Chapter 1: He's Not So Good in That Respect
Qiao Suisui felt like there was a weight pressing on her eyelids, and she struggled to pry open a slit.
In her blurred vision, there were two figures.
One was holding a syringe, from which a fine stream of water sprayed, filling the room with the scent of the drug.
The pain shooting through her arm made her instantly alert.
Where was this?
She remembered she was clearly in the middle of beta testing a game themed around the Interstellar Beast World, and everything went black just as she clicked into the server.
Voices conversed beside her in a language she couldn't understand—
"The goods at this auction are really valuable, I heard she just came of age. Damn, the scent is irresistible, it's making me lose it."
"Look at that face and figure, her skin so white and tender, turn red the moment you pinch it."
"Hey, are you crazy? This is the finale item, it's about to be showcased! If you leave a mark on her and the boss finds out, you're done for!"
Qiao Suisui sneakily surveyed her surroundings and noticed a man kneeling on the ground greedily licking her fingers. It seemed they had reached some sort of agreement, as another person started to kiss her toes.
Her hair stood on end, and without thought, she kicked the man in the face.
A cry of pain echoed as Qiao Suisui quickly dashed out of the door.
This was an underground illegal auction site with two levels. Qiao Suisui was detained on the second basement floor, while the first basement floor hosted the auction stage, now packed with attendees. The masked auctioneer on the stage introduced with fervor—
"The next item, ladies and gentleman, is the grand finale of this auction!"
"Grade SSS in appearance, SSS in intelligence, and while she lacks spiritual power, she is a live-bearing female capable of reproduction!"
At these words, the room erupted in murmurs.
With the Interstellar suffering from contamination, many Beastmen had lost their fertility, and female Beastmen were on the verge of extinction. Propagation had become the greatest problem across the Interstellar, with reliance solely on gene hatching of cubs. To stabilize the unstable genes in Beastmen, the Interstellar Federation produced a large quantity of 'Artificial Females', and even though they could not conceive and some lacked intelligence, they were still highly sought after by male Beastmen.
Therefore, live-bearing females were a critical conservation target across all of the Interstellar, to say nothing of their precious reproductive capabilities.
"A live-bearing female? How many years has it been since one has appeared!"
"Even across the entire Federation, she's the only live-bearing female who can conceive, right?"
Many had already begun to get ready, eager to bid.
In the bustling gallery above, on the second floor in a premium suite, a man sat on a leather sofa, wearing a Lion King mask.
His presence emitted a commanding aura, with his crisply uniformed figure and crossed legs, his authority palpable even while seated.
The officer Angsi bent over, whispering into the man's ear, "Colonel, the intelligence was indeed accurate. Shall we proceed?"
Angsi was filled with fury to think someone dared to profit from such dealings!
Having followed the Colonel and earned military honors, even so, he still found himself in line for a female spouse ten years later, while these people could buy a live-bearing female with just a bit of dirty money?
"Ensure that we catch both the criminals and the evidence."
Upon receiving the man's orders, Angsi nodded solemnly and left the suite.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the sofa, an Artificial Female was sitting. The woman scooted closer, her red high heels caressing the man's sturdy lower leg.
"Ruka, if I hadn't given you the tip, how could you have so smoothly found this illegal trading den? Why not consider my proposal? I wouldn't mind sharing you with the Princess."
According to the rules, adult females could have multiple spouses, but males could only possess one female.
Even though Ruka had already been chosen by the Princess, the woman couldn't help but feel tempted by his pectorals and didn't mind forging a clandestine relationship with him. After all, the man sitting in front of her was heralded as the 'Sword of the Empire', the successor of the Sikoses family, and also a Colonel of the Military Department—Ruka Xikoses.
"I've heard plenty in the Royal Family say... you're not that good in certain regards?"
The woman, seeing that he had no reaction to her provocation, not only was not discouraged but also pushed her proud breasts even closer to the man. Had it been any other male, she would have already been overpowered by now, yet Ruka remained seated upright.
"I am far more interesting than the princess. After all, she and I are both Artificial Females. Why choose her when you could choose me?"
Upon hearing this, the man finally showed a hint of reaction. He slowly turned his head, and behind the Lion King mask, a pair of indifferent eyes stared at her. The next second, the woman furrowed her eyebrows, started sweating profusely, and her face visibly paled.
Was this the oppressive presence of a top-tier male?
The man coldly shifted his gaze, and the oppressive air was lifted, his voice flat and unemotional.
"I do not like being addressed by name. Besides, given the rumors you've heard, you should know I feel nothing towards any female, so save your effort."
"So you really can't function in that regard? What's there to brag about being a non-functioning male? Looking good won't help you, pah!"
"You should feel lucky that you're a female." Otherwise, you would never see the sun again.
Ruka didn't finish his sentence, leaving the infuriated woman behind as he walked straight out of the private room.
He stood on the second floor, leaning against the railing, looking down below.
His men were already positioned around the stage, just waiting for the females to be auctioned off to sweep the area.
He took off the Lion King mask, revealing a face with distinctive bone structure, a high nose, and thin lips. However, that striking face bore no expression, numb and cruel, as if uninterested in everything.
He bent his head and bit into a cigarette. The instant the nicotine ignited, his originally indifferent light pupils suddenly constricted.
This smell...
Clean, yet with a soapy touch and a hint of astringency, like the fragrance of Lily of the Valley... coming from the direction of the stage.
The cigarette burned Ruka's hand momentarily as he came back to his senses, looking down at himself, he realized he had reacted.
Meanwhile, as the host on the stage announced loudly, a red curtain was slowly drawn.
Before him was a giant golden birdcage.
Inside, a young girl lay on her side on a white fur blanket, her black hair strewn all over. She was curled up so tightly that even though her face couldn't be seen, her body's curves and skin, smooth as mutton-fat jade, were enough to be enticing.
The girl was only wearing a champagne-colored silk slip dress, barely covering her upper thighs, her body all ivory-white. Her skin had a pink hue because of the drug, causing everyone present to be captivated and entranced.
On the second floor, Ruka looked at the girl on stage and frowned.
The audience grew restless, with many males already boiling with blood; some even shouted out bids before the host could speak.
"Ten million."
"Thirty million."
"Fifty million."
"One hundred million! I want to take this little female home now!"
The price soared endlessly. To think the last Artificial Female had only fetched one million.
Qiao Suisui had only just run out when she was captured and brought back, injected with an aphrodisiac. At this moment, she was groggy, a beep in her mind briefly waking her—
[Host detected in danger, passive skill activated]
She propped herself up, not realizing where the voice came from. The fragrance on her became stronger, diffusing throughout the first floor.
Suddenly, no one cared about the auction anymore, all eyes were fixed on the stage.
The scent from the girl in the cage drove all males into madness; some uncontrollably entered their mating period, their eyes red, as they charged the stage.
Qiao Suisui saw the chaos below with fighting, brawling, and suppression. She was thinking of escaping when a burly man suddenly rushed onto the stage, ogling her with a covetous look.
She desperately shrank back, but he reached through the cage and grabbed her ankle.