"Thanks……"
She spoke softly. Although she didn't know if the Queen could understand, she had to express her gratitude.
The queen's compound eyes trembled. Her tentacles gently touched Jiang Chan's cheek, emitting a soft, lullaby-like hum.
Jiang Chan suddenly realized that this enormous, terrifying-looking creature was actually... kind of cute.
Just then, a deep, oppressive hum came from the entrance of the laboratory.
Jiang Chan looked up and saw Kazak standing in the doorway. His carapace was iron-gray, gleaming coldly, and the points of light in his compound eyes were like two cold nails, staring intently at Jiang Chan and the Queen's tentacles.
"Your Majesty."
Kazak's voice was devoid of emotion. His gaze swept over Jiang Chan, then over the Queen's tentacles, and finally settled on the "Rare Biological Sample" label on the screen.
“This pet has taken up too much of your time,” he said. “The war on the front lines needs your attention.”
Alyssa retracted her tentacles. Her compound eyes turned to Kazzak, emitting a flat, perfunctory chirp, "Understood."
Kazzak narrowed his compound eyes. He took a step forward, his voice carrying a hint of warning: "You should understand that the future of the Zerg does not depend on studying these inferior creatures."
The Queen slightly shifted her body, blocking Kazzak's view. She emitted a sharp, commanding siren, signaling Kazzak to leave.
Kazak was silent for a few seconds, then turned and walked out of the laboratory. As his figure disappeared behind the archway, Jiang Chan felt his gaze sweep over her one last time, carrying a strong sense of threat.
Silence returned to the laboratory. The Queen's tentacles gently touched Jiang Chan's hand, as if to comfort her. Jiang Chan looked at the Queen and suddenly asked, "You...don't like war?"
The Queen blinked her compound eyes. Her tentacles pointed to the star map on the screen, where several red markers indicated human colonies. She emitted a irritated, pulsating chirp, as if saying "Ugh."
Jiang Chan's eyes lit up. She grabbed the Queen's tentacles and exclaimed excitedly, "Then we can stop the war!"
The Queen's compound eyes gleamed with doubt. Her tentacles pointed at the red mark on the screen, then at Kazzak, emitting a complex chirping sound, as if explaining something.
Jiang Chan guessed. Was the Queen saying that the war was commanded by Kazzak and she didn't know? Or was she saying that Kazzak had kept it from her?
"Kazak...bad."
Jiang Chan used the simplest words, accompanied by frowning and shaking her head, to express her meaning. She pointed to the entrance of the laboratory, then to the red mark on the screen, and said, "War, bad."
The Queen's compound eyes froze. Her tentacles slowly released Jiang Chan's hand, turning towards the red marker on the screen, the annoyance in the light spot turning into anger.
Just then, Jiang Chan accidentally touched a button on the control panel. The screen suddenly lit up, displaying a live feed:
The Zerg army is attacking the human colony. Huge Zerg ships are destroying cities, and worker Zerg are dragging human corpses. Kazzak stands at the forefront, issuing sharp commands.
The Queen's body stiffened abruptly. Her compound eyes stared intently at the screen, the rage within them seemingly about to overflow. She emitted a deafening, hate-filled roar that sent shivers down the spine of the entire laboratory.
Jiang Chan shrank back in fright. She hadn't expected the Queen to be so angry. She gently touched the Queen's tentacles and whispered, "It's alright, we can stop him."
The Queen's tentacles slowly turned towards Jiang Chan, the anger in the light spots fading slightly, replaced by a hint of dependence. Her tentacles gently curled Jiang Chan's hand, placing it on her compound eyes, emitting a soft chirping sound.
The lights in the laboratory slowly dimmed. Jiang Chan sat in the cage, staring at the Queen's massive back, her heart filled with hope. Perhaps, she really could change something.
At the entrance to the laboratory, Kazak's figure was hidden in the shadows. His compound eyes stared at the image on the screen, emitting a low, cold, humming sound.
Kazak's cold gaze as he left pierced Jiang Chan's mind like needles. He wouldn't let it go so easily.
Although the Queen knew that Kazzak was concealing the truth about the war and may even have become dissatisfied with him, Kazzak held actual military power and had deep roots in the Zerg hive, making him unshakeable.
The Queen must be firmly on our side; we must give her a stronger reason to resist the temptation of war. Simply saying "war is bad" is far too weak.
Jiang Chan's gaze swept over the silent biological specimens in the laboratory, encased in jars, utterly still. Then, her eyes fell on the huge screen at the control panel, where the bloody afterimages of the war footage that had just been played lingered.
A bold idea popped into my head.
“Alyssa…” Jiang Chan tried to call the Queen’s name, her pronunciation a little awkward. The Queen’s huge compound eyes instantly focused on her face, their light flashing with expectation.
Jiang Chan pointed to the screen, then to the containers holding live creatures, and shook her head vigorously, making a disgusted and painful expression on her face: "I don't like it. It's ugly."
Alyssa's tentacles curled up, as if she understood the meaning of "ugly," but she let out a few low hums, as if asking: Then what should we look at?
Jiang Chan took a deep breath. She gestured with her hands, trying to describe it: "Beautiful... happy... fluffy..." She pointed to herself, then to the screen, "Like... a story?"
The light in Alyssa's compound eyes was filled with confusion. The concept of "story" was clearly beyond her comprehension.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
