Chapter 75 She Will Become the True Insect Queen

With her Gu technique now at its peak, Ai Ying, even in her slumber, could still sense the approximate state of the insects on various planets within the insectoid territory.

Sensing the chaos in a certain territory, Ai Ying suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze devoid of any sleepiness:

The insects on Noah's Planet are in danger!

In the less than a second it took her to realize something was wrong and open her eyes, half of the insects on Noah's planet had lost their life signs.

Ai Ying had no time to think. She immediately used her mental power to tear open space and headed towards Noah Star.

Sensing the fluctuations in the king's aura, all seven lord insects also regained consciousness.

Fiedlock moved the fastest and then tore through space.

The other insects quickly sprang into action, and even Jeffrey, who was the slowest to react, moved with unprecedented speed and agility.

Soon, all the lord insects left their hives and, following the king's aura, arrived at Noah's Star.

Ai Ying was unaware of what was happening behind her.

Upon arriving on Noah's Planet, she gazed at the black hole storm engulfing the entire planet, suddenly clenched her fists, and her heart sank heavily.

Black hole storms are the most dangerous interstellar hazards.

Its appearance time is unknown, and its location is completely random, making it very difficult for machines to detect.

Usually, by the time a species discovers its existence, it has already spread throughout the entire planet.

Black holes can devour all life forms, and storms within them can indiscriminately destroy everything.

Although a black hole storm lasts for no more than a minute, its destructive power is so great that it can destroy an entire planet in just a few seconds.

Therefore, a black hole storm is almost equivalent to death.

Whether it's life forms on a planet or the planet itself, death is the only inevitable outcome.

Even the Zerg Lord Zephrys, with the highest physical defense among the Zerg, could only try to tear through space and escape before the black hole storm fully formed, in the face of such a disaster.

There is no other way.

If even the Zerg lords are like this, one can only imagine the ordinary low-level and high-level Zerg on Noah's Planet.

Even knowing the dangers of the black hole storm, Ai Ying did not hesitate at all.

She must save her insects!

In the vast and boundless universe.

A figure with black hair and black eyes, dressed in simple pajamas, stood barefoot in the sky above Noah's Planet.

Before her lay a massive and terrifying black hole storm.

Compared to a black hole storm, she was like a tiny speck of dust, which could be swallowed up and annihilated at any moment by the ever-expanding storm.

But she still didn't back down.

Ai Ying stared at the unfathomable black hole storm before her, and poured out her mental energy without regard for the consequences.

Even though she could be considered the strongest among her species, she ultimately could not shake this once-in-a-century celestial calamity.

In just two seconds, she sensed that the life signs of the insects on Noah Star had decreased by more than half.

There were only a few scattered insects, and they still had a faint breath.

Ai Ying clenched her fists, her eyes flashing with a hint of ruthlessness:

If external forces cannot be overcome, then we must address the issue from within.

Her insects must not be harmed!

She concentrated her mental energy, which was trying to expel the black hole storm, on a single point within the black hole, and with all her might, tore open a crack large enough for her to enter.

The next instant, she slipped through the gap without hesitation:

The king's duty is to protect his people.

She couldn't just stand by and watch her insects lose their lives like that.

Noah's planet was desolate and in ruins.

The planet's land was ravaged by storms, and all the nests had long been pulverized without a trace, leaving only a pitted and uneven surface.

If the storm continues like this, the planet's surface will be completely eroded until the planet is destroyed.

The black hole storm swallowed all sound and all life.

Many insects had their bodies destroyed, leaving only a single insect core lying quietly on the ground.

Some insects managed to survive for four seconds in the black hole storm and have held on until now.

However, their insect bodies were mostly destroyed, and their blood soaked the ground beneath them.

Upon seeing the Queen, their previously unfocused vertical pupils filled with anxiety:

King—It's dangerous here!

Get out of here!

But they were too weak to speak, and could only weakly flick their half-existing antennae.

Then he lost consciousness.

The black hole storm continues to destroy everything on the planet.

Many of the insect cores that had been scattered on the ground after the insects died began to develop a crack.

Upon seeing this scene, Ai Ying could no longer care about anything else.

She exerted all her strength, extending her mental power without limit, forming a solid mental barrier on the surface of Noah Star, protecting all the insects on the planet.

The black hole storm can only last for a minute at most, and five seconds have already passed. She only needs to hold on for another fifty-five seconds.

She must protect these insects, she must protect their cores.

As long as the insect core remains, all insects will still have a chance to regenerate.

At this moment, Fiedlock followed closely in the footsteps of the king and also arrived in the sky above Noah's Star.

He looked at the crack on the surface of the black hole storm that was about to close, and rushed in without thinking.

No matter what dangers lie ahead, no matter what price he has to pay, he must stay by the king's side.

Upon entering the black hole storm, Fiedlock felt an unprecedented pressure.

Even though he was a powerful lord insect, he still couldn't completely resist the onslaught of the black hole storm.

But he had no time to think about himself; his first instinct was to look in the direction where the king was.

He saw the energy emanating from Wang's body, and he also saw Wang's face turn pale.

He knew that the king cared about the lives of all the insects, and that the king did this simply because he wanted to protect the insects on Noah's Star.

So without a second thought, he used all his energy and disregarded his own safety to help Wang maintain the barrier protecting all the insect cores and corpses on the planet's surface.

Beyond the black hole storm.

The other six insects also arrived here one after another.

At this moment, the gap that Ai Ying's mental power had torn open in the black hole storm had completely closed.

Savile looked at the terrifying black hole storm before him, barely suppressing the surging worry within the insect core.

He forced himself to think calmly:

Wang has now entered the black hole storm.

Even if he joined forces with other lord insects, it would still take him at least ten seconds to tear open the black hole storm in front of him.

In those ten seconds, a lot can happen.

The black hole storm lasts for a maximum of only sixty seconds.

What they can do now is not to recklessly search for the king and reunite with him.

Instead, they need to help the King control the black hole storm on Noah's Planet.

Saville unleashed all the energy in his body to help the King weaken his control and reduce the black hole storm from the outside.

He gritted his teeth and said to the other lords who had arrived:

"Come on, let's get together."

"If we can hold out for the next few dozen seconds while the black hole storm continues, Wang will be safe!"

The other lord insects also reacted, and together with Saville, they used all the energy in their insect bodies to weaken the black hole storm's impact on Noah's planet.

With the combined efforts of inside and outside forces, the black hole storm finally dissipated after 27 seconds.

As the storm subsided, the six Lord Insects were completely exhausted, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

But they completely disregarded their own situation and immediately looked in the direction where the king's aura was.

Ai Ying could feel the gazes of all the lord insects, but she did not look up; she simply stared intently at the insects on the planet's surface.

So many insect cores!

She had never seen so many insect cores before.

Each insect core represents the life of an insect that has perished.

Only a few relatively healthy insects were able to barely maintain their thin shells.

However, the interior of the shell had long been eroded away by the black hole storm.

A gust of wind blew, and the shell vanished without a trace.

Ai Ying clearly saw that after one insect's shell dissipated, two glittering stones fell to the ground one after the other with a tinkling sound.

The first thing to fall was the insect's core.

What fell next was a beautiful wind crystal.

It's a very beautiful wind crystal; it's clear that this insect spent a lot of effort to find it.

She could almost see the scene where, when the black hole storm arrived, before the insect's brain could even react, it firmly protected the wind crystal under its body.

She knew that this wind crystal must be a gift he had prepared for her.

Because in the foolish minds of each of them, the gift offered to her is more important than their own lives.

In that instant, Ai Ying's heart clenched in pain, and she wanted to cry, but her eyes were dry and not a single tear came out.

She remembered that insect.

This is the insect on Carlo Star that cut off its own pincers and gave them to her as a gift.

His name is Keao.

Although it looks fierce, it is actually a very well-behaved insect.

She is a very well-behaved, talkative person.

Many insects were so annoyed by his hissing that they wanted to swing their pincers and punch him.

But because of her orders, even if they stomped their feet in frustration, they wouldn't actually fight.

She always knew that all insects were obedient.

Ai Ying clenched her hands tightly; now was not the time to be sad.

Ignoring her already depleted spiritual energy, she unleashed her Gu technique, 'Top-Tier Healing,' centered on her and surging towards every insect core on Noah's Star.

Be quick.

Although each insect can regenerate indefinitely as long as its core remains intact.

But she dared not gamble, dared not gamble that the insects' regenerative ability would weaken as time passed since their deaths.

But it didn't work.

No matter how she uses Gu magic, the insect core remains just an insect core.

Ai Ying looked at the insect cores scattered on the ground, her heart filled with uncontrollable panic.

She didn't stop; she dared not stop.

The potent Gu magic has permeated every corner of Noah's planet.

As if sensing the king's anxiety, these insect cores flickered with their last bit of energy, responding to the king's call.

This is the insects' instinct.

This is an instinct etched into the core of every insect.

They desperately wanted to tell Wang that they were alright.

They don't feel any pain at all.

They desperately wanted the king not to be sad for them.

They have truly had a very happy life.

But even with all their might, they could only make the insect core flicker for a moment.

As time went by, the light on the insect core grew weaker and weaker.

Ai Ying watched as the countless insect cores lit up with light in response to her call, and her body trembled slightly.

She could feel the devout dependence within those insect cores, and the happiness and peace of mind surging within them.

It seems that as long as she is here, they would happily accept even death.

Ai Ying watched the light grow weaker and weaker, and took a deep breath:

If healing doesn't work, then make a contract!

Ignoring the fact that her mental energy was already at its limit and could not be expanded, she gritted her teeth and used the contract on the insect core in front of her.

Everything remained calm.

On the insect core, the last glimmer of light also completely dissipated.

As Ai Ying watched this scene, her hands slowly landed at her sides, and the Gu magic surrounding the planet dissipated with her movements.

She finally understood.

Only the insect king can grant life to insects.

Only then can the insect's nucleus regain its vitality and be reborn from the egg.

And she is a Gu master.

She can control insects, contract insects, heal insects, and soothe insects—but she never has the ability to bring insects back to life.

Ai Ying looked at her hands and tilted her head:

Therefore, the conclusion drawn by humans is correct.

The Zerg will perish.

Every insect's life has an end.

Dead insects cannot be brought back to life; the Zerg will simply disappear forever from the interstellar world over time.

Ai Ying looked at the lines on her palm, her eyes devoid of any light:

After learning about the effects of Gu magic on the insect race, she used Gu magic to help many insects heal their injuries and soothe their cores.

Since no insects died in front of her, she did not discover that her Gu technique could not regenerate the insects.

She lowered her hands and stood quietly, gazing into the distance, like a silent sculpture.

The moment the King stopped using his energy, Fidelock instantly appeared beside him.

His wounds from the black hole storm were still bleeding, and his face was deathly pale from the exhaustion of energy.

But he paid no attention to himself, only looking at the king in front of him with concern.

Ai Ying's face was so white it was almost transparent.

She stood barefoot on a ravaged planet, gazing blankly into the distance.

Fiedlock knew how much energy the King had expended to protect these insect cores.

He quickly retrieved a bottle of energy liquid from the chaotic folded space caused by the black hole storm and carefully handed it to the king.

Ai Ying looked at the insect beside her, its body covered in blood, its core energy depleted, and its overall appearance disheveled. She instinctively wanted to use her Gu technique to heal its wounds.

But she had no strength left.

Sensing Fidlock's worried expression as the earthworm core trembled, she tried to smile reassuringly at him.

But she simply couldn't bring herself to smile.

In the end, Ai Ying simply took the energy liquid from his hand and drank it all in one gulp.

At this moment, the other six lord insects also arrived at her side.

Each of the Lord Bugs was severely overdrawn, and its once shiny hair had become dull and lifeless.

Even so, they, like Fedlock, immediately handed her the energy liquid.

Ai Ying did not refuse; she mechanically poured the nutrient solution into her mouth bottle by bottle.

When her depleted mental energy had almost fully recovered, she finally stopped what she was doing.

She immediately used her Gu magic to heal the wounds on the lord insects.

Then she calmly walked on Noah's Star, picking up all the insect cores on the planet one by one, and carefully placed them in the folded space.

She also placed the wind crystal that Keo had desperately protected next to Keo's insect core.

After an unknown amount of time, she collected all the insect cores on Noah's Star.

Ai Ying turned around, looking at the seven Lord Insects behind her, her voice still calm:

"Go to Diyul Star."

Diyur Star is the true nest of the Insect Queen, and also a place that her spiritual power has never been able to reach.

It contains the residual energy of past Zerg Kings and is the most mysterious place among the Zerg.

Only by going there can she possibly break through the limits of human genes and become the true Insect King.

Only by becoming the Insect Queen can she possess the ability to revive these insects.

Only by becoming the Insect Queen can she ensure the true continuation of the Insect race.

Upon hearing the king's words, Isaiah's reaction was most evident; he knelt on one knee, his voice tinged with panic:

“Your Majesty, the cores of these insects are intact, and they can revive again no matter how long it takes.”

“You have only recently entered the growth stage, so you can wait until you reach maturity before going to Diyul Star.”

After its birth, the Insect King goes through three stages: the initial stage, the growth stage, and the mature stage.

Only a king who has reached maturity can fully control the planet Diyul.

It's too early to go to Diyul Star now.

Savile, who was beside him, thought about it in more detail.

He knew that the king's body contained not only Zerg genes, but also human genes.

Will the planet Diyur, the hive of all previous kings, truly accept a king who now possesses some human genes?

just in case……

Savile also knelt down, his deep blue eyes filled with worry:

"Your Majesty, if you enter Diyur Star now, you may encounter danger."

Upon hearing the word 'danger,' Horace's eyes widened sharply.

He couldn't care less about anything else and quickly knelt down as well.

Norman, Alfred, and Jeffrey also knelt on one knee.

They dared not let Wang take any risks, not even the slightest one.

Ai Ying scanned all the Lord Insects, finally looking at Fiedlock standing beside her.

He did not kneel down, nor did he try to change her mind.

But the worry and fear in his eyes were so intense that they seemed ready to overflow at any moment.

Those slightly trembling, dark purple eyes softened her heart at just one glance.

But she had no other choice.

Ai Ying withdrew her gaze and slowly closed her eyes:

She is a Gu master, so she won't have the so-called maturity period that Isaiah spoke of.

Having contracted with seven lord insects, her Gu technique has been pushed to its limit.

Even if another ten or twenty years pass, her abilities will not improve at all.

Even her Gu magic might weaken over time, as her body ages.

Moreover...

She is human.

Even in interstellar space, human lifespan is far shorter than that of the Zerg.

What will happen to the Zerg after she dies?

What should we do with these insects?

Will they return to their former crazy and painful lives?

Will they obey her orders, unable to vent their pain, and foolishly wait for death to come?

And then there are these lord insects.

What will happen to them after she dies, since they have already made a pact with her?

Even if she could break the contract between them, she couldn't erase their memories of her.

Having memories, how will they cope with the loss after gaining them, and how will they get through the rest of their insect lives?

She was so busy improving the lives of the insects that she didn't have time to think about many things, nor did she dare to.

But today, this black hole storm has forced her to confront all of this.

Ai Ying opened her eyes, her gaze resolute.

She didn't look at the lord insect again, but simply walked forward step by step:

"Go to Diyul Star."

"This is an order."

*

Before going to Diyuer Star, Ai Ying made all the necessary preparations.

She adjusted herself to be in the best possible condition.

She had arranged all the affairs of the Zerg for the next few decades, and planned the future of the Zerg on all the planets.

She also used her personal computer to prepare a timed message.

The message stated that all power in the human empire had been handed over to Charlotte.

After doing all this, Ai Ying finally raised her head from the throne of the starship.

Ai Ying looked at the dark universe outside the starship, without any fear of the planet Diyul in her eyes.

She is a Gu Master, and although she is not as powerful as the previous Insect Kings, she still has a certain degree of suppression over all insect races.

Ultimately, the Insect King is also a type of Insect, only of a higher level.

Moreover, on Diyur Star, there is only some remaining energy of the Insect King, which is unlikely to cause her much harm.

She prepared all this just in case.

One day later.

We've arrived at Diyur.

Ai Ying looked at the seven lord insects below the throne and gently raised the corners of her lips at them.

Her voice was gentle yet firm:

Let's go.

"Go check out my insect hive."

For her own sake, and for the Zerg, she must succeed.

There is no land or life on the planet Diyur, only a vast, dark ocean.

The waves surged one after another, but made no sound.

Ai Ying felt the faint presence of the sea and relaxed a little.

This planet did not reject her.

That's enough.

She carefully used her Gu technique to sense the location on the planet where the aura of the Insect King was strongest.

There it is!

Ai Ying raised her head and looked towards the center of the sea.

There was still only a vast ocean there, but beneath the ocean, she sensed the presence of an energy barrier.

The aura of the Insect King slowly wafted out from the barrier.

She could sense that the Insect King's aura was now extremely weak.

She guessed right.

If she really had reservations and wanted to postpone her visit for a few years, the Insect King's aura would probably have already dissipated.

By then, even if she wanted to become the true Insect King, there would be no way for her to do so.

Ai Ying walked forward with a determined look in her eyes.

When she reached one-seventh of the way through, she encountered the first invisible barrier.

The instinct inherited from Lord Insect Jeffrey made him kneel down on one knee in the middle of the sea without any hesitation.

The barrier dissipated after he released his energy.

He knelt on the spot, watching the king continue forward.

Soon, the king's figure disappeared from his sight.

The next barrier, guarded here, is Alfred.

Then came Norman, Horace, Isaiah, and Savile.

Each lord insect, according to the order in which it encountered the king, stood in its proper place, clearing a path for the king to the hive.

The last barrier.

Fiedlock knelt on one knee, and as his energy surged, the final barrier opened.

Ai Ying looked at the vast, gray, and unknown landscape ahead, and walked in with a determined gaze.

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Author's Note: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the story should conclude tomorrow.

I'm so grateful to every little angel who read this far. Thank you for your company. (bows)

I'm giving out red envelopes to all the little angels again today!