“After speaking, he quietly awaited Rei’s next command.”

"After speaking, he quietly awaited Rei's next command."

"This was Darian Shelton, who had wielded great power among the insectoids before Rei's reign, known in the Alliance as 'the insectoid most like a human in thought and emotion.'"

"His appearance was closer to interstellar human aesthetics than typical insectoids."

"—Though not appreciated by insectoids, who valued ultimate strength, Darian's appearance was often criticized: 'How could he possibly be a consort to the queen?'"

"Rei, however, was not displeased by his appearance, which was unlike the types she disliked, and did not bring back unpleasant memories."

"Rei made the switch to avoid any potential slip-ups from Gaia’s unpredictable nature, which might lead to an inadvertent outburst in public."

"Perhaps under Rei’s formidable presence, the insectoids wouldn’t probe too deeply into the truth, but she didn’t want to expose any potential weaknesses or disadvantages that could raise suspicions."

"Was it still possible to change the personality type of the artificial intelligence now? Rei pondered this casually."

"Rei reopened the book, carefully feeling the text, which conveyed an almost imperceptible relief sensation. The words were indecipherable, but her intuition warned her it might be a dangerous object."

"Like a lure for some kind of entity."

"Gaia, following Rei’s actions, scanned the book’s content but ended up with a conclusion no different from Carissa’s."

"'Your Majesty,' Gaia suddenly asked, childishly puzzled, 'Why not kill Darian?'"

"Even Gaia could perceive the murderous intent Rei had openly shown."

"Rei nonchalantly replied, 'Darian and Carissa have some similarities. One is a fierce-looking but meek sheep inside, and the other a seemingly harmless but venomous snake. Isn’t it interesting to keep both?'"

"'Transmit all the data about the abandoned stars to me,' Rei requested."

"'Yes.' Gaia completed Rei’s command in 0.02 seconds. The semi-transparent screen displayed thousands of three-dimensional planets, each clickable for corresponding information."

"Rei patiently and attentively searched for a while, eventually marking a few that resembled the abandoned star she had previously inhabited."

"After comparing and eliminating based on minute details, Rei focused on the remaining planet."

"Planet Name: [Unnamed]"

"Location: Border area of the barrier between the seventh and eighth galaxies"

"Classification: Low-grade"

"Erosion Rate: 89.77%"

"Note: A planet of no research value, with an unusual location and lacking satellite imagery, exploration not recommended."

"'No wonder,' Rei murmured to herself."

"Such a high rate of alien species erosion and the planet’s odd geographical location, which escaped technological surveillance, allowed a group of insectoids to exploit it as an experimental base."

"Lately, Rei occasionally browsed high-clearance confidential files on her computer, gaining an understanding of the Monstrum insectoids’ behavior: overt and uncontrollable brutality, extreme devouring desire towards psychic insectoids, and prevalent no-queen theories internally."

"...Although the last point seems debatable. Otherwise, the insectoids' respectful demeanor after Rei fully transformed into the queen wouldn't make sense."

"After some thought, Rei decided to add the extermination of the Monstrum insectoids to her plan list."

-

"During the two-day journey, Rei spent most of her time absorbing knowledge and information through her computer, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of various insectoid armies, and researching the causes and exacerbation of the insectoid decline cycle."

"However, Carissa and the other insectoids faced a rather difficult situation."

"Levi, who Rei had included in the traveling list and whose range of movement was restricted, initially showed great enthusiasm. Despite the envy and mockery from other insectoids, his excitement was visibly apparent... although Rei seemed to have forgotten about him after boarding the starship."

"But now, Levi had fallen into a deep sleep, his left half charred like fragile black charcoal, emitting a sinister and ominous aura. His thin wings, usually concealed, now uncontrollably pierced through his clothing, revealing a dense fog-like skeletal structure on the left."

"Insectoids' thin wings appear delicate but are razor-sharp and indestructible, serving as powerful weapons."

"The entire resting area where Levi was located was now enveloped in darkness, with something eerily alive slowly writhing within."

"'We’ve checked the surveillance records,' Annas said, frowning. 'He didn't show any abnormal behavior, and there's nothing suspicious in his activity area. Could there be an alien seed hidden on the Sovereign?'"

"He paused, then denied his own hypothesis: 'No, that's impossible.'"

"Wherever the alien species go, nothing lives. But the most terrifying aspect isn't death or the endless spread of erosion. They are bizarre viruses from the beginning of the universe, lacking self-consciousness yet leading all life into the abyss of thought. They can hardly be called a life form, driven solely by erosion and destruction."

"The consumed beings remain conscious, forced to watch their bodies grotesquely twist and deform, enduring endless agony, becoming monsters completely opposite to their species. Sometimes, due to multiple consciousnesses, they lose control over their bodies, succumbing to ceaseless erosion."

"Ancient alien species were much more troublesome than their current state, having devolved over tens of thousands of years to be easily slain by insectoids, though occasionally there are exceptions."

"Especially when encountering alien species of commander level or higher."

"Wearing a specially made protective suit, Carissa gently took a sample from Levi's body before saying, 'No matter the source, we have been negligent. Seal the scene first, then inform Her Majesty…'"

"—!' Carissa suddenly stopped, noticing her right hand blackening and rotting at an alarming rate. She swiftly drew a blade with her other hand, decisively amputating her entire right arm, which fell and turned to ash upon hitting the ground."

"Even though the core was untouched, Carissa felt her consciousness being forcibly torn apart, as if her soul was being peeled from her body, momentarily forgetting her next move."

"'Carissa, retreat now!' Annas shouted, his voice snapping Carissa back to reality."

"But before leaving, she still glanced at Levi's body, which showed no changes."

"If this is truly an invasion of alien species, can they maintain such a stable, unchanged state?"

"What followed was a brief chaos."

"Rei had already sensed the subtle changes between regions when the emergency unfolded, and Gaia subsequently relayed the specifics to her."

"Rei listened intently for a while, gradually zoning out, idly snacking in between."

"Messages from the insectoids came through both her computer and from outside her door, clearly with news to report."

"Gaia, stuttering a bit due to Rei's indifferent attitude, tentatively asked, 'Your Majesty, aren’t you going to take a look?'"

"‘...Right.’ Rei slowly responded, glancing at the book she had tossed in the corner of her desk, deciding to take it with her."

"‘Your Majesty.’ Standing at the door was Derian, who began to explain the situation but stopped upon meeting Rei’s calm gaze, which seemed to see through everything, rendering words unnecessary."

"Thus, Derian swallowed his extra words, waiting for Rei’s command."

"‘Take me to see it,’ Rei said, her tone light and airy."

"‘Yes.’"

"The scent of the alien species in the air was unmistakable, obviating the need for Rei to discern further, almost like a glaring trap luring her in."

"They quickly reached their destination. The area centered around Levi's body was now cordoned off, guarded by high-ranking insectoids."

"Rei stopped at the cordon, noticing Carissa busily working despite her severed right arm, which had yet to regenerate, wrapped in a bandage turning slightly gray. Even in such a state, she continued to work."

"‘It was heavily damaged by our energy laser, and the situation is still within control. However, we’re still trying to understand the propagation pattern of this alien species. Levi’s consciousness might not return to normal,’ Derian said with a mix of guilt and remorse. ‘I apologize, Your Majesty. Such an incident should not have occurred on the Sovereign.’"

"With Derian's sincere admission of fault, the rest of the insectoids also conveyed similar emotions of 'unease' and 'self-reproach.'"

"Rei didn’t speak. She raised her hand, clenched it into a fist, and then slightly relaxed her grip, easing the constraints of her power on the starship."

"Suddenly, the entire space was engulfed in darkness for a moment, quickly returning to light."

"All insectoids present felt a slight, painful sensation, as if their thoughts were being pulled from their bodies. However, under Rei's intimidating power, these alien species lurking in the darkness ultimately didn’t dare to be too presumptuous."

"To be precise, it wasn’t that they didn’t dare; they couldn’t."

"Did you see that?" Rei's tone was flat, as if discussing something mundane, "The Sólyom had long been overrun by aberrants, and what you see now is its root system."

"But it was also a surprise for me, I triggered the aberrant's anchor point," Rei said, casually tossing a book onto the ground, which slowly sank as if into a swamp, then revealing its true form – countless pale hands, covered in bloodstains, emerging from the black mire, swaying and even striking each other, appearing somewhat comical.

"The Sólyom itself didn't have aberrants, but our cellular genes do, which is normal," Rei explained, "Under the natural suppression of racial genetics, they wouldn't normally take root, but it seems the mastermind has used aberrants as a controllable technology, quite interesting, isn't it?"