Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The starship still had half a day's journey ahead.

They would have to spend the night on board.

Lu Wei was not one to be fussy about unfamiliar beds, and with a relaxed attitude, he fell asleep quickly despite all that had transpired.

He sprawled out on the bed, snoring away.

In the middle of the night, the adjutant silently appeared by the bedside.

Staring at Lu Wei, the adjutant didn't say a word.

It seemed as if he was observing him.

He had never seen anyone so adaptable, able to fall asleep the moment their eyes closed.

For some reason, he felt a hint of irritation. With an expressionless face, the adjutant lifted the blanket that Lu Wei had pulled over himself.

The quilt was tossed aside, allowing a cool draft to enter. The person lying on the bed, as still as a corpse, finally stirred slightly.

But it was merely a stir. After pulling the quilt back over himself, he continued sleeping.

The entire action was executed effortlessly, without any signs of waking up.

The aide-de-camp expressionlessly tried to lift the quilt again.

This time, Lu Wei curled up like a spring roll, automatically wrapping the quilt tightly around himself.

The aide-de-camp found it impossible to lift the quilt now; it was securely clasped by the spring roll.

After several attempts, Lu Wei, half-awake and half-asleep, slapped the aide-de-camp's hand with a loud smack.

Was it an extraordinary ability to accurately hit the culprit while sleeping?

The man withdrew his hand, its knuckles slightly reddened.

It didn't really hurt, though.

However, this was the first person in the Empire who dared to strike him.

"..." The adjutant's expression remained impassive. He reached out and pinched the sleeping man's face until it turned red before he seemed satisfied.

Lu Wei was oblivious to everything that had transpired. The next morning, he woke up full of energy.

The starship provided food, but it was similar to what they had on the Empire – mostly dry crackers and snacks. Yesterday, Lu Wei could still stomach them when he was hungry, but now that his appetite had subsided, he found them unappetizing.

The Empire's food selection was incredibly limited. Apart from these snacks, there were nutrient solutions, which only the Empire's inhabitants could tolerate. Lu Wei couldn't stand them.

He wanted to find a pot and some ingredients to cook himself a proper breakfast.

But there was nothing.

For the nth time, Lu Wei cursed this damned place.

Had the inhabitants of this esteemed planet given up on their taste buds?

Just then, the adjutant emerged, though his handsome face clearly conveyed his displeasure. With his striking looks and inexplicable mood swings, he appeared more like a nobleman than an officer.

The epitome of capitalist decadence seemed to be etched into the grain.

Lu Wei greeted politely, forcing a smile. "Deputy, you were up all night?"

The deputy replied, "I didn't sleep."

Lu Wei was startled. "How sinister. Not mentioning His Majesty... the lack of sleep is part of your corporate culture, isn't it?"

The deputy smiled at him. "I have a condition where I can't sleep if I see others sleeping well."

Seriously?

That smile appeared strangely eerie to Lu Wei, though the deputy had always had an odd, sickly appearance.

One could only say that proximity to vermilion turns one red, and proximity to black makes one dark. The emperor was likely just as dog-like, probably even more so.

Lu Wei clicked his tongue. "That's indeed a problem that needs addressing."

The deputy asked, "You're about to meet His Majesty, and you're not afraid at all?"

Sleeping like a log.

Not only was Lu Wei not afraid, he was even preparing to pop champagne at halftime. "It's... not too bad."

The person in front of him was easy to read, wearing his emotions openly on his face. At this moment, 'greed' was practically etched in his eyes.

The adjutant formed a hypothesis in his heart.

He had thought that this man was unique, but it seemed he was no different from those reckless desperadoes who cared nothing for their lives.

A faint, gray glint flickered in the adjutant's eyes. "After finding His Majesty, what do you want?"

With his hand resting on his chin, Lu Wei chuckled. "First, I'll clarify the cancellation of the previous engagement, then I'll make a bold demand."

Nonchalantly, the adjutant asked, "What kind of bold demand?"

Gold and jewels, power and influence, titles and ranks—these were the usual desires.

Lu Wei replied, "I want him to give me a job with a 9-to-5 schedule, two days off per week, including insurance benefits. It must also have monthly and annual leave, with a salary in the upper-middle range of the average income."

Furthermore, if it's affiliated with the Empire.

The latter half of the sentence, Lu Wei held back modestly, afraid that his aide-de-camp would think he was being overly presumptuous.

"......Hahahahaha!" The aide-de-camp laughed uncontrollably, pounding the table.

"What are you laughing at? Do you even know what it's like to be unemployed?" Lu Wei, feeling embarrassed and indignant, vented his frustration before asking, "Am I being too shameless here? Should I compromise and take quarterly leave instead of monthly leave? But the salary is non-negotiable, though..."

Indeed, many people had been taking exams for five or eight years without getting an official position. It wouldn't be right to say that one could obtain such a position just by sleeping with someone.

But he couldn't entirely blame himself for this.

The love for it was ingrained in the genes of the older generation.

The aide-de-camp's laughter trembled slightly. "No, you're very dedicated to your work."

Lu Wei looked at him with disdain. "Don't say such ominous things."

The aide-de-camp laughed again.

Lu Wei had no idea what was so amusing to this adjutant; he always laughed for no apparent reason.

It was rather eerie.

One could only say that it was typical of someone serving under Dog Emperor.

Thought Lu Wei to himself, You scold Dog Emperor with me, but you're just imitating him, aren't you?

However, the adjutant seemed displeased with his response, so he said, "You just haven't experienced the terror of His Majesty."

"Oh, maybe you're right."

Lu Wei's expression was rather indifferent.

The adjutant grew even more dissatisfied, his gaze landing on the cockpit.

When Lu Wei had free time, all he wanted to do was eat. He casually picked up the dehydrated fruit and vegetable snack beside him and began munching away.

"Adjutant, our course has suddenly changed... No, wait, has it been altered for some time now? It's my fault, we seem to be heading towards another galaxy! We'll pass through a nearby wormhole and end up in Galaxy B."

A piece of dried fruit lodged in his throat, refusing to go down.

The pilot rushed out of the cockpit to report, and upon hearing the situation, the adjutant followed him in.

"The adjutant, we're already in outer space. It's unrealistic to turn back now. We'll have to make a temporary stop at the B System."

In other words, something had suddenly gone wrong, and they needed to land elsewhere?

Lu Wei looked at the two men, the dried fruit slipping from his hand.

"Mother of mercy, are we on an alien planet? Did I misunderstand?"

Seeing his reaction, the adjutant turned slightly and smiled secretly, apparently pleased.

The adjutant replied, "Yes, we'll be arriving at the B System very soon."

Lu Wei was startled. "Turn back, then! How soon is 'very soon'?"

"In one minute."

The adjutant kindly explained to Lu Wei, "You're heading in the wrong direction. We're not going towards the Royal City right now. It seems we'll have to make a pit stop at the B System to refuel."

"B System..." As a native country boy, Lu Wei knew nothing about this Galactic history, let alone other star systems.

But he did know one thing—travelling to alien planets was awesome!

Lu Wei's eyes lit up. "There are aliens!"

The corner of the adjutant's mouth, which had just curled up, immediately fell. He said expressionlessly, "The B System is inhabited by many gelatinous toxic creatures that would swallow someone as delicate and tender as you in one bite."

Lu Wei: ???? Who's delicate and tender?

And why did that nickname sound so familiar...

He huffed. "Why do you always put me down?"

The adjutant's smile was more of a smirk, but there was no amusement in his eyes. "I think you lack a sense of danger."

According to the crew, due to a navigational error that drained their fuel reserves, they were forced to make a pitstop in System B to refuel before resuming their journey back to Emperor Star and on to Royal City.

Lu Wei disembarked with them, his gaze captivated by the resplendent galaxy that unfolded before him.

A purple ribbon of light was speckled with stars, as eternal night shrouded the landscape, imbuing it with an eerie serenity.

As Lu Wei stepped onto the uneven terrain, he gasped in awe, "Oh my, I've made it."

He, of all people, had become Earth's first extraterrestrial explorer!

The bumpy surface resembled craggy soil, seemingly fragile enough to crack underfoot. Lu Wei tiptoed cautiously, while the seasoned crew moved about unperturbed.

Well-trained, the team leader commanded, "Arms at the ready."

At this command, the crew promptly drew their weapons in unison, just as the adjutant had warned. This planet was teeming with alien life forms.

One such creature, the "Gelatinous Poisonous Organism," came into view, and Lu Wei barely managed to stifle his nausea at the sight.

A vast, amorphous purple substance, resembling molten clay, exudes a pungent odor, as if it were steeped in a toxic broth, oozing noxious substances from its essence.

Another glance and I might combust.

With a deathly pale expression, Lu Wei retched aside. After vomiting, he weakly leaned against a plant for support.

Blame couldn't be placed on him; any ordinary Earthling would have reacted similarly.

A pair of hands gently caressed his cheeks, and all Lu Wei could feel was the chill.

"Says the one who's being overly sensitive."

Lu Wei retorted, "Sensitive my foot, I'm more like a roasted pork bun, pork filling bun, or custard bun."

It was the first time he had been described with such an unpleasant term.

Once again, it hit the officer's funny bone.

That voice finally carried a hint of laughter again.

Damn it, Lu Wei realized that this adjutant only found joy in seeing him at a disadvantage – what kind of twisted mentality was that?

Lu Wei didn't bother responding further. The adjutant continued, "To His Majesty, creatures of this level are like mere vegetables to be chopped down."

"Oh, then he's quite skilled."

Despite being rather pampered, he wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

The adjutant suddenly asked, "What's a char siu bao?"

Lu Wei momentarily forgot that he was an alien and fudged an answer, "It's a type of food from where I come from, not difficult to steam."

To prevent any further questioning, Lu Wei casually replied as he walked forward, creating some distance between them.

Unwittingly straying off course, he found himself face-to-face with the gelatinous toxic creature.

The ugly thing blocked Lu Wei's path.

Gelatinous Toxic Creature: "Gah—"

Lu Wei: "..."

Lu Wei's initial instinct was to run, but the gelatinous creature was faster than him.

The creature's awkward and grotesque running posture only added to its ugliness, accompanied by meaningless sounds: "Quack-quack!"

Equipped with the universal language translator provided by the crew, Lu Wei could understand the creature's quacking, which was automatically converted into text.

He grasped the meaning behind their words.

[Why does he carry such a terrifying aura?]

[It's the scent of His Majesty the Madman!]

[Is he in a bad mood again, ready to chop us up?]

Seems like the memory of fearing His Majesty the Dog was ingrained in their DNA.

[And that smell is especially concentrated in his stomach. Oh dear, it makes me want to run no matter how many times I've smelled it. Thank goodness for ancestral memories.]

[Not just his stomach, this person is exuding that scent all over their body, oh my!]

Lu Wei: "..."

There was a sense of powerlessness, as if he had been subjected to an indecent innuendo but couldn't retort effectively.