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

The lights in the intensive care unit stayed on for seven days.

Shen Yan practically lived in the hospital ward, his personal computer filled with mental consciousness repair theories he had found on the StarNet. His fingertips were marked with faint red marks from repeatedly rubbing the edge of the screen, but Kalandall's condition remained as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind.

The physical wounds gradually scabbed over and healed under the effects of top-notch medication, but the mental state remained a desolate wasteland.

The female insect woke up on the morning of the fourth day.

At that moment, Shen Yan was studying the consultation report under the morning light, his palm gently resting on Karandel's forehead, maintaining a steady stream of soothing mental energy output.

Suddenly, the insect's eyelashes trembled violently. The curled eyelashes were covered with fine beads of cold sweat, as fragile as a butterfly's broken wing, and its breathing suddenly became rapid.

Shen Yan looked up and met a pair of bloodshot, gray-blue eyes. The pupils that were once as bright as sapphires were now filled with turbid hostility.

"You're awake? You have a slight fever because of the wound infection. Are you dizzy?"

Shen Yan subconsciously stood up, but because he was releasing his soothing mental energy, he quickly sat back down.

"Don't touch me! Get out...all of you get out!"

Karandal jerked his head away from the touch, his thin shoulders hunching violently, and a threatening growl escaped his throat.

He struggled to prop himself up, his movements so extreme that the scabbed wound on his back was instantly torn open, and bright red blood broke through the gauze, leaving glaring marks on his pale skin.

His cheeks were sickly pale, and his jawline appeared sharp from being strained.

"Kalandel, don't move! Your wound has reopened!" Shen Yan was startled and, fearing that the other person would be injured again, reached out to hold him down, but was fiercely shoved away.

"Don't touch me!" Karandal roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Stay away from me, you filthy trash!"

Shen Yan stood frozen in place, watching the blood seeping from his back, and could only immediately press the call button.

When the nurses arrived to treat his wounds, Karandal still resisted violently until the sedatives gradually took effect, at which point he finally went limp, but still stared at Shen Yan with eyes full of hatred.

That afternoon, the attending physician found Shen Yan and solemnly led him to his office.

"Lord Shen Yan, there is a situation I need to share with you."

He pulled up Karandal's abdominal scan and tapped the screen with his fingertip: "The examination revealed that his reproductive cavity was severely damaged, and his chances of conceiving in the future will be very low. You... should be prepared."

"I understand." Shen Yan's fingers tightened slightly, and his voice deepened.

"You are an SS-class male insect, which is of extraordinary significance to the reproduction of the Empire." The doctor carefully chose his tone, but his words carried an undeniable reality.

"Reproduction is the foundation of the Zerg. Given the current condition of the female Kalandall, she is probably unable to fulfill the basic duties of a queen. I advise you to reconsider. With your status, you have countless healthy and excellent females to choose from. There is no need to waste too much energy on her."

Shen Yan's fingertips tightened slightly, his gaze falling on the area marked as damaged on the scan. What welled up in his heart was not regret for reproduction, but a dense, throbbing pain.

He never intended to touch Calander; saving him was simply a simple act that any young Chinese man born under the red flag would do.

How exactly did Samuel commit such violence to cause such severe damage to the reproductive cavity of a female insect?

"I understand." His voice deepened as he traced the repair plan on the screen with his fingertips.

"Use the best medicine, contact the top reproductive specialists in the galaxy, and try to repair it no matter how low the probability is."

The doctor paused, seemingly surprised that his first reaction was to repair rather than give up, since for male insects, reproductively viable females were never scarce. But only for a moment, before quickly responding:

"Yes, I'll arrange it immediately."

Shen Yan didn't say anything more, turned around and went back to the intensive care unit, deliberately concealing the complex emotions in his eyes.

As the door opened, Karandel was startled by the sound and was staring warily in his direction. His blue hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead, and his complexion was slightly better than in the morning, but only slightly.

"Don't be afraid, you are safe now, and no one can hurt you anymore."

Just as Shen Yan was about to bend down to check on him, as he stood up, the hem of his shirt inadvertently brushed against the edge of the bed, and the tail hook at his tailbone, symbolizing his male status, flicked lightly.

In that instant, the remaining ferocity in Kalandall was completely ignited.

His gaze was like a poisoned needle, fixed on Shen Yan's back, and memories of being threatened and humiliated by Samuel with his tail hook flooded back like a tide.

"Safety?"

He forced a twisted smile, the pain of his ripped wound unable to conceal the hatred in his eyes: "The safety of male insects is just about feigning kindness and offering pity?"

He tried to struggle again, but the bed rails restricted his movements, and he could only futilely twist his neck, his gray-blue eyes filled with mockery and wariness.

"In my eyes, none of you are good. You are all useless cowards driven by your lower bodies, only capable of venting your desires through abuse. You are both weak and pathetic."

"You saved me simply because you think I'm not obedient enough and that I'm challenging enough. The title of Imperial General can satisfy your desire for conquest, and you just want to treat me as a new toy to toy with."

Looking at the despair in his eyes, Shen Yan felt a sharp pain in her heart: "I'm not like that..."

"No?" Karandal interrupted sharply, his voice hoarse yet shrill.

"A male insect, ignoring countless females eager to mate with him, chose to save me, a useless creature covered in wounds and without even wings?"

"We're not related, do you think I'd believe your nonsense?"

His gaze swept over Shen Yan's delicate face, his pale lips pressed into a tight line, and his tone suddenly became humiliating and cold: "You just want to fuck me, don't you? Using this guise of gentleness and consideration to pave the way, do you feel a sense of accomplishment?"

These words struck Shen Yan like a hammer blow. He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to defend himself.

Seeing his silence, Kalandall seemed even more certain of his guess. With a wave of his hand, he unbuttoned the hospital gown, and the loose fabric slipped down, revealing crisscrossing scars and pale skin on his neck.

The movement caused the unhealed wound on his chest to bleed again, and his pale but not fragile neck lifted slightly.

"There's no need to go through all this trouble."

His voice was eerily calm, only his slightly trembling fingertips betrayed his inner humiliation:

"Come now, or just say so whenever you want to play."

"I can't escape anyway."

"But stop doing all this pointless work—guarding the bed, feeding, and channeling your spiritual energy. I can't accept your males' charity. These actions only disgust me more."

"No!" Shen Yan quickly stepped forward and pressed his hand down. When her fingertips touched his cold skin, she could clearly feel his body shivering.

"Put your clothes back on, your wound has reopened. You are a hero of the empire, we saved you only because you shouldn't have to suffer like this."

"hero?"

Karandal laughed, a laugh so hard tears welled up in his eyes. His beautiful eyelashes trembled, and tears fell onto the back of his pale hand, leaving a small wet patch.

"The hero died the day his wings were torn off and his rank was stripped."

As if burned by tears, he abruptly pulled his hand back and stared intently at Shen Yan: "I advise you to save your energy and stop putting on this fake act."

Xiongzi felt a tightness in his chest from these words, and a surge of anger almost rose to his head. In his eyes, his days of waiting and worry had become nothing more than a prelude to hypocrisy.

But when he saw the blood-soaked gauze on Karandel's back and the deep, unfathomable wounds under his eyes, and recalled the damage to his reproductive cavity that the doctor had mentioned, his anger was instantly suppressed.

He knew that Karandal's perception had long been distorted by the atrocities, and dwelling on it would only intensify his suffering.

"I won't touch you, and I won't let you go, at least not until you're healed."

Shen Yan softened his tone, trying to make his voice sound sincere and harmless.

"Focus on recovering first. I'll let you go once you're fully healed."

Karandal stared at him for a long time, unsure whether he believed her or not. The female insect tried to find any trace of hypocrisy in his eyes, but Shen Yan's gaze was frank and earnest.

She finally stopped struggling and curled up back on the headboard, her blue hair covering most of her face, leaving only a pale ear tip showing.

……

Over the next few days, the female insect became strangely compliant. She no longer spilled the water Shen Yan offered, but instead accepted it with a cold face. She never resisted even when the endoscope was inserted into her body to check her injuries.

This performance greatly surprised Shen Yan, but at the same time, he could no longer tolerate the increasingly out-of-control crowds gathering at the hospital.

In the Zerg race, male Zerglings are extremely rare and precious. Ordinary female Zerglings may never see a male Zergling in their entire lives, and SS-class male Zerglings are legendary.

Karandal was once a renowned Imperial general, and his current predicament is already a topic of much discussion.

The combination of these two factors made this intensive care unit the focus of the entire hospital.

"Oh my god... Lord Xiongzi's tail hook just wiggled slightly, it was so cute!"

"That's Admiral Callandall? I saw him on the official website before, he looked so impressive back then, now..."

The whispers outside the door drifted through the glass, tinged with sighs: "But he's really good-looking, no wonder Lord Xiongzi saved him."

"Don't talk nonsense. Lord Xiongzi only saved him out of curiosity. Once the novelty wears off, who knows how he'll torture him..."

"But that's Shen Yanxiong. I have no hope of becoming a female lord. If only I could be your female servant or female slave..."

These comments were like fine needles, pricking Shen Yan's temples and making Kalandel's whole body stiff.

He turned his head, his grey-blue eyes churning with humiliation, his pale cheeks flushed with a sickly red from anger, which only intensified the broken beauty in him: "Did you hear that? They're all more honest than you. You males can never hide your true nature."

Shen Yan's temper flared instantly, not at Kalandel, but at the onlookers. He abruptly stood up, flung open the door, his face as cold as ice: "If you need medical attention, please go to the examination room. Is it so interesting to watch other people's insects?"

The insects outside the door dispersed sullenly. Shen Yan turned around and met Kalandel's indifferent gaze. Suppressing his anger, he said softly, "001, contact the doctor and request discharge."

"Master, Admiral Kalandall's mental state is not yet stable..."

"Staying here is the real risk." Shen Yan glanced at Karandal's pale, almost transparent face.

"go home."

After completing the discharge procedures, Shen Yan pushed his wheelchair into the ward, but Karandel suddenly grabbed his wrist, his fingertips icy cold as he tightened his grip: "Back to your home?"

His fingernails were white and deeply embedded in the male's flesh.

Is it locked in the basement or chained in a cage? Are they finally giving up?

Shen Yan felt a sharp pain from his grip, but she didn't know what he was thinking. She simply gently pulled her hand away and bent down to adjust the back of his wheelchair: "Let's go to the car first, it's windy outside."

Karandal stared at his profile, then turned his head away without a word, his blue hair falling down and obscuring the emotions in his eyes.