The secure, warm embrace was gone. Su Yaoyao woke up before long, a wave of anxiety washing over her as she remembered she was in another world.
Su Yaoyao blearily opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room, filled with a familiar scent.
'It's Bai Lian's scent. Is this his room?'
But the room was empty. It seemed Bai Lian wasn't here.
GROWL~
The sound of Su Yaoyao's stomach echoed in the quiet room. She rubbed her belly. 'I'm so hungry.'
Su Yaoyao threw back the covers, ready to go find something to eat.
She then discovered that her injuries had already been treated and bandaged.
'Did Bai Lian bandage them for me?'
Su Yaoyao's cheeks flushed. 'Admiral Bai Lian is so gentle.'
Su Yaoyao planted her good leg on the floor and, steadying herself against the wall, carefully made her way toward the door. It was a struggle.
Just then, her stomach growled again, urging her onward.
Su Yaoyao cheered herself on internally. 'I can do it!'
「Dormitory Hallway.」
The heavy CLACK of black military boots on the marble floor of the hallway signaled their owner's terrible mood.
Reg's face was grim as he cursed out loud:
"A bunch of worthless posers! When the Insect Clan attacks, who else do they rely on but me to fight on the front lines? I've given so much for the Empire, and they still dare to look at me like that!"
'It's like they've already judged me a rabid beast. They look at me like an enemy, a monster, calculating how to get rid of me.'
"AH!"
A female's cry of alarm shattered his thoughts. The moment Reg turned, Su Yaoyao crashed into him, knocking him to the ground.
"Oof..."
Su Yaoyao squeezed her eyes shut. She had just opened the door when she lost her balance and toppled over.
But the pain she expected never came. The "ground" even felt a little soft.
"Hey, had your fill of groping?"
Reg's brow furrowed in annoyance. He looked down at the small female sprawled on his chest. 'She's got some nerve.'
Startled by the unfamiliar male voice, Su Yaoyao's eyes flew open, taking in the scene before her.
His firm, well-developed pectoral muscles strained against his shirt, the buttons clinging desperately to the fabric as if they would pop off at any moment.
"Man-mommy..."
Su Yaoyao murmured, her gaze traveling upward.
Her eyes met a face with wild, striking features—and he had dark skin.
Reg watched the little female cautiously look up. Her wide, wet eyes, full of curiosity, made her look like a naive fawn—innocent and cute.
'The little female Bai Lian brought back is certainly a looker,' Reg thought, narrowing his amber eyes. 'Too bad... she's a useless weakling with no spiritual power.'
He arched a sharp brow. "What did you just say?"
Su Yaoyao instinctively shook her head. "I didn't say anything."
She bit her lower lip nervously, her gaze darting away from his.
'This handsome, dark-skinned man looks so fierce,' she thought, instinctively shrinking back in fear.
Reg noticed. Plenty of people were afraid of him; he didn't care.
He snorted in disdain. "Get off me."
"Okay, I'm just..."
Su Yaoyao pushed herself up, scrambling to stand, but she forgot her injured leg couldn't bear any weight. A sharp pain shot through it, and she fell right back down onto Reg.
"Ngh!"
Reg's pupils dilated instantly as he let out a sharp, muffled groan.
Su Yaoyao froze. 'I must have hurt him.'
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Since she couldn't stand, Su Yaoyao tried another way, attempting to shift to the side and slide off him.
A tingling sensation shot through him. The veins on Reg's arms bulged. 'Is she doing this on purpose?' he wondered.
His large, calloused hand shot out and gripped her thigh, halting her movement.
"Don't move!" Reg's voice was hoarse.
In the next instant, he flipped them over, pinning the small female beneath him and panting heavily.
A primal desire roared within him, warring with his reason.
'Reg! Calm down! She's just a useless weakling with no spiritual power. Are you really going to force yourself on her?!'
'He'd felt nothing for the A-level females the Empire assigned him. How could he be losing control over a weakling with no spiritual power?'
'It must be because I haven't gotten laid in too long. That's all it is.'
His amber eyes stared down at Su Yaoyao like a predator eyeing its prey. The pressure was so intense she could barely breathe.
Su Yaoyao said timidly, "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I forgot my leg was injured."
Reg smirked. 'This little female really doesn't grasp the danger she's in. She's actually worried about me.'
"Hurt me? You've got a lot of confidence in yourself."
'I'm an S-Class Black Panther Beastman, the Deputy General of the First Military Base. I've slaughtered countless members of the Insect Clan.'
'And this little female, who feels as soft as a marshmallow in my arms, has the gall to say she hurt me?'
'It's far more likely I'd be the one hurting her.'
'She's so fragile, she probably couldn't even take a few thrusts... besides, she's injured...'
After composing himself, Reg released his hold. He slowly stood up and glanced at the open door. It was Bai Lian's room.
"Bai Lian let you stay in his room?"
He didn't even notice the strange edge to his own voice.
Su Yaoyao, still sitting obediently on the floor, brightened at the mention of Bai Lian's name.
"Do you know where Leon is? Can you take me to him?"
'Leon?'
The intimate address grated on Reg's ears. He ground his back teeth in annoyance.
'So that's how it is. Some people talk a big game in public while secretly stashing away a beauty for themselves, claiming the little female as their own.'
"He's in a meeting. And it's about you."
"Me?"
Su Yaoyao tilted her head in confusion.
A malicious grin touched Reg's lips.
He crouched in front of Su Yaoyao, his hand shooting out to grip her jaw between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look up at him.
"Females in the Star Shining Empire make up less than ten percent of the total population. It's caused a severe decline in the number of children born to the Empire. If this keeps up, the entire nation could collapse."
"And you... while you may be a useless weakling with no spiritual power, you're also a fully fertile female who literally fell from the sky. Do you really think the Empire is going to pass up this opportunity?"
"Right now, Bai Lian is in there discussing matching you with other males."
Su Yaoyao's pupils contracted. The memory of the three male wild boars trying to force themselves on her flashed through her mind, and tears instantly flooded her eyes.
"No... please, no..."
Reg, unaware of Su Yaoyao's past trauma, just saw her start to tremble, her face draining of all color.
Her tears fell like broken pearls, landing hot on his hand and scalding him, making him release her jaw.
A sour feeling instantly filled his chest, and the fun of teasing her vanished completely.
"Hey, little female, don't cry. I was just messing with you. I shouldn't have said that."
Reg reached out, wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb, but the little female just kept crying. Nothing he did could console her.
'What do I do now? I took the joke too far.'