Who understands? The aloof female ruler always flirts without even realizing it.

Shen Yan finally turned around and looked at him, then walked out of the darkness step by step, looking down at the female insect kneeling on the ground.

The neon lights outside the window cast a blurry halo behind him, but they couldn't illuminate his expression at that moment; only his eyes burned with a cold flame.

Seeing the other person's almost unthinking humility, Shen Yan felt a surge of anger in his heart, a mixture of horror, pain, and a sense of betrayal.

It felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over it; after a "sizzle," only a heavier, more suffocating dull pain remained.

This realization made his throat tighten, all the words stuck in his chest, turning into a silent desolation.

"Tell me about the 'Blue Star' campaign." Shen Yan's voice was soft, but every word was like a knife.

"I want to hear you tell me every single detail, in person."

Karandal was taken aback, never expecting the lord to suddenly ask this.

That was one of the most glorious achievements of his military career, and the cornerstone of his rise to the rank of general. He had once dreamed that one day he might have the opportunity to recount his exploits to his superior.

But certainly not at this moment, in this atmosphere.

"...That was a successful raid."

He tried his best to describe it in objective and concise language.

"The military command ordered the capture of Blue Star and the elimination of all hostile forces entrenched there. We devised a plan, led our fleet to penetrate its weak points, carried out precision strikes, annihilated all units marked as hostile on the planet's surface, and successfully occupied the planet."

"Annihilate?"

"...Yes. The mission requirement is to completely eliminate the threat and ensure a safe takeover of the resource planet."

Karandal felt the male lord's mental pressure intensify, making it difficult for him to breathe, but he still answered truthfully.

It's unclear why a routine military operation against a foreign race that took place many years ago would elicit such a strong reaction from the powerful ruler.

Blue Star is just a planet that died completely millions of years ago.

Exploration data shows that it was indeed once a vibrant planet, with its surface covered by vast oceans of liquid water, appearing as a beautiful azure blue when viewed from space, hence the name "Blue Star".

However, whether due to abnormal stellar activity or some kind of cosmic catastrophe, its atmosphere was gradually stripped away over a long period of time.

Without the protection and insulation of the atmosphere, the liquid water evaporated rapidly, exposed to the harsh space environment, and eventually disappeared without a trace, unable to form a cycle.

The life forms living on the planet have long since become extinct.

What may have been a cradle of life has been transformed into a rusty red desert dotted with craters and dried-up riverbeds. But the passing of life did not take away the treasures sleeping in the planet's core and strata.

Deep scanning confirmed that it contains extremely rich fossil energy reserves—massive amounts of coal, oil, and natural gas. These resources, which still have important strategic value in the interstellar era, flow like dormant blood within the planet's cold shell.

It was these "treasures" that attracted alien races roaming the universe, who occupied them and transformed them into strongholds for harassing surrounding star systems.

But Shen Yan was unaware of these things.

He stared intently at the female soldier; her icy blue eyes, which had seen everything on the battlefield, now held only pure worry and confusion.

"Did I do something wrong?"

This was the third time he had asked for the reason tonight, but he still hadn't received an answer.

The intense emotions that were about to burst out of his chest were forcibly suppressed by Shen Yan, turning into a deeper silence and exhaustion.

He didn't say anything.

Without glancing at Karandal again, he walked straight to the bedroom.

"Click".

The bedroom door was gently closed, the sound of the lock clicking clearly audible in the quiet living room, like an invisible barrier completely separating the two worlds.

Karandal stood there, listening to the sound of the lock clicking shut, his body trembling almost imperceptibly.

The tyrant didn't even give him a chance to explain, nor did he give any instructions for punishment; he simply... banished him to this darkness.

This hurt him more than any reprimand.

He desperately tried to recall every detail of the day, from the military meeting to his journey home, searching for anything that might have angered the powerful leader, but to no avail.

……

Shen Yan leaned against the cold bedroom door and slowly slid down to sit on the floor. The world outside was deathly silent, but he knew that the female soldier was still there.

The anger that was forcibly suppressed gradually cooled in the darkness of solitude, replaced by something deeper and more suffocating.

A sober, self-flagell struggle.

He was using passive-aggressive tactics against Karandal.

Reason is weakly arguing:

From the Zerg's perspective, what did Kalandall do wrong?

He faithfully carried out the military's orders, accomplishing a difficult task with exceptional talent and minimal cost, winning honor and resources for himself and his entire community.

He was not wrong.

At least within the Zerg worldview, he was not wrong at all.

This realization was like a red-hot iron wire, burning into Shen Yan's heart.

The punishment he inflicted stemmed from a secret he could not speak of.

Karandal had no way of knowing or understanding.

Time passed in silence—

The neon lights outside the window gradually went out, and the city's hustle and bustle subsided into silence. Only the cold moonlight shone through the window, casting pale spots of light on the floor, which just happened to envelop the straight-bodied female insect.

He didn't move.

The lord banished him from the master bedroom, but he refused to accept this unreasonable estrangement.

So he waited.

This was the only expression he could offer at that moment: waiting and apology.

Even if he doesn't know where the crime lies.

Exhaustion washed over him like waves, the tension of the day and the heavy pressure in his heart almost crushing him.

His spine ached from standing straight for so long, but he maintained the posture like a frozen statue, with only the occasional blink of his eyelashes proving that he was still consciously enduring it all.

He is waiting.

Wait for that door to open, wait for the powerful leader to come out, even if it's just a glance or a gesture, to tell him what to do.

As the night deepens, a chill seeps into the body.

Karandal was only wearing thin casual clothes, and the chill seeped into his bones through the floor.

The old wound seems to be hurting again...

Her pale lips were pressed tightly together, and her icy blue eyes appeared particularly dim in the moonlight, yet she stubbornly stared at the tightly closed door.

My mind kept replaying the moments I spent with the male ruler.

The gentleness of the powerful leader who soothed his spirit, the unwavering protection he received when stripped of his rank, and the steadfastness with which he reclaimed his medals…

Those warm feelings were so real, so why did they all turn into cold barriers overnight?

Could it be... because of Locke? When I parted ways with the male master during the day, I seemed to see them talking happily.

Could it be that he has fallen for Locke and decided to avenge him?

Or did I inadvertently offend some lord related to the powerful ruler while at the military headquarters today?

Various speculations swirled in my mind, but none could perfectly explain the deep-seated estrangement from the powerful ruler.

He could only express his unease and loyalty in this most primitive and submissive way.

A faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon, signaling the approach of daybreak.

The darkness in the living room dissipated somewhat, and Karandel's face appeared unusually pale in the morning light, with dark circles under his eyes. His body trembled slightly from the cold and exhaustion, and his breathing became shallow.

In the bedroom, Shen Yan hadn't slept a wink all night.

Lying in bed, he stared at the ceiling, his eyes wide open, torn apart by hatred, pain, and a heartache he himself was unwilling to admit.

He thought the female insect would leave in anger after being treated like this, which was fine, since he hadn't figured out how to face Kalandall yet.

As dawn broke, Shen Yan could no longer lie there. He took a deep breath, and with an almost masochistic urge, abruptly got up and opened the bedroom door.

Then, I froze.

The morning light filled the living room, illuminating everything with crystal clarity.

The well-proportioned female insect remained in the same posture he had adopted when he left the previous night, her straight back seemingly unbent.

Hearing the door open, he dazedly raised his head. His icy blue eyes, narrowed slightly by the backlight, were bloodshot, yet in that instant, they burst forth with a light that was a mixture of hope, unease, and extreme exhaustion.

His face was terrifyingly pale, and his lips were even chapped from thirst. The whole thing exuded an indescribable fragility and...stubbornness.

Karandal actually... stayed outside all night.

My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and my breathing became labored.

All the prepared cold words, all the mental defenses built up, at this moment, facing such eyes, such posture, seemed to crumble.

He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't make a sound.

Kalandel looked at him, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously, and his hoarse, almost broken voice, tinged with a cautious probing, softly rang out:

"Good morning, my lord..."