Su Yan raised his hand and gently patted Jiang Zheyu’s head, his gaze softening. "Yu Yu, the universe isn’t as safe as we imagine. The Zerg Race has always been like weeds, impossible to root out completely. The universe is divided into three frontlines: the Zone -2 frontline, the Zone -1 frontline, and the Zone 1 frontline."

"Then which frontline were you on before?" Jiang Zheyu paused and looked up at Su Yan.

’The novel was told from the female lead’s perspective, and the ending was rushed and incomplete. It never went into detail about the Zerg Race, only mentioning the frontlines in general terms. So, I have no idea what the universe is really like now.’

"I was on the Zone 1 frontline. I could have gone to Zone -1, but I decided against it. The Beastmen in Zone -1 and Zone -2 are stationed there permanently. They can never return. They dedicate their entire lives to it." Su Yan blinked slowly. "I have someone to long for now. I can’t devote my entire being to that place forever. The Beastmen who defend Zone -1 and Zone -2 will never be matched with a Female Master, nor will they have their own offspring."

’So all those veterans are in Zone -2 and Zone -1. They might have already died fighting the Zerg Race, or they might have succumbed to Beastification and disappeared.’

"Then what happens if their Beastification Value gets too high?" Jiang Zheyu asked after a moment of silence. "Doesn’t the military discharge Beastmen whose Beastification Value is too high?"

"Only the young Beastmen on the Zone 1 frontline have that privilege," Su Yan said with a helpless chuckle. "After all, the Empire needs to cultivate more new blood."

’Of course, a Beastman with a high Beastification Value and no attachments could also go to Zone -1 or Zone -2. They could become a kind of fighting machine. After all, a Beastman’s destructive power is greater after Beastification. When fighting the Zerg Race, they contribute their final ounce of strength, essentially using up every last bit of their value.’

’Back then, Su Yan had no attachments, and he insisted on returning to the frontlines despite having a Beastification Value of 89.’

’But the Empire felt that at such a young age, he had already achieved so many distinguished military honors. They couldn’t bear to let him go back to the frontlines, so they forced him to be matched with a female to lower his Beastification Value.’

"Is there a difference between these frontlines?" Jiang Zheyu frowned slightly. "Do you mean the level of danger is different?"

Su Yan pulled her into his lap, as if holding her gave him more strength.

"That’s right. Zone -2 is basically the army that fights the Zerg Race every single day. Zone -1 is where some research institutes and reserve Star Generals are. And Zone 1 consists of all the armies publicly based in the Imperial City, tasked with annihilating Star Thieves, resisting smaller Zerg nests, and protecting the capital." Su Yan’s expression grew serious. "The entire universe is this safe only because of the constant deaths of Beastmen in Zone -2 and Zone -1." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"So the strongest combatants have all gone to those forward zones." Su Yan’s red eyes turned cold. "That Star Thief who took you... compared to the entire universe being overrun and conquered by the Zerg Race, he’s naturally not worth mentioning. It’s not that the Empire doesn’t have anyone stronger than him."

Jiang Zheyu felt her perspective broaden significantly.

’I had only seen a small corner of the picture, but the Empire was considering all the Star Citizens of the entire universe.’

’How does one choose between the lives of the few and the lives of the many?’

’How does one choose between a single small planet and the entire universe?’

’The Empire had already made its choice.’

’So the strongest, most experienced forces were in the most dangerous places, while the fresh, powerful new blood was in the rear. Then, a new batch replaces an old one, a constant cycle of replacement, with generation after generation marching to their deaths.’

"So, Yu Yu, the Empire isn’t as incompetent as you imagined," Su Yan said, watching her quietly.

Jiang Zheyu felt a little ashamed. She had always thought the Empire was quite incompetent, that it hadn’t managed to cultivate any truly powerful fighters, and females were always being kidnapped. ’I was being narrow-minded.’

’The Empire probably knew that when those Star Thieves kept kidnapping the Little Princess of the Empire, it was just to Purify their Beastification Value.’

’After all, it’s one female to many males. From the Empire’s perspective, it probably just meant the Princess was sleeping with a few more Beastmen.’

’A rare female with high Purification Power would surely be treated well. Her life wouldn’t be in danger.’

’Besides, the Empire hasn’t given up on hunting the Star Thieves, nor has it stopped trying to strengthen the Little Princess of the Empire’s protection.’

’From a grand perspective, it’s a truly helpless situation. But from a personal one, the Little Princess of the Empire is also quite pitiful.’

Jiang Zheyu sighed. You can’t have it both ways. ’Thankfully, the female lead has now developed a serum that Purifies Beastification Value, which has greatly reduced the pressure on females.’

’Once the female lead develops a serum to heal spiritual power, the pressure on both females and the Beastmen on the frontlines will be reduced even more.’

"Okay, I understand now," Jiang Zheyu nodded.

"So that old Star Thief isn’t worthy of your admiration," Su Yan said softly. "He’s not that amazing, and you don’t need to look up to him."

Jiang Zheyu quickly replied, "I—I definitely don’t like him! Besides, he’s a Star Thief. We could never be together."

’Actually, I’m not so sure myself. Could it be that if I pretend to like him long enough, I’ll actually start to like him? But Si Yu is undeniably handsome... Could feelings develop over time? Ugh, no way!’

Su Yan just stared at her, his expression unreadable, making it impossible to tell if he believed her.

"You know the Little Princess of the Empire has been kidnapped multiple times, right?" Su Yan, looking worried that she might fall for a Star Thief, continued to explain, "Many of those times, it wasn’t a failure of her security detail. It was because she wanted to run away on her own."

Jiang Zheyu’s eyes widened slightly. ’The Little Princess of the Empire has a secret like that?’

Su Yan frowned. "She fell in love with that Star Thief. It had to be him and no one else."

"Don’t worry, don’t worry, I won’t be like that," Jiang Zheyu said, quickly hugging Su Yan.

’I tried to escape so many times. There’s no way I’d want to live that kind of life with Si Yu.’

’So, I’m still a rational person. I can definitely tell the difference between being a happy, rich woman in the Imperial City with many Beast Husbands, and living life on the edge with Si Yu on a Cosmic Starship.’

’It was like when the Butterfly Beastman rescued me. At the time, I felt a little sorry for Si Yu, seeing him all injured and bleeding, but I still left with the Butterfly Beastman without any resistance.’

"Ahem, what about that wom—that researcher who created the serum to Purify Beastification Value? How is she doing?" Jiang Zheyu asked, a little curious.

"I haven’t been paying attention." Su Yan was silent for a moment, then asked, seemingly casually, "Yu Yu, why the sudden interest in that person?"

"It’s not that sudden. Purifying Beastification Value is a huge deal. Anyone who can develop a serum for it is naturally incredible and worth paying attention to," Jiang Zheyu said righteously.

’I’m just a little concerned about the female lead’s research progress.’

’And whether the female lead has been kidnapped by any Star Thieves from various factions recently?’

’Come to think of it, the female lead’s harem also includes a few villains.’

’But later on, all those villains turned over a new leaf and were added to her harem.’

’In the novel, it seems like several of the times the female lead got kidnapped, it was because those Star Thieves had captured someone she cared about, so she compromised and went with them.’

’Realizing that, the Empire’s protective capabilities don’t seem that weak, but they don’t seem particularly strong either.’