Chapter 43 One by one, the insects stealthily...

Archie stood motionless, seemingly oblivious to the pain, letting the storm from Noah's planet batter his carapace.

He stared blankly at the lowly insect that emerged from the round building.

Even if he didn't understand what the building was, he could guess its general purpose.

That's why he felt that everything before him was a hallucination before his death.

His inherited memories told him that, apart from the king, none of the insects needed a dwelling or a special place to rest.

Their hard shells allow them to repair themselves and replenish their energy anytime, anywhere on the harsh surfaces of planets.

Therefore, it is impossible for an insect to have a special structure to shelter it from the wind and rain.

Moreover, that insect was a low-level insect just like him.

As the lowest-ranking insectoids, it's already a miracle that they can survive.

How could there possibly be a sanctuary built specifically for inferior insects in this world?

He felt a peace and tranquility within the insect core that he had never experienced since birth, and his antennae rested comfortably back on his head:

It was indeed a hallucination.

Everything he saw was an illusion.

But to have such a hallucination before death is a blessing.

Just as Archie closed his eyes, preparing to face his impending death, Keo, who had just stepped out of the nest, seemed to sense something, abruptly turned his insect body, and looked behind him.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar insect queen, his antennae twitched in confusion:

This is not a bug from Noah's Planet.

If he had encountered this bug before, he would have driven it off the planet without hesitation.

But now...

Keo's tentacles twitched violently twice:

An unfamiliar insect!

A bug from another planet!

An idiot who has no idea how good the king really is!

In an instant, a whole host of things he wanted to say to this insect flooded his mind.

Keo, its insect tail swishing, excitedly approached Archie with its vertical pupils gleaming, hissing incessantly.

"Hiss—the new guy!"

Do you know?

"Hiss—The king is the most beautiful, the most powerful, and the best king in this world!"

"Hiss—her black hair is the most beautiful in the galaxy!"

"Hiss—her white skin, the most beautiful in the galaxy!"

"Hiss—her voice is the most beautiful in the galaxy!"

Upon hearing his words, Archie abruptly opened his eyes, his vertical pupils contracting sharply:

king?

king! !

Even though he knew it was a fantasy, he still couldn't suppress his instinctive excitement the moment he heard the name "Wang".

Archie stared blankly at the massive insect in front of him, a size much larger than himself, and twitched his antennae in bewilderment.

Is his fantasy really that realistic?

But as the insect described the king, he could no longer think and could only open his eyes wide and listen intently.

Although he knew that everything he heard was false.

Although he knew that the king would not appear before him, a lowly insect.

But he still happily shook the worm brain.

Archie only reluctantly came to his senses after hearing the insects in front of him say that the king had personally designed a nest for them that would shelter them from the wind and allow them to rest.

Hiss—

That's the downside of fantasy.

It was so bizarre that he couldn't help but come to his senses.

Wang Lianjian wouldn't even meet with these useless, low-level insects, so how could he possibly design and build nests for them?

Hiss—that's so fake.

Hiss—but it sounds so blissful.

If he could live like this for an hour, no, even a minute, he could die happily.

Keo didn't notice the change in the insect's emotions in front of him.

He gesticulated wildly, praising the king and excitedly describing how happy he was to live in the nest.

But no matter what he said, he still felt it wasn't enough.

He turned to look at his nest, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the insect in front of him with his pincers and pulled it into his nest.

Before Archie could react, he was pulled to an unfamiliar place by the strong Keo.

Looking at the scene before him, his vertical pupils suddenly widened to swell, and he exclaimed in shock:

"Hiss—Wow!"

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss—Waaaaaah!!"

Keo initially felt uncomfortable having other insects enter his nest, but after seeing Archie's shock and envy, he straightened his body and proudly swung his antennae:

This is his den!

This is the nest that the king designed for him!

He pointed to the color of the wall and hissed:

"That's the color of the king's hair and skin, the most beautiful color in the entire galaxy!"

"Wow--"

"It's extremely safe here; no other insects can get in!"

"Wah wah—"

"This is a nest bed, covered with a soft animal blanket. It's incredibly comfortable to sleep on!"

"Waaaaah—"

Seeing Archie looking at the nest bed with envy and curiosity, Keo generously said:

"Hiss—you can touch it."

But he quickly added:

"Hiss—you can only touch it for a tiny bit."

Archie carefully touched the edge of the nest bed:

So soft—

So comfortable—

A sudden, belated sense of doubt arose within him:

Is this really just a fantasy?

But everything here was so beautiful that he didn't even dare to dream of it.

And the feel of this bed is so realistic.

Seeing Archie's dazed look, the insect core seemed satisfied and finally stopped its incessant hissing.

He pulled the insect in front of him out of the nest with a single, forceful pull:

He still had to search for the most beautiful wind crystal, and he didn't have time to continue chatting with this ignorant insect!

Just as Koola was leading Archie away from the nest, they ran into Mond, who had just emerged from the nest.

Mondl stared at the unfamiliar insect, momentarily stunned, then his vertical pupils lit up:

An unfamiliar insect!

Insects from other planets!

I wonder how good the king's insects are!

I wonder how comfortable it is for insects to nest!

So, Archie was dragged into Mondra's lair as soon as he emerged from C'or's lair.

Amid a series of boastful hisses, he was pulled into Denton's lair.

Throughout the day, Archie entered the nests of dozens of insects.

He was initially confused, but then, amidst the hissing of the insects, he suddenly realized:

Everything here seems to be real, not an illusion.

He stood outside the nests, letting the storm toss him about, his shell covered in wind-blown scratches.

But he still didn't react, just staring blankly ahead:

Are all of these... real?

So the "king" mentioned by those insects is also real.

Realizing this, Archie's vertical pupils contracted sharply, and his insect body trembled incessantly.

king--

king! ! !

Yes, besides the king, what other being could so easily erase the pain and unease that had lingered in his insect brain for over a hundred years?

Besides the King, what else could make the insects on Noah's Planet look so happy and content?

Archie looked at the surrounding insects, each with its bright carapace, strong body, and calm aura, and lowered his head to hide the envy in his eyes:

Therefore, the king truly designed the nests for these insects to live in.

Therefore, the king will personally comfort them and heal the trauma in their insect brains.

So, they really did see... the King in person.

A strange emotion welled up within him.

There was bittersweetness, excitement, and... anticipation.

If he tries his best to stay on Noah's Planet, is there a chance he might see the King?

A beautiful, noble, powerful, and gentle king.

The king fixed rest times for all the insects on Noah's Star.

At the height of the storm, all the insects, swishing their tails, excitedly returned to their nests.

Only Archie, without a nest, stood blankly in the storm.

He shook his antennae and carefully lay down next to a nest.

He looked at Chao Xue, who was so close at hand, his vertical pupils filled with envy.

He reached out his pincers, wanting to touch it, but abruptly withdrew them before he could make contact.

What if it gets damaged?

This is the nest designed by the King!

Archie, thinking about the conversation he had overheard between the other insects, quickly closed his eyes:

Now is the time when the king has ordered them to rest.

He cannot disobey the king's command!

and……

A faint glimmer of hope also rose within his insect core:

If he is always well-behaved and always obedient.

Will he be able to see the king?

Will I one day have my own nest?

At this moment, Archie no longer thought of the planet Jer, where he had always lived.

All he wants now is to stay on Noah's Planet forever.

Even if he were to die at any moment, he would never leave this planet.

On the planet Jer.

All the lower insects were scattered in every corner of the planet, waiting for the ground to melt and collapse at any moment.

Fire crystals exist beneath the melting ground.

Their mission from birth is to find fire crystals and present the most beautiful fire crystals to the king.

Just then, an insect leaped out from the scorching ground, its pincers clutching a fire crystal it had just found underground.

Although the Zerg's carapace is hard, the underground flames were so intense that they still burned a dark scar onto his carapace.

The layers of scars tell the story of the pain and hardship he endured each time he searched for the Fire Crystal.

But the insect seemed to feel no pain at all. It didn't even look at its body, which was covered in burn marks, but instead looked happily and contentedly at the fire crystal in its pincers.

Hiss—Great!

Fine fire crystal, a gift for the king!

To...the King.

Angie's vertical pupils slowly darkened, and his worm brain was gradually filled with chaos:

No King—

There is no king anywhere—

He raised his head and looked at the dark red sky, his pupils gradually turning crimson.

A riotous insect will be driven only by instinct.

Angie's instinct used to be destruction and killing.

But now, he tilted his head, his scarlet vertical pupils slowly fixed on one direction:

I really want to go there and take a look.

On Noah's Star, Archie, who had been there for a day, was just about to enter the storm like all the other insects to search for the wind crystal for the king when he saw Angie not far away.

Although the relationships between lower insects are very cold, they may kill each other in a riot at any time.

But after all, he had spent over a hundred years with Angie on Planet Jer, so he had a faint memory of him.

In addition, these two were the only two intruders on Noah's planet. Archie's vertical pupils showed less vigilance and more affinity towards fellow planetary insects.

He imitated the insects on Noah's Ark, rustling as he approached Angie.

He shook his antennae, and the insect's chirping became serious:

"Once we get here, we must work very, very hard to find the Wind Crystal."

"Only in this way can we stay, can we stay by the king's side."

Angie had just landed on Noah's Planet and hadn't had time to figure out her surroundings yet.

He felt his aching worm brain finally calm down, and when he looked up, he saw Archie standing in front of him.

Upon hearing Archie's words, his vertical pupils were filled with confusion:

What strange things is he saying?

What kind of wind crystal?

Why should we stay?

Stay by...'s side?

Hiss—King!

Angie's antennae straightened instantly:

"Hiss, is the king here?!"

Archie nodded happily.

"Hiss—you don't know."

"Hiss—Wang Meili!"

"Hiss—Wang Qiangda!!"

He imitated the other insects on Noah's planet, hissing incessantly while holding up his carapace, talking about how good the king was and how gentle he was.

Angie listened to the insect sounds, his body trembling with excitement.

Finally, Archie concluded in a serious voice:

"We must work hard to obtain the Wind Crystal and strive to stay on Noah Star."

"As long as we stay here, we will definitely see... the King."

At this point, he glanced enviously at the surrounding nests.

Perhaps one day, he too can have his own nest.

He spoke to Angie with envy and excitement about what the nests looked like inside.

So, the two insects from Planet Jer, with their strong resilience, adapted to the unfamiliar storm and diligently searched for the wind crystals within it.

They are more diligent and hardworking than all other insects, and are not afraid of hardships.

One day later, the insects on Planet Jer had multiplied into four.

Two days later, the number of insects on Planet Jer had increased to eight.

Three days later, more than forty insects appeared neatly on Noah's Star.

Like the insects of Noah's planet, they diligently search for wind crystals in the storms every day.

When the time for rest, as stipulated by the king, arrived, they watched with envy as the native insects of Noah's Star entered their own nests.

They lay prone in the storm, enduring hardship, but their insect cores were filled with blissful anticipation:

They need to work even harder.

We must work harder than the insects on Noah's Ark.

That way, they can stay.

Only then could they remain by the king's side.

When Villar returned to Noah's planet with countless obsidian stones, following the king's orders relayed by Isaiah, he immediately noticed these strange insects.

He believed that these insects had obtained the king's permission to enter Noah's Star.

As a worm that is loyal only to the king, there is no discrimination against worms from other planets in his worm core.

but……

With a blank expression, Villa gathered the insects from other planets together.

Knowing the king's preferences, he diligently trained the insects to prevent their presence from disturbing the king.

Seeing their pitiful state, trembling with fear of being banished from Noah's Planet, he remained cold in his voice:

"No noise allowed."

All the insects suddenly covered their mouths with their pincers.

"No fighting."

They quickly tucked the pincers behind their backs, adopting a docile and non-aggressive demeanor.

"Don't let your wounds disturb the king's eyes."

The insects of Jelstar glanced at the layers of burns on their bodies, trying to cover them with their pincers. But there were just too many scars; if they covered one, another would be exposed.

The more they couldn't hide it, the more panicked they became.

They were terrified that their scars would drive them off Noah's Star from the planet by the higher insects in front of them.

Villa watched this scene, paused for a moment, and then added:

"You are not allowed to get hurt again and disturb the King's eyes."

Only after seeing all the insects nodding vigorously did he finally feel relieved and leave.

Inside the insect nest.

Ai Ying woke up from a two-day, two-night slumber.

In the past few days, she has been using her Gu technique to treat the injuries in the brains and cores of all the insects on the planet almost every two days.

The planet was too big, and there were too many insects. It was easy for her to control all the insects, but the mental energy required to cure them all exceeded her expectations.

However, she also gained some insights.

In the past few days, her Gu techniques have improved considerably, and her spiritual power has become much more solid than when she first contracted three insects.

If measured according to human understanding of mental strength, her current level of mental strength has probably surpassed the highest level in human history, SSS level.

But that's not enough...

Ai Ying lay on the bed, buried her head in the soft blankets, and sighed softly.

Currently, her mental power can only heal and soothe the insects on one planet, and it will take quite some time.

But the Zerg race has many more planets like this.

There are also many insects that need her comfort and healing.

Given her current abilities, it would probably take her more than a decade to achieve this goal.

More than ten years.

She can wait, but can the insects wait?

During the two days that Ai Ying was asleep.

The three lord insects waited anxiously outside the king's bedroom.

They could sense the king's calm aura, and they could also sense him growing stronger as he slept.

However, as long as they cannot see the King, their insect cores will be uncontrollably filled with loss.

They had grown accustomed to being by the king's side.

They were used to the smiling look in Wang's eyes when he looked at them.

They were used to the warmth of the king's aura that occasionally swept over them.

I've gotten used to seeing the king every day.

When the king was asleep and commanded them not to disturb him, they were like pets abandoned by their master, their insect cores filled with anxiety about being separated from the king.

Therefore, although each lord constantly used energy to protect the entire planet, some extremely weak energy fluctuations were ignored by them in their anxiety.

After all, for them, the energy of a dying lower insect is almost the same as their breath.

This completely failed to arouse their vigilance in the slightest.

Just as the three insects surrounded the king's bedroom, forcibly suppressing the unease that was beginning to rise within them, the bedroom door finally opened.

Ai Ying looked at the three pairs of eyes that suddenly lit up when they saw her, and her heart, which had been restless because her Gu technique was not yet strong enough, suddenly calmed down a bit.

There's always a way.

She has only contracted with three insects, yet her Gu magic is already capable of covering the entire planet.

If she were to contract a few more Lord Insects, her Gu magic might be able to cover seven or eight planets or even half a galaxy.

In that case, the time she had previously estimated—more than ten years—to cure all the worms might be reduced to three or four years or even less.

Thinking of this, Ai Ying's eyes lit up with a relaxed smile.

She gently ruffled Fedlock's hair, took the replica of ancient human food from Savile's hands, took a bite, and smiled tenderly at Isaiah beside her.

For a moment, all three insects believed that they were the most important insect in the king's heart, and their energy became satisfied and stable.

As for what the king did to the other two insects—

It's obvious that Wang did it casually; there's no sign that he put any thought into his actions!

After stroking the 'hair' of the three insects, Ai Ying finally looked at the insects outside the nest.

After using 'Heal' a few more times, the long-standing injuries of those insects outside should be almost completely healed.

She walked to the window, took out a leaf, and put it to her lips.

The Gu technique of 'healing', accompanied by a light and melodious tune, spread throughout the entire Noah Star.

The three lords looked at the king's back as he stood by the window, their eyes gleaming with a light they themselves were unaware of.

No insect noticed a fleeting, faint fluctuation in the energy surrounding Noah's Star.

*

Benny is a high-level insect responsible for governing the planet Jer and the surrounding star system.

He could sense the decrease in the number of lower insects on Jell.

But that's normal.

Every day, some insects, lacking a king to appease them, will riot, either killing other insects or being killed by other insects.

This was nothing out of the ordinary for him.

Even he is on the verge of perishing in this endless chaos and unease, let alone those inferior insects.

Benny hadn't paid much attention to what was happening on Jell.

It wasn't until today that he suddenly realized that in less than five days, almost half of the low-level insects on Planet Jer had disappeared!

Even though his brain is currently in such a state of chaos and pain that he can no longer think, he knows that this matter is definitely not normal.

He must resolve the problems of Jell Star for the King before he dies!

Benny's sharp fingernails scratched across the starship.

In an instant, sparks flew everywhere.

His vertical pupils held a ferocious and chilling killing intent.

If the swarm of insects on Planet Jel harbors disloyalty towards the King—

They simply destroyed that planet.

Following the scent of those lowly insects, Benny found Noah Star, which was adjacent to Jell Star.

Just as he suppressed his breathing and endured the excruciating pain in the worm's brain to see what had happened, he suddenly felt the entire worm relax.

The moment it landed on Noah's Star, all the chaos and pain in the insect's brain vanished.

An unprecedented peace and tranquility enveloped him.

Just as he stood there blankly, a melodious and beautiful tune entered his ears.

The injury in his brain was gradually soothed by this voice.

In that instant of realization, Benny suddenly understood something, his insect body trembling uncontrollably in the storm:

He is the king!

The king is here!

After a long time, his worm brain was finally able to think.

If the king were here—

The insects here...

Almost instinctively, when an insect turned to look at him, he concealed his aura and lowered his level to the lowest level, the same as the insects here.

Keo looked at another low-level insect that had arrived on Noah's Planet and skillfully waved his pincers:

"Hiss—come quick!"

Benny felt no sense of humiliation at being driven by a lower insect.

He felt as if insects were trying to contact him through the web, and without thinking, he broke the web.

Then, swishing its insect tail, it happily followed Keo:

"Hiss—It's coming!!"

Horace's subordinate insect, feeling the one-sided disruption of the insect web communication, shook its head in frustration.

He originally just wanted to ask if there was anything unusual about Jell Star and the nearby Noah Star.

I wonder if the sense of security he felt by Noah's Star was just an illusion.

But……

This is the first time that a higher insect has voluntarily severed its insect web communication.

From the direction of the Fire Cloud Star, the insect glanced:

The lord is searching for precious Firestones on the planet, and he cannot disturb him.

He endured the pain in his brain for a few seconds and decided to go and investigate what had happened on Jer and Noah.

He will report back to the lord after he has investigated the matter thoroughly.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Horace looked back after retrieving the Firestone:

All the insects have run away!

Today's red envelopes are random!