The bands of light in the palace continued to flow silently, but Jiang Chan felt as if she could hardly breathe. She stared at Queen Elizabeth's enormous compound eyes, the points of light within them flickering at an almost frantic frequency, like two trembling stars, ready to explode at any moment.
Alyssa's reaction was more intense than Jiang Chan had anticipated. Her massive body leaned forward slightly, and the tentacles that had been suspended in mid-air suddenly straightened, their tips gently touching Jiang Chan's lips. The movement was full of probing, like a scientist touching an unknown, fragile specimen.
"Buzz—"
The queen let out a high-pitched cry that made Jiang Chan's ears tingle. Her compound eyes moved even closer, almost touching the gel wall of the cage, the doubt and excitement in the light spots almost overflowing.
Jiang Chan could even see the tiny, crystalline structures on the surface of her compound eyes, each one reflecting her image.
"pain……"
Jiang Chan gritted her teeth and uttered that simple syllable again. She deliberately made her voice even softer, with a hint of grievance, and at the same time stretched out her finger and gently poked the spot on her arm where the tentacles had touched her before. It didn't actually hurt, but she wanted to make the Queen think of the feeling of "injury".
Alyssa's tentacles snapped back. Her compound eyes glanced at the unrepaired acid hole in the corner of the cage, then returned to stare at Jiang Chan. The excitement in her eyes faded slightly, replaced by...guilt?
Yes, it was guilt. Jiang Chan's heart pounded. She guessed right! This queen could understand emotions!
"Buzz... Chirp..."
The queen emitted a soft, undulating chirp, as if explaining something. Her tentacles gently curled up the purple fruit in the cage and presented it to Jiang Chan, more carefully than before.
Jiang Chan took the fruit, and the moment her fingertips touched the tentacles, she felt the queen's tentacles tremble slightly. She took a small bite of the fruit; it was sweet and had a hint of grassy fragrance.
She looked up at the Queen and gave her a forced, grateful smile. Although she didn't know if the Queen could understand human expressions, she had to try.
Alyssa's compound eyes lit up. Her tentacles drew a circle in the air, emitting a series of light buzzing sounds, as if celebrating something. Then, she suddenly turned and moved towards the laboratory, hooking one of her tentacles onto the edge of the cage and gently pulling it.
Jiang Chan was stunned.
The Queen is taking her to the laboratory?
The cage was slowly dragged towards the laboratory area. Jiang Chan sat inside, feeling the fleshy membrane on the ground gently undulating, like walking on a soft carpet. She stared at the Queen's massive back, feeling both surprised and delighted. This was her first time entering the Queen's private space, and perhaps she could discover more secrets.
The laboratory entrance was an archway made of biological tissue, entwined with glowing vines, emitting a pale blue light. After Alyssa entered, the archway opened automatically, revealing the scene inside.
Jiang Chan's breath caught in her throat for a moment.
The laboratory was filled with all sorts of strange instruments, some resembling magnified insect compound eyes, others like twining vines, and still others were transparent containers filled with specimens of various extraterrestrial organisms.
There were winged arthropods, bioluminescent creatures floating like jellyfish, and other bizarre life forms she couldn't even describe. These specimens were meticulously preserved, their containers labeled with neat, insect-like script.
The queen's tentacles swayed gently, as if introducing her collection. She walked to a huge, transparent container containing a six-legged creature covered in colorful fur, who was sleeping inside. She emitted a soft hum, as if saying, "Look, this is my darling."
Jiang Chan suddenly understood. This queen wasn't a warmonger; she was a... biologist? Or rather, a tech geek obsessed with researching extraterrestrial life?
"Buzz..."
The Queen's tentacles touched Jiang Chan's cage, gesturing for her to look at a control panel nearby. The panel had a glowing screen displaying various biological data and cosmic star maps. The Queen tapped the screen with her tentacles, and Jiang Chan's image immediately appeared.
The label below reads, "Rare biological sample: densely haired, capable of emitting complex sound waves, and possessing preliminary emotional expression capabilities."
Jiang Chan hadn't expected that the Queen had already recorded her as a "sample." But then she thought, this might be an opportunity; if the Queen treated her as a research subject, she wouldn't easily harm her.
"pain……"
Jiang Chan uttered the syllable again, pointing to her own avatar on the screen and then towards the acidic hole. She tried to make her expression more pained and sincere.
The Queen's compound eyes stared at the screen, the light slowly coalescing into a small bright spot, as if she were deep in thought. After a while, she tapped the "emotional response" option on the screen with her tentacles, and a string of data immediately popped up on the screen, along with a waveform of Jiang Chan's earlier sobbing.
"Buzz..."
The queen emitted a low, regretful chirp. Her tentacles gently touched Jiang Chan's hand, as if in apology.
Jiang Chan's eyes lit up. She suddenly grabbed the Queen's tentacle and placed it on her arm, where there were still unhealed wounds from the shackles, covered with faint scabs. Looking into the Queen's compound eyes, she said, word by word, "It hurts."
The queen's tentacles froze. Her compound eyes drew closer to the wound, the guilt in the light intensifying. She emitted a rapid chirping sound, as if giving a command. Soon, a worker insect crawled in, carrying a small vial in its mouth containing a pale green liquid.
The Queen took the bottle, dipped a little liquid into it with her tentacles, and gently applied it to Jiang Chan's wound. The cool liquid instantly relieved the pain. Jiang Chan gasped, looked up at the Queen, her eyes filled with surprise.
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