in the beginning Jiang Ci feels like he's on the top of the world, but later he realizes that he's nothing but a pretty lion being protected by others. As he realizes how powerless he truly is in the grand scheme of politics (as the story actually goes as back as 300 years ago) he goes through a transformation and truly become free, but not without neglecting the support from his loved ones

Now, he's the one who will protect them

pregnancy is in chapter 128 and there's an entire "What if" timeline arc in the extras where everyone is happy

It's the best decision the author has ever made besides the new take on the zerg verse! (You'll love the zergs here! They're a bunch of horrifying cuites!) Quoting Taylor Swift: the " if world line " is like forgetting someone you've never met before! It's like you didn't even know you needed it until it was handed to you and now you know the whole story will never feel the same without it.

Uke here is not the annoying kind of tsundere character that we normally see because I also tend to stay away from those annoying ones. After reading the whole story, I believe that the uke is not a tsundere by nature. Rather he is made to be like that by the virtue of his environment. So if you add seme's doting and straightforward character here, then you can see uke slowly getting in touch with his real nature which is coquettish! When you would read the "if world line", you will get to know how coy uke is! XD

All the couples except the main one have bad endings, especially in terms of romance but in many other ways as well, some worst than others.

These endings are thematically consistent and they were foreshadowed but nevertheless, this degree of tragedy was not what I was looking for in a Zerg ABO fast food novel without any warning in the tags, genre or synopsis.

The only other happy couple is a female omega x male alpha pairing from the extras, with the omega being introduced in the extra itself. The alpha has been the subject of a running "I thought he was interested in another alpha" joke throughout the main story, with people acting disgusted by it no less, which I personally find to be in poor taste.

There is an alternative universe in the extras which is happier but it just highlights how miserable their actual stories are in their real world, which based on the part with the human emperor's dream, seems to still exist and be ongoing.

There is no closure on that end and we don't really get an explanation about what happens to the real world when the zerg king gets transported to the alternative world, we just know that it continues to exist and the people in it continue to be miserable.

because they don't happen in their actual world but in an alternative universe.

I was just not at all ready for the insane amount of privilege the guy had, from genes <including but not limited to looks, brains, spiritual power and talent> to connections, wealth, reputation, family background, friendship, familial love, romantic love, companionship etc.

The dead parents and kidnapping would work in a business and war of upper classes story but in this story it falls a bit flat for me, especially next to the other characters, and again, especially when comparing endings.

He just isn't interesting and likeable enough for me to want to root for him normally without any aiding factor, and if you add all of this and then put him next to the other characters it's just a whole lot of meh.

Something I mentioned in the first warning but I was really bothered by this so I will say it again.

Let me tell you, I am not here to read people bashing alpha x alpha relationships (with how it was treated as predatory in the beginning too) and then have the guy who was thought to be in a relationship with an alpha as a joke, end up with a female omega.

I just found it pretty vexing how after all the vilifying of alpha x alpha relationships, we got two whole female omega x male alpha side-relationships in an ABO BL novel (where socially, omega is more or less an allegory for women and alpha for men) but zero actual alpha x alpha.

And the side and main characters were also shown to display a disgusted reaction after thinking two of the characters were gay basically and the world's reaction to alpha x alpha is pretty similar to real world h*mophobia in a sense, so that is where my issue stems from. If you consider that it literally starts with army people scaring thr new recruit via the threat of another alpha potentially being interested in them you can't blame the readers for wanting some sort of resolution to this.

It wasn't considered as a part of the social reforms that were mentioned either so there's that too.

There were characters that were introduced in the alternative universe in the extras that had died before the main story began which is simply tragic and heart breaking, especially once we get to their stories and what could have been. Especially the blue haired Zerg guy. There is also the various children but I wasn't as sad about them because they died as infants/really young, and they don't get much of a focus in the extras either.

In the sense of the regret of what could have been though, that's also true for the beta friend and his love interest (the love interest's story was really sad, just sorrow after sorrow with no true joy in sight, he gets killed by the beta guy in the main story btw but you can see that coming from a mile away, the foreshadowing was not subtle), the emperor who remains traumatised even in the alternative universe, all the older couples, ML's mom's companion, the saint, etc. Just to emphasise how many characters had it really bad. I can think of maybe one or two characters that had any semblance of a HE apart from the MC, ML and their kids.

I also regret to inform you that despite the extras being named after other characters/pairings, many still primarily focus on the main couple, or constantly break to get unneeded bits about the main couple. You will also get lost if you don't read the extras in order (partially) so be prepared to be bored out of your mind while you go through the mundane/repetitive events that happen to characters you aren't interested in just to get to the ones you actually want to know about.

Really though, there are only a few info about zergs in the main story, not much were explained to their nature till ML was pregnant. If only it was indept more but the plot focus on the past events and how things are in place. Which was enough to build up the whole story.

But the side couples especially Pei Changyun×HuoChao were tragic, they love each other so much that it was selfless love, they have the dog and cat dynamic that I loved. It's sad to know HC decided to sacrifice but if he didnt, he was already bound by the f*cking pope and will put his beloved in danger. I was scared when PC was infected but at least he gets to hear HC and bid farewell. The angst of the old couple was bitter that I felt more emotion towards them than the main. However! The arcbishop and He Zuan were such a spicy couple for me at least, every scene they are in had so much s*xual tension. They stay each other for benefits but later knew each other's feelings were more than just using each other. The part where he was rescued after the destruction of the church made me want to give him a hug. He lost so much for revenge and I even pray that the Alpha would be alive, but glad Jiang Ci still believe in him. I dont hate He Zuan that much since he is part of the key points for the finale.

THE EXTRAS! Everyone gets a happy ending and I mean EVERYONE. Those who deserve a second chance in life? Heck ya! They LIVED! (This part takes place after the main story. The extra chapters are longggg, it literally has the potential to be a sequel.) I was sobbing incoherently because this is the one of those rare books that gave the side characters happy endings! To me, its cannon!

like the side couple, MC best friend (brother likely), written heart breaking and rationally. Like, if that me, I think I would have some awkward moments if the relationship continue. Yeah, considering what the actual relationship they have before

the president and the hero. This is the most devasting love story in this novel 😭. Still hope abt the child tho.

turns out Jiang Chi is not tsundere, I think his personality is in accordance to the situation. The fact that he is reluctant and deny his feelings of dependence and fondness in early stage of the plot is because of the situation. Huo Xianfeng's identitiy is literally hidden (even he himselfs didn't know it), and Jiang Chi need to overcome the pheromone disorder caused by the side effect of the inhibitor and the pregnancy-symptoms-like-injection that caused him to be weak. In addition, he is bloody injured and just fight countless alpha in that state. Huo Xianfeng happens to have a pheromones that can soothed him at the moment.

After that, Jiang Chi is in the state of dependence because of the temporary mark, but he himself has a trauma of being (almost) forcibly marked by alpha in the past. Moreover, Huo Xianfeng keeps a distance and teasing him. That is why it makes sense why Jiang Chi seems to be in the mood swing lol.

In my opinion, he is not tsundere, but more like stubborn and have a high pride. He doesn't want to show weakness in front of others, and hate being looked down. That is why he always got annoyed whenever some situation makes him embrassed, as if making him loses face. He is pretty straightforward though, not tsundere.

I took my time to write this because the "tsun tsun shou" almost make me avoid reading this novel, lol. I can not stand tsundere shou no matter how awesome he is. Many times, I preserve because of the plot, or because the character development makes him more frank and willing to express his emotion head-on more.