Chapter 29: Parasitism, egg laying, mildly harsh insecticide, coma, small hands...
On an unknown and desolate planet, the female soldiers of Team I of the Qingchao Bureau were lying dormant silently like dead objects.
These battle-hardened Zergs shut down their breathing, heartbeats, and pulses, blending almost seamlessly into this barren land.
This place was far from the hive, and wouldn't normally be patrolled by the Nest Clearance Agency. However, according to observations by the reconnaissance bugs, this strange planet was actively approaching the hive at a speed of 13.06 stellar miles per second—in short, it was alive.
This unusual sight immediately alerted the Nest Clearance Bureau. After an on-site investigation, they finally uncovered the horrifying truth about this living star bug: its exterior was riddled with holes, its interior hollow, and it was already the nest of a brain-eating louse on the verge of awakening.
These giant star beasts are the natural enemies of the Zerg nest. They have thick skin and strong vitality, and like to eat the brains of the Zerg. They are extremely cunning predators.
Brain-eating lice can devour males and accurately simulate courtship pheromones to confuse females, causing them to lose their desire to fight. Countless unsuspecting female soldiers have died as a result of this.
Even more terrifying are the eggs of brain-eating lice. They are as numerous as cow hairs and as small as rice grains. They are born with the cunning instincts of their mother.
Once these parasites come into contact with the body surface, they can quickly invade the body, often transferring and taking root in the female insect's gestational sac, frantically absorbing energy, accelerating the mother's degeneration, and finally reducing the host to a shriveled zombie.
Judging from the painful lessons of the past that were paid for with blood and lives, the consequences would be disastrous if this giant star beast approached the insect nest.
Therefore, Artemantis Hall, director of the Nest Clearance Agency, decided to lead the team himself to immediately eliminate this dangerous factor.
At this time, the surface of the desolate planet was as brittle as the shell of a walnut, as if it would shatter into powder at any time with the slightest touch.
As Artemantis led Team I on the ground, they could faintly feel the rhythmic vibrations coming from the ground below. This was the heartbeat of the brain-eating louse. All signs indicated that this terrifying beast was about to break out of its shell.
After a brief exploration, the nest clearers discovered the widest crack, which emitted a rotten odor that made the insects sick. Deep in the crack, a dark red light flickered, as if the evil eyes of brain lice were greedily peeping at the outside world.
Artemantis's eyes became stern upon seeing this. He quickly and solemnly made several gestures, signaling the other team members to be on full alert outside.
He took a deep breath, as if forcing all his fear into the depths of his heart. Then, without hesitation, he leaped into the bottomless, strangely dangerous crevice.
At the same time, Bernie Byron, who was stationed on the main ship, stared at the screen anxiously.
He saw Artemantis spread out two pairs of light wings. As the heartbeat of the brain-eating lice grew louder and louder in the air, the agile figure avoided all obstacles and fell silently in the darkness, finally landing smoothly.
"It's okay, it's okay... You're worthy of being the Director!"
Bernie wiped the sweat from his forehead as if he were there himself. He took a long breath and murmured, "The next step is to put the locator into the heart of the brain-eating louse..."
After thousands of years of fighting wits and courage, the Zerg's technology has also advanced. They have developed a method of using thermal weapons to deal with brain-eating lice.
"Are you stupid? Times have changed!" Bernie couldn't help but relax as he watched his superior's smooth and textbook-like mission process. "Little louse, just handle it~"
At this moment, something unexpected happened. The special envoy who hadn't been seen for half a month suddenly rushed out and grabbed the communication equipment like crazy: "No! You can't blow it up--"
"Director Hall, we've discovered Mr. Miller's biological signal on the desolate planet! You must rescue him first!"
"Are you crazy? Even if we found them in the brain-eating lice nest, what's the use? They might have been turned into ashes by now!" Bernie was so angry that he almost laughed. He snatched the communication device away and said, "If you want to save them, go save them yourself. You're just using chicken feathers as your authority!"
"The Miller family said they want to see the insects alive or dead!" The special commissioner shouted angrily, "Protecting male insects is the birthright of every female insect. Are you from the Nest Clearance Department rebelling?"
"Artemantis Hall—!"
In the scene, the female soldier had already flown to the head of the brain-eating louse. He had successfully placed the locator in the heart of the sleeping giant's lower jaw. Then, without hesitation, he sent a signal for a quick retreat, remaining alone to search for any traces of the male louse.
Seeing this, the special envoy smiled with relief, but he was still a little dissatisfied: "Why only leave one to find, then..."
With a sizzling sound, a sharp insect claw tore off half of his face. The special envoy fell to the ground in an instant, and he let out a shrill scream: "You——!"
"Shut up!" Bernie coldly shook off the skin on his claws. The military girl at this moment was completely different from her usual friendly and easy-going appearance. "I'm not a lawful insect like the director, and you're not some male insect. So, if you dare to speak again, I will kill you immediately."
The room quickly fell into silence, and at the same time, the air became increasingly tense.
Inside the cave, Artemantis endured the stench as he quickly searched for the louse. It wasn't that he valued Damien Miller, but the Special Commissioner was right. If the male insect's death was linked to the necrosis, the entire Nest Cleanup Agency would suffer a fatal blow.
The fat body of this deformed monster takes up almost all the space. It is covered with fine long hair. Once touched, it will be awakened immediately. The difficulty of searching can be imagined.
The gradually thinning air stuck to the female general like amber resin, and Artemantis's speed slowed down slightly.
Suddenly, the huge body began to tremble violently. The enormous force caused the rocks on the surface to crack rapidly and squeeze towards the crack.
Oh no! Artemantis was in a state of panic and alert. Without looking back, he immediately flew towards the exit.
"Tail hook! The male insect's tail hook is in its mouth!" A heart-wrenching cry suddenly came to his ears. The special envoy roared with the determination to die, "That is the property of the insect nest! With it, we can save many female insects! I will scream even if you kill me!"
Insect nest… The mantis's thin wings suddenly paused in the air, and he turned around abruptly: "Open fire immediately in 10 seconds, Captain Byron."
“Director——!”
Looking at the figure engulfed in billowing smoke and dust, Bernie's heartbeat suddenly stopped, his eyes were bloodshot, and he felt that ten seconds had passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally, a trembling hand pressed the launch button.
…
On a desolate planet, a soft, translucent jellyfish silently recorded everything until the entire planet was engulfed by an all-destroying energy cannon.
"I do not understand……"
Sitting in a single dormitory on the main ship, Gu Zheyue took the initiative to withdraw his spiritual body. He stared blankly at the air and asked in confusion: "Why doesn't Al leave? Are dead male insects more valuable than living female insects..."
[Perhaps he did this precisely for the sake of the living female insect?] The system attempted to analyze the situation and speculated seriously.
"If Al were me, wouldn't he have rebelled against the White Tower at all?"
The system couldn't answer this question, but it would use its unique emotional simulation to achieve its goal: [This is how the Zerg behave. A dead female is worth more than a living sub-female like you! So, shall we quickly carry out our mission?]
"..." Gu Zheyue was silent. He raised his head and said quietly, "Thank you, 030. After your guidance, I feel much better..."
After saying that, he patted his butt and walked slowly towards the medical department.
"You're welcome, this is what I should do!" 030 happily accepted the compliment, then asked suspiciously, "Why are you going? Aren't there no more wounded in the medical department?"
"Didn't you say that? To complete the mission..."
…
Qingchao Administration's head ship, logistics and medical department.
Artemantis, with burns all over his body, stood in front of the medical cabin. He tore open his abdominal cavity with one claw, preparing to take out the gestational sac directly.
Bernie was horrified by the scene. The Zerg's remarkable ability to repair itself didn't mean it was pain-free, and regenerated organs were no match for the originals. Female mantises, due to their biological characteristics, struggled to find a mate, and if their gestational sac was damaged, there was even less hope.
"Director, why don't you let the military doctor treat you... You don't want to die on a mission and then come back dead..." Bernie couldn't help but persuade him at the sight of this brutal scene. He glared at the half-dead special envoy fiercely, "Besides, you can't die before him!"
"Ahem... please, could you please not mention that word..." The commissioner, who had been beaten half to death, rolled his eyes and said weakly, "Director Hall, why don't you take some Kouwei Gou? It's hallucinogenic and can relieve pain... I definitely won't tell on you this time..."
"You were actually thinking of telling tales before!" Bernie's eyebrows immediately rose again. He angrily grabbed the commissioner's neck and said, "I'm telling you, Nick Miller, if anything happens to the Director, I will never forgive you!"
Why haven’t I fainted from the pain yet… Listening to the incessant noises in his ears, Artemanthys was exhausted both physically and mentally, and his head only felt worse.
At that moment, a cold, thin hand grasped his shaky body, and something soft entwined itself around it. A gentle, calm voice whispered softly in his ear: "Al... I thought I'd never see you again in this life..."
Danger... The intuitive alarm was triggered once again. Artemantis's tense nerves finally couldn't bear it anymore. He tilted his head and fainted completely.
Seeing this, Gu Zheyue sighed softly. He picked up the limp female insect and drove out the two quarreling insects, along with two medical cabins.
After doing all this, he placed the tattered Director Hall on the operating table, and then cut open his gestational sac without hesitation.
The small jellyfish's flexible spiritual tentacles once again wrapped around Artemanthys' entire body, and its tiny stingers precisely strangled each rice-sized parasitic egg.
As if sensing something entering her body, the sensitive female insect felt uneasy even in her sleep. He struggled a few times, and Gu Zheyue casually added some nerve-numbing toxin to alleviate his pain.
"What a pity..." Gu Zheyue stared at the female mantis's exposed, brilliant wing membranes and pink-white abdomen, feeling deeply distressed. He stroked the fleshy wound with curled edges and murmured softly, "Even though I haven't..."
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