LIGHTNOVELONLINE 48
Chapter 48
Lu Xi ran in a hurry, the snow on the road had melted, mixing with the mud to form a muddy mess. His boots were not waterproof and became ice-cold from being soaked.
After waiting at the bus stop for three minutes without the school bus arriving, he had no choice but to run to the training room.
“Hoo—”
“Heh—”
He heard his own rapid breathing, his whole body trembling slightly, not from the cold, but from fear.
Lu Xi rarely felt fear.
He often felt lonely, always uneasy, but he had never felt fear. He knew clearly that those who occupied the most important place in his life—Lu Mo, Ling… they were as solid as a rock.
But Xia Baiyuan was different.
Lu Xi bent down, tightly grasping the fabric of his abdomen, the cold wind pouring into his throat, making it hard for him to breathe.
His heart seemed to plummet into an abyss, beneath which was endless emptiness, and his heart was falling endlessly.
He was not a god of war, he was like Prince Rupert’s Drop.
Seemingly able to withstand all calamities, but if caught by that slender tail and pulled slightly, he would burst into pieces instantly, completely shattered.
History had never recorded Xia Baiyuan’s special physique. People always said that it was those hardships and setbacks that created the only god of war in history, but those were not Xia Baiyuan’s real crises.
The real crisis was just an insignificant live broadcast.
On what seemed like an ordinary day, in what was still a relatively peaceful era, at a time when all crises had yet to emerge.
—He was going to save Xia Baiyuan.
If you are a swordsman, I will be your guard.
If you are a rose, I will be your thorn.
If you are a lamb, I don’t want to be your shepherd.
I am your plain.
Lu Xi let go of his hand and merged into the surging crowd, like a drop of water merging into the river, surging towards the training room.
[Under the live broadcast]
The light in the training room was dazzling, the silver-haired female zerg raised his hand, using the back of his hand to shield himself from the bright light.
The light made his complexion pale, almost transparent.
“Did you deceive Lu Xi?”
“You disgusting female zerg, even the zerg god would be disgusted by you!”
“If I were you, I would have sought death to atone long ago!”
“…”
The crowd was enraged, but if they could calm down a bit and look carefully, they would see that under Xia Baiyuan’s hand, his thin lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
Not mockery, nor resentment.
Perhaps even Xia Baiyuan himself didn’t realize he was smiling.
He remembered something from a long, long time ago.
——————
In the dim, damp restroom, accompanied by a foul smell, came the sound of kicks and hits.
Three tall female zergs in oversized school uniforms viciously kicked and beat a weak and frail female zerg on the ground.
“How dare you cross me! How dare you!”
“I’ll beat you to death!”
The female zerg on the ground emitted a low whimper, tears rolling down his swollen, bruised face, his gray hair dirtier than the mop in the corner.
His constant pleas for mercy not only failed to evoke sympathy from the assailants but also made them more ruthless.
If they continued, this already weak and frail female zerg would surely suffer irreparable hidden injuries. But at this critical moment, the restroom door was pushed open, and a tall figure appeared at the entrance.
“What are you doing?”
The voice was not loud, nor particularly intense, but this seemingly ordinary voice unexpectedly stopped the three female zergs’ brutality.
The leader, with blond hair, raised his head and looked at the silver-haired female zerg standing at the door. The muscles on his face twitched slightly. “Xia Baiyuan, mind your own business.”
Xia Baiyuan put down his backpack, his azure eyes swept over their faces one by one. “Leave, I need to use the restroom.”
The blond female zerg’s chest heaved. “There are plenty of stalls here.”
Xia Baiyuan’s expression remained unchanged. “I need them all.”
The blond-haired female zerg was choked, on the verge of exploding. Nevertheless, he swallowed his anger and said, “Fine, you’ve got guts.”
“We’re leaving.”
Before leaving, he kicked the gray-haired female zerg on the ground once more, and then the three of them left.
The gray-haired female zerg curled up, looking at Xia Baiyuan with fear.
But Xia Baiyuan just calmly opened the adjacent stall.
After the sound of water, he opened the door and saw the gray-haired female zerg still on the ground, his face somewhat surprised. “You’re still here?”
This female zerg seemed a bit foolish, he thought.
“I…I’m called Whit.”
“Oh.”
He picked up his backpack from the ground and was about to leave, but Whit followed him. “I know you, you’re Xia Baiyuan. I heard you just transferred here and single-handedly defeated over a dozen senior female zergs!”
Xia Baiyuan’s footsteps paused slightly. “…”
Whit grinned. “You’re really amazing—can you teach me how to be as amazing as you?”
“…”
“Oh, you don’t like talking? That’s okay, I can talk a lot.”
“…”
“By the way, do you like chocolate? I brought a lot… oh, it’s been dirtied.”
Xia Baiyuan stopped in his tracks and reached out to him.
Whit: “Huh?”
Xia Baiyuan removed the broken pieces of chocolate and took the only intact one from the bottom. “Thank you.”
The low-quality chocolate had an overly sweet taste. Xia Baiyuan squinted his eyes, the evening breeze ruffling his bangs, and distant church bells ringing.
After killing his brother, his father took him into exile to this unfamiliar planet, and his luck seemed to be gradually improving.
He was never good with words, nor did he have many expressions, coupled with his strange hair color and overly sharp features, he was destined to have few friends.
Whit was a timid female zerg. Xia Baiyuan reminded him, “If you shrink like this, others won’t spare you, but instead will bully you even more.”
Whit lowered his head in frustration, even the corners of his eyes drooped. “But…but I’m very weak.”
Xia Baiyuan fell silent for a moment, then said, “Forget it, just don’t stray too far from me.”
Whit suddenly lifted his head. “Xia Baiyuan, you’re really nice!”
Xia Baiyuan wasn’t quite used to such straightforward praise. Subconsciously, he turned his head away and muttered, “You’re just exaggerating.”
At that time, he had a strange thought for the first time.
——What if he told Whit his secret?
Such thoughts surged in Xia Baiyuan’s mind, growing increasingly intense. He was like a dog living in the zerg society, putting chains on himself, which tightly bound him but also ensured his survival.
Only like this could he appear “normal” in the eyes of others.
Seeing his strange expression, Whit couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Xia Baiyuan gazed at him with deep blue eyes.
After a long time, he turned his head and said, “Just thinking about some boring things.”
Whit scratched his cheek. “Weird.”
Xia Baiyuan chuckled softly.
In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
——In countless days and nights to come, he would dream of this day. In his dreams, he would confess everything and then wake up drenched in cold sweat.
Fortunately, he didn’t say it, so he could still tell himself.
It wasn’t Whit who betrayed him.
Whit just couldn’t accept it.
He stood under the classroom’s fluorescent light, his face pale, his desk splattered with ink, and the blackboard inscribed with huge letters.
【Monster】
【The monster of female zergs and sub-females!】
【Get out!】
The books he left in the classroom were all torn to shreds, with paper scraps scattered all over the floor.
“Splash—”
Cold water splashed all over him, and Xia Baiyuan couldn’t even dodge it. His summer uniform soaked through with just a touch of water, revealing faint red patterns under the fabric.
“Wow…it’s actually true!”
“He really is a monster, so disgusting.”
“…”
Xia Baiyuan instinctively raised his head and met a pair of familiar eyes.
But those eyes didn’t hold the familiar admiration and enthusiasm.
The gray-haired female zerg stood in the crowd, looking frightened and stammered, “How could this happen?”
A hand was placed around his shoulder, and the blond-haired female zerg grinned. “Who would have thought? Xia Baiyuan—turned out to be such a freak. Whit, you were deceived too!”
Whit was stunned for a moment. This blond-haired female zerg, who had once beaten him, was now so affectionate towards him.
It was as if he had suddenly been accepted.
He was almost overwhelmed by the favor, subconsciously chiming in, “Yeah! I didn’t know either! He turned out to be such a monster, deceiving me for so long…”
The blond-haired female zerg patted his shoulder, laughing loudly.
Only Xia Baiyuan remained in the classroom, his head bowed, with the icy water dripping from his cheeks, looking like tears at first glance.
From that day on, he locked himself even tighter, never again daring to entertain the idea of opening up.
He was destined to be a dog.
——
It was impossible to enter the training room normally anymore, with even the windows covered with female zergs. What’s more, he was just a weak male zerg who couldn’t fly.
Lu Xi took a deep breath, with a pile of large firecrackers at his feet. He lit the fuse with a lighter and then dashed towards the door!
The crackling sound of firecrackers caught everyone off guard. Most of them were military females, and their well-trained bodies reacted before their brains—
“Get down! Get down!!”
“Damn it! Someone’s firing!”
Instantly, they all dropped to the ground, and Lu Xi covered his ears as he charged in.
It wasn’t until he passed through the crowd that the female zergs lying down realized what had happened, cursing and grumbling.
“Pant…pant…”
Lu Xi pushed through the layers of people and finally squeezed out.
Under the pale and glaring lights, he stood at a high point, looking down.
Xia Baiyuan stood alone, under all the cameras.
He had his back to Lu Xi, his long neck snowy white.
Lu Xi’s teeth chattered, but he couldn’t care less about anything else. He leaned forward and shouted—
“Xia Baiyuan!!!”
Lu Xi’s voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable, and drowned in the noisy crowd.
He didn’t expect Xia Baiyuan to hear him. He had already planned how to save Xia Baiyuan from the beginning.
By tampering with the cognition of all the zergs, creating illusions for them, making them believe that Xia Baiyuan was perfectly normal.
This almost evil act, once done, would burden him with immense guilt for the rest of his life.
Lu Xi grinned, his fingers trembling slightly.
No wonder the entire zerg race wanted to die.
He bit his tongue, his spiritual power ready to burst forth.
But at that moment, Xia Baiyuan seemed to hear his voice and turned to look in Lu Xi’s direction.
Despite the extremely distant distance, Lu Xi clearly saw Xia Baiyuan’s eyes.
Like a flickering ember in the wind, seemingly about to extinguish, but suddenly burst into flames!
The haze gradually dissipated, and the light in those eyes grew stronger, illuminating Xia Baiyuan’s face little by little.
【Lu Xi】
He smiled at Lu Xi, a smile that engraved itself into Lu Xi’s heart. He was certain he would never forget this smile in his lifetime.
Xia Baiyuan gazed at Lu Xi, then began unbuttoning his clothes.
Underneath the windbreaker was his uniform, underneath the uniform was his undershirt, and underneath the undershirt was his shirt. They all fell to the ground one by one, revealing the splendid red patterns beneath.
Like blooming flowers, entwined around Xia Baiyuan’s body.
The whole place fell into silence.
“Did you see that?”
Xia Baiyuan’s voice was not loud, but steady and forceful.
“You call me a monster,” he said, “do you want me to kneel down and beg for your forgiveness?”
“But I haven’t done anything, why do you hate me?”
“Will this make you feel united?”
Xia Baiyuan’s eyes swept over the faces of the female zergs one by one, and he said softly, “But I’m not afraid of you anymore. I shouldn’t be treated like this, should I?”
“I have done nothing wrong.”
“I am not a monster either.”
He lifted his chin, his eyes shining like stars. “I have been wrong about one thing since birth until now.”
“You are the monsters.”
This era, it’s the era of monsters.
He was not a dog either.
He—
He should live uprightly.
…
Lu Xi covered his heart. Instead of sinking further, it kept expanding, floating lightly upward, continuously drifting towards the sky.
He looked at Xia Baiyuan and felt that he was dazzling at this moment, like the rising sun.
“Xia Baiyuan!!”
Lu Xi stepped onto the back of a chair and leaped down.
He fell from a great height, his scarf and hat loosening. He reached out to Xia Baiyuan, “Catch me! Catch me!”
Xia Baiyuan widened his eyes.
Wings extended from his back, and his figure drew a silver line in the air, catching Lu Xi in mid-air.
“What are you doing!” Xia Baiyuan was still shocked, but Lu Xi draped his arm over his shoulder and pointed to the window, “Run!”
“It’s Lu Xi!”
“Lu Xi!”
“Ahhh—Lu Xi—”
No one could catch up with Xia Baiyuan, only the still-operating cameras earnestly recorded this scene.
The black-haired, red-eyed male zerg lay on Xia Baiyuan’s back, the silver-haired female zerg laughed loudly, and their wings lightly fluttered as they traced a graceful arc in the air, effortlessly flying out of the window.
As if flying out of a cage.
——
The sunlight became warmer.
Xia Baiyuan landed on a clock tower.
Lu Xi sat on the top of the tower, his gaze following Xia Baiyuan’s profile.
Xia Baiyuan: “Why are you still looking at me?”
Lu Xi lay back, not answering Xia Baiyuan’s question, but instead said, “Xia Baiyuan, I think I might have done something wrong.”
Xia Baiyuan: “What is it?”
“From the moment I first saw you, I decided to protect you,” Lu Xi reached out towards the sunlight, “but I was wrong. You don’t need my protection.”
He arrogantly thought that Xia Baiyuan was weak.
He arrogantly tried to arrange Xia Baiyuan’s life.
Never did he consider that Xia Baiyuan was more dazzling than he could ever imagine.
Lu Xi sighed, “Am I… a bit conceited?”
There was a bit of fear in his heart, but also some relief.
“How could it be.”
“For a moment, I was on the verge of collapse,” Xia Baiyuan chuckled, “I never thought of myself as strong. I’m more timid than most zergs. I’m terrified of being discovered, almost to the point of madness.”
“I was in a sorry state, I was a pariah, I shouldn’t exist, I should die silently.”
Lu Xi was about to jump in place: “Who said that!!”
Seeing his angry appearance, Xia Baiyuan couldn’t help but lean forward: “Look.”
Lu Xi: “Huh?”
“Because you love me, because you want to protect me,” Xia Baiyuan pressed against Lu Xi’s body, and the two fell together on the top of the tower, “I realized that I am worthy.”
Xia Baiyuan finally learned to love himself.
He heard Lu Xi’s voice, and when he saw Lu Xi, there was only him, Xia Baiyuan, in Lu Xi’s eyes.
He was not the ugly monster he thought he was.
He was loved by Lu Xi.
…
Lu Xi stared blankly at Xia Baiyuan.
Many people say that Xia Baiyuan, who has not experienced hardships, is just an ordinary female zerg.
Would overprotection only bury him?
No.
Suffering doesn’t make a person complete, but love does.
Lu Xi hugged Xia Baiyuan tightly, closing his eyes.
Even if the entire zerg race feared Lu Xi, Xia Baiyuan definitely wouldn’t.