Chapter 39: Kneel Down

Chapter 39 Kneel Down

Devin sighed, inserting the gloves into the analyzer. He skillfully adjusted the parameters, and the machine roared to life; a misty vapor began to rise from the container.

Devin pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Lanen: "Do not place too much hope in the analysis results. The molecular structure of high-level males' pheromones has always been a technical challenge, not to mention the time is tight now."

It was merely the initial marking, but Lanen's dependence on pheromones was already showing. Once deeply marked, all the injections on the market would become ineffective for him.

Lanen's face remained expressionless, only saying: "You still retain that method from the black market, correct?"

Devin's hand paused for a moment, then he lowered his eyes and continued his work: "I do, but you need to think carefully about the consequences of using that stuff."

The black market injections are severely flawed. The brief relief they provide can only last for a few years, after which the backlash will be hundreds or thousands of times worse, like a cure worse than the disease. In the early days when they were circulating, many females in the Third Army inadvertently purchased them and ultimately perished in agony.

But Lanen said: "A few years will be enough."

The analysis room fell into silence, and no one spoke for a while.

Devin massaged his temples and changed the subject: "Just now when I passed by the exhibition hall, I noticed the date and suddenly realized that the third anniversary of the 23rd District Expulsion War is approaching."

Lanen sighed softly: "Time flies."

He didn't like the exhibition hall; the atmosphere there was too heavy. Had it not been for Lin You's visit, the doors of the hall wouldn't have been opened.

"Yeah, it really does." Devin opened the calendar, where a small red dot labeled 'Memorial' was marked.

He pulled up a stool and sat down in front of Lanen: "By the way, sir, I plan to take annual leave and go to the border, making it in time for the memorial day, to visit what is known as the planetary graveyard."

What is known as the planetary graveyard is the ring of a giant planet in the 23rd District border. When spacecraft are shot down in space, losing power, the warped and dented metal resembles a coffin, wrapping around the pilot's remains, drifting aimlessly in the universe. When they drift near the planet, they are captured by the planet's gravity, forming a splendid ring along with rock fragments and cosmic dust.

The ring structure is complex, with countless sharp fragments moving irregularly. No one can penetrate deep inside to retrieve their comrades' remains, so they remain permanently within the ring. Space lacks oxygen and moisture, making even the corpses difficult to decay. They are frozen with expressions of fear or peace at their time of death, slowly rotating with the planet's gravitational tides, becoming the loneliest graves in the universe.

Annually, on the memorial day, Devin and Lanen would pilot a spacecraft, rotating with the planetary graveyard, then load a small cruiser with bouquets and bottles of wine, remotely piloting it into the ring as a token of remembrance.

Lanen said: "This year is exceptional, hence I shall not attend. You can send my wine along with yours."

Devin nodded, managed a bitter smile, and patted Lanen's shoulder: "I hope when I return, I'll hear the good news of your marriage to the third prince."

Whether wedding a prince of ambiguous personality and preferences is beneficial, no one can say for sure, but for Lanen, it's already the best outcome.

*

Lin You returned from the Third Army and immediately threw himself onto the bed.

After acting as the noble prince all morning, his social stamina was utterly depleted, and now he just wanted to sleep. 66 poked the lying host, worriedly asking: "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Lin You turned over, and something hard poked his lower back. He pulled it out; it was Lanen's badge.

The badge bore intricate patterns, with thorns and irises intertwined, the silver-white metal emitting a cold, lethal gleam, reminding the holder that its owner was a highly decorated major general.

Lin You flipped it over and over in his hand, remembering that he wanted to use it as a model for his electronic wife's decoration, then remembered that with the world change, his game save was gone, and sighed: "Speaking of which, is there no similar game in this world?"

His hobbies were limited, and in his spare time, he most enjoyed playing games.

The system asked: "Are you talking about something like 'Star Warfare,' a gun battle domination game? Wait a moment, I'll check for you."

It connected to the interstellar network, manipulated a crawler to extract keywords, and after a while replied: "Hello, there isn't, but I found a similar one, a military training system. It connects to the sleep pod you saw today and the brain, allowing you to battle against other soldiers and officers. The system has built-in gun shooting modules, spacecraft control modules, and to protect soldiers' privacy and prevent retaliation, you can customize models during the matching phase. It's about 70% similar to 'Star Warfare.'"

Lin You: "."

He was not so reckless as to infiltrate the military to utilize their training system. After lamenting the lack of entertainment options among the Zerg, he gave up on gaming and lay back down on the bed.

66 appeared at the right moment and asked, "Would you like to watch a movie? I have stored hundreds of them."

All of them were carefully curated and reviewed masterpieces by it and its previous host, Xie.

Lin You nodded and chose an easy-to-watch romantic comedy. Halfway through, his device beeped.

A message from Lanen popped up: "Sorry to bother you, my prince. It's been half an hour since you left. Have you arrived home safely?"

He was still dutifully cosplaying as an ardent suitor.

If said in person, Lin You would definitely get goosebumps, but when put in a text message, it felt like feeling like a language role-play.

The system said, "Host, according to the original text, you should say, 'Don't bother me.'"

Lin You replied instantly, "Don't bother me."

Before Lanen could formulate a response, he quickly sent another message, adding, "It's getting late, I need to sleep."

This vague statement could be interpreted as "never bother me again" or "it's late today, let's chat tomorrow."

Lanen paused.

He couldn't keep up with Lin You's typing speed. The Third Prince's two messages had completely different tones—the first one was irritable and annoyed, while the second didn't seem angry at all. He had no choice but to delete the carefully worded apology and changed it to, "Then I wish you a good night, my prince."

The system glanced at the chat interface and clicked its tongue, "Calculating, he even updated his profile picture."

Lin You opened the chat interface. Lanen's profile picture was a photo of him arranging fruits in the kitchen. The photo was clearly meticulously designed—sunlight streamed in at a 45-degree angle, his smile was just right, his sleeves rolled up to reveal the most attractive part of his forearm, the apron tied tightly accentuating his waistline, and the fruits on the plate—kiwi, orange, and grapefruit—were rich yet harmless.

The system said, "He might have referred to 'The Color Guide Most Preferred by Men.' I extracted a color gradient from this book that perfectly matches the photo's color scheme."

...Just looking at this, Lanen really seemed like the ideal homemaker.

Lin You examined it carefully, pondering, "What did his previous profile picture look like?"

This profile picture was completely unlike Lanen's usual style in the novel.

The system accessed big data and dug up a photo from the archives, displaying it on the screen: "This one."

In the photo, Lanen was wearing a pure white uniform, armed with a gun, his silver hair tied up high at the back, blown by a fierce wind. His expression was aloof and cold, like an eagle circling a cliff, showing only his profile, not looking at the camera, yet exuding a stern and commanding presence.

Lin You: "Wow..."

He was somewhat captivated.

Switching back to the light brain, the current photo of him cutting grapefruit now seemed out of place. After some consideration, Lin You opened the chat box and quickly sent another message, said meaningfully: "The photo is beautiful."

—He was referring to the previous one.

The system glanced sideways, "You're not socially awkward now."

Lin You said, "It's just chatting online."

Who was he? He was a streamer who was called "wife" by others and also called countless others "wife." Face-to-face, he didn't dare to speak recklessly, but typing? He had no fear.

"..."

The device remained silent for a long time.

Lanen paused for a while, seemingly not expecting Lin You to notice the photo so quickly. Then he carefully replied, as always in a melodious tone, "Thank you for your praise and liking. Next time you visit, I will make sure to prepare welcome fruits for you."

Lin You could imagine that if Lanen said this face-to-face, his tone would be dignified and refined, with impeccable manners, like the most well-bred noble. But chatting on the holographic communicator seemed a bit comical.

At this point, the other side still showed "typing."

Lin You didn't reply, just leisurely watched to see what else Lanen could say.

Perhaps Lin You's positive response gave him the opportunity to press his advantage, and the females from the Collet Family have always been adept at seizing every opportunity. Lanen shamelessly added, "Cooking is a fundamental skill for females. It's part of my daily routine at home, and I look forward to the day I can serve you a meal."

"Pfft—"

Lin You closed the holographic device, laughing so hard he couldn't stand straight.

He punched the pillow a couple of times, admired the serious and cold side-profile photo for a moment, saved it, and was about to take a shower and go to bed when his holographic device suddenly beeped again, popping up a call invitation.

This time, it wasn't Lanen; the note read: Mother.

The system reminded, "Oh, it's the original host's mother, the co-commander of the Seventh and First Army Corps, one of the three existing admirals in the military, Admiral Hoyle. In the original novel, you are about to meet; this should be the world automatically filling in the plot."

The original text only mentioned that the two would meet, naturally omitting the intermediate contact process.

Lin You paused slightly; this list of titles was overwhelming.

The system said, "You don't need to be nervous. The original host's mother is busy with military affairs and has just returned to the capital recently. She doesn't interact much with the original host and won't see through your identity issues."

Lin You said strangely, "She doesn't interact much, then why call me so late at night?"

He pressed to answer.

A stern and serious middle-aged woman appeared in the video, dressed in a navy blue uniform, seemingly just returned from the military, her shoulders adorned with medals. She was no longer young, with strands of silver mixed into her gray-blue hair, her eyes fiercely stern, clearly a woman of high authority, wielding the power of life and death.

Lin You greeted first, "Mother, good evening."

The woman's gaze fell on him, instantly softening.

She looked Lin You up and down, a slight smile appearing at the corners of her mouth, "My dear You You has finally come of age."

The story begins with the third prince just reaching adulthood, and reaching adulthood is a significant milestone for the Zerg, with changes in appearance and personality.

The system said, "General Hoyle has just returned to the capital; she hasn't seen you since you reached adulthood."

Lin You thought left and right, planning to respond, "Indeed." Then he heard his mother suddenly sigh deeply, wistfully saying, "You You is now old enough to marry a female consort."

"..."

Lin You was suddenly startled, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.

Although he had already crossed over, this statement was eighty percent similar to parents pressuring him to marry during family gatherings. Lin You reflexively broke into a sweat, then awkwardly laughed, "Ah? Really?"

There was no such plot, so he had to wing it.

Hoyle changed the subject, saying, "I heard you've been spending time with Major General Lanen of the Collet Family recently?"

"...Yes."

Hoyle showed some disapproval, "He's not the right choice."

"I've seen Lanen at the military before. That child might be a good general, with deep scheming and strategic planning, but he's not suited for domestic life, content to stay at home. He has too many of his own ideas, too many conflicting intentions. Although the Collet Family's wealth is indeed enviable, in this regard, you still need to think carefully."

Hoyle paused for a moment, then added, "You won't be able to control him."

Lin You knew he couldn't suppress Lanen, nor did he want to. In the novel, the major general was like an iris entwined with thorns; the deeper the worldly doctrines bound him, the more he blossomed. If he were suppressed, he wouldn't be Lanen anymore.

Lin You had been quietly listening to Admiral Hoyle. The males of the Zerg didn't need to show such respect to their sires, but he still retained the habits from his previous life. But upon hearing this, he interrupted: "With all due respect, I don't consider these to be flaws."

He frowned: "Not suited for domestic life or content to stay in the background, but military females shouldn't be like that. Father, when you were young, you probably didn't think of sacrificing everything and completely dedicating yourself to my sire, did you?"

"..."

Of course, no one is born thinking of dedicating their life to someone else. It's just that Zerg pheromones are too overpowering, deeply ingrained in their very being, leaving no choice.

Lin You pursed his lips: "Besides, I've seen Lanen fire a gun, and it was beautiful."

Implied was that he didn't wish for Lanen to change anything.

Admiral Hoyle paused.

Admiral Hoyle pressed his temples, somewhat lost in thought, and after a moment said, "You really have grown up."

The pampered prince had changed suddenly upon coming of age. Admiral Hoyle looked at him, unsure whether to feel comforted or sigh.

He sighed, "It's been a while since I've seen you. Let's have a meal together with Lanen."

The Third Prince seemed quite fond of Lanen; Admiral Hoyle had to personally assess the situation.

*

When Lanen received the invitation, he was just about to send Devin off on a spaceship for his annual leave.

The Third Army was not under the command of any of the three current generals, but due to their status, all three generals had the authority to command him. Admiral Hoyle's message came directly to his light brain, cold and emotionless, simply stating: "Next Friday, dine with me."

He didn't even bother with a 'please.'

Lanen quickly closed the message, but Devin had already seen it. Devin was a bit surprised: "The Third Prince's father?"

Lanen responded indifferently: "Probably here to assert authority."

He had been pursuing the Third Prince quite openly, with rumors of roses and Iris spreading throughout the city. Now, every gossip section on anonymous forums was buzzing with talk. The Third Prince's father couldn't possibly be unaware.

Devin thought for a moment and clicked his tongue: "Next Friday, the timing is such that you might have a hard time."

After the initial imprinting, the long period of discomfort could last up to two months. It had been nearly half a month since Lanen last came into contact with Lin You's pheromones, and the remnants on his gloves and coat had completely dissipated, forcing Lanen to increase his medication dosage.

At this point, being in the same room as Lin You would be quite challenging.

Lanen said, "I just hope he doesn't make me kneel beside the Third Prince for two hours."

This was an ancient Zerg custom of asserting authority, similar to how in some backward human regions, brides are made to sit on a winnowing fan, supposedly to temper their character. Many Zerg males enjoyed such displays of authority.

Kneeling for two hours wasn't a big deal—he wasn't that fragile. The real issue was the male Zerg's pheromones that would permeate the air, creating a fatal attraction. Yet, those pheromones, while stirring the body, were far from satisfying, only intensifying the frustration and making the longing unbearable. In such a situation, restraining instinctive impulses and maintaining decorum in front of a superior was no small feat.

But once decorum was lost, the path to marriage would become even more challenging.

Devin teased: "That's not the worst. The worst would be kneeling for two hours and then the admiral telling you it's not suitable and to stay away from his child."

Lanen didn't deny it: "That's not impossible."

With the wealth of the Collet Family, Lanen was confident that Lin You would accept him. Moreover, given the Third Prince's recent behavior, even praising his photo, it seemed there was still some fondness. As for the inevitable twists and turns, he would have to endure them one by one.

Speaking of which, Lanen suddenly said: "Devin, your taste is quite good."

Devin was puzzled: "?"

Lanen: "The photo you picked was very much liked by the Third Prince."

Devin smiled smugly: "Of course, it's the result of data analysis on male preferences."

Time flew by, and Lanen spent his days handling official duties. Before he knew it, Friday had arrived.

He meticulously groomed his appearance, tying up his silver hair strand by strand, chose a low-key and fail-safe formal attire, and injected three doses of medication into his veins—the maximum allowed by pharmacology. Then, carrying a bouquet of pure white Iris, he calmly boarded the aircraft.

During this time, he repeatedly confirmed the address given by General Hoyle.

Royal family dinners are typically held in private residences, but General Hoyle chose a location in a bustling commercial district.

Lanen flew the aircraft near the commercial area, slightly frowning. The place was bustling with young people dressed in casual clothes, amidst bright lights and heavy traffic. His medal-adorned shoulders and formal attire made him stand out awkwardly.

This didn’t seem like a place an admiral would choose, so it must have been selected by the youthful Third Prince.

Lanen speculated about the Third Prince's taste, straightened the folds of his clothes, and thought to himself: "I hope these two aren’t crazy enough to make me kneel in public at the mall."

Otherwise, he’d be all over the forums the next day.

He arrived at the reserved shop, which had been cleared in advance. The staff checked his name and smiled, saying, "Please follow me."

Lanen nodded and entered, discreetly surveying the interior decoration.

—The floor was covered with bamboo mats, making kneeling not uncomfortable. The room was well-ventilated, allowing air to circulate normally, and pheromones could quickly dissipate.

The waiter led him to the back room.

Two sliding doors opened outward, revealing the scene inside. The Third Prince and the general sat on either side, with no chairs in the room; both were kneeling on cushions around a small copper stove, bubbling with activity.

Su Zhu: "Line, please."

"Hmm."

Lin You pushed slices of meat into the hot pot and, amidst the rising steam, beckoned to Lanen: "Major General, kneel down."

He added with a smile: "Kneel on the cushion next to me."

—He’d spent two hours picking this tatami-style restaurant just for that line.