The Days When the Dimensional Demon Was Adored by Countless Zergs - Chapter 9
After dinner, Astor took Damien on a tour of the Deep Voyage.
The Deep Voyage Fleet is a special task force, usually engaged in exploring new planets and mining for resources. It’s a tough job, drifting in remote areas far from prosperous planets – tedious, boring, with few opportunities for promotion, and very dangerous.
So when Astor, newly promoted to Brigadier General, voluntarily requested a transfer to the Deep Voyage Fleet, no zerg could understand him.
Only Astor knew he was avoiding Enos and was preparing for the worst.
The flagship of the Deep Voyage Fleet, the Deep Voyage, is an old-model cruiser. When it was first produced, it was considered cutting-edge, but now it’s somewhat outdated.
Nevertheless, outdated or not, it’s still an enormous behemoth, enough to awe Damien.
He followed Astor, exploring the vast iron and steel giant of the ship. His eyes couldn’t take in everything at once; like a kitten let out to play for the first time, he found everything new and exciting.
Even though he could communicate with Damien through the mental link, Astor still encouraged him to speak more in order to collect data for the translator upgrade.
Damien would respond once in his mind, then repeat it aloud in Feiyin language. His voice was simultaneously recorded for the hastily assembled technical team to analyze and organise.
The tour route designed by Astor, conveniently looping back to the living quarters.
But Astor overestimated the physical condition of the sub-adult drone. On the way back, as the excitement wore off, Damien was clearly becoming fatigued.
Astor, with his keen senses, immediately noticed Damien’s steps becoming unsteady and his breathing rate increasing. He stopped and asked, “Are you feeling unwell? I’ll take you to the medical bay.”
Damien shook his head, “It’s nothing.” He was just a little tired.
In his past life, no matter how hard things got, he could grit his teeth and endure. Now, he felt exhausted after walking just a short distance.
He was being too delicate, he berated himself internally, completely forgetting that he was still in an extremely unstable metamorphosis period.
Damien tried to prove that he could still keep going, stepping forward, but lost his balance and nearly fell flat on his face.
Fortunately, Astor reacted quickly, catching him in his arms, preventing an intimate encounter with the floor.
Then, without a word, Astor simply picked Damien up horizontally.
Damien: “!!!”
He instinctively wrapped his arms around Astor’s neck.
The military female-zerg’s strong arms supported his knees and back, heading towards the medical bay.
Damien hurriedly explained, “I’m just a bit tired, I’ll be fine after some rest.”
Astor decisively said, “Then rest in my arms.”
As he spoke, the blonde female-zerg was already striding forward, pulling Damien closer.
Damien discovered that his new friend wasn’t always so agreeable—especially when it came to his health.
But the feeling of being cared for… was quite nice.
The examination results, of course, showed no problems, just exhaustion. However, Dr. Jones berated Astor, accusing him of not taking proper care of Damien and allowing him to deplete his energy.
Astor showed no intention of arguing, simply standing there and being lectured by the old doctor.
Damien felt a bit at a loss. He looked from Astor to Jones, completely unaware of what was happening between them.
When he heard his own name, he vaguely guessed something and felt anxious, wanting to explain and mediate.
Spotting a water dispenser in the corner, Damien remembered seeing Astor get drinking water earlier that day. He got a glass of warm water and walked forward to hand it to the still angrily rambling Jones.
Dr. Jones was stunned, his voice abruptly stopping.
Damien held out the cup, saying in broken Common Language, “Sor, ry.”
This was one of the words he had learned from Astor.
Seeing Jones not respond, Damien raised the cup a bit higher and said, “Thank you.”
This phrase came out much more fluently, as he had used it often with the military female-zergs.
Jones finally took the cup.
Damien smiled at him, then pattered back to Astor’s side. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Astor, Astor good.”
Then, like a child seeking praise or candy, he looked up at Astor.
Astor’s serious expression was already cracking. His eyes were tinged with laughter as he raised his hand to touch the little ponytail at the back of Damien’s head.
It felt really nice.
Damien: Obediently letting himself be petted.jpg
They were interacting happily, but the old doctor’s gaze at Damien was somewhat complex.
What a good child, he thought. If my own young drone was still around, he’d be about Damien’s age now.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the misty look was gone, returning to his usual demeanour as the feared doctor of the Deep Voyage.
Jones looked disgusted, “Go on then, I have experiments to do.”
Astor immediately moved to carry Damien again, but this time Damien was quicker. He stepped back and made a big X with his hands, refusing to cooperate.
Astor had to establish the mental link again: “Damien, your body is very weak. You need to be responsible for your health.”
Damien still shook his head. Being carried is really embarrassing.
Astor compromised: “I’ll carry you on my back.”
Alright, both sides made concessions, and an agreement was reached. Astor lowered himself, letting Damien climb onto his back, holding him securely.
Astor’s shoulders were broad and sturdy. Damien wrapped his arms around his neck, his chest against Astor’s back, feeling extremely content.
He said in Feiyin language near Astor’s ear:
“Thank you, Astor. When I grow up, I’ll carry you on my back when you’re tired too.”
Astor asked in confusion, “What are you saying?”
Damien buried his head in the crook of Astor’s neck, smiling, “Nothing, nothing.”
Astor didn’t pursue the matter further.
After sending Damien back to his room and making sure he was lying down obediently, Astor returned to his own suite.
He didn’t like luxury, and the room was simply furnished, but today the atmosphere made Astor feel somewhat uneasy.
After some thought, he realized the only variable was Damien.
They had been together for less than a day, yet Astor had already grown accustomed to the child’s company.
But how long could I keep him? He will have to leave eventually.
Astor sighed silently.
He would only be a passerby in Damien’s life, a passerby with no future.
Thinking about this, Astor felt an indescribable discomfort.
Uncharacteristically, he took a bottle of wine from the liquor cabinet, opened it, and poured it into a wine glass. The liquid swirled in the glass, reflecting a slightly troubled face.
He drank it all in one gulp. The spicy stimulation traveled from his tongue down his throat and into his stomach, seeming to warm his body.
Astor hoped for a good sleep tonight.
But this was ultimately a vain hope.
Astor found himself back on the night before his execution.
His hands and feet were bound with inhibitor rings as he sat silently in the prison cell.
The guard had brought a sumptuous meal, which had gone cold, sitting lonely by his feet.
He knew what this meant. Giving a condemned criminal a good last meal was tradition.
Astor would not repent to the Zerg God for Enos’s death, nor would he beg the court for leniency.
He had his own pride.
He suddenly chuckled lightly, but it pulled at the wound on his abdomen, causing him to cough and gasp weakly for several breaths.
Perhaps he was the only zerg who thought Enos deserved his fate?
A female zerg killing a drone was unprecedented in zerg history; there wasn’t even a sentencing standard. The drones empathised with Enos, filled with righteous indignation, demanding that Astor’s head be cut off and placed in a nutrient tank to drift through space, letting him float in fear for life.
The female zergs also found it inconceivable that a female would go against his nature and kill a drone.
His teacher had come to visit him. They were silent for a long time before the teacher finally said, “I’ll do my best to make it quick for you.”
Astor said, “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
The teacher sighed deeply, turned, and left, never to return.
Finally, dawn came. Astor was carried by the guards to the execution chamber. He was tied to the execution chair, calmly watching as the guards secured him tightly.
The needle pierced his skin, injecting the drug.
All the muscles in Astor’s body began to convulse. He opened his mouth wide, desperate to breathe, but couldn’t draw in any air.
A terrifying pain exploded in his heart. Those few seconds felt like an eternity.
He stopped moving.
Storyteller IcedMatcha's Words
(♡´౪`♡) Hello~ This is my first project on here! It's a zerg novel that's pretty fluffy! If you enjoy this as much as I do, please do consider supporting me on ko-fi~
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