Chapter 49
His gaze swept over the baby insects, much like the expression on Toto's father's face when he saw his lambs pooping everywhere.
“I am your instructor,” the female insect said. “From today onwards, I will be responsible for all your problems.”
He frowned, paused for a moment as if considering something, and slowly said, "I hope you are obedient enough."
"Be good."
...
After the event, Toto went home with his schoolbag on his back.
The prisoner-of-war camp was surrounded by barbed wire and guards were stationed at the entrance. Except for special personnel and underage insects who needed to attend classes, everyone who entered or left needed a permit with a private seal. The management was very strict.
Toto showed his student ID, which the sentry carefully verified.
He opened Toto's backpack, emptied it out to check, felt around in the gaps to make sure there were no smuggled items, then pointed the gun at him, signaling him to hurry up and go inside.
There was not a single word exchanged throughout the entire process.
This commander's troops have a strong personal style.
The soldier's fighting style was similar to his own: no unnecessary movements, no redundant expressions, swift and precise execution of orders, and any dared-to-overstep provocation would be met with a shot without hesitation.
Toto ran all the way to his tent, where he deftly tossed his backpack onto the woodpile, pulled out the axe from the log, and began chopping wood.
He started a fire, boiled water, and when everything was almost done, he was covered in a light sweat. Afraid of bringing in the smell of smoke, he stomped his feet outside the tent and stood for a while before lifting the curtain and respectfully walking over to his father to greet him.
"The male father."
The male father was physically disabled and sat in the tent all day. Because he had been kidnapped, he never paid any attention to the female father.
Seeing him come in, and noticing the bruises still visible on the corner of his mouth, she frowned, wanting to ask something.
The male insect clearly wanted to ask him what was going on, but seeing the little insect looking anxious with its head down, it swallowed its words.
Afraid of being scolded, Toto pretended to be busy with other things, kept his mouth shut, collected the clothes that needed washing, and carried them to the prisoner-of-war camp's washroom to wash them.
The grassland was icy and cold at night. The cold water quickly froze all ten of his fingers. Toto breathed out a breath and scrubbed his clothes clean with a splash, then rinsed the rough rope hanging nearby.
The insects doing this around here are all older females, with almost no males. The allied forces stationed here are currently short of resources and are prioritizing improving the quality of life for high-level males. Toto's qualifications are not good enough to receive special treatment.
The miners working with them were all slave owners, with low genetic levels and many diseases, making it difficult and slow for them to learn anything, so they didn't need to attend the Alliance's educational classes.
Once approved, they will be assigned to different places. Some may retire in the Alliance, while others may live on this planet as natives.
Everything depends on the policies from above.
These old women were diligent and capable when they were young, but now they are plagued by illnesses and still love to be clean. They shiver as they wash in the cold wind.
After hanging up his own clothes, Toto grabbed a few more pieces from the old female insect's basin next to him and squatted down silently to help rub them out.
He hung the clothes up to dry, picked up the basin, and left.
With a thud, two purplish-black, hard-skinned fruits rolled around in the wooden basin; it was unclear who had put them in.
Only experienced, old female insects, lacking food and clothing, would seek out such things.
Toto glanced at the old female insect sitting uneasily beside him, quickly peeled it open and ate it, making the other woman breathe a sigh of relief.
The wind was biting cold.
Toto looked at the sunset, went home, washed his hands, and went into the tent.
The father was still not happy. His face was even paler than before. He was coughing badly and struggling to reach the water bottle next to him. His exposed wrist was thin and white, and you could vaguely see the pale blue veins.
Toto put the boiled water aside, skillfully reached through the male father's arm, and half-huddled the male insect in his arms. The male insect was very thin, and when he exerted force with both hands, the male father's hands obviously gripped it tightly.
No matter how many times, he was not used to being taken care of like this. Toto lowered his eyes, and a towel was slipped inside his clothes to carefully wipe his buttocks, back, and thighs. The hot towel took care of his sore and weak muscles and massaged them carefully.
“You don’t need to take care of me anymore,” the father suddenly said. Toto paused for a moment and looked up at him.
The father's face was cold, as if all the dignity and respect he had lost had returned to him.
That look in his eyes was mocking, devoid of warmth, yet somehow somehow gentle.
“I will be returning to the Alliance soon… My family is still looking for me, so you are not allowed to come looking for me or say you know me.”
Toto lowered her eyes, unfolded the towel in the hot water, and wrung it out.
“Did you hear that?” the father said.
Toto stared intently at the ripples in the basin, and after a long while nodded: "Okay, I won't look for it."
"You and your father-in-law, stay far away from me."
"good."
"We don't need to meet again. I never want to see you again."
"Know."
“I’m leaving right away. You’ll never see me again. After all, you’re the son of a thug. You’re not qualified to visit my family.”
"Um."
"You are not my insect cub."
"right."
Toto answered fluently, his hands moving the hot handkerchief up and down without stopping. His father, unable to find an outlet for his sharp temper, could only shut his mouth in silence.
After finishing the chores, Toto sat on the floral carpet, stopping at a distance slightly close to his father but not so close that the father would feel disturbed, and took out the slate to start writing.
When the camp bell rang, Toto put down his pen: "Father, I'm going to get my meal."
Toto took the food bag and, as usual, got two meals at the pick-up point. He left the better-tasting one for his father and ate his own dinner on the way, washing the lunchbox at a roadside sink.
While I was washing, I suddenly felt a pain in my back; something had hit me.
Toto turned around and spoke to a few unfamiliar adult insects.
"Some insects, whose female fathers have killed countless insects, can still eat. They are useless little good-for-nothings born from useless fathers."
“Such a traitor should be thrown into a dog cage for discipline.”
"That's right, that's right. Why don't we teach you now, so that you won't grow up to be a coward like your father?"
Toto paused for a moment, slowly shook the water off his hands, his eyelids drooping, his thick eyelashes fluttering slightly, indifferent and unwilling to pay attention.
He picked up his food bag and left.
"When will your father die?"
Toto suddenly turned around, threw down the dish towel, water droplets splashed onto his cheeks, his face was colder than the water droplets.
Holding the planning documents, the guard officer accompanied his superior on a tour of the prisoner-of-war camp, speaking eloquently: "Commander, two farms will be built in the east, which will effectively alleviate the food problem."
Fei's calm eyes swept over a corner, then he suddenly stopped.
"The base is currently short of vegetables, and the ration is being kept at the bare minimum..."
The guard officer looked up and followed the commander's gaze, his heart skipping a beat.
"Commander..."
Fei raised his hand to interrupt the guard officer, his calm eyes fixed on the prisoners fighting in the corner.
The battle was a one-sided beating, between a male insect offspring that hadn't gone through its second development and several idle female insects.
Male insects are ferocious and ruthless in their attacks.
The kicking insect's leg was fast, accurate, and powerful, clearly showing the user's experience and holding their own.
Fei glanced at it for a few seconds, and the guard officer immediately signaled to the soldiers accompanying him.
The rhythmic thud of footsteps filled the alley, followed by a thud: "Don't move! Stand still!" Without a doubt, if those insects dared to resist, their arms would snap instantly under that force.
The guard officer looked at them and said seriously, "One of them is a male."
“Handle it according to the regulations,” Fei always said, adding that regardless of gender, fighting was a violation of the rules.
Moreover, this is not an alliance; the Zerg here are merely prisoners who have not yet passed the political review and are not entitled to any rights in principle.
The guard officer paused, then looked back at the detained male insect and couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy: "Just a little male offspring."
Fei glanced at him, and the guard immediately made a zipping gesture, bowing his head to indicate that he should shut up.
Because of unresolved post-war issues, the Allied forces will remain on the grasslands for a considerable period of time.
The commander was supposed to return to the main planet to report on his duties, but due to political reasons, he had to stay here and serve as an instructor for the little brats.
Fei sat at the conference table, while his subordinates on both sides presented the issues in a point-by-point manner.
The mob has long held sway over this planet, and most of their captives are oppressed and abused civilians.
Male insects that have been abducted can be examined first and then released back into society.
The native Zerg are too deeply estranged from the mainstream culture, making it difficult for them to quickly integrate into the Alliance. Instead, due to their long-standing enslavement and domestication mentality, they are easily targeted by thugs for instigation and collusion.
Therefore, before they can officially join the league, they need to go through a complicated screening and education process.
This is not something that can be done in the short term, which means that Fei will need to stay on this planet for a considerable period of time.
Fei pinched the bridge of his nose to calm his impatience. After dealing with the problem, he quickly adjourned the meeting, but then he suddenly remembered something and called out to a female insect with a buzz cut.
"Commander."
The female insect saluted. He was wearing the Alliance's military uniform, but his posture was not like that of a soldier. He was rough and unruly, with a strong bandit-like temperament.
Fei sized him up.
The female insect had deep gray eyes that were resolute and composed, clean and sharp facial features, and a head of spiky, short hair that resembled the little one by seven parts...
This was a spy he had cultivated, who successfully betrayed him. However, at the final moment of the capture, he became somewhat lax, and the small details he made pointed to the conclusion that he did not want to put in the effort at the last moment.
Fei calmly told him about what happened on the way. Sorim's expression changed slightly, and he became a little impatient.
But he had worked with this commander for a long time and knew very well what kind of female soldier he was.
This commander appears refined, but he is strict and ruthless.
Moreover, since it concerned his own insect offspring, Solim could not simply leave.
Fei didn't mean to make things difficult for him. In fact, he wouldn't have called out to the female insect if he hadn't intended to.
He naturally brought up another matter.
“The mob was not completely wiped out. The last leader who escaped was your old friend. My soldiers searched for him for a long time, but he was very good at hiding and we still haven’t found him.”
These words were loaded with meaning. The female insect understood what the commander meant and paused for a moment before saying, "Commander, I don't know where he is."
"have no idea?"'
Fei raised an eyebrow and examined the area gently, with a hint of harshness. After a while, he found no trace of anything.
He smiled and naturally changed the subject: "I was just asking, Captain. Go and take your bug offspring home."
Sorim's forehead was sweating, and his lips moved slightly in restraint.
Fei tapped the table to indicate the time: "There are 22 minutes left before the solitary confinement room is completely closed."
Sorim thanked him a beat late and strode out of the conference room. He rushed as fast as he could and finally picked up his insect cub before the solitary confinement room closed.
Toto squatted against the wall, his head in his hands, his clothes and hair in disarray, his face covered in obvious bruises, a stark contrast to his obedient and sensible demeanor in front of his father.
The female insect remained silent; she was always strict with her offspring and rarely showed tenderness.
“I started the fight,” Toto stood up straight, hands behind his back, and confessed truthfully before Sorim could ask, “There was blood.”
Sorim's face remained expressionless: "Is it your fault?"
Toto answered quickly: "No."
The female insect watched him quietly. Toto stared at him for a long time, then slowly turned his head away, his momentum weakening. He lowered his head, his fingers twisting the hem of his clothes, but it was clearly not an attitude of admitting his mistake.
Sorim squatted down and lifted the little boy's chin: "Do you remember Pengmucuo's family who lived next door to us?"
Toto looked at Sorim with some wariness, as if hesitating whether he should nod.
Solim remained remarkably calm: “It’s not just Pengmucuo. Many people in the village, some you know, and some you don’t, weren’t soldiers. Many were ordinary laborers who treated you well, but they all died because of this war. Their fathers, sons, or family members were thugs who took up arms to fight the Allied forces in order to protect them, and that’s why they died. It’s normal for them to have resentment.”
Toto was somewhat bewildered, his dark eyes looking at Sorim with a sense of helplessness. Sorim continued, "Because to them, I am a traitor."
Solim kept a close eye on Toto's expression. The child was only well-behaved in front of his father, and he was afraid that he would cause trouble.
The female father's definition of this matter was clearly different from Toto's. He avoided his father's gaze and pursed his lips in frustration.
Sorim observed his subtle movements: "Disappointed? What do you want to hear me say?"
Toto glanced at Solim, then lowered his head, only showing Solim the top of his head.
Sorim said, “But I’m telling you this not to make you feel guilty or to swallow your anger. I’m telling you because I think you don’t need to take other insects’ words so seriously. They mock me and insult me because their own interests have been harmed. That’s normal for insects. You can’t seek validation from people who deliberately insult you. You don’t need to pay attention to what they say.”
"Moreover, in the long run, submitting to the alliance is a good thing, it's not wrong, so even if those people find it hard to accept emotionally, it doesn't matter. Just do your best, Toto. A thousand insects have a thousand mouths, are you going to take action against each and every one of them?"
Toto moved his mouth, deflated in front of the big hedgehog, and turned into a little hedgehog: "I'm sorry." This time it sounded somewhat sincere.
Sorim reached out and ruffled the spiky hair of the insect cub.
Author's Note:
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