Gela overslept for the first time in memory; even the built-in reminder of his information connector failed to rouse his exhausted body.
The male insect clung tightly to his partner, his tail coiled around the other’s body. As Sakedi rose, Gela let out an indistinct, low murmur, his body unconsciously trembling and tightening where they brushed against each other.
“I have to go.”
The Core Species leaned down, pressing a very light kiss upon the male, his fingers twining a few times around a slender braid of hair.
“I truly must go.”
On the way back to the nest the previous day, they had discussed Clark’s attitude. The Sub-King was quite passionate about the war; he was the type who would never leave a map half-conquered if it could be finished in a single wave before dawn. This forced Sakedi to accelerate his own pace accordingly.
He had promised to bring his life to the negotiating table; he couldn't very well stay behind to live a life of leisure in the nesting zone while the other had already set out.
Before the male even opened his eyes, he had already gripped Sakedi’s hand tightly.
“Can you rub my head?”
Gela spoke in a small voice, his tone still carrying the traces of lethargy and bliss, though it quickly dimmed at the prospect of the impending separation.
“Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
The Core Species sat by the edge of the nest, gently pressing his palm against the side of the other’s cheek, immediately receiving a lingering, affectionate nuzzle in return.
He had been quite mindful of his limits and hadn't actually done anything truly "bad" or final, yet the male was still shivering incessantly from the stimulation. Even in sleep, his tail would occasionally twitch with minor spasms.
“It felt very good.”
Attempting to bury his entire body into the fluffy blanket, every inch of the white insect’s exposed skin—including his tail hook and scales—was flushed with a faint red.
After seemingly taking a few seconds to regain his composure, Gela took a deep breath, pulled his head out from the blanket, and held Sakedi’s hand, saying seriously, “Let’s try it more often.”
“...”
Good. This was the Gela he knew.
Simultaneously timid yet filled with curiosity and a readiness to try.
Sakedi couldn't help but let out a laugh. Consequently, the male in front of him turned from a faint pink to a deep crimson, his weak tail slapping Sakedi twice.
“Don’t laugh... I’ll, I’ll study harder.”
*There’s no need to study more; I’m already reaching my limit.*
The Core Species picked up the male along with the small blanket, holding him close for another brief moment of intimacy.
“Alright. I’ll finish my business as quickly as possible and come back to inspect the results of your studies.”
“I’ll go prepare some honeydew and exotic beast pincers. You can sleep a bit longer and eat when you wake up.”
Holding Gela and patting him gently, Sakedi realized the power of the so-called "tender trap." Perhaps due to his missing memories, he could feel that his current mindset was closer to the casual, unrestrained nature of his youth rather than the rule-bound, duller disposition of his later years. It was as if those fervent, vivid years had returned to saturate his soul.
Yet, it wasn't entirely the same—in his youth, he had been more prickly and radical; he would never have possessed such gentle patience or such thorough, considerate affection.
“It’s okay. I want to see you off.”
Just as Gela would always go to the docking rails to be the first to welcome his partner whenever he went to war or returned to the nest, this time, Gela wanted to watch him depart.
And so, after finishing breakfast together in their small, cozy nest, they arrived at the ship’s boarding gate.
The silver-grey Sub-King, already fully prepared, was waiting there, speaking in low tones to the leader of the Armed Species.
“Understood.”
The tall, dark-grey female insect was concise, accepting the orders in full.
“You may arrange the shift changes as you see fit, but the habitat sector must be guarded by the Armed Species at all times.”
Grey eyes looked toward the other. The Sub-King’s voice was devoid of any fluctuation; compared to when they first met, he had become even more inscrutable and difficult to read.
“Sakedi and I are drawing away the majority of the fleet. As the final line of defense, you must treat any sudden situation with caution.”
“Contact us at the necessary moment. I believe deep-space communications have been restored.”
“Understood.”
Kleiman’s tail flicked behind him, though his face maintained his cold, professional persona perfectly.
“I wish you a swift return to the nest with victory.”
“So serious.”
The sight of the tail-flicking guy with such a stiff, solemn expression made Sakedi want to tease him. However, the moment his hand reached out, the other instantly retracted his scaled tail and turned to stare warily at the black female insect.
“What are you trying to do?”
The Armed Species leader’s entire body radiated the sentiment of "don't even think about touching me." Clark looked over along with him; the two insects were highly synchronized, their movements perfectly aligned.
The power of an idol was truly something else.
“Hello, Roxanne.”
The silver-grey Sub-King greeted Gela first before turning his gaze to Sakedi.
“It’s about time.”
“I have a few more things.”
Both the Core Species and the white male insect entered their professional work states. Sakedi turned to Kleiman, dropping his joking tone. “Dispatch more Grey-wings to conduct a search of the Broad-wing habitat sector. I’m not at ease.”
He had previously submitted the report on the hybrid exotic beasts to Clark, but they hadn't had the chance to discuss it in detail before falling into the self-verification turmoil. He could only emphasize it once more to the Armed Species leader who was taking over the management of the Broad-wing planet.
“You’ve seen those new breeds of insects. I will not allow a single one of those things to crawl to the surface or live to adulthood.”
“Understood.”
Unlike his failed interpersonal relationships where he would bristle the moment he approached a male, Kleiman was always highly efficient when handling work.
“I have already arranged for the garrison to conduct a one-by-one screening. We will purge all potential incubation nests again.”
“The new construction diagrams will be sent to your information connectors shortly.”
Gela took up the topic: “The small information nests belonging to the Broad-wing tribe have been reconnected to the Great Information Nest. The latest data has completed its synchronized update. I will compile a detailed file to narrow the search range and avoid any omissions.”
“The small information nests of the Pedipalp Species are currently disconnected. I have distributed the relatively recent information I could find to you.”
He said this last part to Clark, who returned a gentle smile.
“These are versions from before the Grey-wing tribe’s schism war. There may be discrepancies with the actual situation; you will need to judge for yourselves based on the battlefield conditions.”
“Thank you, Roxanne. This is a great help to us.”
The Sub-King watched him, looking thoughtful.
“I heard you have completely unlocked the permissions for the Great Information Nest. I wonder, do you intend to...”
“I will not open the path.”
The male insect answered decisively. It was as if they were speaking in riddles. “That is not a good thing. I would rather all insects stay far away from it.”
“A very rational choice.”
Clark asked no further, leaving the other an appropriate amount of space.
“We are direct descendants of the former King Insects, the group with the highest hope of becoming the next King. To some extent, we can always vaguely touch the edges of the truth. I imagine only an unrefined fellow like Kelisha would truly believe that the King Insect ruins are something good. Or perhaps he knows, but simply doesn't care, being in a hurry to grasp the same means of control for himself.”
“I am glad you did not make the same choice.”
“That won't happen.”
Gela looked at him very seriously. “I merely use all the information nests as deep-space communication base stations and databases. All the insects enjoy working there, and I enjoy our current life.”
Therefore, he had no intention of pulling a Kelisha-style crazed stunt, even if the Nest itself was willing to unlock more for him.
In fact, after the Great Information Nest had been "shoveled" into the silver-grey female’s star sector by the Red Tai-sui, the number of insects engaged in related work was gradually increasing.
In addition to a large number of males, a portion of sub-adult or elderly females had also sought corresponding positions within it. Some females who were originally responsible for nest management had even joined halfway through.
At the beginning, these females had looked down their noses at the frail males.
So, Gela had his guards throw out every single defiant troublemaker.
The two brothers, En and Enna, who had been personally trained by Kleiman, seemed to be developing in a miraculous direction.
Ferocious, savage, and ruthless, they coordinated flawlessly, yet they became very clingy toward their companions and the males.
Enna, as a Middle Species, already had the physique of an adult female. His brother, En, had also grown significantly larger; due to frantic eating and training, he had shot up to be nearly as robust as Gela.
En was different from other males.
He did not seek a mate, nor did he care for reproduction. He was unwilling to kneel before any female for any reason; his mind held only the thoughts of becoming stronger and protecting the tribe.
When acting with his brother, En was always the one making the commands and judgments. But upon returning to the Great Information Nest, he would instantly turn into an oversized larva who loved to stick close to a large group of males and chirp coquettishly.
To this, Gela would smile and rub his head.
“Do what you want to do.”
He could roughly understand why Sakedi had broken protocol to throw a male into the training grounds back then—En, who had seemed ignorant and unable to even speak the common tongue, had displayed a fierce and determined vitality like wild grass. He was confident and ferocious, rarely falling into confusion, which was exactly what most males lacked.
This was a very, very good thing.
His partner had casually scattered many seeds; some were still sleeping in the soil, while others had already broken through the earth and sprouted new shoots.
Since arriving at the Energy Star, Gela had witnessed almost every development.
Selin, Xiao, the Short-wing tribe, Kata, En and Enna, and later Kleiman, Clark, and all the Armed Species... originally, two lonely black sheep had walked a difficult and muddy road, but now they had a flock of black sheep.
Similar souls attract one another. Thus, Kelisha could reach a consensus of partition and invasion with the Sub-Kings of the Broad-wing and Pedipalp Species, while Sakedi found more and more companions gathering by his side.
“You look so happy.”
The black Core Species didn't know what his partner was thinking, but it didn't stop him from understanding that the other was in a very good mood.
He reached out to rub Gela’s head and twined his tail with the other’s.
“Though I’d love to stay a while longer, I really must go.”
“Don’t get hurt. Come back early.”
Compared to Kleiman’s overly formal and written-style expression from moments ago, the parting blessing given by the male was far too plain, like any ordinary household greeting.
But these were his most sincere words.
“I’ll wait for you to come back,” Gela said softly.
He tilted his head up and kissed his partner once more.
