Chapter 20, Chapter 20: King, why is your core jumping...?
Upon hearing the sound of the insects in front of her, Ai Ying's heart sank heavily.
He really was going to eat her.
It was blood that kept her going until now; it was also blood that led her to her death.
Perhaps knowing she was going to die, her fear-filled mind suddenly relaxed, and she finally regained the ability to think.
She thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile:
Isn't it said that the Zerg are ruled by their king?
How could this guy who calls her king want her to eat him...?
etc--
Who eats whom?!
Ai Ying suddenly realized what the voice had said.
Let her...eat him?!
Did she mishear, or...?
Ai Ying took a deep breath and carefully opened her eyes.
The first thing that catches the eye is a beautiful yet striking face.
Disheveled black hair, bold and thick eyebrows, and a pair of captivating eyes more dazzling than amethyst.
However, no matter how beautiful those eyes were, no one could ignore the powerful and fierce sense of danger within them.
Even though there was no murderous intent in his eyes, and even a hint of piety and obedience, the moment Ai Ying met his gaze, she still felt as if she were being stared at by some ferocious beast, and couldn't muster the slightest thought of escaping.
Even though he addressed her as "King," she still dared not withdraw her hand from his cupped embrace.
It took her a long time to finally snap out of the danger of being stared at by those eyes.
Looking at the increasingly excited and expectant expression on the person in front of her, Ai Ying finally belatedly remembered what he had just said:
He wanted her; he wanted her to devour him.
How to eat it?
Where should we eat?
She blinked blankly:
She doesn't eat insects, nor does she eat people!
Moreover, the human-insect hybrid before them—
Even if she did eat it, how would she eat it? Raw?!
During her silence, Fedorock could no longer contain his anticipation.
He tilted his head back, revealing his fragile yet powerful neck, and then tore off all the invisible scales on it, making it easier for Wang Neng to eat.
His dark purple pupils were fixed on Ai Ying:
"king--"
"Please enjoy me to your heart's content."
“Fidelock, I would give you everything.”
Ai Ying was finally able to pull her hand away. She suppressed the fear of being stared at by him, her voice hoarse:
"I don't want to..."
She had barely uttered three words when the black energy surrounding the insect kneeling before her suddenly began to flicker chaotically.
The atmosphere around him suddenly turned gloomy at that moment.
The king's reply kept repeating in the Fiedlock worm's mind, and depression, confusion, and self-loathing completely overwhelmed him:
The king did not want to eat him.
The king didn't want to eat him!
The king was unwilling to accept him!
Is he not good enough?
With his core still riddled with holes, he was no longer worthy of being eaten by the king!
Fiedlock covered the skin in front of the insect core with one hand, his eyes filled with disgust for his actions:
He shouldn't have used the destruction of the insect core to ward off three hundred years of unease and despair.
His insect core clearly belongs to the king; how could he arbitrarily destroy the king's property?
Looking at the terrifying aura emanating from Fiedlock, suppressed to the extreme and seemingly about to erupt at any moment, Ai Ying's survival instinct made her brain race:
She is the queen.
Her words must have had an impact on the insect.
It's best not to give orders, but simply to distract him...
Just a second before Fidel's aura was about to erupt, Ai Ying desperately maintained a calm expression on her face, mustered her courage, and reached out to trace his eyes in the air:
"Your eyes are beautiful."
"If I eat you, I'll never be able to see those beautiful eyes again."
Fiedlock stood frozen in place, his beast-like eyes surprisingly showing a hint of innocence and confusion, like those of a young animal.
Wang... doesn't dislike him.
Wang—I like his eyes!
Upon realizing this, the aura around him instantly warmed up, and patches of dark energy around him flickered joyfully.
Ai Ying, who was closest to Fiedlock, sensed his change immediately and silently exhaled.
fine.
This time, we managed to get away with it.
Before she could even finish exhaling, she saw Fedlock in front of her reach out without hesitation, his fingertips carrying terrifying energy, resolutely gouging towards her eye socket.
Ai Ying watched this scene unfold, managing to utter only one word:
"stop!"
Fiedlock's fingertips had already pierced his eye socket.
Hearing the king's order, he was puzzled, but he still stopped what he was doing.
Black insect blood flowed from his eye sockets, like a winding black tear of blood.
Ai Ying's heart pounded when she saw his decisive movements and the wound near his eye.
"What are you doing?"
Fiedlock raised his head, his dark purple pupils appearing even more beautiful and eerie against the backdrop of insect blood.
He seemed somewhat puzzled:
"Don't you like my eyes?"
Ai Ying felt a tightness in her chest:
Because she liked his eyes, he gouged them out and gave them to her?!
madman!
A complete madman!
A madman whose next move she had absolutely no way of predicting.
Even this madman now reveres her.
But no one could guess whether his madness would hurt her.
But……
Ai Ying looked at Fedorok, who was obediently tilting his head back, completely ignoring the pain in his body, and only wanting to give her everything she liked. Her fingertips twitched almost imperceptibly.
She suppressed all her thoughts and, despite her fear, grasped his wrist:
"Don't dig."
Her voice possessed a kingly majesty, yet also carried a strange tenderness:
"These eyes only look beautiful on you."
Fiedlock stared at her blankly, letting her grasp his wrist and stop him.
So warm.
A warm current flowed down his wrist and slowly seeped into his shattered insect core.
This is a warmth that he could not find the answer to even in the inheritance of his bloodline.
No king has ever been like the king before him...
There are no restrictions.
It did not devour.
There was no reprimand or punishment.
Only... peace of mind and warmth.
Fiedlock knelt on the spot.
He once thought that the happiest thing would be to be devoured by the king, to become a part of the king.
But now—
He suddenly wanted more.
He wanted to stay by the king's side until he was devoured by the king.
After pressing Fedorok's hand back to his side, Ai Ying breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief and slowly released his wrist.
Seeing him suppress his aura and look at her obediently, she knew that she had finally safely passed this life-or-death ordeal.
She finally regained her spirits and looked at the other insects on Carlo Star.
Seeing their mutilated and severely injured state, some of whom were unsure if they would ever wake up again, she suddenly closed her eyes, concealing all emotions within them:
They all became like this because of her.
When Fedorok saw the king's gaze shift away from him, the docility in his eyes was instantly replaced by the ferocity of a wild beast.
His dark purple pupils swept dangerously over every insect that dared to steal the king's gaze.
He remained kneeling in place, but his voice carried an undisguised murderous intent:
"king."
"Do you need me to kill these useless bastards who failed to protect you and caused you injury?"
Hearing his words, Ai Ying's heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly realized that Fedlock would spare her, but he wouldn't spare the insects on Carlo.
She had to find a way to stop him.
Ai Ying kept hypnotizing herself in her mind:
She is the queen.
She is the queen of the Zerg!
All insects, even Fidelock, must submit to her.
She didn't turn around, but simply said:
Are you ordering me around?
As soon as she finished speaking, the black energy around Fiedlock pierced through his body.
He stubbornly and cautiously watched the figure ahead, letting the blood flow endlessly from his chest wound:
This is punishment for his overstepping of authority.
Hearing the noise behind her, Ai Ying turned her head slightly and saw the scene of Fedorok striking her without hesitation.
Before the wounds around his eyes had healed, a new and more serious wound appeared on his chest.
Upon realizing the king's gaze, his eyes became even more devout and cautious.
Like a wild beast willingly chained up, it obediently lies prostrate.
Ai Ying turned her head away, forcing herself not to look at his wound.
But the person behind her still stubbornly stared at her.
She felt the gazes behind her, and her heart sank.
She knew that given Fidelock's obsession with the king, he would follow her at any cost.
Such a powerful being is far too dangerous for the insects on Planet Carlo.
She couldn't protect them.
She must leave Carlo.
These insects would be better off leaving Carlo Star and going somewhere that Fedlock doesn't know about.
Only in this way can these insects, and Charlotte, be truly safe.
Ai Ying's expression gradually became dignified and indifferent.
She forced herself to ignore her concern for all the insects on Planet Carlo, and spoke arrogantly as a queen:
"I've had enough of this planet, but it's still mine."
"I don't want any other insects or other humans to continue to exist on this planet."
She scanned each insect lying on the ground with a blank expression:
"All of you, get off Carlo Star."
She paused here, glancing at Villa, who was now almost indistinguishable from a human, her voice light and casual, as if she were just mentioning it casually:
"And my pet."
"I'm tired of seeing it too."
"Send her back to the human empire."
Villa struggled to his feet and knelt faithfully before her:
“Beria, I obey the king’s will.”
After explaining everything, Ai Ying turned around and looked at Fedlock, who was still kneeling on the ground with no sign of healing. She paused almost imperceptibly, then calmly and arrogantly walked past him.
"How long are you going to kneel here?"
Upon hearing her words, Fedorok stood up, and the black energy points around him disappeared into his body.
He stood obediently behind her.
The sky over Carlo Star has returned to its original gray-purple hue.
Ai Ying looked at the figure following closely behind her, her gaze lingering for a moment on the wound on his chest, and frowned as she said:
"I don't like sticky insect blood."
As soon as she finished speaking, a ball of black energy enveloped Fiedlock's chest.
Once the energy dissipated, the injury to his chest had completely healed, and there wasn't a single drop of insect blood left on his body.
He did everything the king said without hesitation.
But from beginning to end, his gaze never left Wang Yike.
His dark purple pupils seemed to be filled with piety and submission.
But deeper within the pupils lies a fascination and madness that has waited for three hundred years.
He stared intently at the king before him, like a dragon guarding a jewel, preventing anyone from coveting it.
Ai Ying forced herself to ignore the aggressive gaze behind her.
She simply glanced up at the sky, and Fedorok seemed to understand what she wanted.
With a wave of his hand, a starship several times more luxurious than the insect hive on Carlo gradually appeared from the sky.
The entire starship was so large that it was comparable to a planet.
The starship was entirely black, with occasional glimpses of deep purple light, and countless amounts of high-level energy were piled on its surface. Just one glance was enough to inspire awe.
Then, a long river of black energy flowed from the starship's gate to Ai Ying's feet.
Without hesitation, Ai Ying stepped onto the starship, treading on the river of energy, and never looked back.
If she can truly survive Fedlock's clutches, then they will eventually meet again.
As Amos watched the King disappear from sight after entering the starship, his supporting hand lost all strength, and he fell heavily to the ground.
His insect core was damaged, and his body was covered in wounds.
But he seemed completely oblivious to the pain:
Wang—did not look at him.
The king never glanced at him once.
He would rather die the moment the leader takes his own life.
In that case, is it possible that the king could have glanced at him at the moment of his death?
The confusion and unease in his mind vanished the moment he recognized the king.
Therefore, he was so clearly aware that:
The king disliked him.
In an instant, a wave of excruciating pain surged through his insect core, driving him to the brink of madness.
The pain caused Amos to curl up into a ball:
The king disliked him.
As an ordinary high-level Zerg, this might be the only chance he'd ever have in his life to see the king.
Throughout his long life as an insect, he will live with this pain forever, until he dies.
After a long time, Amos was finally able to straighten his body.
He muttered to himself:
"Only a lord is worthy to be by the king's side."
It was enough for him to see Wang today.
Villa, still kneeling on the ground, knew that he was too weak and therefore unworthy to stand beside the king and protect him.
Hearing Amos's voice beside him, his gray-brown vertical pupils silently contracted:
Does becoming a lord guarantee a place by the king's side?
The once weak and inferior insect, Bilia, suddenly had a purpose in its life at this moment.
He wants to become a lord.
He wanted to stay by the king's side.
Amos had no idea that his casual remark would give Villa such a thought.
Even if he knew, he would only laugh at Villa's wild ideas.
Although the difference between lower and higher insects is great, it is nothing more than the difference between flat land and mountains.
However, the gap between a high-level insect and a lord is like an insurmountable chasm.
The probability of a higher insect evolving into a lord is always zero, and will always be zero.
As a former low-level Zerg, Villar was completely unaware of some of the Zerg common knowledge that only high-level Zerg possessed.
In his worm-like brain, there was only one thing:
That is to do everything in our power to get closer and closer to the king.
The other lower insects around him gradually came to their senses.
They watched the starship disappear completely from sight, their antennae drooping listlessly.
The king... left.
From the moment they found the king, they knew that he would eventually leave them.
They are too weak and useless.
They didn't need the king, and they even needed her noble and rare blood to save them.
Upon realizing this, all the insects' vertical pupils contracted violently, and their bodies, which had never felt pain when they were smashed to pieces by higher insects, began to tremble incessantly.
It was the king who saved them from their helplessness.
They were just a bunch of useless, low-level insects; once they're dead, they're dead.
How could the king harm himself for their sake?
Wang... does it hurt a lot?
Keo, standing at the edge of the insects, looked at the drop of blood belonging to the king on the newborn insect pincers, and his insect core suddenly heated up.
Becoming stronger and protecting the king became his sole belief, the belief that resided in the minds of all the insects.
Their worm cores, nourished by the king's blood, throbbed powerfully.
Their energy is also becoming stronger.
At this moment, the instincts within all insect bloodlines were being desperately and recklessly altered, bit by bit:
They didn't know what a king should look like.
They didn't know if another king would be born in the future.
All they knew was that from this day forward, every one of them was born for the firefly and would die for the firefly.
After a long while, Villa, who had been kneeling on the ground, finally stood up.
He also had to fulfill the king's orders.
Wang...does not want any other insects to remain on Carlo Star.
They also do not want any other humans to remain here.
Amos also kept the king's orders in mind.
He dragged his body, which could barely hold on any longer, and said in a hoarse voice to Villa, the insect he envied:
"You can choose whichever planet in the Aimor Galaxy you want to go to."
This galaxy is his territory; he has control over it and can move these insects and humans to another place.
Villa did not refuse.
As a newly born higher insect, he had no territory and needed the help of Amos to carry out the king's orders.
The king has one more order.
He turned his head and looked in the direction of the insect hive.
Inside the insect nest.
Charlotte was awakened by the repair fluid that Villa poured into her mouth.
She opened her eyes, looking at the insect nest she had become completely familiar with over the past few days, and was momentarily dazed:
Her memory was still stuck in that irresistible atmosphere of terror.
Is she still alive?
The moment she realized she was alive, she seemed to remember something and suddenly sat up.
Where is Ai Ying?
She's still alive, but what about Ai Ying?!
Just as she looked up to search, she suddenly met a pair of terrifying vertical pupils.
Charlotte's heart skipped a beat.
Only after sensing the familiar aura emanating from him did she realize that this was the insect that had been healed by Ai Ying's blood after being severely injured.
She didn't care why Bilia had become like this, nor did she care whether he would kill her; she just wanted to know how Ai Ying was doing.
"Ai—"
"Where is your king?"
The dullness of his lower insect days was gone from Villa’s eyes. His voice was cold, and only when he mentioned the king did a hint of warmth appear in his eyes.
"The king... accompanied by the lord, went to other planets."
Lord?
That terrifying aura came from the Zerg Overlord?!
Charlotte knew, of course, how terrifying the Zerg Lords were; they were beings that inspired even more despair than the higher Zerg.
The other insects didn't know Ai Ying's true identity, but she did!
Can Ai Ying's identity as the 'King' be kept secret from the Zerg lord?
Charlotte couldn't suppress her worry, and her voice trembled:
"Where is your queen now? I want to see her!"
Viriah did not answer her question, but simply stated the king's command with a blank expression:
"The king said he's tired of looking at you, a human."
"Let me send you back to the Human Empire."
Charlotte heard his voice and it took her a while to realize what he had said.
Her eyes instantly turned red, and tears streamed down her face.
She didn't cry when her father framed and abandoned her; she didn't cry when she faced a life-or-death crisis during the Zerg uprising on Carlo Star; and she didn't cry just now when she thought she was going to die.
But now, she was sobbing uncontrollably:
Ai Ying was protecting her.
Even when facing a lord-level danger and unsure how long she could survive, her silly best friend still made arrangements for her future, having the insects send her back to the human empire.
But what about herself?
What should she do?
Charlotte looked toward the entrance to the hive and roughly wiped away her tears: crying will never solve anything.
She could no longer hide behind Ai Ying as before.
She wanted to become strong, strong enough to be someone Ai Ying could rely on.
She looked at Villa, her voice filled with an unprecedented firmness:
"Send me to Curtis."
Without power, ability, and status, one can never protect the people one wants to protect.
She wants to go back to Curtis and reclaim everything that belongs to her.
That way, she would at least have the power to find Ai Ying, and at least be able to provide Ai Ying with even the slightest bit of protection.
She stood up, looked at the open nest entrance, closed her eyes, and concealed the bloodshot veins within them:
Ai Ying, you must live!
I will find you!
*
On the starship.
On Planet Carlo, Ai Ying was constantly taught about interstellar treasures by Charlotte.
Therefore, after entering the starship, she only needed a quick glance to see how luxurious the furnishings were.
Even the floorboards were made using energy blocks that the lower-level Zerg could not find at all.
But right now she had no interest in appreciating anything on the starship.
The Zerg lord Fidelock followed silently behind her, his gaze burning with an almost maniacal intensity.
After escaping the horrific scene on Planet Carlo, Ai Ying belatedly realized:
Behind her stood a Zerg lord, powerful enough to destroy a planet with a wave of his hand.
If she does anything even slightly wrong, Fidelock might discover her identity as the fake king and kill her.
On the entire starship, there was only one person and one insect.
There was no one who could save her.
Ai Ying's heart was racing uncontrollably.
On the empty starship, the sound of her heartbeat was exceptionally clear to Fiedlock, who had been watching her closely.
The black energy on his body flickered in confusion before disappearing again.
"king……"
He stopped in his tracks, his voice low and elegant:
Why is your core beating so fast?
At this moment, Ai Ying was even more unable to control her heartbeat.
Fiedlock's concerned inquiry was no different from the Grim Reaper's scythe to her.
She stopped in her tracks.
She cannot control her physiological reactions, but she can use her brain to think during a crisis.
Knowing the art of deception, she understood that she could never tell a completely false answer to a targeted question.
The answer given should not only be a mixture of truth and falsehood, but also so that the questioner no longer has time to consider the question itself.
Ai Ying turned around, not avoiding Fedorok's gaze.
Instead of retreating, she advanced step by step to stand in front of him, raised her head, and looked at him earnestly.
Fiedlock heard her heartbeat quicken.
At that moment, the king saw only him.
He heard his king speak softly to him.
"Because of you."
My core has become frantic and chaotic because of you.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Ai Ying: You scared me to death! How could my heart not race!
I'm giving out red envelopes again today! Love you all~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
