The morning sunlight had just fallen not long ago, and Alhandra, who had already gotten up and finished freshening up, tried to wake up Wei’an, who was still lying in bed.
As soon as Alhandra called his name, Wei’an buried his face in the pillow in a daze and refused to get up.
Afraid that Wei’an might suffocate himself, Alhandra reached under the pillow and lifted his fleshy face. “Alright, time to get up.”
“I’m up, I’m up, already up,” Wei’an mumbled, struggling to open his eyes. His whole body remained motionless, still lying on the bed, with his face flushed from sleep. His half-open eyes quickly shut again, and his rosy little mouth slightly parted as he breathed.
Amused by the scene, Alhandra quietly took out his terminal and captured the moment, posting it to his social circle with the caption, “A rare sight of a lazy Wei’an.”
The moment the picture was posted, it sparked a flurry of comments from male zergs who frequently joked about wanting to steal cubs.
Farison Enger: “Excuse me, but may I ask what kind of room little Wei’an likes?”
“Same question.”
“Same question.”
“Same question.”
Shalou Kuyu, trying to disrupt the flow: “Why are you disturbing him so early in the morning?”
Cliff, Shang Ying, Farison Enger, and others posted identical pictures of themselves holding the hand of a male cub while heading out, saying, “You just don’t get it!”
“You just don’t get it!”
“You just don’t get it!”
After two seconds of silence, Shalou Kuyu typed a message, “Keep a low profile when you’re out, don’t let Shalou Kuer find out. If he realizes that Wei’an and the others went out without inviting him, I’ll send him over to cry in front of you.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
Far away in another star region, Quan Yan(the second brother) saw the picture, saved it leisurely, and smiled to himself.
He’s even learning to be lazy in bed now. His little Wei’an was getting cuter and cuter.
At school, after finishing his morning training, Quan Fan quietly saved the picture.
Quan Ci also saw the photo, examined it closely, and frowned. He felt that Wei’an seemed to have lost a bit of weight.
Unaware of his future filled with embarrassing moments on his male father’s social media, Wei’an was currently going through the motions, instinctively cooperating with Alhandra to get dressed and freshen up.
Once fully awake after washing up, Wei’an bounced with every step he took, even smiling while eating breakfast.
He had a good reason to be so happy — today, his male father was taking them out for some fun.
As soon as they finished breakfast, Shang You and the others, who had made plans in advance, arrived right on time.
They had made an arrangement in advance to wear identical blue T-shirts with mechas and white shorts, and they all had bright yellow round hats on their heads.
Even Shang Yan, who attended a different school, had been excused for the day to join them.
After a quick inspection of each other to ensure everything was in order, they high-fived, “No problem, very handsome.”
The sight of five cubs, still chubby with baby fat, all wearing the same outfits said with a straight face that they were handsome was just too cute.
Seeing this, Shang Ying finally understood what was going on. He had been curious earlier why these two kids were dressed identically today, but now it was clear that the little guys had planned it all out.
Alhandra stepped forward and picked up Wei’an, “Is our handsomest little Wei’an, all set? If so, let’s go.”
Wei’an, amused by him, beamed, “All set.”
The truth was, taking them out to play was mostly an excuse for Alhandra and the others to get some fresh air. The research on EY material hadn’t been progressing smoothly, and they were feeling a bit down, so they decided to take a break.
They boarded a spacecraft and traveled across half of Kato Star, arriving at the edge of the Fengyi Forest. This was the largest forest on Kato Star, covering about one-tenth of the planet, and it was also a paradise for exotic beasts.
The ecosystem here was exceptionally well-preserved and unique, home to many rare exotic beasts that were seldom seen on other planets.
Many Zergs who specialized in hunting and selling exotic beasts would come here to capture these creatures and trade them at markets for wealth.
Kato Star didn’t restrict such activities but had one clear rule: no high-tech, high-lethality weapons were allowed in Fengyi Forest. Since it was a jungle, the rule of survival by strength prevailed.
This made the forest a popular training ground for many military academy students to hone their skills and resilience.
At the edge of the forest was a massive lake, teeming with various beautiful aquatic creatures. Among them was a type of translucent, palm-sized fish whose meat was exceptionally delicious but hard to catch, making it very expensive.
Having heard about this before, Wei’an and the others, while their male fathers relaxed at the lodge, held hands and made their way to the lake with small buckets, ready to catch some fish.
In front of an almost invisible lake,By the lakeside, which stretched beyond the horizon, five little male cubs dressed in the same way squatted beside the lake, staring at the colorful fish inside and exclaiming.
“Look, there’s a big one with blue and red stripes!” Cole pointed excitedly ahead.
Wei’an and the others turned their heads and gasped in awe, “Wow, it really is huge!”
Cole, pleased with their reactions, flashed a toothy grin, “Told you it was big!”
Naiman compared the fish to the smallest among them, Wei’an, and exclaimed, “That fish is as big as Wei’an!”
Shang You glanced around and nodded in agreement, “It really is.”
Shang Yan, who was squatting next to Shang You, quickly grabbed his arm as he edged closer to the water, “Don’t get too close, you’ll fall in.”
Shang You glared at him, “How are we supposed to catch fish if we don’t get closer?”
Shang Yan calculated Shang You’s weight and concluded that even if he fell in, he could pull him back out. So he let go, “Be careful.”
“I know, I know,” Shang You replied impatiently, waving his hand. Then he lay down on the ground and dipped his small bucket into the water, trying to scoop up some fish.
However, the creatures in the water were experienced at evading capture. As soon as Shang You leaned in, the surrounding fish scattered in all directions.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Wei’an said seriously. “You need to tie a long string to the bucket, put some bait inside, and throw it in to catch the fish.”
Convinced by Wei’an’s logic, Krillochuan nodded, “But where do we get a long string?”
Faced with a difficult problem, they sat deep in thought. Suddenly, Shang You jumped up and ran back, exclaiming, “I’ve got an idea, wait for me!”
Wei’an and the others exchanged puzzled glances but obediently sat down to wait. Only Shang Yan, who knew Shang You’s temperament well, had a bad feeling.
Before long, Shang You came running back, holding several pairs of pants.
He threw the pants on the ground and began demonstrating, “If you tie the pant legs like this, doesn’t it make a long rope?”
Krillochuan looked up at him and asked, “Whose pants did you take?”
Shang You waved his hand dismissively, “My male father, your male father, Wei’an, Naiman, and Cole’s male fathers. How about that? Enough?”
Wei’an blinked in confusion, “You took the male fathers’ pants, so what are they wearing?”
“Robes!” Shang You answered matter-of-factly. “They’re all wearing them now.”
Convinced, Wei’an nodded, then quickly stood up and started tying the pant legs together. Shang Yan, knowing there was no point in trying to stop them, stood off to the side with a numb expression.
He thought to himself that he should never have come along with them.
After struggling to tie the pants together, Wei’an pulled some snacks from his storage and threw them into a small bucket, which he then tossed into the lake.
Once everything was done, they all squatted by the lakeside again, but this time, instead of watching fish, their attention was focused on the small bucket.
Before long, the snacks, having absorbed water, floated to the surface, and the fish swam up to eat the snacks, but none entered the bucket.
“We need to find a way to stop the snacks from floating,” Krillochuan suggested.
Naiman said, “We could stick them to the bucket.”
Cole added, “Or tie them down.”
Shang You scoffed, “You guys are silly. Snacks will fall apart. We need to use meat.”
Wei’an took out some dried meat, and they tied the meat with long grass they had plucked nearby, then tossed the bucket back into the water.
This time, as they squatted down again in a line, only two minutes passed before a large fish suddenly darted up and dived straight into their bucket, dragging it away before they could react.
Wei’an froze, quickly reaching out to grab the makeshift rope of pants, but the fish was too fast, and he missed it.
Shang You, reacting swiftly, tried to stomp on the rope but was pulled down, landing flat on his backside from the force.
Nearby, Shang Yan rushed forward, grabbing the rope and pulling it back with all his strength.
Krillochuan, Naiman, and Cole quickly joined in to help, while Wei’an turned around to help Shang You up from his fall.
Shang You, who fell on his butt, patted his butt and joined the rope-pulling army very excitedly. Wei’an also grabbed the end of the pants rope, using all his strength.
As they pulled, the grass beneath them formed two small trenches. Just as it seemed they were about to reel in the large fish, the section of the rope where two pairs of pants were tied together snapped with a loud pop.
With all their force still pulling on the rope, Wei’an and the others fell backward onto the grass. They exchanged surprised looks before leaping up and, despite their sore butts, started running along the bank in pursuit of the fish.
Angry, childlike voices rang out, “Bad fish! Give Wei’an’s bucket back!!!”
Across the lake, Chu Yi, who was gnawing on raw fish, twitched his ears. Sensing no danger, he continued to chew on his meal.
When a large fish with a pink bucket attached to it swam past, he merely raised an eyebrow.
Before long, Wei’an and the others, panting and out of breath, arrived and froze when they saw Chu Yi sitting by the lake.
“Hey, isn’t that Chu Yi?”
Having grown up surviving in harsh environments by the age of seven, Chu Yi had long sensed their approach. Since they carried no threatening aura, he deemed them harmless and didn’t remain overly vigilant.
As they got closer, Chu Yi lifted his gaze, intending to give them a warning, but he was stunned when he raised his eyes.
It was the little male cub and his friends that day!
Wei’an’s attention shifted to the fish meat in Chu Yi’s hands.
It was his first time seeing a Zerg eat raw fish meat.
“Where’s that tree man?” Wei’an asked, not seeing the tree man anywhere nearby.
By now fluent in the Zerg language, Chu Yi replied, “He went to the market to buy fish.”
“Oh.” Wei’an’s gaze returned to the raw fish in Chu Yi’s hand. “Is it tasty?”
“Yes,” Chu Yi replied. To him, anything that filled his belly was considered tasty.
Hearing this, Wei’an became even more curious. His bright blue eyes sparkled, “Can I have some to try?”
Chu Yi shook his head; the raw fish had a strong, pungent smell.
Wei’an didn’t seem disappointed by the refusal. “I can trade you something for it.”
Chu Yi put down the fish and turned to fetch a bowl he had crafted from stone, placing it in front of Wei’an. “Here, eat this.”
The bowl contained some bright fish he had caught over the course of an entire day and night, intending to sell at the marketplace once his uncle Alda returned.
This fish is very expensive and can be sold for a lot of money.
Wei’an and the others gathered around the stone bowl, only to find it filled with water. Wei’an blinked in confusion. “There’s nothing in it?”
Chu Yi bent down, scooping a translucent fish from the water and handing it to him. The fish turned pale blue as soon as it left the water. “Eat this, this fish is delicious.”
Wei’an touched the fish, his eyes lighting up in excitement. He turned to his companions, “Isn’t this the kind of fish Xingxing talked about, the Ming Fish?”
“Seems like it,” Krillochuan replied.
“How did you catch it?” Shang You asked unconvinced.
Chu Yi answered honestly, “I jumped into the water and caught it.”
“I want to try too.” As Shang You prepared to jump into the water, Shang Yan quickly grabbed him.
“If you jump in, Wei’an will be curious and follow. His health isn’t good, and he’ll cry if he gets sick.”
Shang You glanced at Wei’an, who was a head shorter than him, and reluctantly gave up his plan to dive into the water.
Shang Yan let out a sigh of relief. Only using Wei’an could he successfully keep Shang You in check.
Chu Yi looked at the mud on their pants and suddenly remembered, “Was that pink bucket from earlier yours?”
Hearing this, Wei’an puffed out his cheeks angrily. “Yes, that fish is so mean.”
Upon confirming it, Chu Yi promptly jumped into the water. Thanks to his hybrid genes, his speed in the water was as fast as it was on land, quickly disappearing from view.
“He swims faster than the fish!” Wei’an said in awe.
“It’s amazing,” Cole praised.
Shang You crossed his arms. “Hmph, I’ll definitely swim faster than him one day.”
After a while, Chu Yi returned, soaking wet, carrying the bucket in one hand and the large fish in the other. He handed them both to Wei’an, “Here.”
“All for me?” Wei’an patted the fish’s head and looked up at Chu Yi with hopeful eyes.
“Yes.”
Wei’an, grinning with joy at the unexpected harvest, waved goodbye to Chu Yi before leaving with Shang You and the others, carrying the fish and the bucket of Ming Fish.
The snow-white trousers of the little male cubs, who were wearing identical clothes, had mud marks on their buttocks caused by falling. The mud marks on their trousers squirmed when they walked around.
It wasn’t until their figures disappeared that Chu Yi returned his gaze to the fish in his hands, continuing to gnaw on his meal. Water droplets fell from his hair, into his pitch-black eyes. He couldn’t help but think of those white pants with dirt stains on the back, and a clumsy, awkward smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Growing up in the harsh environment of the garbage Star, Chu Yi had never encountered cubs like that little male, who were cleaner and softer than the clouds in the sky.
Finishing his meal, Chu Yi leaped back into the lake. He needed to catch more Ming Fish so Uncle Alda would have fish to sell.
Now that he is out of the garbage star, he has no intention of going back.
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