Chapter 65 Gotcha, Little Mouse "..."

"..."

“He…” Hawthorne murmured.

Lovin really does have another older brother, just like he said, a gentle and playful brother who is the best to him.

His early life was incredibly smooth. He married his childhood sweetheart, and they soon had two lovely children. However, he never expected that such a major change had already occurred in what he considered a warm and loving family.

The culprit behind all of this is this worm in front of him, which replaced one of his children and tried to kill his other child.

Unforgivable.

Hawthorne said in a deep voice, another question lingering in his mind, "Loveyn hasn't posed any obstacle to you, and you know we won't believe him, so why do you insist on killing him?"

Hawthorne's gaze was icy, and the golden lines in his dark pupils were exceptionally bright.

"Why?" Loxis's smile widened slightly as he countered, "Father, I'd like to ask why too. Am I not good enough? Am I not good enough? Do you know how hard I've worked behind the scenes to meet your standards?"

Loxis's eyes were filled with sarcasm. "But every time you see me, all you do is ask me, 'Lovin, Lovin, do you even see me?'"

Hawthorne stared at him, his eyes filled with disappointment. "I have never denied your efforts and excellence. If you were in a different position, I would appreciate you too. But whatever your reasons are, they are not a reason to hurt my child."

“In front of Lovin, I have always mentioned you. I have always hoped that the two of you would support each other, but I never expected that you would think this way.”

"..." Loxis remained silent for a moment.

“Ha…” Loxis suddenly laughed.

"I see..."

If he had picked up this bug from the garbage planet, his path might have been different.

But he can't turn back now, and he won't ever turn back.

...

Federal Central Star.

With the complete arrival of the revolutionary army, the entire Central Star fell into a silent and cautious atmosphere. After all, no matter how lighthearted the online discussions were, the country was now a new country, and how they would live from now on depended entirely on how the new rulers would set the rules.

In the central conference hall, all the insects were in place, awaiting their new leader.

When the familiar female insect with long silver hair walked in through the gate, most of the legion commanders, except for a few politicians, only showed a knowing expression.

"Attiyah, it really is you."

"Where is His Majesty the Insect King? Has he not returned?"

Atia and Morpheus parted ways on the starship. The Federation was currently undergoing a period of change, and he had to lead his subordinates to formulate a new order as soon as possible.

The silver-haired, red-eyed female insect slowly walked to the main seat and stood there. Her crimson pupils swept around, making all the insects afraid to look at her. Her voice was icy.

"I think you need to understand one thing now: when it comes to matters of the Federation, from beginning to end, I'm the one who calls the shots."

After he finished speaking, the entire conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

His tough stance intimidated many insects from the start. Although their joint announcement stated that they were welcoming His Majesty the Insect Emperor back, everyone present knew perfectly well who had actually conquered the Federation.

Now that the person in charge is taking a tough stance, clearly not trying to negotiate with them, they naturally have to reassess this new leader, or rather—the new president.

Atia's actions were as swift and decisive as his attitude. On his first day in the Federation's central star, he arrested and imprisoned many male insects without any intention of playing along.

Soldiers who had just been through the battlefield seemed to carry the scent of blood. They barged into the male insects' homes, handcuffed them, and dragged them away. Even then, many male insects were still arrogantly whipping female insects.

When the smell of blood, along with a splash of red, caught the soldiers' eyes, they, who had been somewhat hesitant, immediately acted swiftly.

"Let me go, you lowly females! If His Majesty the Insect King knew how you treated the male insects, he would surely skin you alive!"

"I am a Class B male insect! How dare you capture me? Don't you have any sense of decency? I'm going to report you all to the Male Insect Protection Association and have you all publicly executed!"

What he didn't know was that the Male Insect Protection Association was completely abolished immediately, and many of its elders had been imprisoned. They could see him as soon as they went in.

The entire inner area was thrown into a panic. Everyone shut their doors and remained silent. Today was clearly the day for male insects to attend classes at the academy, but there wasn't a single insect in the academy.

However, nothing is more important than life. If those insects take a liking to me and capture me, I might not be able to come back.

Rodney stayed cowardly at home. Since Murphy left, no bugs had accompanied him to class. Daniel was older than him and was always out recording shows, so it was impossible for him to play with him.

However, Rodney stared blankly at Daniel's figure in the live stream for a moment, then quickly called him, "Daniel, why are you still wandering around outside? Haven't you heard they're catching male insects everywhere?"

Daniel's expression was quite relaxed. "Oh, it's nothing, don't worry. I've already inquired. Those who were captured were all notorious male insects, each with at least a few insect lives on their hands. They don't deserve any pity. Innocent male insects like us have nothing to fear."

"Really..." Rodney was skeptical; he had almost been completely surrounded by people grabbing at him.

Daniel leaned closer to the personal terminal and whispered mysteriously, "There's one more thing, big news, I finally managed to sneak in and find out: the new president is the queen of Murphy. We've all met him. He's a good bug, he won't randomly grab innocent bugs."

Rodney was drinking water when he heard the news and spat it all over the mat in front of him. "What? The Queen of Morpheus is a rebel... no, a revolutionary leader?"

Good heavens, what does this mean? Morpheus only recently became an S-class male insect, right? He was momentarily speechless. Alas, poor Morpheus…

Some female insects were delighted by the new governor's recent actions, as they had relatives or friends who had died at the hands of the male insects. Hearing the news of their punishment was a great relief to them.

However, the other group of female insects are very worried. The number of male insects is already small, and if they are not carefully raised, they are likely to die young. Even if the punishment for those male insects is to be charged with crimes, the pheromones are not of very good quality when they are extracted against the will of the male insects.

With this new ruler acting so decisively and arresting male insects on a large scale, the survival rate of male insects will definitely decrease further. And what will happen to them, who need male insect pheromones to appease them?

Many insects on the new internet are spreading this anxiety, seemingly trying to create public opinion to release the male insects in prison.

Just then, they discovered that in addition to announcing a series of changes to laws and regulations, the government's official website had suddenly released another announcement—

Every adult female insect can receive a free pheromone medication every month at local central hospitals. This medication can soothe the mind without the addition of male insect pheromones.

This thing is so amazing that it instantly sparked a heated discussion on the StarNet.

Is this true? Is it really possible to soothe the mental domain without male pheromones?

[I don't believe it. If such a miraculous drug were really developed, the various research and development costs, as well as the cost of materials, couldn't possibly be cheap. The government is giving it away for free now; are they lying to us?]

I'm not entirely convinced either. Let's wait and see. What if they're using the first batch as guinea pigs?

Why think so much? It's free anyway, you can't lose out or be scammed. My kid has already gone and claimed it...

Wait a minute, you bunch of animals! You say you don't believe it, but you're faster than anyone else. When my kid came back, he said he was almost crushed before he finally got one.

[Ahem, this is called preparing for unforeseen circumstances.]

[...]

[A quick snippet of news: Things are really turbulent lately. It seems the Empire is in disarray too; their Crown Prince has besieged the capital, attempting to force the emperor to abdicate.]

【What?】

...

The snow continued to fall gently, and the old general Gilbert, who was guarding Hawthorne, and his guards listened to this royal secret with no less shock in their hearts.

They only thought that the Crown Prince wanted to ascend the throne ahead of schedule, so he launched a coup, but they didn't expect there to be other inside stories.

Does His Majesty mean that their Crown Prince is not their Crown Prince, but the murderer who secretly switched the real Crown Prince? Not only that, but this murderer also wants to kill the young prince?

General Gilbert looked at the prince he had known for over a decade and felt he was a complete stranger.

They, the insects, had all witnessed His Majesty's and Marshal's care and concern for His Highness. When they first heard that His Highness was forcing the emperor to abdicate, they didn't quite believe it and thought they had misheard. But when they arrived, they found that it was true.

His actions were utterly unforgivable.

Loxis suddenly said to Hawthorne, "By the way, you don't know yet, do you? Your male insect son is now a queen insect. How impressive! He truly deserves to be called the child of destiny."

Loxis smiled, a strange excitement in his eyes as he looked at Hawthorne. "I tried to kill him several times but couldn't, even with the most powerful tools. But Father, I hate him, so I thought of another way. I'll make his later years even more miserable than mine."

Hawthorne looked at him and said calmly, "You want to kill me."

Since they couldn't kill his child, killing him was indeed a clever scheme.

"The father was indeed wise."

“But it’s alright, Father, I can’t beat him,” Roxie said calmly, a hint of madness creeping into his composed face. “I will die with you.”

General Gilbert, who was guarding Hawthorne, felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't yet recovered from the joy of becoming the true prince and the king insect when he heard these crazy words.

Regardless, His Majesty raised him for over a decade, and he could still bring himself to harm someone after so many years of affection, even if the purpose was simply to cause another insect pain. Does such an insect truly have a heart?

Hawthorne stopped arguing with him.

"Then let's go."

Strands of silk, tinged with a light gold, extended from Hawthorne's body. Although they looked very thin and weak, they were actually exceptionally tough and could connect to all the insects in the palace almost instantly.

Loxis's S-rank aptitude was forcibly enhanced by the system, and in terms of mind control, he is no match for Hawthorne.

Loxis, of course, knew this too, and took a step back, saying, "Father, do you think I'm foolish enough to compete with you in mind control?"

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, a sense of confinement seemed to descend upon the surrounding air, and the mental manifestation around Hawthorne vanished instantly.

This is a much weaker tool than the dark room, and its time limit is not long, but it is perfect for this situation.

As soon as Loxis clapped his hands, a large number of soldiers poured into the council hall. They were all clad in black iron armor, their faces completely hidden inside. They were the most famous ironclad legion in the empire.

Even the Black Iron Legion...

Loxis said slowly, "Go, kill them."

Hawthorne frowned. The inability to use mind control greatly reduced his combat effectiveness. Although he knew that Loxis's abilities were unpredictable, he did not expect that he even had something to restrict mind control.

Things were moving too fast. Loxis must have made a lot of preparations in advance, sending all the neutral legions out, while the garrison was his own insectoid forces that he had secretly prepared. Melville's First Legion was not by his side, so upon careful consideration, he could only use a handful of insectoids.

Unexpectedly, even Cromwell's Black Iron Legion was captured by Loxis.

Faced with this situation, the guards on Hawthorne's side immediately raised their energy guns, ready to escort His Majesty away at any moment.

However, several seconds after Loxsis finished speaking, the group of black-armored soldiers did not charge, but instead turned around and pointed their guns at Loxsis.

This sudden situation left both sides somewhat bewildered.

Loxis held up the token. "I have the military tally in my hand. Are you going to disobey my orders?"

"..."

“Loxis, the military tally you hold is merely a secondary one; the real military tally is in my hands.”

At that moment, a bug emerged from behind Hawthorne. It was a blonde female bug that Loxsis recognized very well, the one he thought should have died long ago from the torment of a sudden loss of control over his mental domain.

That insect was none other than Cromwell, the true commander of the Black Iron Legion.

Loxis's expression finally changed for a moment, "Cromwell, you're not dead."

Cromwell looked at him coldly. "I only survived thanks to Milton."

"So it seems you asked him to give me this military tally as well," Roxis said.

Cromwell did not deny it, saying, "You were too hasty and gave yourself away."

“I see,” Loxis’s face regained its calm smile, and he sighed, “I was thinking that you were smart enough not to cause you any trouble in the end, but since that’s the case, you can all stay here.”

Loxis was only surprised that Cromwell hadn't died; to survive that potion was quite a stroke of luck.

As soon as he finished speaking, most of the heavily armored soldiers instantly turned their guns around, far more than the number that remained with Cromwell.

They had long been replaced by Loxis's real insect troops. This military token was not obtained in a particularly complicated way; in fact, it could be said to have come quite easily. These insects had not yet developed much rapport with him, so naturally, he could not trust them in a short time. Now it seems that thinking one step ahead was the right thing to do.

Gilbert stepped forward and shielded Hawthorne behind him. "Your Majesty, please leave. You are, after all, a male. As long as you are here, we still have hope."

However, Hawthorne was not a bug that was good at being sentimental, nor was he a bug that would stand behind him. He decisively took out an energy gun from his holster and used his shoulder to push Gilbert aside slightly. "Old man, don't look down on bugs. So many years have passed, have you forgotten that I hung your whole family up and beat them?"

Gilbert said, "Your Majesty..."

Hawthorne said, "His target is me. I already feel guilty for dragging you all into this. Instead of letting me abandon you and run away, I'd rather hang myself with a noodle."

"..."

Gilbert's face showed a familiar, indescribable expression. Why did His Majesty still like to talk nonsense at a time like this? He sighed, but His Majesty was still His Majesty, and he knew he couldn't persuade him.

The battlefield is ever-changing in the face of firearms. Hawthorne's movements were unexpectedly swift, but the council chamber was not large and the artillery fire was too rapid. Even with the energy shield, there were still quite a few minor injuries. Although they were not fatal, the bleeding was troublesome.

Hawthorne had a small scratch on his face. The shot was fired by Loxsis, and Hawthorne returned fire. Loxsis, who spent most of his time in his study with thin arms and legs, couldn't dodge it at all and had one of his arms pierced.

Everything was in complete chaos. The council chamber was surrounded, and Hawthorne looked around but couldn't find a way to break through.

Even after leaving the council chamber, he knew nothing about the situation in the entire palace, or even the entire capital planet…

Hawthorne sighed inwardly. He might not be able to see his beloved little Melville one last time, and he had even dragged so many insects into this mess.

Finally, Hawthorne made up his mind. Holding the energy shield, he dodged while looking for a way to take Loxis down with him. Even if he had to die here, he couldn't let Loxis leave alive and continue to harm his insectoid family.

Stray bullets flew in from all directions, but Hawthorne paid no heed to them. His pupils, faintly glowing with golden light, searched carefully among the groups of soldiers and the energy blasts.

Found it—

His imprisoned mental threads had begun to loosen slightly and slowly began to emanate from his body. He threw away the cumbersome shield, released his mental threads to the maximum, and finally raised his energy gun, firing without hesitation at the targeted location.

The mental threads had firmly bound his target, but at the same time, he had also dropped all his defenses, firing in a one-for-one exchange.

"His Majesty!!!"

"His Majesty!!!"

Gilbert and Cromwell both caught sight of this scene, but they were surrounded by even more insects, and they had no time to stop the bullets that had already reached Hawthorne.

"bite--"

Time seemed to stand still. Bullets flew through the air, hands and feet were stiff as puppets, and thoughts were gradually getting stuck.

Hawthorne initially thought it was another of Loxis's strange gadgets, but he didn't expect that the location representing Loxis was also stagnant.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a large hole suddenly exploded in the roof of the council chamber.

All the insects looked up and saw, amidst the swirling dust, a black-haired male insect casually perched on a pillar on the broken roof, looking down. His face was very similar to Hawthorne's, with the same dark, gold-striped eyes, and even the same slightly upturned, almond-shaped eyes.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he said with pleasure.

"Gotcha, you little mouse."

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Author's Note: Thank you AAA baby for the gift! *grabbing and sucking on your paws* [dog head with rose][heart eyes][cheers]