TAID CH3

When Lu Zhao woke up the next day, the ring on his finger dug into his skin slightly.

Only then did he gradually process the fact that he was now a married Omega. If not for this ring serving as a reminder, Lu Zhao still wouldn’t have had any sense of reality about it.

He and Bai Li got along too peacefully. Bai Li was quite an interesting person. Lu Zhao felt that if Bai Li were still in the First Legion, he would actually like to be assigned to the same combat unit as him; Bai Li was far more interesting than most of the Alphas in the legion.

Lu Zhao got out of bed. The moment he stood up, the shading layer on the floor-to-ceiling windows automatically faded, allowing the morning sunlight of the Empire to flood the entire room.

A round, chubby robot butler entered the room after receiving Lu Zhao’s permission, balancing a freshly prepared set of casual clothes on top of its head to deliver to him.

Lu Zhao glanced at the loungewear he was currently wearing. This was a set Bai Li had dug out of his own wardrobe yesterday. Lu Zhao and Bai Li’s marriage had happened even more hastily than others thought, or rather, neither of them had any idea how to handle it at all. Even moving into this apartment was a last-minute decision, while Lu Zhao himself hadn’t even bought a property, having lived in the legion dormitories all along.

Just as he was pondering whether to have Huo Cun buy two sets of spare clothes and send them over, he heard the robot butler emit two “beep-beep” sounds, immediately followed by an affected, sickly-sweet voice saying, “Welcome home, Master, mwah!”

It caught Lu Zhao completely off guard, leaving him stunned.

Hearing Bai Li’s voice at the doorway, Lu Zhao finally realized that this brat Bai Li had programmed the robot butler’s greeting.

One look at Bai Li showed he had just returned from exercising, his head drenched in sweat. Pushing back the damp bangs on his forehead, he walked to the door of Lu Zhao’s bedroom and looked in. “Fresh flower, you’re awake.”

“This robot butler’s greeting is quite something.” Lu Zhao had no time to worry about any newlywed awkwardness; just listening to the robot butler’s voice was already awkward enough.

Bai Li laughed uncontrollably. “Isn’t it hilarious? If you can’t stand it, just change it yourself.”

“I can change it?”

“Yes,” Bai Li answered while drinking water. “Last night, I added your administrative permissions. From now on, you can arrange anything in this house however you want.”

Lu Zhao hadn’t expected this. After all, this apartment was Bai Li’s private property, and although they were nominal legal partners, their relationship wasn’t that of a real couple. Thinking it over, Lu Zhao didn’t know what to say and could only reply, “Thanks.”

“You go to the washroom first. I’ll wait until you come out before I wash up.” Bai Li nodded casually.

Lu Zhao acknowledged him and walked toward the washroom, subconsciously glancing at Bai Li’s legs as he passed by him.

Bai Li was wearing athletic shorts today. His two legs were long and straight, his skin not particularly pale. One look showed he exercised regularly; his muscles were firm, possessing a much more aggressive edge compared to the muscles of noble Alphas built up through strength-type nutrient fluids and rapid body-sculpting training.

Lu Zhao’s gaze paused briefly on the scar on Bai Li’s left leg that crawled all the way from his ankle up to his thigh. The scar resembled a twisted centipede of flesh. Merely looking at it made one feel an unbearable pain, making Lu Zhao wonder how Bai Li had endured it back then.

Lu Zhao only took a single glance, said nothing more, and walked straight into the washroom.

“You can take a bath, though you have to run the water in advance. I woke up late today and forgot, so just use the quick-cleanse.” Bai Li’s voice came from outside the washroom.

The washroom was quite spacious. Lu Zhao immediately spotted a bathtub built large enough for two adults to soak in, which was rare in today’s technologically advanced Empire. Quick-cleanse only took three minutes to achieve great results, making it the lifestyle choice for most people.

Lu Zhao took off his clothes and stepped into the quick-cleanse booth, still thinking about Bai Li’s left leg. With such a severe injury, it was no wonder he withdrew from the frontlines directly back then. Outsiders didn’t know the truth, yet they still dug up Bai Li’s personal profile and put it on public display, poking at his scars.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhao recalled the injury he sustained in a recent wasteland star reclamation battle. Bai Li had crippled one leg and still had his wounds poked at to this day; who knew how many people would gloat with relish once his own injuries were exposed.

Lu Zhao subconsciously raised a hand to touch his abdomen, letting out a sneer.

Only then did he remember that Bai Li should have read his medical report last night, yet he hadn’t said a word about it today.

Bai Li wiped the sweat off his head with a towel brought by the robot butler. Sitting on the sofa, he opened his personal terminal, quickly replied to a few work matters, and once again clicked open the medical report Lu Zhao had sent him last night.

Though called a physical examination report, it was actually a full-body post-battle checkup for Lu Zhao. Bai Li carefully read through the report again. It stated that due to exposure to unknown radioactive substances on the wasteland star, Lu Zhao had suffered multiple internal organ damages and would very likely be unable to bear children.

Treatment methods were still under research.

Bai Li closed the report and leaned back, sprawling onto the soft sofa. He rubbed his temples and muttered softly, “Was it written like this in the original novel? What the hell.”

From the very moment Bai Li opened his eyes in this lifetime, he knew he hadn’t been reincarnated into a good role.

Whether in terms of world-building or characters, this world was identical to a stallion novel he had read in his previous life.

In the novel titled Number One Alpha of the Interstellar, the male lead was an Alpha who initially had weak mental power. Since childhood, he was looked down upon by others in noble circles and constantly compared to his exceptionally formidable half-brother of a different surname, who was also an Alpha. By a stroke of luck, the male lead’s mental power broke through, and he gradually rose to prominence in the military. However, an accident struck: during a long-range patrol, the male lead’s warship encountered interstellar pirates. During the battle, his warship was shot down, forcing an emergency landing on a distant wasteland star undiscovered by the Empire.

To return from the wasteland star, the male lead embarked on a long journey. His mental power grew stronger as if he had activated cheats, countless Omegas submitted to him, and different races across various planets became his bed partners, kicking off the male lead’s stallion career.

As for Lu Zhao, he was also one of the male lead’s harem members in the novel. In the novel’s setting, because Lu Zhao’s elders had done a favor for the male lead’s family, an engagement was signed between him and the male lead when they were young. However, due to Lu Zhao’s overly humble family background and the fact that he lived on a satellite planet during his childhood with little contact with the male lead, this engagement was never made public.

During the period when the male lead was stranded on the wasteland star with his whereabouts unknown, Lu Zhao rose through the ranks in the military through his own strength and was heavily relied upon. Because of this, the male lead’s family never broke off the engagement. Unfortunately, before long, Lu Zhao suffered severe physical trauma in a battle, and the male lead’s family immediately annulled the engagement.

Lu Zhao had reached marriageable age. Once the engagement was voided, he had no choice but to marry the Alpha matched to him by the Empire’s supercomputer system.

The novel didn’t spend much ink on this plotline. It merely stated that as soon as the male lead returned to the Empire, he discovered that his original fiancée had married his crippled half-brother of a different surname who had retired from the military. Furious, he stormed into his brother’s house to demand an explanation, thereby reuniting with Lu Zhao.

In the novel, as one of the male lead’s harem members, Lu Zhao had quite a large fanbase among readers. The Lu Zhao in the novel was an independent and powerful Omega. Cold and proud, he crushed most Alphas in the legion with his formidable strength. Unlike the other members of the male lead’s harem, Lu Zhao possessed a lithe, athletic build and handsome features. Such a fierce Omega fascinated the male lead. Ultimately, under the male lead’s pursuit, Lu Zhao divorced his legal partner, became one of the male lead’s companions, and provided immense assistance to the male lead’s career in the military.

When Bai Li read the novel, he felt that Lu Zhao’s brain must have been bashed in during a battle. He was one of the readers who liked this character; Bai Li admired the independent personality of people like Lu Zhao, never expecting those highlights in the subsequent plot to become mere stepping stones to set off the male lead’s stallion prowess.

And Bai Li himself was currently that crippled half-brother of the male lead.

By the time Bai Li realized what a trash character he had been reincarnated into, he was already old enough to run errands. Thinking of the plot awaiting him, Bai Li was fuming with rage.

To avoid walking the cliché path of the novel, Bai Li trained like his life depended on it. In his early years, he was even more ferocious than the original novel’s setting, joining the First Legion at a young age and successfully bypassing the injury plot originally scheduled in the book. Seeing that he could indeed change his fate, Bai Li had breathed a sigh of relief back then.

Unexpectedly, not long after, he was shot down and injured during a mecha battle. Just like in the novel, his left leg was severely damaged, rendering him unable to pilot a mecha ever again.

Bai Li had poured in countless time and energy, only to delay his predetermined plot by a few months.

Even after all these years, thinking about it still made the sense of defeat suffocate him.

“Aren’t you going to wash up yet?” Lu Zhao’s voice interrupted Bai Li’s recollections. “You don’t look too good.”

Bai Li opened his eyes. At some point, Lu Zhao had finished showering and changed into the casual outfit Bai Li prepared for him. He was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window not far away, looking at him while holding a half-finished meal-replacement nutrient fluid. Bai Li rubbed his face and replied, “It’s nothing, I just stayed up too late playing games last night.”

Lu Zhao nodded and continued looking out the window.

The floor this apartment was on was high enough to overlook the houses and streets below. The main city district was planned magnificently, mostly inhabited by nobles or military personnel. One could see the latest luxury hovercars shuttling along translucent tracks suspended in mid-air across the city. Not far away stood the Empire’s famous skyscraper, “Sapphire,” where most high-ranking Imperial officials worked, with people in tailored suits or wearing military rank badges entering and exiting Sapphire.

“You seem to like it here quite a bit.” Bai Li quickly emerged from the washroom. Too lazy to put on shoes, he walked barefoot to the window holding a bottle of nutrient fluid as well, while the robot butler busily trailed behind him wiping up his wet footprints. “You stood here looking out for a long time yesterday too.”

Lu Zhao thought about it. “I wouldn’t say I like it; I just haven’t ever leisurely overlooked the main city district first thing in the morning like this.”

“I’m almost sick of looking at it.” Bai Li finished his nutrient fluid in two or three gulps. “I grew up in the main city district. Before my old man passed away, he took me to the top floor of Sapphire a few times. Looking down from up there, the people below look too tiny to even mention.”

Lu Zhao knew Bai Li was referring to the previous head of the Bai family. Old Master Bai’s name resonated loudly throughout the military, still commanding respect whenever mentioned today.

Unfortunately, Old Master Bai wasn’t very lucky when it came to heirs, having only one Omega daughter who married into the Tang family. Because Imperial aristocratic law stipulated that only an Alpha could inherit the family estate, Old Master Bai had no choice but to demand that the first Alpha child born to his daughter take the surname Bai, in order to inherit the Bai family’s vast fortune and generational glory.

That child, whose surname was changed and who was brought to the Bai family to be raised the moment he was born, was Bai Li.

These thoughts merely flashed through Lu Zhao’s mind. He didn’t mention to Bai Li that he had once been engaged, nor did he know if Bai Li was aware of it. He slowly took a sip of nutrient fluid and said, “The satellite planet where I grew up wasn’t prosperous. The last time I looked down on it was from the spaceship I boarded on the day I went to the main planet to enlist.”

Bai Li turned his head to look at him, a hint of gentle amusement glinting in his eyes. “So, did it look too tiny to even mention?”

Infected by the smile in Bai Li’s eyes, the corners of Lu Zhao’s mouth relaxed. “Mn, indeed.”

Bai Li didn’t pry into what the satellite planet Lu Zhao grew up on was like, nor did Lu Zhao elaborate on that drab, gray hometown packed with criminals and interstellar drifters.

Once the robot butler finished cleaning the water stains on the floor, Bai Li raised his hand and tossed the empty nutrient fluid bottle. The robot butler rolled across the floor with a rumble, extending two short robotic arms from its chubby body to catch the bottle dead-on before it hit the ground.

The robot butler let out an affected, coquettish whine. “Master, you’re so bad~ How could you tease me like this~”

Lu Zhao was speechless.

Bai Li laughed wildly.

Lu Zhao was baffled. “Our dormitories are also equipped with robot butlers, none of them are like this type.”

“A company I invested in does this line of work; I had this one custom-made.” Bai Li couldn’t stop laughing. “Fresh flower, which model do you like? Later I’ll customize one for you to take back to your dorm.”

Lu Zhao wondered what unlucky company had ended up with an investor like Bai Li. Before he could speak, his personal terminal rang.

As soon as he answered, Huo Cun’s voice came through. “Major General, I have arrived.”

“I’ll come down now.” Lu Zhao finished the last mouthful of nutrient fluid and saw the robot butler already rolling over eagerly, straining to lift its two short little arms to take the empty bottle from his hand.

The corner of Lu Zhao’s mouth twitched, yet he still gently placed the empty bottle into the short little hands. Perhaps having suffered Bai Li’s torment for too long, it was the robot butler’s first time receiving trash properly. Failing to process it immediately, it let out a happy little squeal after a few seconds, said “You’re so nice,” and carried the empty bottle off to throw away.

Over on the side, Bai Li was laughing again. Watching him, Lu Zhao felt completely at a loss for words.

“Fresh flower, you’re so nice,” Bai Li mimicked the robot butler’s tone, shooting another wink at Lu Zhao. “Heading out?”

Lu Zhao nodded. “Going to the legion.” Pausing, he couldn’t help glancing at Bai Li.

Before this marriage began, Lu Zhao and Bai Li had met once and negotiated some terms. Lu Zhao proposed continuing to work after marriage, and Bai Li had agreed without a second thought back then, nearly making Lu Zhao’s accompanying officer, who acted as the middleman, drop his jaw in shock.

After all, in the traditional views of the Empire, Omegas mostly resigned after marriage to stay home and prepare for pregnancy, while Alphas were the main force of society.

“Sure, beat up that brat Huo Cun for me.” Bai Li sat on the sofa and began handling messages on his personal terminal.

Lu Zhao had already reached the door, stopping when he heard this. “Why beat him up?”

“He added my Sim-War account last night. At first, he wanted to play a few matches against me, then after seeing my battle record, he insisted I carry him. Good grief, he nearly dropped my ranking out of the top two hundred.” Bai Li grumbled and cursed. “What kind of people is your legion recruiting nowadays? Made me so mad I couldn’t sleep well all night.”

Sim-War was the abbreviation for the simulated star-war game Bai Li was playing yesterday. It was an old game, yet due to its conscientious production and rigorous mechanics, it remained a favorite among Imperial players who enjoyed this genre, boasting a massive, stable player base.

Lu Zhao chuckled twice, saying neither yes nor no, and left in a relaxed mood.

After he left, Bai Li sprawled back onto the sofa, muttering to himself, “Sigh, the real person is way more awesome than in the novel.”

Downstairs, Huo Cun sat inside the hovercar. The military hovercar’s onboard terminal was connected to the Empire’s supercomputer system, broadcasting several internal military notices.

Lu Zhao pulled open the car door and sat in the passenger seat. Huo Cun immediately turned down the broadcast volume to greet him. “Major General.”

“Mn, let’s go.” Lu Zhao nodded, tossing the meal-replacement nutrient fluid he had brought down to Huo Cun. “Haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Huo Cun still wore a sleepy expression. This adjutant was great in every way except for his love of sleeping in. A Beta who could sleep even longer than Lu Zhao, an Omega, he woke up right at the last minute every single time, usually missing breakfast and constantly forgetting to bring nutrient fluid.

“Thank you, Major General.” Huo Cun didn’t stand on ceremony, smiling as he twisted open the seal of the nutrient fluid while his eyes kept sizing Lu Zhao up and down.

Lu Zhao’s expression was as calm as ever. Seeing Huo Cun staring at him continuously, he asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Uh, nothing.” Huo Cun embarrassedly retracted his gaze. He held back, then couldn’t hold back anymore, asking with concern, “Major General, how are you and Mr. Bai Li getting along?” If it’s not going well, I’ll call some guys upstairs right now to crack his skull open.

In terms of pure combat prowess, Huo Cun wasn’t particularly worried about Lu Zhao losing to Bai Li. However, an Omega’s physiology destined them to be easily suppressed by Alphas; once an Alpha forcibly released massive amounts of pheromones combined with strong mental power suppression, an Omega’s instincts would force them to submit.

Lu Zhao didn’t know how to answer. He couldn’t very well say that he and Bai Li were fake partners who were completely innocent. Thinking it over, he said, “He’s quite interesting.”

Huo Cun breathed a sigh of relief. His impression of Bai Li wasn’t bad; although he also felt Bai Li was slightly unworthy of Major General Lu Zhao, Bai Li’s attitude toward Lu Zhao satisfied Huo Cun greatly. “That’s good then.”

“Did you play Sim-War with him yesterday?” Lu Zhao asked.

Huo Cun immediately perked up. “Speaking of this, I have to praise him a bit. Major General, don’t let Bai Li’s usual demeanor fool you, he is seriously good at Sim-War! I originally wanted to vent some anger for you, so I added his Sim-War account intending to beat him up. Never expected him to be a big shot in the main star server! Whoa, yesterday he carried me and crushed several competitive matches. This is the main star server, do you know how many top players are on there! And he just carried me! Crushed them! He is way too good!”

Lu Zhao let out an “Mn.” “When I came downstairs just now, he asked me to pass something along to you.”

“What is it?”

Lu Zhao raised his hand and smacked Huo Cun right on the back of his head. “He thanks you for nearly dropping him out of the top two hundred.”

Huo Cun was speechless. Bai Li really isn’t human.

Immediately afterward, Lu Zhao delivered another smack to the back of his head.

Huo Cun was slapped silly. “What was this one for?!”

Lu Zhao said flatly, “This one was from me, for being an embarrassment.”

Huo Cun was speechless. Neither of you in this family are good people.

Huo Cun resentfully gulped down the nutrient fluid in one breath. The familiar taste filled his mouth, and he smacked his lips. “Drinking this all day long is getting really sickening. I’m just counting on this month’s legion gathering to get some real feast food, like the Crab-Shell Beasts from Planet Blake or the Fruit-Flavored Sparrows from Planet B06.”

“Be content as long as it fills your stomach.” Lu Zhao stopped paying attention to his nagging, turning to fiddle with his personal terminal and settling his mind to process some necessary paperwork.