LIGHTNOVELONLINE 34
The male zerg was having a blast in the nursery area, running to the section for pregnant female zergs to ask questions and then to the newborn area to pick and choose items. In short, He Qin didn’t waste the afternoon, buying a heap of items that Rhys and the little one might need.
That evening, the mall sent delivery workers to bring all the items to He Qin’s home.
“Yes, the incubator bed goes to the third floor, these to the master bedroom door on the second floor, and those can stay in the living room on the first floor.” He directed the delivery workers to place the large nursery furniture on the third floor.
For the sake of the child’s growth and development, He Qin chose the best sunroom on the third floor as the nursery and planned to set it up himself before leaving the Zerg Empire.
“Be careful.” He Qin spotted Rhys, who was about to help with moving the large furniture, and led him away from the dangerous area.
Since learning Rhys was expecting, He Qin had become a nervous new father, constantly worrying about his female lord’s safety.
“Xiao Qin, what’s going on?” Ivan, resting in his room on the second floor, was also awakened by the various noises from upstairs and downstairs.
Was that an incubator bed? And those items—weren’t they the most expensive baby gear in the Empire?
Even before confirming whether the egg in Rhys’s belly was a male or female zerg, Xiao Qin had already selected all the necessary items for the baby? Moreover, none of these items were outside the Empire’s top-rated baby products.
Was the male zerg perhaps too excited about the arrival of this child?
“Look, Father, these are the things I’ve prepared for the baby. And these are for Rhys.” He Qin boasted like he was showing off treasures.
“Mm, these are all useful, but isn’t it too early to prepare them?” Ivan looked at the male zerg with some concern.
He wanted to analyze He Qin’s facial expressions to determine if he truly didn’t care about the baby’s gender.
“It’s not too early. If we get these ready now, they’ll be just about ready to use when we get back.” He Qin waved his hand dismissively and ran to the delivery truck, mentally calculating if there was anything he had missed.
“In a few days, the male lord and I are going to Earth. Why don’t you come with us, Father?”
The male zerg had mentioned wanting to bring Ivan along on this trip to Earth. Rhys agreed with this decision because leaving Ivan alone at home for several months, even with friends to look after him, was far too unsafe.
“To Earth?”
He Qin said that Earth is a beautiful planet. The humans there respect each other and live in equality and freedom. There are also many creatures besides humans that have coexisted with them for millennia.
Ivan, despite being a Zerg confined to the Qi family for decades, still retained his curiosity for new things. This opportunity to visit an alien planet and get close to other life forms was something Ivan couldn’t resist.
“This trip to Earth is under the direction of Barton Walker. I made a small deal with him, but I can’t reveal the details yet.” He Qin winked at the two female zergs, smiling confidently and calmly.
“Barton Walker is not a simple male zerg.” Ivan did not refuse the invitation, nor did he want to.
Even after being confined for decades, Ivan knew the name Barton Walker. Before Ivan married into the Qi family, Barton was already making waves in the Empire’s government. If he’s now directing He Qin to go to another species’ planet, he must have reached an even higher status.
“I know, that guy has a tough face.” Thinking of the man with snake-like pupils, He Qin shivered slightly, hugging his shoulders, and continued, “He and I are just using each other.”
Barton needed a male with significant ties to Earth, and He Qin needed this opportunity to go to Earth. He couldn’t fully trust Barton, but they both couldn’t do without each other for now.
Mutual benefit and win-win cooperation were the consensus Barton and He Qin reached.
These days, Rhys had to report to the general, hand over his duties, and personally select the escort team. He Qin needed to liaise with Barton’s team and integrate with this unfamiliar group of Zerg.
Both were extremely busy, and time flew by. In the blink of an eye, it was time to depart.
He Qin stood in front of the house he had lived in for several months, looking around nostalgically at the now familiar place. Who would have thought that he would pass out during a war and wake up as a Zerg?
After coming to this alien race, he had finally given up on returning to Earth in the short term and got used to life here. Suddenly, an opportunity fell into his lap. Not only could he return to Earth, but this time he was going back as a ‘Peace Ambassador.’
He Qin truly embodied the saying “returning home in glory.”
Just as He Qin was about to step onto the spacecraft, with half his body already inside, a voice suddenly called out to stop him, “He Qin, wait.” Ryan, afraid of missing him, had run all the way, panting heavily.
“Ryan, what are you doing here?” He Qin turned to look at his male friend.
Today’s departure time was very secretive. Only he, Rhys, Barton, and the team members knew about it. To ensure confidentiality, Barton hadn’t even informed Ryan.
Like other imperial males, Ryan rarely exercised, so this short run was already pushing his limits. Panting heavily, he rummaged through his pockets for something.
“Here, take this and keep it safe.”
A translucent green necklace slipped through Ryan’s fingers, hanging in the air as sunlight shone on it.
Was this his jade pendant? But it seemed different now. With his extraordinary vision, He Qin noticed some impurities within the jade.
“How is this here? I clearly gave it to Qi Lun.” He Qin took the pendant, wiped it on his clothes, and held it tightly in his hand.
The feeling of recovering something lost was wonderful. He Qin rubbed the pendant lovingly.
From now on, he wouldn’t give away this jade pendant that had accompanied him for twenty years, no matter what.
“When that guy returned to the Qi family, he thought he had fallen into a trap and raged all night. This pendant was thrown out.” Ryan pointed at the pendant, and He Qin, thinking Ryan wanted to take it back, clutched it tighter to his chest.
“The Qi family’s security is tight. I had to send someone to search for a long time to retrieve it.”
Ryan wasn’t upset by the little male’s defensive action. Seeing He Qin’s hair grown out and falling over his forehead, he felt like He Qin had grown younger over these days.
Could this be what his parents meant by the power of love?
The alarm on the spacecraft started beeping, reminding He Qin that if he didn’t leave soon, he would miss the starship’s departure.
“Thanks, I’ll bring you some Earth souvenirs.” He Qin grabbed Rhys’s outstretched hand and leapt onto the spacecraft.
“Hey, don’t forget to bring back some jade. Yun Ting has been pestering me about it.” Ryan shouted just before the hatch closed.
He had told He Qin a while ago to bring back some raw jade similar to his pendant when he visited Earth. Since helping last time, Yun Ting had been constantly chirping in Ryan’s ear about wanting to study the material.
If he didn’t get some this time, Ryan feared his ears would get worn out by Yun Ting’s nagging.
“Got it.”
The spacecraft piloted by Rhys disappeared from Ryan’s sight in an instant, fast and steady as always.
The starship they were taking to Earth belonged to Barton Walker, a top-tier starship in the empire.
Whenever he encountered something new, He Qin couldn’t help but get excited. After boarding the starship, he circled it once and found it to be quite different from the one used by the Starry Night Legion.
This starship had a gym, a room similar to a bar for entertainment, and many fun board games and game simulators. Clearly, this starship was built to suit the preferences of male zergs, unlike the monotonous and boring military ships of the Empire.
“Rhys, you rest here for a bit. I’m going out for a while.” During his wanderings, He Qin had spotted a game simulator that could create simulated scenarios, and he was very keen to try it out. Even though he was eager to play, he chose to settle Rhys in first.
If the Zerg had an award for “Best Male Master,” He Qin would undoubtedly win it.
“Master, please be careful and don’t get so engrossed in the game that you miss dinner time.” Rhys lay on the bed, yawning, and did not insist on accompanying him.
During the early stages of pregnancy, females often felt very fatigued, and Rhys was no exception. At that moment, he felt drowsy and could fall asleep mid-conversation.
“Alright, have a good sleep. I’ll be back when you wake up.” He Qin walked to the bed, gently covering Rhys’s eyes with his palm.
Looking at Rhys’s rare vulnerable appearance, he suddenly found the game less appealing.
He Qin extended his hand to grab a small stool beside him, then sat down and gazed at his partner intently.
“Go ahead and play. I can manage on my own.” Rhys had long mastered his master’s habits and could usually tell what He Qin wanted to do from his small actions.
A pregnant female zerg naturally wished for their male master to be with them at all times, and in an unfamiliar environment, Rhys craved the comforting presence of his master’s scent.
However, he believed that as a qualified female zerg, he shouldn’t trouble his master because of his own needs.
Reason told Rhys he shouldn’t act this way, but the heightened hormones during early pregnancy made it hard for him to let go of his master’s presence.
“Be good and don’t move. The little one might protest.” He Qin playfully pointed at Rhys’s still-flat belly while holding him down.
To Rhys’s surprise, He Qin took off his shirt and lay down beside him.
“I got up early this morning, so I’ll take a nap too.” He Qin patted Rhys’s shoulder gently, like soothing a child.
He remembered that at the orphanage, the caretaker used to coax the children to nap this way.
He Qin might not have been very mature, but he instinctively wanted to recreate the pleasant memories he had for Rhys.
He Qin patted hundreds of times, and even after Rhys fell asleep, he kept patting. He Qin wasn’t sleepy at all; he just watched Rhys’s face, admiring his partner’s sleeping form.
It seemed that after Rhys got pregnant, his skin tone had changed, becoming much paler compared to his previous honey-colored skin.
He Qin hadn’t noticed before how thick Rhys’s eyelashes were, probably why his eyes looked so lively.
Hmm, his lips were nicely shaped too, making He Qin want to take a bite.
As a “soon-to-be dad,” He Qin gazed at his wife like an infatuated admirer. He marveled at how handsome Rhys was and how lucky he was to have found Rhys in the vast universe.