Chapter 51
Neat slogans rang out from next door; the female soldiers who had gotten up early for their morning exercise had already begun their day's training.
Meanwhile, the soldiers were still teaching the young male insects below to line up.
Those tall, stern-faced female soldiers, with their hands behind their backs, shouted loudly: "Straight backs and upright posture! Ten men per column, from highest to lowest, to the left, run into the training field!"
The guardsmen stood in the background next to Phil, who was serving as bishop.
The superior remained silent for a while. He followed the bishop's gaze and saw that some students were already running on the sand. The superior's target was a figure whose back was still in sight.
The guard officer stroked his chin: "This seems to be the one from the Sorim family."
Fei's eyes betrayed no emotion: "He ran so fast, he's got a lot of energy, let him run ten more laps."
The guard officer took off his sunglasses, which he had been wearing to look cool: "He offended you."
Fei did not explain.
Releasing him from solitary confinement early would inevitably involve some form of punishment, which would be unfair to the other insects still in solitary confinement.
After the sun came up, the training ground became scorching hot, and Tuo Tuo was covered in sweat. Once training started, he consciously devoted himself to it and didn't think about anything else.
The male insects, lined up like ducks, were herded into the training field.
They grew up in reformatory schools, and from the oldest to the youngest, they were all raised to be somewhat weak, resulting in timid behavior and poor health.
Male insects that have not attended military academies are not physically strong enough to participate in military training programs, and these male insects are even less physically fit than ordinary male insects.
The commander's standards for recruits were indeed quite harsh.
The male insects in the same class were divided into two groups of more than twenty each. By the time Toto ran the sixth lap, all the male insects had finally entered the track.
He was used to being alone and was only assigned here after his gender was revealed, so he had no feelings for these male insects.
The male insects in the same batch cried their hearts out.
Toto stared intently at the leading instructor, his brows furrowed in seriousness, struggling to keep up with the growing gap between them.
The instructor's running posture was quite leisurely, but even so, Toto couldn't catch up.
Another instructor quietly approached the lead instructor in sunglasses, pretending to run while whispering a reminder: "Why are you running so fast? The males behind can't keep up."
The instructor in sunglasses, a direct subordinate of the commander, glanced back, remained unmoved, and coldly commented: "Weaklings don't deserve my leniency."
Fellow instructor: "..."
The training ground here was chaotic, while the training ground there was full of female insects training. During their breaks, they would take water and towels and quietly hide under the shade of trees, watching from behind a wire fence.
Each male was younger than the last.
The thugs were all reckless, but their tastes were remarkably similar.
The military is strictly managed, and these female insects are not allowed to approach or interact with male insects when they encounter them while on missions.
Especially in Commander Fei's army, the strict regulations were a sword hanging over their necks and shoulders, giving them glory, but also taking their heads.
The officer standing to the side tacitly approved of this audacity in his gaze, crossing his arms and coldly watching the male insect offspring stagger on the sand.
Fei sat in the shade of a tree, with chilled fruit beside him.
The other instructors kept a close watch on the sand. Any male insect that fell behind would be pulled out and forced to run again. The medic was right next to the one who fainted, and once he was revived, he was put back on the field.
The guard commented: "Too weak, probably not good enough."
After speaking, he looked down at his superior.
Reading a novel in a training camp for young and attractive male insects is a truly leisurely activity.
The guard officer said, "The search team has not yet found the rioters who are hiding."
Fei turned a page.
"Search slowly, dig three feet into the ground, and find them all one by one. I hope all criminals can lie peacefully in the graveyard of this planet."
The guard officer shrugged and looked towards the training ground: "Sir, to be honest, with so many cuties around, they'll only be adults in the next few months. Don't you have any favorites?"
Fei glanced at the male insect on the sand and closed the book.
"[The pioneers] said, 'Hold onto illusions, step into reality, and choose what is most suitable, rather than coveting a beautiful but short-lived bitter fruit.'"
"Would you really give up your precious crown for a wildflower by the fence?"
The guard officer was taken aback by those words.
Although they had worked together for many years and were brothers who could entrust their lives to each other on the battlefield, he could not agree with certain of their views.
The guard officer said, "Given our positions, marriage should at least require some affection."
Fei remained noncommittal: "I will have the most beautiful vase."
He was the best among the female insects, with a distinguished family background and extraordinary abilities.
The male insects are treated like commodities, with high standards and strict requirements. They must meet the basic criteria for producing excellent offspring. This is the family's expectation of him and also his standard for choosing a future mate.
The guard officer couldn't understand: "So, with your personality, why do the male insects on the main planet prefer you to me?"
Fiji:"……"
The guard officer abandoned the topic and instead said, "Then these male insects will most likely be divided up among various factions."
This was inevitable, and Fei had no intention of hiding anything; all the information about the prisoners had already been reported.
These 128 soon-to-be-adult males will attract many interested Zerg.
Having never had a relationship with a female insect, not having gone through secondary development, and having no background, they will most likely be labeled and picked over by female insects from various factions like commodities, depending on their qualification level.
In the coming period, many forces will be willing to extend olive branches, and the commander stationed here can ask for whatever price he wants.
Aside from political considerations, the guards believed that Fei's family had the same idea, which was why they tried so hard to keep him as bishop.
However, the commander himself might not be willing to accept this favor, as he thoroughly dislikes doing meaningless work.
The commotion continued until noon, when the cooks brought over large buckets. Only then did the instructors blow their whistles to give a break. The sunburnt male insects, their skin bald from the sun, dragged their weary steps, sighing as they fetched their meals.
Only one male insect remained running in the sand. At midday, when the sun was at its strongest, he was already drenched in sweat. He had run ten more laps than the others, but he still hadn't collapsed.
Fei was surprised, so she watched for a while longer.
The other male insects gathered at the venue. They had been running around all morning, and they were covered in dust and very hungry. Some sat, and some squatted.
The iron bucket was lifted, and hot soup steamed out, revealing neatly arranged multigrain pancakes on a large plate.
Several instructors, with stern faces, made the male insects line up to receive food.
"One multigrain pancake and one bowl of soup for everyone!"
The female soldier carried a megaphone and shouted as she walked, but it was no use at all.
The starving male insects' eyes lit up when they heard that it was time to eat. They had never received any proper education and followed their instincts completely.
Smelling the aroma of food, they made a ruckus, pushing and shoving each other to grab the multigrain cakes, stuffing them into their mouths as soon as they got them, even shoving the female insects serving soup out of the way.
If it were a female insect, needless to say, everyone from the commanding officer to the lowest-ranking soldier would be beaten with military rods.
However, there has never been a precedent for military special training for male insects. The male insects accompanying the military are all admitted through military academies, so they have no say in terms of professional skills or personal qualities.
But these...
The instructor looked up at the shady spot on the platform, where the guard officer had his feet propped up on the table, eating watermelon while fanning the instructor and occasionally whispering a few words to him.
The bishop was wearing sunglasses, his lips slightly pursed, and he seemed to be looking somewhere, but it wasn't a crowded food collection point.
The instructor felt humiliated, having lost face in front of his superiors. But he was yelling through the loudspeaker at the top of his lungs, and even the male insects had to listen!
They were overjoyed when they were chosen, thinking that training these kids would be a piece of cake, but when they actually got involved, they found that the situation was completely different from what they had imagined.
This situation, resembling a robbery, was an insult to their professionalism. The instructor grabbed a male insect carrying four or five grain cakes and said sternly, "Each person is only allowed to take one cake and one bowl of soup. Put the rest back!"
The male insect remained silent, biting the pancake. The instructor, furious, raised his voice: "Put it back!"
The little male insect's biscuit fell to the ground with a thud, and it burst into tears, crying, "I... I don't want it anymore!"
The instructor's imposing manner immediately deflated: "You..."
On the platform, the guard officer, seeing the male insects making a ruckus, couldn't help but remark.
"I don't think they can handle it either, so let's just practice casually and make sure they pass the review."
Fei ignored the guard officer's sarcastic remarks and calmly gazed at a male insect resting in the shade: "It's my duty, and I won't be perfunctory."
The guard officer twitched his lips: "Your Excellency, you know that the Tribunal is just for show, right? Those high-sounding courses are all just to fool the insects. These male insects have no background and no culture. When the time is right, several families will come to the insects openly to select suitable ones to take back for breeding."
Fei glanced at the guard officer, who touched his nose: "That's the truth. Weren't you very unhappy about being stuck here?"
Fei stood up: "I said, since it's my duty, I won't be perfunctory."
He jumped off the stage and walked towards the food pick-up point.
The instructor and the male insect were arguing fiercely, their faces turning red, when suddenly a cry of pain rang out. The male insect, who had been making the most noise, was suddenly tackled to the ground by a knee strike. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was the female soldier who had been drinking tea and eating snacks on the side who had made the move.
Some of the defiant male insects were about to shout when they were kicked in the rear. With a dull thud as their skin hit the ground, the males cried out in pain. This was no charade; the noisy commotion abruptly ceased, and the males fell silent instantly.
A pair of large eyes stared at the suddenly appearing female soldier.
The air was still, and the atmosphere was silent.
The bishop looked at the male insects in disarray and swept over the mess of soup and water on the ground.
"It seems you have a lot of opinions and questions."
Fei's voice was calm and composed.
“I am your bishop. Since you have a problem, why not bring it up and resolve it immediately?”
The male insects looked at each other in bewilderment, while only the guard officer stood by, wearing a horrified expression.
One of the male insects, quite bold, looked at the bishop with tears in his eyes and said, "The food is awful, I can't eat it, I don't want to eat."
The bishop nodded: "Yes."
The guard silently completed the second half of the sentence with a blank expression: "Then we won't have to eat anymore."
If he wasn't scolded, then he could really offer his opinions. Another male insect tremblingly raised his hand, his face pale and weak: "Running is too tiring, I don't want to run."
The bishop said, "Then we won't run."
The guard officer was very familiar with the commander's routine: it could be changed to squats, frog jumps, pull-ups, and push-ups.
Seeing that he was so easy to talk to, the male insects started making more noise, but they didn't dare to shout.
"It's too hot, I don't want to be in the sun."
Royal Guard Officer: Then let's put him in solitary confinement.
"My legs hurt a lot, I want to go back, I don't want to train."
Guards officer: Let the medic give you a good stretch.
"I think the instructor is too fierce. I want to go back to my teacher and watch cartoons."
Guard Officer: You idiot, the instructor isn't the fiercest one here.
The male insect chirped and croaked, and the bishop listened quietly for a while before glancing at the hands of his watch.
"Alright, time's up. Now let's address your questions one by one."
The Royal Guard officer silently thought: Time's up. Let me take care of you one by one.
Author's Note:
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