En and Enna saw Xiao a day later.
The two sub-adult brothers were following Kliman toward the training grounds when they spotted a familiar figure. They immediately rushed forward, chirping loudly.
Flanking him on either side, they sandwiched Xiao between them, their emotional language buzzing incessantly.
the cold-faced leader of the Armed Species intended to follow them over, but upon seeing Xiao’s terrified expression, he pivoted on the spot. He marched past them with eyes fixed straight ahead, feigning total indifference.
Sakti watched the scene with considerable surprise.
"What kind of combination is this?" he asked Ge La.
If he remembered correctly, En particularly loathed the "Tail-wagger," to the point where any meeting usually involved a barrage of "don't touch me, you jinx" greetings.
"While you were gathered at the old Royal Nest, a small number of Broad-wing Species broke through the orbital defenses and tried to storm the residential nesting area," the white drone explained softly.
"En and Enna snuck out to the perimeter, refusing to take shelter in the minor information nests. As a result, they encountered a Broad-wing female."
No matter how proficient a sub-adult was with weapons, it was difficult to defeat a swift, adult Zerg with hardened scales and claws. If the opponent belonged to a Core Gene Species, they stood even less of a chance.
The injured brothers happened to run into the Armed Species leader who had come to clear the area. Kliman had hoisted the two hissing, squirming "eels" up, one in each hand, and slammed a scavenging Broad-wing into a wall with a single whip of his tail.
"And then they started clinging to Tail-wag—Kliman?" Sakti found it amusing.
The Armed Species leader looked utterly frigid, but his true personality was quite awkward. Forcing him to babysit was bound to result in a lot of entertainment.
"En and Enna said they wanted to train with him," Ge La said with a smile. "They think Kliman is very strong."
Understood. The racial obsession with strength tended to flare up at the most unexpected times.
"I'm strong too," Sakti couldn't help but argue. He hadn't seen the brothers following him around the world.
"You're too busy; they understand that."
This sudden competitive streak brought a smile to the drone's face, and he took his partner's hand.
"Besides, Kliman doesn't go easy on them. En said he's quite... 'ruthless' during training."
"To the point where 'even if they die, he'll whip them back to life to keep practicing.'"
"..."
Choked by that description, Sakti was momentarily speechless.
*I really don't understand you Zerg.*
He began to worry about the mental health of Zerg larvae. He’d have to find Clark later and ask his opinion on promoting child psychology education.
"Don't worry, we've always been like this." Sensing his partner's exasperation, Ge La leaned against him, their tails intertwining.
"This is a good thing. Encountering a kinsman like this means they are truly nurturing the next generation."
"Only when they value you will they unreservedly teach a sub-adult all the skills related to survival and hunting. I wish my own kin could have treated me this way; it would have meant they were willing to accept me."
As he spoke, the drone looked up, a hint of mischief in his eyes as he watched the black Core Species.
"You said before that you wanted to observe Kliman to decide how far you could use him. Now, he's beginning to slowly overcome his prejudices and teach a sub-adult drone without discrimination."
His pale eyes flickered as he blinked. "Has he met your standards?"
"What did he give you? Are you here as a lobbyist?" Sakti didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn't expected Ge La to one day speak up for his subordinate.
However, the drone shook his small tail solemnly and waved his hand with mock gravity.
"I'm being very serious."
As he spoke, he pulled up data on his information linker. "We visited several nests before, and I kept records of those visits."
"A single visit can't solve the problems. I need to track the subsequent lives of those drones and arrange work for them, so I know that Kliman is also paying attention to these matters."
"After you finished the battle with the former Sub-King, he personally compiled information on the small family groups of all the deceased females. After visiting them, he reported a list of those in urgent need of external help to me."
"Influenced by him, the females belonging to the Armed Species have begun to proactively compile information about their partners and larvae, allowing me to establish a database."
Ge La looked up and kissed the warrior beside him.
"They used to treat their partners and larvae as part of their personal property; private assets don't need to be reported. That's why when you first checked the records, you couldn't even find the names of the partners... or rather, the 'possessions' of those fallen Armed Species."
"But now, we are gradually becoming the same—Zerg who possess names."
"Thank you," Ge La said with profound sincerity.
"Stop praising me." Sakti laughed and picked the white drone up. The other was now only half a head shorter than him; it was no longer as easy to cradle him entirely in his arms as it once was.
"I'm quite prone to letting it go to my head."
"You should be proud, and more so."
Ge La pressed his forehead against Sakti's, his scaled tail wagging incessantly behind him.
"You really are that good."
"If you just brush off the incredible things you've done as if they were nothing, I'll get angry."
"Fine, fine. In the future, you can start a file full of all the good deeds I've done as a person... or as a Zerg."
The Core Species was quick to take advantage of the situation. Seeing that the other no longer refused the tail-entwining, he quickly wrapped his tail-whip around the drone's slender white tail, loop after loop.
Ge La laughed even as he kissed him.
"I've already started it."
The captain of the "Praise Support Squad" did not hold his title in name only.
Sakti: "..."
"Isn't it a bit early to start preparing materials for a memoir?" he said with difficulty, beginning to worry that the drone would pull out a little notebook at any moment to recite his virtuous deeds.
It was a public execution of a different sort; he could hardly withstand it.
***
When they parted, the Core Species was in perhaps the lightest mood he’d had in recent times.
Even seeing his "boss" didn't dampen this buoyant feeling.
In contrast, the silver-gray Zerg had also become much more silent lately. He seemed preoccupied, his sharp edges hidden beneath a cold expression.
When Sakti entered the meeting nest, Clark was staring at a box on the table.
Inside was Krisha's heart.
Even while on the verge of death, Arthur Simmons had brought out the former Sub-King's heart as a trophy of his victory in the deathmatch.
The organ was currently sealed in a life-support case. Countless tiny, dense blood vessels encased it, allowing it to maintain a living reaction in a grotesque fashion despite being separated from its host.
Zerg biotechnology was truly sanity-draining.
The decor of the residential nests was so normal that Sakti had almost forgotten the hair-raising things this race could produce.
Realizing his partner truly had no intention of sparing him a glance, the black Zerg couldn't help but break the silence.
"Are you planning to eat that thing?"
To be precise, Clark had already ascended to the throne of the new King, but his body had not yet truly reached the level of a Sub-King. Even so, he had decapitated three Sub-Kings. It was almost impossible to imagine what this "Butcher of the Northern Battlefield" would evolve into once he achieved a genetic breakthrough.
Sakti knew the customs of the swarm. During the era of the Broodmother, after a previous King died, the direct descendants would devour the remains and then slaughter each other. The last one remaining would obtain a genetic breakthrough and evolve into the new King.
If Clark wanted to eat the heart before him, Sakti wouldn't be surprised at all.
"In the beginning, Krisha was relatively thin and small compared to all the brothers."
However, the other did not answer his question. The silver-gray Zerg’s expression was weary as he began an unexpected topic.
"Kinsmen of the Core Gene groups do not pay much attention to weak offspring."
"He would follow behind the other brothers, picking up scraps and gnawing on the tough bones of exotic beasts."
"Our race has continued like this, generation after generation."
His pale gray eyes were downcast. The poised Zerg sat there, showing no further signs of weakness.
"But he still survived, and even managed to snatch a portion of the remains of the last Broodmother."
"While I was pursuing the Hard-wing tribe and met Arthur, he found a place, swallowed that gift that nearly killed him, and completed his genetic breakthrough."
The former Sub-King had been looked down upon since the moment he cracked his shell. So, he had fought desperately to rise, to grasp the entire Gray-wing tribe in his hands. Until he successfully sat in that highest position.
Deception, cunning, cruelty, malice, ruthlessness... he had used every means possible to carve out a path of blood. Since the birth of this species, every coronation of a new King had been accompanied by a carpet paved in bloodstains.
"The only time I did not follow the instincts of the race was when I chose to adopt a human instead of immediately returning to seize the throne. This allowed Krisha to digest the Broodmother's remains."
Clark's voice was very low.
"And after a dozen or so Great Cycles, these past debts have forced me to pay a price in blood—nearly half my tribe and my dying beloved son."
The silver-gray Zerg placed the box on the table.
"Destroy it," he finally said.
"You're overthinking it." Sakti sat to one side, looking at his partner. His golden-brown eyes looked directly at the other.
"If you were given the choice again, would you have abandoned Arthur and gone back to seize the throne?"
Clark did not answer.
The pitch-black Core Species spread his hands.
"See? So none of that matters. Because you would still choose Arthur."
"I heard from Roxanne that Simmons is still on the *Red Taisui*, but he woke up not long ago."
Getting straight to the point, Sakti felt he had to have a talk with his boss about life and Zerg ideals.
The other had quickly cleared out the entire Gray-wing habitat; his work progress hadn't been affected at all. Or rather, he had become even more decisive when issuing orders, as if the last shred of hesitation had vanished.
But this wasn't necessarily a good sign.
"And yet, you don't seem to want to see him."
The Core Species possessed a blunt, "calling a spade a spade" attitude, completely eschewing any roundabout or tactful language. When dealing with a difficult person with a hundred thousand schemes, he chose a direct strike.
"Even though the *Red Taisui* provided boarding clearance, you only go to see Arthur when he's asleep."
"Are you two playing some game of hide-and-seek?"
This time, the silver-gray Zerg remained silent for even longer.
When he finally spoke, his voice was somewhat raspy, no longer as deep and soft as before.
"I think," Clark’s pale gray eyes looked forward, but his gaze pierced through the walls to some unknown place, as if he were waking from a long dream.
"I will find a time to send him away later."
The high-ranking Zerg said, "He should return to human space and live out his life properly."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 恩 | En | A sub-adult Zerg brother. |
| 恩纳 | Enna | A sub-adult Zerg brother. |
| 克里曼 | Kliman | Leader of the Armed Species. |
| 阔翅种 | Broad-wing Species | A type of Zerg. |
| 亚王虫 | Sub-King | A high-ranking Zerg rank below the King/Queen. |
| 红太岁 | Red Taisui | Likely a biological ship or a specific location. |
| 克里沙 | Krisha | The former Sub-King of the Gray-wing tribe. |
| 罗克珊 | Roxanne | A character mentioned by Sakti. |
| 大循环 | Great Cycle | A unit of time for the Zerg. |
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Sacre-D: Reborn as the Swarm's Apex | Chapter 85 | The Gift of a Name | Novela.app | Novela.app
