The two chatted as they walked down the basement. Helian Jue had already asked Lin Zhong, and the further down the basement went, the more unbearable it became.

Therefore, Helian Jue only planned to let Xiaoyu see it on the basement level.

As Qiao You descended the stairs, he touched the metal wall on the first floor, a place that seemed to hold countless wails and cries.

On the basement level, there's a long corridor that seems to have no end, with various small, transparent laboratories on both sides, allowing you to see what's inside.

The bloodstains in the corridor had been cleaned up, but some corners were still stained with blood.

Seeing nothing along the long corridor, Qiao You looked into the laboratory.

Inside, various remains and bodies were piled up, like shelves in a shopping mall, with different types of corpses stacked together in categories...

One of them was a merman with a purple fishtail. The tail had been split open in the middle, and the bones inside were clearly visible.

The bodies of some interstellar humans were also piled up, but these people presented different appearances. There were several kinds of skin color alone, the most common being green. Their bodies were covered with all kinds of dense small bumps, some of which were still oozing pus...

Qiao You turned his head again and saw the scene in the laboratory across the way.

A mermaid skin was hanging at the entrance, with the hair still on it, peeled off from the top of the head to the tip of the tail, perfectly intact.

If Qiao You wanted such a complete merman skin, he was certain that it could only be peeled off raw from a live merman. Only in this way could the skin retain its original elasticity and color.

Human skin—men, women, children, the elderly…

At first glance, it's impossible to distinguish one creature from another.

"Brother...brother..."

"Ah! They're all devils! All devils!" Qiao You was losing control of his emotions. He couldn't bear it after only seeing two small experiments; what about the other rooms? He dared not think further...

Helian Jue quickly hugged the little fish to his arms, "Baby, don't be afraid."

"With my brother here, there won't be any bad people."

Qiao You trembled in Helian Jue's arms, the scene reminding him of other images.

In ancient Earth times, when Qiao You was young, there were many rumors that mermaid skin could cure all diseases and make one invulnerable to weapons...

Various rumors spread, and some illegal fishermen took the risk and began to fish extensively on the sea.

Qiao You was mischievous from a young age and liked to ditch the guards and play by himself. He had seen it with his own eyes once.

The mermaid's skin was completely peeled off, and her mournful screams echoed throughout the entire ocean.

“Brother, I saw it with my own eyes. I didn’t save him, I didn’t save my people,” Qiao You said painfully. This memory had been forgotten, but today’s events stirred up long-buried memories.

"Why? Why?" Qiao You whispered in anguish.

He kept asking questions, wanting to know the answer, but who could give him that answer?

Whether in ancient Earth or in today's interstellar world, everything is repeating itself, without any difference.

Is there no other living thing in this world besides humans?

“Baby, this isn’t our fault,” Helian Jue comforted. “These beasts have gone astray.”

"Trust your brother, okay? He'll handle everything."

Qiao You finally calmed down and hugged Helian Jue, sobbing silently.

"Let's not watch anymore, okay?" Helian Jue picked Qiao You up in his arms, still seeking the opinion of the person in his arms.

Qiao You hummed in agreement.

Helian Jue carried Qiao You away from the Insect Star Administration and returned to the spaceship.

"Brother, what should we do here?" Qiao You's heart was heavy; the scene here was truly shocking.

Helian Jue gave Qiao You some small desserts that he had prepared in advance. "Tomorrow, Lin Zhong and the others will look around and search for traces of the local residents."

"Adrian should be ready by the day after tomorrow."

Qiao You ate a strawberry cupcake with a small fork. "Adrian?"

"Hmm." Helian Jue brought hot water for Qiao You to soak his feet. "It's not good for the Empire to show its face right now, so it will be easier to handle things with Adrian."

On the surface, the Empire and the Alliance are at peace. The incident with the insect planet was only because the wormhole was discovered by chance; otherwise, they wouldn't have acted so quickly.

"If the Empire reveals the true nature of the insectoid planet too early, things will be difficult to proceed."

According to Bion, there are many other planets similar to the insectoid planet, which need to be explored gradually.

"Oh!" Qiao You understood. Adrian and Helian Jue would work together on the matter of the Insect Planet.

After soaking his feet, Helian Jue held the little fish and began to lull people to sleep.

"Baby, go to sleep for a while," Helian Jue said. It was almost four in the morning.

Today's events left Qiao You unsettled and unable to fall asleep. Just as Helian Jue was about to lie down with her and try to lull her to sleep, Lin Zhong called.

"Your Highness, those spirit pets aren't doing well." Lin Zhong didn't want to disturb Your Highness and the young prince so late.

Their condition is somewhat dangerous. Would it be better if Your Highness came to take a look?

They are not spirit pets after all, and communicating with these highly guarded spirit pets is not very smooth.

"I was thinking, could His Highness come and take a look? They..." Lin Zhong was interrupted by Qiao You's voice from the other end of the computer before he could finish speaking.

Upon hearing Lin Zhong's words, Qiao You immediately exclaimed, "Brother! I'll go!"

So Helian Jue dressed Qiao You again, and the two of them went into the Insect Star Administration Bureau together.

The third floor was cleared out as a resting place for the surviving spirit pets.

The huge tank is filled with clear, simulated seawater; the shore is decorated with various sandy areas, swamps, and tree branches, where snake and bird spirit pets are huddled together.

The layout here is very similar to a petting zoo.

Qiao You was quite familiar with this place, but he was a little afraid of snakes.

"Brother, wait for me here." Qiao You pushed open the door and slowly walked inside.

These spirit pets have almost all been harmed by humans, and the presence of humans makes them feel dangerous.

Qiao You slowly walked inside. As soon as he entered, the group of snake-like spirit pets that were coiled on the shore bared their sharp teeth, trying to intimidate him.

"Don't be afraid," Qiao You said softly. "We are the same kind of people, I won't hurt you."