Chapter 8 Kidnapping: The First Step in Potion Development - Kidnapping While Gathering Materials...

Murphy received no response that day.

But after that day, Murphy clearly felt that Attiya was not so distant anymore. At least she would say a word or two to him, although she remained silent most of the time. But this was a very welcome improvement.

The bad thing is that the doctor has visited Moffer several times, and Atia's condition is already quite dangerous. The mental cleansing is becoming less and less effective, and the hospital has no other options. They must obtain pheromones of grade B or higher as soon as possible.

In this situation, one could either seek out a B-grade male insect or buy one online through gray market transactions, neither of which were suitable for Murphy, as he didn't have that much money on hand at the moment.

The only solution is to develop a pheromone potion as soon as possible.

That day, after class, Murphy realized it was still early, so he decided to go to the original insect's dormitory to pack some things and then go back early to prepare his experimental equipment, since he probably wouldn't be coming here much in the future.

Following his remaining memories, he walked to the dormitory door and saw that the door was half-open and the inside was dark. He pushed the door open and turned on the light.

"Morpheus?"

"Rodney? What's with all the mystery?"

Murphy saw Rodney dressed up like a dog, but instead of wearing his usual understated luxury jewelry and sultry perfume, he was wearing a gray coat and black casual pants, trying on several different styles of baseball caps.

Since the last substitute teaching incident, the two insects have become much closer, and Murphy has also gained a more stable source of part-time work.

"Shh, keep your voice down. I'm not used to you not making those jingling sounds anymore since you changed."

Rodney quickly closed the door, looking very cautious.

Murphy raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you going to be a thief tonight? Then I'll charge you a little more for the substitute teaching fee next time."

Rodney was taken aback. "Shouldn't the normal approach be to collect less insects?"

"No normal insect is as poor as me," Murphy said.

Rodney was speechless. Since Murphy's image was completely transformed, his personality had also been completely transformed, and he had never won a verbal battle.

“I’m only telling you this, don’t tell anyone else,” Rodney said hesitantly. “I have to go to the outer district later.”

Murphy frowned. "To the outer district? Why?"

Male insects that have not yet completed their molting process are generally not allowed to enter the outer area. The outer area is populated by a mixed group of insects, mostly low- to mid-level females. It is very dangerous for male insects to go out without bodyguards.

“I’m not going far,” Rodney said a little guilty. “I’m only missing Leila to complete my collection, but because it’s a rare, discontinued item, I’ve been trying to collect it for a long time without success. A few days ago, I saw online that some bugs were going to be released, so I quickly bought them.”

"Is he asking for a trade outside the district? Is he trying to lure you out?" Murphy asked.

Rodney was a little troubled. "No, he said he would help me send it in, but there's no way. He's not a high level and he's a female insect. He tried several times but couldn't get into the inner area. I don't trust courier transactions. Last time my Kira was sent, its leg was broken, and I've been trying to fix it for a long time but haven't been able to."

"I decided on the location. My father-in-law took me there for dinner before, and it's not far from the entrance of the inner area, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?"

Rodney was also a little guilty.

Murphy asked, "Then how will you get out?"

“I stole my father’s proof that we look very alike.”

Murphy sighed, realizing he was indeed well-prepared.

"Why don't you just ask the female parent to get it for you, or find a female insect to go and get it?"

Rodney looked at him speechlessly. "I think you're really stupid. The female insects in the inner zone are either high-ranking or married. All the ones who can help me are in the outer zone. Besides, if my female father finds out that I bought this thing and spent so much money, he will definitely tell my male father, and then my male father will cut off my allowance."

Very realistically, high-ranking female insects all have a certain status and position, and they would never run errands for him.

Murphy felt something was off; this silly boy looked like he'd been tricked by a bug and was still going to pay it off.

However, he was looking for an opportunity to go to the outer district, and with Rodney's help, it would be easier to sneak out.

He had tried to access the medical department's materials database to find something to replace the magical elements in pheromones, but he hadn't found anything. Atia's condition couldn't wait, so today was just a lucky day.

"How about this, I'll go for you, no charge."

To be honest, Rodney was a little touched, but he still refused. "Forget it. This is not the same as teaching in a substitute position. If something happens to you, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life. I'll go by myself."

They actually have a conscience.

Murphy persuaded, "Isn't it possible that I'm an F-grade male insect, much safer than you? Even if you threw me into a bunch of female insects, they might not even pay me any attention."

Rodney thought about it carefully, and considering the current mediocre position of F-level male insects, he realized that Murphy was indeed right.

"Are you really willing to go?" He was still somewhat hesitant.

"Have you forgotten where I'm from? I know far more about these kinds of transactions than you do."

Rodney was persuaded by him.

“That makes sense, but if it’s really free, my conscience will hurt. How about I give you some extra money, and I’ll give you all my equipment too.”

“Look,” Rodney mysteriously pulled a black stick-like object from his coat pocket. “A stun gun. My father said it can even take down an S-class male insect, but I guess he’s exaggerating. But it’s still very effective for self-defense.”

Murphy's eye twitched slightly. They were well-prepared. "The stun gun is fine, but you don't need the money. Just lend me some pheromones."

For the past few days, after class, Murphy has been borrowing a laboratory from the medical department. Since it is the medical department of the male insect academy, he applied for some low-level pheromones under the pretext of curiosity.

However, after carefully analyzing it several times with his mental power, he found no trace of magical elements. Mophiel suspected that these were pheromones that had been left out for too long and had become inactive, so he could only try to find a solution from the male insects around him.

"Pheromone?" Rodney looked horrified, hugging himself tightly. "What...what do you want to do? You're not a female insect, are you? I'd rather die than submit."

Murphy was speechless. "Who told you to be so unfair? I need to use it as material. Didn't you ask me to cover for you a few classes? Congratulations on getting an assignment about properly preserving pheromones. I'll handle the aftermath. Of course, you'll have to pay extra."

"You scared me to death! Why didn't you say so sooner?" Rodney patted his chest.

"Heh." Murphy raised his fist quietly.

"Just kidding, how can you be so rude like a female insect? Here, here, luckily there's still some left from what I gave you a couple of days ago." He rummaged in the drawer and handed Murphy a tube about the thickness of a little finger, filled with a clear liquid.

Adult male insects can receive subsidies by regularly exchanging pheromones, which is a way for many lower-ranking male insects to improve their quality of life. Rodney, on the other hand, is not short of money; according to him, this is a noble act of dedication.

Of course, Murphy knew the truth: the collection of figurines on his desk could buy a decent house in the Central Star District. Such a huge sum of money was too much for his family to spend, so most of it was bought with subsidies.

However, since it was Murphy who went, we can't directly use Rodney's father's proof.

Rodney scratched his head. "What can we do? We don't have any bugs that look like you in our house."

Murphy was often amazed by his thought process and said speechlessly, "You'll find out when the time comes. Change your clothes back and let's go."

"Remember to send a message to that female insect in advance and tell her to wait there first."

"...Oh, I'll send it now."

Rodney changed back into his usual flashy clothes and immediately felt refreshed, while Murphy took away his drab gray suit. Luckily, Rodney had bought an oversized one, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to wear it.

The two insects, riding in Rodney's hovercar, quickly arrived at the boundary between the inner and outer zones.

Rodney was a little nervous. "The checkpoint is just ahead. What will we do then?"

Murphy said, "Just tell them I'm your sub-female, and I'm helping you run some errands in the outer district."

"Is it that simple?" Rodney looked him up and down and found that compared to the generally handsome male insects, Murphy's height did indeed make him look more like a sub-female, and some insects would even believe him if he were to argue that he was a female insect.

Murphy raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise what?" Of course, it wasn't that simple. The soldiers at the checkpoint would definitely conduct a simple test using instruments, otherwise the male insects would have too much of a chance to sneak out and play.

However, he was human, so passing the level was easy. He was originally going to go to the outer region anyway, and now he could also earn some pheromone materials.

"You're quite clever." Rodney was eager to try, inexplicably feeling like he was participating in a secret mission in a TV drama.

...

"Please stop the car for a routine check."

“Hello…” Rodney poked his head out and began to negotiate.

The plan went smoothly. With Rodney, a D-class male insect, as his guarantor, the unassuming Murphy easily obtained permission, though he had to pass through a detection gate.

"Detection gate?" Rodney tensed up upon hearing this, as he had never gone through it before and was unaware of its existence.

The soldier said, "Don't worry, you can just walk over there. It won't harm your sub-female."

On the other side, one step, two steps, Murphy walked straight toward the testing gate, his gait very relaxed.

However, the next second, Rodney watched helplessly as the detection gate turned red.

Upon entering the room, Murphy, who had expected to pass through easily, sensed something drawing his mental energy back. He quickly gathered his scattered mental energy and hurried through the door.

Rodney stared nervously at the detection gate. The light on the gate turned red for a moment, and his heart jumped into his throat. Fortunately, the red light quickly returned to normal.

The guards frowned, seemingly unaware of the situation, and assumed the detection gate was malfunctioning. They began communicating via headset for repairs.

Rodney breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the F-class was quite powerful. He hoped that Murphy could bring Leila back safely.

Murphy continued walking forward, and after a short distance, he finally entered the outer area. The outer area felt completely different from the inner area. Skyscrapers rose up everywhere, hovercars and flying vehicles were everywhere, and the insect swarms were five or six times larger than those in the inner area. The roads were bustling with activity. Murphy's height, which stood out among the male insects, was quite ordinary in the outer area.

Perhaps because they were closest to the inner area, the female insects walking on the road were in relatively good spirits.

Based on the pictures and location sent by Rodney, Murphy quickly found the restaurant. It was clearly well-decorated and very conspicuous in the area.

Murphy walked to the shaded rest area outside the restaurant, pulled his hat down a little, and then stuck the feather that Rodney had given him into his hat.

Luckily, Rodney had made an appointment in the public rest area at the restaurant entrance; otherwise, he might not have been able to afford it inside. He suddenly missed the days when he was a villain, at least he wasn't short of money.

"Hello, is this the 'Leila Baby I Love You' from the trading website?"

“...Yes.” Murphy felt as if his toes had instantly dug into an underground palace. No wonder Rodney was being secretive about his online name; he wanted to claim compensation for emotional distress.

The one who tentatively approached was a female insect that didn't look very old. Although she tried to appear mature, her face still had a childlike quality.

Judging from his slightly worn clothes, Murphy judged that he must have come from a more outlying region.

“I am the star, and what you want is here.”

"Xingxing" handed over a large box, about the size of a shoebox, or maybe it was just a shoebox. It looked very new, so it must have been carefully protected.

"I'll open it and check, you don't mind, do you?"

"That's your right."

Murphy noticed that he was a little nervous, though he tried to hide it well, but his slightly trembling eyebrows and stiff fingers betrayed him.

Murphy, being cautious, opened the box and found the Raila figurine that Rodney had shown him in 360 degrees. Following Rodney's instructions, he checked the figurine's joints and for any flaws, and it appeared to be in good condition.

However, as far as he knew, this rare Leila was priced starting at 50,000, and the female insect in front of him clearly did not meet the requirements for collecting it. It seemed that there was some hidden reason, but that was not his business.

Just as Murphy was about to put away the box and end the transaction, he suddenly felt dizzy and almost couldn't stand up. The female insect quickly supported him, asked a few questions in a fake manner, and then helped him walk out, pretending to be a friend who was drunk.

After walking for an unknown amount of time and navigating countless winding alleys, the female insect finally stopped, cautiously observed her surroundings, and then knocked on a dilapidated door.

"You're back? Was it a smooth trip?"

"smoothly."

...

"Don't you know what crime it is to kidnap a male insect in the Federation?"

A note from the author:

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Thank you 5787 baby for the nutritional solution! [Sprinkling flowers]

Please give me a thumbs up and shower me with flowers! [Please!]