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| The Beloved Little Mother Insect (LITTLE MOTHER) |
Pearl truly didn’t care for it much. The term felt like a constant reminder that he was a thief, stealing treatment and affection that belonged to someone else.
But perhaps he was too starved for love. Even though his mind knew it wasn’t meant for him, he couldn’t help but reach out to grasp just a little.
Just a little would be enough.
The fingers clenched tightly in his palms were brushed by Ega’s tail hook. The monster, not yet returned to his normal state, was somewhat puzzled but driven by instinct to lower his head and lick the Artificial Human’s hand with his forked tongue.
Pearl snapped back to attention, his throat feeling dry. "N-No..."
He wanted to say he didn’t dislike it.
But Hui was faster.
[If you don’t like it, then let’s change how we address you, alright?]
Hui wanted to draw closer to the king’s position.
The tall, deep-blue monster revealed his strengths.
He was intelligent and sharp, adept at observation, earning him the nickname "Cunning Fox" among the high-ranking officials of the Narga Empire. Many colleagues who had interacted with him would describe Hui as being like a fox, always able to subtly lure opponents into his traps and then devour them completely.
Such a gentle inquiry left Pearl momentarily dazed.
"R-Really?"
But even so, he cautiously asked again, afraid it might just be a teasing joke.
[Of course.]
If it's for you, anything is possible.
Within the massive monster hid the soul of a gentleman, guiding the little Artificial Human's thoughts and gradually consuming the other.
He asked unhurriedly—
[Then, may we call you "Pearl"?]
Pearl, a small pearl somehow discovered by the Narga People.
Since they had found him, he should belong to them.
Pearl?
Pearl was taken aback for a moment. He didn't speak, but instinctively nodded, seemingly relieved to be freed from the title "Mother."
[Pearl.]
[Pearl, Pearl...]
[I love it, Pearl, my little Pearl.]
[I want to eat you.]
[Eat the little Pearl.]
Hui could still maintain his composure, but Ega, on the other side, had no such reservations.
He was like a snake coiled in the shadows. After gaining the right to use the new name, he writhed his cold-blooded creature's long tail and flicked his forked tongue as he eagerly wrapped himself around the Little Mother Insect, even wanting to swallow this pearl whole.
Like an inescapable shadow, he evoked a strange shudder, blatantly exposing his layer of greedy, ugly desire.
Hui paused slightly and was about to intervene but noticed that the person entangled in the shadows didn't reject it. Instead, he blushed in flustered embarrassment as he carefully reached out to touch Ega's matte-black Tail Hook before softly explaining something—
"Th-Thank you for l-liking me, but... but Pearl can't be eaten."
Their king seemed far more adorable than he had imagined.
...
Pearl had only eaten about one-tenth of the enormous bird egg. The rest was swiftly claimed by Ega, who coiled his Tail Hook around it, preparing to devour the egg liquid imbued with Pearl's scent.
Like a rare delicacy.
Of course, Hui was also tempted, but he had regained his senses and couldn't bring himself to fight over food like a wild beast with his colleague, so he suppressed the impulse.
He was a gentleman.
He couldn't... no, he could!
What couldn't he do?!
Hui, who had been clinging to his gentlemanly facade just moments before, now lunged at Ega with his pincer limbs, targeting the bird egg.
Perched on the thick, withered tree where Hui had set him down, Pearl swung his legs and tilted his head to "look" toward the source of the commotion, unaware that the bird egg he had eaten had sparked another conflict.
The offspring fighting over their mother's leftovers... that was perfectly normal.
At least they weren't coveting the bite still in their mother's mouth.
Despite the squabble, Hui, who had regained his senses, and Ega, who still retained his instincts, knew their limits.
The two Narga People had a brief scuffle in their primal forms before they split the egg liquid in half, then called a truce and prepared to continue their journey with the little Artificial Human.
The shifting wind brought them bad news—the hordes of Beasts approaching had grown larger, and the effects of the Radiation Storm persisted.
High-level Narga People fighting Beasts in their original forms could hold off thousands, but that was under normal conditions without a Radiation Storm.
With the Radiation Storm added to the mix, everything changed.
Especially now, when Hui and Ega dared not take any risks—they carried in their arms was their Mother Insect that was lost to the Narga for over four hundred years, their long-awaited New King. No adventure was permitted.
Ega shook off the sand covering his body, stood up, and used his Tail Hook to shield the little Artificial Human on the withered tree. He let Pearl hold onto the antennae on his head and sit atop the massive beast's crown.
Lost in thought, Hui gazed at the distant sky and made a decision—to reunite with Olovikin and Xagai. Only with more Narga People could they better ensure the King's safety under the Radiation Storm.
However, between Olovikin and Xagai, Hui unhesitatingly chose the former as the first to regroup with.
After all, Xagai...
Tch.
A mad dog, a violent maniac.
He truly feared that lunatic would frighten Mother... oh no, his little Pearl.
Hui's Compound Eyes shifted slightly, revealing a thick, complex emotion.
He emitted a low hum, expressing his longing for Pearl with a gentleman's demeanor.
The needed little Artificial Human sat on Ega's head and swung his small legs. Upon "hearing" the overly intimate murmur, a faint smile touched his lips, his expression tinged with shyness and nervousness. His cheeks slightly flushed as he habitually tilted his head up to "look" in Hui's direction.
Hui fell silent, raised his pincer limb slightly, and cautiously brushed against Pearl's bare sole.
A fleeting touch.
He withdrew his pincer limb as his gaze sweeping over the silvery-white reflection on the little Artificial Human's ankle caught by the sunlight.
...Was that a thin ankle chain?
After a brief rest, the two Narga People set off once more with their little Pearl, whom they guarded like a treasure.
This time, they headed east, aiming to evade the pursuing Beast hordes while reuniting with Olovikin in the eastern region.
Along the way, they would need to be even more cautious, creating a safe environment for Pearl while eliminating any Beasts that dared covet the Little Mother Insect.
As always, they would do it silently.
...
In the distant sky, sand and dust rose once more. Through the Mycelium's "surveillance," the StarCloud Hound never lost track of the little one's scent and direction for even a moment.
It panted heavily after having killed a swarm of rats as annoying as flies and blocking their path from chasing the Artificial Human.
The radiation storm never ceased. Surprisingly, even though the StarCloud Hound had moved away from Pearl, its consciousness remained uneroded, and instead showing a trend of gradually sharpening clarity.
Within just a few days, large patches of the filthy black mycelium covering its body had faded away, revealing another half that was nearly pale white in color, making it look like a failed half-finished product of dyeing.
The StarCloud Hound didn’t care about its appearance, and clearly, these autonomously fading mycelia didn’t either. They only quivered in the wind and sand while doing their best to capture the scent of the small Artificial Human, then tastelessly devoured the dead Rat Swarm Beasts completely with the mycelia.
After the prey in this area was cleared out, the StarCloud Hound followed the guidance of the mycelia, continuing to trail far behind in the direction Pearl had been taken.
After several instances of devouring Beasts, its body… seemed to have grown even larger.
Light-years away, things were far from peaceful on the Imperial Star of Narga.
The Narga People presiding over the high-level meeting gathered together and arguing over various issues related to the current Beast trial grounds—
Why did Ega insist on going to the area where Hui was located after the system warning?
What caused the two high-ranking Narga, who nearly killed each other, to cease fighting? Who was that pale youth who accidentally appeared in the camera frame? Why was he there?
Why did they destroy the Observation Sphere? What did Hui and Ega say before destroying it?
…
One question after another was listed on the light screen, awaiting answers. Survivor, as a high-level intelligence, was also invited to attend.
Amid the noisy meeting, Survivor did not speak directly, instead replaying the remaining footage from Observation Sphere No. 8. He meticulously examined every frame from the moment the youth first appeared until the final scene destroyed by Hui and Ega.
"Survivor, what are your thoughts?"
A high-ranking official interrupted his contemplation.
Survivor—the first-generation high-level intelligence—blinked slowly, merely to better mimic the habits of humanoid beings.
He did not answer, only posed a question:
"What holds the greatest attraction for high-ranking Narga People?"
Others immediately responded—
"Combat! Violence! The honor of slaying Beasts!"
"A method to suppress Frenzy Syndrome!"
"It’s the Hive Will!"
One of the high-ranking officials suddenly realized and solemnly spoke the answer that had been absent for centuries, "It’s the Mother Insect."
Survivor nodded. "Who can pacify two high-ranking Narga who have lost control and are fighting due to Frenzy?"
The meeting room fell silent for a moment. The official who had first addressed Survivor murmured, "Only the Mother Insect… only our… King possesses such ability."
"Then," Survivor continued, "under what circumstances would Narga People instinctively unleash their strongest possessive desires?"
Such as destroying the Observation Sphere to prevent any third-party observation.
The high-ranking official replied, "N-naturally, when the Mother Insect appears."
As these words were spoken, the room fell into complete silence.
So, that pale, fragile, beautiful youth in the camera frame—devoid of hive markings, hive wings, or a tail hook, looking as if he would shatter at a touch—was the Mother Insect of their Narga Hivemind Imperium, who had been missing for over four hundred years? Was he their newly emerged King?
At this moment, forget about how radiation storms prevent starships from approaching the irradiated wasteland, forget about whether intervention in the trial grounds below is possible at this time. Perhaps it wasn't originally possible, but all "impossibilities" can become "possible" when facing the newly born King! It must and has to be possible!
Every Narga person knows and will never forget the importance of the Mother Insect!
"Hurry!!"
A seemingly mature and steady high-ranking official smashed a mineral tabletop with hardness exceeding level 8, shouting loudly, "Dispatch warships immediately to retrieve the King! If stellar-class starships won't work, send galactic-class! If galactic-class won't work, then deploy titan-class! No matter what method we use, we must bring the King back!"
"Galactic-class warships can only withstand the radiation storm for ten minutes - the timing is too tight!"
"...But deploying titan-class warships requires prior application to the Star Alliance."
The high-ranking official: "Then apply now! Submit an urgent application!"
This is the Mother Insect their Narga race has lost for over four hundred years!
Not a single moment can be wasted! What's the big deal about applying for a titan-class warship? Their Narga aren't lacking in resources!
Another high-ranking official said: "First cut off the live broadcast from the observation spheres and immediately have the observation spheres contact Olovikin and Xagai. Whoever is conscious among them should head to the northern sector - we must ensure the King's safety!"
"What about those who aren't conscious?"
"What can we do? Send others! Our Narga aren't short on high-level members either!"
The command had just been issued when starships at the periphery of the Imperial Star already began activating, preparing to advance toward the irradiated wasteland to welcome the Narga's treasure.
—Their supreme Mother Insect, the Narga Empire's only King.
The conference room quickly emptied, leaving only the Survivor standing in place.
His gaze swept over the list of names of today's meeting participants.
Every single one was a leader of the protector faction after the Narga Empire's rebellion, conservatives who had been waiting and anticipating the Mother Insect's return. But those high-level Narga who had entered the Beast trial grounds this time...
Were not so obedient.
The stronger ones always tend to be more unpredictable.
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