Chapter 70 : Chapter 70

Chapter 70 : “Does my mom know?”

After returning from the "Host Exchange Conference," Chu Zu's mood visibly improved a lot.

It's not that his mood was terrible before, but the system actually saw the host smile often!

The kind of faint smile that would be described as the corners of his mouth rising a few pixels!

The little yellow chicken, wearing a small crown, dazedly wondered if it was because of the vacation, or because he won an award, or for some other reason…

When the superior came to distribute the credit point bonus for the best newcomer, he looked at the little yellow chicken with disgust: “Can you be a little more promising?”

The system was in a daze: “You don't understand. I haven't seen the host smile like this in a long time.”

Superior: “...”

System: “The last time I saw him smile was the last time.”

Superior: “...”

System: “Why are you still here? The host and I are enjoying a wonderful vacation. You don't have a vacation. Aren't you going to work, coming here to steal credit points?”

Superior: “...”

The little blue chicken ruthlessly slapped the little yellow chicken on the head, knocking off its small crown.

Then it resignedly picked up the crown from the ground and put it back on the bare-teeth little yellow chicken, meticulously straightening it.

“Look at you…”

The superior seemed to want to say something, but after seeing the system's unyielding and stubborn look, he stopped.

“Forget it. You handle it yourself. He can't dismantle you anyway. The worst that can happen is you end up in the mall…”

The system thought to itself, that's not right.

The worst that can happen is that I change jobs with the host and run away.

But the superior suddenly started to adopt a gentle policy.

Something was not right, very not right!

If you compare the historical records, compared to Chu Zu, the superior could hardly be considered gentle.

But the little yellow chicken didn't think there was anything wrong with Chu Zu's attitude at all.

It was only focused on the superior's suspiciousness.

After watching the superior leave, the system returned to the host's side.

Chu Zu was reading Fifty Billion Years of Solitude.

This was the benefit of a vacation.

Usually, he had to rely on the system to cram a large amount of information into his brain.

Although the side effects were not as severe as after the retrospection, his mind was always groggy, and he still had to brace himself to think about how to correct the character and straighten out the entire book.

There was always a sense of discomfort.

Now, he could directly ask the system for a physical book, buy a set of tables and chairs from the mall, and place them in the sea of consciousness to read comfortably.

Chu Zu also bought a mini high-chair next to his own seat, so the system could also sit and read with him.

Climbing onto the high-chair, the little yellow chicken lay on the table: “Vacations are so nice…”

“Mhm.” Chu Zu turned a page in his hand.

The system was originally just muttering to itself, not wanting to disturb the host from reading.

But no matter what it said, Chu Zu would always respond, even if it was just a sound.

This made the little yellow chicken feel that he was seriously listening to every word it said.

The system was happy, especially after hearing other little yellow chickens talk about their god-like hosts at the exchange conference.

The communication between hosts and systems was indeed very rare, usually centered around work.

New hosts could easily mess up simple things, as the training was not exhaustive.

Moreover, the thoughts of these hosts were also varied.

The difference in people's thinking patterns was difficult to bridge through observation and learning.

If one was really unlucky and happened to encounter a situation where the specialist and the author's concepts clashed… then the system could only consider itself unlucky.

Not to mention the large number of unexpected situations in the novel.

If not handled properly, it could lead to a complete collapse.

The strongest in all their frameworks was not the specialist, nor the system…

It was the legal department that could stand firm under the author's relentless bombardment.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, during vacations, hosts and systems would basically act as mutes, and it was best for them not to talk to each other.

The little yellow chicken was a chatterbox, which Chu Zu had pointed out in the first mission.

Chu Zu had also said that he quite liked chatterboxes.

The system started to feel smug again, its face rolling back and forth on the table.

“But why did you only want the complete plot related to yourself this time? Don't you want to watch it all together?”

Chu Zu: “Have you encountered an ensemble novel before?”

System: “I have, but the final evaluation was very average, barely passing.”

Ensemble novels usually center on the fates, stories, and personalities of numerous characters, rather than a single protagonist.

Compared to novels with a fixed, single perspective, ensemble novels focus more on portraying a group of characters, showing their interactions and development in different situations.

By creating multiple complex characters and intertwining their storylines, a diverse and three-dimensional world is presented.

“In an ensemble, the characters are equal.”

Chu Zu said, “There is no situation where one character serves another. The fate of each character has a key impact on the entire story.”

The system also knew this.

“So, my freedom is very high this time.”

Chu Zu looked up from the sea of books and smiled at the system, “It seems wrong to say that. With you meditating in the middle before, my freedom has always been very high.”

The system thrived on encouragement.

Continue to be happy, continue to roll!

After being happy, the system remembered the author’s request this time and reminded: “But the author’s request is very strict this time.”

It said, “Not a single key sentence can be missing, and the key plot and plot direction absolutely cannot be changed. There can be no changes at all.”

“Normal.”

Chu Zu continued to read, “In an ensemble, everyone will influence each other. Their respective plots can grow freely, but the moment they intertwine with others in the middle and at the end, it will directly determine the nature of the entire story.”

“But you don't look at the other POVs.”

POV, an abbreviation for Point of View, means "perspective" or "narrative angle."

Choosing a different POV will affect how the reader understands the plot, feels the character's emotions, and experiences the overall atmosphere of the story.

A more famous example is George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

In the first volume alone, A Game of Thrones, there are nine POV characters.

By the fifth volume, A Dance with Dragons, there are as many as eighteen POV characters.

The advantage is that it makes the story's perspective richer and broader.

The reader can experience the different facets of the same event or conflict from the standpoint and emotions of different characters.

The disadvantage is that if the author's writing is not good enough, the whole novel will be messy, jumping from one thing to another, and the reader will not be able to sort out what happened after finishing it.

“Didn’t I say I have a high degree of freedom?”

Chu Zu turned to another page, “The thoughts of others who have a connection with me are of lower priority than my own. I just need to control my own rhythm.”

He said, “Of course, I also need you to mark out the key sentences that must be said, as well as the key nodes, and remind me in advance.”

“No problem!”

The system agreed readily.

The character Chu Zu needed to correct this time was named Azul.

He appeared in the early and middle stages of Fifty Billion Years of Solitude.

During the cosmic war between humans and the Zerg, Azul was picked up by humans who were cleaning up the debris of the universe.

The humans thought he was a child who had been illegally brought onto the fleet by a soldier and took him back.

He was unable to return to Earth.

Since the war between humans and the Zerg began, Earth has entered a state of high alert.

Humanity has formed a united government, and the United International Fleet (UIF) has become the dominant force.

The military has extremely high authority in society.

The political system is highly centralized, and personal freedom and privacy are severely restricted.

The only ones who can barely travel between Earth and interstellar space are the military and scientists—Azul did not meet the conditions.

He was sent to the Allied Military Academy, which was very close to the front lines.

It accepted students aged 12 to 18.

Most of the students were volunteers who had passed the tests on Earth.

There were also a few war orphans like Azul who could not return to Earth.

Azul's advantage in being able to enroll smoothly was that he had survived on his own in the fleet wreckage before being picked up and had completely adapted to space.

It was also at the academy that he met Lu Anji, who was known as the "Hope of Humanity," a "military strategic genius," and the "destroyer of the Zerg's fate."

Lu Anji was selected for the academy.

His grades were not announced, but it was said that his own qualities were far superior to others.

His personality and image were indeed worthy of the title: humble, hardworking, always positive, and full of immense vitality.

Naturally, Lu Anji was very good to Azul, who deliberately approached him.

After all, Azul was just a sickly-looking coward—that's what everyone at the academy said—his parents had violated the ship's regulations.

If they were to be investigated, they would definitely be sent to a military tribunal.

And on Azul’s face, even the person with the best eyesight could only find cowardice, timidity, and indecision.

“Azul took the initiative to approach Lu Anji not to seek asylum, but because Lu Anji was too outstanding. He was designated to go to the front line fleet and serve as a combat squadron commander before he even graduated.”

The system nodded: “Yes, Lu Anji is directly responsible to the fleet commander. Once he has a military record, the position of vice commander will soon be his, because he is…”

“Stop.”

Chu Zu said, “Wait for me to finish Azul’s POV. Don’t let me know what I shouldn’t know. It will affect my free play.”

The system’s first attempt to spoil was rejected.

It seemed that the host was indeed quite interested this time.

Before, he had always aimed for the highest efficiency to complete the mission.

Fifty Billion Years of Solitude had started to take the "experiential" route.

Lu Anji was soon promoted to the vanguard strike fleet, but he requested that Azul be brought along.

There were many positions in the fleet.

Lu Anji's was a core hub, and there were also a large number of vacancies in the logistics support establishment.

Although he had been studying war tactics and strategy at school, in order to get into the vanguard strike fleet, Azul applied for the position of a maintenance ship engineer.

He knew nothing about ship engineering, but with Lu Anji’s strong recommendation, the higher-ups also did him a favor and put him on a medical ship.

This was the beginning of the disaster.

Because Azul was a Zerg “person.”

No one would have thought that the weak and timid Azul could maintain contact with the supreme leader of the Zerg, the Zerg Queen, who was known as the Mother Bug, in his consciousness.

This was the real reason why he had to go to the front lines.

The Mother Bug had requested him to take the initiative to access human military intelligence, down to the smallest detail.

But a medical ship was clearly not enough to meet the Zerg Queen’s requirements.

Azul needed to get on a battleship, preferably the flagship.

The flagship was the command center of the entire fleet, responsible for operational decisions and command coordination.

That was where the intelligence the Mother Bug needed was.

He couldn't get there on his own merits, so Azul still chose to use external forces.

He was very despicable.

Because he had interaction with the Mother Bug, even if he didn't have much information in his hands, just the list in the medical ship, he could know which fleets had suffered heavy casualties.

But just heavy casualties were not enough to make the chief of staff of operations pull people from the medical ship.

To take a step back, the reserve candidates from the Allied Military Academy were not few.

Unless it wasn't just dead people, but the entire ship was wiped out, and a brand new fleet had to be formed.

The Zerg Queen could easily do this, and she did.

In the newly formed fleet, Azul, who had gotten his wish, met Lu Anji, the battleship captain and combat squadron commander.

The life that was called "green tea" by the readers began at this moment.

Azul often stirred up trouble within the fleet.

The mess he created, after being presented to Lu Anji, he would start playing the pitiful act again.

Azul was originally not good at getting along with others in the academy, and most of the fleet members had a low opinion of this "connected" person who couldn't lift a finger from the very beginning.

Lu Anji didn't suspect much and just treated the troubles Azul caused as minor squabbles.

In the eyes of others, this was blatant favoritism.

They were classmates from the same year, and their relationship at school was not bad.

Azul had come to the front lines because of his relationship with Lu Anji.

There was no overt exclusion, but the cold treatment in private was blatant.

Lu Anji saw that Azul was really pitiful and simply had him become his nominal assistant.

But several battles made Lu Anji quickly realize that something was wrong.

The Zerg seemed to know their deployment like the back of their hand.

When Lu Anji’s weapons officer, defense officer, and navigation officer were killed in succession, he finally began to suspect Azul.

Azul was locked up.

Faced with Lu Anji’s stern questioning, he asked in a bewildered and frustrated tone: “Aren’t we friends? Why are you doing this to me?”

Finally, the Zerg targeted Lu Anji’s battleship and launched a fierce attack.

Lu Anji, who could only abandon the ship and retreat, still had a soft heart.

He released Azul from the confinement room, planning to take him with him.

But at this time, Azul was still transmitting intelligence to the Zerg Queen, telling the Mother Bug about the human retreat route and the location of the overall commander, Lu Anji.

“He’s right next to me.”

Azul said to the Mother Bug.

The Zerg Queen responded with a precise and powerful high-energy plasma acid cannon.

Azul died, and the hope of humanity survived.

In the end, Lu Anji buried all the personnel who had died in this battle on a nearby barren star, including Azul.

“Show me the reader reviews.”

Chu Zu closed the book.

The system searched for the reviews and pushed the screen over from the table.

“‘I can understand the necessity of other complex characters. The mess between humans and the Zerg is hard to sort out. But I’ve rarely seen such a brain-dead character. Azul has taken it to the extreme.’”

“‘Can you please delete his POV? I can barely appreciate the green tea if you just leave Lu Anji’s. But you want me to see the story from the perspective of the green tea himself? Am I that despicable?’”

“‘There are a total of eight POVs, and it’s not like there aren’t any with opposing standpoints that could wipe out the other’s entire family. At most, I waver between ‘you guys, stop fighting’ and ‘good fight, fight harder,’ but I support the other six characters ganging up on Azul and killing him, immediately, right now. Why only six? Because it would be best to kill the overflowing with a saintly heart Lu Anji too.’”

“‘This is not a small squabble. If you say Azul had his own reasons for siding with the Zerg, then that’s fine. But he doesn’t! You didn’t mention a single reason in his POV! It’s all just him talking to himself like a moron. The thing this bastard thinks about the most is that Lu Anji is his friend and can’t scold him or torture him… author, if you’re going to find a ghostwriter, find an expensive one, okay?!’”

***

“The scolding is so mild.”

Chu Zu sighed, “Are these science fiction readers? The harshest scolding is just brain-dead. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if it were the group from King of All Kings.”

System: “...I can’t imagine it either.”

After reading, Chu Zu returned the screen to the system, propped his chin on his hand on the table next to him.

“The problem is also very clear. Azul lacks motivation. Although it’s an ensemble, the author seems to have treated him as a tool to shape Lu Anji. He’s marginal and gets a lot of hate.”

But because he occupied a POV character, it directly caused a significant drop in the reader’s perception.

The best way to deal with a character without motivation is to weaken his presence, leave a lot of blank space, and use Lu Anji’s POV to fill in speculations about his thoughts.

It doesn’t matter if the speculation doesn’t lead to a result.

On the one hand, it can appropriately reduce the strong sense of disgust brought by Azul from a subjective perspective.

On the other hand, it can supplement Lu Anji’s thoughts.

Only when the readers truly understand how Lu Anji sees Azul will Lu Anji’s character not be reduced to a "saint" with a derogatory meaning.

“From the readers’ subtext, it seems that the author has been quite successful in shaping the other characters. How come it’s not right when it comes to Azul and Lu Anji?”

The system looked at the author’s application.

This rigorous author’s wording also showed his own personality.

“‘I have written many versions of Azul’s mental changes, but they are all too ‘human.’ He cannot have a human way of thinking.’”

The system read, “‘I am applying for the teacher who is best at correcting non-human characters to make the correction. I will give this character free rein, but please ask the teacher not to change the key plot. Lu Anji is a conflicted and crazy person, not a saint. Azul is the bridge connecting the eight key POVs. Please pay attention to this point.’”

“The superior has communicated with the author and reminded him that it is inevitable that there will be some deviations in the corrected character, and it is impossible for there to be no changes at all. The author has also accepted this.”

The little yellow chicken said, “But when there are signs of change, you must contact him immediately and maintain communication.”

“Wait a minute.”

Chu Zu called a halt, “What do you mean by ‘good at correcting non-human characters’?”

“When have I ever corrected a non-human character?”

The system explained: “This is a tag extracted based on the keywords from the reader forum. It can be considered a selling point for the specialist. Your current top three tags are ‘non-human,’ ‘human-machine,’ and ‘human emperor’.”

Chu Zu: “...”

The little yellow chicken comforted Chu Zu: “Because Silent Peach and Plum wasn’t rated, and the reader forum had nothing to do with us at that time, otherwise I think ‘healing’ would definitely be on the list!”

Chu Zu pinched the bridge of his nose and said helplessly: “Next time you accept a mission, please help me pay attention. Don’t limit our professional scope too much. I’m not the best at these…”

The system took out its memo and wrote it down, then asked curiously: “What are you good at?”

Chu Zu: “Going crazy.”

“…”

The system was silent for a moment.

It felt that the host might not be good at going crazy, but rather wanted to go crazy.

The little yellow chicken still wrote down the host’s request, “Okay, if there are multiple requests, I’ll pick and choose. I guarantee you’ll go crazy!”

After reading Azul’s POV, Chu Zu had no intention of continuing to read anyone else’s POV.

There was still some time left in the vacation.

The system took out the prepared list and cleared its throat.

“I’ve found a very, very, very professional acting class for you.”

The little chicken paw patted the list, “It’s the PLUS·Premium·PRO·Extended DLC version of the acting class from your previous entry training, and the best newcomer gets a 20% discount!”

A 20% discount, rounding up, isn’t that no credit points at all!

What a deal!

Chu Zu really needed an acting class.

He could play a character like Jiang Zu.

As long as he didn’t think too much, abandoned social norms, and followed his intuition, it would be fine.

But he really didn’t know how to act pitiful, especially the kind of pitiful that was described as "green tea."

To be precise, he wouldn't intentionally show weakness.

He didn't know if he could get it right.

Chu Zu nodded and asked again: “What about your anti-fraud class?”

The system chuckled: “It’s been arranged, with ‘Things You Must Know to Straighten Out Your Superior in the Workplace’ in the afternoon. When my superior saw that I was looking for training class materials, he secretly slipped me a flyer for ‘Three Steps to Painless Job Hopping’.”

Chu Zu joked with it in a matter-of-fact tone: “You can go and take it, just in case.”

***

The setting of one vacation for every three missions was very humane, giving the specialists ample rest time.

No matter how intense the acting class was, it wouldn't be as stressful as work.

During this time, the system saw that the host was very lazy.

At first, Chu Zu would sit up straight in his chair to read.

Now he had added a sofa chair for himself, and he would curl up in it, one leg bent, his bare foot resting on the edge of the sofa.

Sometimes he wouldn't read, but would just sit on the sofa with his eyes half-closed in a daze, and would occasionally scratch the fluffy chin of the little yellow chicken.

The settings of the sea of consciousness changed frequently.

Generally, after a host gained authority, they would try to set up a comfortable environment, but Chu Zu did not do so.

When the little yellow chicken came back from class, it often saw Chu Zu facing various extreme weather conditions.

Or the sea in a violent storm, or the snow-capped mountains of Kilimanjaro.

The white flashes under the thick, dense dark clouds illuminated his eyes.

The wind seemed to be blowing from the ends of the earth, blowing open the collar of Chu Zu's white shirt.

After discovering the little yellow chicken's return, Chu Zu would set the sea of consciousness to a gray, hazy state.

Quiet, peaceful, yet more distant from the human world than the previous earth-shattering extreme weather.

Chu Zu said that he was looking for the feeling of being non-human.

The system carefully studied "non-human."

In a science fiction worldview, non-human could basically represent alien creatures, usually with non-Earth origins, different body structures, and social systems.

But Azul was indeed human.

When the classes were almost over, and the vacation was about to end.

The system suddenly remembered that it hadn't seen the host write in his diary.

He hadn't even touched it.

Maybe he had finished writing it while it was in class.

The system thought, and then heard the host stretch and speak.

“I’ve thought about it for a long time. How about we just don’t be human this time?”

System: “Huh?”

Chu Zu still had the lazy look of vacation time.

He had just gotten up from the sofa, his hair was messy, and his eyes were slightly drooped, looking as if he was not yet fully awake.

“The author can’t write ‘talking, distinct from the Zerg collective consciousness human,’ right? Let’s just go for something drastic. I won’t be human.”

Chu Zu tried what he said.

When the thought “Target novel Fifty Billion Years of Solitude transmission complete” sounded in his mind, Chu Zu didn't even open his eyes. He directly had the system pull up the setting collection and wrote on it—

Azul was abandoned in space since birth.

Azul was picked up by the Zerg Queen.

Azul was transformed into a structure similar to a worker Zerg.

Azul lived with the Zerg for many years, until the Zerg Queen thought the time was right and had him meet humans for the first time.

Logically speaking, Azul’s setting could not influence the behavior of other characters, and the Zerg Queen was also a character.

But in the original work, Azul and the Zerg Queen did have a mental connection, so the written setting was supplementing a gap.

Furthermore, even though Chu Zu tried to write it in as much detail and accuracy as possible, it was still not fully effective.

The system prompted with a cold sweat: “The only thing that has taken effect is that you have met the Zerg Queen since birth. If she decides to take you back, the next one will start to be judged…”

The reason Chu Zu gave was very subjective.

He said calmly: “Based on the Zerg Queen’s series of actions in the original work, she has carefully analyzed human behavior, which is why she had me be a spy—now the opportunity has come.”

But it wasn't just whether he could be picked up that needed to be considered.

There was also the matter of being transformed…

In the previous Neon Crown, the host had given himself the setting of painless, which was how he gradually adapted to the high-intensity work.

This time, the host didn't write any extra settings.

He would have to personally experience the entire process of being transformed…

Seeing that the host had no hesitation, the system gritted its teeth and secretly decided that it would definitely find a job that would allow it to go crazy next time, and started the retrospection.

“Target novel Fifty Billion Years of Solitude setting background has been added.”

“The new plot will be loaded in the form of personal experience. Please be prepared, Host.”

“Loading a new plot…”

***

POV Azul: When Azul was still wandering in the darkness as space junk, he was lucky enough.

The person who had abandoned him was finally merciful, or still held a belief in this era, and was willing to give him a small coffin.

In human terms, it was a small hibernation pod, which stored enough oxygen for him to suffocate to death after he disappeared from sight.

There was no shortage of nutrients.

The IV needle was inserted into the infant's arm, and the thin tube connected to it was tougher than an umbilical cord.

If Azul was self-aware enough, he absolutely could not make noise, nor could he cry and turn over.

He could not let the second umbilical cord in his life leave his body.

The luck didn't stop there.

It was precisely because Azul knew nothing of beauty—he had never been to Earth.

He didn't know that the sky was azure, and that in the big cities full of smog and dust, one could also enjoy strange sights.

The sunlight was forced to lose its blue color as it passed through the atmosphere, leaving behind a vivid orange and red.

He didn't know that at sunrise and sunset, the clouds and rainbows turned into a mysterious mix of colors.

The sunset glow between the peaks was pinkish, the distant mountains were pressed by a dark purple, and the apple green of the western sky at night and the indigo blue of the eastern sky formed a platter.

Azul didn't understand these things, so he was not afraid either.

In his life, which was measured in hours, the only things he could come into contact with were black and white, unadulterated light and darkness, and the sun, which was slightly dim after losing a large amount of energy.

The sun was a slightly blue ball of light.

In this seemingly close ball of light, the black mother took the coffin that imprisoned him into her "embrace."

Thus, Azul came to his first home.

The sun, which was called a "near-white dwarf" by humans.

Compared to Azul, the mother's body was incredibly huge.

Their home was in a cave on the sun.

The mother often stood quietly in front of the coffin, her huge body seeming to merge with the surrounding walls.

The mother would dismantle the iron cans she brought, her six jointed limbs firmly gripping the ground, while the other two jointed limbs were careful and meticulous, adding nutrients to the coffin.

Azul grew up looking at his mother’s smooth and hard shell.

For a long time, he was obsessed with the faint metallic luster on his mother’s shell.

He also liked the gaze from his mother’s countless compound eyes, which were always full of a dark light that complemented the cave.

There was a faint vibration echoing in their home.

Later, Azul knew that it was the sound of her blood flowing in her body, which drove the pulse of the entire Zerg.

The mother would not come to take care of Azul during her breeding period.

At this time, Azul was almost five years old.

He was still used to curling up in the coffin, biting the "umbilical cord" to absorb the necessary nutrients.

Just nutrients were not enough for him to grow up well, but Azul knew nothing of his own thinness.

He would touch his protruding ribs and imagine the color of these hard things.

Perhaps it was the color of his mother.

It must be emphasized that none of the concepts of "mother," "black," "iron can"... belonged to the five-year-old Azul.

The real time he could summarize his thoughts was when he was six years old.

The mother took the entire coffin to a deeper part of the home.

The temperature here was abnormally high.

Viscous liquid slowly flowed from the pipes next to the mother and converged on the ground.

The coffin opened for the first time.

Azul’s consciousness instantly blurred.

His temperature dropped rapidly, and his whole body turned red, purple, and was swelling.

The mother placed him in an open cocoon.

The mother's body was huge and clumsy, but the action of tearing open Azul's back was very gentle.

That little bit of pain was nothing compared to the collapse of his whole body.

The cocoon slowly closed, driving away Azul’s death.

He slept for a long time.

When he woke up again, he was lying in the open coffin.

Azul heard his mother's voice for the first time, coming from his own mind.

“A…zul…”

Azul climbed out of the coffin.

He was excited to leave this coffin for the first time, but he was tripped by something.

He thought it was the "umbilical cord," but when he looked down, he saw a black, jointed… tail?

It was very similar to the bones behind his mother's back.

He reached for his back, and his fingertips touched something hard, which extended from the back of his neck to his butt, and finally separated from his body, becoming a long, black, bone-jointed tail that was longer than the "umbilical cord."

His mother taught him a lot, including his name, which was the letters engraved on the coffin.

It seemed to be the model of the hibernation pod.

It was supposed to be Azul-1, but the "-1" was worn off by his mother's jointed limbs, leaving only Azul.

Azul liked this name.

His mother also taught him to recognize the dense black things on the sun.

The Empress’s Royal Guard, the Devourer, the Shadow Corruptor, the Worker Bee, the Hatchling, the Spine Lasher… these were all the names given to them by humans.

Azul asked his mother, what are humans?

His mother said, humans are creatures like you and me.

Azul: “Are they family?”

His mother answered in his mind: “Only we are family.”

Azul learned things very quickly.

His mother taught him a lot about humans.

She also taught him how to run on the sun, how to control his tail, and how to pass through the limbs of the Empress’s Royal Guard.

Azul would also play hide-and-seek with his mother.

His home was so big that he could never run to the end.

And no matter where he was, his mother could always find him.

He lived on the sun for forty years, but his age was frozen at six.

And on this day, the six-year-old Azul saw a family member other than his mother for the first time.

In his consciousness.

Fifty Billion Years of Solitude: Son of the Sun

***

“Who is this person?” Chu Zu asked the system, “Why is he also in my head?”

This "also" was used very cleverly.

After the retrospection, Chu Zu was picked up by the Zerg Queen as he wished.

Then he was imprisoned in the nutrient pod for five years.

In the first year, the system was almost frantic, asking the host if he wanted to pause the retrospection first.

They couldn't be sure when the Zerg Queen would carry out the transformation.

According to the original plot, it shouldn't be late, but Chu Zu had to start the retrospection from birth.

In a few more years, when the retrospection was over and he returned to the plot point of the original timeline, Chu Zu's brain would directly explode!

Chu Zu said no, he wanted to be imprisoned.

All the system could do was to crazily accelerate the retrospection time, but it couldn't skip it.

Who knew when the Zerg Queen would make a move…

When the transformation that the system had been looking forward to arrived at, it first breathed a sigh of relief, and then its little chicken heart was hung high again.

A human before transformation could not survive in a vacuum.

Azul was too young and malnourished.

A few seconds could kill him.

Fortunately, the Zerg Queen knew enough about humans.

Her actions were very precise and fast.

After digging out Azul’s spine, she quickly stuffed him into the transformation cocoon that had been prepared for five years.

The alien Azul was freshly baked.

He became a creature very close to the Zerg.

He didn't need oxygen.

Although his skin was still fragile, the Zerg structure embedded in his nerves basically had the full lethality of the Zerg.

Only then did Chu Zu know what the Mother Bug's mental link was.

It was somewhat similar to the system, acting directly on the nerves.

The difference was also obvious.

The collective consciousness was like a spread-out network.

The Mother Bug was the core of the computer.

The actions and states of all individuals would be fed back immediately, thus achieving precise collective synergy.

The Mother Bug did not put Azul into the collective consciousness, but pulled a separate internet cable for him, letting him only link with herself.

He could play on his own when there was nothing to do, and contact her online when there was something.

In more common terms, as long as Chu Zu called her mom a couple of times, his mom was also willing to make a video call.

It was as if his mom lived in his head.

The system even specially opened up a shallow area of consciousness to prevent Chu Zu from confusing Azul’s consciousness with his own, and then crazily skipped the plot, trying its best to reduce the impact of the retrospection on Chu Zu.

Now, there was another person living in Azul’s head.

This person was as thin and small as Azul, with short white hair and not much flesh on his face, which made his black eyes look round and large.

However, his tender eyebrows and eyes carried a clear ferocity.

This ferocity was greatly diluted by astonishment.

The boy with white hair and black eyes and the boy with black hair and red eyes looked at each other in the connected consciousness.

The system said dryly: “He… should be Lu Anji.”

Chu Zu: “?”

System: “You didn’t let me spoil before… Lu Anji’s drill results were very impressive, and he was highly regarded. The higher-ups blocked most of his information because he was an experimental subject from Earth.”

“Under your setting, the Zerg Queen wants to create a Zerg that is similar to a human. In the original work, humans also wanted to create a human that is similar to a Zerg… Lu Anji is the only surviving experimental subject.”

The little yellow chicken said with difficulty, “This should be an accident… You and he… have connected to the wrong frequency.”

Chu Zu: “...”

Chu Zu: “Does my mom know?”

System: “...Probably not. If the Zerg Queen knew, Lu Anji's brain would have been squeezed to bursting by the collective consciousness by now.”

Chu Zu nodded in the sea of consciousness and commented without any emotion: “Very sneaky. It seems that Azul should also welcome his forty-six-year-old rebellious period.”

System: “...”

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