"Xir, from today onwards, you are the leader of the Air Corps."
"Xir, Xir, look at this flower, it's so beautiful, do you like it?"
"Xir, Xir, don't be like Erfa, smile more, don't have such a cold expression."
"Xir, taste this honey, it's from Chongchong, it's very sweet, have another bite."
"Xir, this is the deputy I personally picked for you, isn't she cute? Do you like her?"
"Xir, why don't you open your eyes and look at me? Am I not beautiful?"
Who, who was speaking by her ear?
Xir tried to open her eyes, but it felt as if someone was holding them shut, and they just wouldn't open.
"Xir, do you not want to see me?"
The female voice echoed in Xir's ears again.
Hearing this, Xir instantly opened her eyes, only to find herself in complete darkness, without a trace of light.
Xir, barefoot, searched everywhere for the voice, but found nothing but blackness.
"Xir, do you miss me?"
Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind Xir.
Xir quickly turned around and froze on the spot. The cold expression on her face instantly cracked, and her eyes widened.
The King?
The King!
Is it really you?
Have you returned?
"King, is that you?" Xir's voice was filled with disbelief.
The golden-haired girl, who had been dozens of meters away, instantly appeared before Xir. She floated in the air with her psychic energy, making her the same height as Xir.
The golden-haired girl reached out and gently stroked Xir's face, smoothing out her frown. She said in a soft, slightly chiding tone, "Xir, why don't you smile anymore?"
No, she didn't not smile.
Xir retorted in her mind.
"Xir, you all must be happy. You are the last lingering thoughts I have in this world. As long as you are well, I will… peacefully… depart."
The golden-haired girl's voice grew hollower, and her body slowly turned into bubbles.
Xir felt the warmth on her face gradually disappear. When she reached out to grab her, she grasped nothing.
King, please don't leave us.
We really need you.
Xir suddenly sat up in bed, looking around. This was the room she had moved into a few days ago.
Rila had chosen this room for her, saying it would help her relax.
In the dim moonlight, the room was a milky yellow, giving it a warm feeling, but Xir didn't feel it.
She considered the room merely a resting place, its attractiveness irrelevant.
Even the accessories in the room were personally chosen by Rila, such as the fresh flowers that were picked daily.
After taking in the entire space, Xir slumped back onto the bed, feeling weak.
Her eyes were vacant as she stared at the ceiling.
So, it was all a dream.
She thought 'Zero' had returned.
It turned out all of this was her own fantasy.
She had perished in that battle.
Heh.
Tears welled up in Xir's eyes, and crystal-clear teardrops soaked into the quilt. She covered her eyes with her arm.
Rila's hand, extended towards the door, stopped in mid-air. She never knocked.
She turned, squatted down, and leaned against the wall, as if only in this way could she stay by the commander's side.
When she sensed the abnormal fluctuations in the commander's psychic energy, she had come to her door.
She knew the commander was dreaming of the King again.
Such powerful psychic energy fluctuations only occurred when the commander had nightmares.
This psychic energy, though exceptionally domineering, was also so pitiful.
It seemed to be pleading for something.
Or perhaps praying for something.
She had been by the commander's side for many years, and such occurrences were rare.
At times like this, all she could do was quietly stay by the commander's side, without disturbing her.
Tonight, it would be another sleepless night.
Rila stood up from the floor, tidied her appearance, and glanced at her watch.
It was already six-thirty.
She quietly retreated from the commander's door, walked to the kitchen, and began preparing breakfast for her "cub."
After days of relentless effort, she had finally transformed from a novice cook into a five-star chef.
She took a fish from her spatial storage and placed it before her, examining it carefully.
Holding the cleaver, she swiftly and expertly cleaned the fish in moments.
Today, she decided to make a nutritious fish soup for her cub.
She stir-fried a few other dishes casually.
In less than an hour, a sumptuous breakfast was laid out on the dining table.
Rila glanced at her watch and noticed it wasn't even seven-thirty yet. She thought she could clean the entire villa.
No sooner had the thought occurred than she acted. Rila quickly cleaned the entire villa.
Lin Hao, having just washed his face, emerged from his room. His eyes were still a bit groggy. Upon entering the living room, he froze.
Had there been a burglar? How had it become so clean all of a sudden?
If it weren't for the gems still on the floor, he would have sworn a thief had broken in.
The room had been cleaned so thoroughly it could almost be used as a mirror.
"King, you're awake," a female voice sounded from behind Lin Hao.
Lin Hao turned at the sound of the voice and saw Rila wearing a dust cap, holding a feather duster, and an apron tied around her waist.
She looked every bit the domestic woman.
His brain suddenly short-circuited.
After a few minutes, he asked, "Did you clean this?"
It wasn't even eight o'clock yet, and the entire villa had been cleaned like this. Didn't she get tired?
Rila glanced at the feather duster in her hand and smiled, "I didn't use too much strength. I used my psychic energy, so it was quite fast. As for this," she gestured to the feather duster, "I just suddenly found it in my spatial storage and decided to play with it."
Seeing the concern in the King's eyes, she quickly explained to her cub, "I'm not tired at all. It's just using a bit of psychic energy, how tiring can that be?"
As for her attire, it was because she wanted to experience what it was like for humans to clean their rooms, so she had found it in her spatial storage.
Lin Hao's heart stirred again upon hearing this.
The entire villa, this large, was cleaned using psychic energy?
Lin Hao looked at Rila. She showed no signs of fatigue, and her eyes even held a hint of a smile.
She seemed energetic, as if she could handle another dozen villas like this.
Was this the psychic power of the insectoids?
They had so much that they could use it for cleaning?
He, a former human, couldn't understand. Even at the peak of his psychic power, he wouldn't have dared to use it like this.
Cleaning such a large villa, even with five of him in the past, might not have been finished.
Was this the difference between humans and insects?
"King, what's wrong?" Rila saw that her cub had been standing there, speechless for several minutes.
She became a little anxious, wondering what had happened to her cub.
Hearing Rila's voice, Lin Hao snapped out of his reverie and waved his hand, "I'm fine, I'm fine."
He had simply been forced to eat a few lemons this early in the morning. What could be wrong?
Relieved that her cub was alright, Rila smiled and said, "King, let's eat now."
She then led Lin Hao to the dining table.
Seeing the table laden with dishes, Lin Hao felt the gap between humans and insects once again.
Was there a wedding or funeral happening? Why was the table so full?
If someone didn't know better, they'd think it was a banquet.
Look at the fish soup, so milky white, you could eat a whole pot.
And the toast, it was perfectly roasted, golden brown. And what's more, it seemed to have a soft-boiled egg on top.
What kind of divine deputy was this?
This was truly a must-have in life.
Alas, he wondered which pig would eventually get to "plow" such a virtuous maiden.
Lin Hao sat at the table, watching Rila silently serve him dishes. His "old father" instincts kicked in.
As their King, he would definitely find them very good matches.
Lin Hao made a silent resolution as he drank the fish soup.
Oh my, it was delicious, so delicious his tongue felt like it was about to fall off.
"King, good morning," a cold voice echoed from the staircase.
Lin Hao looked up and saw Erfa standing at the top of the stairs. The sunlight cast upon him, tempering the coldness of his entire being.
With a slightly hoarse voice from just waking up, Lin Hao felt he was about to be captivated.
But then he thought, he wasn't female, so being seduced wouldn't be of any use. Such an exceptionally good man should be left for the ladies.
"Good morning, Erfa, come and eat," Lin Hao put down his soup spoon and waved at Erfa.
Erfa, who had been standing at the top of the stairs, slowly walked to the dining table and began to eat.
Lin Hao glanced at the table and noticed Xir wasn't there. He sent a psychic message to the group chat: "Xir, come and eat."
"Okay, King, coming right up." Xir, lying in bed, immediately replied upon hearing this.
She had already adjusted her state, put on her clothes, and was heading downstairs.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw her cub quietly eating breakfast.
The restlessness in her psychic energy, stirred by the dream, was instantly soothed.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, you are still here.
Without you, she feared she wouldn't have been able to hold on.
"King, I'm here," Xil said to Lin Hao.
Lin Hao, already accustomed to their footsteps, looked up.
After being startled by their silent approach a few times, he had asked them, "Can you make some noise when you walk from now on? Otherwise, I'll be scared." Ever since then, they had deliberately made some noise whenever they approached Lin Hao.
"Xir, come and eat quickly." He called out to Xil, who was still staring blankly at the top of the stairs.
He didn't know why, but lately, these insects had a habit of spacing out unexpectedly.
Hearing Lin Hao's voice, Xil didn't continue walking. Instead, she instantly teleported to the dining table.
She slowly sat down and began to eat.
Lin Hao, having witnessed Rila use her excess psychic energy to clean the villa, and now seeing Xir teleporting from less than fifty meters away, no longer found it strange.
After all, Rila's behavior was surely learned from her commander.
What was there to be surprised about?
He was now a "King who had seen the world" and couldn't be scared by such minor things.
If he were to say that, wouldn't he be laughed at?
Within twenty minutes, Lin Hao had finished his meal.
He leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach with satisfaction.
It was so delicious.
At this rate of eating and with this regularity, would he turn into a fat pig within a month?
The thought made Lin Hao's eyes snap open.
Then, he narrowed them again.
He would worry about the future later. The most important thing now was to seize the present and eat well.
The three insects beside him ate quietly, occasionally casting doting glances at Lin Hao, who was rubbing his stomach.
"Ah, you're eating without me!" a booming voice shattered the tranquility.
Lin Hao almost fell off his chair from the sudden noise. He opened his eyes and saw Lan Jiaruo, looking grief-stricken, staring at them with a look of accusation.
Lan Jiaruo had just entered and saw that they hadn't waited for him to eat.
Yesterday, he had been working late due to inspecting the insects and the planet's safety, and was extremely tired. He had rested in the swimming pool to recover his strength.
Upon entering, he hadn't received the expected warm greetings. Instead, he saw that the others had already finished eating.
Finished!
Boohoo, they were mistreating him, the fish, by not letting him eat and making him work for free. He didn't want to live like this anymore.
Yes, he wanted to rise up, to become the master of his own destiny.
He would no longer be a fish that was easily deceived by anyone. He would reclaim his title as King.
With newfound resolve, Lan Jiaruo walked sternly towards them. Before he could speak, Xil said, "What's all this noise so early in the morning?"
"I was wrong," Lan Jiaruo said upon hearing Princess Xi'er's voice. His rebellious thoughts instantly vanished.
Why rise up? He wanted to stay by Princess Xi'er's side forever.
Wasn't it good to be by Princess Xi'er's side?
Yes, it was very good.
Lan Jiaruo then sat down at the table and saw that a portion of food was packed separately and set aside.
Seeing this, Lan Jiaruo was deeply touched. This must have been saved for him, he was so moved.
He was so moved that he could give a three-thousand-word speech on the spot without any notes.
Even so, it couldn't fully express his current feelings.
So, they hadn't really forgotten about him, the fish.
Just as he was about to pick it up and eat it, a slender hand snatched it away.
Snagged away?!!!
Lan Jiaruo saw the food at his lips vanish!
His inner cosmos instantly ignited. He looked up to see who had taken it. Upon looking up, he saw Xil holding the dish.
His newly ignited inner cosmos immediately extinguished.
If Princess Xi'er wanted to eat it, then let her have it.
Yes.
Heaven and earth are great, but Princess Xi'er is the greatest.
Little Theater:
Fishy: I want to rise up and sing!
Table flip (ﾉꐦ๑´Д`๑)ﾉ彡┻━┻
Xir suddenly walked by.
Quickly tidied the table and trotted happily behind Xir.
Hehehe.
Fishy: (If Princess Xi'er were a landlord, I would gladly be her unpaid laborer, hehehehehe(º﹃º))
Sunflower Seeds: This fish is truly hopeless.