Since the black core species took over Angon, the first regulation he enacted was the abolition of sacrificial matches.
This news sent the residents of Ja into a flurry of hushed discussion.
Most of the insects felt a sense of "as expected" or "it was only a matter of time."
Long before he had challenged Katla, he had frequently engaged in maneuvers of marginal control. Every time he faced another core species, he adhered to the principle of disarming without killing, and accepting surrender without slaughter. He would rouse the audience's fervor only to kick it back down.
Unlike the high-tier species who listened to rumors of the Great Sacrificial Arena as if they were storybooks, the insects living in primitive, backward environments held a fanatical attitude toward Angon. They followed their instincts to obey the new victor, yet their attitude toward Sarkadi was vastly different from how they had treated his predecessors.
In the past, every time a core species spared an opponent, the audience would collectively erupt in hissing curses.
Now that he had announced the abolition of the sacrificial matches, the insects merely wore resigned expressions that said, "Ah, see, I knew it."
It took the short-wing species and the other administrators three days to complete the inventory of all information within Angon.
Sarkadi treated Clark’s instruction to "clean up the newly acquired Great Sacrificial Arena" as a mandate to do whatever he pleased, wielding the minor authority like a divine decree.
The black core species, having returned from the warship, appeared profound and inscrutable. No insect other than Gera knew what had been discussed on the ship, so everyone defaulted to the assumption that the owner of the Energy Star had recognized the new victor.
After Sarkadi received the asset manifest, he flipped through it several times.
"Clark really isn't short on money," was his final conclusion.
If Clark could afford to provide such a massive amount of energy stones to support a bug who was clearly missing a few brain cells, then his casual gift of a room full of honeydew suddenly became understandable.
Previously, Sarkadi had thought the man was being sarcastic.
Thus, Sarkadi quickly summoned Kai—the "chosen" worker bug whose entire body was practically screaming the words "I want to die"—and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
After several days of being exploited, Kai looked just like the short-wing species, having joined the "death-by-overwork" squad.
When the core species handed him an optical screen filled with a list of materials, Kai’s expression looked as if he might faint at any moment.
"You need more physical exercise," the black core species said earnestly, pointing toward the male and short-wing bugs huddled together at the base of Angon. "Even Gera persists with his training every day."
As soon as Sarkadi had crawled out of his nest and his legs had regained enough freedom to obey his commands, he had demonically reinstated his full fitness regimen and study schedule.
"Looking like this, I can't feel at ease entrusting you with more important work."
Kai let out a feeble hiss in a ghostly voice. It was likely the bug equivalent of "Yes, boss," or "No problem, boss."
"May I ask what you intend to do with these things?" The mid-tier bug wiped his face haphazardly, trying to make himself look more alert. "The items you want aren't easy to acquire. If the high-tier clans managing the Energy Star find out..."
"I will explain it to them."
Sarkadi looked at him with a half-smile, cutting off his excuses. "And strictly speaking, these things don't violate the Energy Star's regulations, do they? You have your black market channels. How I modify them once they're here is my business."
"It's mainly that the quantity you require is too large. It could easily alert the combat species," Kai said, still worried.
"And this line about 'purchasing all members of defeated clans'..." He seemed deathly conflicted, hesitating several times. "Even Katla—I mean, that loser—would have found it difficult to swallow such a large volume of merchandise. Usually, only energy mining zones require that many insects."
"They will be useful later." The black-hearted female bug smiled, an expression that told Kai nothing good was coming.
"Angon won't have sacrificial matches anymore, and there likely won't be many opportunities for challenge matches either."
"However, I still need to... acquire all the defeated clans sold to Ja."
"They are not merchandise."
Kai blinked. "Huh?"
He wore an expression that suggested his auditory system had captured the words, but his brain had yet to process them.
"Haven't the residents of Ja grown tired of seeing the same thing every day?" the core species said in a persuasive, earnest tone, his face practically saying, *Your vision is too small; you're not cut out for making money.*
"This is why Katla failed. There are clearly so many new tricks to play with, yet he watched the same sacrificial matches every day. It's boring."
"The high-tier species are scurrying all over the star system, yet Ja is still stuck in the age of cold weapons, where everyone wakes up just to tear at each other."
"We need to upgrade Angon's facilities at the right time to bring a little fresh spiritual and entertainment shock to the Energy Star."
"Is this massive list of weapons also part of the 'spiritual entertainment'?" Kai asked dryly, his wings nearly sparking from his unease.
"Yes, exactly."
Unceremoniously crushing the other's hope, Sarkadi nudged him toward the door.
"If there are any problems, I will communicate with the high-tier clans. Remember to report the accounts to the short-wing species. If you miss a single entry, I'll hang you outside Angon to dry your wings for a whole day."
***
Gera had been spending his time with the short-wing species lately.
The male bug named Xiao had woken up, but he remained silent, merely huddling in a corner. He was even terrified of Serim’s approach; the presence of any female bug triggered a defensive reaction.
The deep brown short-wing bug looked anxious and haggard. His wings had lost their luster due to lack of care, and his entire being was a mess.
After watching the distracted fellow stare blankly at an energy stone manifest for half the day, Sarkadi finally lost his patience and sent him off to rest, then summoned the white male bug to the ship.
Gera understood the situation quickly.
He found Xiao in a corner of the nest chamber and immediately closed the door. A membrane-like seal covered the small nest, creating a safe space intended only for male bugs.
Sarkadi watched from a distance, catching a glimpse of the two male bugs huddling together before the door sealed shut.
Gera approached the light brown male bug, who shared a similar coloration to Serim. He emitted a soft, gentle hum and picked up the terrified, dazed creature.
Both were sub-adult males, but the effects of the core species' recent frantic feeding and training were now evident.
The white one was significantly larger than the brown one. Although he was still a head shorter than Sarkadi, he possessed a very healthy physique for a male bug.
This filled the core species with a sense of gratification, a sudden surge of "fatherly sentiment."
Xiao’s exposed wounds had been fully treated, but his state remained dire; he seemed incapable of expressing any emotion other than fear toward the outside world.
When held, he only let out a faint, whimpering sound of supplication.
Invisible white threads wound around the light brown male bug. Gera almost instantly tasted the overwhelming flavor of terror. He pressed close to offer gentle comfort, his mental feelers sweeping away and smoothing out the fright. Like the closest of clutch-brothers, he used his slender tongue to lick the stumps of the other's wings.
There should have been a pair of small, beautiful wings there, but now only coarse scars remained.
The short-wing species were not fast flyers and lacked combat power, but their wings were delicate and beautiful.
Wings were regenerative organs, yet the conditions for regeneration were extremely strict, usually only achievable by growing new wings through a second pupation.
For most insects incapable of a second pupation, this was essentially an impossible feat that existed only in theory.
Their posture was primitive, like beasts licking the wounds of their kin.
Gera rarely displayed a side that fully conformed to his own biological habits in front of the black female bug. Initially, he had been afraid because the other disliked the insect race, and out of fear of being beaten or sold, he had worked hard to adopt a pleasing posture and mimic human behavior as much as possible.
Later, he discovered that Sarkadi was actually very gentle—much, much better than any female bug he had ever seen—and so he wanted to become the "human" that the other liked.
But true nature was written into the genes of every insect. The greater his longing became, the darker and more fractured his instincts felt.
Standing with the core species, he was like an insect draped in human skin, while the other was a human encased in an insect's shell.
Two stray black sheep had formed a new flock.
And in the future, they would have a clan of their own.
Xiao’s body was cold; male bugs were much softer and more fragile than females.
The other trembled finely, curling up in his companion's embrace. A warm tongue licked away the residual blood, suckling at the base of the broken wings.
In a close-knit clan, if any member was injured during hunting or defensive combat, brothers from the same nest would huddle together like this—touching tails, rubbing wings, and licking each other's wounds.
Insects were social creatures. They were more brutal than any other species when fighting, but during periods of stability, they loved to huddle together in the nest.
This was something Gera had never experienced in his own clan.
Thus, his movements toward Xiao were incredibly tender.
Like coaxing open a curled-up pill bug, he used a low, background-like hum to ease the other's unease, nudging the small male until he let out soft whimpers. Mental threads wove into a soft spiderweb, cradling the other's nearly shattered consciousness.
Most of the time, Gera’s way of thinking was entirely different from a human's. He followed the most basic principles of utility and, like most of the insect race, lacked abundant empathy or compassion.
Toward strange insects, even other males, he would usually only fear their fate, unable to challenge the strong to save the weak as the black core species did.
But the short-wing species had been taken under Sarkadi’s protection; they had become their companions. Therefore, he would do his best to protect their males with the mindset of guarding the clan.
Xiao’s forelimbs clung to him, his hollow pupils finally gathering a sliver of focus as he instinctively leaned into the scent that made him feel safe.
The white figure whispered low comforts, allowing the small sub-adult in his arms to gradually relax.
Xiao clicked and chirped, letting out intermittent, sob-like hums.
Gera’s scaled tail pressed tight against him, his mutated forelimbs encircling him, the breathing lines at his abdomen vibrating slightly.
He coaxed the light brown male bug for a long, long time.
Until the other was no longer filled with terror and fell into a deep sleep.
When he carried the sleeping Xiao back to the nest and left the chamber, he found the black core species still standing not far away, arms crossed, still waiting.
Gera felt a surge of happiness at this small discovery.
"How is he?"
Sarkadi raised an eyebrow, his posture unchanged.
But Gera knew he was worried.
"He's asleep," Gera hummed softly, returning a smile that smoothed the frown from the other's brow.
"Don't worry. It will get better."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 肖 | Xiao | The name of the traumatized light brown male bug. |
| 恺 | Kai | The name of the mid-tier "worker" bug assistant. |
| 精神触须 | Mental feelers / Mental threads | Psychic appendages used by core species for sensory or emotional manipulation. |
| 呼吸线 | Breathing lines | Biological structures on the insect's abdomen used for respiration. |
| 鳞尾 | Scaled tail | A physical feature of certain high-tier bugs. |
