Safe return and the journey back
When she came, she was suppressing the irritation of her noisy teammates and a little bit of anticipation for the Zerg Queen. When she left, Flora was full of pride and reluctance.
She stroked the peace knot the Insect Mother had given her before they parted. It was said to be a hand-woven peace knot, used to pray for her to have smooth sailing and safety on the battlefield.
Her Majesty Alyssa also stated that, considering the current unstable situation within the Third Legion on Border Star, she, a commander familiar with the Third Legion's military affairs, was needed to stabilize the situation. Future rotations would gradually expand from the lower ranks to the upper ranks, meaning she might even have the opportunity to become the commander of the Zergmother Guards.
This is the real and supreme reward for Flora.
Everything will be fine. Flora thought, they have such a wonderful Queen Alyssa, who has considered every aspect for them. With the sense of security given by the Worm Mother, they will no longer need the unstable First Honey, and their lives will get better and better.
Flora's brain kept beeping, but she ignored it completely. Ever since she won the Insect Fighting Tournament, she was no longer the ostracized, conservative female soldier in the Third Legion, but the highly sought-after and trusted commander of the Third Legion, the Insect Mother. The Third Legion had also gone from being a ragtag army composed of members from lower-class families and unknown individuals to a force infused with outstanding members of high-class families, a force that garnered the Insect Mother's attention.
Those who were assigned to the Worm Queen's side were also highly sought after. Although Her Majesty Alyssa had said during the live broadcast that the main positions would be given to disabled refugees and young cubs, wouldn't it be necessary to defend the Saint Hobel Palace after traveling all the way from the border?
Using her wing sacs, she could easily guess that these insects that were so eager to get close to her had ulterior motives.
Flora carefully tucked the peace knot in. She would only obey Her Majesty Alyssa.
On the other side, Alyssa was standing on the high approach bridge, saying goodbye to the first batch of guards who were changing shifts.
As this was a significant first rotation, it was imperative to set a good example. Ryan had selected the elite of the Guards, his most trusted confidants. Most of them were beetles. The camera followed the Beetle Queen's perspective from a high vantage point, revealing a sea of powerful beetles of similar height, their armor plates shining brightly and a chilling presence.
This is exactly the scene that the martial Zerg love to watch, and the barrage of comments once again exceeded the standard:
[You know what? Even though Her Majesty the Insect Queen hasn't been around these past few years, the Royal Guards' training hasn't been slowed down. Look at their military bearing, look at their murderous aura.]
The silent, idiotic giant beside Her Majesty Alyssa is the true killer. I've seen the video secretly filmed by students at Tsumiya Seiin when Her Majesty was attacked by the degenerate students. The captain of her guards went into insect-like combat mode. My goodness, he chopped the alien in half with a single swipe of his pincers. The bite force of his pincers is estimated to be no less than 300 tons.
[Beetles are the strongest race! Beetles are the strongest race!] (This user sent this message using beetle special effects)
[Damn, you guys are doing this again? Stop it. I know you guys have money. Give us some space for normal discussion!]
Alyssa's eyes were filled with tears as she looked at the guards standing neatly under the approach bridge.
Many of them had served in the Garden Palace, lining up in a corner of the corridor, saluting respectfully as they waited for her airship to pass. They all came from wealthy, upper-class families, some male and some female, and most unmarried.
Alyssa felt like she was pushing them to dangerous places and do dangerous things. Although Ryan and Gabriel had been reassuring her these days, saying that this was the duty of a soldier-bug, to protect their home and the mother bug, they were simply doing their job in a different place.
But what if any of them never come back?
The border guarded by the Third Legion was thousands of light-years away. Alyssa had flipped through the Third Legion's military reports from previous years, and the number of casualties had always been high. Back then, she'd only frowned and sighed at the cold figures. But now, standing high on the approach bridge, meeting the eager gazes of the army-bugs below, those numbers seemed to distort into concrete insect forms.
[What's going on? Is it stuck? What is Her Majesty Alyssa daydreaming about?]
Doesn't anyone else find this image adorable? A soft, white, ball-like queen and a swarm of hard, black-armored army beetles.
The guards were a bit agitated because the Worm Queen standing on the approach bridge was crying. Tears fell from her beautiful golden eyes like beads from a broken string, and her nose was red. Worms standing closer could even smell the slightly sour pheromones on the Worm Queen's body.
Alyssa didn't want to be seen tearing up by the entire galaxy on her first day of livestreaming. Before the broadcast, Gabriel, Sewell, and other Zerg had carefully discussed with Alyssa what kind of Zerg Queen they wanted to portray in future broadcasts: majestic? magnanimous? wise?
But in the end, Alyssa decided to be her true self.
Live streaming is not a temporary thing. She may be able to pretend for a while, but she can't pretend forever.
Let all the Zerg in the galaxy see that they have a Zerg queen who is completely human, crybaby, and timid.
"Everyone must come back safely!"
Alyssa stood on the approach bridge and shouted to the army bugs below: "Protect yourselves!"
The netizens watching the livestream could clearly hear Alyssa's tears. Before the comments even registered, the guards below saluted the Insect Queen in unison.
"Can I put everyone's spiritual anchors into my spiritual world?" Alyssa asked the army bugs below.
Doing this before a march, Alyssa understood it as a rather ominous omen. She was already certain something was going to happen to the guardsmen who were being replaced. But she couldn't forget the relief she felt when she captured the degraded Meyer at his mental anchor. Meyer was so terrified of dying as an alien, and she hoped the soldier-bugs she'd dispatched wouldn't have such concerns.
The Zerg don't particularly care about life and death. Even their Zerg Queens follow a single-line inheritance system, mortal after laying eggs. For the Zerg, the spiritual anchor, inherited by descendants from generation to generation, holds far greater significance than the physical survival. Having a Zerg Queen accept their spiritual anchor is an honor for every Zerg. The guards, about to depart, seemed a little surprised that Her Majesty the Zerg Queen would generously bestow this honor upon them before their rotation mission was even completed. They were momentarily stunned. But the Zerg's pheromones inevitably surged.
At Alyssa's signal, Miranda fetched her guqin. Alyssa crossed her legs, placed the guqin on her knees, and boarded the hovercraft. She was too short, after all. If she sat down to play, the approach bridge guardrail would completely block her view, and the army bugs below would not be able to see her.
Alyssa concentrated and played a piece of "Guangling San".
The original melody depicts Nie Zheng's assassination of the King of Han, a rather fierce piece of guqin music. But Alyssa imbued it with tenderness and hope. Her current abilities were limited, so she could only send the Zerg away to end the war. She hoped to grow quickly, leading the Zerg to a path of peace beyond the battlefield.
She could do it. Three months ago, when she diligently practiced this piece, Jin's mother would scold her, saying that her playing was too graceful and gentle, lacking the solemnity and killing spirit, and failed to convey the charm of the piece. But now, she needed this gentleness to neutralize the resoluteness in the piece.
Who could have imagined! From skinny horse to insect queen, from plaything to supreme being. The music remains the same, but the mood and purpose are different, and the sword that kills can also become the knife that saves.
A golden thread of spiritual power connected every soldier-bug present. The spectacular sight of thousands of soldier-bugs pulsing in unison with the mother's breathing emptied the livestream's commentary. Numerous lush trees sprouted from Alyssa's desert-like spiritual world, serving as spiritual anchors for the soldier-bugs, primarily the beetles, and providing stability to her spiritual world.
Unconsciously, she had so many concerns in this world.
Alyssa looked back at the Four Arts Hall nestled among the green trees in her spiritual world. It was no longer the only landmark on the Gobi Desert, but, along with many Zerg spiritual anchors of various shapes, it formed the rich and colorful spiritual world of Alyssa.
All the past events are the path she has taken.
Alyssa opened her eyes and looked up at the sky. Thirteen satellites orbiting the Palace of Saint Jobelius were lined up in a row, hanging in the azure sky. This was completely different from the square courtyard seen in the Four Arts Hall.
The weather was fine, which was a good sign; and her safe return was an even better omen.
When she looked at the soldier bug below again, she returned to her gentle and smiling look, with only the slightly wet eyelashes at the corners of her eyes and the slightly red nose showing that she had just cried.
"Everyone must return safely."
Her voice was not loud, but with the help of her mental power, all the military insects present could hear the insect mother's words clearly.
"Ha!" Shouts soared to the sky, and the clatter of armor rang out. Thousands of soldier-bugs, spiritually anchored by the Bug Mother, responded with passionate enthusiasm.
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