“There has never been such a precedent.”
The silver-grey high-rank insect looked over the proposal line by line, his expression devoid of any superfluous emotion. “I do not believe such a plan can be successfully implemented.”
“The initial investment for the series of measures you’ve listed is too great, and there will be no significant returns in the short term. Do I look like a philanthropist to you?”
“Someone has to be the first to set a precedent.”
Sakti sat down across from him. He had temporarily taken on the role of the reporter. Having failed to reach a consensus with the Sub-Queen before him on how to manage the new territories, he had begun to employ his skills in spinning grand visions and persuasive rhetoric.
“The current situation is quite unstable. Initially, there were twenty Core Gene Clans after the Great Split; now, barely ten remain—and in two days, there might only be eight.”
“Throughout so many Great Cycles, the high-rank clans have done nothing productive, fighting each other to the death instead.”
“Your proposal will only increase the burden on the Grey-wing Clan.”
Clark tapped the report against the table unceremoniously, exposing the other’s intention to fleece him. “Do humans expend great effort building colonies? No, humans only load the indigenous people of those colonies onto transport ships and drive cheap slaves into plantations.”
“I do not believe a ruler acts out of benevolence, spreading civilization and enlightenment to the ruled. Excessive thought and comfort only breed rebellion.”
*Fine,* the Core Seed thought. He had forgotten that the person in front of him was a genuine expert in anthropology.
“Sometimes, I really want to punch you.”
Sakti let out a deep sigh. Since the appearance of the Red Tai Sui, he had begun to partially reveal his true nature—the other would have to get used to it eventually, anyway—and he no longer avoided clashing with the female insect before him.
“If you only want to maintain your grip on the Grey-wing Clan forever, then what you’re doing is perfectly fine.”
Sakti’s gold-brown eyes met Clark’s. “But I want more.”
This was the first time he had spoken so bluntly.
“I want all the remaining Core Gene Clans.”
“I want to knead this fragmented camp into a single whole—don’t misunderstand, I have no interest in challenging your status as a Sub-Queen. Short-wings, Broad-wings, Leg-limbs, Mandibles... all of them. If we take them all into our grasp, they will no longer be the colonized, but members of our clan.”
He wasn't afraid of Clark getting up to hit him; he was even prepared to bolt at a moment's notice.
“Unilateral exploitation only leads to the depletion of resources. Since the era of the Great Queen, the swarm has been in a state of constant migration, devouring one star system before rushing to the next. I need a long-term, stable society. I need money and energy to flow. I need a living environment that can be self-sufficient without relying on plunder.”
He looked at his equally unconventional collaborator.
“I need to put an end to this incessant strife.”
“Do you also need me to step down from my throne and clear a path for you?”
The silver-grey female insect almost laughed out of anger, his fingers drumming on the table. However, his appearance had not entered an alienated state, and his pheromones were tightly retracted, indicating that his true emotions were not as sharp as his biting words.
“Why don't you just blow up the Milky Way to satisfy your desires?”
“You’ve only just entered adulthood by one Great Cycle, yet you already need the entire universe. I really should pluck two stars and give them to you as a coming-of-age gift.”
“...”
It wasn't an illusion; while his boss worked him to the bone, he did indeed view Sakti with the mindset of someone looking after a newly matured cub.
Sakti, carrying the memories of two lifetimes, felt like he was about to crack. After meeting the Red Tai Sui, he suddenly couldn't righteously claim to be a dozen years older than Clark... If the age from his previous life didn't count or couldn't be added... the psychological gap of an older brother suddenly becoming a younger brother was painful. He refused to accept it.
“Struck dumb?”
The still-irritated female insect lifted his pale grey eyes to look at him, his wings and tail-whip hanging naturally behind him.
“If you dared to say those same words to any other Sub-Queen, they would view it as the gravest provocation and twist your head off on the spot.”
“Oh, I forgot...”
That gentle tone carried a soft, subtle mockery—the most annoying hallmark of a typical high-rank insect.
“You are full of confidence. You dared to challenge Katra just after reaching maturity; why would you fear a mere few Sub-Queens?”
“Shall I award you a medal, Victor of Angon?”
“It’s because I’m talking to you,” Sakti sighed.
When they first met, he had once desperately wanted to peel off the human skin this high-rank insect wore, but now he was thick-skinned enough to accept all the sarcasm with grace.
“If it were any other insect from the Core Gene Clans, I wouldn't mention these things at all.”
“I’m honored?” The female insect opposite him smiled warmly, but the Core Seed was certain there were knives hidden beneath that smile. “I am very pleased that you are willing to make a declaration of usurpation to my face.”
“It’s not usurpation.”
Sakti leaned in a bit closer, his black tail-whip swaying behind him. A cat’s tail and the cat itself were two entirely different creatures; the same applied to insects.
Clark didn't look at the distracting thing; he even moved back slightly because of the proximity. Lately, he had become allergic to any close contact.
“It’s mutual prosperity.”
Struggling to maintain a sincere expression, Sakti pointed to the star map suspended above them. “Not just the third and fourth quadrants; the other quadrants are also wealthy.”
“We don't necessarily have to use war. We can use other methods. The Mandible and Flash-stripe clans have already contacted us proactively. It’s hard to find a better time than this.”
“I don't believe you aren't tempted.”
He certainly was.
“Only little grubs make choices; adult insects want it all.”
The Leg-limbs and Broad-wings really couldn't hold out much longer. Krisha had taken half of the Grey-wings and allied with two neighbors, yet they still hadn't managed to strangle the war-maniac who had initiated the deathmatch.
Now that Krisha was gone, the Grey-wing Clan was unified once more. It was exactly the time when they needed to replenish the resources consumed previously through plunder. They were as ferocious as could be, chasing those two unlucky clans who had once tried to take advantage of them, devouring them as if they were some sort of potent tonic.
Under the habit of sustaining war through war, only the defeated party suffered. The enemy's habitat in the fourth quadrant had shrunk by more than half.
It was foreseeable that once the fourth quadrant was completely taken, such an unscrupulous approach would cause an uproar among all the remaining Core Gene Clans. This species was far from stable after the split and the adoption of a new social structure. Suddenly, a group of bandits had emerged out of nowhere, eating voraciously and fighting brutally; the other insects would only feel threatened.
Three against seven—the odds weren't high enough.
The real reason Sakti had decided to lay his cards on the table was the communication recently sent by the Mandible and Flash-stripe clans. These two clans had tentatively extended an intent for cooperation, talking in circles to figure out just how far the "crazy" Grey-wings intended to go.
During the era of the Great Queen, the Flash-stripe Clan had always been responsible for reconnaissance, sentry duties, and information gathering due to their excellent mimicry and camouflaged appearance.
As for the black female insect, he was truly salivating over the Mandible Clan—this group was extremely skilled in construction and engineering. Almost all the renovations of old houses, the establishment of production lines, and the excavation of underground spaces on the energy planet had been led by those few Mandible insects who had accidentally ended up on Ja.
Back then, the female insects under his command only knew the most basic and primitive types of construction, though they learned new knowledge quickly. In comparison, just thinking about what the direct descendants who held the technical keys could achieve made Sakti want to laugh out loud; it was as if a multitude of steel fortresses were waving at him.
He had already automatically assigned dozens of Great Cycles' worth of work to them in his mind.
The swarm had once splintered in the hands of his other self; now, he wanted to use his own hands to knead this chaotic mess back into a single ball. No matter how he looked at it, this was a reasonable request.
Perhaps his eager expression was too hypocritical, as the silver-grey female insect studied him for a long while.
“You really are greedy,” the other remarked with genuine sincerity. “But aren't you going to talk to Roxanne?”
Pale grey eyes swept over the Core Seed thoughtfully, asking with pointed intent.
“From the perspective of a Sub-Queen, I will not refuse a cooperation invitation that is clearly beneficial to my clan. But for Roxanne, this is likely not something he can accept happily.”
“Your face is currently written all over with ambition and desire. I thought you would care more about your partner's feelings.”
Sakti: “???”
He slowly processed the three question marks in his mind, not understanding what the other was talking about. “What do you mean?” he asked.
As a result, Clark looked at him for an even longer period, a touch of realization appearing in his gentle expression.
“He didn't tell you.”
The high-rank insect’s tone was certain, the tips of his fingers joined together. “He never fully mentioned his brothers and kin to you, which is why you don't even understand his clan.”
“When we first met, I believe I mentioned that among the high-rank clans I know of, only one clan has produced male offspring with genetic defects.”
“That is why I was able to call out the name of that abandoned male insect.”
The female insect showed a hint of mockery. “Of course, such a practice seems utterly absurd to me... If nurturers can so easily discard or kill their own young, it only proves they are short-sighted and cowardly by nature, completely lacking the tolerance to handle risks.”
“So, I have no deep friendship with the Flash-stripe Clan.”
This was the arrogance belonging to a truly powerful, direct-line high-rank insect. Innate and saturated with contempt.
“They are stupid.”
Sakti finally understood what he meant.
Whenever Gera spoke of his past, he always fell into a state of melancholy. Although the male insect hid his abnormality well, Sakti could still feel that the experience of being abandoned had become a thorn in his partner's heart that was difficult to remove, still drawing blood to this day.
It was for this reason that he never induced Gera to speak explicitly about the bastard clan that had left him on Kamran without a second thought. That was almost the beginning of the male insect falling from one misery into another.
Spending a long time alone on a silent, empty planet, and then being captured by a raiding ship—all of this was because the other's nurturers were cold and perfectly aligned with the nature of the Zerg.
However, not every insect would abandon their offspring.
After losing her own grub, Kata had saved Xiao at the cost of her life. The Short-wings were nearly bitten to death by Katra, yet they still bowed their bodies at the first opportunity to beg him to save the surviving sub-adult males. Clark hadn't managed to save his partner and larva, but he had insisted on raising Arthur, who was human.
Albinism and genetic defects were not Gera's fault. He just had a bit of bad luck, drawing the worst lot prepared by fate, and then being born into such a clan.
“Restrain your emotions.”
The Sub-Queen opposite him spoke again. “Although you control your expression well, I must remind you—your alienation characteristics are showing.”
Two pairs of golden eyes looked over at the sound. Sakti gave the silver-grey high-rank insect a small smile.
“Sorry, I’m not quite used to physical management yet. The alienated state sometimes has a mind of its own, just like our tails.”
It was a polite smile, but his pupils had elongated vertically, like thin slits.
“I will talk to Roxanne.”
He stood up, his expression remaining calm from beginning to end.
“Please give me some time,” Sakti said.
***
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Sacre-D: Reborn as the Swarm's Apex | Chapter 92 | Ambition and Old Wounds | Novela.app | Novela.app
