Night had fully fallen. Ace collapsed from exhaustion, immediately falling asleep with soft little whimpers, as if even in his dreams he were still running.
The warship’s conference room was bathed in gentle light. Milton and Gu Qing, disguised as Lan Dai, sat at the head of the table, surrounded by familiar comrades—Irl, Philip, and Villy.
The atmosphere was unusually relaxed; the three of them were happy to see Milton able to return to the frontlines.
“Hey, honestly—I thought I’d never get to fight alongside you again in this lifetime!” Irl said excitedly. “When your mental sea was unstable, the military old-timers were panicking like mad, guarding your reports like ticking bombs every day. Now it’s all stable—who’s going to dare say a word?”
“Indeed, the military had heightened alert,” Philip replied calmly. “Now that your mental sea has been confirmed stable, you can officially return to the frontlines.”
“Hmph, those nobles must be hopping mad,” Irl scoffed. “They all said Gu Qing wasn’t worthy of you. What happened? Bet their faces are swollen from being slapped!”
“They were simply jealous of the bond between the Admiral and Gu Qing,” Villy chuckled. “Many nobles once claimed they would marry Gu Qing, but he chose the Admiral instead—and treats you so well. Gu Qing is the only male insect to show such kindness toward a female insect.”
“However… if the Admiral returns to the front, he may have to be separated from Gu Qing,” Philip added, voice steady yet cautioning. “The battlefield is far too dangerous for a male insect.”
Hearing this, Milton’s eyes flicked subtly to the calm, poised blue-haired female beside him—Lan Dai. His mind involuntarily replayed that night:
In the small villa’s backyard, under gentle moonlight, he and Gu Qing sat side by side, casually chatting while holding pastries.
Suddenly, a military encrypted message appeared—ordering him to return to the front immediately and confirming his mental sea as officially “stable.”
He had been about to ask, “Then you…” when Gu Qing quietly said, “I’ll go with you.”
Milton paused. “…And Ace?”
“Together,” Gu Qing answered matter-of-factly.
At the time, Milton had worried about smuggling two “noncompliant male insects” onto the warship, but Gu Qing had merely said, “I have a way.”
Meanwhile, the little silver orb—Tian Dao Xiao Tuanzi—rolled happily on Gu Qing’s shoulder like a firework about to explode. “Wow~ The brother-sister team of military insects is joining forces again! This drama is gonna be explosive~”
“You’re really taking Ace to the front? So cruel~ He’d go ballistic if he knew! Can’t wait to watch~”
Gu Qing replied lightly, “Growth always comes with pain.”
The little orb spun through the air, gleeful: “Exactly! I love that serious, calm face pushing the insects into the fire! Let the show begin—snack’s ready~”
Milton looked at Gu Qing, then at the tiny excited orb, and silently lit a row of candles in his heart: “Ace… take care.”
Ending his recollection, Milton caught Irl speaking: “Didn’t expect Lan Dai to be going to the front too.”
Lan Dai remained composed: “I happened to be free, and the Admiral invited me, so I’m coming along.”
“Perfect, perfect,” Irl clapped. “This won’t be easy. We just received word—the merfolk and the beastmen have jointly requested aid from the insect race.”
Villy’s expression darkened. “A new aberrant wave?”
“Worse than aberrants,” Irl said gravely. “They’ve discovered five creatures not recorded in any database. They resemble aberrants, but their size is horrifying, and they can interfere with mental seas—who knows where they came from. They’re built purely for destruction!”
Philip continued evenly: “Merfolk and beast warriors are experiencing mass mental breakdowns, some collapsing on the spot. Initial assessment shows these creatures emit special waves, directly disrupting mental stability.”
Villy frowned. “If so… the impact on merfolk and beastmen will be severe.”
“On top of that, these five creatures are raiding planetary resources, especially energy stones. In just one week, three resource planets were stripped bare,” Philip said gravely. “Both the beastmen and merfolk have suffered catastrophic losses.”
“The council nobles are arguing over who profits from the deployment, paying no heed to the casualties,” Irl said angrily. “Some even said, ‘It’s internal chaos in their race, nothing to do with us!’ Utterly foolish.”
“Short-sighted and selfish,” Philip added coldly. “Once the disruptive properties of these creatures are confirmed, the victims are not just one race, but all life.”
Lan Dai sat quietly, listening without a word, eyes downcast.
At that moment, Tian Dao Xiao Tuanzi appeared in his mental sea, bouncing: 【Hey! Gu Qing! Don’t those creatures sound weird? Could they… be mutated demonic energy? A new trick from the dark breeds?】
Lan Dai contemplated silently.
Milton then gave orders: “High command has issued a readiness alert. All forces prepare immediately; deployment could occur at any moment. Units must complete pre-battle preparations without delay.”
Several insects responded promptly. The meeting concluded.
Back in his quarters, Milton activated his light-screen to contact the Marshal.
On the display appeared Marshal Ackland Hubert, calm and collected, with a look as if he’d expected the call.
Before Milton could speak, the Marshal teased: “So, how’s it going with Gu Qing? Married yet? When will I get to hold a little insectling? Even on the frontlines, don’t forget Gu Qing—he’s a rare male insect. What if another female scoops him up—”
Lan Dai sat quietly, a soft laugh escaping. Milton’s ears flushed, and he muttered, “Marshal! I didn’t call about this!”
“You child~ I’m just concerned,” the Marshal said, then noticed the blue-haired female on screen and arched an eyebrow. “So Lan Dai is here too? I knew you’d act together, but seeing this… hmm, looks like a good relationship.”
Milton ignored it, jumping straight to the topic: “I request to serve as lead commander for this reinforcement mission.”
The Marshal’s teasing vanished, replaced with seriousness: “Good. I was worrying who would handle this hot potato. You will lead your team to the star alliance, meet with the beast and merfolk representatives, and assess the situation.”
“Understood.”
“And—” the Marshal’s tone turned stern, “This mission involves diplomacy. Try not to keep that same eternal poker face—don’t scare the representatives into thinking we only know how to fight. Our reputation isn’t great already.”
“….”
Milton’s face remained stoic, but Gu Qing noticed a subtle twitch at the corner of his eye, as if holding back a retort.
Lan Dai smiled faintly, thoughts sinking into his mental sea.
“小 Tuanzi, what kind of races are the beastmen and merfolk?”
【Finally you ask!】 The silver orb flashed, clutching a seed pillow and bouncing over. 【Emergency crash course time~】
【In this galaxy, there are countless races, but the top three strongest are—】
【First: Insects! Unquestionably strongest in physiology, mental power, technology, and combat.】
【Second: Beastmen, naturally strong and enduring, perfect for frontline assault squads, and insanely skilled at fighting!】
【Third: Merfolk! Don’t be fooled by their looks—they have terrifying mental power, and innate psychic waves. High-level singing can knock enemies out three streets away!】
Gu Qing nodded, mentally mapping their traits.
【Both are core members of the Star Alliance. Strong, but their joint plea for aid means—things are really, really bad.】
【Speaking of the Star Alliance—】 The orb twirled again. 【It’s an alliance of many races, aiming to maintain order and promote cultural exchange. Insects are core members too, but historically, they’ve waged war too fiercely—many planets were devastated and labeled “civilization destroyers.” Reputation? Terrible.】
“Not surprising,” Gu Qing replied calmly.
The orb chuckled in the mental sea, then retreated to nibble on seeds.
After the briefing, Gu Qing returned to his room. Just as he sat down, a light-screen pinged.
A secret message from Loess read:
【Qing Yuan is under pressure from the Mel family; situation worsening.】
Gu Qing’s expression didn’t change. His gaze drifted out to the deep blue starry sea beyond the cabin.
The galaxy stretched silently. Beneath its calm surface, a storm was already approaching.