plain IV drip.
He remembered most of the battles, every iteration of weaponry, and the key decrees he had enacted.
Yet he didn't quite remember the preferences and small interests that had constituted Sarcati Shalileban himself.
And now, as Gela piloted Qiming with a huff, carefully flying above the sea of clouds, it suddenly occurred to him that he might have been a bit of a brat in his youth.
Klein Young once forced him to write three self-reflections in a single night; Evelyn would come looking for him with her whip every so often; even Marshal Ye Ci would frequently suffer from soaring blood pressure and curse him out over his fabricated reports.
Deprived of their intimate cuddling and forced to pilot the mecha with a long face, the male Zerg felt no inner spark from this "joyride."
Gela didn't close the hatch; he wanted to be able to see the presence that made him feel safe at any time.
The slow speed allowed him to gradually relax, losing the tension he had felt at the start.
Then, he heard the other humming a song.
It was a very slow song.
"...My companions who shared life and death with me along the way, all feel sorrow for my departure..." The human language was obscure and husky. The Core Species’ fingers idly tapped against Qiming’s outer plating, striking a crisp rhythm.
His long tail was draped behind him in a relaxed posture, swaying slightly in time with the humming.
Blurred syllables accompanied by a fragmented melody scattered into the night.
"...And my beloved ones, hope I will stay for one more night..."
Many times on those desolate planets, familiar comrades had passed away, with no kin or friends nearby, unable to return home even in death.
Beneath the strange and cold stars, someone would sit in the darkness and sing slowly, erecting crude earthen monuments for departed companions, planting rows of green trees for those newly born graves.
He had seen others off in song countless times, but this was the first time he was saying goodbye for himself.
The night wind brushed gently along the pitch-black wings and the pure white mecha, stirring those golden-brown eyes. Sarcati leaned his head against Qiming’s shoulder, gazing into the endless night sky.
Below them floated the distant ground; the great plains and mountain ranges of Ja undulated like crouching giant beasts, while the sea of moonlight woven from clouds flowed down from the heavens.
Gela’s wings vibrated a few times. Following the other’s tune, he tentatively let out a soft, echoing chirp.
The female Zerg paused for a moment but did not stop.
His keen mental sensitivity allowed Gela to understand that what the other sang must be a somewhat sad song, yet that deep voice always carried a trace of affectionate laughter.
This was an emotion he did not understand.
Having lived in a closed environment for a long time, the nurturing and care the male Zerg had received from his kin were extremely limited. He mimicked human language and behavior, but rarely had the chance to truly understand emotion itself. This phenomenon was common, occurring in every corner of the Zerg race.
He, Xiao, and the other males who had come to Ja were the lucky ones; many more males would face kin as savage as Katla, with no escape and nowhere to go.
The Core Species had rescued him from the mid-to-low-tier female Zerg who controlled the raider ship, taking on the roles of kin, guide, educator, and protector.
He had always feared that fate would take the other away from him.
Yet at this moment, Gela hoped to understand a little more about Sarcati’s past.
—All the history that made Sarcati who he was, the race and companions he cherished, and the beloved partner who might have once existed.
"Can you tell me about humans?"
When the other’s voice gradually faded to a whisper, Gela spoke softly.
He had grown accustomed to the height and was no longer so nervous. Qiming was flying very slowly, allowing him to relax enough to dare strike up a conversation with the female Zerg.
The black Core Species sitting lazily on the mecha’s shoulder looked down at him with a hint of surprise, but he didn't refuse.
"What do you want to know?"
"Just now... what was that song?"
The male Zerg felt a bit apprehensive as he whispered the question.
Simple, clear emotions were easy to judge, but when the other’s feelings were complex and difficult to discern, he would become insecure, unable to provide an accurate response.
Sarcati laughed.
"It’s a song wishing for a companion’s happiness."
He gripped the mecha’s outer plating with one hand and swung down, hooking onto the edge of the cockpit and leaning his body there.
This wasn't the thrilling joyride he had imagined; they were truly just hovering above the sea of clouds, basking in the moonlight. It was a very peaceful, very elderly-style night walk.
"It describes how humans sit together and drink."
Gela knew it wasn't entirely like that.
He tasted a sort of playful resignation and a deep sense of nostalgia, like a hint of bitterness hidden within a rich aftertaste.
However, in the next second, Sarcati reached out and gave his head a quick, rough rub. "I don't have the skill to explain it. You’ll understand when it’s time to understand."
His golden-brown eyes looked at him with a smile. "You’re still too young. You can wait a bit longer to understand."
With those words, the arm gripping the cockpit let go. The black Zerg, up to his usual no-good antics, flipped backward with ease, plummeting from the high altitude in a free-fall.
The accident happened too suddenly.
Gela let out a terrified scream.
His entire being went numb as he instinctively piloted Qiming to dive toward the other.
As a result, just a second before he was about to catch the Core Species, the black Zerg wings vibrated, and Sarcati slipped away from the mechanical arms with lightning speed.
In the midst of his busy escape, Sarcati didn't forget to look back and make a provocative waving gesture, flapping his wings as he made a clean getaway.
From extreme terror to the realization of anger, the male Zerg’s mental state nearly collapsed from the emotional rollercoaster, instantly throwing everything else to the back of his mind.
The other had scared him on purpose.
Bad Zerg.
Qiming accelerated without warning, tearing through the silken clouds and kicking up a shimmer like ocean waves.
The black Core Species was even faster, his free-fall having transitioned into a casual glide. He trailed the white mecha at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, making it easy to provide protection if needed.
*This* was a proper joyride.
Sarcati had never had much of a conscience; he was having a grand time bullying the novice pilot. Male creatures... it was likely the inherent vice of male creatures that made him fly so flamboyantly. He practically wore his smugness on his face, leading Gela in circles with showy displays of sharp turns and erratic darting.
Gela looked like he was about to explode.
The Zerg possessed an innate instinct for struggle and slaughter deep in their bones; when this diluted instinct was placed in a male Zerg, it manifested as a mysterious competitive streak.
Looking back at their time together, this was the first time the soft-natured male Zerg had truly lost his temper, nearly causing sparks to fly from the neural link.
"You... how can you be so mean!"
Such a fierce kitten; his tail was likely standing straight up in anger.
But even when fierce, he was quite earnest, unable to say anything more offensive.
The Core Species loved teasing these seemingly well-behaved fellows the most.
A man’s joy could sometimes be quite absurd.
He really was a piece of work.
Like insects dancing in the night, the black Core Species and the silver-white mecha plunged together into this sea of moonlight.
It was the first time the male Zerg had operated Qiming alone for such a long period and performed high-altitude flight; after circling with the other countless times, he was exhausted.
His mental power was sufficient, but sufficiency didn't mean he was used to it; mental redundancy pressure would still accumulate bit by bit.
Terrified of accidentally hitting his companion, he slowed down every time he got close, only for the Core Species to escape with ease.
It felt as though a night’s worth of flight lessons had been condensed into a few hours. He even suspected if this was some kind of special training program disguised as a joyride.
Gela had sealed the cockpit when the chase began, and now he desperately wanted to open the hatch and cuddle with the other.
As if sensing this fatigue, Sarcati stopped running.
This was the only chance before leaving Ja for the male Zerg to fly unhindered in the sky.
From the results, the other had flown quite well. A chase was the best teaching model, and he deserved a temporary passing grade.
In truth, Sarcati had enjoyed himself quite a bit as well.
When Qiming approached once more and extended its steel arm, the Core Species allowed himself to be gently gathered into its palm.
The pure white mechanical wings spread out, resembling unfurled moonlight.
Gela, having unlocked the cockpit again, wagged his scaled tail happily and reached out toward the other.
"Caught you!"
He said.
***
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Sacre-D: Reborn as the Swarm's Apex | Chapter 42 | A Stroll Above the Clouds | Novela.app | Novela.app
