Chapter 19

Chapter 19

He's set to register for Dark Star Military School, but what about Maomao?

Should he take him along, right into the school?

This thought was immediately dismissed by Queqiu as impractical.

"Firstly, it's uncertain whether the school would even allow such a situation of bringing family along. Besides, being an Omega in this world, I'll surely be assigned to the Omega dormitory. It would be highly inconvenient to raise an Alpha cub in the Omega dorm."

"But I can't send Maomao away either. I promised him, no matter what, I wouldn't leave him behind."

Caught in a dilemma, Queqiu found himself in a quandary.

Sensing something, Maomao looked up at Queqiu with his innocent, childlike voice, "What's wrong, Mom?"

Queqiu frowned slightly, his clear eyes revealing a hint of helplessness.

"Ah..." He murmured in distress, "I don't know how to take you inside with me..."

Hearing this, Maomao instantly tensed up, clutching Queqiu's leg, his eyes brimming with tears, "No matter what, you can't leave me behind."

Queqiu tenderly stroked the little one's antennae, softening at heart.

Maomao then said, "Don't worry, Mom, I have a plan."

This sparked a glint of hope in Queqiu's eyes.

"Are you, are you afraid of caterpillars?" Maomao suddenly asked shyly, fiddling with his clothes, "I heard that Omegas are afraid of caterpillars."

Queqiu's mind conjured up images of caterpillars he had seen on Earth – their soft, green bodies and black spots. He always shooed them away from his leaves in disgust.

He shivered at the thought, feeling goosebumps form on his skin.

But facing the expectant gaze of the little one, the word "afraid" lingered on his lips but couldn't be spoken. His throat bobbed, and he managed to say, "I am afraid of other caterpillars, but Maomao is different, so I'm not afraid of Maomao."

Delighted by the affirmative response, Maomao’s antennae swayed with joy. He led Queqiu to a secluded spot, his large, silver-grey eyes cautiously scanning their surroundings, and whispered, "I'm glad you're not afraid of me, Mom. I'm different from those ugly caterpillars, I'll turn into a beautiful butterfly one day."

Queqiu was about to remark on this exaggeration, but suddenly, a flash of silver light enveloped Maomao. He instinctively closed his eyes and when he reopened them, Maomao had vanished.

Queqiu was taken aback, doubting his own eyes. He looked around, but the encircling walls and lack of corners made it impossible for a child to hide.

Had Maomao disappeared into thin air?!

As Queqiu was puzzled, a rustling sound came from below. He tuned his ears, looked down, and his eyes widened in astonishment, letting out a surprised "Huh!"

"Is this..."

Where Maomao had been standing, now only a pile of his clothes remained. Emerging from within was a small, silver-white, and somewhat translucent insect, sparkling like a crystal.

Queqiu instantly recognized Maomao's familiar antennae atop the insect's head. He tentatively called out "Maomao," and the antennae joyfully swayed from side to side.

Witnessing this signature movement unique to Maomao, Queqiu became certain it was indeed him. He quickly squatted down, gently scooped Maomao into his palm, and lifted him to eye level, meeting his little grey eyes.

“momo！”

What should have been meaningless sound effects, Queqiu distinctly heard as the words "Mom."

He was surprised by his discovery; could he actually understand Maomao's speech?

As he pondered this, Maomao "momo" murmured a few more times, softly pressing his worm-like face into Queqiu’s palm, snuggling affectionately.

Now, Queqiu was sure he could understand Maomao's speech.

The repeated "momo" probably meant that Maomao didn’t want to trouble his mother and could transform into a caterpillar to stay by her side, unnoticed by others.

Queqiu contemplated the reason behind his newfound understanding of Maomao's speech. Could it be because he had eaten Maomao's eggshell, he had unexpectedly gained the ability to communicate seamlessly with Maomao’s insect form?

Interestingly, although Queqiu generally feared caterpillars that could gnaw at his tender green leaves, he found Maomao in his palm not only non-threatening but rather adorable.

Hmm... how to describe it...

"Compared to a soft, sticky caterpillar, Maomao in this form is more like a small white dragon with a somewhat icy touch."

"Can other Alphas transform back into their beast form like you?" Queqiu gently stroked Maomao's back, curiously asking.

"If partial beast transformation like Anjielie's is already a sign of genetic illness, what about complete transformation like Maomao's?"

Maomao: "momo~"

"Other Alphas aren't as amazing as me; only I can revert to my beast form~ I'm such an incredible and unique Alpha cub, Mom, you should praise me~"

“momo～”

"When I grow up, I'll turn into a beautiful butterfly~"

Queqiu patted Maomao's tiny head and tucked him into his pocket. With his dilemma resolved, he stepped out from the corner and headed towards the military academy's entrance.

Before even getting close, Queqiu could see that the entrance of the Dark Star Military Academy was densely packed with people, like a sea of heads. Glancing around, the crowd was almost entirely composed of tall, strong Alphas with various animal traits.

They were impatient yet had to queue orderly. Surprisingly, each line, without exception, ended with a Beta.

Carefully observing, Queqiu noted the absence of Omegas amidst the bustling crowd.

His striking appearance made him stand out like a gem sparkling in the sunlight, quickly drawing attention from those around him.

Countless gazes, both overt and covert, fell upon Queqiu. Some were purely admiring, while others had ill intentions. Nonetheless, he remained unfazed, walking confidently to the enrollment desk at the school gate.

Nearby, an impatient lion Alpha, his golden mane frizzy with frustration, had just gruffly shooed away a Beta attempting to cut in line. Turning around, he faced another presumptuous "Beta," feeling his authority challenged, the Alpha bristled and blocked Queqiu's path.

"What are you looking at? Go to the back of the line. What can a Beta like you do besides looking good? You even dare to apply for the Dark Star Military Academy? You're like a toad wishing to eat swan meat, utterly ignorant of your own limits."

As the lion Alpha suddenly extended his hand, Queqiu's brows slightly furrowed. Maomao, nestled in the pocket, also became restless, bumping his antenna against the fabric as if wanting to headbutt the impolite, yelling Alpha.

Before Queqiu could respond, many others started to echo the lion Alpha's sentiments, making continuous remarks. Unlike the former's rage, these people's eyes were filled with mockery, seemingly eager to see this overly delicate-looking Beta fall into an embarrassing predicament.

"A Beta applying? If I'm not mistaken, no Beta has been admitted so far this year, right?"

"Exactly. You might as well not waste your effort. Even if you queue properly, it's futile. You won't get admitted in the end. Better go back where you came from early."

"A Beta? Hahaha, daring to cut in line, what a naive calf who isn't afraid of the tiger."

"Tsk, look at this Beta, he's shorter than my chest, and even more delicate than an Omega. And he wants to apply to the military academy? Is he trying to make the insect species die of heartache? Those uncivilized barbaric bugs definitely don't know how to cherish beauty~"

"A Beta can't even pass the basic genetic level test."

Hearing the familiar term, Queqiu easily recalled his experiences aboard the Elibeth. His eyes moved swiftly, quickly locating the Alpha who made the remark in the crowd.

It was a gazelle Alpha, towering at over two meters with sharp antlers, standing in front of Queqiu like a giant.

Not just him, all the Alphas and even Betas present were at least two meters tall, making Queqiu appear even more delicate.

Queqiu, not considered short on Earth, seemed almost petite compared to these animal gene-carrying Alphas.

Even most Omegas, known for their delicacy, appeared taller than him.

The gazelle Alpha even gestured to illustrate the height difference between them, drawing a round of laughter from the crowd. The lion Alpha, encouraged by the response, puffed up his frizzy golden mane, looking quite imposing.

He arrogantly planted his hands on his hips, towering over Queqiu, "Well, aren't you going to obediently head to the back of the line? Is this where you belong?"

Catching sight of the registration staff finally ambling over, Queqiu, who had been silent throughout the ordeal, finally made a move.

He slowly raised his hand, causing the Alphas to mistakenly think he was about to strike. They tensed up, ready to pounce and teach this presumptuous Beta a lesson.

The lion Alpha, particularly vigilant, fixed his gaze on Queqiu: "What, you want to fight?"

However, Queqiu simply pointed in a direction.

He gestured towards a sign standing right in front of him, adorned with pink floral script reading "Omega Exclusive Passage." Next to it was another sign, declaring "Alpha and Beta Exclusive Passage."

Ignoring the Alphas whose expressions drastically changed, Queqiu calmly stated, "I'm queuing for the Omega passage—"

He turned to the lion Alpha, whose face shifted from arrogance to shock, and slowly lifted his eyelids, revealing his shimmering golden eyes under the sunlight: "Unless I'm mistaken, I'm the only one for this passage. So,"

"Which line did you suggest I 'properly queue' in?"

This simple counter-question stirred a massive uproar.

Every Alpha and silent Beta present widened their eyes in utter shock, staring at Queqiu—

This isn't a Beta, but clearly an Omega!

Author's Note:

Maomao: Can't stand hearing 'caterpillar,' I'm a pretty butterfly, please take note.

Queqiu: .

Queqiu: Okay, got it, bug.