Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Adrian remained noncommittal, then flicked his fingertips upwards, unbuttoning the top button of Morris's shirt: "Why do you ask that?"

Morris easily sensed Adrian's intention. He remained stiff and motionless, his mind already racing as he considered the possibility that he might have picked up the scent.

He didn't smoke today, so there's no way he could smell cigarettes on him. The only thing he came into contact with was the pheromones in the office... But now it's been almost eight hours since noon, so even if Adrian has a very sensitive nose, he couldn't possibly smell anything.

Morris relaxed, letting Adrian's hands roam freely over his body, his tone remaining calm: "My lord, there's training at the military today, so I..."

“I had a cigarette.” Adrian suddenly picked up where Maurice left off, his right hand somehow reaching inside Maurice’s military jacket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes from the inconspicuous lining.

Morris: "..."

Adrian seemed to be seeing this for the first time. He tossed the cigarette case in his palm and examined it seriously, saying, "Hmm... Insect Star brand cigars, specially designed for female insects, unique flavor, a different taste..."

Morris's fingers slowly curled and clenched. He parted his thin lips and, as Adrian looked over, suddenly spoke up to explain, "My lord, this is not my cigarette. I never smoke."

He had previously investigated Adrian, a male insect who was spoiled and well-behaved, and often treated every female insect with royal standards.

In the Zerg race, smoking is a major drawback for female Zerg. Female Zerg with a smoking habit are generally disliked by male Zerg, not to mention that Morris is not the type of female Zerg who is easy to attract male Zerg in terms of appearance.

Morris frowned. His previous carefree and unruly ways were a thing of the past. Now he was a very sensible female insect, and he absolutely could not let this pack of cigarettes ruin the good image he had painstakingly cultivated in front of Adrian.

Seeing Maurice lower his eyes and remain silent, Adrian raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really? Then whose is this?"

“Commander Colin gave it to me,” Morris said without changing his expression.

Adrian's smile froze: "...Who gave it to you?"

Morris lifted his eyelids to look at Adrian, paused for a few seconds, and continued, "He gave it to me."

Adrian: "..."

Adrian knew Maurice's character perfectly well. In his past life, he also liked to put on airs in front of Adrian. Later, when the war broke out, he would always return with a strong smell of smoke after each conflict with Adrian, as if he was deliberately trying to make things difficult for Adrian.

But Adrian hadn't expected Morris to so readily shift the blame to Colin.

Although the Seventh Army and the Tenth Army were competitors at the headquarters, Maurice and Colin had a close personal relationship and could perhaps be considered friends to some extent.

In the end, they each served their own masters, and even after death, their paths diverged.

Adrian, of course, didn't believe Maurice's nonsense. He asked ambiguously, "So, you don't smoke?"

Morris: "No."

“Alright.” Adrian tossed the pack of cigarettes into the drawer. “Since you don’t need it, I’ll keep it. Commander Colin has been quite generous to you; this pack of cigarettes isn’t cheap, is it? It looks like a big brand.”

Of course, it has to be a big brand.

Morris is never one to compromise his own comfort; he always uses the best of everything, and this pack of cigarettes is worth half a month's salary for him.

Morris's gaze flickered across Adrian's drawer before he lowered his eyes to conceal his emotions: "I don't know."

Adrian smiled and his eyes crinkled. He buttoned up the undone buttons on Maurice's shirt again and said, "Go take a shower, you've had a long day."

Morris grunted and stood up. As he walked to the door, he turned back and asked, "My lord, will you be sleeping with me tonight?"

Adrian, somewhat puzzled, replied, "Yes, what else?"

“It’s nothing.” Morris’s mood finally improved a bit, and he said, “I’ll prepare in advance.”

Adrian: "..."

Morris closed the door, his footsteps fading into the distance, and he quickly disappeared after going down the stairs.

Adrian looked away, leaned against the wall behind him, and casually grabbed his white hair, which had become messy again.

The superficial smiles faded, revealing a cool, icy light beneath. Adrian tapped the screen of his personal terminal with a measured, rhythmic tap, frowning as he recalled the pheromone scent he had just caught on Morris.

He had already left his pheromones around Maurice's collar on the aircraft. Adrian controlled the amount just right, so that Maurice wouldn't easily notice it, nor would it be easily wiped away by passing winds.

When Morris returned, he did still have the scent of Adrian's pheromones on him, but in addition, some other male insect pheromones had mixed in.

The taste was familiar. Adrian had frequent contact with Sean in his past life, so he could quickly detect even the faintest scents.

Sean...

Adrian clutched the cover of the white book he had hidden under the covers and slowly lowered his eyes.

*

Morris didn't spend long in the bathroom washing up. Warm water flowed down his skin as he looked at himself in the mirror amidst the rising steam.

His insect-patterned markings were brightly colored, and even though he had been soothed not long ago, the stimulation from daytime pheromones was still difficult to alleviate.

Morris unconsciously reached out and stroked the insect patterns on his back. The area covered by his insect patterns was much larger than that of ordinary female insects, starting from his neck, climbing down to near his spine, and finally almost reaching the edge of his tailbone.

The insect patterns, which should have been entirely black, were now adorned with delicate gold trim that shimmered intermittently. The composite pattern resembled some unknown divine seal, flowing from the top and converging at both ends, ultimately forming an imperial design that seemed poised for defeat yet ultimately triumphed.

Morris felt a stinging pain inside the insect pattern. He stared at the insect pattern on his back through the white mist, and the cold light in his eyes appeared for only a few seconds before being completely concealed again.

“Rishirobia will guide you in the direction you came from… Don’t forget, that’s your homeland…”

Morris tilted his head back, the rising temperature of the hot water washing over his skin and making the Reshirobia pattern on his back scald and sting.

Morris frowned. He had calculated the time for washing up, and a few minutes later he turned off the bathroom heater and went out.

He took off his military uniform and threw it on the chair. Morris tidied it up and put it in the designated place before picking up the bathrobe next to him, wrapping it simply around himself, and preparing to go upstairs.

The little robot next to him was still cleaning the room. Morris glanced at it, and then, as if remembering something, he paused on the stairs.

Morris was silent for a few seconds, then went back into the bathroom.