46. Delicious
The footage of pregnant women being eaten alive by larvae was so shocking that the surveillance video immediately topped the trending searches on Kirini's social media that night.
Even with the image blurred, you can still feel the pain and despair the pregnant woman felt at the time.
People need an outlet for their emotions. After the initial shock and regret, netizens began to criticize the bystanders for not helping. Not only was a certain cold-blooded doctor who proposed a rescue plan but stood still, but even the golden retriever that miraculously survived was subjected to online bullying.
Many people believe that human life is more important than a dog's, that the Golden Retriever should have obediently died, and that the veterinarian should have taken the emergency and killed the dog to save the person. No one cares what the veterinarian would have faced had he actually done so.
What happened to the golden retriever afterward is unknown, but the cold-blooded doctor was in good spirits and took the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely vacation at home. He spent his days watching videos, reading books, and cooking, thoroughly enjoying himself.
This tragic case finally made the Kirini aliens realize the dangers of pregnancy. Relevant departments quickly enacted laws and regulations, stating their intention to strengthen the protection of pregnant women and ensure that women in labor receive timely and effective medical assistance.
Unfortunately, this did not alleviate the pregnant women's panic.
News spread, and abortion pills began to sell like hotcakes on the black market. The terrifying thing was that the Thetian insectoids' genes were so powerful and domineering that ordinary abortion pills were completely ineffective. Even some poisons capable of killing the mother were powerless against the insect embryos inside.
The hospital where the man worked once encountered a case where a pregnant woman attempted suicide by poisoning herself due to mental illness. Although her bodily functions had completely ceased, the worm embryos inside her stubbornly survived. In the end, the hospital easily nurtured the worm embryos to the normal developmental level of ordinary Thethysia larvae using only a nutrient tank.
Since the pregnancy couldn't be terminated, the only option was to nurse the baby back to health and seek medical attention promptly after the due date. However, the Thetian insectoids were far too ruthless; even if the mother managed to survive pregnancy and childbirth, she would suffer immeasurable damage and often require a long recovery period to regain her health.
The painful pregnancy and long recovery period gradually made the Kirini aliens lose their competitiveness in the workplace. The native Kirini aliens could no longer be seen on the streets, and everywhere were Tethys aliens with heterochromatic eyes.
Outside, the crowds thronged, the street scene and the flow of people were still familiar. However, few of those walking on the street were actually Kirini aliens.
Amidst the turmoil on the entire planet Kirini, their little courtyard remained peaceful and serene.
"What do you want to eat today?" Seeing Pi Min staring blankly at the pedestrians outside the window, the man came over and pinched her cheek with a mischievous grin.
Pimin impatiently brushed away his mischievous hand and gave him the worst possible answer: "I like anything you make."
A person who eats nutrient solution every day won't be picky about food, and that's exactly the kind of answer that cooks hates.
Upon hearing this, the man frowned as expected. After a long while, he sighed and said helplessly, "Then I'll just make something simple."
Pi Min smiled triumphantly. The guy who eats nutrient solution every day can't come up with a decent dish even if he racks his brains, but this guy can accidentally make a Manchu Han Imperial Feast out of nothing.
There are also differences in talent when it comes to cooking. Even with the same recipe and the same ingredients, the man's cooking always tastes better than hers.
Adhering to the principle that with great power comes great responsibility, except for the initial period when they were researching recipes, the men have been the ones doing the cooking ever since.
Fortunately, the medical system on this planet wasn't as abnormal as in her original world. Doctors had normal working hours, and men had plenty of time to cook for her. The hands that held a scalpel were just as elegant and beautiful as the hands that held a kitchen knife.
He seemed to really enjoy feeding her, and he was always enthusiastic about cooking for her, trying different ways to make delicious food for her.
Savory salt-baked chicken, tender braised pork ribs, chewy meatballs, fluffy little cakes...
The food he made was so delicious that she gained several pounds. That guy even had the nerve to say that she looked cuter with a little more fat on her face, and then he would pinch her cheeks for fun. Luckily, this was in a game instance and didn't affect reality, otherwise, she would have punched him a couple of times.
The exceptionally talented chef had already finalized today's menu, and, after tying on his apron, began bustling about in the kitchen.
With nothing to do, Pi Min watched the man bustling around in the kitchen while browsing the news online.
The female warrior who threw her shoe at the chief governor during the celebration continued to fight on the front lines against the Thetian insectoids after being released from prison. As the Kirini people realized how terrifying the Thetian insectoids were, they quickly raised a resistance army and steadily occupied the top spot on Kirini's bounty list every day.
The pair of fearless, murderous eyes on the wanted poster always filled Pimin, an outsider, with a sense of awe. He couldn't help but wonder what the world would be like if she were the chief governor of Kirini.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.
Chief Consul Khamini is pregnant with her second child. The once vibrant and beautiful woman, full of collagen, is now emaciated. Standing next to the tall Crown Prince Ryan, she is skeletal, making her prominent belly all the more shocking.
The couple continued to act like a loving couple in public, and Crown Prince Ryan maintained his image as a devoted husband, but everyone could see through how much of that so-called love really was.
Do you love me?
Pi Min glanced at the sanctimonious Crown Prince in the camera lens, then at the man sweating profusely in the kitchen, and felt fortunate that she had encountered the latter.
True love is not about exploitation or taking, but about constantly feeling indebted.
Even though her lover had protected her completely, he still felt that dragging her into such a filthy world was a desecration of her.
As the chief governor of a planet, Harmini is certainly no fool. Unfortunately, to withdraw would be tantamount to completely negating all her previous efforts and contributions.
She was not alone; she had advisors and supporters behind her. She had no way out; even knowing that an abyss lay ahead, she had no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end.
If the chief governor of a planet is in such a predicament, the situation of ordinary people who "voluntarily" unite with the Tethys will only be more difficult.
A spring will bounce back when it hits its bottom; when something is squeezed to its limit, someone will always rebel.
Soon, the first case of a woman from the Tethys killing her husband occurred on Kirini. The murderer was a petite woman who, before she had even recovered from childbirth, was forced to have a second child by her husband, who disregarded her wishes and had relations with her. Unable to bear it any longer, she took advantage of her husband's weakened state after reproduction and chopped him into pieces.
Knowing that the Tethys insectoids would experience a period of weakness after their reproduction, Pimin had a feeling that this was an opportunity, and sure enough, someone seized it.
Whoever holds the power of discourse, the law will protect their rights.
Their suffering went unnoticed, and their rebellion was considered heinous.
The woman was ultimately sentenced to death and executed after giving birth to her second child.
The death penalty isn't a big deal, Pimin always believed that a life for a life was a matter of course. But this is Kirini, a planet that abolished the death penalty over a hundred years ago. You can imagine how severe this punishment is.
Only a little over a year has passed since the dungeon opened, and the once prosperous and beautiful planet Kirini has become a hell for ordinary Kirini people.
Witnessing the decline of a civilization firsthand, even as an outsider, still left Pi Min with a lingering sense of unease.
Fortunately, the man finally felt that he had learned enough and decided to end the session.
"Almost every adult has experienced the pleasure of having live bugs, so it's time for this episode to end."
Pimin was shocked by the words he used: "Everyone? Are you the devil?"
“Of course, except for you and me.” The man’s gaze slowly swept over her, then he deliberately licked his lips and gave her a flirtatious wink. “I know you’re lusting after me. Anyway, the dungeon is almost over, so how about we do one last thing?”
"Who's lusting after your body?"
"You!" A playful wink.
"roll!"
"Okay, okay, it was me who was lusting after you." The man's eyes were alluring, and he looked aggrieved. "You have no idea how painful it is to see someone but not be able to have them."
Pi Min rolled her eyes, grabbed a peach from the fruit basket, and shoved it into his mouth with a menacing look: "Greedy, huh? Here, have some!"
The peaches grew on the peach tree outside the window; they were big, sweet, and juicy.
The man took a big bite, and immediately his eyes narrowed with happiness: "Delicious! Let's not rush back now, let's finish eating all the peaches on this tree before we go back."
Upon hearing this, Pi Min's breath caught in his throat: "You really are a devil!"
The man blinked his big, doe-like eyes, looking completely innocent: "Don't peaches taste good?"
"This has nothing to do with whether the peaches taste good or not. Others are suffering, and you're sitting here eating peaches with me. Do you think that's appropriate?"
"It's appropriate. Let them suffer their pain, and we'll enjoy our happiness. What's inappropriate about it?"
As a normal person with compassion, Pi Min almost choked on her breath and slapped the man hard on the head: "This is inappropriate in every way! Close the instance now, you devil!"
"My wife is so fierce, waaaaah..."
"That's enough!"
The whole world froze, and the man's languid narration rang in my ears once more.
In just two generations, the number of hybrids has approached half of the total population of Kirini.
One hundred years later, the last pure-blooded Kirini alien died. From then on, Kirini became an impregnable province of the Thetian Empire.
If the bottom line cannot be upheld, a nation can perish and its people extinct in just three generations.
...
As the last sentence faded, the sweet scent of peaches and the man's fragrance vanished in an instant. Pimin found himself back on Earth 2.0, still wearing his bulky spacesuit, surrounded by crew members who were also waking up as if from a dream.
What lasted more than a year in the game was but a fleeting moment in reality.
"Alright, you can continue signing the authorization forms now."
In the main live stream room, the man stood with his hands folded, his eyes piercing, and even a mysterious smile on his face, exuding the aura of a boss.
If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, no one would have imagined that he was just clinging to Pi Min's arm, acting all cute and shameless.
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