I Flirted with the General in the Zerg Empire [Interstellar]

Ancient Zerg Clan

Half an hour earlier, in the bustling restaurant of the military ship, everyone played truth or dare. For the female soldiers, the so-called dare was to challenge their physical limits, but today was different.

This change stemmed from their commander, General Zhao. Even the dullest of soldiers noticed something was off. Previously, he was often seen in the training room during flights or leisure time, but now, he rarely appeared, leaving those who waited for his guidance quite frustrated.

Thus, they secretly observed and even formed an investigative group to exchange information, uncovering surprising facts:

The general’s food intake had halved—was it a loss of appetite?
During his afternoon break, he was… applying a facial mask?

In his free time, instead of training, he was daydreaming in the empty conference room with his light brain?

The general privately asked married female soldiers… for egg-laying secrets?!

In the end, they sighed and concluded that the general had succumbed to the ocean of high-grade male Zerg pheromones. They had planned to share the “Zerg pheromone lollipops” together, but the general turned around and began to indulge in pure natural male Zerg!

“Wah, the General has abandoned us!”

They felt a bit sad but also genuinely happy for him. Yet on this day, meant for celebrating together, he had once again left them! They couldn’t tolerate it anymore, so everyone in the private group decided they’d make sure he showed up today.

In the group chat, they were all fired up and indignant, but when it came time to act, each of them chickened out, not wanting to take the lead.

After some back-and-forth, one member anonymously suggested, “How about we get Adjutant Xi to do it?”

As one of the General’s closest and most capable subordinates, Xi naturally wasn’t part of their group. But since he was known for his straightforward personality, wouldn’t he be the perfect choice for something like this?

Thus, the soldiers schemed together, tricking Adjutant Xi through a game of Truth or Dare.

Adjutant Xi, realizing he’d been set up, protested nervously, “This doesn’t seem right… can’t we pick something else?”

He tried suggesting other challenges, “How about the mecha splits? Or hanging upside down from a flying machine? Or holding my breath for a full star hour? At worst, I’ll eat a hot pepper! Come on, we’re all comrades here; no need to be so ruthless, right?”

Soldier A countered, “You picked Truth or Dare yourself; a deal’s a deal. How can you back down now?”

Soldier B added, “Yeah, it’s just a video call. What are you afraid of?”

Xi: “This isn’t about the video call; it’s about interrupting the General’s romance. This is serious!”

He glanced around, hoping to find someone to support him. But instead, everyone was either watching gleefully or encouraging him silently with their eyes.

He thought, Have I really fallen this low?

Outside of his line of sight, Soldier C exchanged a glance with Soldier D. Catching on, Soldier D stepped forward to say, “Adjutant Xi, that’s not very sporting of you. We all know the General holds you in high regard, and you two have a great relationship. He reaches out to you often, doesn’t he? Surely you can grant us this small favor?”

Xi: This is getting out of hand.

After a few seconds of weighing his options, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I’ll call him!”

Reluctantly, Adjutant Xi tapped the call button on his screen, his comrades’ eyes lighting up in anticipation—only to watch Xi’s call get instantly rejected.

“What?”

Xi tried calling again… and was instantly rejected a second time.

Everyone looked at Xi, a hint of suspicion in their eyes.

Had… the General blocked him?

Xi himself was baffled. It couldn’t be—just recently, he’d been in daily contact with the General. How could he have been blocked now? He felt wronged.

But really, he wasn’t wronged at all. Up until now, he had been calling the General nearly every day, ostensibly to “share” his day but in truth just to flaunt his sweet moments with his male lord. How much could anyone take?

Adjutant Xi didn’t think too much of it, assuming the General accidentally rejected his call. He was even a bit relieved, thinking it was for the best.

But his team wasn’t about to let him off so easily. A major kindly suggested, “If his personal line doesn’t work, try the internal military line.”

Xi frowned, his little arms no match for the forceful encouragement of his squad. Reluctantly, he dialed the internal line, muttering, “General, I’m really forced into this!”

—

Meanwhile, their beloved General Zhao was grumbling with a flushed face, “The Lord is so bad,” pouting a little at having been teased.

“Oh? Is that so?” He Yi raised an eyebrow. “Who went on this trip by choice and didn’t let me follow? If you can look but not touch, who’s to blame?”

Zhao: So unfair.

Just as they were having this cute banter, Zhao’s communicator buzzed unexpectedly, and he reflexively accepted the call.

Zhao: Why couldn’t my hand resist?

Although it connected to the internal line, He Yi’s call remained active thanks to a special priority setting. Now, Zhao’s dimly lit lounge displayed two virtual screens: one showing his spouse and the other, his soldiers.

The screens formed a right angle, so both groups could see each other.

Caught off guard, everyone fell silent.

He Yi felt a bit awkward—just moments earlier, he’d been flirting with the soldiers’ superior. Meanwhile, the soldiers were both thrilled and embarrassed; thrilled to see the noble Lord, but embarrassed at having interrupted such a sweet moment.

Still, they couldn’t believe their General had answered their call so directly. Deep down, they were touched:

The General values us just as much as he values the Lord!

Zhao: It was a slip of the hand.

Breaking the tension, He Yi finally greeted, “Good evening, everyone.” He consoled himself inwardly—teasing his own partner wasn’t against any rules, right? But still, knowing these soldiers were almost like his partner’s extended “family” made him feel a bit tense.

The soldiers quickly snapped to attention, saluting in unison, “Good day, Your Excellency!”

Normally less concerned with formalities, each soldier now sat as straight as possible. He Yi’s impressive lineage and striking appearance were well-known, and while none dared dream of marrying someone as perfect as him, they certainly wanted to make a good impression on him, representing the Third Corps proudly.

He Yi searched for words and said, “Congratulations to all of you for successfully eliminating a group of star pirates. You’ve done a great service for our people!”

The soldiers were thrilled—His Excellency was praising them! Some, feeling shy, blushed and modestly denied the praise.

He Yi: So, is blushing a unique habit among these soldiers?

Witnessing this, Zhao felt a pang of jealousy. His male lord never praised him like this. Is he implying Zhao isn’t capable enough? But he’s definitely strong! He expressionlessly cut the internal call.

He Yi, puzzled, asked, “Huh, why was it disconnected?”

“They probably called to report something important. Go ahead, we can talk later,” He Yi suggested, wanting to be a reasonable spouse, despite feeling envious.

Zhao: But bonding with his male lord is the most important task!

“See you later, Zhao,” He Yi said, ending the call.

Zhao: Argh!

After calming down, he marched out of the lounge, and over the following days, every soldier present on the call—even those who briefly appeared—received “training guidance” that left them sore.

The soldiers thought, Well, we asked for it.

However, Zhao’s enthusiasm for their “guidance” was overwhelming, leaving each one barely able to keep up. When they finally engaged with the Third Corps’ star pirates, the pirates were chased down mercilessly and even faced Zhao’s infamous mech, Rising Sun.

The pirates, terrified: Why is he personally taking us on? It’s the Rising Sun! The mech that defeated the Federation!

As for the reasons behind Zhao’s rampage, only he knew.

Zhao: Don’t ask, I’m just really powerful!

Time passed, and with only two days left until the Emperor’s birthday banquet, He Yi was ready for anything.

He Yi began to worry.

Originally, it wasn’t that serious, but just a day ago, he lost contact with Ah Zhao. Although signal instability can occur when warships traverse wormholes or jump through space, the sudden loss of contact made him a bit uneasy.

A few days prior, Ah Zhao was still giving him detailed reports over video on the pirate pursuit, describing the dangers vividly.

So, He Yi searched the web for popular battle videos. Watching them, he was shocked to find Ah Zhao as the protagonist. He didn’t fully understand “mecha showboating” or the term “pro effortlessly defeating rookies.” All he saw was his wife piloting a mecha on the brink of life and death.

After watching the entire video with bated breath, he clutched his heart: “That was close!”

His wife had almost been gone!

After closing the video, he couldn’t help but keep searching the web for updates on the Third Corps. By the fourth video, he could no longer hold his composure.

Thus, for the whole day, he was on edge, restless, and even got a mouth ulcer.

While he was anxiously refreshing the military’s official website for updates, Cape sent him a game invitation.

After some thought, He Yi accepted it. For now, gaming was probably the best outlet for his emotions.

As soon as he logged into the game, Cape rushed over and gave him a big bear hug, saying, “Big brother, my awesome big brother!”

“Lan agreed! Haha!”

He Yi frowned and pushed him away, “Remember, we agreed to part ways once the ship reaches Moon Soul Star. You’re not following us further.”

Cape shrugged, “Fine, fine, big bro has the final say.” Once they reach Moon Soul, he’d use a few tricks to make sure Lan wouldn’t run off. He felt pleased with himself.

This big brother of his was worth befriending!

Then, his “awesome big brother” led him in a dominating march, fearlessly clearing level after level, from the 23rd to the 99th.

No matter the task or monster, He Yi charged forward, axe in hand, cutting down everything in his path. After clearing each level, he’d immediately start the next without giving Cape any time to catch his breath. Though Cape hadn’t faced any of the monsters directly and was well-protected, he was so exhausted from dozens of levels that his knees grew weak, and he stopped screaming altogether.

Only a numb expression remained.

Just before entering the final level, Cape cried out in time, “Wait, wait! Bro, spare me! I’m begging you!”

He Yi turned in surprise, “Are you sure?”

“We’re about to finish. Don’t you want the completion reward? Didn’t you want to screenshot and show off?”

Cape choked on his words, “I do, but…” It was too much; please spare me. The monsters were terrifying.

But he swallowed his complaint because He Yi had already started the final level. The mission for the last level was set on the Auger Planet.

Upon arrival, they opened the mission guide from the floating window. This was a collective mission, requiring all players who reached the final level within their star division to gather at Bullhorn Town and work together to kill a designated monster, the Auger Zergs.

Only after killing the monster and collecting all the scattered item fragments could they synthesize a key to activate the swarm’s protective shield, completing the mission to protect Bullhorn Town and clear the game.

The game mission guide also includes a detailed explanation of the ancient war between the Old Zerg and the Augers.

The Old Zerg males had antennae, while the Augers had tail hooks, red skin, and an average lifespan of 2000 years. They left a trail of destruction and respected only the strong, regardless of gender. After a decisive battle, all of the Zerg’s double S-class females perished, and a high-ranking male depleted his mental energy to create the Zerg’s protective shield, ultimately causing the Augers to withdraw in fear of its power and disappear into the universe.

Thus, the final game level is based on this historical backdrop, encouraging players to remember their predecessors and embrace the duty of ensuring the species’ future — in other words, reproduce more!

He Yi: “They really never forget the reproduction theme.”

Not even the game is spared!

He Yi walked ahead, with Cape a half-step behind. After walking a while, Cape began to complain, “Where is Bullhorn Town? My feet are about to give out.”

“Almost there, a hundred meters left.” He Yi looked at him seriously, “Don’t worry, the game has pain blocked out, so even if I hit you with this axe, you’ll still be perfectly fine.”

He waved his large in-game axe.

Cape jumped back a step, “Hey, hey, don’t mess around!”

Ugh, why do my legs suddenly feel cold?

Author’s Note:

Zhao (showing off his mech): “I’m very impressive! Compliment me, Master!”

He Yi (clutching his chest): “My wife almost didn’t make it!”