Chapter 214: Chapter 214: She Has the Final Say

Heath looked at that innocent, adorable little face, his throat suddenly tightening as a bitter tang filled his nose.

"The Female Master is so kind to you, having given birth to such a little darling."

The soft, warm bundle pressed against his chest, and in that instant, he almost trembled uncontrollably.

It wasn’t because he felt sorry for the child, but because that long-lost sense of attachment moved him deeply.

He used to genuinely dislike children, finding them noisy, troublesome.

Marriage was even more of a reluctant compromise, entirely arranged under family pressure.

He had repeatedly warned himself.

Accept your fate; this is reality, so stop dreaming about the impossible.

Yet no matter how hard he suppressed it, the longing deep in his heart never extinguished.

He still secretly hoped that one day, someone would genuinely and sincerely come to him.

"Female Master... you are truly ruthless."

He whispered in a voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

Caleb stood by silently, always taciturn, seldom speaking.

Even though he felt overwhelming sympathy for Heath at that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to say something like, "The Female Master will give you more children in the future."

It’s not that he didn’t want to comfort him, but he knew such words would only cause more harm.

In the room, Selene was humming a light, cheerful tune.

She had just finished changing the sheets, moving briskly.

Then she lay down on the bed, hands behind her head, eyes drifting to the ceiling, waiting for Zane to return.

The Little Butterfly used to chatter incessantly in her ear.

It annoyed her so much that she often wanted to plug her ears with a handkerchief to drive it away.

But now, that little figure hadn’t shown up for a long time.

She should have felt at peace.

Yet oddly, her heart felt empty, like something was missing.

Especially when she and Zane leaned against each other, bantering and joshing, every sentence a joke.

She often laughed until she slapped her thigh, tears almost coming out.

But now, where exactly has this person gone?

There is clearly a spaceship for transport.

Interstellar travel is time-consuming, but it shouldn’t take this long without any news.

Caleb refused to provide any exact coordinates, so she didn’t even know where to start guessing.

Joining the army is indeed the fastest way to quickly integrate into the Terrestrial Beastmen’s world.

As long as he shows enough strength and loyalty, he will be accepted sooner or later.

But isn’t he pushing himself a little too hard?

To leave for such a long time without even a word.

Is she really angry?

Hmm... not entirely angry.

More like an indescribable feeling.

Never mind, he’s just a Merman, naive, simple.

Sometimes he’s so foolish it gives her a headache.

She should keep him out of this mess.

She doesn’t want him to bear too much pressure, nor does she want to make things difficult for him.

She casually turned on the StarNet, her fingers gliding over the light screen.

The page was full of reports and praises about Caleb.

Still an overwhelming amount of compliments.

She was getting a bit tired of it, about to turn it off, when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a blurry photo.

In the photo, a silhouette flashed by, the angle obscure, lighting dim, showing only an outline.

But at that moment, her heart skipped a beat.

That figure, that stance... looked just like Zane!

She almost instinctively clicked like, the movement delicate, without much thought.

Her group of anti-fans, with eyes sharper than radars, immediately dug up the source of the image, quickly enlarging, marking, and editing it.

In less than ten minutes, the topic exploded, shooting to the top of the interstellar trending list.

The comment section erupted instantly.

"Wait! Is that shadow behind the Commander... a Marine Beastman?"

"I can smell the fishy sea scent through the screen, it’s disgusting, makes me want to puke just looking at it."

"Wearing Federation uniforms? Are the army’s recruitment standards so low now? Even accepting fish?"

Selene’s eyes swept over, and her anger flared up instantly.

Why do these people use the harshest words to attack a stranger who has never harmed them?

She was furious, immediately stepping in to retaliate.

But the anti-fans were no pushovers, long accustomed to online battles.

Seeing her step in, they immediately organized a barrage of attacks, their language more vicious.

A storm quietly swept across the StarNet.

Back and forth they went, both sides engaging fiercely in the comment section.

The other side had the numbers, launching a relentless verbal assault.

But she was no easy target either, letting out a cold laugh and swiftly replying with a series of emojis.

The anti-fans were visually shocked, wailing in dismay.

"What on earth? My eyes are going blind! What did I just see? My brains are about to pop out!"

The virtual battle ultimately ended in mutual destruction.

She won the momentum but couldn’t truly silence those vile mouths.

A draw, yet it felt like losing an entire army. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

In her heart, a Beastman is just a Beastman.

No matter the form, essentially they are the same existence.

Whether it’s the Winged Clan flying in the sky, the Wolves and Tigers running on land, or the Merfolk swimming in water, they all belong to one category.

She never felt that any category was inherently noble or should be trampled underfoot.

In the past, animals and humans were distinctly separate.

Each independent, with no overlapping waters.

But now it’s different, genetic technology has advanced rapidly.

Animals have long since evolved into human forms, possessing intelligence and emotions.

Even The Insectoids, such oddly shaped beings, can rightfully hang up family portraits on social media, drawing countless likes and spectators.

So why is there no place for one little fish?

The system suddenly emerged from the depths of her consciousness, its voice carrying a hint of fatigue.

"Sigh... Even I, a mechanical entity without flesh, just capable of computation, cannot overlook this."

"These people, truly judging others with blind prejudice."

Next, the system calmly analyzed: "You know, marine technology has always lagged behind, still stuck in a primitive ecological stage where the strong prey on the weak."

"Although the Federation’s waterproof equipment technology is advanced, it can’t possibly enable people to work submerged in water daily, right?"

"Long-term development is limited, resources insufficient, talent lost, that’s the root problem."

It paused, then tentatively suggested:

"Why not... allocate the reproductive reward to marine technology in advance?"

Upon hearing this, Selene burst out, jumping up sharply from the sofa.

"Are you dreaming?!"

She could hardly believe her ears.

To suggest using her maternity benefit to support others?

No one else knows what life she leads, but she understands it perfectly well.

This maternity reward was earned at the risk of her life through ten months of pregnancy.

Even if she only gives birth to two this time, she must keep one.

Otherwise, if Her Majesty the Empress became enraged, she could be beaten beyond recognition.

Besides, she hasn’t forgotten her roots.

Federation technology has long reached its peak now.

Land, sky, and interstellar fields are all developing swiftly.

Only the maritime sector remains stagnant.

Frankly, it’s a matter of top-level decision-making, a result of resource allocation bias.

What does it have to do with Selene Kane?

"The Empress is the head of the Federation, commanding all resource distribution."