Chapter 50
The atmosphere between father and son eased slightly. The two insects walked back along the road one after the other, both with serious expressions. It was a rare and heartwarming moment of reunion, but neither of them said much.
Toto, carrying his food bag, looked at other tents and suddenly kicked a small stone.
"Father, I haven't seen you for many days."
"The father is also a hero."
Sorim paused slightly, unsure how to discuss this topic with his son. He simply summarized, "I've been very busy lately."
Toto was somewhat disappointed.
The number of Zerg on the road gradually increased, all heading to the food pick-up point. Sorim, wearing the Alliance uniform, was very conspicuous.
Some Zerglings glanced at them, not daring to speak to their faces, but they didn't know how to curse them in their hearts.
Sorim ignored it, and so did Toto.
Toto was born in a den of thugs, and Solim raised him as a female insect. As a child, Toto had a vague concept of gender. Later, when he learned that he was a male insect, he did not resent it. Instead, he helped his family hide it. While Solim was busy outside, Toto took care of his male father so that he would not worry about the family.
The two insects, one large and one small, had a clear division of labor and worked together seamlessly.
I'll take you to class tomorrow.
Solim is usually very busy, and Tuotuo takes care of his family. When he has a little free time, he wants to make up for it by taking care of his insect cubs.
Toto was past the age when his parents would send him to school, but he understood that this was his stepfather's way of making amends, so he agreed without hesitation.
"good."
Sorim asked, "Is there anything you're lacking at home lately?"
"We don't lack anything."
Upon seeing their own tent, Toto handed the food bag to his father. The father and son exchanged a glance, and Solim took the food bag and went into the tent, while Toto lagged behind.
The curtain was lifted, and bright light shone through the gap.
The female father's silhouette was swallowed by the warm lamplight. Toto pricked up his ears to eavesdrop. A subtle argument broke out in the tent. The female father's voice was low, while the male father's attitude was as barbed as ever.
Before long, her voice faded away.
The female father came out of the tent, clearly having been scolded by the male father, but Toto didn't ask.
The two insects sat silently on the woodpile, watching the moon; it seemed tonight would be another sleepless night.
Dark clouds pressed down from the horizon, making the prisoner-of-war camp inside the barbed wire fence pitch black, with the densely packed tents resembling small flags.
Toto spat out the grass stalk from his mouth, propped his chin up, and looked back at the rows of lights behind him—those magnificent, unique houses, their bright, unwavering light guarded by the most orderly army.
These two distinct worlds were laid bare in those young, deep gray eyes.
The next day, the father-in-law got up very early.
Using the little light coming through the skylight, the father and son quietly tidied up. The male insect in the house was sleeping in the corner, with a bulge in the soft blanket.
Both insects felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
Before leaving, Toto and his female father both glanced at the bed. The female father stopped, quietly went back, and bent down to tuck the male father's blanket in.
I dared to tuck the blanket in.
But in front of his father, he would never utter a word and would only nod no matter what was asked.
Toto remained silent.
On the way, he didn't ask the question from yesterday again. There was no need to test him at all. The usually decisive father-in-law had once again chosen to avoid family issues.
Solim escorted him to the military camp. They didn't encounter any insects along the way. Standing at the camp gate, the father and son were about to part ways. Solim told him, "I will be very busy lately."
Toto clutched his father's sleeve, looked up at him, and tried to create another chance: "So, are we going home tonight?"
Solim didn't answer, but grasped his son's shoulder: "Your father is in your care for now."
“A few days ago, some Alliance soldiers came by. The male father’s family is still looking for him. The female father, the male father doesn’t like it here, you know that.”
So there aren't many opportunities.
Toto swallowed those words.
Solim remained silent for a while. He was not a female insect who was good at expressing herself, and there were many things he couldn't tell Toto, which would be too cruel. So after a long while, he said, "Toto, if we are separated, you will stay with your male father."
Toto's expression changed instantly. He chased after Sorim as he turned to leave. Sorim couldn't see his expression, but the insect's voice was like a needle, pricking him. "Father!"
Sorim turned around, reached out, and ran his fingers over the green medal that marked his genetic level. He remained motionless for a long time, and Toto looked down at it in response.
Sorim said, "We're not the Zerg Alliance, so this stuff is useless to us."
"Don't worry about these things."
“It’s too tiring for me to raise you. If your father’s family protects you, you will have a much easier life.”
Sorim is hypocritical. He is used to being tough and has an extremely proud personality. The children he raises have the same personality. They are all very hardworking and never show any signs of pain or vulnerability.
Toto lowered his head: "Do we really have to separate?"
Sorim ruffled his spiky hair with his large hand: "Go to class first—didn't you say you wanted to learn to read? Be serious and study hard."
Seeing that Toto was in low spirits and didn't speak, Sorim couldn't help but say, "Now you don't have to hide your gender. You can try to make more male insect friends. I've noticed that you've always been a loner."
Solim knew from the beginning that Toto was of a low rank, so he never let Toto enjoy comfort and his teaching was also very rough and forceful.
"Be careful of those female soldiers. You need to be good enough. Don't let laziness make you a target for others to pick and choose in the future."
Toto twisted the hem of his shirt with his fingers. Sorim patted his back and said forcefully, "Good boy." Then he took his bag and left.
Toto rubbed the backpack strap; where it was about to break, it was now sewn with a centipede-like pattern. His father-in-law's handiwork was still so bad.
Toto suppressed his sadness, put on a serious and calm expression, and put on a completely disguised look.
Inside the military camp, the two large lights in the meeting room had already been turned on.
The sky was slightly dark and not very bright.
It was still early, and there wasn't a single Zergling in the empty arena. Toto walked to the front of the stage, staring at the blank screen. The only sound around him was the wind.
He looked up for a while, then his ears twitched; it was the sound of military boots stepping on the grass.
Toto reacted quickly and turned around.
Bathed in light, the female soldier's skin was unbelievably white, and her thick, dark brown hair was neatly combed, with a few strands falling out, giving her a somewhat disheveled appearance.
The temperature was low in the morning, but he was still dressed the same as last night.
White vest, black military pants and military boots.
Toto's memories and reality intertwine, as if he has returned to that rainy night.
He lifted the tent flap, and lightning flashed across the sky. In that instant of sudden brightness, the light illuminated the mountains and the raindrops flying obliquely between heaven and earth.
In the dim light of the passing moment, the female insect stood behind her father, blood dripping from her skin, her gaze heavy and unfocused as she looked at him through the rain.
The rain washed that face beautifully clean.
The vibrant colors, so different from those of the grasslands, left a deep impression on Toto.
A tall, handsome, and aloof Zerg leader from the Alliance visited the planet before carrying out a meticulously planned capture operation.
Toto cautiously took a step back. The female insect raised her eyebrows slightly, probably surprised by his excessive wariness. She glanced at the little insect's messy hair, slightly chapped lips, and clean, white cheeks.
Judging from her clothes, she must have dressed carefully.
But this is no longer the era of pioneering. The natives of this planet are rustic from head to toe, with a thick accent that makes them seem unsophisticated.
Fei glanced at him, walked past him, and went up to the stage. Many female soldiers had come around and stood on both sides of the venue with their hands behind their backs.
Fei was carrying a megaphone. At six o'clock, he glanced at his watch and saw that the audience was all alone, with only one insect present.
He wasn't surprised and said to the female soldier standing next to him, who was putting on a cool face, "Go arrest the latecomers."
Without hesitation, the female soldier pulled him back, but the medic beside her stopped her, saying, "Please wait a moment!"
He said seriously, "Commander, although you are a bishop, those are male insects."
Fei didn't think that was a problem: "Go and wake up the male insects from the military medical team and let them catch them."
Female soldier: "Yes!"
Scholars felt this was a mess: "They're still just kids."
Fei glanced downwards: "Isn't that a child?"
My gaze fell on Toto. Our eyes met briefly, but Toto didn't turn away in a panic like he had when I peeked at him last time.
Fei stood with his hands in his pockets, not saying a word, his military boots tapping idly on the wooden planks of the platform.
The sky gradually brightened, ten minutes later.
The venue was noisy.
Crying, scared, yawning constantly, problems kept arising.
Most of these young male insects were still half-asleep and wearing their thin sleeping clothes when they were pulled out of bed.
The meeting was held in a military camp, which means that they were brought here from the prisoner-of-war camp in disheveled clothes. They were still little kids who probably had never experienced anything like this before.
Before long, a crackling sound of electricity rang out, and that somewhat familiar sound was amplified through the speaker, drowning out all other sounds.
"If you have so much energy to cry, why don't you run a few laps and make them line up!"
It's a tacit rule in peacetime that female insects don't fight male insects, but under this commander, his soldiers will only obey orders.
As Toto put down his bag, while the others were still bewildered, looking as if they had fallen from heaven to hell, he had already started warming up with the instructor.
Every movement he made was solid and he didn't slack off at all. His movements of supporting his waist and kicking his legs were all precise and skillful, clearly showing that he had been trained.
The past few days have been so comfortable. Hot food, great animations, delicious pastries, a higher level of service, and even a soft, comfortable bed provided by the staff, just like a cloud.
Their teachers were so gentle and kind that the young males genuinely believed it was paradise, but now everything has changed.
The tall, aloof female soldier hardened her heart and adopted the same attitude she would show to new recruits.
Therefore, there was no pity in their eyes, but rather a condescending mockery. Their gaze swept over the crying child's face inch by inch, sharp as an eagle and piercing as a needle, indifferent to their pleas for mercy and lashing out at their cowardice.
Author's Note:
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