Chapter 18: Fraternity

"Rayleigh!" Lindbergh roared.

Following Lindbergh, Rayleigh and You Zhuo knelt down with a thud, bowed their heads in their hands and apologized: "We have failed in our duty!"

Their actions startled An Lang, who quickly stepped forward and said, "It has nothing to do with them. It was me..."

However, Lindbergh's expression showed no sign of softening. He didn't even look at An Lang. "There are so many aristocratic families in the military, why did I choose you? You put the hero in danger, lost contact with him for two days, and even let the male insect break out of its cocoon in the wild—"

"Which one of these will I not chop off your heads for?"

An Lang was shocked: "It's really none of their business. I decided to go to the 'Boundless' area on my own!"

"Oh?" Lindberg glanced at Lan Xiu, "Did that loser seduce you?"

"What? No!" An Lang was anxious. "This whole thing is my fault. If I hadn't given him permission, Lan Xiu wouldn't have strayed into the 'Boundless' area!"

"And Rayleigh was forced by me. He didn't agree with my decision to go for the rescue."

"As for You Zhuo, he was there to help me complete the actual combat mission."

Lindbergh looked at An Lang with an unclear expression, which made An Lang feel a little scared.

"Do you think that just because you are my son, I won't punish you?"

He asked in a deep voice.

An Lang never thought so.

Lindbergh's aura was too strong, but he still said stubbornly, "I don't think so."

"In short, this is all my fault. I was naughty and acted arrogantly, causing everyone to be implicated. I am willing to accept punishment."

There was silence in the room for a moment.

Lindbergh said, "You are somewhat similar to your father."

An Lang had never heard Chong mention the original owner's father, and he thought... he was eaten... by Lindbergh.

But when it comes to Xiong's father, does the atmosphere ease?

An Lang raised his head and prepared to take a peek at Lindbergh's expression.

He saw Lindbergh lowering his head, catching his gaze.

"You mean, you want to protect all three bugs?" Lindberg asked.

An Lang nodded, then added, "It has nothing to do with the Colosseum staff. I used my high-level authority to force him."

"You are quite philanthropic." Lindbergh snorted.

"Then bring them all back to the palace."

An Lang's eyes suddenly widened: "What?!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" An Lang shook his head like a rattle.

"The symptoms of female fear haven't healed yet?"

"No, no, it's very serious!"

"I thought it was fine," Lindbergh said expressionlessly.

An Lang then realized that his cheap father seemed to be teasing him.

“…”

Lindbergh glanced at Lei Li and You Zhuo, who were kneeling on the ground. "Since An Lang pleaded for you, I will spare your lives this time."

"Go back and receive your punishment."

"yes!"

"Investigate this accident." Lindbergh continued, and then made a gesture to retreat. Rayleigh and You Zhuo quickly retreated.

Lan Xiu also went to the inner room at An Lang's suggestion.

"Is this little guy the bug you insisted on saving?" Lindbergh changed the subject and turned the topic to Lan Xiu.

"It's my responsibility." An Lang touched his face.

"Since you like him, then give him the position of female servant, and don't think about anything else."

"Hey, Dad, can you please stop thinking about this? I treat Lan Xiu as my younger brother." Seeing Lindbergh worried about him this time, An Lang felt warm in his heart, and calling him Dad became much easier.

"The position of female monarch requires caution," Lindberg reminded him. "I heard that a female insect rescued you in the 'Boundless' area this time?"

An Lang thought about it and felt that if Lindbergh could help him investigate, it would definitely be easier than finding it himself.

"right!"

Lindbergh said, "I will investigate this bug. Although it hasn't killed you, it's elusive. You shouldn't trust it."

"I know, I know!"

An Lang was about to say something when he saw a hint of a smile on Lindbergh's usually serious face. "You've been alone in the wild, breaking out of your cocoon and suffering a lot, but this experience has also helped you grow a lot."

"Once your pheromones return to normal, the concubine selection ceremony can be held."

Before An Lang could react with surprise, he heard Lindbergh say, "My son is quite charming. Even that brat from the Bian family sent a message saying it was a shame to miss the preliminary selection banquet and that he must participate in the palace selection."

Who is this???

"Oh, right! I have something I'd like to ask for your approval!" An Lang quickly changed the subject. He said seriously, "I heard that the entire Lan tribe was exiled to the Wengta Glacier..."

Lindbergh glanced at him and asked, "Are you trying to plead for the Lan people again?"

"Not really..." An Lang paused, "I just think their clan is too miserable. Because one scum appeared among them, so many innocent insects were implicated."

"And it's been so many years, when will the cycle of revenge end?"

Lindberg was a little surprised that he could say these words, but as the leader of the Mantis Clan, he would not make a decision so easily.

"How do you want to be?"

An Lang replied, "Young orchids should also have the right to education. Learning should start from children, and so should their thinking. As for adult female insects..."

"After undergoing rigorous assessment, they can become military females and be dispersed and assigned to various armies. The other subspecies of the Mantis Tribe are very resistant to them, so their reintegration into society still depends on their own social status."

"Maybe we can do some publicity and spread some rumors. Anyway, we need to give them a sense of hope so they don't, uh, rebel."

"However, what I'm talking about now are very immature ideas. We still need to conduct in-depth field research before we can implement them."

An Lang mumbled a lot, but he felt that what he said was incoherent.

God bless him, he is a science student.

But Lindbergh's expression was slightly smiling.

"It is a blessing for the Mantis Clan that you have such a heart."

Male insects are scarce, and the Male Insect Protection Association has tried every means to protect the rights of male insects. The old empire has elevated male insects to an abnormal height, but it cannot prevent the declining birth rate and the decreasing purity of the male insects' ancestral bloodline.

Ancestral bloodlines actually refer to the first generation of genes, which determine the dominant species of the Zerg, such as spiders, ants, mantises, butterflies, cicadas, scorpions, etc. Due to different ancestral bloodlines, different Zerg species will also have different characteristics. For example, spiders rarely have wings but are good at poison, while mantises often have wings and are powerful in combat...

Because different Zerg species can intermarry, more and more Zerg bloodlines are mixed and difficult to be classified into a certain species.

This phenomenon is more obvious among male insects - most male insects do not have dominant species. Experts speculate that this is because the number of male insects has become increasingly scarce since the Cataclysm, and different species of insects are competing for male insects. In order to reproduce, male insects are no longer dominant, but instead accommodate more and more ancestral bloodlines to ensure the birth of offspring with insects of different species.

At the same time, males with dominant species are more compatible with females of the same species. Their pheromones are more likely to cause the females to open their reproductive cavities, increasing the chances of conception and producing offspring with higher fertility.

Purity is closely related to the physical fitness of the Zerg. The higher the purity, the easier it is for female Zerg to revert to their ancestral form and the higher their combat power. This is also reflected in male Zerg - male Zerg that can have dominant species have more extensive mental power and more active pheromones.

Fortunately, after the new emperor overthrew the rule of the old empire, he actively implemented new policies, allowing more and more male insects to participate in social production, and the purity value has slightly rebounded.

He turned his gaze to An Lang's still young face.

Ever since An Lang was tested as a pure-blood, he has been regarded by the Mantis Clan as a sign of his rise.

However, his character became increasingly crooked due to his negligence and discipline, and he no longer had the kind face he had as a child.

If the Hero was still alive...

An Lang felt that Lindbergh's gaze was becoming more and more unbearable. It was the look of a father looking at his son.

He suddenly thought of his parents on Earth and felt extremely sad. Fortunately, he still had a brother...

As the head of the family, Lindbergh had a lot of things to do. After confirming that Anlang was not seriously injured, he left.

Before leaving, he left a sentence: "If you want to do it, go ahead."

When An Lang returned to the inner room, he saw Lan Xiu lying on the edge of the bed, his head propped up, looking like he was trying hard to stay awake.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" An Lang calmed down and asked in a gentle voice.

"Waiting for you." Lan Xiu stood up straight. "I just heard the conversation between His Highness and the Mantis Lord."

"Your Highness, would you like to visit the Lan Clan?"

An Lang nodded. "I checked the population of the Chalan people, uh, the insect population, and found that it has dropped from 260,000 a few decades ago to 30,000. It's really declining too fast."

"Because of the crime committed by a female insect, so many innocent insects were implicated..."

"Even the emperor only executes nine generations of a clan..." An Lang muttered softly, "Here, it actually involves an entire ethnic group, uh, subspecies."

Although he does not have the ability to be a savior, he also has no ambition to achieve equal rights.

The ills of this society lie in the extreme inequality in the ratio of men to women, and this cannot be changed by just a few words from him.

But he is still a "person" who was born under the red flag and grew up in the spring breeze.

He has universal human values and respects and cherishes every life.

Moreover, he was placed in such a high position and enjoyed many rights. If conditions permitted, he was willing to contribute his own strength.

The Zerg were more cruel than he had imagined. They believed in power and were more bestial than humans.

But they are not without emotion.

Like Lindbergh's love for his son, like Zhong Tao and Lan Xiu's care for him.

He knew that the longer he stayed in this world, the deeper his bond with the Zerg would become.

He can't treat any "bug" as an NPC.

They are all flesh and blood, with their shining points and their despicable sides.

If he had the ability, he would work hard to make the world a better place.

Because this strange world, from the day he crossed over into it—

It is his new world.