Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"This way!"

The starter zone, already bustling with new players and recycled accounts, descended into chaos as a crowd surged in one direction.

Some cursed as their belongings were trampled, while freshly spawned accounts were swept up in the frenzy. Philo, darting around like a headless fly, barely had time to think before a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth and yanked him into an alley.

*Click.*

A miniature golden sphere popped open, swiftly generating a faint golden barrier at the corner.

Though Philo could clearly see the crowd of players rushing past outside, the barrier rendered him invisible—none so much as glanced his way.

*Huh, so this inconspicuous orb is some high-tech gadget.*

Too preoccupied to thank the stranger who’d pulled him to safety, Philo exhaled silently, now fully convinced of the historical account of Wei Jie being mobbed to death.

*Damn it!*

How the hell had he been exposed?

As if reading his thoughts, the stranger who’d dragged him in explained calmly, "You didn’t hide your gender. Out of respect for Your Grace, the game automatically displays a golden nickname for any male character upon login."

In short, while Philo saw himself as a hulking warrior avatar, every other player had been blinded by the shimmering gold tag floating above his head.

Though the feature existed, most players—especially Subfemales—opted to hide their gender, given that male players rarely indulged in such violent games. But while gender could be concealed, it couldn’t be falsified—no one would dare impersonate a male.

So when a male player broadcast his rank right at the spawn point, it was essentially broadcasting:

*Hey, I’m royalty—come pay your respects!*

...*Sigh.*

Philo clutched his head, already feeling a headache coming on.

Too engrossed in maxing his character's physique and rushing into the game, he’d blown past the fine print next to the gender selection.

Now that he thought about it, there *had* been a tiny note there...

*Well, isn’t this just great? Talk about self-own!*

"I didn’t notice that feature. Just now—anyway—"

Looking up at the green-haired player (assuming this was even his real appearance), Philo scanned his generic character model before clasping his hands in gratitude.

"Thanks. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be swarmed by now."

Not that they’d dare do anything, but the sheer awkwardness would’ve been career-ending cringe.

Genuinely thankful, Philo offered his appreciation to this cool-headed player.

Meeting Philo’s dark eyes and recognizing the familiar grin on his rugged avatar features, the Subfemale—who’d just watched banquet footage of this new male the night before—realized Your Grace truly had a chill demeanor.

But thanks? Unnecessary.

"Your Grace needn’t thank me. The oversight was mine—I failed to include a proper manual with the gift. Please forgive me."

Having long released Philo’s arm, the Subfemale—despite his combat gear—bowed with impeccable etiquette.

Connecting the dots, Philo quickly pieced together the stranger’s identity.

"You’re the one who gave me the helmet? Li... Green..."

"Li Wei Geshaluolin. The honor is mine, Your Grace."

*So it really is him.*

Glancing at the bowing Subfemale, Philo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the coincidence of bumping into his gift-giver right after logging in.

"Did you camp out here waiting for me?" Otherwise, how would he have recognized him?

"No."

Without lifting his head, as if anticipating the question, the Subfemale deadpanned, "The helmet I gifted you is a beta-test model from Geshaluolin’s R&D. The newbie equipment bears unique ID tags."

In short, he’d recognized Philo by his outfit.

But more intriguing to Philo was another detail.

"You developed the helmet yourselves? Does that mean you made these games too?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

*Well damn.*

Just moments ago, he’d been lamenting his crap luck—getting mobbed on his first day. But now? Maybe fortune was smiling on him. The game dev exec? That basically meant mad skills.

"Li Wei, right? Skip the formalities—just call me Philo."

Then, tacking on an afterthought, he added, "But in-game, don’t use my real name. Call me by my nickname—don’t want others figuring out who I am."

*Nickname?*

Li Wei’s gaze flicked to the still-glowing gold nameplate above Philo’s head. True to its blinged-out label, the nickname was... bold.

*Berserker.*

A male player, diving into war games, with *that* handle.

Side-eyeing Philo, Li Wei straightened and played along.

"Understood, Berserker."

"Hah, that’s the spirit! Hmm... yours is... 6D? Not bad—catchy."

After exchanging pleasantries, Philo—stuck with his current appearance and gold nameplate—had to accept that his first day in the game was pretty much toast.

As Li Wei explained, basic settings and avatar edits required an 8-hour lockout period. Since it was getting late anyway, Philo figured he'd bail and return tomorrow.

But before signing out, he shot a grin at the Subfemale—6D—and quipped,

"Since it’s your game, you must be a god-tier player. Next time there’s a team battle, boost me for XP? As thanks, I’ll buy you gear!"

With a wave and a "Catch you later," Philo logged off.

Standing silently in place, watching the male insect who vanished instantly, the usually emotionally stable female insect found himself at a rare loss for words as he recalled the male's parting remarks.

"A pro..."

How should he explain that while he designs games, he isn't particularly skilled at playing them?

To be precise, as the junior boss of a game development company, Li Wei Geshaluolin’s most notable advantage in gaming isn’t his skill but rather—

Picking up the golden orb—a divine-tier item other players might grind endlessly for without ever obtaining—Li Wei Geshaluolin could possess it for one simple reason: he had the almighty wallet.

If there really was a team battle next time, it would probably be him buying equipment for His Highness instead.

Removing the VR helmet, Philo carefully placed it beside the holo-pod in his gaming room. Despite the minor mishap earlier, the experience had been quite enjoyable.

Admittedly, while the male-exclusive gaming helmet chosen by Yi Jia Fa didn’t quite align with Philo’s preferences, the simulation pod itself was excellent, and paired with the VR helmet gifted by Li Wei, the effect was simply perfect.

Satisfied, the upbeat male ambled downstairs for dinner.

After the meal, upon receiving a voice message from Shang Ling, Philo remembered that tomorrow was the day he had previously scheduled with the other for learning the galactic common tongue.

Opening the communication interface, he listened to the female insect’s message before calmly exiting without replying.

If Siluan needed a lesson, then this Mr. Shang Ling probably lacked a normal psychological state.

In a society like the insectoid race, with its distorted social hierarchy, he wondered if professions like psychologists even existed.

Ignoring the subsequent greetings from the female insect, the freshly showered guy idly opened his communicator and browsed the star network. He randomly selected a bug-produced blockbuster and began watching, gradually lulling himself to sleep.

After a peaceful night, the next day arrived.

"Remove the translator?"

As a first-day tutor—though the way he got the job was somewhat unusual—Philo had to admit that Shang Ling’s brainy vibe made him trust the other’s teaching abilities.

Even so, the male couldn’t help but feel surprised at the first request made at the start of the lesson.

"Yes."

Nodding, the female insect, who had arrived at the Torras estate early that morning, offered a gentle explanation.

"From my observations, Your Highness Philo, you rely too heavily on the translator, which hinders your active use of the universal language. Only by removing it can you better learn."

Then, with seamless ease, he added, "Would you mind if I addressed you directly by name? Keeping up with the formalities might slow your progress and make our relationship seem too distant."

...

Distant? Buddy, we weren’t close to begin with.

And wasn’t this switch between personas a bit too smooth? Why didn’t you ask me in front of the others earlier? Do you really think I’m so easygoing that I won’t call out a mentally warped bug like you?

Waving his hand, Philo—who genuinely disliked making things difficult for others—agreed to the request of this individual who seemed intent on pushing boundaries.

Admittedly, this guy had a good read on people.

Yes, due to his upbringing and moral principles, he tended to yield to the females who were clearly disadvantaged in this society. But for Shang Ling to pinpoint his limits so quickly was impressive.

Fine, if he was this sharp, he probably knew his way around teaching. So, out came the translator.

Glancing at Shang Ling, Philo carefully removed the device.

Perhaps because he’d been using it so frequently lately, its sudden absence left him feeling weirdly off.

Raising a brow, he noticed Shang Ling’s unwavering gaze and suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, your fly’s open."

...

Silence. The female insect’s expression remained unchanged, his polite smile still in place, as if he truly couldn’t understand.

Philo's mouth quirked up. Confirming this, the male couldn’t resist adding,

"Bro, without the translator, you can’t understand me, huh? Do you get it when I curse at you?"

"I’ve been wanting to call you out since last time. Ever heard of ‘Why turn on your own kind’? Think you can push folks around just 'cause they don't know better?"

"Your dad seems so easygoing—look at Yi Jia Fa. Even with that temper, Xinghua Qianhua’s brothers didn’t turn out twisted. Maybe a little antisocial, sure, but still better than a psycho like you. Reflect on yourself."

Clearly, freed from the translator, the male was letting loose like never before.

Without a communicator, others would struggle to tell Philo was cursing—aside from his louder tone and shit-eating grin, he lacked the murderous glares or shrill tones typical of angry males.

But...

Shang Ling seemed to have forgotten to mention that while he’d asked Philo to remove his translator, he himself was wearing one for teaching purposes.

Quietly observing the male’s playful smirk, Shang Ling—despite understanding some of the insults—surprisingly didn’t seem upset.

No trace of anger, none of the concealed impatience or annoyance he usually harbored toward other males. In fact...

Watching Philo seize the chance to lecture him, the female insect’s typically inscrutable eyes were unusually clear, like sun-dappled pool water—bright, gentle, yet not blinding.

"The hell, I’ve been cursing at you this whole time, and you’re just sitting there grinning like I’m doing comedy hour? What’s so funny? Is my Mandarin a joke to you?!"

After his passionate tirade, seeing the very insect he was scolding break into a smile left Philo thoroughly frustrated.

To hell with it—today, forget other phrases. He was learning some damn insults first!

The feeling of cursing someone out only for them to not understand was pissed him right off.

"It’s not funny."

"I’m not laughing at you."

Then what was he laughing at? Perhaps Shang Ling himself hadn’t realized why he was smiling until Philo asked.

But—

"You understood what I said?"

"Mm. I’m wearing a translator."

"..."

"Pal, you're asking for a punch, aren't you?"

Thus, the universal language lesson—equal parts tense and chill from the start—proceeded safely, albeit amid Philo’s mix of embarrassment, frustration, and the itching to deck someone.

It must be said that, despite having certain quirks in his personality, Shang Ling truly lived up to his image as a high-level intellectual. The teaching progressed step by step, and the female Zerg was clearly skilled in communication and guidance. By the end, not only had Philo mastered the basics of Galactic Common pronunciation and writing, but Shang Ling had also managed to pick up a few phrases of Mandarin from Philo’s speech without formal instruction.

Yes, Shang Ling hadn’t missed the fact that the male Zerg claimed to be speaking Mandarin. Since there were no records of such a language, the female Zerg simply classified it as a unique language the male Zerg had created and used on the wasteland planet.

Philo, of course, didn’t bother explaining further. But in truth, through today’s lesson, he had also noticed some changes in himself.

As a trust fund kid, Philo had traveled extensively since childhood and had no trouble using both Chinese and English as an adult. However, when he first started learning English, he had struggled with its completely different rules compared to Chinese.

Because of this, he had been skeptical about whether he could master the Galactic Common in such a short time. But the truth proved that this body, after all, belonged to a hardy Zerg physiology with astonishing memory and language-learning abilities. Today, Philo had achieved results that even surprised himself.

"Filthy bug, dead bug, goddamn bug."

"Shut it, you wanna die? Try saying that again!"

Rolling them off his tongue like a chant, Philo clearly pronounced the words he had remembered the most.

Nodding, Shang Ling calmly praised his vocabulary retention, as if unaware that Philo intended to use these words on someone. The female Zerg maintained a dignified, teacherly expression while offering compliments.

It was nearly noon by now, and since language lessons were only scheduled for half a day, Philo stood up, reattached his translator, politely thanked his good teacher, and then subtly hinted that it was time for him to leave.

"I have nothing to do this afternoon. Since you want to learn the Galactic Common as quickly as possible, Philo, why don’t I stay and practice speaking with you?"

You have nothing to do?

But I do!

Shaking his head, the male Zerg firmly rejected the extra lesson. If he really wanted to practice speaking, wouldn’t it be more fun to do so while playing in the VR pod than just talking with you?

Having just experienced immersive VR gaming yesterday, Philo was currently at the peak of his gaming addiction. Today, no one could stop this Berserker from dominating the starfields!

"Got plans? Are you planning to continue playing *Green Algae Sector Siege* this afternoon?"

……

"How did you know I was playing that game?"

"Last night, Geshaluolin’s game blew up on the StarNet because a male Zerg allegedly exposed his identity in public, seemingly trying to arrange a virtual mating frenzy with multiple female Zerg."

In public? Exposed?

Multiple female Zerg? Dating?

Which damn tabloid headline is ruining my reputation?!

"Screenshots of this Zerg noble’s player character have already spread across the entire network. If I recall correctly, his username was… *Berserker*?"

"Shut it, pal."

His lips twitching, Philo—now facing his second awkward moment of the day—smiled with deadly politeness at the female Zerg who was clearly feigning ignorance.

"Don’t make me test my new vocabulary on you."

He'd let his guard down.

In this Interstellar Era, where the net speeds dwarfed Earth's and gossip spread even quicker, he should have known better.

"If it’s this game, I actually played it for a while before. Maybe I could walk you through the starter missions this afternoon."

Having just emerged from a wasteland planet and immediately making headlines for failing to hide his gender in-game, it was easy to conclude that Philo was a total newbie.

Unable—and unwilling—to deny this, Philo listened to the insect’s unsolicited offer. While he had to admit that having an experienced player guide him would help him get into the game faster…

"No need. I already have a regular duo partner. His gaming skills shouldn’t be worse than any other insect’s, so I won’t impose on you."

Thinking of a certain insect who happened to be the junior partner of a game development company, Philo confidently rejected the offer of assistance from this suspected gaming expert.

Though Philo refused decisively, Shang Ling—who had anticipated a rejection but not this particular reason—felt his eyes darken imperceptibly, the unconscious smile on his face freezing for a moment.

Then, the smile deepened, and the female Zerg once again slipped back into the role of the gentle, courteous prosecutor.

"I wonder who this insect you mentioned is? If he’s truly that skilled, I’d love to meet him."

"Guess?"

Standing up, Philo dropped the two words with a grin, making it clear the topic was closed.

Without further delay, he called for an Attendant to escort Shang Ling out before turning and heading toward his room on the second floor.

Shang Ling’s gaze lingered on Philo’s retreating back until he disappeared into his room. Lowering his eyes, he glanced at the Attendant standing beside him before he took his leave of the Torras estate.

The Author’s Note:

Li Wei: Who said devs need to be pro gamers…

PS:

1. Tomorrow’s update will still be at midnight, but after that, the schedule will return to normal. [Rose]

2. Shang Ling’s major arc is pretty much over here. New insects will be taking the stage next! [Rose]